#SilentSunday
Do you feel a huge disconnect with your teens? Do you wish you could be closer but just don’t feel like anyting you do is right? Why not take an amazing family vacation that they will not only enjoy being on but they will remember it forever as the best vacation ever! (I know I know...) We did not do a lot of traveling when I was a older teen. My parents separated when I was 16 and it made traveling difficult. However as an adult I have taken my younger siblings on vacations while they were teens so it may be a very interesting perspective indeed. I was not a parent, or the teen, my husband and I took my siblings and my mother along on our travels! From our travels and my extensive knowledge of Family Vacation Destinations I have come up with a list of the 5 Best Vacation Locations with Teens! These destinations will give every member of the family the vacation they all want and need. You will be the hero! (And If you contact me for help, you can be the hero without any work or stress) 3- Dreams, Dominican Republic Many of the Dreams Resort & Spas provide teen activities, but the Core Zone Teens Club is a favorite for teens visiting Dreams La Romana Resort and Spa, Dreams Palm Beach Punta Cana and Dreams Punta Cana. (Ok so I cheated a bit on this one...) Teens from 13 to 17 enjoy daily planned activities with the entertainment team. There are also sports and games across the resort. The club offers Xbox, Playstation, Wii, pool and foosball. Ever night, from 8:30 to midnight, the Core Zone hosts special teen socials, such as Disco mixers and bonfires. Your teens will be beyond thrilled there is something for them to do at night when they have spent all day with there family, and you will know they are in a safe and fun area and you can have some alone time to enjoy the adults only areas in the resort! 2- Beaches Turks & Caicos Beaches Turks & Caicos and its sister properties are known for its kid-friendly activities and programing, and this espically includes teens. Various areas of the resort dedicated to teens include the Trench Town Lounge, the Xbox 360 Game Garage, Scratch DJ Academy, and the nighttime dance club, Club Liquid. Teens may also enjoy treatments at the spa, including manicures and pedicures. How wonderful would it be to get manicures and pedicures with your daughter? Or Dad going to the Scratch DJ with his teen? What better way to enjoy something together and get some great bonding time! This is an amazing resort as well because the rooms are so amazing! There are 2 bedroom rooms, so the teens have there own space and you have yours! And butler service...can you ask for more? 1- Disney World- Florida I know, I know...Disney is just for little kids. This is quite untrue! From state of the art thrill rides to every type of food the picky teen eater could ever want. The safety of Disney means they can be on there own and you parents can have lovely romantic date nights around the world in Epcot. You can all spend a family day at the epic water parks and your teens can watch you go crazy in the water on the family rafts or you can see them take the plunge on the tallest slides while you relax in the lazy river. Disney has something for everyone including your crazy picky teens! One of the best times to experience all Disney has to offer is during the Halloween party, this is the best parade and fireworks of the entire year! This October my 2 year old will have been to Disney World 3 times...and let me tell you a secret...none of the trips have created terror and fear in me or my husband! Traveling with a toddler does not have to instill a sense of fear that would leave even the most seasoned travelers cowering in the corner! Actually traveling with a toddler can be a most exciting and rewarding experience for both toddler and parent! Since my daughter was still...on the inside...lol we have gone to Disney. Going when I was pregnant was amazing, we called it our baby moon, the last big trip before becoming parents. We did what we wanted, when we wanted and we weren't tied into anything like bed times, lunch times and naps, however, that trip was still not as amazing as our trip we took last year when my sweet little one was 18 months old! We went the first week of November and it was absolutely perfect! We knew she was still napping and she was not one to take naps in strollers so we stayed in the Polynesian so we could be on the monorail for a lunch time nap or a quick break from the Magic Kingdom (We spent every morning in the Magic Kingdom for our whole 10 day trip!) We also dined at either early dinners or later ones. Now late dinners and toddlers don't always mix, however we found that she would fall asleep in her stroller...