Travel Agent

The Disney Wish

Published on September 2, 2022 in Cruise Vacations/Disney Cruise Line/Disney Destinations/Disney Wish/Travel/Travel Agent by Crystal Boston

I have now experienced all five Disney ships – Magic, Wonder, Dream, Fantasy, and the NEW Disney Wish!

If you have experienced the other ships in the Disney Cruise Line fleet, drop all comparisons when you cruise onboard the Disney Wish because she definitely has a personality all her own! She’s a beautiful ship with some familiar experiences and a whole lot of new experiences and imaginative surprises too.

Let’s start with the food…

Marceline Market is the buffet option onboard the Disney Wish and it was so good that I forgot to go to the sit-down breakfast at least one morning during our cruise, which is something I always do.

The buffet offered my favorite peel and eat shrimp, which is how I always start my cruise, and made-to-order omelets for breakfast as well as many other delicious selections for breakfast and lunch.

The quick service dining options at Mickey & Friends Festival of Foods were similar as well with a few new options – such as Mickey’s Smokestack Barbecue which was a favorite for my husband – he was so excited to dig in he forgot to take photos of the food so we will get some during out next cruise!

For dinner service, the rotational dining exclusive to Disney Cruise Line is still included but is called ‘Signature Dining’ onboard the Disney Wish. We enjoyed all three dining experiences and, as adults only, 1923 was our favorite. We even wore our 1920’s attire.

There are many lounge areas to explore…

The lounge areas on the Disney Wish can be found throughout the ship – small venues all with their own theming. My personal favorite was The Rose which is located at the entrance to Palo Steakhouse and Enchanté. The ocean view is amazing as you experience creative beverages that are full of special surprises too! We enjoyed some favorite activities in the lounges such as Match Your Mate and the Silent DJ party as well as Trivia.

We also were able to secure a reservation for the Star Wars themed Hyperspace Lounge. This was an interesting venue with Star Wars themed beverages and, currently, you are limited to a 45-minute experience.

One of the specialty beverages at The Rose.

Pools and more for everyone…

The Disney Wish also offers many small pool areas, for families, kids and adults only. While I explored these pools, my favorite was the infinity pool at the AFT of the ship and I can’t wait to enjoy this location onboard again during our next cruise. The main family pool area is where they do the “Set Sail on a Wish” sail-away party and Pirate Night fun! You can also see many movies on the Funnel Vision screen during the day and evening.

The Disney Wish also offers the Senses Spa and Fitness Center and laundry room as well as the kids clubs with a slide from the Grand Hall for access to the kids clubs! I plan to explore these areas more on futures sailings, except for the laundry room…

And, of course, the characters!

We were able to reserve a spot for the Royal Gathering and now HUGS ARE BACK so we will get a bit more personal with the characters during our next cruise!

Stateroom theming…

Again, while all Disney ships offer stateroom theming, the Disney Wish is a bit different. Each deck has a theme and then the staterooms on each deck have different princess themes. This time we had the Sleeping Beauty theme and our friends in the connecting stateroom had Princess & the Frog. We are excited to see the other stateroom themes on future sailings onboard the Disney Wish!

The Grand Hall…

One final little tip, be sure to go to the Grand Hall at least one evening of your cruise for the Kiss Goodnight! It is currently happening at 10 pm, 11 pm and midnight each night [TIP: Pirate Night is a bit different].

And, remember, you can cruise with your Travel Agent! Check my events page for dates.

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SPECIALIZING IN LAND AND SEA TRAVEL
An Authorized Disney Vacation Planner Travel Agency – EarMarked GoldProducer
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My Experience Back Onboard Disney Ships

Published on September 30, 2021 in Cruise Vacations/Disney Cruise Line/Travel/Travel Agent by Crystal Boston

Can I just say, it’s been a [really] long 18 months for someone that had become somewhat addicted to cruising! It was so exciting to be back onboard, especially on a Disney ship!

Disney Cruise Line has implemented many new protocols to insure a safe and healthy return to sailing and I felt incredibly comfortable onboard. While there are some changes that I hope remain and some I hope return to a more normal onboard experience, overall, it was a very positive experience. I did experience a back-to-back sailing [2 separate sailings, one immediately following the other] and there were a few protocol changes as I transitioned from my first cruise to my second so many things are still being evaluated and modified for optimum efficiency and experience.

Port arrival times are staggered to insure physical distancing can be maintained during the arrival and pre-cruise testing process so the port terminal is quite empty most of the time.

Captain Mickey and Captain Minnie are onboard and waiting to welcome you! There are large “Mickey” circles on the floor for each family to stand in together while you wait for the welcome show. Following your welcome, you can then head to your stateroom to drop anything you have carried onboard with you or go straight to your assembly station for your mandatory safety drill. Everyone in your stateroom must check in for the safety drill, it’s a good idea to plan to do this first thing so you can get on with your FUN!

The changes with the safety drill are changes I hope will stay in place because it’s a much quicker process now and the whole ship is no longer required to wait together in lines while those still enjoying their pool time etc. get to their assembly stations. The new way allows you to get it done and then go enjoy your first day onboard!

Your staterooms are the same as they have always been, and daily service is still in place as well as nightly turndown service – with towel art surprises! If you do need anything, you can easily us the chat feature in your Disney Cruise Line Navigator app. It was super easy, and Crew Members responded quickly.

