5 Things to do before you cruise!

1-    Triple check your passport and ID

Simple, right?  Well, maybe not.  You would be surprised at  how many people have had trouble with this.  

Let’s look at that passport.  What is the expiration date?  Some countries require that it be effective for 6 months AFTER you return from your trip.  While you CAN cruise on a closed loop sailing (one that starts and ends at the same port) without a valid passport, if an emergency happens it will help you to get home.

Now, let’s look at your other forms of identification…your driver’s license.  Is it up to date? You would be surprised at the number of people who let that expire without realizing it!  And, if you don’t have a passport – Do you have a copy of your birth certificate?   And let’s not forget the minors you might be taking.  Do you need permission for them to travel?

And one last thing about your ID…remember to NOT pack them in your luggage!  Make sure it is easily accessible from your carry on!

2-    Study the deck plan

Another Simple one.  On most cruise lines you can’t always go to your stateroom right away.  Usually your first stop on board will probably be to get lunch!  Know the general layout of deck plans before you board.  Have a second choice of restaurants in mind in case every other passenger has the same idea!  Getting all those people checked in at once and fed makes for a crazy mad house!  Have a plan of action ready.  It will help settle yourself if you have a general idea of where to go.

3-    Contact your cell carrier!

Some carriers have reasonable coverage available specifically for cruises.  Some cruise lines have special deals with a few carriers.  Unfortunately, my carrier had neither!  Know before you go!  Also check on data service through your carrier.  Most cruise lines have data plans available.  Some are reasonable – others, not so much.  Again – know before you go!

4-    Take your chargers

Another simple one.  But you would be surprised at how many chargers are left at home while their electronic devices enjoy a cruise!

Most cruises have chargers available in their gift shops – at a premium price.  But if your charger is not a standard charger (like my camera) you are out of luck!

5-    Book your excursions

OK, this one is not necessary.  You can book some excursions on board.  The problem is – well do you really want to stand in line while everyone else is enjoying the cruise?  Only to find out all the things you really want are sold out?

Even better, have your travel professional book them for you.  We have access to excursion provided by other vendors.

So I am guessing you noticed these are all simple things.  Nothing difficult or bothersome.  Bust somehow I can say I am guilty of each one of these.  Some had outcomes that were just an inconvenience, others were almost catastrophic!  (I'll let you guess which ones were which!)   But if I were to add a number 6, it would be to let your Travel Professional take over the hard things and let you remember the easy things...and HAVE FUN!

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Next week’s blog will be a little late… I will be traveling to Disney to see for myself how the Art of Animation Family Suites actually work for large families.  My second goal is to see if all the construction is really affecting touring in the parks.  Let me know if you have anything in particular you want me to check out!

Also, Disney’s unofficial announcement of being able to bypass the resort check in has me very interested to see how it will work…

And, because no blog is complete without a picture or two…my adorable toddler granddaughter!

On her first Excursion to Nassau.  Watching Daddy eat Conch Salad.

 

Loved the rolls and butter in the main dining room!

My Concierge Planning Services are now available for off site guests!

Want a stress-free Disney vacation, but are staying off site?  I can still help with your planning.  I offer the same concierge planning service for a fee.  

Castle from Feb 2014

With that you get help with your FastPass + Selections, your Dining reservations, help with your itinerary as well as touring plans help. All your plans can be printed on cards to carry into the park and emailed to you in a pdf format that cane be sent to your smart phone, where you can view at a glance.

I have plans available from the complete service - where you just show up and start enjoying your vacation - all the way to suggestions and help navigating the Disney systems.

Disney is constantly changing and improving their systems.  Once you think you have it all figured out, they change it again!  It is my job to stay on top of these changes so I can better help you plan your vacation.  

My onsite guests, who book their vacation through me, have automatic access to my knowledge and help with these things.  

So, if you are staying offsite, or did not book your vacation through me, you can still take advantage of my knowledge and services.  Contact me today to discover how reasonable that can be.  

Last Minute Trips for Valentine's Day!

Last minute trips for Valentine’s Day!

