Food

Let’s Explore Universal Cabana Bay!

June 22, 2020 By Marvelous Mouse Travels Leave a Comment

Thank you Brittani Quezada for this great look at Universal Cabana Bay Resort!

Universal Cabana Bay Resort is prime value onsite resort at Universal Orlando. This resort is fantastic for a family on a budget that wants to enjoy their time at their hotel as well as in the parks. The resort is bright and has retro styled themed through the main areas and rooms. The 50’s and 60’s style continues in to the pool and food court areas.

Cabana Bay offer many features to enjoy on a break day from the parks or even if you just head back for a few hours or rest. With 2 outdoor pools, a lazy river, bowling alleyand arcade, your family has plenty of options for some down time.

For dining options your family can pick 3 dining locations. Bayliner Diner food court offers selections wraps, sandwiches, international meals, pizza, burger, salad, dessert and frozen yogurt. The options are endless. They also offer a grab and go area if you are in a rush to get to the pool or park. The Hideaway Bar and Grill offers adult beverages, wine by the glass or bottle, cocktails as well as smoothies and mocktails for the kids. They also serve nachos and burgers as well as other fast food options. Galaxy
Bowl Restaurant is located inside the bowling alley. They serve snacks, appetizers, full entrees and have a full-service bar!

One of the best things about Cabana Bay is that it offers a wide range or room accommodations. Family suites that can sleep up to 6, two-bedroom suites that can accommodate up to 8, and standard rooms for a family of 4, this resort can something for every family. Rooms that open to the outside pool area or inside are also options for you. Want a room with a view? Many rooms offer pool view, but my absolute favorite view is the Volcano Bay view!!! For just a few dollars more a night you can look out your
window and see the stunning water park! Nothing quite beats waking up the Krakatau Volcano outside the window.

If your family is looking for a FUN and affordable onsite Universal hotel, Cabana Bay is a great option. With the free shuttles to the parks, endless food options and tons of fun on property, this resort is my personal favorite in the value category!

Travel with me to Longboat Key Florida!

May 6, 2020 By Marvelous Mouse Travels

Thank you Brittney Lapicki for this fantastic overview of Longboat Key!

Looking for an upscale vacation destination that includes white sandy beaches, beautiful golf courses, incredible restaurants and shops, and luxury resorts? Well I have the place for you! Longboat Key, Florida is located on the West Coast between the Sarasota Bay and the Gulf of Mexico. This beautiful island includes 12 miles of private sandy beaches, the perfect secluded destination!

Stay at the Resort at Longboat Key Club, where you can enjoy majestic views and fine dining! Need to relax? Enjoy time at their spa or out on the water using their Yacht Services! Other resort options include the Zota Beach Resort and Hyatt Regency Sarasota!

If you are looking for something to do away from the beach or pool, enjoy time golfing on the Harborside or Island side courses at the Resorts at Longboat Key Club. Enjoy wildlife and nature by visiting the Mote Marine Aquarium and the Quick Point Nature Reserve. Rent Paddle Boats and Kayaks for the day or enjoy a fishing charter out in the Gulf. Sarasota Bay Explorers can also be perfect for those who love nature tours and cruises.

Restaurants on the Island include: Euphemia Haye, Harry’s Continental Kitchens, Lazy Lobster, Maison Blanche, Blue Dolphin Café, and my personal favorite for a great burger or fish, Dry Dock Waterfront Grill.

Looking to get off the island and enjoy some shopping or time in Sarasota? Then take a quick 10 minute ride and you can enjoy shopping, night life, and a number of other fun adventures. St. Armands Circle, located on Lido Key, on island in route to Sarasota is great for outdoor shopping and dining. Enjoy European cuisine at Cafe L’Europe, snow crabs at Crab & Fin, Cuban sandwiches at Columbia, or Coconut Shrimp at Tommy Bahama, followed by ice cream at Kilwin’s.

