Disney Parks

Experience Disney’s Castaway Cay!

January 31, 2021 By Marvelous Mouse Travels

Anyone else miss cruising? Today agent Nikki Kennedy takes us on a tour of Disney’s Castaway Cay! When you are ready to travel reach out to Nikki https://www.facebook.com/NikkiMMT or any of our Marvelous Mouse agents! https://marvelousmousetravels.com/contactus/

So what’s so great about Castaway Cay? Let me just start with saying.. EVERYTHING…from the beaches, to the staff, excursions, food, unlimited ice cream, snorkeling trails, kids’ clubs, teen clubs, shopping… I could go on and on!

Grab your towel they have ready for you and lets head to the island!

Let’s start with the important part – ADULTS ONLY BEACH! Serenity Bay is on the far side of the island, and like I mentioned its only for 18+! the water is so clear, the sand is beautiful, and you honestly wouldn’t even know all the craziness happening on the other beaches is so close!

If you are thinking you won’t be able to enjoy that side of the island because you will have kiddos with you, think again! Just like on the ship, there is a play area for kids with the counselors they already know and love! Same with for teenagers and the nursery is also open on the ship!

Now let’s talk inclusions! There are wagons, strollers and wheelchairs on the island for your use, self-serve ice cream and sodas and of course FOOD! There are 3 Cookies BBQ locations, including one on the adult side that is 18+! The food is so good however the birds know it as well, when I left my plate to go get a drink, they got my chicken! By the time I got back the head server had already replaced it and was waiting there to tell me what had happened.. I was gone maybe a minute. The service isn’t just on the ship! and of course it’s delicious for humans not just birds.. its food on Disney’s private island! How could it not be?

There is an underwater snorkeling course, including sunken ships and a Mickey Mouse statue! The play area complete with fast slides isn’t just for the kids and the items you can buy are exclusive to Castaway Cay AND they will take them back to the ship for you to pick up in the gift shop!

After your day of fun in the sun you can walk or take the tram back to the ship! You will be greeted with flavored waters and air conditioning!

Medical Care While On Vacation

December 9, 2020 By Marvelous Mouse Travels

Thank you to our Marvelous Mouse agent Megan Guinnup for sharing her experience on receiving medical care for her little while while on vacation at Walt Disney World!

I know – it’s that taboo topic no one wats to talk about, because it’s not something you want to deal with on your vacation…. Unfortunately, I had to on one of our recent Walt Disney World vacations!

What happened? My youngest woke up in the middle of the night and was burning up. He had recently had surgery, so the fever warranted a trip to the ER. After consulting my Medical Care Tips sheet in my client packet, I contacted the Front Desk at our resort, and they called Reedy Creek EMTs to transport us to Celebration Hospital ER in an ambulance. Everyone made sure he was safely secure on the gurney before we even left the room and the manager gave us a voucher for a taxi back – totally unexpected and very much appreciated!!! My little guy loved the ride, the EMTs were super kind and very considerate with my (then) 1 year old! We were well taken care of at the ER, we left with a prescription and instructions on how to fill it, and used our taxi voucher to head back to the resort.

When we arrived back at the resort (still basically the middle of the night), the Cast Member at the Front Desk asked us to wait a moment while she got the manager. The manager asked which park we were headed to the next day, and gave us some extra fast passes so that we could sleep in a bit but not miss out on too much!!! They also gave us the card of a pharmacy that will fill and deliver your meds to you on property – either at your resort or in a park (they will meet you at First Aid or at the gate).

Nope, that’s not all! The manager had noticed we were celebrating my husband’s safe return from yet another deployment to Afghanistan, so she arranged for a gorgeous and tasty treat to be delivered to our room, along with some goodies for my kids! What started out as a nightmare vacation turned into the most magical and pixie dust filled visit we’ve ever had!

So if you have any sickness or medical trouble while at Walt Disney World, make sure you head to First Aid (if you’re in the parks) or call down to the Front Desk at your resort to ensure you receive the care you or your family member needs!

For more information on a Walt Disney World vacation of your own, please contact us here at Marvelous Mouse Travels!

Amy’s Gluten Free Around the World Adventures…Disney World, that is!

November 26, 2020 By Marvelous Mouse Travels

Take a gluten free food journey with Marvelous Mouse agent Amy Wold!

Disney World is seriously the best vacation spot I’ve been since being diagnosed with celiac disease in 2014. At home I don’t struggle with being gluten free, actually I rarely even think about it. Traveling/eating out is a different story, and let me tell you, intestinal issues while traveling ruins the fun! So, while I loved Disney before going gluten free, I REALLY love Disney now.

