5 Ways to Banish Post-Vacation Sickness: Part 1

In addition to death and taxes, I can always count on the Post-Vacation Sickness. Sneezy, snotty, congested, icky tummy - you get the picture. It seems that without fail, after every vacation I have at least a few days of post-travel sickness. This past year, after spending a glorious few days in Miami in January, I was blessed with a particularly bad case of bronchitis. Good times, people, good times.

I am always fastidious (today's SAT word, folks!) about washing my hands anytime I am on a plane, in a hotel room, a cruise cabin, etc. I am not a germaphobe by any means, but I am a clean person who tries to do what she can to combat illness. No matter how I try, the germ bugs seem to find me, determined to take up residence in my body.

So THIS time, after doing lots of research and talking to friends, I have come up with a plan that will *hopefully* result in zero snotty noses, no more watery eyes and will save me about $50 in Kleenex. Here's hoping!

So here is my 5-point plan for telling those germs to take a hike:

1. Make my own wet wipes, and use them to clean off the plane seat, as well as surfaces in my hotel room and cruise cabin.

My Mouse World Travel co-worker Jeanne said that each time she flies, she takes baby/wet wipes and rubs down their plane seat, tray table, etc. GREAT idea. You know darn well that those things don't get properly cleaned in the 8 minutes between passengers leaving the plane, and the next group coming on.

I found this recipe online for homemade wipes, and I'm going to try them out. I am ready for the confused and questioning stares from my fellow passengers as I wipe down my little area of the plane, but it'll be worth it if I don't end up sick.

Oh - and NEVER use those pillows or blankets on the plane. Ewww. Roll up a sweater, or pack a pashmina or large scarf and use that instead. When you get to your destination, make sure you clean whatever you used as a pillow/blanket, as that touched the plane as well.

I am happier NOT knowing what kinds of germs are on those airplane pillows and blankets. Blech.

2. Use essential oils.

For the past few months, I've been using doTERRA Essential Oils for cleaning, general wellness, etc and I LOVE them. I've had a lot of success keeping small sicknesses at bay (sick people ALL around me and so far, no sickness here!) with the oils, so I plan on making them a part of my plan.

I will use a few drops of their OnGuard blend into my water bottles, and also rub it on my feet each night. I also plan on taking the Lemon and Lime oils, which are natural disinfectants. On the days I fly, I'll also rub OnGuard and Breathe on my chest.

3. Water. Lots and lots of water.

In researching, I found that the post-travel sickness thing is felt by lots of people. (Glad to know I am not the only one!) I read over and over again that this is due in part to the air in the plane. I won't get all sciencey on you (I couldn't be all sciencey, even if I wanted to!) but in essence, there is very low humidity on planes. We have a natural defense in our bodies, via the mucus in our lungs and noses, that keeps those germs at bay. However, when there is such low humidity, those natural defenses dry up. And because of this, staying hydrated can combat the effects of the humidity and help to hydrate your body, which keeps you healthier.

Phew. OK, all done with the science part. (And bet you didn't think you'd ever see the word mucus on this blog! Ha!)

I tend to drink Diet Coke on planes but I will be going 100% water this time around. I am also going to buy my own water bottle after I go through security, vs drinking the water they serve on the plane. I don't mean to imply that the water that they serve is bad (they pour from bottled water), but it makes me feel better that I am the only one drinking out of that particular bottle, which is opened as they do their service of the plane and thus is subjected to the ickiness in the air. Does that make sense?

4. Do what I can pre-vacation to fit the germ bugs.

Before I even leave home, I will do what I can to lessen the chance that the germs take residence in my body.  I'll do my usual cleanliness, doTERRA oils, etc but will also pay special attention to things like potlucks during the holidays, food that people bring to work, etc.

5. Get enough rest during Christmas week.

Don't get me wrong - I love having lots of family around, and fun activities the week of Christmas. It's awesome to see everyone and visit, play games, watch movies late into the night, etc but I find that by the time the 28th/29th rolls around, I am SPENT. So this year, I am making a concerted effort to get enough sleep. If we stay up late one night, I'll set the alarm for 1/2 hour later the next day, for example. When we have some downtime, I'll put my feet up and doze for a few minutes, if I need to.

I leave in a few days for sunny Florida, and when I get back I'll report truthfully on if my wellness plan worked, helped a little bit, or fell flat on its face.

Be sure to follow along here on the blog and on social media as I'll be sharing videos, photos, etc from my trip to Disney World and on the Disney Cruise Line.

How do you keep healthy when on vacation? Please share here, or on my social media pages!

Have a magical day!

It's Vacation Time, Baby! My Travel Checklist

First, I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas and are still celebrating with your family and friends. I don't know that we have any set-in-stone plans for today; will probably just visit as the kids play with their Christmas presents.

As I leave for Orlando in just a few days (!!!), it's time for that pre-trip ritual, the "Holy crap, I am leaving in a few days and here's what I have to get done" vacation checklist.

It's truly a time-honored tradition, one where I run around like a banshee in the days and hours before my trip, trying to do the things that inexplicably I put off doing in the weeks beforehand. Because pre-preparation and relaxed packing is for suckers.

* I am going to lay out the clothes I want to take, and then edit from there. Once again, I'm going to pack in just a carry on and a backpack (for the post that started me on the road to "Carry On Only", here is that post!). We're going to stay at Saratoga Springs for a few days, and then head over to the cruise on January 2nd. We'll have laundry in our villa at Saratoga, so I can do laundry and there's no need to pack 1/2 my wardrobe.

* I'll find, and assemble, my cruise "extras". I have magnets for our stateroom door, and my Fish Extender as I am participating in the FE again for this cruise. We are also doing a Secret Santa, but I am picking up that gift at Disney so no need to pack that. Phew.

* One of these trips, I am going to come up with a "master list" of things I always bring every trip, so I don't have to try and recreate the list each time. We'll see, maybe this will be the time. Or I'll just wing it, like I always have. (It's important to have goals.)

* I like my house to be mostly clean and put together before I go out of town, so in the next few post-Christmas days I'll tidy up and get the house in decent shape. However, I am not going to tackle taking down decorations until AFTER I get back.

* I am going to take some time to write blog posts for 2015 and take and edit LOTS of pictures while on this trip (yes, it's vacation but this work IS relaxing for me), so I want to make sure and bring my nice camera. And the lenses. You laugh - but this fall I went to the Disney Archives exhibit in Chicago, took that fancy camera with me - - and forgot to put on a lens. Rookie mistake.

How do you get ready for vacation? What are your rituals, traditions, etc?

Have a great Saturday!

Merry Christmas!

Christmas 2014 is upon us, and as you celebrate with your family and friends I am sending you and yours wishes for the most blessed and festive Christmas!

I leave on the 30th for my next Disney adventure, and of course I'll be bringing you along for the ride!

In the meantime, have a wonderful Christmas ~ God Bless You, everyone!

