Aulani #2

Aulani is kind of the best of both worlds for travelers who love Disney. You are going to have a very nice resort in Hawaii no less, but you will be surrounded by Disney characters. What more could a family want? Then again, this might not be the best place to take young families. Disney is there, but it is kind of in the background most of the time. And you’ll also want to keep in mind is that Hawaii is a pretty expensive destination.

You are going to have several pools to choose from. There is what is called the lazy river. That is what is in the picture above. It was too beautiful not to share. Of course, I’ve always enjoyed looking at pools, they’re just pretty to me somehow. There is also a main pool behind the hotel.

You will want to remember that Hawaii, and Aulani specifically, have their busiest times when school is not in session. Those who homeschool might want to go another time. Aulani is also a place that couples would enjoy going by themselves. They’re competing with the resorts of Hawaii. They have to be nice.

How long should you go? It really depends on what you like to do on your trips. Do you like just hanging by the water and eating good food? You may want to stay seven or eight days. Do you want to explore Hawaii? You might want to stay ten days or more. If you just want to to see this wonderful resort, three days might be sufficient.

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Disney’s Aulani

I’m trying to do some different things. It seems like every day I am coming up with new ideas I want to try. We’ll see when I come up up with something that works.

Aulani is Disney’s resort in Hawaii. Here you are going to find a lot of Hawaii’s history and culture. The resort is very luxurious, you are going to have access to a fabulous spa. You are going to have a lot of different choices as far as food and accommodations..

One interesting fact about Aulani is that while Disney’s Characters are at home at Disney World and Disneyland, they are vacationing at Aulani. So I’m guessing it’s something like going to where stars vacation, except I don’t think the characters mind at all when you want to hang out with them.

For those who are looking for ways to save, there is a grocery store and other restaurants that are pretty close to the resort. There are some villas and other accommodations that do have kitchens. This may be especially nice to know if you have a large party going, like for a family reunion.

I think we are going to get into more of the specifics of this tomorrow.. Have you been on any trips? I would love to hear about your experience.

Going on a Disney cruise #2

I have some things I want to do for the business. Hopefully these things are going to start bringing some money. But let me go on and do this so I can get to some other things.

Disney cruises… I alluded to this yesterday, but both Disney has a lot you can do while you are on their cruises. They do have several pools on each ship, iincluding at least one adults-only pool. I know some of the ships have waterslides. But hanging out by the pool is only the beginning. There are going to be huge princess or pirate parties you can take part in. And of course, there are salons that will help you and your children get ready for the parties.

As you can imagine Disney has some great kids’ clubs. Kids usually eat dinner with their parents. But they are usually served first and can be taken to the children’s programs if you want. But Disney does a lot of productions that you and your children will want to see together.

I am very much an early riser, even when I’m on vacation and staying up later. I love having the early morning quiet to do my bible reading.. You may not be an early riser, but you should make yourself get up at least one morning to watch the beautiful sunrise.

I would love to know any thoughts or questions that you have about any of This..

Going on a Disney cruise?

When I begin telling people about being a travel agent, the response I often get is, “Do you sell Disney cruises?already covered in your cruise fare. And Disney’s policy for tipping is that you are charged one surcharge that will cover everyone that has served you on your voyage. Should you want to adjust that rate, you can go to “. And the answer is , “I sure do,”. These things are so popular that They never have  to offer any kind of sale on these things. Their ships are always full.. Here are some things you should know before taking your first Disney cruise.

First, you need pretty much order anything you want, any time you want and you won’t have to pay anything extra. Food and soda is pretty much covered in your cruise fare. And about tipping, Disney makes things fairly simple. You just have to pay a surcharge at the end of your trip, and that will cover everyone who has served you on your cruise. If you want to adjust the charge any way, you just need to go to Guest Services and have them adjust your charges.

Disney seems to stay pretty family friendly in everything that they do. You aren’t going to find a lot of nightlife on these ships. You are going to have so much to do during the day that you’ll be glad to sleep at night. They do have Broadway type shows of some of their more popular movies as well as first run movies. Please let me know if you want to go on a Disney cruise. I would love to help you out.

More about Disney World

I have several things I want to do today, so let me get started on this.

Yesterday we ended by talking about making sure you’re used to plenty of walking. Today we are going to start by talking about shoes and clothing. Okay, keep in mind that you are going to likely be spending long days at the parks. And everyone there has come to see the characters, they aren’t going to be looking at you. Please take the most comfortable clothes and shoes for you and your children.

And speaking of clothing, you will want to have your rain gear with you at all times. Florida’s weather can turn on a dime. You will want to be prepared. Rain times might be great times to catch some of Disney shows. But of course, that’s what everyone is going to be thinking.

You will need to bring good sun protection for everyone in your family, especially your littlest ones. You may be surprised at how quickly you can burn down there. You may also want to consider bringing a hat for everyone in your party.

Next week we are going to start looking at some of Disney’s other travel offerings. I would love to know your thoughts about any of this.

Going to Disney World?

