Mama Monday : Halloween at Disney!

Happy Halloween Month at Disney! My favorite pictures are from Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party.

Our kids loved the dance parties and seeing some of their friends like Bullseye!

And Hallowishes is one of my favorite fireworks show!

I would love to see your favorite Halloween Pictures from Disney too! 

Adventures by Disney on a Disney Cruise

In keeping with our theme of Adventures by Disney this week, did you know that there is a cruise option through Adventures by Disney? If you are booked on the Mediterranean cruises for 2014, you can add on an Adventure by Disney. There are two options to choose from: a Pre Cruise Adventure and an Adventure during your cruise.

For the Pre Cruise Adventure you will do three nights and four days in Barcelona.  Like with all Adventures by Disney, you will be greeted at the airport to begin your vacation. You will have time for lunch and to explore Barcelona a bit on your own with guidance from your guide before the welcome dinner at Montejuic El Xalet.

Your second day will begin with a privately guided tour of La Sagrada Familia, one of Gaudi's most famous designs. Then you will visit Parque Guell. This is a wonderland of mosaics. Then it is on to a Catalan style lunch in a 17th century farmhouse along with a stained glass activity of your own. You will have time on your own for dinner and to explore the old Barcelona.

Your third day will begin with a tour of Montserrat, a Benedictine monk retreat. You will have a private tour and you will see the holy grotto known for miracles and mysteries. Then the Junior Adventurers will go hiking with one of the Adventure guides while you enjoy some free time in Monserrat. This evening you will head to Pueblo Espanol, a village that was built for the 1929 International Exhibition. You will have your farewell dinner this evening.

Your fourth day you will board the cruise ship and begin the next part of your Adventure!

You should know these pre-stays book fast! Just like an Adventure by Disney trip, they are going to take you up close and personal and are a fantastic way to visit the country you are in. Pricing for the pre-stay for 2014 in Barcelona is $1899 per adult and $1799 per child. This includes all transfers, most of your meals. It does not include gratuities for your Adventure Guides or your alcohol.

The second Adventure by Disney associated with the Mediterranean Cruises corresponds to your cruise. There is a five, seven, nine, and twelve night option. If you are booked on the seven night cruise, you must do the seven night option though. Just something to note. Imagine being on a cruise and every time you step off the ship, you have an Adventure Guide leading the way! Typically at most ports you can choose an excursion and that's what you do. On this Adventure your full day is planned! You even have some special exclusive events for just people booked on this Adventure on the ship. These also book fast and they limit the number of people just like on an Adventure by Disney. The price for the seven night option is $2399 per adult and $2279 per child.  An example of an itinerary for one of the days is : In Naples you will do a private tour of the Isle of Capri. You also visit a farm and learn how mozzarella and olive oil are made and you get a private pizza making lesson! How fun!

Mama Monday : Adventures by Disney, Italy and the Amalfi Coast

Hi Mamas and Papas, Today I am excited to introduce you to an Adventures by Disney itinerary. Adventures by Disney is the premiere way to see the world with Disney service every step of the way.  The other group travel companies just don’t compare to the experience that you will have with Adventures by Disney.  The group is kept smaller, you get to participate in more VIP experiences, and ultimately you get up close and personal with the culture. You have the option of traveling with or without children and a lot of itineraries you will find are multi-generational for an even more special family vacation. You will have an Adventures by Disney guide that will be with you the entire time and in each city you will also have a local guide. Special attention is paid to the Junior Adventurers(the kids) to make sure they are able to enjoy the culture on their level. This is definitely the way to show them the world!

One of my favorite countries to visit is Italy so naturally today we are exploring one of the three itineraries that visits Italy-Italy and the Amalfi Coast for 7 nights and 8 days. This is the ultimate of summer vacations! May 25, 2014 through September 28, 2014 are the dates this Adventure is being offered.  There are nine tours during that time, two are adults only, and two are accepting waitlists but that leaves plenty other opportunities. 

This is a very brief overview of the itinerary:

Day 1-arrive in Naples via air or train. I personally recommend that my clients arrive a couple of days in advance and explore another city before starting this Adventure. I can definitely help with those arrangements as well.  From the moment you arrive, you are taken care of by Disney. You will check into your hotel and enjoy meeting the other families on your Adventure and have an incredible Italian feast. All accommodations are top of the line on an Adventure by Disney.

Day 2- You will visit Positano, one of the worlds’ most photographed places and Amalfi today. Your guide will give you all the information you could possibly want on these two destinations. And then you are given time to explore at your own pace. You will end the evening in Sorrento and will stay at this resort for two nights.