BEWARE Travel Scams! How to Spot a Con Artist

Today I read yet another story about someone who'd posed as a travel agent, and stole/scammed people who were making plans to visit Disney World. According to the story (you can read it here), a woman posed as a travel agent and stole over $100,000 from families who were planning trips. She has pled guilty and is paying restitution to her victims.

It makes my blood BOIL when I read these stories - and unfortunately, they aren't rare. I read one article about a year ago where a school band or choir was heading to Disney World to preform, drove all the way there, showed up to their hotel and were told they had no reservations. The person who booked their trip took all the money, instead, and they were never booked! How heartbreaking.

In light of this, I wanted to share with you some ways to spot a crook when it comes to travel. This is by no means an exhaustive list but hopefully this will give you something to think about as you look for a travel agent.

* Work with someone you trust, or with someone who's worked with a friend/family member so you can ask about their vacation, working with that person, etc.  

Word of mouth is one of the ways that many travel agents grow their businesses. Referrals are the backbone of our business and nothing makes us happier than when you pass along our information to your friends and family. (This is how most of my clients find out about me!) Ask your friend how the agent was to work with, how responsive they are, trustworthy, etc. And most importantly, did they have a successful trip (such as the ever-important, did they had a reservation when they showed up!?).

You won't always find a travel agent via acquaintances, of course. You might see a billboard, or an ad on Google. If you have no personal knowledge of them, ask if you can speak with or email a few of their past customers and ask questions to make sure they're on the up-and-up. Any legitimate business person won't balk at this.

* NEVER give someone cash or write them a personal check for the the entirety of your trip cost.

If a "travel agent" asks you to write them a personal check, or give them cash, in payment for a trip - RUN, don't walk. Anyone who says "Just give me the cash/make the check out to me and I will take care of it" is not to be trusted. Deposits and final payments are processed by the vendor and money should not change hands via the agent. Your TA will ask for your credit or debit card information to process the reservation on the vendor's website, and will be able to provide you with documentation of this every step of the way (deposits, final payment receipt, etc).

The exception to the "don't give cash or check to your TA" are agents who have a booking free or travel planning fee, which is completely normal and above-board. This should be spelled out clearly for you when you're looking to book a vacation with an agent who has fees.

* If it sounds too good to be true - it probably is.

Keep your antenna up for things that seem just TOO good to be true. If you see someone advertising a $1,000 Walt Disney World vacation for a family of four during Christmas, for example, that should set off all sorts of alarm bells. OR, if someone says something along the lines of, "Book your vacation with me because Disney lets me offer special deals that no one else can" - RUN RUN RUN.

* Confirmation numbers and receipts should be available on official letterhead/email from the destination and ready to send to you at any time.

Once your vacation is deposited and/or paid for, your TA will be able to get your a confirmation number, and also email you receipts showing what was paid, on what date, for your files. With Disney, for example, you now enter that number into MyDisneyExperience.com and can see your reservation information yourself, on their official website. Agents also have the ability to email you the payment history and final receipt for your vacation.

If a TA cannot give you confirmation from the vendor that your trip is booked, or hesitates giving you that information - FLASHING RED SIGN! Beware!

It's sad that we live in a world where people scam families out of their hard-earned vacation dollars, but unfortunately they're out there.

Things Your Travel Agent CAN (and CAN'T!) Do!

I read an article a few weeks ago (I think it was on the Huffington Post's website) that talked about the reasons to use a travel agent when you book a vacation. Many were great reasons, but I felt others were pretty inaccurate or just plain wrong. (I can't seem to find that article again - - but when I do, I will post it for you over on the Facebook page.)

In an attempt to correct what I see as misinformation, I wanted to add my voice to the mix. So, without further ado, for your reading pleasure:

Things Your Travel Agent CAN (and CAN'T!) Do For You!

What we CAN do:

* We monitor and receive communication from vendors about discounts, upcoming pricing specials, etc. Sometimes, we are even able to apply newly-released discounts to vacations that are already booked! For instance, I had a client book their Disney World trip and about a month later the Play, Stay and Dine offer was released. I called Disney for them, and was able to apply that discount to their trip, saving them over $400!

* Not only do we monitor info about discounts and specials, we are also on the pulse of news with the location/destination, including upcoming renovations and construction news. It's our job to stay on top of what's going on with the destination and communicate that information to you, so you don't have to spend hours of your life slogging through the internet or setting up Google alerts.

For example, earlier this year we heard about the construction going on at the Polynesian and Wilderness Lodge resorts and were able to advise clients, in case that would affect their decision to stay there. Better that, than booking it and THEN realizing when you get there that the pool's on refurbishment, or that one of the food courts is not in service!

* We take care of the booking of your trip, but also the minutiae that comes along with planning a vacation. For example, with Disney we stay on top of things for you, like dates for Dining reservations, dates you can pick your FastPass+ attractions, and much more.  We stay up until Midnight to make those FP+ reservation dates, and wake up at 6AM to get your breakfast at Cinderella's Royal Table so YOU don't have to!

* Once you're on your trip, we're a resource in case anything should go amiss. One of the greatest benefits about booking your trip with your travel agent, vs doing it online or by yourself, is we're a resource if/when things go wrong. They don't often, but it's nice to have someone in your corner who can help you and can try to make it better.

This could be as small as a location not having your Dining reservation listed, or as large as needing help if someone in your group has a medical emergency. It's nice to have a helper in case things go wrong!

* We know fun little facts and hints about your destination that we share with you.  I always love when I can share little tidbits of info with clients, like the best places to get ice cream or where to find the best margaritas on property.

What we CAN'T do:

* We cannot make the prices cheaper. We do not set the prices, or have the ability to discount them further; that is all decided by the destination. Now, as noted above we are on the pulse of discounts so we can monitor those for you - but we do not have the ability to make vacations cheaper.

* We can't make Dining or FastPass+ slots open out of thin air, or create availability where there is none. One item I read in the Huffington Post article talked about using a TA because they have relationships with concierges and can make availability at select restaurants appear, for example, or get you tickets to that sold-out concert or play. In some cases this *might* be true, but is certainly not across the board.

While many of us do have good relationships with individuals who work at the destinations, that doesn't mean we're able to make you the dining reservation on New Years Eve a week in advance, or create more FastPass+ slots to meet Anna and Elsa. We are great at finding answers and we love to problem-solve with you, but there are often things that are out of our control.

* We're unable to change weather patterns, weather delays, etc. You might be laughing right now, but many TAs have horror stories about people getting very upset at them because there's a snowstorm forecasted the day they leave, or their airport closes/has delays. We'll be here to assist you if your plans get delayed by "acts of God" but unfortunately we don't have control over Mother Nature.

* We don't know if/when discounts are going to be released until a day or two before.  In particular for Disney, there is no set-in-stone timeline for when things are SOMETIMES offered (such as Free Dining in the fall). Very few, if any, destinations have a schedule for when discounts are released each year (and most don't want to create such a schedule, because in their eyes they don't want you to wait and book a trip only when a discount is involved). We often find out the same time as you all do, maybe a few days sooner. When we do hear for sure, we get that information out to you ASAP so you can make a decision if those dates and/or that promo works best for you.