Continue to Sarasota where you can find the Van Wezel Performing Arts and John Ringling Museum. Baseball fan? Enjoy watching the Orioles during spring training at the Ed Smith Stadium. Other beautiful sites include the Marie Selby Botanical gardens or the Sarasota Jungle Gardens. Stay active by engaging in the Mangrove Tunnel Kayak Ecotour, Snorkeling & Dolphin Excursion, Paradise Adventures, Sarasota Paddle Board Co., Bike rentals and City sightseeing tours. This is a destination that will give you everything you are looking for!

Aulani ~ A Disney Resort & Spa

November 1, 2019 By Marvelous Mouse Travels

Thank you Nikki Kennedy for this post on Disney’s Aulani Resort & Spa!

When you get to Hawaii you are exhausted, and even though you just want to sleep the 4-6-hour time change just doesn’t let you! When we stayed at Disney’s Aulani we used this extra couple hour of being awake the best way possible, with a delicious meal overlooking the sunrise over the ocean at ‘AMA ‘AMA! Could there be anything more gorgeous?

I ordered the Captain Crunch French Toast – It’s vacation right? Calories don’t count? It was so dang good I actually tried to make it when we got home!

Of course, since we were in Hawaii we had to order the pineapple as well, soooo yummy! Be sure to schedule your reservations before you arrive on the Aulani website! These reservations go quick! Of course, if you book with me, I will take care of all of that for you!

Now More than Ever! D23 Recap

August 30, 2019 By Marvelous Mouse Travels

A big thank you to Molly Davis for putting together this awesome information and Suzanne Sevier for the pictures!

Now More than Ever. That is the phrase used to describe all things Disney and how NOW more than EVER is going to be the time to visit all of the Disney theme parks! Marvelous Mouse Travels had the great opportunity to visit the D23 Expo in Anaheim, California, and learned about all of the latest and greatest updates and what is to come in the next couple of years for all things Disney.

Special thanks to Suzanne Sevier for sharing her pictures from the D23 Expo!

Disneyland: Anaheim, California

Disneyland will be getting a new parade called, “Magic Happens,” featuring new floats, an all-new musical soundtrack, characters than have never been in parades before (including Moana, Cocoa, which are just to name a few!) This will debut in Spring of 2020!

Disney California Adventure: Anaheim, California

The Avengers Campus will feature the first Spiderman attraction. Guests will be able to slink webs just like Spiderman. The Pym Test Kitchen as well as Ant Man and the Wasp will also be part of Avengers Campus and guests will have the opportunity to meet characters along with Black Panther, Thor, Ironman, and others as part of their meet and greet! The WEB (World Wide Engineering Brigade) will allows guests to play and create new inventions including the web slinger vehicle. These features will also be available at Disneyland in Paris, France!

Disney’s California Adventure will also be getting an all new E-ticket attraction where guests will be able to fly to Wakanda!

Hong Kong Disneyland Resort

Disneyland’s castle in Hong Kong will not be inspired by any of the princesses, rather instead they will be inspired by the heroines. This castle will be called Castle of Magical Dreams.

Hong Kong will also get 2 new Frozen themed attractions! One of these will be a near clone of Maelstrom at Walt Disney World’s Epcot.

Walt Disney World: Orlando, Florida

Disney Springs at Walt Disney World Resort has announced that Cirque du Soleil is back with a live action show inspired by Disney animation. The classic Disney characters will interact with live performers of Cirque du Soleil. This show will also feature a soundtrack that will compliment the acrobatics and stunts being performed. This show begins previews on March 20, 2020 and will open to the public on April 17, 2020.

The Disney Skyliner will open on September 29^th.

The 50^th anniversary of the Walt Disney World Resort will take place in all 4 parks in 2021.

Disney Genie is a new digital offering coming to Walt Disney World. This feature will suggest options and attractions based on your likes and preferences and can be changed on demand. This will debut in late 2020.

Reflections: A Lakeside Lodge and Resort will open as a reimagined classic country lodge. It will feature various hotel rooms like A-Framed villas and tree houses, and the first of its kind “Princess and the Frog” themed restaurant.