(never happens at home) and we could have a nice quite dinner just the two of us and relax. If it was a fun dinner...read...characters we did it earlier and she would enjoy time with us! The key to this trip is to not expect anything! I know that is hard for some of you die hard planners...believe me, I still planned, however, once we got there, we realized we didn't have to follow it to a “T”! It seriously was the most amazing trip I have ever been on! She had an amazing time, there were no melt downs, no tantrums and best of all my husband and I had just as much fun as she did! We let each day guide us to what we wanted to do! Going at a Toddlers pace did not mean we didn't see everything, on the contrary we saw more then we ever did...we took time in each place seeing every little inch and every hidden treasure we would have normally just passed by! The parks were such a different place when you take your time to actually see all the magic they built in that most people don't even see. Going on vacation with a toddler is not a scary thing. It is not something you should avoid. I cringe when I hear people say, "we will go when they can remember." Why should your memories be put on hold? You will remember those trips with them as toddlers just as much as trips with them when they are in elementary school, middle school or even high school. They are only 'children' for 18 years...why miss out on some of the prime bonding years because they wont remember....YOU WILL!! -5 Tips for Traveling with a Toddler- 1- Expect Nothing, Enjoy Everything- Let your day go where it will, don't try to stick to ridged schedules. The trip may change from what you had planned but it may just change into something totally better! 2- Don't Over Pack- You really don't need to bring everything with you...a place to sleep is really the most I recommend and almost every hotel/resort now will provide a crib or pack and play if requested. I do however bring my own sheets. I don't bring any more into the parks besides a simple change of clothes and some wipes, diapers, and our trusty Britta Water bottles (Yes they have toddler sized ones) 3-You don't have to go to a 'Toddler' Destination- Not every vacation needs to be all about the Toddlers dream location, they will have just as much fun running around the ruins of Mexico, or taking a Tram ride up a cliff to see the top as they would in a giant play ground with flashing lights and hundreds of other screaming children. Your vacations will be much more enjoyable if your enjoying yourself as well. 4- Don't Be afraid, and enjoy yourself- things happen, they always will even if your traveling without a toddler,don't let it ruin the day or your entire trip for that matter! Learn from the experience and move on! Don't go into the trip dreading it or being so nervous you forget to enjoy yourself and relax! 5-Keep it Simple- This is along the lines of expect nothing, but don’t over plan,for example, going to Europe with a toddler can be an amazing trip and so many family’s do it and they are so happy they did, however most do not change hotels each night and travel 300 miles a day'that’s just not going to be a fun trip for anybody! If it sounds stressful to do just to you,then don’t try it with a toddler, you will be stressed and your child will pick up on this! Hey you have 18 years to travel with them, these destinations have been there longer then you have and they will still be there! PS- Traveling with a toddler is much easier and less stressful then a handful of teens and preteens...they go where you want and don't question it! Want to spend a quite day at the beach...toddlers will make the most of it and you wont get any objections! Want more amazing tips and help planning your perfect Stress Free Vacation with your Toddler? Get my FREE Planning Kit today and get started! Or set up a FREE consultation with me and I can do all the work for you. PLAY, STAY AND DINE...AND SAVE UP TO $600 AT THEWALT DISNEY WORLD RESORT Purchase now through Dec. 31, 2013 for stays most nights Jan. 5 – March 5, 2014 at select Walt Disney World® Resort hotels. Save $600* (based on a family of four) on a 5-night, 6-day Walt Disney Travel Company Magic Your Way® Package Plus Dining at select Disney Moderate, Deluxe and Deluxe Villa Resorts. Or, save $400* (based on a family of four) on a 5-night, 6-day Walt Disney Travel Company Magic Your Way Package Plus Quick Service Dining at select Disney Value Resorts.
Booking Window: Oct. 8 – Dec. 31, 2013 Travel Window: For stays most nights Jan. 5 – March 5, 2014 Don't delay! With savings this huge, rooms will fill up fast! To find out about these deals right away don't forget to sign up for my free newsletter! Be in the know about all things Disney! If you have any questions or would like to stop by and say hi please do I am always excited to meet my followers! I have been blogging for a while now and I figured its time to step up my game! I now bring you my brand new Newsletter! I really love blogging and all my social media that I post on, however I feel like I cant keep up with the deals and all the information that goes with the deals. I want to be able to give you all the information you need to have the best vacation you can have. I am also expanding my company so that I can provide you more vacation options. I feel that newsletters will allow me to give you more personalized information and connect with all of you on a more personal base. Now on to the top 10 reasons you should sign up for my Newsletter.