If there are other travel agents who are readers, please chime in and leave comments here and/or on social media!

As always, thank you for reading - - and have a magical day!

Pictures from Disney's Caribbean Beach Resort

Today I bring new some new pictures from Disney's Caribbean Beach Resort. My co-worker Brook was recently at a conference at WDW, and took some pictures of the newly re-designed rooms at Caribbean Beach.

I think it looks pretty great - I love that they're removing the (old, dated, dirty - blech) bedspreads from the rooms, and doing the duvet covers instead.

Without further ado, here are the pictures! Thanks again to Brook for sharing!

Have a magical day!

Getting in the Christmas Spirit - My Daily Christmas Challenge

Happy Monday, everyone! I hope you all had a great weekend. I went to a really fun Christmas party on Saturday night; my friends host it every year and we eat good food, sing Christmas songs around the piano - it really gets me in the Christmas spirit!

As much as I love the Christmas season (for many reasons), I admit I get too caught up in all the "to do" items. Just this morning, as I was getting ready I was counting off the days in my head, and all the things I have to get accomplished before Christmas AND going on vacation.

I worry that getting caught up in all the minutiae takes away from the joy of the season, and so I've decided to make a concerted effort to keep in a good frame of mind, and really ENJOY these weeks before Christmas. To me, the best way to do that is to have one thing each day, no matter how big or small, that puts me in the spirit of the season and reminds me to take each day as it comes, and enjoy this time of year.

So, here is my list:

December 8th: We're doing a gift exchange / Secret Santa this year in our travel agency. I am doing the "crafty" part of my person's gift tonight, and then mailing it to her in the next few days. I'm pretty excited about it, I hope it turns out!

December 9th: As a Christmas "gift" to myself, I am going to take a break from technology (no checking my phone, email, Facebook, etc) and settle down with a good book. For whatever reason I don't seem to find or make the time to read, but I love it. I'm going to grab my Kindle, a snack and snuggle on the couch with my puppy and some cozy blankets.

December 10th: I'll watch one of the greatest (in my opinion) Christmas movies of ALL TIME, Elf. I'm not a huge Will Ferrell fan, but in this movie I think he's perfect. The best combo of funny AND heartwarming. And an endless supply of quotable lines. ("You sit on a throne of lies!")

December 11th: Tonight, I am going to finish up my Christmas shopping. I feel like I have a lot to get, but in reality, it isn't that much. I'll head to Target, grab a coffee from Starbucks to enjoy while I stroll, and take my time. No need to rush around, this night is all about finalizing that gift list.

December 12th: My cousin's wife and I are having an essential oils get-together at my place tonight. Afterwards, I think I'll unwind by listening to Christmas music while I tidy up after the party. My new favorite Christmas music station is on the free app, Songza. Check it out and download it - there are TONS of free stations and their Classic Christmas one is my favorite.

December 13th: On this day, I'm heading to Des Moines to spend the day with my friend Bekka. We'll do some Christmas shopping, have a great lunch and just spend some fun time together.

December 14th: Since my Christmas shopping will now be done, today is the 2014 Present Wrapping Extravaganza! I'll put on Christmas music and might even brew some mulled cider to enjoy while I wrap.

December 15th: One of my FAVORITE parts about Christmas are the lights and decorations that people do on their homes, from the simple to the elaborate. Tonight I am going to brew a mug of my favorite Dunkin Donuts coffee, get in the car, and make a leisurely drive around town, looking at everyone's Christmas lights.

December 16th: As another "gift to me, from me", I'm going to take my laptop to our local Starbucks, buy myself a holiday-themed beverage (my personal fav is the ever-popular Peppermint Mocha!) and do some blog/travel work. I really like sitting and working in Starbucks and for some reason hardly ever do it, so tonight is the night!

December 17th: We'll have our office Christmas party at lunch time today. Yummy food, good conversation AND the best desserts ever?! Sign me up!

December 18th: Each Thursday night during the Christmas season, one of the area churches hosts a Live Nativity. For two hours, volunteers dress as Joseph, Mary, the Wise Men, etc and re-enact the Nativity scene in an outdoor set. I am going to bundle up, brew some coffee in the Keurig, and walk the few blocks downtown to see the Nativity for myself.

December 19th: Tonight, I am watching my cousin's kids (ages 1 and 3) and am going to attempt a Pinterest craft with them. We'll then wrap it up, and they can give it to their parents for Christmas.

(Yes, I am going to do/attempt a craft with two kids under 4. By myself. Pray for me.)

December 20th: On this day, I am going to finalize my Christmas Eve menu (I'm having my family over for dinner that night). Part of the prep is getting out my pretty Christmas dishes and serving ware - this always get me in the Christmas spirit!

December 21st: Tonight, I'll watch another one of my favorite Christmas movies, the classic White Christmas. I love older movies and this is one of the best, holiday-themed or not.

December 22nd: Only three days to Christmas! To relax and get ready for Christmas festivities (and vacation!) I am going to go to our local nail salon and get my fingernails and toes painted and pretty.

December 23rd: For our extended family celebration on Christmas day, we have a menu of appetizers and soups in crock pots, which is not only easy but fun as you get to try little bites of lots of things. On this day, I'll assemble what I'm taking (a SUPER easy and yummy potato soup and the salsa that my family loves, recipes linked, check them out!) and make my final Christmas preparations.

December 24th: Our family's Christmas Eve tradition is church, a nice meal, and then we open our gifts. It's always a fun, festive night with family. I love watching my nieces open their Christmas gifts - I think having kids around the celebrations make Christmas that much more special and fun. It's awesome to see it through their eyes.

December 25th: It's Christmas! :) Today, I'll go over to my parents house where my larger extended family will be gathered for the day. Most of my cousins and their kids/spouses will be there, so it'll be a great day. Food coma at the end of the day, naturally.

What ways do you mark the Holiday season? What are your favorite traditions / events / etc? Please share here and on Facebook / Twitter!

Have a magical day!

A Little Change for the Facebook Page...And Happy Birthday, Walt!

Hi all! Happy Friday; hope you've got lots of fun (and relaxing!) weekend plans coming up. A few things to cover today:

First, today is Walt's Birthday! Happy Birthday to the original Mouseketeer; I couldn't imagine a world without Disney in it and thanks to Walt's vision, we don't have to! Hope you're having a big party up there in Heaven today!

Second, I wanted to talk Facebook. You might have already seen my Facebook post over at the Most Delightful Place / Mouse World Travel page but in case you haven't, I wanted to go over it here.

Starting in 2015, Facebook is going to start to limit the reach that Business pages have. Right now, if you Like a page, you will see most of their posts on your News Feed. I say most of, because Facebook already has algorithms and equations that figure out what pages you engage with the most, and so you don't see EVERY post from your Likes and Friends. (That's another rant, for another day!)

With the changes, a Business page will have to pay for advertising for you to see their posts. This will pretty dramatically change the way that Business pages reach and engage with their audience. We don't know yet the cost for this advertising, but for many small businesses (including mine), it will probably be cost-prohibitive.

