Welcome to my blog. I am a travel agent and love to share my passion for Harley Davidson, Cruises, Disney World and All Inclusive vacations.
I would be happy to help you plan your vacation too! Email: JEGTravels@gmail.com
Welcome! I am Jane-Ellen (JE) I'm a travel agent and I am happy to share with you my love of travel. I am not a journalist, I simply enjoy traveling. My favorite travel destinations are Walt Disney World, Cruises and anywhere on our Harley. My husband, Steve and I are out on our Harley when time, work and weather permit. We try to take weekend trips whenever possible.
Walt Disney World has been a favorite spot to vacation since our first trip in 1983. We have had over 30 weeklong vacations and now living in Florida we visit monthly, although recently I find myself there weekly. Hey I am doing research!
Cruising is another passion. We have been on many cruises, predominately in the Caribbean. A seven day cruise is the best way to really unwind and relax; but if a three or four day cruise crosses our path, we set sail. I am an Accredited Cruise Councilor, and a Certified Travel Councilor. I have the highest level of education from all major cruise lines.
Many clients have asked for insider tips for Disney World and cruising. That is my goal to offer insider information on Disney, Cruises and biking.
Would you like to take Disney’s ultimate wild animal adventure? See the Animal Kingdom in a way never seen before. Walk carefully over rope bridges and thru dense underbrush to get an up close visit with giraffe, massive Nile crocodiles patrolling the jungle riverbed and other animals wandering freely in there savannah habitat.
Disney’s Animal Kingdom now offers VIP Safari’s over the savannah. The tour is three hours in duration. It is designed to give you the feel and experience of a true African safari. Your visit will include a trip to a private safari camp.
The cost is $129 pp in addition to the park entrance fee. Call (407) WDW-TOUR or (407) 939-8687 to book your adventure. This tour is for ages 8 and up.
Start Planning Your Vacation Today!
Email: JEGTravels@gmail.com
Phone: 352.556.4437
Steve and I woke up to the sound of the anchor dropping shortly after 7:30am.We were happy to be spending the day in Coco Cay. We went to the Windjammer buffet for breakfast and it was relatively empty. Everyone must have been up late the night before enjoying the nightlife. I have to say for a smaller ship there is plenty to do, both day and night!
The seas were slightly choppy, which made the walk on the gangplank to the tender a bit of a challenge. It was like the walkway in the funhouse, up and down and you had to keep your balance, move forward and not hit your head on the bulkhead.There were only a few of us on the tender. It was still a bit too chilly out for some folks, I would think any northerners would have found the 60s warm!
Coco cay is having some work done; the tender ports are being enlarged to accommodate more tenders. They are setting up to host more than one cruise ship at a time on the island. There are literally hundreds and hundreds of lounge chairs available.When ships like Monarch are in port there is more than enough room for another ship too.
We took a nice walk to scope things out, found two lounge chairs and set up camp. Lucky for us we had entertainment too! The bar server was driving a golf cart with a trailer/cooler hitched to it. That guy didn’t stand a chance against the loose sand. He no sooner drove down to the water’s edge when he was axle deep in sand. He called for backup from two other bar servers, who apparently have never driven before. They managed to jack-knife the trailer, but after some digging and tugging were able to move it about 10 feet, where it became trapped again. The driver took time to sell a few drinks and then the patrons put their shoulders into pushing and moved him, oh maybe another 5 feet, finally several more beach goers helped him back to a path up to solid ground off the beach.
It was too cold for us to swim so we had fun people and nature watching for a few hours. Our fellow passengers were disembarking the ship and swarming the beaches…our cue to head back on the ship. As we were walking away from our lounge chairs, we passed the bar server driving his rig back to the beach, where he was promptly buried in sand. Ah fun times!
