Winter Blues

When February hits I am looking for the escape button on this winter.  It is not that I don't enjoy winter activities, I do but it has been extra cold and icy... so yeah I am done with it. For years we went skiing in northern NH with friends. Those are some of the best memories. We stayed at the Mountain View Grand. I fear telling people about this resort because then it will be so popular I won't be able to afford to go anymore. I have to say it is my families hands down favorite resort we have ever stayed in. Granted we have only stayed there in the winter, but it is always amazing. They have so many activities, you can rent ice skate or bring your own and enjoy their man made skating area. You can rent a tube and enjoy tubing on their property. They have trails to snow shoe, ax throwing (it is a thing) and even dog sledding. Those are just the out door activities, they have a lot inside as well. A small movie theater you can pick your own movie and they even deliver popcorn. A game room, wine tasing and so much more.  Some of the most magical memorable family friend trips happened there.

But alas, this year it was not in the cards, maybe next year. I do miss it!! It is my favorite way to embrace winter! This year I am thankful my daughter and I are having our own little get away.

When I left Disney last year I had been looking for an affordable way to get back, even if it was a very short visit! The flights to get to FL were not bad but what  was making this near impossible was the flight home. After being persistent enough I finally was able to secure a flight home that did not drain our vacation fund.  Our plan is to be in Disney World for two days, one day at Animal Kingdom and then one day enjoying the pool and Disney Springs. After that we're off to visit family and have some relaxation on the beach. 

My daughters favorite park in the world is Animal Kingdom. She LOVES Everest. Which always makes me laugh as she was super afraid of it for a long time, now she could go on it over and over! The animals are also a top priority here. We always make time for the Jungle Trek and Gorilla Falls  and of course the famous Safari ride. 

New for us this year will be River of Light. We had missed it the last time we were there. So we made reservations at Tusker House (a favorite of ours) with the River Light dining package, this way we know we will make it, and have reserved seats! So stay tuned for pictures and video. If you want to follow along find me on Instagram: Instagram-MickeyTravels_Genevieve I will be sharing as we have a short adventure!

Where would you adventure off to if you could go anywhere this winter? 

Genevieve Buck MickeyTravels

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603-370-7503

Making Magic One Vacation at A time

Free Disney Vacation planning from your local Disney vacation planner 

Portsmouth, NH

Let's Adventure Travel !!

Some exciting things are happening here in the world of travel. MickeyTravels has opened a sister agency; Let's Adventure Travel.

This means while I am still your Disney girl, I can book Universal Studios or even a Sandals resort!!  The possibilities are endless!! Where would you like to adventure to next?

While my family absolutely LOVES all things Disney, we also are HUGE fans of Universal. My daughter is one of the biggest Harry Potter fans I know. She wanted to see the Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone at the age of 4,  thinking it was going to be to scary or she would loose interest, I decided it was a good idea to read the book first.  I had read all the Harry Potter books, and loved the story, secretly I was excited she wanted to get into it. But I did not have high hopes this would last long. Well it has been almost 10 years in the making and she is a big of a fan as ever.

Harry Potter for Halloween (a couple times)

Harry Potter Birthday, yup more than once!

This cake was made by: Sweetened Memories 

(pretty much the most amazing cakes ever)

She has now read the books her self now multiple times. And been fortunate enough to make the trip to the Wizarding World of Harry Potter more than once. Her first trip was when she was in Kindergarten, yes it was kind of crazy but, we had an opportunity to taker her, so we took it. 

This was one of the most magical vacations. She was in awe when we saw Hogwarts for the first time. She was amazed when we rounded the corner and saw Buckbeak, and he moved! 

At the time, most of the rides she was to short for and Harry Potter was only inside the Islands of Adventure park. But it didn't matter. We took it all in slowly, did lots of shopping, and thoroughly enjoyed all the details that are the Wizarding World. 

The chocolate frogs actually move!! 

She still has this Hedwig, although she is a little more loved... ok a lot more loved now! Alas the sweatshirt is to small but she wore that ever chance she could! 

Although Universal seems to be designed for big kids, they have plenty for the little ones to do. The Dr Seuss area has some interactive water play areas, and a couple rides perfect for the little ones. 