Disney World is one of the popular destinations for summertime travel. But hear this. It is a crowded place, especially in these months. And in order to make sure you get into the parks there, you need to stay at one of Disney’s resorts. They can even deny the tickets that you have purchase purchased online, and I’m not sure you will get either your money back or another day at the parks. Disney, like everyone else, has to follow fire safety laws. But I guess they don’t want to miss out on sales in people do sometime not show up for whatever reason.

It is best to make reservations to the places you know you will want to eat as soon as you know your plans. Disney takes reservations six months in aadvance. you will especially want to reserve

Again because of Fastpass, you are going to want to do some research and figure out which rides are most important to you and your family. Make plans on which rides you want to do in which order.

You should also know that you are going to do some serious walking on your trip. I’m talking like the average of several miles a day. If you are a couch potato, you are going to want to start to walk some each day.

Please let me know if you are interested in going to Disney World I would love to help you book a trip.

More on Disneyland

Okay, let’s get back to discussing Disneyland… You can buy tickets for these parks at the gate. I’ve read somewhere that you can not do that for Disney World. I’m kind of unsure about what the real story is. But another option would be buying your tickets online, or you can do a resort/ticket package, and that may be the most economical choice. I would be more than happy to help you figure out what will work best for you and your family.

We talked about character dining yesterday. And I knew that Disney World has dining plans, but wasn’t sure about Disneyland. Apparently the original park has them as well. Now keep in mind that you may not be saving any money this way, but some people find meal plans more convenient. If I help you book your trip, I can help you figure out which plan will work best for you.

You will also want to figure out which rides you want to ride. You can get a map at the front gate. And I’m sure I can find an online map to give you a head start on the planning. You will also want to decide whether you want to get fastpasses which enable you to get through the line quicker.

I would love to help you plan a trip to Disneyland. Please let me know if you are interested.

About Disneyland

I think it is obvious to everyone who reads this blog that I love Disney. I have my Disney Pandora on even as I’m writing this. But I’m also going to be working through some Disney stuff in my book.. So I think we are going to be on this Disney kick for a while. I apologize if Disney is Not your favorite. But I’m kind of trying to make the most of my time.

Disneyland was the first of Walt Disney’s parks or ventures into the travel arenas. And I found it interesting that Disney’s original idea for this venture was for his employees to have a place to play with their own families.

The first thing that you will want to remember is that Disneyland is a huge place. It is actua ally several parks in one. You will want to do some planning beforehand to make sure you get to everything you want to. Of course, if I’m booking your trip, I’ll be more than happy to help you figure out the best wayto do everything. You are going to need to decide which place you are going to stay during your stay. Disneyland has several of its own resorts of its own. There are also each of other places to stay as well. I can help you with that decision too.

These parks are all going to have different places you can et, and that’s everything from places to stop and get ice cream in between rides to sit-down restaurants where you can enjoy leisurely and maybe enjoy some character dining. I am going to stop here. I would love to know your thoughts on this.

Universal Studios

Universal Studios is not a place I am particularly familiar with, so today we are going to be learning together.. What I’ve heard is that Disney is more for families with young children, and Universal is more enjoyed by teenagers and young adults. And this article I’m reading is that Universal is more attentive to guests and more economical than Disney, but that is just this person’s opinion.

Every Universal resort except for Cabana Bay is going to give you Express Unlimited Passes which would be like Disney’s FastPasses. They will help you cut down on your wait time significantly, no more than twenty minutes. You will still have to buy park admission, but unlike Disney, you will be able to buy admission to Universal at the gates. You do need toknow that some of the most popular rides are not included in their Express Unlimited deals, but like 90% of the rides are included.

You can also get the VIP Experience for around three hundred at normal times and around four hundred at peak times like Christmas and spring break. In this package you will get a guided tour. Your guide will pick eight rides for you and your friends to enjoy together. You will et a free continental breakfast, and special seating at their parades and shows.

I would love to help you plan your next trip to Universal. Please let me know if you are interested.

Planning a multi generational trip #2

The company we’ve had left between Saturday night and yesterday morning. I had a great time. But even with working some like I did,, I’m ready to get back to a more normal schedule. I have some different things I’m thinking about trying.

Anyway, let’s get down to business.

Planning a bigger family vacation where your parents and all your siblings and their families can get together can be both a lot of fun and a lot of work. Hopefully you’ll plan it so that you can get most of the work out of the way before your actual trip, and just enjoy your trip and your family during the time away.. You should start planning as as you can. And you’ll want to know everything you can up front. Do some people suffer from food allergies? Does someone need special sleeping arrangements? Will someone be very unhappy if there is no fitness center or night club? These are the type of things you will want to find out and then get that information to your travel agent as soon as possible.

You may want to consider setting up a Facebook event for this trip. Events are easy to set up and makes communication easy. You’ll want to include your travel agent in this event so that she can see everything people are saying.

Your travel agent will be able to find out if you will be able to get group discounts. Usually on cruises if if you get at at least eight rooms, you will get a discount. Resorts vary when it comes to what they consider a group.

One of the more stressful parts of planning a vacation like this is getting the money from each family. Your travel agent will be able to help you with that. Booking things like hotels and car rentals is how she makes money, and of course booking a group like yours is going to bring some good money her way. She will be able to take credit cards and everything. Please let me know if you are in something like that.