Once back on the Monarch we had lunch and headed to the pool. There were maybe 6 or 8 others around the pool but no one swimming. It was as if we had our own private pool. We alternated between sun tanning and swimming. Towards the end of the afternoon a handful of bar napkins blew in the pool. They disintegrated and made swimming a little uncomfortable, if not creepy, when someone would say “why is there toilet paper in the pool?”It was late in the day and the masses were back from Coco Cay, so we headed up to deck 12 to have some pizza and ice cream and sit on the deck there to watch the sun getting ready to set over Coco Cay.
We enjoyed smooth sailing from Port Canaveral to Nassau. We disembarked with no real plans for the day. As we were walking up towards Festival Place, the entry point into Nassau, we decided to take a guided tour. We were lucky to bump into Kendrick Curry, our guide. He looked neat and polished and gave us a great tour of Nassau and Paradise Island.
There were 11 of us in his van, six Americans and five Russians, who spoke almost no English. We all had a great time with Kendrick. We took a leisurely ride up Bay Street past the shops and straw market, cruised by the pink Parliament Buildings and down to Lighthouse Beach to stop and dip our toes in the water. The nights had been a bit chilly lately so the water was cool but still beautiful to view.
Kendrick pointed out the highlights along the way; we saw Eddie Murphy’s private island and other interesting spots such as the ‘fish fry’ area were the seafood restaurants are located. We passed a Segway tour, which looked fun but a bit dangerous in the Nassau traffic. Speaking of dangerous, we saw more than a few tourists on scooters. One woman was actually holding on to her driver crying, she was so scared. I don’t think I will venture out on a scooter in Nassau anytime soon, the traffic is crazy.
We saw some beautiful churches on our way to Fort Fincastle. We toured the fort which is located on the highest point of the island; it was built as a look out for the British troops in 1793. The Fort was never attacked, its cannons never fired in battle and it is now one of the more popular tourist attractions. Located nearby is the Queens Staircase, 65 steps carved out of the limestone walls by slaves from the island between 1793 and 1794.The area is beautiful and worth the effort to visit. In addition to beautiful views and limestone walls, you will find local vendors similar to the ones at the Straw Market on Bay Street.
We rounded out our tour visiting Paradise Island, where Anna Nicole Smith and John Travolta had houses. We spend a half hour visiting The Atlantis Hotel and Casino, we lost $20 on the video poker game and tried to look around the grounds but were stopped by security at all entry points. Unless you are a guest of the hotel or pay the per diem rate you cannot enter the grounds. It is a beautiful hotel though and very popular.
We met Kendrick in front of the hotel near the gorgeous fountain and took the quick ride back to the port. It was a nice afternoon spent with a Bahamian, who was proud to show us his country.If you are planning a visit to Nassau let me know and I will give Kendrick a call and have him give you a tour of the island. You will enjoy it!
Next up Part Three~Coco Cay
Start Planning Your Vacation Today!
Email: JEGTravels@gmail.com
Phone: 352.556.4437
Our Monarch of the Seas Cruise January 7-10, 2011
Part One
We left Weeki Wachee, Florida at 8:00AM on Friday for our weekend cruise on the Monarch of the Seas. It was an easy 2.5 hour ride over to Port Canaveral. It was by far the easiest port for embarkation; the parking garage had plenty of parking close to the terminal and lots of port employees to guide you thru the embarkation process.We checked in quickly, with only three people in front of us, had our pictures taken and were on the ship by 11 am.
We did not check our luggage pier-side so we just wheeled it up to the Windjammer with us. We enjoyed our lunch looking out the window at the brand new Disney Dream. What a ship that is! I will have to cruise on The Dream just to give a ship review (then its work related!).
We met a nice couple at lunch, also from Florida, this would be the theme of the cruise; everyone it seemed was a ‘local’. The Monarch, was one of the largest ships to sail in 1991, but by today’s standards, is considered a smaller cruise ship at 73,000 tons. This makes the ship perfect for quick weekend get-a-ways for anyone who is within a few hours drive of Port Canaveral. The ship is nice and comfortable with wonderful staff and plenty to keep you busy!
Even the band members were cold!