On the pool decks, chairs are spaced to promote physical distancing and you sign up for virtual queues for the family pool area. The adult pool area is open and no virtual queues are required.

Virtual queues are also required for disembarking the ship at ports of call.

The food offered on a Disney cruise is still exceptional and the service is the same, or even better, as I have experienced before! The Crew Members are all very happy to be back onboard and working again and they are very happy to see YOU!

For quick service dining options and beverage stations, Crew Members now serve you, it’s no longer self-serve. This is a good change, in my opinion, and, while I don’t think this will be the way forever, I do think it will be the way for some time.

Although still challenging reservations to confirm, Palo and Remy are also still offered for brunch and dinner. Be sure to check your Disney Cruise line Navigator app for availability before and during your cruise.

The nightly dinner rotation is still in place and your service team will still follow you each evening to your dining location. A good change that I hope remains is that characters have been added to Enchanted Garden [Mickey, Minnie & Goofy] and Royal Palace [Disney Princesses]. At Animator’s Palate, Crush remains as the character experience.

In addition, characters can be experienced throughout your sailing in the atrium area as well as other areas onboard and at Castaway Cay. You can easily check where and when to find characters via your Disney Cruise Line Navigator app but I normally was just surprised [and happy] when I came across characters and Princesses!

While I, personally, did not experience many of the adult venues onboard this sailing, most experiences were available but with limited capacity – tastings, trivia, musicians, movies, live entertainment, karaoke. However, the evening adult area, known as The District, was not as “hopping” as normal and I did miss the silent DJ Party. Hopefully this is something that will return in the near future.

Castaway Cay definitely did not disappoint, it is my favorite port of call with Disney Cruise Line and I truly enjoyed my three days on this private island!

Our group rented a cabana for the first time and, even though the island was quiet due to lower capacity, it was a nice little space to gather and relax while enjoying the amazing view.

The Castaway Cay 5k is still offered but it is a self-guided experience now and, if earning a medal for your run is important to you, you do need to check with Port Adventures before your Castaway Cay day to see if medals are available. If you have not participated in the Castaway Cay 5k previously, I suggest you wait until this experience returns as a planned event because the route can be a bit tricky [but who wouldn’t love to get lost and be left behind on the island??!!].

While the first part of my back-to-back sailing was in a stateroom type I had experienced before, the second part of my back-to-back was a first for me – Concierge! Oh my, the experience was amazing, there is so much included, and cruising Concierge just ups the magic on a Disney cruise!

And, of course, one of my other favorite experiences on a Disney ship is fireworks at sea – Disney is the only cruise line permitted to display fireworks and, while the experience is a bit different now, it was still an amazing display!

I can’t wait to be back onboard again real soon! And, if you are thinking about a Disney Cruise Line vacation, with ships about half capacity [or less], now is the perfect time to cruise, reach out to me and I will help you make the most of your magical cruise experience!

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LET’S TRAVEL!

SPECIALIZING IN LAND AND SEA TRAVEL
An Authorized Disney Vacation Planner Travel Agency – EarMarked GoldProducer
Beach Vacations | Cruise Vacations | Theme Park Vacations | Babymoons
Tours & Experiences – Choose Your Destination | U.S. Destinations
Disney Area Vacation Homes | All-Inclusive Destinations
Sandals Resorts [Adults Only] | Beaches Resorts [Family Friendly]
Virgin Voyages | Royal Caribbean Cruises | Viking River Cruises | Viking Ocean Cruises

Travel: Navigating a New Normal…

Published on April 10, 2020 in Travel/Travel Agent by Crystal Boston

I have written several blogs about the benefits of working with a Travel Agent. During the past few weeks, I have seen many cases where someone booked on their own and was challenged with the process of modifying their travel plans…

The benefit of using a Travel Agent, especially during times like these, is that I work for you and I am on your side!

Just as soon as cancellations and closures were announced I went to work for my clients that were directly affected and advised them of their options. I was able to successfully take care of all my clients with a quick email reply from them letting me know their decision about their upcoming travel plans. I worked however long necessary to take care of each and every client.

The events of the past few weeks have impacted us all in many ways, including the travel industry. The events of the past few weeks have impacted my small business…

What many people don’t know or realize is that my full-time job as a Travel Agent is not an hourly or salary job. I am an Independent Contractor, self-employed, with annual licensing and state certification fees as well as other business-related expenses. I often spend hours with my clients, planning experiences to help make their trip perfect for them, and then, when travel plans are cancelled, I work again to help you secure your refund or modify your dates, all before I see any compensation for my work.
You see, when you book a trip utilizing my travel planning services I am not paid by the supplier until after you travel, and if you don’t travel, I don’t earn any income...

For those, like myself, who do this full-time, our livelihoods were turned upside down in a matter of days. But travel isn’t just a job for me, it’s a career that I’m passionate about, and I feel that I have developed a level of knowledge, customer service, trust and connections that makes me valuable to my clients.

And, as a Travel Agent, I rely on you just as much as you rely on me! I rely on bookings and referrals from you to bring business my way. You influence my business and I need you now, more than ever, to help support my business moving forward.

I know travel may be the last thing on your mind right now, and I understand that. But what I’m asking now is that, when you are ready to travel again, instead of clicking that online booking service, I hope that you will reach out to me to help you with navigating a new normal…

And I want to say THANK YOU to those that have continued to book their future travel plans thru me or sent referrals my way – your continued support, while always appreciated, means even more now!!