1. It’s free. For many people, that alone should be enough. But I know you all need more reasons than that! 2. You won’t miss anything. It’s hard to keep up with everything in this crazy, media-frenzied world. Sign up, and you’ll get one email a week that tells you what I’ve posted, so if you missed something good, you can easily find it. 3. I need 100 people before anyone can get it at all. Sad but true. It has something to do with programming or business priorities or something. But NO ONE can get my newsletter until there are at least 100 of you on board. So for the sake of everyone, please sign up! 4. I’m going to pick a Comment of the Week from a reader, and it could be you! I love to hear what you all have to say, and your comments are well worth sharing. I read every single comment and value all your thoughts and insights. Keep on sharing! 5. There will be a Quote of the Week, taken from interesting stuff I’ve been reading and people I admire and respect. This may seem like a minor thing to you, but sometimes I read things that are just worth sharing, in and of themselves. They’re funny or insightful or just plain true. I promise this will make you think (in a good way!). 6. If you sign up by the end of November 2013, you may be eligible to win a basket of a few of my favorite things! We will pick a lucky winner from among everyone who signs up; the winner will receive a gift basket put together by me and will include all my favorite travel products a 50$ Disney gift card. 7. It will make me happy. Hey, I don’t ask for much. When you sign up for my newsletter, it will make me happy. I will know you all are listening and want to hear what I say. 8. It might make you happy, too. Seriously, at its essence, this blog is about creating a happy place to share ideas, information and tips about your perfect vacation. 9. I’ll be able to send you special alerts—and I promise I won’t abuse that privilege. If something really special or important happens, I can let you know—and I think you will want to know because I have some really cool stuff planned for this year and next! 10. You won’t miss any of my special gifts! I love to give away special gifts to my clients and the newsletters will have all the up to date information about what I am currently offering. Did you know, that you can book your upcoming Walt Disney World vacation for only $200 down? You then have all the way up till 45 days before you arrive on your vacation to pay off your trip! Did you also know, that if any discounts come up and are available to you I will apply them to your trip and they money will be refunded?
Now is the time to book your trips for next year. You will have your room booked and be able to make as small of payments as you want with no additional charges, unlike if you used your credit card. A Disney Vacation is a great Christmas gift and you have plenty of time to pay it off for next year if you book now! Don't miss out on all the great hotel, dining and entertainment options you have when you book your vacation early. Booking your trip early is great because at Disney World you can make all your dining reservations 180 days in advance and you NEED to do this to get into the best restaurants. However if you book with me I will make all those dining reservations for you and save you tons of time and worry! One final tip I have for you that I have shared on my facebook page several times. However because this is SUCH a good deal, it's worth sharing again. I have clients that just spent $190 on their $200 Disney vacation deposit today. HOW did they easily save $10? The Target Red Card helps you save $5 off every $100 spent, or $50 off every $1000, $100 off every $2000, $250 off $5000, etc……. These savings are IN ADDITION to any discount promotion or pin code savings you're already taking advantage of. If you are planning on paying for a vacation with cash/debit, then you might as well use a Target debit card & save EXTRA! All you need to do then is give me the gift cards or just the numbers and I can apply them all to your account! So easy!! Now is the time to book your vacation! Contact me today for your FREE vacation quote! I look forward to working with you on all you magical vacation plans! Have you heard about Disney's Limited Time Magic promotion? For 2013 Disney has decided to have surprise events and special activities just pop up. This is great because you never know whats going to happen!
Planning a quick trip to Disney is a great way to experience these fun events, and right now there are some great deals that make this perfect time to get some of you own limited time magic. This year there have been lots of great events at Walt Disney World. Some of my favorites were May the Forth be with you, This pun on the classic Star Wars Line "May the force be with you" was created by fans as a fun way to celebrate the fictional world they love so much. Christmas in July promotion was great as well, all the special desserts were amazing! Finally one of the latest events was a villains party on September 13th which was of course a Friday the 13th! How fun! Want to get in on the final months of limited time magic? Contact me today and get your free quote! Have you been to any of the other promotions? I am so interested in hearing from all of you! Comment and let me know how you liked the Limited Time Magic you went to, or tell me what you think about the Idea? Should Disney keep this around for a little while longer? A new gift card give away will be going live tomorrow! Don't forget to check back and enter that! The Disney Dining plan. This can be one of the hardest parts to understand about planing your Disney World vacation. I have spent hours researching and planning for each of my trips in the past and I have used each of the three basic plans. I am going to provide you all with a basic over view of each plan. I like to pride myself on my vast amount of Disney knowledge, so if anything comes up that wasn't answered in this post please let me know! I am always excited to hear from my readers!
