Mama Monday : Spa time on a Disney Cruise

Hi Mamas, welcome back to Mama Monday! In keeping with our two week all cruise theme, I am taking you to the spas on the Disney cruise ships!

On the Disney Fantasy and Disney Dream, the spa is Senses Spa and Salon. I recently toured the one on the Dream and I have chosen what we will be doing on our Disney cruise! On the Disney Magic and Disney Wonder the spa is Vista Spa and Salon. At all of the spas you can enjoy a variety of services including massages, manicures, pedicures, facials,  wraps, etc.  The salons offer cuts, shampoos, color services,  and updos for that special date night or occasion.

Spa Villa 

On all four ships, there is a Spa Villa Treatment Package. This is the total indulgence and something worth splurging on!  The spa villa has a spa treatment room, an open air shower, private verandah, a whirlpool outside on the deck,  a tea ceremony, and a foot cleansing ceremony. Depending upon the package, it lasts anywhere from 105 minutes for a single session up to 155 minutes for the couples sessions. You choose from a list of options of massages and facials for your spa treatment and then you are given some privacy to enjoy the whirlpool and the private verandah. 

 

You can add strawberries and champagne to your experience as well for an extra charge.  The couples sessions start at $449 and go up to $589. Total splurge but totally worth it for all that you receive. 

If you are wanting to enjoy the spa but not quite splurge to that extent, you can visit the Rainforest Room for a much lower fee per person. This is on a daily use rate, so you can pay for one day or more than one day. The Rainforest is aromatherapy steam rooms or sauna styled like a Roman bath. Relax on warm tiled chairs and enhale the aromatic vapors for a truly blissful experience.

Both of these options are for guests 18 and up. On the Fantasy and Dream there is a teen spa called Chill. It is for teens ages 13-17 and offers manicures, pedicures, massages, and facials among other selections.

With the incredible cruise offers for the fall, plus my special per person on board credit offers, you have the perfect opportunity to indulge in a spa experience on a Disney Cruise ship! Happy Sailing!!

Fall Cruise Destinations 2013

Hi all, Chick Melissa here and as promised on my facebookpage, I am writing today about a few of the cruise destinations in our featured fall offers. 

The one I find the most fascinating is Castaway Cay! It is likely the only time I will get to be on a private island.  Where else can you use your Key to the World card on an island? Once you step off of the cruise ship you are surrounded by an incredible island to explore all day long.  This is Disney’s private getaway in the Bahamas.  The concept of the different areas for kids, adults, or families continues on at the island. There’s a family beach, shops, dining locations, and plenty of excursions to choose from. My favorite excursion to book for Castaway Cay is the Private Cabana options.   Who wouldn’t want a view like this?   

It is truly the ultimate in experiencing a private island. The price runs about $500 for the day.

If you can’t get enough of Castaway Cay, check out this site. 

Next up is Nassau. This is the capital of the Commonwealth of the Bahamas. It offers everything from casinos, to beaches, to history, to animal encounters, and of course Atlantis!  My favorite things to book here are the various Atlantis options. They seem to be the most popular. You can explore the waterpark which is massive called the Aquaventure. You will notice that Disney cruise ships do not offer gambling. If you want to  check out a casino, this is your place to do so. Just remember the kids aren’t allowed into the casinos. You can also have a variety of Dolphin experiences here at Atlantis. If you have been to Nassau and done these things before or if you are doing an adult’s only getaway, check out the options at the Graycliff Hotel. My personal must do one day is the Wine Luncheon. Their wine cellar houses more than 250,000 bottles of wine! Plus who wouldn’t want to see a hotel that a pirate built in the 18^th century?

And last but not least -St. Thomas. This is part of the US Virgin Islands.  Here I recommend snorkeling! It is the perfect place for all skill levels because the water is typically on the calm side depending upon which part of the island you are on. There is the Champagne Catamaran Sail and Snorkel excursion that is a must do. You get to explore Honeymoon Beach. Plus any time you can be on a Catamaran in the Caribbean you should! You do watch the Bachelor right? It really is that gorgeous and that perfect.