We dropped our bags at our ocean view stateroom.There are not many balcony staterooms and the staterooms in general were not as up to date as the brand new ships (no flat screen TVs) but the bed was comfortable and the room was always clean thanks to Dion, our cabin steward.The bathroom of course was smaller than I would like, I was accosted by the shower curtain each morning. I haven’t found a cruise ship bathroom that I like yet. I will put out a new bulletin when I do!
We worked our way around the ship walking from deck to deck to see what we had in store. The Sound of Music Theatre is large and there were not many view obstructions.We toured the Ship Shape Fitness Center with the hopes of working out at some point but that never happened. I guess Sorrento’s pizza called my name louder. We had pizza for an afternoon snack there most days. This is where the ice cream was located so it was a fun spot in the afternoon.
The pool area was nice and never seemed too crowded. The bar staff was always close by to bring you the drink of the day.We had the pool area to ourselves the day the ship moored at Coco Cay, we visited the island for half the day and came back to the pool around noon. It was heaven. My only complaint was if I had to hear Ricky Martin sing about shaking his ‘bon bon’ one more time I was going to jump ship!
Dinner was very nice in Claude’s dining room, our waiter Albert, his assistant waiter Sweedon and the head waiter, Mustafa were all very attentive, more so than on any other ship we have sailed. We had a large table and almost every other person seated with us was from Florida, most from within a 2 hour drive. Ed, a senior from our area has been on the Monarch nine times since November, two others have been on the Monarch many times in the last year.When the wait staff from other areas of the dining room walked by they greeted our tablemates by name, often stopping to give them a hug and ask how they were doing. I thought Ed should be the mayor the Monarch! We enjoyed everyone’s company very much. Albert, our waiter, told us a joke each night and Mustafa, the head waiter, gave us the weather report for the next day. They really made us feel right at home. The food was delicious too!
We enjoyed the music and shows in the theatre and lounges. We did not make it to the disco or the deck party but a table mate went and enjoyed learning some new songs and dances, he learned the Superman and Stanky Legg dance; maybe I am glad I missed that one.
Walt Disney World is about to begin building its first new hotel in seven years, a 2,000-room resort that will open in 2012.
Disney's Art of Animation Resort will feature 1,120 family suites with room for as many as six people each; the remainder of the rooms will be standard single rooms. The resort will be a ‘value’ resort similar to Pop Century and All Stars. The rates begin at $82 per night for those resorts.
The resort will be built on 65-acres across a lake from Disney's Pop Century Resort. The location will allow Disney to use a pair of long-neglected, unfinished buildings that Disney originally constructed as a second phase of Pop Century but which it abandoned amid the 2001 recession.
Each area of Art of Animation will feature different animated movie: The Little Mermaid, The Lion King, Finding Nemo and Cars.
The majority of its rooms will be six-person suites, the resort will have the same capacity as Pop Century, which has 2,800 standard rooms. The thought is that Disney would like to compete with Nickelodeon’s family suite resort located just off Disney’s property.
Call us today to start planning your Disney Vacation!
In the early morning hours of January 4, 2011, the Disney Dream sailed in to its home, Port Canaveral, with Disney’s usual fanfare, fireworks streaming up from all parts of the 130,000 ton vessel; over 3,000 fans gathered to welcome the ship and of course Mickey, Minnie and Donald.
Disney’s newest addition to its fleet of top notch cruise ships is larger than its siblings and the Disney style is obvious from the classic cruise ship looks. With its navy, red and gold paint, it looks like a luxury liner from the early days of cruising. The ship’s horn plays When You Wish Upon a Star. The ship, which can hold up to 4,000 passengers will sail three, four and five night cruises to the Bahamas and Disney’s private island Castaway Cay.
The Dream offers wonderful restaurants, bars, spa and pools but let’s face it, we all know if the kids are happy then the parents are happy, this cruise will make every kid happy!
It’s a Small World nursery, for infants of three months to toddlers of three years, offers one way port holes so the parents can check on the children without interrupting their nap or playtime.