Day 3 - You visit the Isle of Capri and enjoy the freshest seafood you can find. You will do a private cruise and swim in the Mediterranean. After this afternoon in paradise you head to the Agriturisimo La Galatea Farm. Some of my favorite things to do in Italy involved seeing how the food is grown and prepared.  You will learn how the Olive Oil is pressed (and will likely become spoiled on the real Olive Oil, we still have some shipped to us it is so incredible) and how Mozzarella Cheese is made.  Then you will get to make pizzas with the experts. Dinner will be the pizzas and other goodies from the farm and you will see a traditional Italian folkloric dance presentation.

Day 4- Tour Pompeii with a private guide and lunch in Naples. Then you take the train to Florence and get settled into your hotel for the remainder of your Adventure. Florence is one of my favorite Italian destinations. This evening you dine at one of my favorite restaurants there- Trattoria Casa Toscana. I recommend at least one person in your family tries the Bistecca alla Florentina.  After dinner the adults enjoy a wine tasting and the junior adventurers enjoy a classic Disney movie!

Day 5- Today is all about the must sees-the Duomo, David and the Uffizi Gallery.  You will have a private local guide for the Uffizi and the Junior Adventurers will be doing a Art Detective game throughout to keep help them explore on their level.  This evening you are on your own. I can help you arrange something in advance or you can ask your guide as well.

Day 6- This morning head to Monteriggioni, a hilltop town. Then you adventure over to Siena. In Siena you will enjoy exclusive entrance to the Eagle Contrada Museum to learn more about the famous horserace that is over 400 years old.  You enjoy Florence in the evening on your own.

Day 7-You will hop on a bike and ride on the medieval walls of Lucca just like the locals do. There’s an afternoon adventure in Pisa. And this evening you will have a farewell dinner in Florence. Disney always has some surprises at the farewell dinner.

Day 8-Say arrivederci to Italy as Disney handles your departure. Or extend your stay for a few more days.

I am ready to pack my bags! How about you? So I know you are wondering by this point, how much does this cost? The price ranges from $4370 up to $4900. The earlier you book, the lower the price. One thing I love hearing from my clients who have priced out other options, is when they come back and say, “You were right! Disney really does include everything.” It’s true, other tour companies will nickel and dime you so the price you think you are paying is not the real price when it’s all said and done. Disney doesn’t do that. Almost all of your meals, all of your transfers, taxes, fees, etc are all included. The gratuities for the Adventure guides are not included but the local guides are included. The other huge difference between an Adventure by Disney and the other companies is the accommodations. You will always stay top of the line with Disney. You will be in the city center and part of the action. That is rare in a group travel experience and you will really get to enjoy more time experiencing the local culture as a result.

Mama Monday : Auntie's Beach House

Aloha Mamas! Today I am taking you to the kid’s club at Aulani-Aunty’s Beach House! Most of the activities at Aunty’s Beach House are included for ages 3-12. The kids love this place.

Here’s a few of the many things they can do here:

Watch Disney movies in the movie room

Play the Wii and Sony Playstation

Hear stories from Aunty(she's real!)

Arts and crafts with a Hawaiian theme of course

Play dress up-I couldn’t even imagine the fun of playing dress up with a Disney owned dress up closet!

Play outside in Aunty’s backyard

That’s the every day fun. Then in addition to that, there are complimentary experiences that are included as well on selected days. Some of these are fun for the whole family and others are for the kids only.

Aunty’s Aloha Party

Keiki Hula-lthe kids learn to hula dance!

Stitch’s Space Goo

Uncle’s Kahakai Canoe Racing

Eruption Disruption Volcanic Science

Disney’s Aloha Junior

And you never know who is going to drop by to say hello to the keiki!

You can also upgrade to a few premium experiences for an additional fee.

Fish are Friends-you will get to go up close and personal to see how the animal specialists feed and train gthe animals. It’s a three hour experience that includes lunch, fish food, a DVD of Disneynature Oceans, and a cinch bag.

Surf’s Up with Chip and Dale-Chip and Dale come to this three hour experience that includes a themed dinner, cinch bag, and you decorate a mini surfboard. How fun is that?

Aunt’s Beach house is a 5200 square foot kids’ club. The children do need to be potty trained to be able to go. Reservations are required for the premium experiences. If you are leaving the children during lunch or dinner you can pay $14 for their meal to be served there. To give you an idea of the premium experiences price, the fee for Fish are Friends is $69. The club is open 365 days a year. The hours do vary by day. They open between 7:30 am and 9am and close between 9pm and 11pm depending upon the day. All children in the age range of 3-12 are accommodated, including any children with disabilities. Safety measures are in place for a secure drop off and pick up and the staff stays in touch via your cell phone.

