Disney Cruise Line is excited to unveil their first-ever cruises through the South Pacific—plus new Hawai’i sailings in 2023 and 2024. Voyage from Vancouver, British Columbia, to the breathtaking beauty of the Hawaiian Islands.

From Honolulu, cruise the South Pacific across the international date line to Sydney, Australia. Along the way, dock in the exotic island nations of Fiji, American Samoa and New Caledonia, where you’ll have time to appreciate Polynesian culture, explore enchanting rainforests and hike to tropical waterfalls.

Browse the New Hawaiian and South Pacific Itineraries below. Now is the time to start planning your enchanting Disney vacation at sea!

Contact me for more information on these exciting offers from Disney Cruise Line!

As we all dream of the places we’ll travel to once the world returns to normal once again, Ive been recalling some of our favorite trips we took pre-covid. One of our last trips before the world changed, was to Bordeaux, France to take a wine cruise on the AmaDolce from AmaWaterways.

The beautiful AmaDolce from AmaWaterways.

We had a wonderful dinner created by Chef Sebastion in an intimate setting

The menu for the evening

Chef Sebastion working in his kitchen to create the evening’s appetizers

Here’s the cheese board that will come later, nothing like French wines and cheese.

Our first course. Chef’s Welcome – Foie Gras – Jambon de Bayonne – Fig Spring Roll

Our view from the table, the chef plating up his delicacies.

The next course. Get the Taste – Curried Atlantic Scallops – Spicy Melon-Mint Salad – Sweet Potato Creme

Chef Sebastian prepping the soup for his guests.

Tease the Senses – White Asparagus Cream Soup – Balsamic-Strawberry – Comte Cheese Cookies

The Chef and his crew

From the Rivers – Grilled Fillet of Sea Bream – Saffron Veloute – Oven-Baked Tomato-Eggplant Salad – Chick Pea-Lentil Souk

Sherbert – Apple – Ginger-Ale – Sparkling Wine

Country Spirit – French Barbarie Duck Crepinette – Lavender-Orange Sauce – Broccoli – Braised Celeriac – Vichy Carrot Mash

Chef preparing the cheese plates to be served.

From Heaven – Frangipane Pistachio Tart – Blueberry Caviar – Cappuccino Ice Cream

There’s a close-up of that cheese, oh my!

“Warm summer breezes and French wines and cheeses” – He Went To Paris – Jimmy Buffet

Thanks, Chef Sebastion and crew of the AmaDolce for a wonderful night, and fantastic dinner and a memorable cruise. Au revoir!

Wow! Back to sailing and it feels great! I just returned from sailing on the beautiful amplified Freedom of the Seas from Royal Caribbean. I thought you might like to hear a little about what Royal Caribbean is doing to ensure their clients are sailing safely.

From the moment the pandemic started, Royal Caribbean has been on top of every aspect of returning to sailing. For the Travel Advisors, they meet with us weekly and keep us up to date and informed about the latest news. As a Director and Travel Advisor, you couldn’t ask for more.

We arrived for our sailing at a scheduled time. They are scheduling groups of people to go through the embarkation process. Those guests who are vaccinated have their vaccination card scanned and viewed three times before boarding. You are also presented with a purple wristband so the staff knows you are vaccinated and allowed in those areas of the ship. The boarding process went smoothly. The Royal Caribbean app allows you to flow through your safety check, confirm you have completed viewing all the safety information, and guides you through your voyage. One of the things I enjoyed most was the new muster drill process. You show at your designated area and are individually informed of the process.

The crew was amazing the entire time. There were only 1037 guests on this sailing so it actually felt like we were in our own private yacht. We have 1027 crew serving us.

The majority of the guests were vaccinated. There were specific vaccinated-only locations throughout the ship. If someone was traveling with children or guests unvaccinated they needed to participate with that group only if they wanted to be with them. We wore masks in all common areas and were able to remove them in vaccinated venues and of course outside. Vaccinated people had their own pool area as well.

Many ask about the buffets. They were still there, however, the crew served you. This was at Windjammers and also on their private island, Perfect Day Cocco Cay. I personally really appreciated the service. They have created menus that would make this easy. There were also some prepackaged grab-and-go items.