 

For the past 2 years we have taken a quick short trip to Disney for Valentine’s Day.  We are very lucky that the kids have a week off school during February.  Prices are low and crowds are manageable, at least lower than if we go during Spring Break or during the summer.  While the weather can be unpredictable, in 2014, while Atlanta was reeling from its second ice storm in less than a month, we were swimming!  Every Day!

 

 

But if Disney is not your sweetheart’s idea of a perfect Valentine’s Day spot, how about one of these suggestions? 

 

Let’s start with a relaxing cruise.  Maybe add a spa treatment in for good measure.  Ahhhh.  There are cruises for every budget.  From a romantic getaway, to fun for the whole family.

 

For a romantic, adults only getaway, how about a tropical island All Inclusive Resort?  While this one may be a bit late to pull off, just think how far you can take the gratitude on this…gift it this year for next year.  Sort of like having one gift serve two purposes.  You come off like a rock star!

 

With three weeks left, you still have time to put a little adventure into your Valentine’s Day gift.

 

If you need help putting this together, don’t hesitate to contact me!

 

Cruising with a Toddler

In December I had the pleasure of taking Miss Mia (and her mommy and daddy) on a short cruise.  Miss Mia was 19 months old.  Going into this I had a few concerns.  Like what if she cried the whole time; what if she was miserable; what if she just wanted to get OFF!

She showed me I had no need to worry!

We were onboard the Carnival Sunshine, with a balcony room.  We had her pack n play for her to sleep in, and it worked pretty well.  She was probably the most rested person onboard the whole ship!

She was a happy, HAPPY baby with an infectious smile and everyone around her had a blast!  

We wondered how she would do with the motion sickness.  I wore a patch!  She only had one day that the waves got to her, it was the second day.  The seas were a bit rough that day. There were several times when grownups were having a bit of a problem with the moving floors.  Remembering that she had not been walking all that long, it was very comical to see her standing in the middle of the room and suddenly take a quick step trying to regain her balance…then looking up with a big grin!

As most toddlers, she is somewhat of a picky eater.  You never know for sure what she will eat, but you always knew when she was finished!  She would start singing “Clean up, Put away!”  And, of course, that was your signal that you should be done as well!  The dining staff were very accommodating with her.  If we needed three entrees and only broccoli for the veggie, they would make sure she had it.  After the first few nights, they remembered she would drink a couple of cups of milk so they always brought a large glass right off the bat for her.  Our cabin steward made sure we had an ice bucket in the room to keep her milk cold.

Luckily, Miss Mia loves to dance.  Give her a beat and she goes to town.  Before the cruise was over, almost EVERYONE knew her name!  All the bartenders (you practically had to walk by a bar or lounge to get anywhere on that ship!) knew her name and would call to her when they saw her dancing!  Several of the bartenders would leave their post to come and dance with her!  Every time you saw a crew member in the hall they would call her name and start clapping to get her to dance. And the cabin stewards…. They LOVED to give her candy.  So much that she could have survived on the amount of candy she ate alone!  By the time we left, she had made fast friends with one particular cabin steward…  Mia would see her in the hall and run towards her with a big grin and give her a hug!

Miss Mia had her first interaction with characters on board the ship.  Carnival has Cat in the Hat!  Miss Mia calls him GoGo Cat…and LOVES him!  She got to have her picture taken with GoGo Cat, Sam I Am, as well as Thing 1 and Thing 2. They had a really cool breakfast with the Dr Seuss characters and it had her favorite breakfast food…BACON!  Followed closely by CHEERIOS!  It was an instant hit!

I will say that Miss Mia was less than impressed with the wonderful safety drill (she slept through most of it) and wasn’t as terrified of the bus ride around Nassau that the rest of us were (she slept through that as well) but overall it is safe to assume that she had a blast!

Some thoughts if you are planning on taking your well traveled toddler on a cruise…

-If you do not get a cabin with a refrigerator, make sure your cabin steward knows you have a toddler that drinks lots of milk.  They will make sure there is a large container of ice for the milk.  They will also change the ice out for you throughout the day.