The Oceaneers Club for ages 3-10 has been revamped. The areas include Andy’s room from Toy Story, where the kids become toy sized and play in an oversized world. Young cruisers can also see Mike from Monsters Inc; look for Nemo onboard a submarine inspired play area or visit Tinkerbell in Pixie Hollow. They can also interact with Crush from Finding Nemo or Stitch from Lilo and Stitch on a huge 103 inch interactive plasma screen.
There's also a club for tweens (ages 11 to 13) called Edge it features video karaoke and other high-tech amusements.
Vibe, a club for teens, 14-17, will feature an outdoor deck for sunning, with water features (like misters and splash pools) and a giant chess board; video games; comfy chairs, each with its own iPod docking station; and a dance floor. Inside is a cool place to hang out, it’s a cross between a hip night club and a coffee house. To ensure that Vibe is teens only, entry is by private key card.
Teens 13-17 can be pampered in Chill, the teen’s only area of the Senses Spa.
Aqua Coaster located between the stacks
Something never before seen on any cruise ship is the AquaDuck watercoaster. The combination roller coaster-water slide is a see-through acrylic tube that winds around the top deck, up and down, at one point cantilevering off the port side 150 feet above the ocean!
D Lounge is where families can enjoy the nightlife together with games and entertainment designed to involve the whole family.
The District offers several venues for adults to relax and enjoy the evening. Try Skyline, Pink, Meridian Evolution or the District Lounge for some fun.
Would you like to sail on a Disney cruise? Feel free to call or email me! JEGTravels@gmail.com
The big news for Royal Caribbean (RCCL) this past year was the arrival in December of Allure of the Seas, sister ship to Oasis of the Seas.These twins are the world’s largest cruise ships, weighing in at 220,000 tons each.
These cities at sea can accommodate 5400 people in 2700 staterooms, with many new innovations onboard, including a 3D theatre, seven neighborhoods including Central Park and the Boardwalk, there is never a dull moment…unless you want one!
RCCL is keeping the other ships in the fleet up to date too. Freedom and Liberty of the Seas will be offering exciting new features such as DreamWorks Experience. They will find fun-filled activities, shows, adventures, and more with DreamWorks’ favorite characters from movies such as Shrek, Madagascar, and Kung Fu Panda. Poolside movie screens and Imagine Ocean! Puppet show.In addition to new dining, shopping and enhanced technology. Cruisers onboard Liberty of the Seas will see the Broadway hit Saturday Night Fever: The Musical.
Here are a few tips to get the most enjoyment during your Walt Disney World vacation.
Try to visit each park on its least busy days. Listed below are some general guidelines for attendance at each park.
Busiest Days at each park
Magic Kingdom is usually busiest Saturday, Sunday and Monday.
Epcot is busiest Wednesday and Friday.
Disney Hollywood Studios is busier Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday.
Animal Kingdom is busy Monday, Tuesday and Friday.
Tickets
Magic Your Way Tickets lets guests decide how many days they want to spend in the parks and what options work for them, such as no expiration date, water parks or Park Hopper (visit more than one park per day).
The cost per day decreases for longer stays. A seven day ticket will save you approximately 50% compared to a single day base ticket. A 10 day ticket can cost you 1/3 of a single day base ticket.
The Water Park Fun & More option can offer significant savings for recreation and entertainment outside the theme parks. It provides admissions to Disney’s Blizzard Beach water park, Disney’s Typhoon Lagoon Water Park, DisneyQuest, Disney’s Oak Trail golf course and Disney’s Wide World of Sports Complex.
The Park Hopper option allows a guest to take advantage of visiting more than one park in a day. Perfect if you want to see the parade at one park and the fireworks at another. Great for enjoying your favorite rides on the same day.
Kids under age 3 are provided free admission to all Walt Disney World theme parks.
Time
Disney knows that time is a valuable commodity while on vacation. They do their best to help you use your time wisely.
Tip Boards are the most underutilized feature at Disney Parks. They are located at strategic crossroads in each theme park provide guests with the attractions approximate wait times.
