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Traveling With Children Who Struggle With Anxiety

August 19, 2020 By Marvelous Mouse Travels

Anxiety? It’s a word that we hear very often today! Does your child struggle with anxiety and does this make you anxious and maybe even prevent you from traveling.? If so, here are some tips to help:

Include your child in the planning phases so they know what to expect.

Give them a copy of the travel schedule (if old enough of course). My son does well with a calendar with times and events so this may help when traveling as well.

Plan, plan, plan and plan again. Make sure that your vacation is planned and your son or daughter is aware of the plans.

Pack some things that you child loves and that may bring them comfort (stuffed animal, blanket, pillow, etc).

Go in with low expectations. I know this may be viewed in a negative manner, but we always travel knowing that it might not go the way we planned. If you have a picture perfect vacation in your head, it probably won’t happen.

Know when your child has had enough and needs a break. Being over-stimulated and riding rides for 12 hours straight may call for a break. Monitor your child’s body language, mood, etc.

I hope this has helped gain some ideas on how to travel with an anxious child. Please don’t let anxiety stand in your way of traveling. You can do it! Life is short, take the trip, and make the memories.

Thank you to our Marvelous Mouse agent Brenda Schruefer for these helpful tips! Many of our agents specialize in helping families with special needs. Reach out when you are ready to plan your next vacation, we would love to help!

What You Need to Know About Walt Disney World’s Reopening!

July 15, 2020 By Marvelous Mouse Travels

Walt Disney World’s Magic Kingdom Reopening Review

A fellow agent friend and I traveled to Walt Disney World last week to attend the Annual Pass Preview. We got to see what the airports, airlines, transportation services, hotels, and theme parks are doing to manage the health and safety of their guests.

The #1 thing: masks are required at all times, inside and outside. You can remove them while eating or drinking, but to keep you and everyone around you safe, masks are required.

The #2 thing: I felt very safe with the procedures in place. We flew from the Atlanta airport to Orlando and back, flew Southwest round-trip, rode Disney’s Magical Express, stayed at Contemporary’s Bay Lake Tower, went to Universal’s City Walk, Disney’s Disney Springs, and Disney’s Magic Kingdom. Temperature checks were required to enter the parks along with normal security procedures.

We sweat a lot, but we had the best time! It was awesome, and when you feel comfortable traveling again, I know you will have an amazing time! I can’t wait to help you plan your next vacation!

We enjoyed short wait times, characters showing up at random times either on a stage/a balcony or in a cavalcade. Social distancing was enforced and well marked. If there was a snake in the line, plexi-glass was installed so you weren’t on top of anyone. On rides, rows were kept empty between different parties like you see on the Small World boats in the collage. For shows, rows were marked “closed,” and seats were marked between parties. See image below at the Carousel of Progress. Speaking of a carousel, see the collage to the left? The Cast Member between the horses is spraying every horse and pole/handle down between rides.

Seeing characters, like the County Bears, was such a fun treat. I have only seen them in the show (Animatronics) or in special parades, so for them to just appear was a great way to get that Disney magic we all crave.

When can I take off my mask?

Dining is one of the best parts of any vacation, and now, it was also a great time to take a rest from the mask. Table-service dining is now a must on your park day; you can enjoy the AC and take off your mask.

At the dining locations, you can scan menus, scan a QR code to check-in to your table-service reservation, or place a mobile order at quick-service locations.

There are relaxation areas to have a snack/take a break from your mask.

We took advantage of these areas!!

Disney Springs and Disney’s On-Site Bus Transportation

We shopped till we dropped, and no Disney Springs visit is complete without some Ghirardelli’s! We rode Disney’s bus transportation from Disney Springs back to our on-site hotel. The social distancing was really easy to maintain! Masks were required on the bus and while you wait in line. Also, in the restaurants and shops, you had to wear your mask and keep your distance. Stores were limiting the number of guests allowed inside at one time, so we waited outside along the “please wait here” ground markings until it was our turn.

As you can see, Walt Disney World is doing things right considering the circumstances.

I would be remiss to not add a section about Universal Orlando; we didn’t go into their parks, but we did check out the Hard Rock Hotel and City Walk. Like WDW, we were comfortable and pleased with their health and safety procedures as well.

As you enter the hotels, employees will check your temperature

and give you a colored band (changes each day) to show that you

have been checked and are below 100.4 degrees.

COVID warnings and social distancing markers are throughout the property.

Social distancing continues on the boats that take you between City Walk and the hotels.

So lets get your trips to Universal Orlando and Walt Disney World booked. I can book you through 2021 for Universal Orlando and through 9/26/2021 for Walt Disney World. I was so impressed with both companies, not that I am surprised, during these difficult times; they really put health and safety above all else without skimping on the magic. Let me help you get there! Contact me today!

alyssa@marvelousmousetravels.com

Why You NEED Travel Insurance!

April 27, 2020 By Marvelous Mouse Travels

Thank you Jen McGurn for sharing your personal experience!

This post isn’t fun or exciting, but it is important and this tip could potentially save you thousands in the long run.

When you are budgeting for a vacation, it is really important to build the cost of travel insurance into that budget. Travel Insurance is extremely reasonable. Generally speaking, a family of four can expect to pay under $200 for a week’s vacation. Of course that price varies based on destination, ages and length of travel.

But let’s talk about the WHY? First of all, travel insurance offers cancellation coverage. Depending on the plan, there will be a variety of covered reasons including, but not limited to: severe weather, illness, an act of terrorism and even termination of employment. Some plans actually offer Cancel for Any Reason.