So in light of this, I am going to be doing a few new things:

* A new Facebook Group

A Group on Facebook doesn't have the same requirements as a Business page. It's also great because vs a Business page, you can have more of a dialogue with everyone (anyone who is a member of the group can post, which is fun!). As long as you are part of the group, updates and posts will show up on your News feed. I have created a new Group for Mouse World Travel - Katie Miller; that link is below. Please go to that page, and join us! (I am working on getting a URL for it that doesn't' have all those numbers!)

https://www.facebook.com/groups/402554303228354/

* An email newsletter

In 2015, I am going to be launching a monthly newsletter that will update you twelve times a year with all things Disney: information on promos and discounts, blog updates, pictures, and more!

If you want to be sure and be on the mailing list, please Subscribe with the field on the upper right hand side of this web page. I won't spam you, or share your email address - I promise! :)

I am also going to be posting more on Twitter, Instagram and Pinterest so be sure and follow me over there so you don't miss a minute. :)

Thank you for reading and following along!

Have a magical day!

My Review: Disney on Ice - Worlds of Fantasy!

Hello, everyone! I hope you had a great Thanksgiving. The last few weeks of November got away from me - the holidays are so busy, aren't they? Busy, but fun.

On Sunday, November 30th, I went with my friend Katie to Des Moines to see Disney on Ice: Worlds of Fantasy! Katie contacted me a few months ago about going, and you know I was up for anything Disney! :) We decided to go to the Sunday matinee, grab lunch beforehand and have a nice day together. It was also Katie's birthday, so it was a fun way to celebrate with her!

We arrived at the Wells Fargo Arena in downtown Des Moines. Katie had gotten us GREAT seats; we were very close to the stage, which was awesome.

At the Arena, there were tables set up in the lobby area with food, plush characters, photos, coloring books, etc. The moral of the story here - if you go to a Disney show and want some snacks, bring PLENTY of cash! An 8oz cup with a slushie was $15, and a bag of cotton candy (with either a Tinkerbell or Lightning McQueen hat) was $12! So needless to say, we did not get any treats, although that light-up cup with the slushie was pretty cool!

The premise of the show is Mickey, Minnie, Donald and Goofy showing you some of the magical fantasy worlds of their friends.  The friends we saw this show were Lightning McQueen, Mater and the gang from Radiator Springs; Tinker Bell and her fairy friends; the group from The Little Mermaid; and the toys from Toy Story 3. Each section of characters was about 20-25 minutes, and was a condensed version of the movie.

Each section was great; Katie and I both commented on how not only were they great skaters with the "tricks", they were also pretty impressive with running across the ice, climbing on pieces of the set, etc. I know for sure I would have ended up on my keister more than once!

My personal favorite section was Toy Story; the story was, of course, great but the costumes and set were AWESOME. Katie and I were both amazed at the coordination it took for TWO skaters to be in the Bullseye and Hamm costumes; can you imagine not only skating with a giant costume covering your whole body but ALSO making sure you move in synch with another person?! Crazy!!  Also, the skater/actor who played the Ken Doll was SPOT ON. His movements mimicked perfectly the motions of Ken from the movie, and his scene with Barbie where he tries on all his outfits was hysterical.

Katie said a Disney on Ice show is always at the Arena on Thanksgiving weekend, so this might become a yearly tradition for me!

To see all of the pictures I took (more than could fit on this post!) be sure and check out the photo album on the Most Delightful Place Facebook page.

Have a magical day!

New Trailer for Cinderella Released - And it's GOOD!

Today was a big day, folks. The newest trailer for the live-action Cinderella was released and....it's going to be GOOD.  March 13th is the release date - and you can believe I'll be there opening night, popcorn in hand!

Take a look at the trailer (below) and let me know what you think! (Casting Cate Blanchett as the Stepmother was GENIUS, by the way. I smell another Oscar nomination!)




Have a magical day!

Movie Review - Big Hero 6

courtesy of Disney.com

This past weekend, I went to see Big Hero 6, Disney's newest animated feature. It's been #1 at the box office the last few weeks, and I was excited to see it for myself.

Taking place in the fictional town of San Fransokyo (a clever combination of San Francisco and Tokyo), the movie follows Hiro, a 14 year old genius who loves robotics. Hiro spends his time competing in robot fights, which are illegal. His brother Tadashi, a college student studying robotics, shows Hiro his lab in an attempt to sway Hiro from the robot fights - and it works. Hiro meets Tadahi's friends in the lab (GoGo, Wasabi, Honey Lemon and Fred) as well as their professor, Dr. Callaghan.  Hiro also meets Baymax, the personal healthcare robot that Tadashi has created.

Hiro is encouraged by Tadashi to enter into the University's robotics contest, where the winner receives admittance into the school. He impresses Dr. Callaghan and does get into the program, but then a fire at the conference takes the lives of both Dr. Callaghan and Hiro's brother, Tadashi.

In his grief, Hiro connects with Tadashi's friends and also Baymax, the personal healthcare consultant that Tadashi created. When the group encounters a villain who's stolen Hiro's prize-winning robotics design, they band together to bring him to justice.

I REALLY enjoyed this movie. The animation is (of course) incredible, the characters engaging and exciting, and the plot is fast-paced.  It was really clever seeing how they combined the look and feel of both San Francisco and Tokyo to create the fictional city; in the beginning scene, pay attention to how they recreated the famous Golden Gate Bridge.

Baymax steals the show; he was my favorite character, for sure! They've once again created a character that on the surface would seem pretty one-dimensional (a robot) but instead becomes this multi-faceted, interesting, exciting character that you really root for.

If you have little ones (or not so little ones!) in your family who love science and geek-out over new technologies, they will LOVE this movie! I really liked that Disney took the concept of the super hero movie, and put a twist on it by including the science aspect. Yes, there are super heros and they have super powers - but the powers come from the science they're studying. These might not be technologies that we have NOW, but you can imagine these are things that are currently being studied and tested in labs and universities across the world.

I haven't heard any rumors about sequels, but the end of the movie DOES set up the possibility of other Big Hero 6 movies. As long as the story lines are and dialogue are as good as this movie, I'd for sure go and see another Big Hero 6 movie.

The movie is rated PG. I would feel comfortable taking children as young as 3 or 4, but there is a bit of violence (and an off-screen death). If you have little ones who are sensitive to those things, you might want to wait until they're a bit older.

This for for sure be a part of my Disney movie collection when it's released on DVD.  I rate it an A+!

Thanks for reading, and have a magical day!

The Most Delightful Place is a Year Old!

So this year went FAST, people. Like "blink and it's November" fast. I cannot believe that we are mere weeks away from Thanksgiving, and then Christmas. (I should probably start my shopping....)

If you can believe it, it was one year ago today that I posted the first article on The Most Delightful Place. Holy crap on a cracker! A year already?! Jeebees.

I'll get all the mushy stuff out of the way first.  Thank you for reading. Thank you for being a part of this little old corner of the interwebs. I appreciate your readership more than you know, and I hope in the coming year I can keep entertaining you and giving you a little slice of Disney in your daily lives. I am infinitely blessed by all of you.