-Depending on the cruise line they may have activities for the toddler, but one of Miss Mia’s favorite activities was walking!  There was something magical about being able to just simply walk around somewhere different.  She loved to sit on the balcony and look at the water, and loved that she could walk around on deck and see water almost every where she went.  Also, look for the hidden areas.  We found a cute small playground that had a slide and a few other toys for climbing and playing.  They were almost always empty.  

-Note that some of the organized activities are not always ideally suited for nap times!  The Seuss-a-paloosa parade was cute, but between it and the show immediately afterwards, it interfered with her nap.  For a happy toddler (and happy family) it is always best to keep her schedule on track.

-Remember that it is practically impossible for a toddler to fall overboard.   The rails are taller than the toddler.  The only way for her to get over it is if she climbs up on the outdoor furniture and climbs on top of the rail…and while we all know it is possible to do that, we also know we should watch a toddler much better than that…Never let a toddler (or any child) go unsupervised on a balcony…on or off sea!

-Remember to ask!  If you don’t see something your toddler will eat…ask. The staff is most happy to help!  They may even have ideas on what they have that the ‘younger crowd’ likes to eat. For instance, Miss Mia loves green peas…one night we had green peas in our pasta dish…the server had the kitchen staff save out some green peas for Miss Mia. (yes, she LOVED him!)

-Take an extra person with you.  Having a grandmother along will ensure you a chance to go out to a movie or other evening entertainment while toddler stays back in the cabin and gets a good night’s sleep!  And if you are the grandmother…make sure you load up your Kindle with some good books.  Most relaxing trip EVER!

How young is too young for Disney?

 

We took our youngest two when they were 2 and 3.  We have taken our youngest granddaughter when she was 2 and I was able to take a side trip to Chef Mickey’s with my youngest granddaughter last December when she was 18 months and she fell in LOVE with Mickey!

 

Will they remember every detail of their first trip?  No, but then again I have been over 15 times as an adult and I do not remember every detail of that first trip with my two youngest.  In fact there are tons of gaps in my memories of each trip.  But remembering that trip and having fun memories is not the same thing.  Because we definitely had fun on each and every trip

Would I personally take a newborn…no way!  I would be a nervous wreck worrying about all the germs and sickness they could catch.  A newborn is just that …NEW. Am I saying it is not a good idea?  Maybe.  That would depend entirely on the mother and child.    Some babies are like my oldest one…nothing phases him.  He could sleep through anything (and frequently did) Loved to look around at new things and was a very pleasant baby!  My second one…I did not even take him to church without lots of back up!  He was a crier…no particular reason, he just liked to cry.  Cried when he was happy, cried when he was sad, cried when he was hungry, cried when he was full.  Taking him to Disney would have been a disaster to me and everyone within a mile of him…did I forget to mention he had GREAT lungs!  Some moms are easily distracted and over worry about everything (probably where I would fall in this category) and would not have fun…so why go?  Others, seem to have a sixth sense that everything will work out right in the end.  Nothing phases them and they just go with the flow.  They are the types that can take a Newborn to Disney and not have a single problem.

 

As far as when is the right age… If the child has an idea of who the characters are, even a small one, they will love it!  My youngest granddaughter only rarely sees anything Disney.  She knows their names (thanks to a present she got from my first Disney cruise) but that is about it.  She knew every character that came to talk with her.  She was especially in love with both Mickey and Minnie. 

After breakfast we rode the monorail over to the Grand Floridian to see the Gingerbread house.  There was one store front who had a Mickey Mouse display in their window.  Miss Mia kept running back to the window and squealing Mickey Mouse! Mickey Mouse!  To say it was hard to get her away from it was an understatement.  She loved him and wanted to go back and see him…over and over and over!

(My apologies to the person who had to wash the kisses and hand prints off the window)

 

 

Value vs Cost

 

Hope you had a happy holiday time with your family!  Things were hopping here at JMorris Travel this past month.  Took an impromptu cruise the week before Christmas and then the holidays REALLY ramped up!

The cruise really drove home the point of value vs cost.  Cost of vacation A vs vacation B maybe $100’s or $1000’s less—but when you look at value (which is what you get for your money) the difference may not be what you were expecting!  Who would have thought having the cost of soda included in your cruise price would be such a big thing!