Our last vacation was filled with delicious foods! I apologize for not taking pictures of everything I ate, but I will do my best to describe. Oh, and we had the Disney Dining plan, which I love so I can order whatever I want on the menu not worrying about the cost. < think: filet mignon> Also, just a heads up – the gluten free food at Disney World is normal, delicious food! Not just one dry bun that you get sick of. Tons of different options!

Breakfast #1: Art of Animation Resort, Landscape of Flavors

I really like this food court, and have heard that it has the best selection of all the Value Resorts. I talked to the chef, and ordered one fried egg over hard, one piece of bacon, Simba waffles (They called them “character waffles”), and a side of fruit. The waffles had the perfect mix of crisp outer and soft inner. All of it was delicious!

Breakfast #2: Wilderness Lodge, Roaring Fork

My wonderful hubby walked down and picked up an order of gluten free toast with a side of peanut butter for me, and brought it back up to our room. They put a lot more bread in than we were expecting, so there was enough for four of us to eat for breakfast! This was something like $3 too – very economical! The toast was perfectly toasted. No complaints!

Breakfast #3: Wilderness Lodge, Whispering Canyon Café

We were not in a hurry to get to the parks on this day, so decided to take a leisurely breakfast at the table service restaurant at our resort. This time I ordered fried eggs, toast, bacon, and a side of fruit. I’m kind of boring at breakfast! My daughter, who is also gluten free, ordered the Mickey waffles. They were served with whipped cream and strawberries! Her review was two thumbs up.

Breakfast #4: Kind bar on the way to the bus. What? We were in a hurry to ride Navi River Journey! 😉

Breakfast #5: Magic Kingdom, Be Our Guest

I just love this restaurant! I ordered the scrambled egg whites that came with chicken sausage, roasted tomatoes, and fresh fruit. The eggs looked grossly white (and like they were cooked in a microwave,) so I was expecting them to be gross and bland, but they really were good! I’m not anti-yolk, and would never order only the whites unless that was the only option. The roasted tomatoes were a nice touch. (I love roasted veggies!) The sausage was kind of dry, but had good flavor. They also bring what they call “pastries” to the table. The gluten free version of that was an assortment of quick breads like banana, chocolate, and cinnamon. They were pretty good, but not great. The chocolate one was a bit soggy – I think it had fruit in it, but the sogginess made me not want to even eat more than a bite. I really think the draw to this restaurant is the beautiful ambiance more than the food (at least for breakfast and lunch,) especially if you are a fan of Beauty and the Beast! My favorite room is the Grand Ballroom with the snow falling when you look out the windows. <3 It was the perfect start to a fun Magic Kingdom day.

Snack #1: One of my favorite snacks at Disney World is the frozen chocolate covered banana. I feel so healthy when I eat it, so that’s a plus. This I ate it as we were walking around Animal Kingdom, and I’m pretty sure I left a trail of chocolate pieces behind me. It was kind of crumbly!

Snack #2: Mickey ice cream bar. What can I say? So good. Vanilla ice cream with flavorful chocolate covering. You know how sometimes the chocolate on an ice cream bar tastes like wax? This one didn’t. It tasted like good quality chocolate. I ate this while watching the fireworks at Magic Kingdom.

Snacks #3 & 4: Dole Whip! At Aloha Aisle I ordered the swirl Dole Whip the first time eating that frosty goodness after getting completely drenched on Splash Mountain. Warning: use the ziplock bag to protect your phone! Also, at Aloha Aisle the line was very long, so we used the mobile order. Super slick. Definitely do that. The second Dole Whip was savored at Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort’s Pineapple Lanai (but we sat at the tables by the water feature at Trader Sam’s overlooking the water.) I prefer the regular Dole Whip to the swirl.

Snack #5: Epcot Flower and Garden Food Booth Called Flavor Full Kitchen

Here I ordered the citrus-poached salmon with ancient grain salad, roasted vegetables, and citrus greens. It was delicious! I loved th citrus flavor in the salmon and on the greens. Note: I have read to double check the things marked gluten free at the festival, so did just that. For my salmon the workers called the chef who verified that it was safe for me to eat. Over at France I was eagerly anticipating a macaron that was labeled gluten free. Sure enough, they told me it definitely is not gluten free so don’t eat it. I feel like if it is labeled gluten free it should be gluten free! Epic fail at the France pavilion.

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