Over all there are three plans that most people will choose from. I am not going to go into is the plan “worth it” or any cost comparisons, I am simply going to explain each of the three main plans. Over all each of the plans are the same. The Dining plan is a way of paying ahead of time for meals in Disney. The type of meals you want to pay for and the way you like to dine on vacation is what will help you choose which plan to go with. When you choose a plan you are giving dining plan credits and that is how you pay for the meal instead of using cash, these credits are connected to you Key to the World card which you are given at check in. The credits are then deducted from your account when you 'pay' the server. You can purchase the dining plan if you are staying at a on-site Walt Disney World hotel. Alright now the three main types of plans. Magic Your Way Package Plus Quick Service Dining Plan- This includes (per person, per night) This plan includes all counter service meals or Disney lingo for fast food, don't let that deter you because there are many options besides just a burger or hot dogs. Two quick service meals (entree or combo meal, dessert at lunch and dinner and a non-alcoholic beverage) One snack (Disney will advertise that this is a bottle of water or a pop corn, however there are hundreds of snacks that you can get. Each item will have the Disney Snack symbol next to it on the menu) One resort refillable cup per person, per package. With this plan you can use them any time and in any order, if you want to use three quick service meals in one day and 4 snacks the next as long as you have the credits available they are yours to use! Disney doesn't care when you use them. This is a great plan if your not going to be staying long, and want to maximize your time in the parks. Also since breakfast is a terrible use of a Table service credit you can get this plan for lunch and diner and pay out of pocket for lets say character breakfasts! Magic your Way Package Plus Dining Plan (or what I cal the standard dining plan)- This realy is my favorite plan as it allows for a little of everything. All the same rules apply as far as staying on site and having a package. Each person on the plan will receive credits for the following per night. One table service or buffet meal, incuding entree, dessert, or full buffet, plus a non-alcoholic beverage. One quick service meal, including entree, dessert, plus non-alcoholic beverage, OR combo meal plus non-alcoholic beverage, dessert. One snack, again there is a huge variety of options One Resort refillable drink mug per person, per package. I love this plan because this is how I vacation. I grab a quick breakfast in the room and eat that as Im getting ready. (granola bars/power bars) We then have a quick service lunch in the park, and take a nice break. Then in the evening we go back to a park or hotel and have a nice sit down dinner and then head back into the parks for more night time fun! It really breaks up the day nicely and gives lots of time for little ones (or really us parents) to rest. I can enjoy nice meals but not take lots of time out of our day and still get to have lots of fun on rides and at shows. Magic Your Way Package with Deluxe Dining Plan- This is the closest you can get to all inclusive, this is for sure a lot of food! I will explain how you can get this plan and not die of over eating at the end. Each member will receive the following, per night Three table service or quick service meals: table service includes entree, appetizer and dessert, OR full buffet, plus non-alcoholic beverage quick service includes entree, dessert, plus non-alcoholic beverage, OR combo meal plus non-alcoholic beverage and dessert. (however these are terrible wastes on this plan) Two Snack credits (best used at Food and Wine festival!) One Resort refillable drink mug per person, per package. My husband and I did this on our BabyMoon back in 2011, and It was simply amazing, how we did it was this. We would again eat in the room and have a light breakfast of granola and yogurt then have a very early sit down lunch. (We were often times the first ones to the restaurants when they opened for lunch) We would then spend the day in the parks until very late, enjoying a few snacks here and there, we would then go back to our room and change for dinner. We dined at all the Signature Dining Experiences, which count as two table service meals. This is a great way to experience Disney dining at its finest and not got crazy feeling like you are always eating. I love planning out the Dining plans, and helping get the best use of your dining credits for your trips. I am always happy to plan out the perfect trip for you! Contact me today and we can get started making all your dining reservations to take advantage of all the Disney Dining plan has to offer! Let me know what you favorite plan is! I would love to hear from you! Dessert is included in the Disney Dining plans. There are so many different options at each dining experience! I went to pastry school so this is particularly my favorite part of my dining experience. If your not on the dining plan the desserts can get a bit expensive, however these are the best of the best and not to be missed! This list is of Desserts that can be found at sit