Social distancing was prevalent in all venues and as soon as someone would leave a table or seating area it was sanitized and prepared for the next guest.

Overall, exceptional service! I can’t wait to sail again! Don’t wait to plan if you want to sail later this year or in the future as sailings are really filling up.

Well it was another newsworthy week around the world of travel, but actually this week the big news in travel is out of this world. Well out in space anyway.

Virgin Galactic has gotten one step closer to making commercial space tourism a possibility.

Last Saturday, Virgin Galactic’s VSS Unity ship successfully reached space for the first time with a full crew, including the company’s founder Sir Richard Branson, onboard.

Saturday’s crew for Virgin Galactic’s spaceflight. Photo: Virgin Galactic.

The flight is a major milestone in space tourism, something that many in the travel industry believe will be a real possibility for consumers in the future.

“Today is a landmark achievement for the company and a historic moment for the new commercial space industry,” Virgin Galactic CEO Michael Colglazier said. “With each successful mission, we are paving the way for the generation of astronauts.”

Branson, reacting to the flight, said that it was a moment he had dreamt about since he was a child.

“We are at the vanguard of a new space age,” he said, adding that the company’s mission is to “make space more accessible to all.”

“For so long, we have looked back in wonder at the space pioneers of yesterday. Now, I want the astronauts of tomorrow to look forward and make their own dreams come true.”

Virgin shared the full video of the test flight on its YouTube channel live:

We’ve already heard a rumor that a travel advisor has booked passage on the first commercial trip to space. How about you? Can we reserve a seat for you today?

7/11/21

This week Disney announces that all of the Walt Disney World® Resort hotels will reopen by the end of this year.

With fan favorites resorts like Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort and Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge reopening soon, there were only a few hotels that still didn’t have reopening dates…until this week that is. Both Disney Port Orleans Riverside and French Quarter, along with Disney’s All-Star Music and All-Star Sports Resort.

These resorts are now available for bookings. Here are their respective reopening dates:

• September 16th, 2021 – Disney’s All-Star Music Resort
• October 14th, 2021 – Disney’s Port Orleans Resort –— Riverside
• October 28th, 2021 – Disney’s Port Orleans Resort – French Quarter
• December 9th, 2021 – Disney’s All-Star Sports Resort

As more and more of the world opens up, and as more of the Walt Disney World Resort opens up, more of the Disney restaurants will begin to reopen as well.

This week we’re also glad to hear ‘Ohana at Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort has reopened for a family-style breakfast and dinner.

7/04/21

Happy Fourth of July! There have been a lot of changes and updates this week in the world of travel as the world continues to open up and evolve with changes in the covid environment.

But before we get into some of this week’s updates, to celebrate July 4th, here are some firework facts, According to the WSJ…

1. Supply chain issues are back again to dull your holiday. Firework supply is expected to drop ~30% across the country with logistics all scrambled due to Covid.
2. Not helping: 90% of US fireworks are made in China, so logjams at ports over there mean a reduction or delay in getting supply over here.
3. Retailers warn that you might have to pay as much as 25% more than you’re used to for some fireworks.
4. Last year, firework sales jumped to $1.9 billion from $1 billion because there was simply nothing else to do except blow things up.
5. Massachusetts is the only state with a total ban on the sale of consumer fireworks. Thanks, Ben Affleck.

And speaking of fireworks, we’re so happy to announce the return of nighttime fireworks spectaculars at both Magic Kingdom Park and EPCOT as of July 1!

The Disneyland Hotel has now reopened to Guests, completing the phased reopening of the Disneyland Resort Hotels. Select dining offerings will be available to hotel and non-hotel guests with reservations, pending availability, or via mobile order.

As Disney and the world continues to move towards a new normal, we’re also very happy to report that Corn Dog Nuggets have also returned to the Magic Kingdom Park now that Casey’s Corner has reopened on Main Street U.S.A.

Gov. Ron DeSantis this week signed Senate Bill 1194 into law. Section 311.25 in the bill prohibits any ban on cruise ships with a capacity of 1,300 or more persons docking in South Florida, voiding last November’s referendum, passed by Key West voters, which aimed to keep them out of the Keys.