Disney’s FASTPASS system allows guests to avoid waiting at designated popular attractions in all four Walt Disney World theme parks. Here’s how it works:
At the entrance to attractions offering FASTPASS, two times are posted – (1) approximate wait time using the normal queue and (2) return time for FASTPASS tickets currently being issued.
If the wait in the normal queue is long, guests can choose to obtain a FASTPASS ticket (at no charge) with an assigned return time (an hour-long window) and then use the time until then to enjoy other experiences in the park.
Upon returning to use their FASTPASS, the guest can hop on the attraction with little or no waiting.
A Rider Swap program lets both parents enjoy a ride – one parent waits with a child who is unable to ride an attraction while one parent rides. Afterwards, the other parent can board the ride with minimal wait time.Extra Magic Hours offer private hours for exclusively for guests staying at Walt Disney World hotels. How it works-The extra time is one hour prior to scheduled park opening or up to three hours after park closing.
The park changes from day to day.
Disney water parks sometimes open one hour early for guests of select Disney resort hotels.
To take advantage of the additional time in the parks, guests must have a Magic Your Way ticket valid for the park(s) offering Extra Magic Hours – and, of course, their hotel ID.
The Park Hopper option on Magic Your Way tickets allows guests to take advantage of Extra Magic Hours in a park or parks different from where the guest spends the rest of the day.
Dining Make your reservation in advance. The restaurants located in Disney World begin taking reservation or priority seating, as Disney calls it, up to 180 days out. Most reserve quickly! This is especially true for any character dining experiences. The more popular ones fill up the day the reservations open.
Best time to visit The best time to visit can be either during slower, not peak, times or during holidays. Off peak times have the advantage of fewer guests in the park but the park operating hours are scaled back. Peak times may have many more visitors but they often have extended park operating hours, so there is more time to see everything. Either way if you make a game plan you can see and do most almost everything.
Keep in mind; you will never see it all in one trip! Make sure to take your time and enjoy the experience. Leave some rides or events for your next trip to Walt Disney World.
Packing for a sunny Caribbean cruise can be daunting, especially if you are in a northern state and currently under three feet of snow. No need to buy a whole new wardrobe, although that can be fun. You already own everything you will need for your cruise.
First things first, take a look at your itinerary and see what ports you are visiting and what your excursions will be. Shore excursion days will dictate your wardrobe because for days at sea you can basically wear a bathing suit and cover up if you are going to be lounging by the pool. If you plan on horseback riding or visiting any cathedrals you will need long pants.
The essentials:
Bathing Suit- Bring two bathing suits per person, they are easily washed and hung up to dry.
Cover up- One cover up is generally sufficient.
Tops- Four t-shirts or polo shirts to mix and match with shorts or capris
Sweater/ Wrap- Even though you will be in the warm and often humid Caribbean don’t forget your wrap or light sweater for the dining room and theatre.
Shorts- Four pairs of shorts for touring during the day.
Slacks/Capri- A pair or two of slacks or capris for less formal dinners in the dining room and possibly touring during the day. Lightweight slacks are a must if you plan on excursions that include horseback riding or visiting cathedrals.
Formal wear- The days of gowns and tuxedos are not over, but ships offer wide latitude on what’s apropos for formal night(s). Men generally should have on a sport jacket and dress slacks. Women, at the very least, should wear a skirt or dress slacks and nice top. I have seen passengers turned away from the dining room because they have worn shorts to formal night.
Sandals – Flat sandals for walking on the islands and around the ship on sea days.
Sneakers- Again for touring and for relaxing on board the ship.A must if you plan to use the fitness center while sailing.
Dressy Shoes- One pair will do for evenings at dinner and the show. You may want to change into sandals if the seas are rough.
A light weight rain jacket or poncho just in case you are caught in a little rain while touring. Also don’t forget your suntan lotion and sunglasses!
Your carryon bag should bag should have your medicine, a bathing suit and cover up for the first day on the ship. It may take a few hours for you to receive your luggage. Why wait around, put on your bathing suit and enjoy the pool.