The Joy of Harry Potter 

Curious George is an area over at the Universal Studios side of the two parks. This is also an interactive area perfect for those younger kids! It includes water so watch out for those mischievous little ones trying to spray you. 

I will admit I am a big ride person. I am not always one who wants to sit and watch a show, obviously my daughter differs from me. We stopped to enjoy some shade and watch Animal Actors on Location. Always loving animals this was such a fun show to watch some familiar animals characters doing tricks! 

Keep those autograph books handy from Disney because Universal has some fun and unique characters to meet. At the age of 5 she loved Scooby Doo. She talks about how funny Shaggy was still to this day! 

I look back at these trips when my daughter was a lot younger, and she had a blast, so did the grown ups. Was she young for it? Absolutely, but would I change a thing? Not a chance.  As time is ever fleeting I am so thankful to have these memories with her and that we took these family vacations. I would never change that and look forward to more family adventures, as well as helping you make family memories and adventures too.   

Want to plan your family vacation? Let me know if you would like a free no obligation quote and we can start with your adventure of a life time. 

gbuck@mickeytravels.com
603-370-7503
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MickeyTravels agent trip

Seasons greetings readers!

I am back form a recent agent trip to Walt Disney World. The yearly agent trip is a wonderful experience for us MickeyTravels agents to get together learn more about the new things (becuase there is always new things happening at Disney World) and experience something we may not have been able to! This year was pretty special as we went at Christmas time.

It is not easy for any mom to get away for almost a week right after Thanksgiving, so I owe my husband and family  a big thank you for helping and supporting me so I could have this experience. But it was totally worth it so I could share what I learned with al of you!!

 I never would normally go at Christmas time. For years my daughter was in a local Nutcracker, and now she has to many other activities, never mind school!  For me this was such a special treat, and I ended up absolutely loving it!! I hope to go back with my entire family someday. But in the mean time I can help you plan your trip!  It is hard to know where to begin, there is so much Disney offers, and Disney World is a pretty big place. That is why I am here. 

Let's start with the Christmas party. The MickeyTravels agency attended together and it was so much fun. The Christmas party is similar to the Halloween party if you have ever been. You will need an extra ticket to enter. The party starts at 7pm. You will be able to enter the Magic Kingdom at 4pm.  I found the gate to be pretty crowded at this time, no need to rush you will have until midnight! I would wait until 5 or 6pm to enter and you will not have to wait as long. The party will not start early so enjoy dinner or some rides while you wait. Once the party begins Disney will start to usher non party guests out of the park. For the Christmas party there will be special spots around the park marked with a large candy cane that will serve a festive cookie and either hot chocolate or egg nog, yum!! 

There will be a holiday themed parade a couple times through out the night and special fire works show! In between cookies, parade, and fireworks you can enjoy your favorite rides. There are no fast passes like during normal park hours but the wait will never be to long!

The next thing we got to experience was the Candlelight Processional at Epcot. This is something I have heard about, read about, but never would have gone to. Now it is something I will never miss again!! It was simply amazing!!!  Every night there is a different narrator and we had  the privilege of listening to Whoopi Goldberg. That was a pretty cool part, but the best part about it was the musicians.  We had reserved seats and shortly after we sat down the show started.  As the orchestra started the chorus men and women started to process in while singing, and it was just so beautiful! If you are lucky enough to be in Disney during this time do not miss out on this experience, it is amazing!

Next up on our magical agenda was the Yuletide Fantasy Tour.  We learned about some different holiday celebrations throughout the world, as well as some back stage touring. One of the coolest parts of the tour was seeing where Disney assembled, fixed, and stored all of their decorations for holidays through out the year. They had a separate room  where cast members were working on and fine tuning fall decorations. It amazed me how long and how much work goes into every little thing. 

Now you have heard some of the magical things we got to experience. Let me help you plan an unforgettable Disney vacation! I love to chat about plans and help you customize a vacation that will suit your desires. The best part is when you book your vacation through me, it will never cost anymore, (always free vacation planning) in fact I am always on the look out for the best deals for you! Contact me for a quote on a Disney Vacation and I can make magic one vacation at a time!

gbuck@mickeytravels.com

603.370.7503 (Portsmouth, NH Local)

800.498.1627 (toll free)

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MickeyTravels.com