Despite residents voting to do so last November, Florida will not ban large cruise ships from docking in Key West.

Key West residents had passed the bill by a wide margin during a referendum last November, but the bill signed into law this week will not allow any referendum to “restrict maritime commerce” at any port that has received or is eligible to apply for state funding

Princess Cruises is canceling its sailings in and out of Australia through Dec. 19, 2021, because of a “continued uncertainty regarding the timing for the resumption of cruise holidays in the region,” the line announced Wednesday.

The news comes as Australia continues to extend its cruise ban, which right now is scheduled to end in September 2021.

This week Royal Caribbean Gets Green Light to Restart Cruises with Ticketed Passengers.

After successfully completing its test cruises, Royal Caribbean’s Freedom of the Seas has officially received approval from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to restart sailings with ticketed passengers.

With the news, Freedom will become the cruise line’s first ship to resume sailing from the U.S.

Royal Caribbean president Michael Bayley made the announcement in a message posted to social media on Tuesday morning, writing that “this is exciting progress, and we look forward to welcoming our guests onboard.”

Guests will now be able to sail on Freedom starting next month. The first revenue sailing will depart from Miami on July 2 and visit Nassau and Perfect Day at CocoCay, Royal Caribbean’s private island destination, in The Bahamas, before returning to Miami on July 5.

While the CDC’s approval allows ships to sail with less than 95% of guests vaccinated, Freedom will sail with all crew fully vaccinated and the “majority of guests fully vaccinated.”

That’s it for this week, check back her next week for more updates.

Well, it seems every week we are letting you know of more and more places and opportunities opening up in the world of travel.

Cruise ships are returning to Alaska soon, sailing out of Seattle.

On Sunday, Royal Caribbean International’s Freedom of the Seas became the first large cruise ship to sail from a U.S. port in more than 15 months. The ship departed from Port of Miami on a non-revenue “test cruise” with 600 volunteer passengers who are Royal Caribbean employees and their spouses/friends.

This week Spain Drops Vaccine requirements for Americans. Travelers from the U.S. will be able to visit Spain regardless of their vaccination status with no test and no quarantine.

Effective immediately, the new rule applies to residents in the U.S who don’t visit any other country prior to arrival in Spain, other than to connect flights without leaving the airport.

Previously, Americans had to be fully vaccinated at least 14 days before traveling in order to be permitted entry into the country.

And lastly, we continue to see the Walt Disney World Resort and the Disneyland Resort modifying their mask rules for guests and cast members as well as social distancing policy.

Just a few days ago, we shared that masks are no longer required for fully vaccinated Cast Members working outdoors. Masks are now optional for fully vaccinated Cast Members while they’re working indoors too.

It was also reported this week that PhotoPass photographers are once again able to hold a guest’s phone or camera to take photos of that guest when asked.

The world is ever-changing and now more than ever when you’re ready to travel you need a trusted travel professional to help you know where to go and how to get there. When you’re ready to travel again, we’re here to help.  Contact us today!

This week we’ve seen lots of fun and exciting announcements.  Things are starting to get back to “normal” and we’ll continue to see other great announcements.

We are so happy to hear the nighttime fireworks spectaculars are returning to both Magic Kingdom Park and Epcot!   There’s no better way to end a day at the Magic Kingdom than watching the “Happily Ever After” fireworks presentation.  And over at Epcot, Epcot Forever is a new spectacle of fireworks, music, and lighting effects over World Showcase Lagoon.

My wife Leslie and I will be at the Walt Disney World Resot in July to welcome the fireworks back at both the Magic Kingdom Park and Epcot. I’m sure we’ll have lots of pictures, videos and stories to share, we can’t wait to see the sky light up over the castle again!

Disney also announced this week that Animal Kingdom Lodge is set to reopen on August 26, 2021, providing yet another resort option for upcoming stays.  And for even more fun this fall, additional dates were announced for Disney After Hours Boo Bash.  Get ready for frightfully fun experiences at this spooktacular event.