Sniff.

OK, on to the fun stuff!

I was talking with another Disney blogger, and we were both saying that the most viewed articles on our blogs surprise us nearly every time. You write something and think it'll go over big - and it's a few hits. And then something else you wrote in 5 minutes ends up getting 100s of views. It's comical! So without futher ado, here are the most popular blog posts from the past year.

* Guest Author Sarah Norris - Special Diets at Disney
Sarah did such an AWESOME job with her first guest post, I am not at all surprised she was near the top of the list! If you haven't read it, be sure and check it out! Also make sure you make her website part of your weekly website reading; she does a fabulous job.

*Snow White and Princess Faith
This one DID surprise me. I mean, what's not to love - an awesome Disney Princess and a birthday wish to a little girl. I wasn't sure it would resonate with you all, since it was personal but I'm glad to know it did. I still tear up watching it!

*Unannounced Change at Disney World - This Week's Toy Story Midway Mania Decision
I love Disney, but I feel it's my duty to get "real" with you guys when I see something I don't like, or when a decision is made that I feel negatively impacts the guest experience. This was one of those times.

* BIG Disney Movie News!
This was one of the "I wrote it in 2 1/2 minutes" blogs that got TONS of hits.  Like, crazy. Not sure why, but there you go!

* Resort Review: Port Orleans French Quarter
My review of Port Orleans French Quarter is my most-viewed resort review and I couldn't agree more. That's not me patting myself on the back - it just seems that others love POFQ as much as I do! It's my favorite Moderate resort, and quite possibly my favorite resort on property, period.

So share with me - - what's been your favorite post this past year? Also - since you know this blog is full audience participation - what would you like to see / read about in the coming year?

Have a magical day And THANK YOU!

New Section: Pennies for Neverland!

Those of you who are eagle-eyed have probably already noticed a little change to the top of the site. If you haven't, go ahead and take a look. I'll wait.

WOW, that was quick! Yes, there is now a new section on The Most Delightful Place called Pennies for Neverland.

I have lots of ideas for posts on how you can save your pennies for your Disney vacation - and I wanted a special place to house those posts. Much like the Resort and Dining page, and the Disney Cruise Line page, this will be a place where I'll link posts that talk about how to save money for your Disney trips (and really, for vacations in general).

I'm by no means a financial whiz, but I always find it super helpful when people write about tricks, tips and how-tos to save time, money, resources, etc. I plan on having 2-3 posts a month in the Pennies for Neverland category and as always, LOVE your suggestions and ideas about posts you'd like to see.

Thanks again for reading! Have a magical day!

Welcome, The Chirping Mom readers!

If you've come over today via The Chirping Moms, Welcome! So glad to have you here. Please, make yourselves at home; I tell my readers, this blog is Full Audience Participation so I welcome your comments, input about what you'd like to see on the blog, etc.

On the right hand side are posts from the past year; you can also find Resort and Dining review via the links above. If you're a solo traveler, check out my Single Gal's Guide to Disney posts!

Thanks again ~ glad to have you here!

Guest Author - Sarah Norris: Holidays at Disney with a Special Diet

When traveling to the Walt Disney World Resort with a special diet during the holidays, guests might wonder if they’ll be able to celebrate with special treats. The great news is that at Disney World, you can enjoy the jolliest of holidays with ease and delicious (and safe!) food. Here are some particularly magical holiday tips and ideas to help create that extra special holiday vacation.

Enjoy a holiday feast! Not matter what holiday you’re celebrating this fall and winter season, you can get a traditional turkey dinner any day of the week at Liberty Tree Tavern in the Magic Kingdom. Gluten free diners can happily enjoy honest to goodness gravy (which happens to be dairy free and allergy friendly too) with their turkey dinner. Dairy free? You’ll swoon over the delicious dairy free mashed potatoes. My family dines here every year during Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party for that holiday tradition. You’ll also love the holiday décor in the restaurant.

Did someone say cookies? Santa Claus isn’t the only one who loves holiday cookies! If you’re attending Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party, head to one of the many cookies & cocoa stations located throughout the Magic Kingdom. Let a cast member know you have special dietary needs, and you’ll be treated to Enjoy Life cookies or OMG It’s Gluten Free cookies. Cocoa isn’t gluten free or dairy free, but you can always bring a safe mix from home and ask for hot water! 

Gingerbread displays & shops sometimes carry special diets treats! One of my favorite holiday traditions is to check out all the gingerbread and holiday displays at the various resorts. The biggest and most impressive are at Disney’s Grand Floridian and Disney’s Contemporary Resorts. There, take a look through all of the goodies for sale (yes, the gingerbread displays turn into honest to goodness shops!). For the past several years, Babycakes NYC treats have been available for purchase, including gingerbread people and cinnamon French toastie loaves. 

Enjoy a snack in the parks! Even though they aren’t holiday specific, I always look for gluten free and dairy free treats in the park. There’s something magical about watching the Holiday Wishes fireworks show while eating popcorn. For something sweet, you can score gluten free and dairy free caramel corn at Disney’s Hollywood Studios (the only known place to get it!). Of course, there’s always the classic turkey leg, which is both holiday inspired and gluten free and dairy free.

Make plans for a special meal. Disney excels at making amazing special diets options. Looking for sushi on Thanksgiving? A classic Feast of Seven Fishes Italian meal? Chances are, you’ll find it at one of Disney’s hundreds of restaurants. Planning ahead is key. Make your ADRs well in advance and be sure to note your special dietary needs on your reservation. 

It’s not just about the food! Of course, food is really important when you have a special diet, but Disney also offers so much amazing holiday entertainment that you’ll want to take advantage of it! From the Osborne Lights, Candelight Processional (pro tip: book a holiday dining package with this for an extra magical experience. My favorite is Biergarten), to Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party, there’s something for everyone!

I hope you enjoy your magical visit to Disney during the holidays. It’s one of my favorite times of year in the Disney Parks and Resorts!

Sarah Norris is the owner of Gluten Free & Dairy Free at WDW, where she chronicles her experiences visiting the Walt Disney World Resort gluten free, dairy free, and Crohn’s disease. You can frequently find her scouring the parks for the latest special diets Disney dining news and enjoying a safe and delicious meal.

What's In A (Disney Baby) Name?

Me & Sleeping Beauty - It's pink city!

This morning I read that TV & movie stars Rachel Bilson and Hayden Christensen named their newborn daughter Briar Rose. Awww, cute, right?! Congratulations, you two! Now, I don't know for 100% sure that they're Disney fans but the name would seemed to suggest so. (For those of you who might not know - Sleeping Beauty's name is Briar Rose.)

So it got me thinking; I wonder how many other people in the US have names inspired by Disney characters. I fired up my laptop, sauntered over to the Social Security website and had a go.

(Did you know you can go to the SS website, HERE, and look up the popularity of ANY name?! I've had friends use this when they name their children. Pretty cool stuff!)

Using both the Social Security website as well as HowManyOfMe.com, I went searching for Disney-inspired names. And here's what I found!