Mama Monday : Shoes, Shoes, Shoes

Let’s talk about shoes today.  You will be amazed at the number of mamas I see strolling, running, trying to keep up with their kids in what looks to be the most uncomfortable theme park shoes around at Disney.  Ladies, give yourself a break and wear COMFY shoes. You are going to be walking miles at Disney.  On average you are going to walk 9-12 miles a day while there.  Take a pedometer or your Fit Bit and have fun calculating how many Mickey bars you can eat!  

While these heels are definitely cute, they will not make great walking shoes for the day. The only time you will find me in heels is if we have a date night and we plan on just dining out at a resort restaurant.

For the day time I recommend sneakers or a walking shoe like one made my Clarks or Merrill.  These are my all time favorite for the parks! These are the Minnie Mouse New Balances that were released in January.

I have seen a lot of people walking around in Toms also. I personally need a little more support than those offer but I do switch into them for the evening.

I also like wearing flip flops in the evenings as well. 

Overall I think changing shoes at some point during the day is key.  We almost always take a break in the afternoon. When we head back to the parks I switch into a different pair for the evening. 

I firmly believe you can choose cute shoes that are also comfortable shoes. You want to be able to keep up with your kids so choose your shoes wisely! Your feet will thank me later.

Mama Monday : Do I need a passport for a Disney Cruise?

A question I get asked often is "Do I need a passport for a Disney cruise?".  The official answer is for any Disney cruise originating and returning in the United States, you do not need a passport. These are called closed loop itineraries. However, I think it is a good idea to obtain a passport for every person in your family. These are the reasons why:

1) For any air travel to the United States, a person must have a valid passport. I know what you are thinking, I am not traveling back to the US by air. While you may intend to return via the cruise ship, what about emergencies? As moms we tend to focus on all of the what ifs. In this case, I am definitely erring on the side of the what ifs. What if there was a medical emergency that required me or my child to return to the US faster than on the ship? What if there was a national security emergency? What if there was a weather emergency? There are a lot of what ifs. Of all the cruises I have booked, not one person has needed to return for any of these reasons but there is always a chance. I am not willing to take that chance with my family.

2) Passport requirements change from time to time. I would rather be prepared and know that my family has their passports in case the requirements change before our cruise. To expedite a passport is expensive. The average wait time for a passport to be completed is 8 weeks and during peak season it can take as long as 12 weeks.

3) While visiting another country I like having the security that my passport brings. What if something goes wrong(yes, I am back to the what ifs). I like being able to prove I am a US citizen if need be. A drivers license does not offer that level of security that a US passport brings with it. 

While you don't have to have the US passport to take a closed loop itinerary, I strongly recommend you do take passports for every member of your family for your own peace of mind. I will be doing so for my family's cruise. If you would like to learn more about obtaining a passport for your family members please visit http://travel.state.gov or call the US National Passport Information Center at 877-4USA-PPT.

Mama Monday : Walt Disney World Pools

Walt Disney World Resorts have incredible pools. Take a pool day to enjoy your resort's pool! You will not regret it. If you don't want to take an entire day, then take an afternoon or two to enjoy them. Here are a few of my favorites.

Which one is your favorite?

Mama Monday : To cook or not to cook?

Do you cook on vacation? If we are at the beach in a condo, we might cook once or twice. We might even make sandwiches for the beach. But I do not cook at Disney. This is why.

1)   The dining plan is a good deal and provides most of our meals. Not all, but most. I will touch on the dining plan on a future post. But the one our family chooses is the Plus Dining and it provides us with a quick service meal, a sit down meal, and a snack every night of our stay. We generally use those for lunch and dinner. We have breakfast either out on the go or in the room and thanks to the grocery delivery service We Go Shop, we have quick prep items for breakfast on hand for us.

2)   I don’t want to take the time away from the parks or my family in order to prepare a meal.  Let’s face it, we are already spending money to be in the parks or together at the pool and other resort areas. The last thing I want to do after walking all over the parks all day is to come back to the room and prepare a meal, plus clean up after that. No thank you! I want my break in the afternoon to be fun or nap time. I want to go back to the parks and enjoy the evenings there not cleaning up dishes.