Things are also continuing to open up at Disneyland in California. The Disneyland Hotel is reopening July 2 and fireworks will resume on July 4th with “Mickey’s Mix Magic”

We can’t leave out Disney Cruise Line and their announcement of the fall 2022 itineraries.  Halloween on the High Seas sailings and Very Merrytime Cruises return next October, November and December of 2022.  If you haven’t seen and experienced the Disney ships decorated for the holidays you don’t know what you’re missing.  Now’s the time to discover all Disney Cruise Line has to offer.

It’s beginning to more and more feel like the world is returning to normal. Social distancing requirements are relaxing as well as mask requirements in outdoor areas. If you have questions we’re here to help you with your magical vacation plans, contact us today1

Happy Sunday Everyone! It is so good to see the world starting to travel again! I recently returned from Cancun, Mexico.

Our agency was honored to be invited by Apple Leisure Group, 500 Club to an appreciation event for being one of their top travel agencies. We were hosted by AMResorts at the new Dreams Vista Cancun Golf and Spa Resort. It was a packed few days with meetings, networking, and a little fun.

I thought I would pull back the curtain a little bit and share with you some highlights from my trip so here we go!

These trips are so important to those of us in the travel industry. It gives us the opportunity to talk face to face with executives, hotel sales managers, transportation and destination management companies, and more. These face-to-face encounters build relationships that are invaluable to us. We connect with them so we know how to serve our clients better.

This past trip we heard from President, Randy Sinsky, Group President at ALG Vacations. He shared great news about the travel trends for now and in the future. ALG Vacations is seeing a high demand for travel to the Caribbean, Mexico and Hawaii. This was so encouraging! The quick responses from the various brands to provide Covid testing and high safety standards has made travel to these destinations very desirable. I personally, was so impressed with the changes, even down to the smallest details, like sanitizing the bottom of your shoes before walking inside any dining location or room in the buildings.

Jacki Marks, Executive Vice President, Apple Leisure Group, shared what ALG is doing to improve systems and communication with travel advisors in order to help their clients with changes, and future travel credits. Over this past year, Jacki has kept us up to date, with transparency which has made a big difference in how we can best serve our clients. Of course, as she acknowledges, there are still challenges that arise, but the efforts to overcome them are ongoing. Jacki set aside time to speak to many owners and managers to hear from them. During our face-to-face meeting, we had the opportunity to discuss business trends, challenges we have had with some of the bookings, and have them ask us questions.

Both Randy and Jacki shared with us statistics on how consumers are moving rapidly toward using a travel advisor since so many travelers faced major challenges booking with online companies and vacations on their own. The knowledge and connections travel advisors have are invaluable to their clients and is not something that you receive from an online company.

Many consumers don’t realize that their travel advisor never received any income from this past year with all the cancellations. They don’t get paid by suppliers until clients travel. This past year, travel advisors worked tireless hours on the phones and at their desks changing or canceling vacations as well as keeping up to date with what was happening in the world with no income. What kept them going was great companies like Apple Leisure Group, and as we all know, that travel will resume and more and more people will want to seek out their expertise when booking their next vacation.

As we celebrate 25 years in the Travel Industry, we are excited about the future! We are grateful to our clients and the suppliers we work with and the relationships that have been built.

This week my wife Leslie and I had the pleasure to go up to Port Canaveral and welcome Carnival’s newest ship, the Mardi Gras to her new homeport. It was great to get out and see other people from the travel industry, advisors, media, and friends!  And while we actually didn’t get on the ship, it was great to see the new terminal and the Mardi Gras in port. The long-awaited return to cruising is just around the corner and we couldn’t be more excited!

Executives from the Carnival Corporation, the port authority, travel industry, and media were all on hand to welcome the Mardi Gras home.

Carnival’s new VIP lounge awaits, ready for a cruise?

Carnival’s new terminal was completed in mid-2020 has been sitting vacant for a year waiting to welcome her first guests.

Soon Carnival’s new terminal will be welcoming cruise guests for the first time.

Spacious and comfortable waiting areas are available to guests waiting to board their ship.

The port seems eerily empty, but ready for guests to return.

Port Canaveral, home to Carnival Mardi Gras

The media was out in full force to welcome the Mardi Gras home.

