City ❀ Country ❀ Beach
I can honestly say this season of ho-hum travel has put a huge damper on our travel plans as a family. I know we’re not the only ones. Our youngest son graduated High School and his graduation gift was (and hopefully will be) a trip …
1- Clean up photos If you have photos just laying around, now is a great time to organize them into dates, categories, however you think is best. If you have photos on your computer, now is a great time to organize those, too! It’s actually …
I’m sure this isn’t the first time you’re reading about the new Star Wars land at Hollywood Studios. I’m sure you’ve heard all the hype. People have been raving about it. Well, rightfully so! In my opinion, it is awesome!
If you haven’t been to Hollywood Studios in a while, it’s time to go back. Many things have changed such as the Fantasmic hat is not there anymore, the Great Movie Ride is making way for a new Mickey & Minnie Runaway Railway adventure ride, Toy Land, and of course, there is Star Wars Galaxy’s Edge.
Even if you’re not a huge fan of Star Wars, and I don’t know why not, you will be impressed on the massive displays and how realistic everything is. You really feel like you’re a character in the movie.
The ships are so detailed and you’re going to wish you could just walk in and fly in one. However, they are strategically placed so you don’t touch them.
Star Wars Galaxy’s Edge is a place where I strongly recommend that you get to early in the day. The crowds will gather more as the day goes on. This is the line we were in at 7am!
I can’t stress it enough — get there early! Our experience was that we got boarding #42 for the Rise of the Resistance ride. That means we were the 42nd group to board. Unfortunately, the ride broke down closed twice and we were finally able to board about 4pm. If we would have gotten there later in the day, past 7am, we probably would have never been able to go on the ride that day. Boarding groups fill up VERY fast!
Now, let’s talk about the actual ride & I’m also including the Millenium Falcon ride. They were both AMAZING!
I was going to include a gallery of photos, in other words, a group of very small photos, but these are worth displaying entirely on their own and they really speak for themselves.
Star Wars doesn’t stop with just those two rides. The Cantina serves two breakfast items and is a place that you have to make reservations far in advance. It is more of a bar, but we had to experience it at least once. The vibe is just like the movie and it was a cool experience!
Grab a cool souvenir with a refreshing drink! This is a Sprite.
Character sightings are everywhere so have your camera ready at every moment! Sometimes I wonder what cast members go through on a typical day. They seem to always have so much fun!
Make sure you stay for the night time Star Wars show. It is spectacular! It is the perfect way to end a fun-filled day at Hollywood Studios!
Here are other things we did at Hollywood Studios:
If you have a specific question about this post, please email me.
Grande Villas Resort is the perfect place to stay in Orlando while visiting the theme parks. Owned by Hilton Grand Vacations, it is ranked as a 3-star hotel with an almost 5-star review by guests. It is conveniently located about 10 minutes from all the …
I am a California girl. Literally living only 5 miles to Disneyland has brought much happiness to my childhood and it now reflects into my adulthood. I lived off of Mac Nab Street & Hopi Road in Garden Grove which is located in Anaheim. They …
Choosing the right location on South Beach can be daunting. However, that’s why I’m here to help! Crescent Resort is at a prime location because it is literally across the street from South Beach.
To start off let’s talk beach. Wow! As you head out to the beach the first thing you’ll notice is how wide the beach is! Also, you can rent the beach chairs and umbrellas for the entire day.
The water was absolutely the perfect temperature. And that’s saying a lot because when it comes to beach or pool water, it needs to be at least 90 degrees F in order for me to even dip in.
If you’re into shopping make sure to check out the freestanding markets along the boardwalk.
Parking is limited at the resort, but there is a parking garage not too far within walking distance. The only reason why you should park right in front of the resort is to unload your luggage.
The resort is beautiful during the day, but at night it is lit up with neon lights that it stands out and looks so cool. Everything you need is located on this street, Ocean Drive. There are some wonderful restaurants just a few doors down. I met a friend here and we had lunch at La Cerveceria Del Barrio On Ocean Drive. It was delicious!
We found the lobby to be clean and welcoming.
Our room was also clean, comfortable, and everything we needed was in it, such as extra blankets and toiletries.
