Magic of Mickey Travel
Saturday, October 12, 2013
Wednesday, March 7, 2012
Run Disney
Run Disney-
By Shelley Jones
With the recent Disney Marathon held Feb 24-26, 2012, I wanted
to share my past experience of running my 1st race in WDW.
Let me start off saying I am not one that loves to run. It
takes a lot of mental and physical effort on my part. Though the thought was planted
for me when a friend, Shalon noticed that I started living a healthy lifestyle
and I was losing weight. When my friend that is a local to being near Disney,
kept suggesting it I kept say I am not a runner, but every time I gave it
thought I was like what would it be like to do at least a 5k.
With those thoughts it leads me trying a local 5k. I
realized I was not well prepared. I decided to see what it is I need to be more
prepared for a 5k. If I was going to do this I had at least 6 months to get my
mental and physical in shape since the next race would be the Disney Food &
Wine Festival and of course the 5k was the Halloween 5k.
I found an app for my itouch called couch 25k. I started
using it on the treadmill and I can say I did pretty well. I though started to
realize that I needed to get outside since running on a treadmill to running
outside is completely different.
Now with that process started I thought the only way I was
going to commit to this was to register at the official website, http://espnwwos.disney.go.com/sports/rundisney.
Here you can see all upcoming races for the next year. The cost to run a 5k,
half & full marathon is different.
The registration online is very simple. Also Disney has a few of the
resorts that are considered to be the “host” resorts since they will provide
transportation.
My family & I arrived in WDW 2 days before the race
since we really did not know what to expect, we rented a car at the airport to
help us with our transportation needs, but if you do plan to use the Disney
transportation do know to allow extra time.
The day after our arrival was the day we had to go to
Disney’s ESPN Wide World of sports complex. When you go make sure you have a
photo ID, a print out of your waiver (if you do not, they had computers then
and volunteers to help you retrieve your information. We walked the floor and
got all kind of cool freebies and items we purchased.
The day of the race, since I was doing the 5k my race was to
start at 7:00 am and it was in the Animal Kingdom.
I was to be there by 6:15 am. Since we drove we arrived by 5:50 am. I was so
surprised how many people we already there and ready to race. There was an area
to have a picture taken with Mickey & Minnie. Then by 6:45 they had every
find there corral time. Since I felt I was not the strongest I went right
before the strollers. Then right be the start fireworks started and then we
were off. I had my itouch going and off
I went. It was an amazing experience to be in the park to just race, a lot of
Cast Members were along the route to cheer you on and there were a lot of photo
opportunities. As I close this out I will say that when I saw the finish line I
was so surprised how easy it was and to see my family and friends at the finish
line made it a great accomplishment and now it has planted a seed of possibly
running a half marathon.
Monday, March 5, 2012
Magic of Mickey Travel: A Review of Disney Cruise Lines® By: Monday Clegh...
Magic of Mickey Travel: A Review of Disney Cruise Lines®
By: Monday Clegh...: A Review of Disney Cruise Lines ® By: Monday Cleghorn Before going on a Disney cruise, I was happy with cruising. I guess I should re...
By: Monday Clegh...: A Review of Disney Cruise Lines ® By: Monday Cleghorn Before going on a Disney cruise, I was happy with cruising. I guess I should re...
Monday, February 13, 2012
A Review of Disney Cruise Lines®
A Review of Disney Cruise Lines®
The food on a Disney ship is far better than what you will get on other cruise lines. The rooms are larger, MUCH cleaner and more comfortable than any I've ever stayed in.
Disney Cruise Line®
The shows are some of the best you will ever see - comparable to a Broadway show. They’re shows are stunning! To give you an idea of what caliber of actors you can see on the Disney ships, let me bring your attention to Jennifer Hudson. Hudson is a former cast member who regularly performed on the Disney Wonder before making her debut on American Idol.
There are pools galore for adults only, kids only and for everyone. Not to mention the thrilling AquaDuck™ on the Disney Dream and Disney Fantasy, the first ever water coaster located on a cruise vessel! My point is, if you're there to spend time with kids and do things for kids, you can most definitely do so and have an amazing family experience, but if your there for romantic private time, trust me you’ll find romance spilling from almost every corner of the ship and also at Serenity Bay on Castaway Cay.
Adults love Serenity Bay located on Castaway Cay. Serenity Bay is an adult only beach for ages 18 and over. Adults can enjoy a couples or single massage in a private massage cabana on Serenity Bay if booked in advance while on the ship. There are lots of activities on the island. One can snorkel with and feed the sting rays, charter a boat, parasail, rent bicycles, play volleyball, table tennis, pool, basketball, play at pelican’s plunge and so much more. And don’t worry about getting hungry because your meals while on the island are included!
By: Monday Cleghorn
Before going on a Disney
cruise, I was happy with cruising. I guess I should rephrase that - I was
satisfied with cruising.