* There are approximately 11,172 people in the US named Belle. Also, about 6,200 people are named Gaston.

* In 2013, Ariel was the 146th most popular girls name in the US.

* Flynn (from Tangled) made its way into the Top 1000 US baby names in 2011.  Last year, it was ranked 664th.

* Jasmine has been one of the top 100 baby names since 1986!

* Donald peaked in popularity in the early 1930s, where it was ranked in the Top 10.

Do you know anyone with Disney inspired names? If so, please share here or on Facebook/Twitter!

Have a magical day!

A Mini Giveaway

Hello, and happy Tuesday!

Those of you who follow the Facebook page (and I know ALL of you do, right?!) saw this announcement last night, but I wanted to be sure and tell you about it here, too.

See the little "Like What You're Reading?" spot on the right hand side of the blog? If you enter in your email address into that field, you'll be "in the know" for any updates to the blog. You'll get an email anytime a new blog is posted, so you never miss anything - pretty cool, huh?

And to sweeten the deal - if you subscribe to the blog before 9AM Central on Wednesday morning, November 5th, I'll put your name in a drawing to win a $20 Disney Gift Card!

So subscribe away!

Have a magical day!

I will use random.org to pick a winner from the email subscribers. Only one email address per person, please.

How much DO you walk at Walt Disney World?

Picture from Fitbit.com

First, I wanted to say - - I haven't forgotten about the Trip Report. :) I hope to get this one finished before I go on the Disney Dream again in January! However, my iPhoto decided to freak out and the pictures I KNEW I took at Splittsville aren't showing up. Grrr - don't you love technology?! So instead, let's talk about walking around the World, shall we?

I have a FitBit activity device that I wear on my wrist; it tracks your steps and activity, and you can also use it as an alarm clock, to track your eating, your sleep, etc. It's a neat way to track just how much you move during the day; as I have a desk job, it really helps me know when I need to get around and move more.

Since I wore it while I was walking around Disney World and the Disney Cruise Line in August/September, I wanted to share with you just HOW much an average person probably walks at Disney, and why it's important to be prepared with appropriate footwear.

I looked at my steps logged on August 31 - September 4th, and each day I walked about 14,000 steps, or nearly 6 miles. Keep in mind - I wasn't killing myself running from place to place, or jogging from one end of Magic Kingdom to the other. This distance came from your normal touring and walking; from your room to the bus stop, from the bus stop at the park to the entrance, around the park, back to the bus and your room, etc.

It's SO important to have appropriate shoes! I remember one trip I took back in college, in the early 2000s. I bought some of the cute (and cheap!) flip flops, the kind that come in 100s of colors, to match my outfits (of course). I found out about 1/2 way through our first day that this was a BAD idea. My feet were killing me, and so after about 4 hours at Disney, I bought a pair of Mickey Mouse Keds-style sneakers and socks.  And lesson learned.

I recently purchased a pair of Sketchers GoWalk shoes and used those for the first time in August/September. OMG they are the BEST - - I will be buying more pairs, for sure. They're cute and stylish but still give you the support you need as you make your way through the World. Please excuse the general state of these shoes - they're "much loved", as you can tell!

I am confident in saying that the average person walks between 5-8 miles per DAY while at Disney World. So how do you get your feet ready for Disney, and keep them in good shape once you're there?

* If you're mostly sedentary at home, start walking a bit more each day to get your body ready for the many miles you'll be logging at Disney.

* Wear comfortable shoes - I cannot stress this enough. Comfort OVER fashion, every time! No one wants to stay in their room because they're in such pain they can't enjoy themselves.

* Be sure to pack some Band-Aids, just in case. I find that on occasion, I get blisters and so having Band-Aids at the ready is a real lifesaver.

*  Closely watch little ones - they're not used to walking this much, either (probably) and so they might need a few more breaks. Depending on the age of the child, you might also consider taking or renting a stroller, even if they don't use one at home. This beats having to carry them! :)

How much do YOU walk and Disney, and what steps do you take to protect your feet?

Have a magical day!

Announcing: My New Referral Program!

Today I'm announcing my brand-new customer referral program and I of course wanted to share the details with all of you!

For those who might be new to the blog - - in addition to writing The Most Delightful Place, I am also a travel agent with Mouse World Travel, specializing in Disney Destinations.

I LOVE helping families plan their magical Disney vacations - - few things bring me more joy than knowing they've had a great time and created important memories they'll cherish for years to come. It's an honor for me to have been a part of that magic!

One of the greatest compliments I receive is when someone refers me to their family and friends; I'm so happy that they were pleased with the service I provided enough to pass along my contact information to their friends, co-workers, etc who are planning Disney vacations.

I have been brainstorming ways that I could say "thank you" to those who've introduced me and my planning services to their friends, and this is what I came up with!

* From November 1st, 2014 until February 1st, 2015, for every new client you refer to me (new meaning they've never used my travel planning services) who books a Disney World, Disneyland or Disney Cruise Line vacation of at least $1,500, I will send you a $20 Disney or Visa gift card upon completion of your referral's vacation!

It's super easy to be part of this referral program - simply send me an email to katie@mouseworldtravel.com, or get in touch with me via social media (links to my accounts are above) and let me know when you've passed my contact information along to your friend(s). I will let you know when they book a vacation, and when I will be sending out your gift card. You can choose either a Disney or Visa gift card, whatever works best for you!

This referral program is not limited to just those of you who've used my services before; even if we haven't planned your vacation yet, you can still refer friends to me and be part of the referral program! AND - if you've been thinking about going to Disney yourself and are looking for a no-obligation quote, please get in touch so we can get started planning YOUR Disney vacation! 2015 Disney World, Disneyland and Disney Cruise Line packages are now available for booking!

Also - For a limited time (until February 1, 2015) any brand-new client who utilizes my vacation planning services for the first time will be entered into a mega-drawing for a $50 Disney or Visa gift card! Woo hoo!

(Those clients who have traveled with me or referred me to your friends in the last year - never fear - I will be reaching out to you re any applicable referral bonuses, and/or if you're entered in the mega-drawing, so you didn't miss out!)

Please let me know if you have any questions.  Thank you again, and have a magical day!

Welcome, Disney Parks Podcast listeners!

Happy Friday, everyone! I wanted to send out a quick "Welcome!" to those of you who might be wandering over to this corner of the interwebs for the first time, after hearing my appearance on the Disney Parks Podcast. I had SUCH a great time chatting Disney with Tony and Krista and can't wait until I join them again to chat solo / single travel to Disney.

I'm glad you're here and I hope you like what you read! If you want to check out the "greatest hits" of the blog, scroll down to the bottom of this page where you can see the most popular posts. I'd also love if you'd follow me on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest AND Twitter ~ the links to those pages are at the top of the page.

As I tell all my readers, this blog is Full Audience Participation so if you ever have questions, or comments, or have an idea for a blog post you want to see - please let me know! You can always reach me at katie@mouseworldtravel.com.

Welcome, and Have a Magical Day!

A Passport....Don't Cruise Without One!