Our room was absolutely beautiful and chic!
Overall, we had a very pleasant stay at Crescent Resort and nothing beats the convenience of having the beach and restaurants nearby!
If you have a specific question about this post, please email me.
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If you’ve never cruised before, Carnival makes for a great first-time cruise. If you have cruised before, but have never been on Carnival, then this line makes for a great alternative. And, if you’ve cruised before on Carnival, then you know exactly what I’ll be talking about and you might even recognize some of our shore excursions.
Our family decided to cruise with Carnival because, even though we are experienced cruisers, we had never cruised with Carnival before. Hence, this is our perspective on being Carnival Cruise first-timers and our desire is that you might take our experience so that you can make the most out of your Carnival Cruise experience.
You might be wondering “How did you choose which Carnival ship?” For us, it was very simple. We didn’t want to pay for airfare and since we live in Florida, there are a few options that were close enough to drive to. However, in our case, we had a friend drop and pick us up. If you can do that, that’s perfect!
We chose our closes port which was Tampa. From there, we looked at our travel dates. We knew we wanted to cruise in the summer and for an entire week. The next step was to see the destinations. We chose a ship that was landing at 3/4 destinations most of us had never been to. Ultimately, we chose the Carnival Miracle ship and we were not disappointed! Now, come dive in with me to our first-time Carnival Miracle Cruise experience!
Carnival has this option called “Faster to the Fun.” Many people that I know had recommended this. If you purchase this you will be able to board & disembark before everyone else! There are many advantages to do this because you can be among the first to get to your room, eat lunch, have the pool basically to yourself, and relax. We did this and it was well worth the extra $90! This price is per cabin, not per person.
The ship inside is absolutely beautiful! I kind of went camera happy, but I hope you can see exactly what I mean. Let’s start with the food! You have the option of eating at the buffet’s or in the dining room. We ate mostly in the dining room for most of our cruise, but we did hit the buffet a few mornings.
The way the buffet stations are broken down is by the type of food. For example pasta, desserts, pizza, American, Chinese, salads, etc. You can literally eat something different every night. Or, as I mentioned before, you can head to the dining room and have a sit-down meal with your very own requested (optional) waiter.
Having a balcony makes a big difference. Everyone has a preference, but there’s something about being able to step outside instantly. This is my opinion, but I would not recommend a balcony if you have young children. The rails are high, but I would not feel comfortable. Seeing the sunset with my feet up is a great way to end the day!
It is so true that the cruise director works A LOT! He or she literally can either make your cruise experience a dud or awesome. We had a fantastic cruise director! Even if you don’t get off the ship, there is always something to do. You will never be bored!
The shows are spectacular! I honestly did not expect them to be good, but I was very surprised. The cast works very hard to do about 4-5 different shows while you’re on board.
If you’re looking for an excursion to do at Grand Cayman, I have a great one! We took the Stingray City tour. When it comes to excursions, you have two choices. One is to stick with Carnival’s recommended excursions. The second is to explore your own excursions online. We preferred to stick with Carnival’s excursions, except two and you’ll read about those further down, because if for some reason you are late getting back to the ship, Carnival will actually wait for you before they sail away. If you choose the latter, you will need to find a way back home or to the next port on your own. This is the reason why I strongly recommend you carry your passports, not your copies when you get off the ship.
A cabin cruiser will take you out about 30-45 minutes away to a sandbar that seems out in the middle of nowhere. The cruiser crew will provide you with a snorkel & mask in case you don’t have your own. The crew knows exactly how to handle the stingrays. They are not maltreated in any way. The stingrays will be brought to you with food. It was very cool to feel the suction of their mouths literally feeding out of your hand!
The water is cold the first time you get in, but you’ll get used to it. You absolutely cannot beat the crystal clear water though! The entire experience lasted about 3 hours. This is great because this leaves you with plenty of time to shop back at the port.
Mahogany Bay is located on an island off the north coast of Honduras. It is officially a part of Honduras.
This port had one of the BEST views while docking. You can see what I mean!