Jennings Osborne of Arkansas wanted to make his daughter happy, so he decorated their property for Christmas. Year after year he added lights, music and animation. Finally the neighbors had enough and Mr. Osborne donated everything he had to Disney World.
The display first ran on the Residental Street of the Backlot Tour. When that was being renovated, the light spectacular was moved to its current home on the American Street. The lights are timed and set to music, changing with each carol that plays. If you look hard you will see it snowing too!
Make sure to pay close attention to the windows and sidewalks, you will see hidden Mickey's, the hidden cat and you might just locate the famous leg lamp from Christmas Story.
Santa was not located at Hollywood Studios but at the boat ramp at The Swan and Dolphin. He looks great! So Florida-ish!
Delight in the sounds and sights of the season at Walt Disney World’s celebration of Christmas. There are many dazzling reasons to visit the parks over the holidays! The great decoration are not just in the parks, be sure to visit the hotels for beautifully themed decoration. The Grand Floridian has a life size gingerbread house that doubles as a shop to purchase homemade cookies. You can also find chestnuts roasting at the Grand Floridian.
Here are some of the highlights at the parks.
EPCOT
The Candlelight Processional is special holiday event that runs three times nightly. A celebrity narrator retells the story of Christmas, accompanied by a 50 piece orchestra and a full mass choir.
Holiday’s Around the World, gives us a peek into the traditions from around the world as each of the eleven countries show us their Christmas traditions.Visit each country to meet “santa” and hear their special story of Christmas. Meet Pere Noel in France, La Befana in Italy. The American Pavilion offers a look at Chanukah and Kwanza.
Mickey's Tree Lighting, Mickey and friends light a Christmas Tree in the World Showcase Plaza nightly.
IllumiNations: Reflections of Earth has a special finale for the holiday season, including classic song "Let There Be Peace on Earth".
Animal Kingdom
Mickey's Jingle Jungle Parade, the afternoon parade takes on a Christmas inspired jungle theme.
Disney Hollywood Studios
Osborne Family Spectacle of Dancing Lights
Millions of sparkling lights shine in falling snow in this theme park, in the Streets of America backlot area.
The history of this display goes back to Little Rock Arkansas in 1986, when businessman Jennings Osborne strung up 1000 red lights for his 6-year-old daughter. The display grew every year, so much so that-- by the time it reached 3 million lights-- the neighbors took legal action, and it found a permanent home in Walt Disney World.
Appearing at dusk nightly from mid November until just after the new year. The Spectacle of Lights is included in regular admission to the theme parks. Since 2006, the Spectacle has had "dancing" lights: every 15 minutes, choreographed lights swirl to a medley of classic holiday music; snow flurries, too.
The Magic Kingdom
Mickey's Very Merry ChristmasParty includes a special Parade, snowfall on Main Street, character greetings and character stage shows, cookies and hot cocoa, special Holiday Wishes fireworks, and popular Magic Kingdom Park attractions. The party happens on select nights in November and Decemeber; hours are 7 pm to midnight, and only party guests, with special tickets are in the theme park during that time. Make sure to purchase your tickets in advance as this is a sell out every year. (these tickets are not included in your regular park passes)
Mickey's Once Upon a Christmastime Parade has holiday themes including a sleigh ride, Fairy Tale Christmastime, toy soldiers, snowflakes, dancing deer, and Santa and Mrs. Claus in a grand finale. This Parade is part of Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party; after the Party dates are finished, in past years the Parade has rolled for everyone in the afternoon (instead of the usual Disney's Dreams Come True Parade) until the end of December. tree lighting ceremony, most nights on Main Street
Mickey's Night Before Christmas, in the Galaxy Palace Theater, several times daily
Holiday Wishes Fireworks is set to the music of classic holiday songs
Castle Dream Lights: every night, a Castle Dream Lights show, with Disney characters, lights up Cinderella's Castle with 200,000 twinkling lights.