It was great seeing the Mardi Gras in port. Soon she’ll welcome guests on board for the first time.

Wait, is that a roller coaster on the top deck?

Yes, it is, the first-ever, roller coaster at sea, on a cruise ship!

For more information on sailing on Carnival’s Mardi Gras out of Port Canaveral contact one of our personal travel advisors today!

As one of the most popular tourist destinations in Mexico, Cancun attracts about four million visitors each year to its pristine white beaches, its top-notch resort and hotel scene and its crystal blue water. The city is home to hundreds of hotels that line the beaches in an area called the hotel zone, attracting all types of guests, from traveling business people to timeshare owners to families. The city is probably most famous for its Mayan ruins, which dot the landscape around this southern region of Mexico. From El Rey to Tulum, the ancient stone remains are unique archaeological attractions that tell the original story of the now bustling modern city. Many people also visit the area for its great dive sites. Colorful coral reefs and diverse sea life are located right offshore, and a variety of inland cenotes (deep natural wells) attract diving enthusiasts to explore the rich underwater worlds of Cancun.

Couples looking for a luxury wedding or a spicy celebration bursting with entertainment will find what they want in Cancun. Convenient to travel to from origins throughout the U.S., Cancun was designed with the needs of a tourist in mind, which makes it easy to design a dream wedding experience. Including a traditional Mariachi trio during the destination wedding cocktail hour adds a beautiful and soulful soundtrack to make sure guests never forget their incredible experience. Or hosting the reception at sunset on a catamaran allows guests to enjoy the wedding and a breathtaking Mexican sunset at the same time.

Destination Quick Facts:

• U.S. travelers: Valid passport needed for entry
• Official language: Spanish (English is widely spoken)
• Official currency: Mexican peso (American dollars are widely accepted)
• Climate: From October to March, average temperature is 68-86° F and from April to September, average temperature is 75-91° F
• Currency converter
• STEP Program
• Mexico entry requirements

One of my favorite family Christmas travel memories is spending Christmas at Brooks Lake Lodge in Dubois, Wyoming.

Being from Florida, the chance of seeing snow on Christmas is very appealing idea!

Brooks Lake Lodge is very rustic at 9200 feet above sea level with the Pinnacle Mountains in the background

Brooks Lake Lodge welcomes you with daily temperature and avalanche reports, as well as the evening’s dinner menu

There’s always snow at Brooks.

Always snow, lots of snow!

Landing at Jackson Hole airport is always interesting. It feels like you swoop in over the Tetons and land on a short runway in the middle of a National Park, Teton National Park.

Elk Horns collected from the grazing and migration lands welcome you to Jackson Hole.

In this rustic lodge at 9200 feet, the dining is impeccably delicious.

There’s always interesting game on the menu, from bison to elk tenderloin, venison chops, as well as duck and amazing fish.

Wonderful food wonderfully presented.

This was our Christmas dinner. Yes, that’s one portion. Yes, it does cover the whole plate.

The amazing desserts and other homemade baked goods are amazing!

Freshly made cinnamon buns anyone?

Just because it’s a little out of the way doesn’t mean you can’t have a world-class pastry chef.

Brooks Lake Lodge and the surrounding areas are known for their amazing snowmobile trails and meadows.

All geared up and ready to go!

No one has been her but us today.

And sometimes you just get stuck and have to start digging.

Because there’s snow, lots of snow!

This is Leslie and I with head snowmobile guide and wrangler, Skinner Bell.

This is Skinner in action doing more of what he does. Where’s the back of his snowmobile? That’s a lot of snow!

Here’s the three of us, family Christmas, minus one

Wait a minute, where’s the back of my snowmobile

Playing in the snow.

Our rides here take us back to the airport, Florida is going to seem different when we get home  😉

We’ll definitely miss this place, can’t wait to return again!

Thanks for following our trip, till next time, travel safe and be well!

If you scrolled down this far, you should get a treat. Check out these buns,  I really miss Brooks Lake Lodge!

My wife Leslie and I recently stayed at Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa. The Walt Disney World Resort is a place that we’ve visited often and that really does feel like “home” to us.