The excursion we took was NOT offered by Carnival Cruise. Therefore, we decided on Daniel Johnson’s Monkey & Sloth Hangout in Roatan based on rave reviews from others on TripAdvisor. We did this one because the one that was offered by Carnival was sold out. Seems like many people had the same idea as us to hold & hug a live sloth! This company offered very reasonable prices AND it included roundtrip transportation to/from the port. You will spend a max of 1.5 hours here leaving plenty of time again for more shopping or riding the ski-style chair lift!
This was our most adventurous excursion by far! This one was once again by Carnival. I was in awe to actually see these ruins in person! We took the Lamanai Mayan Ruins & River Boat Safari with Lunch. I suggest if you do this tour to pack an extra snack and water. Also, if you have a picky eater or someone who likes a big meal, I suggest you pack even more snacks.
This tour will take you the entire day. You will start your journey by hopping on a bus ride that will take about 1 hour. It will not seem like a 1-hour ride if you end up with the same tour guide that we had – Bernie.
Once you arrive, you’ll go on a powerboat where everyone is required to wear a life jacket. It was so much fun! If you can, try to get upfront seats so you can see exactly where you’re going. And, hold on to your hats!
Once you arrive from the boat, you have officially arrived at Lamanai. It is a bit remote and you will then need to do quite a bit of walking from here on until you see the Mayan Ruins. Make sure you’re wearing a good pair of sneakers!
While you’re walking, the same tour guide that was on the bus will be the same tour guide throughout your entire journey. Keep vigilant while walking because you’ll see some cool things along the way!
As we arrive at the Mayan Ruins, again, I am in awe. To think that these have been here for so long and the civilization that preceded us is interesting to me. There is so much history & culture even now among these ruins. Make sure you don’t take this time for granted and soak it all in while you’re there. You won’t just see one, you’ll see a few of these. Bernie, our tour guide, was excellent in giving details & historical facts!
This is the point where if you don’t feel comfortable climbing or are afraid of heights, you can sit this one out. You have the option of going up the ruin. However, there is a backway that they want you to go to. This is a great place to get your camera ready!
As you head back, it is time for lunch at a really nice palapa (like a tiki hut). We had chicken, rice, plantains, and juice.
Arriving at Cozumel is like arriving at a party. It is very festive! There is music, shopping, and people dressed in traditional Mexican clothing. There are MANY photo ops that will make for some great photos memories!
Mr. Sancho’s Beach Club is not a part of Carnival’s excursion list. I honestly think it should. We were so happy to book this! It was very popular among Facebook travel groups I’m a part of and TripAdvisor.
We took a taxi ride and there is a price list that is listed depending on how many are in your party and where you’re going. This makes it easy for everyone. We were charged $17 each way and there are four of us. Mr. Sancho’s is only about 15 minutes away from the port.
***Make sure you get there early to stake out a good spot for you or your family!
We booked the “All Inclusive Day Pass” back at home prior to arriving. You can book it with just $5 per person online. You can pay the rest when you arrive. With the all-inclusive option, you can drink and eat to your heart’s content. You can either order what you want with your waiter and have it brought to your table/beach chair or walk up to the buffet. The food and service are fantastic!
There are 2 pools with swim-up bars, hammocks, great snorkeling, massages (extra $), kayaking, lockers, cabanas, inflatable water park (extra $), horseback riding (extra $) and shopping on site. As you can see, there is something to do for everyone.
We had staff come around with macaws and iguanas in case we wanted a photo. Because we had photos with macaws already at Mahogany Bay, we decided to get a photo of our son with an iguana. This iguana had a diaper on! Bring cash because these photos were $10 with your camera or $15 with their camera.
The pools are absolutely beautiful, but if you have younger children make sure they’re in earlier in the day, before lunch. It can get a little wild later in the day with adults swimming and drinking.
Snorkeling time!
Horseback Riding
Carnival Cruise has a lot to offer. If you’ve never taken a Carnival Cruise, you should at least go on one once so you can experience it for yourself!
If you have a specific question about this post, please email me.
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For those that know me well, they know that I am at times blunt and to the point. Well, let me be just that right now. I am a professed non-book reader. Gasp! Honestly, I’d rather read blogs, magazines, and watch TV than to pick …