As a travel agent, I have sailed on several ships that are known for their “fun
ship, party-type" atmosphere but nothing like the Disney cruise. Their
level of service, attention to cleanliness and to detail far outweigh anything
I have experienced anywhere.
Since sailing on the Disney Dream inaugural cruise in January 2011, I have been
on one more unnamed cruise ship as an escort for a tour group. We had fun
as a group but I can say without a doubt, there was no comparison. Disney
just does it right! Everything they do, they do right!
The food on a Disney ship is far better than what you will get on other cruise lines. The rooms are larger, MUCH cleaner and more comfortable than any I've ever stayed in.
The shows are some of the best you will ever see - comparable to a Broadway show. They’re shows are stunning! To give you an idea of what caliber of actors you can see on the Disney ships, let me bring your attention to Jennifer Hudson. Hudson is a former cast member who regularly performed on the Disney Wonder before making her debut on American Idol.
The public areas on Disney ships are immaculate! Cast members
are always cleaning the ship. Every turn you make you can see a Cast
member taking great strides to make your experience pleasurable. Beautiful,
elegant, whimsical, entertaining, immaculate and breathtaking all describe the
Disney ships.
Disney also offers
something called rotational dining, which allows you to rotate each night to a
different restaurant. You aren't confined to the same restaurant, same table
with pretty much the same menu each night.
I love this about Disney Cruise Lines® because it gives you the opportunity to
try different foods and the other restaurants onboard. When you rotate to each
new restaurant, your same wait staff goes with you and are there to take
exceptional care of you. They learn your name the first night and call you by
name each night after that. They learn your likes and dislikes to food and
drink and if you have food allergies they will make sure that your menu is
catered to fit your needs. They are truly amazing!
There is so much to say about the restaurants onboard the
Disney ships that it would take a whole new article just to describe what you
have to look forward to.
There's no doubt that on a
Disney cruise ship there will be lots of children, but no more than you will
see on any other cruise ship. Many people think that a Disney cruise is only
for kids, but a Disney cruise is for everyone. Sure they have characters on the
ship, and kids clubs (the most amazing kids clubs you will ever experience and
one club for each age group) but those can be avoided if desired. There are
plenty of adult only areas, clubs, lounges and amazing quiet areas.
There are pools galore for adults only, kids only and for everyone. Not to mention the thrilling AquaDuck™ on the Disney Dream and Disney Fantasy, the first ever water coaster located on a cruise vessel! My point is, if you're there to spend time with kids and do things for kids, you can most definitely do so and have an amazing family experience, but if your there for romantic private time, trust me you’ll find romance spilling from almost every corner of the ship and also at Serenity Bay on Castaway Cay.
Disney Cruise Line®
Castaway Cay is one of the
most amazing private beaches you could ever experience. It’s a private beach
located in the Bahamas, owned and operated by Disney. Of course, Disney
knows how to treat their guests and guests on Castaway Cay are treated with the
same respect they would receive as if they were staying at a Disney resort.
Adults love Serenity Bay located on Castaway Cay. Serenity Bay is an adult only beach for ages 18 and over. Adults can enjoy a couples or single massage in a private massage cabana on Serenity Bay if booked in advance while on the ship. There are lots of activities on the island. One can snorkel with and feed the sting rays, charter a boat, parasail, rent bicycles, play volleyball, table tennis, pool, basketball, play at pelican’s plunge and so much more. And don’t worry about getting hungry because your meals while on the island are included!
Someone recently said to me, "l will never go on a Disney
cruise! They are too expensive!" But, my response to them was “if you ever
DO go on a Disney Cruise, you’ll never want to go on any other cruise because
the experience is far greater than you could ever imagine!” A Disney
cruise is worth every single penny spent! There is nothing quite like it
in the world!
Yes, Disney cruises are a little more expensive than some of
your "fun ship" cruises, but once you've experienced it, you'll
understand why. I'd rather pay a little more and have the most amazing
experience possible on a cruise, than to pay less and just be satisfied.
My comparison of Disney Cruises to “fun ship” cruises is that of a cheap motel to the grandest luxury hotel in New York City without naming any names. Trust me when I say, you get what you pay for and why
not pay just a little more and get the “luxury hotel” experience?
So if you are looking for a romantic cruise - Disney is
perfect! If you're looking for a family, friendly cruise - Disney is
perfect! If it’s a group cruise that you’re interested in – Disney is
perfect! If you're looking for an array of activities to participate in
on a ship - Disney is perfect! If it's shopping, relaxing, dining,
Broadway caliber shows, amazing kids clubs, dancing, watching first run movies
in the Buena Vista Movie Theater, basking in the sun, enjoying private beach
time on Disney's own private island Castaway Cay – then trust me from
experience, Disney is the perfect fit for you!
Disney Cruise Line®
Magic of Mickey Travel
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