As I was writing the Trip Insurance post, it occurred to me that I should write a similar post about passports. So, here we are! Let's chat passports, shall we?

On certain itineraries on Disney Cruise Line (and many other lines, I believe) if you are a US citizen you are able to cruise with an original birth certificate and are not required to have a passport.

I, however, would never do this, and I always strongly recommend that my clients get a passport any time they are going to be out of the United States.

The short answer as to why is because, without a passport, you will not be able to fly back into the United States quickly, without hankering with the consulate or customs, if you have to disembark in a foreign port.

I admit, I am a "worst case scenario" person and I like to be prepared for as many situations as I can.  As with the Trip Insurance issue, is it likely that something awful would happen during your trip and you would need to get home? Probably not, God willing everything is fine - - but what if it DOES?

One of the biggest reasons I hear for not getting passports is the cost; and yes, they are not cheap. I think they are around $100 for an adult and for a family, that can add up. However, think of the cost (in money and in time) if you don't have it, and need it?

So without further ado, here are the reasons why I will never cruise without a passport:

* Today you can - tomorrow (the day before your cruise??) you might not be able to.
We all know that rules can change at any point - this is especially true for US Customs and travel in and out of the United States. Let's say your cruise is in June and come May 30th, an announcement is made that starting immediately US Customs will no longer allow cruise travelers to use their birth certificates. And it's days before your cruise, so you'll either A) not be able to go, or B) have to pay out the nose in last-minute passport fees. I guarantee you this will cost WAY more than that $100/person passport charge.

* In an emergency, getting home should not be a worry.
Unfortunately emergencies do happen, and they can happen on vacation as easily as at home.  Say, for example, you are on a cruise and your spouse has a stroke. Your disembark in a foreign port of call in order to get medical treatment, but unless you have a passport, you cannot board a flight to get home once you're cleared to do so. Imagine not only dealing with your loved one being sick, but having to add to that the headache and hassle of trying to get back to the United States.

A few months ago, a fellow travel agent relayed an incident involving two of her clients. On a cruise, one of the travelers passed away in their sleep. The decedent and the surviving spouse disembarked the ship in a Caribbean country, in accordance with cruise line rules - and they were sailing without passports. Not only was the spouse dealing with the tragedy of losing their loved one, and the legal steps needed to get the deceased back to the US - she was told she would most likely be in that country for at least 2 weeks while everything was getting sorted out to allow her back into the United States.

In an emergency, the LAST thing you want to do is stress about getting you (and your loved ones) back to the United States in a timely matter.

* Passports are good for a number of years.
Currently, if you are over 18 your passport is good for ten years; those younger than 18 have their valid for five years. 

"Well, I'm not planning any other cruises / foreign trips in the next 5-10 years", you say. Are you sure? What if you son/daughter comes home from school and tells you about the class trip to Toronto? (Yes, Canada is a foreign country so you need a passport!) What if your best friend calls you, says she's getting married in Cabo in 3 months and wants you there as her maid of honor?

These might be extreme examples, but you just never know when an opportunity to use the passport will present itself and if you already have it - easy peasy!

* It's another great form of government issued photo ID.
You can use your passport for more than foreign travel; it's also a great (if not the best) form of government ID. Let's say you misplace your drivers license, and you have a flight tomorrow morning. No worries! Just bring your passport. (After someone drives you to the airport, of course!) If you didn't have it, you wouldn't be getting on that flight.

Please share in the comments and on Facebook - were you ever in a situation where having your passport made things MUCH easier? What would you say to someone who was on the fence about getting one?

Have a magical day!

Trip Insurance - You Don't Need It....Until You Do

Travel Insurance is an issue and question that's been coming up again and again amongst my travel agent friends and colleagues, so I thought it was time to devote a blog post to it.

Essentially, trip or travel insurance is coverage you purchase with your vacation that can be used to cover, for example, medical expenses while traveling or if you're unable to travel due to a medical emergency or another covered reason. Some policies have allowances that allow you to cancel or any reason, or cover you if the company you're traveling with goes under before your trip. Many travel destinations offer their own travel insurance plans; there are also numerous companies out there and you can comparison shop for the plan that works best for you.

Each trip insurance plan can have different specifics, what's covered and what's not, etc and that is too nitty-gritty to go into here. Also, I am not an insurance agent and so I cannot give advice regarding specific plans or nuances of what a plan might or might not cover.

However, I thought it was still important to discuss here because there have been a few instances recently among my friends and colleagues that just reiterated to me why I personally will be getting travel insurance on any vacation, from here on out.

As the title of this post says, you might not think you need trip insurance...until you do. It's the same thought process as having car, health and/or home insurance. Is it very likely that you'll get in a serious car accident, need lots of medical care, a new car, etc? No, hopefully you will not - but it's nice to know that in the event you do, you won't go into financial ruin because of it.

What if any of the below issues happened to you?

* Two days before your once-in-a-lifetime European river cruise to celebrate your 25th anniversary, your husband falls at work and breaks his leg; you are unable to go on a trip that was booked and paid for years or months ago.

* You're at Disney World and your husband has a heart attack in the park. He not only needs medical transport to the local ER and emergency surgery, they also decide he needs to stay in the hospital for a week, perhaps longer.

In these instances, without any trip insurance coverage you would most likely be out of the money you'd paid for your trip, and could also have additional bills from needing medical care that your own health insurance might not cover. Most destinations will not refund your money, or reschedule your trip, simply because you had an incident and are unable to come. In most cases, without trip insurance, you are out of luck.

Again, this is a decision that everyone has to make for themselves but I'm a "better safe than sorry" person and so it's trip insurance for me, from here on out!

Have a magical day!

Be sure to carefully read and evaluate any trip insurance coverage to make sure it's best for you. As I am not an insurance agent, I am not able to provide you with specifics on any plan (nor is any other TA, unless they are also licensed in insurance) but encourage you to research and if necessary, contact your personal insurance agent with questions. My opinions expressed above are not an endorsement or recommendation of any specific trip insurance plan or company.

The Pros and Cons of the Disney Dining Plan

From August 31 - September 4, I was able to "test drive" the Disney Dining Plan for myself. I've already done Live blog posts where I gave the actual dollars and cents (you can check those out in the archives!) but today I wanted to give my opinions on the Pros and Cons of the Dining Plan.

Pros:

* Your meals are pre-paid. There is definitely something to be said for convenience, and it was great not having to feel like I was getting my wallet out (or scanning my Magic Band) every time I ate. Having already taken care of that expense BEFORE the vacation is very nice; to me, this is the biggest perk of the Dining Plan.

* If you like to order higher-dollar entrees, you will save money.  If you're someone who typically orders the steaks, seafood or other higher-dollar meals, you'll hit the $60 per person, per day adult charge for the regular Dining Plan pretty quickly. If you know you'll be ordering that pricey Filet meal at Le Cellier, for example, the Dining Plan is probably a good bet for you.