I must say though, in our new world of Covid-19, social distancing and face masks, home felt a little different. Different, but good. Good to be back, great to feel comfortable there.

When we checked into our room at the Grand Floridian, there was a sign to let us know about the enhanced cleaning Disney has implemented.

Everything looked great and we felt completely comfortable with our accommodations and being there.

Good to see our old friend the Keurig coffee maker is still available.

Cups were wrapped and protected

The TV remote was cleaned, sealed, and protected. Now, this is a good idea!

Disney is still providing upscale bathroom amenities to make your stay more comfortable.

We loved the convenience of taking the monorail to the Magic Kingdom from Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort and Spa.

There were signs to help with keeping our distance on Disney transportation.

Each monorail car had a partition to separate the sections

And as I said in the last post, if you’ve had enough of signs and masks, there are places you can find to just be alone, or with your favorite travel companion and enjoy just being back home and back in the magic. The Grand Floridian is a great place for just relaxin’.

Travel Safe, Enjoy the Magic!

My wife Leslie and I recently had the opportunity to visit the Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando, a place that we’ve visited often and that really does feel like “home” to us.

I must say though, in our new world of Covid-19, social distancing and face masks, home felt a little different. Different, but good. Good to be back, great to feel comfortable there.

There were lots of friendly cast members reminding guests to wear their face coverings properly at all times unless stopped to eat or drink.

There were signs to help us remember to keep our distance from other parties.

There were signs to help with keeping our distance on Disney transportation.

Who doesn’t love riding the monorail!

There were signs and extra measures to help us make our dining selections along with small plates to place our masks while we had lunch a the Wave…of American Flavors at Disney’s Contemporary Resort.

And if you’ve had enough of signs and masks, there are places you can find to just be alone, or with your favorite travel companion and enjoy just being back home and back in the magic.

That’s all for this time, next time I’ll tell you a little more about our stay at Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort.

Travel Safe, Enjoy the Magic!

Do you have Bucket List travel dreams? I sure do – and I was able to check a big one off my list after experiencing Italy with Adventures by Disney.

Any time you travel outside of the country, it can be a bit intimidating. Disney takes that fear away, as they meet you right outside of Customs at the airport. They even had my luggage ready for me!

We were whisked away to our 5-star hotel, The Gran Melia in Rome, where we met our 2 Adventure Guides. Every Adventures by Disney Tour includes 2 Adventures Guides – a local expert, and an American guide. Together they make the entire experience seamless.

Our tour started right away, with special backstage passes at the Coliseum. We were allowed onto the actual stage where the gladiators fought. It was incredible!

All along the way, you are given backstage, front-of-the-line, VIP passes everywhere you go. The highlight of Rome for me was getting a special after-hours, private tour of the Vatican Museum, which concluded with a private tour of the Sistine Chapel. And Shhhhhh don’t tell anyone, but they even let us take pictures (normally this is forbidden!).

After Rome, we took off for Tuscany, which is the most beautiful place I’ve ever been to. Don’t get freaked out by being on a bus – it is an AWESOME bus, and the Guides do a great job of keeping everyone entertained on the longer stretches. Although, there are hardly any long rides. Everything is always broken up with more Adventures. For example, on our drive to Tuscany, we stopped for lunch at the medieval town of Orvietto and had a beautiful lunch on the top of the countryside.

Checking in to our Tuscan Hotel was a dream. They had a private courtyard waiting for us, with delicious food and prosecco. We all nibbled on cheese and enjoyed our wine while our Adventure Guides got us checked in to the hotel.

The highlight of my entire Tuscan Adventure was the day spent at Sara’s Farm. We received a special tour, met some of Sara’s lovely family members, enjoyed a private pasta-making class with Sara, and wined and dined outdoors while enjoying a delicious lunch and wine tasting, all while overlooking the rolling hills of Tuscany. It was just delightful!

Venice began with a Gondola ride, which was made even more special with the addition of a singer and accordion player, who were right in my Gondola. It was so beautiful!

If you want to feel completely immersed in the culture, and experience everything like a VIP rock star – Adventures by Disney is the best!