I can tell you the cost, but only you can give it a value.  Having a stress free vacation is very valuable to me;  knowing that all meals are included is a great value to me;  however being able to lower the total cost of the vacation by chasing less expensive meals may be a value to you.

If Sally has her heart set on eating in Cinderella’s Castle the cost, while I might see no ‘value’ in using 2 Table Service Credits, may be extremely valuable and worthwhile to you.  Can you really put a price on her smile?    And how do you value the advice of taking a break in midday?  Parents of toddlers may find that the MOST valuable tip in the world, resulting in less meltdowns.  Parents of teens may find that a waste of time, cutting their valuable touring time down.   Value vs Cost is very subjective.

Yet another reason why your perfect vacation will not be the same as mine.  In fact, I am pretty sure it won’t be anywhere near the same.  My job is so much more than just taking your order or giving you a quote.  I listen to what you want and make sure you get it as close as possible to your budget.

 

Don't forget to sign up for my newsletter.  There will be a over view and comparison of my past two cruises.  Also, check out my Facebook page.  I will be adding tons of pictures in the coming days! (Hint: you will see some adorable pictures of a certain tiny sized "world" traveler!)

(a sneak peek at my little world traveler!)

 

How to make Disney more affordable

 

--Be Flexible in your time.

I know for some this is easier said than done.  Working around school schedules, work schedules, and other schedules can be very difficult.  But the more flexible you are in your time of year you can visit will make a great difference in overall price.

 

Peak season (summer and holidays) are a premium price (as well as having higher crowd levels). Also, if you are going on a short trip try to avoid Friday and Saturday night stays.  These nights have a surcharge as well. 

 

When Disney has a promotion the dates you are available can have a very important role.  For the most part, if your check in day falls within the promotional period, you get the promotional pricing for the whole trip. Of course, there are exceptions to this, so I will double check that before we actually book your trip.

 

Speaking of promotions, this brings up my second tip – Be flexible on the resort.

Some promotions will exclude certain resorts completely or may have different blackout dates for some resorts.  A promotion will have a limited number of room types for each resort.  So, while there may still be rooms available in a particular resort for your dates, it doesn’t mean that the promotion is available for those rooms on those dates.  Having a second or third resort or room choice can improve your chances of snagging that promotion.

 

 

Ticket Options

 

Water Parks and More Fun

If you are going in the winter; or if you aren’t planning on a water park or visiting Disney Quest, this just adds an unnecessary charge.  However, if you are planning on going during a hot or warm season (and you are planning on 2 or more days to visit water parks) then, by all means- add the option!  You will save money over the single day entrance fee.  Although keep in mind each resort has at least one pool.  Most have ‘quiet pools’ as well (smaller pools spread out over the resort)

 

Park Hopper

Here is another place to save money.  If you are planning on visiting only one park per day (perhaps returning to your resort room for a mid-day swim and then returning to the same park in the evening  for dinner or nighttime activities) then a Park Hopper could be an unnecessary charge.

However, you need to know if you do not have Park Hopper you CAN NOT go to a different park later in the day, even if you have unused days left on your ticket!

 

Also, it is important to note you cannot purchase a park hopper for only one day of your trip.  Well, you can, but the price for hoppers is for the life of the ticket, so it will cost you the same if you have 3 days left or 10 days left on your pass.

 

Non Expiring Option

If you are going to make two or more trips to Disney with a year or more between the trips, then, this MAY say you some money.  Be advised that most promotions have a minimum number of tickets that must be purchased with the promotion, so this could possibly eat your savings.  (Disney seems to be phasing out this particular add on.  It may or may not be available at time of your purchase.)

 

Dining Plans

Again, these could possibly save money.  It completely depends on how your family chooses to eat on vacations.  Remember all those questions I asked about how your family prefers to eat when on vacation?  Well, this is where it comes into play.  I will help you decide which (if any) dining plan is best suited for your family.

 

 

 

These are just a few of the ways we can make the Family’s vacation package a bit more budget friendly.  Next we will talk a bit about value.