* Dessert (and appetizers, if you're on the Deluxe plan) are included with your meal.
With the Dining Plan, you get a dessert included as part of both your Quick and Table Service credits (if you use a Quick Service for breakfast, however, dessert is NOT included). It's nice knowing that you'll always have a sweet treat with your meal, or something you can take back to your room and enjoy later.

* Since you get a Table Service credit, it encourages you to take time and have at least one sit-down meal per day.
For some this could be a Con, but I love getting some time off my feet while at Disney. This is especially true in the center-of-the-sun heat and humidity of Orlando in September. Having that credit available to use makes you take a break in your day and have a more leisurely meal.

Cons:

* It's a LOT of food. To me, this was the biggest Con of the Dining Plan.  Of course, to someone else, this might be a Pro.  I don't have dessert with every meal when I'm at home and after about 2 days of having dessert with every meal, I was starting to get TOO full. Like a revolving, still full from the last meal, can't imagine eating again.

*If you won't eat $60 worth of food per day, it's probably not a good deal for you. The current Dining Plan price for an adult is $60.44 per day, and so if you can't see yourself eating that amount of food in a day, the Dining Plan might not be for you. Example - let's say you like to grab a muffin for breakfast, split a lunch entree with your traveling partner and graze with snacks at dinner. From a money standpoint, the Dining Plan will not be worth it for you.

* You are staying in a suite or Disney Vacation Club room with a kitchen (or at least a kitchenette) and you plan to have some meals in your room.
One of the benefits of the suites on property is that you have a kitchenette or full kitchen at your disposal. I have been on my vacations where we buy breakfast foods, snacks, etc to eat in the room and it not only saves time but money. If you know you're going to eat at least a meal in your room each day, the Dining Plan might not be for you.

As always, these are just my opinions and I would love to hear yours! Do you like / not like the Dining Plan? Why?

Have a magical day!

Trip Report - August 31, 2014 - Part One

Happy Saturday! And welcome to another installment of the Trip Report. This past weekend I was in the Chicago area, celebrating my niece's 3rd birthday, which was a blast. In fact, today is her actual birthday; so in light of that:

Happy Birthday Faith! Aunt Katie Loves You! :)

Thank you for indulging me that moment. Now onto the Trip Report!

Sunday, August 31st was the first full day at Disney World. I woke up, packed the few items I'd taken out of the suitcase and called Bell Services to transfer my luggage to Coronado Springs. I wasn't meeting my cousins at Splittsville (located at Downtown Disney) until 10:30, so it was a pretty leisurely morning.

Everything Pop, however, was a ZOO! It was pretty crazy in there. This was Sunday of Labor Day weekend and although the crowds were predicted to be light during the week, you could tell it was still holiday crowd time. I attempted a picture of the breakfast rush, just to give you an idea.

After grabbing a quick muffin and Diet Coke, I made my way to the bus stop to catch a Downtown Disney bus.

As I waited at the bus stop, I was reminded why I have not been to Disney World / Orlando in late August / September for quite some time.  It is HOT.  Not like your normal heat, or even summer-level heat at Disney.  It was center of the sun, we're hotter than Mars, HOT and HUMID which just made it worse. Luckily, the bus came in about 5 minutes and I entered into its air-conditioned goodness!

After a quick ride to Downtown Disney, we were dropped off at the Marketplace area, where the shops are located. Most of them open at 10:00AM on Sunday and it was about 9:45 at this point, so I had a little time to kill.

I then witnessed one of my favorite "Aww!" Disney moments. You know those, when you witness something super-cute and sweet between guests, cast members, etc? One of the best parts about Downtown Disney is that they pipe in Disney music, so as you're walking along you're really immersed in the magic. There was a family with two young boys, and as they were walking by, "Kiss The Girl" from Little Mermaid was playing. The husband remarked to his wife, "Well, the song DOES say to kiss the girl", and he leaned over to his wife and gave her a smooch. The looks on the boys faces were PRICELESS, a mixture of disgust and embarrassment. So cute!

I had about 20 minutes to kill before I had to make my way over to Splittsville, so I wandered in and out of the shops. I was on a mission to see TrenD and the newly redesigned Marketplace Co-op area.

WOW! It looks amazing. The Co-op is styled after a series of boutiques, and so you have one area for clothes, another for housewares, one for purses, etc. Very, Very well done.

I knew my big souvenir purchase this trip was going to be a Disney Dooney and Bourke purse. You can buy them online at the DisneyStore.com, but I wanted to see it in person, the placement of the characters on the bag, etc. A very nice cast member helped me look at the bags and inspect each one, and then I made my selection!

I was SO happy; I have been looking at this particular pattern for a few years, and was very happy with my choice.

Giant purse bag in hand, I made my way through the construction are, and to Splittsville. It was a gorgeous day and even though, as mentioned, it was hotter than you-know-where, the sky was very blue and pretty.

I saw my cousins, we greeted each other, and then made our way in for bowling and lunch!

Coming up next - my review of Splittsville, both our bowling and dining experiences.

Have a magical day!

Trip Report - Saturday, August 30th - Departure Day! Part Two

Happy Sunday!

Today is the next installment in the Trip Report, the second half of my first day at Walt Disney World!

As I mentioned, I had grand plans to go to Hollywood Studios that night, eat at Brown Derby and then watch Fantasmic. Yeah, that didn't happen. I had been up since about 4AM, didn't sleep on the plane and I hit a MAJOR wall.  I made the executive decision to stay at Pop Century for the night and rest. Another major plus of solo travel - - I was able to change a plan on the fly, and no one was upset or disappointed! For the win!

After taking a quick 10 minute dip in the pool (it was SO NICE), I decided to grab dinner at the Everything Pop food court. I wanted to try something I hadn't gotten before, and so ordered the fish and chips. I didn't take a picture (bad blogger!) but imagine the same standard fish and chips you've all seen before. It was OK; nothing to write home about, but not horrible either.

The food court area was still bustling at this time of night, which I was kind of surprised about. It took me about 15 minutes to get my food (they were frying more fish) but the cast members were very friendly and it didn't bother me to wait.

After eating, I decided to wander around the Everything Pop store and see what treasures I couldn't live without. As I expected, they had quite a bit of the Halloween merchandise out, and as I admired everything a friendly cast member came up to me. He asked if I liked Halloween, talked about how excited he was for the Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party (MNSSHP), etc. As always, the cast member interactions are one of the reasons to go to Disney - he was so nice to talk to.

Before I left home, I considered going to MNSSHP; Monday of my trip was the first night and so it would have worked out time-wise. I hadn't bought my ticket, yet, and so I continued to hem and haw about it. You'll have to stay tuned to see if I actually went. :)

After my window-shopping experience, I went back to my room and decided to call it a night. I got out my Magic Bands, chose the one I wanted for the next day (and accessorized it, of course!). I only remember watching about 10 minutes of Law & Order before I drifted off to sleep.

The next day, Sunday, would be my first full day of the trip and includes:

* Meeting up with family

* Bowling at Splittsville

* And making a purchase at Downtown Disney that I have been considering for a few years.

Thanks again for reading! Stay tuned for the next installment!

Have a magical day ~