Star Wars Galactic Starcruiser Hotel will be available for 2 days and 2 nights. It will immerse adults and children in the world of Star Wars and include a new attraction where guests will face a training robot that fires lasers while guests wield lightsabers. Guests will also be able to access the bridge of Halcyon and pilot it.

Epcot will receive its biggest reconstruction EVER attempted for a Disney park! Epcot will be divided into 4 new neighborhoods including World Discovery, World Celebration, World Nature, and World Showcase.

World Showcase: Celebrates culture, cuisine, and traditions.

In the China pavilion, a new film called “Wondrous China” will take guests on a journey across the country filmed and presented in a 360-degree digital format.
“Canada Far and Wide in Circle-Vision 360” will debut in 2020 in the Canada pavilion featuring a new story.
France will now have two films called “Impressions de France” and a “Beauty and the Beast” sing along that will debut in January 2020. Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure will open in Summer of 2020, where you will shrink to the size of Chef Remy and race through Gusteau’s restaurant. A new restaurant will also open in the France pavilion called La Creperie de Paris, which will offer both table and quick service options.
The United Kingdom pavilion will feature its first attraction inspired by Mary Poppins. You will go back in time and walk down Cherry Tree Lane and enter Number 17, which is the home of the Banks family, where you will begin your adventure.
In 2020, “HarmonioUS” will debut as the largest nighttime show in Disney’s history. This will follow the limited time run of “Epcot Forever.”

World Celebration: World Celebration will offer new experiences that connect us to one another and the world around us.

A new 3-tiered festival pavilion will be added. The pavilion will be the perfect place for live events and the home base for Epcot’s signature festivals. It will provide a stunning elevated view of the entire park and an ideal spot to witness Epcot’s nighttime spectacular. This three-level structure will have amazing designs featuring a plaza level, a middle expo level, and a park that sits in the sky on the top level.
Spaceship Earth will remain in its iconic location, but will be reconstructed to include new scenes, different narrations, a new guide, and different exit locations. Dreamers Point will also host a new statue of Walt Disney as you exit Spaceship Earth. This will also feature a garden, wishing tree, and an interactive fountain.

World Discovery: Stories about science, technology, and intergalactic adventure are brought to life.

Guardians of the Galaxy coaster which is currently under construction at Epcot, will be called “Cosmic Rewind” featuring the first backwards launch coaster for any Disney park!
Mission Space will add a new restaurant called Space 2020. This restaurant is currently already under construction and expected to open Winter 2019.
The Play Pavilion will feature Huey, Dewey, and Louis in a water balloon fight attraction. This will open in 2021.

World Nature: Dedicated to understanding and preserving the beauty of the natural world. This will include the Land and The Seas with Nemo & Friends pavilion.

Awesome Planet will open in January 2020 to showcase the beauty, diversity, and story of Earth.
The Moana attraction called “Journey of Water” will open and teach guests about the water cycle and why it is important to be saving our water resources.

Disney Stores: Nationwide

The Disney Store will be coming to 25 different Target stores! Various Disney products will now be available at select Target stores and will also be available on Target’s website.

Disney Cruise Lines

Disney Cruise Line’s new second private island will be called Lighthouse Point on Eluthera in the Bahamas. Disney will create a new experience that preserves the natural environment and culture. Disney will work with local artists on the island to create the artwork. It will be a place unlike any other!

Disney Cruise Line’s new ship will be called Disney Wish. The 3-story atrium will be inspired by Disney fairytales and will sail in January 2022. The character on the stern will be Rapunzel. Disney has helped grant over 150,000 wishes, which coincides with the name of the new Disney ship. Nearly 1 in 3 wishes are Make a Wish grants for Disney!

Ready to book your next trip to a Disney destination? Now more than ever is the time to visit, especially in the next coming years! Make sure to e-mail Contactus@marvelousmousetravels.com for a free quote!

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!