3)   I am on vacation. I am a working mom and I deserve a break. I think all moms are working moms whether they are stay at home working moms or working outside of the home moms. Dads too. As parents we need deserve that break to let someone else wait on us (and our children) for a few days.

4)   It is a myth that it will save you money. Yes, cooking is cheaper than eating out. But once you factor in your time either grocery shopping for vacation, taking time away from family fun to actually cook, it isn’t cheaper. Your time is VALUABLE especially on vacation. You’ve already splurged by choosing Disney. Find other ways to save money and relax. I think as parents we tend to forget just how valuable our time is at times to just be present and in the moment with our families.

Even though I don’t cook at Disney, I do love it when we get to choose a villa that has the kitchen. I like being able to have breakfast in the room and this makes it easier.  All of the rooms at Disney have minifridges now though so every room has the option for you to do that.

Toss out the idea of cooking on vacation and enjoy your time away on break and letting someone else wait on you. You deserve it Mamas and Papas!

Mama Monday : Dole Whips Make Me Happy!

Mamas (and Daddies), I am craving a Dole Whip! If you have not had one before, add it to your must do list at Disney.  You can get them at Disneyland and Walt Disney World. 

There are variations on Dole Whip and how you can get one, but I am a purist and I like it not jazzed up. It is served like frozen yogurt.  It is actually Pineapple soft serve sorbet. It tastes like a fluffy pineapple pillow melting in your mouth.  If there was something that could taste like Hawaii, this would be it! It is divine and yummy and my mouth knows when I am at Disney and I must have one. When I was pregnant I had one every day of my trips. This is a treat that I will not share with anyone else in my family. They must get their very own.

At Walt Disney World you can get them at Aloha Isle which is in the Magic Kingdom in Adventureland.  You can also get them at Capt’ Cook’s in the Polynesian. The ones there are self serve. There’s something about them not turning out as pretty that affects the taste for me so at WDW, I opt for Aloha Isle.  And for a limited time during the months of March, April, and early May you will be able to get one with a little Spiced Rum added to it over at Epcot for the Flower & Garden Festival. Hopefully they will have a nonalcoholic option for the kids. That could get dangerous!

My favorite place to get a Dole Whip is at Disneyland. They have a Tiki Juice Bar that is part of the Enchanted Tiki Room in Adventureland. If you are seeing the show, the line is shorter in the waiting area for the Tiki Juice Bar.  The Enchanted Tiki Room is one of my favorite attractions and it is even sweeter having a Dole Whip while you wait for the show to start. Delish!

At Aloha Isle you can also get a dole whip float, you can get dole whip swirled with other flavors, and you can add a pineapple spear.  At Capt Cook’s it’s just self serve Dole Whip or you can swirl it with vanilla. And at the Tiki Juice Bar in Disneyland, you can get the float, the plain Dole Whip, and a spear but no swirls either.  I don’t like the swirled options so that’s fine by me! I have no idea why anyone would want to alter the incredible taste of the Dole Whip by swirling it but many people love it that way. The floats are tasty. They are made with pineapple juice.  But I stand by that old fashioned Dole Whip.

If anyone wants to try to make it at home here’s a recipe I have found. I have yet to try this but am thinking about doing this over spring break with the kiddos for a special treat.

Ingredients

1.     2 20 ounce cans Dole crushed pineapple with juice

2.     2 tablespoons lemon juice

3.     2 tablespoons lime juice

4.     1/3 cup sugar

5.     1 and 1/2 cups heavy whipping cream, whipped

Directions

1.     Drain pineapple; reserve 2 tablespoons juice. Set aside.

2.     Place pineapple, lemon juice, lime juice, sugar and reserved pineapple juice in blender or food processor container; cover and blend until smooth.

3.     Pour into two 1-quart freezer zipped bags and store bags flat in freezer.

4.     Freeze 1-1/2 hours or until slushy.

5.     Stir pineapple slush gently into whipped cream until slightly blended, in large bowl.

6.     Return to freezer until completely frozen, about 1 hour.