As mentioned Auntie’s Beach House is meant for kids 3-12. However, if you have a toddler you are welcome to go with them to enjoy the fun as part of the Disney Aloha Junior Program in the early part of the day. A lot of the family activities are geared to include the toddler age. If the club is crowded, toddlers need to stay in the younger kid’s rooms even with the parents but if it is not crowded you have the run of the house. Very cool!  Disney does not offer babysitting for those kids under 3. There are several nanny companies on the island though to choose from if you need a date night away from your younger kids.

I don’t know about you, but I am ready to take my family to Aulani! Let’s get to planning your family’s trip there soon!

Mama Monday : Disney's Grand Californian Hotel Review

Hi Mamas,  This past week I was fortunate enough to visit Disneyland. We stayed at Disney's Grand Californian Hotel & Spa. This was our first stay at this resort and it did not disappoint. I will review a few of the key elements. You expect excellence from Disney and this resort delivered in every way. I am a hard person to please too and to give a review so glowingly says a lot!

Staff- The staff was amazing at this resort as in over the top amazing. Upon check in, our youngest son was presented with an autographed photo of Mickey because it was his first visit. We arrived later in the day so the room was ready. Our room request was granted as well. We had asked for the room configuration of a queen bed and bunk beds so our littlest one could sleep on the trundle and not need a crib.  Every cast member we encountered at the resort was friendly and genuinely helpful from the restaurant to the pool to the cast members in the lobby. Bell Services delivered our luggage promptly and also found the rental stroller that had been delivered for us earlier in the day. We had one small issue with our room cards and they gave us complimentary vouchers for a character meal for our trouble. They really outdid themselves. Our Mousekeeper in the evenings was exceptionally remarkable. We left a note that we had not received a towel animal and every day our children would look for one when we returned. When we came home this is what we found in our room and they were beside themselves happy over it! 

You might see a little person hiding in this picture.
The excitement over the bunk beds was just too much to handle!

Room-The room was mostly exactly what we expected. It was spacious as a deluxe resort should be.  It was definitely well maintained. The theme was rustic great outdoors theme to it. There’s a lot of wood finishings throughout.  The vanity was outside of the main bathroom which is especially helpful when traveling with children. The only two things I would have changed about the room was the tv should have been in front of the main bed not the bunk beds. And there was a mirror  that was crooked and it bugged the OCD side of me a great deal. 

See crooked! I couldn't get a full on picture
because it was a mirror but you get the idea.

Seriously, these are the only two nitpicky things I could find wrong. Our room location couldn’t be better. We were as close to the entrance of Disney California Adventure as you could be and also near the pool and restaurants.

Pool-Our kids loved the main pool! It had a water slide that did not have a height or age restriction. We did put a life jacket on our oldest and he had a blast going down the slide. There was a smaller water slide for our youngest. The lifeguards were extremely friendly and engaging as well. One of them saw our oldest eyeing the slide and we had assumed he wasn't tall enough as he's not for most of the ones at Walt Disney World. She let us know right away he could do it. 

Location-We have always stayed at a Disney property while at Disneyland but this was our first time at this resort. It was by far the best location. Until staying here, I really didn’t think the extra 5-10 minutes saved made that big of a difference but it really did. You felt like you were staying right inside the park it was so close.  The entrance was especially helpful when getting to Carsland for Extra Magic Hours.

The only true negative that we experienced was due to a scheduled maintenance. The water was turned off for about six hours. We were given plenty of notice(at check in) but the water was shut off at 11PM on a night the parks were open until 11PM. That was a rough turn around to get home and get the kids bathed before the water was shut off. We got back to the room at 10:30 and promptly at 11 the water was off. Given that day the park was open late and the rest of the week it wasn’t, they should have either turned it off later or waited a day for the maintenance. On the plus side, I have never been given that kind of notice for a maintenance issue and that was very helpful.

Storyteller's Cafe-This is the casual dining option on site. We had dinner one evening here and enjoyed the character breakfast with Chip & Dale one morning. Both experiences were fantastic and deserver their own review. I would definitely recommend either option for anyone staying there. 

The boys made a few new friends too!

Overall my family gives this resort two thumbs up! It will definitely be a place we stay in the future. We still like the other two Disney resorts as well but Disney’s Grand Californian Hotel & Spa has quickly become our favorite. I would love to stay in a villa here but they get booked fast by the DVC members.