Travel Insurance also protects you in the case of delayed or interrupted travel. Imagine you have booked a $6,000 cruise and your flight is delayed. You, in turn, miss the ship. The ship is not waiting for you and they have already been paid. Without insurance, you are really out of luck.

With that being said, exactly what does an airline owe you if your flight is cancelled or delayed? Every carrier has its own set of policies. Typically an airline will offer compensation if they are responsible for the delay, however, if the delay or cancellation is weather related, the result of a labor dispute or caused by some other unforeseen circumstance, they most likely will not offer a refund or cover lodging and meals.

Let’s talk about health and emergencies. You may be thinking, “I have health insurance. I’ll be fine.” That is true to an extent. BUT – most health insurance plans do not cover you when traveling internationally.

Also – and this is BIG – travel Insurance can cover medical evacuations or transport.

Case in point, several years ago while visiting Myrtle Beach, my father contracted MRSA and experienced many complications from his diabetes. He was taken to a local hospital and his health insurance covered his medical treatment. His stay became quite lengthy and we were told he most likely would not survive the drive back home to Maryland. The cost to have him medically transported home where he could be treated by his own doctors was more than any of us could possibly afford.

Additionally, had he not survived, we would have faced a huge cost to get him home for a funeral. After 3 weeks, he was released against medical advice and my mother drove him home where he was readmitted for treatment by his doctors.

Had he had travel insurance, the situation could have played out very differently. He could have been treated at home and my brother, sister and I would have been able to visit and help our mother out.

I have also been on two separate cruises where an individual had to be medically evacuated. During a recent training, our Travel Insured rep informed us that helicopter evacuations can exceed $30,000!

When you think about all of the “what-ifs,” doesn’t it just make sense to protect yourself?

Disneybounding!

April 22, 2020 By Marvelous Mouse Travels

A BIG thank you to Jen McGurn for this fun post!

What on Earth is Disneybounding?

My next Disney World vacation is right around the corner! So of course, I’m planning out what I am going to wear while I’m there.

A few years ago, I stumbled upon something called Disneybounding. A blogger named Leslie Kay started the trend in 2011. Disneybounding is creating outfits that represent characters without full on costumes.

Here is an example of one of my favorite so far.

Generally, the characters and Disney cast members catch on pretty quickly. In this instance, Snow White asked me if we could bake Gooseberry Pies together. It was very cute.

My daughter and I absolutely love Disneybounding. Sometimes we even convince the guys to join us! Generally speaking, we keep our bounds simple and casual because we want to be comfortable while walking around the parks.

We tend to pick basic colored shorts and tees and then I order a character themed bow to attach to my ears for the day. I usually get the bows from Etsy or Hot Topic. Here is a fun Merida bound I did and she loved my bow!

So, as I said, we keep it basic, but some people really go all out. There are Facebook groups devoted to Disneybounding where people share ideas and ask for opinions. When you look up Disneybounding on Pinterest, you will see that people even add pretty cool accessories – from purses and belts to themed jewelry. For hard core Disneybounders, even the shoes need to be a part of the color palette. For me…comfort is key.

We did dress up our bounds a bit for our Disney Cruises. See if you can guess what characters we tried to represent.

For our next visit, I’m trying a few new bounds – I have the cutest ears for a Bing Bong bound and a cute Dalmatian bow for, well, a 101 Dalmatian Bound. I always love coming up with new cute ideas for our trips.
Have you ever Disneybounded? If not, do you think you might?

Disney is NOT just for kids!

August 16, 2019 By Marvelous Mouse Travels

Thank you Brittany Lapicki for this great post highlighting some of the adult fun at Walt Disney World Parks & Resorts!

I so often hear the typical stereotype that Disney is a place just for kids and families. Well I am here to tell you, how untrue that it is! While I traveled to Disney frequently with my family as a child, I have taken more trips than I count with my significant other. Disney is not just a theme park; it is its own world. No matter where you go or what you do on property, there is this special feeling in the air. Even if you or your significant other is not a believer in Disney Magic, you still can’t help but feel that inner joy! Disney has done an amazing job of catering to all ages. You absolutely do not need to get up before the sun comes up and head to the park and start waiting in line in the 100-degree weather. It comes down to what you are looking for out of your vacation!

Looking to relax in the morning? Disney has amazing pools at every resort, avoid the hot parks and hang by the pool all day and head to the park at dusk. Are you more into thrill rides and want to skip It’s a Small World and Peter Pan’s Flight? That is easy! With the availability of Fast Passes, you can book your thrill rides, skip the lines and move on to the next fun thing!

Depending on the time of year, there are some events that are made for adults! In the fall, you can experience Epcot’s International Food & Wine Festival where you can drink and taste all the flavors of several different countries including over 40 booths! In the Spring, Epcot has the beautiful Flower & Garden Festival where you can see stunning flower displays throughout Epcot! There are close to 20 different booths for more food and drink samplings!

Maybe you are looking for more of the night life experience? Well you can head over to Disney Springs! Newly renovated, Disney Springs is FULL of amazing restaurants, bars and upscale stores. Stop over at Splitsville for yummy food and drinks while you bowl! Or catch the newest movie at AMC Movies at Disney Springs 24 which also has Dine-In theaters!

Whether you are an avid or novice golfer, Disney has 4 beautiful golf courses where you can play 18 or 9 holes! Not a fan of using the driver? Play a round of Mini Golf at Winter Summerland. This is an easy but fun Christmas themed course! Fantasia Gardens Miniature Golf Course is a bit more challenging but another fun option!

Disney certainly is a special place for families and children, but there is nothing stopping adults of all ages from having just as much fun! No matter your age, you are guaranteed to have a magical time when on Disney Property!