down restaurants primary. Grapefruit Cake from Hollywood Brown Derby The original Brown Derby restaurants of Hollywood is during its heyday are brought to life by this amazing restaurants. One day a gossip columnist from Hollywood was complaining to Robbert Cobb that all of the Brown Derby desserts were too fattening and requested something healthier. He quickly told his chef “to put grapefruit on something because everybody knows its slimming.” So he invented Grapefruit Cake, a dessert with multiple layers of cream cheese frosting that’s anything but slimming. Slimming or not, it is amazing and seriously a unique dessert Zebra Domes at Boma While they are not made of actual Zebra, they are similar due to there wonderful chocolate stripes! These are the most wonderful and unique desserts. There hard to place just one flavor for a description, however there are notes of coffee and chocolate mainly. They are amazing and they are on the buffet, so have two! There small! Ger's Bread and Butter Pudding at Reglan Road I love bread pudding, its so simple yet if done right it can be the most perfect comfort dessert. At Reglan road they do it up right and you simply must taste it at least once. Here they do it perfectly. You get a huge cup of bread pudding and two small pots of sauces one butterscotch and one custard, so you can pour them into the cup of pudding. The only way to describe this wonderful dessert is to say OMG! Maple Creme Brulee at Le Cellier Steakhouse Creme brulee is not usually anything special, its good and can be enjoyed everywhere but at Le Cellier it is truly amazing. They have added maple syrup, (a Canadian specialty) to there crème brulee and it is so wonderful and creamy. You simply must try it. A Royal Dessert My husband and I got engaged in Cinderella's Royal Table, and after I was done crying and we had hugged and the whole place clapped for us, they brought out a truly magical dessert, it was a white chocolate “glass” slipper filled with a amazing chocolate mousse or you can have it revered to be a chocolate slipper with white chocolate mouse, this is then served on top of a angle food cake pillow with raspberry coulis and fresh berries. The plate was then written on and it said Congratulations. You can order this at several different restaurants and have it presented for the most special occasions. If you want to order this wonderful special dessert let me know and I can make it happen for you! I love Disney World Desserts, this is only a small sampling of what they really have to offer. If you have a favorite dessert that I did not list please let me know! I would love to hear from you. Tonight at Midnight the gift card winner will be announce so don’t forget to enter! http://goo.gl/py2J0X Going to Disney Wold can take a lot of planning, coordination and figuring things out. Disney World is huge if you didn't know! And sometimes just getting from the airport to your Disney hotel can seem like your on a whole different planet and can sometimes be quite the challenge. Enter Disney's Magical Express. This is a free service that Disney provides. Its bus transportation to and from Orlando International Airport to and from all Disney resort hotels, for guests staying in these hotels! Wouldn’t it be nice to drop off your luggage at your home airport and not have to worry about it till it arrives in your hotel room when you get to your Disney vacation? With Disney's Magical Express this is exactly what happens! You don’t need to worry about it all all just drop it off and fly to Orlando, then board the Magical Disney buses and relax as they take you to your hotel. You can check in and relax and your luggage will magically show up in your room! How simple and stress free! One of my most favorite parts about the Disney buses is that you do not need to bring a car seat with you when your travel. They are not needed on any bus, as they are when you rent a car. This is a huge savings as to rent a car seat is at least ten dollars or more a day, and to bring one you have to pay for a whole extra seat on the plane, and only some car seats fit in the planes! For a mother of a small child this is a total life saver! There are so many different pros and cons to having a car in Disney, and I'm not going to list them because every one of you is different. I will say this however, I loved the bus to and from the airport, much more then renting a car, however if we ever go this route again, I will be staying at a much more accessible hotel, like the Polynesian or Contemporary. I like being closer to the action and the park buses can take time. However I would never turn down the Airport bus service. To learn more about Disney Magical Express and how we can make it part of your vacation contact me today! I would love to make your dreams come true. Tomorrow I will be doing my Top 5 Desserts in Walt Disney World! I am so excited. Also don’t forget to enter the gift card giveaway! http://goo.gl/MekHT8 |
AuthorMy Name is Bethany and welcome to Fairytale Journeys by Bethany. I work with busy family's who need to enjoy quality family time without lifting a finger and create memories that will last a life time. Don't forget to like my page on Facebook for the most up to date information!
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