Karen and Kristie's Recent Travels
Costa Rica 2024
In the sun-drenched paradise of Guanacaste, Costa Rica, our adventure unfolded like a vibrant tapestry woven with thrill and serenity. We soared through the lush canopy on a heart-pounding zipline, the Pacific breeze carrying our laughter over emerald treetops. At the volcanic hot springs, we sank into nature’s warm embrace, letting the mineral-rich waters melt away the day’s excitement while gazing at the rugged beauty of the surrounding peaks. Exploring the swaying hanging bridges, we tread lightly above the rainforest, captivated by the symphony of wildlife echoing below. Cultural encounters enriched our journey—vibrant markets, warm smiles, and the rhythmic pulse of local traditions brought Guanacaste’s soul to life, leaving us enchanted by its wild heart and timeless spirit.
Disney Cruise
Cruising is my passion, but nothing can compare to a cruise with Disney. October 2022 I cruised on the Disney Fantasy Halloween at the High Seas with my son, daughter in law and my grandson who was 3 at the time. The Fantasy is a beautiful ship and has three dining rooms for you to rotate through. When on a Disney cruise you start with one dining room and rotate each night so that eventually you’ve been to them all. The best part is that your servers rotate with you so they get to know you and also you them. Great idea Disney! We started off our first night in Enchanted Garden. It was beautiful and the food was delicious. The next night we went to the Royal Court and the third night Animator’s Palate. Luckily we had a 7 night cruise so we were able to rotate through these delicious restaurants a second time. The pools on board are so nice and have a special pool and splash area for young children. My grandson especially loved Nemo’s Reef, the splash pad area and the AquaLab water works. Disney makes everything perfect down to the smallest detail. We had daily opportunities for meet and greet with characters and nightly photo shoots for families to take professional pictures. We took a 7 night cruise to the Western Caribbean which went to four ports. The Grand Caymans, Jamaica, Cozumel and Disney’s own personal island Castaway Cay. All were amazing! We had so much fun in and out of the water. When taking a Disney cruise get ready for the time of your life on Pirate Night. It’s so much fun dressing up as pirates and meeting on deck for a special pirate event. I can’t wait for my next Disney Cruise!!
Walt Disney world
I was so lucky to be chosen to attend Disney’s Agent Education Program in February 2023. This was such a fabulous opportunity to train with Disney professionals and meet other travel agents.
I was able to visit several properties and see their newly renovated rooms and lobby areas. The first property I saw was the newly renovated Contemporary Resort. The rooms have been remodeled with the theme of the Incredibles. They’ve got pictures in the rooms and hallways and it’s such a beautiful decor for children and adults. I especially love the Contemporary because Chef Mickey’s and Steakhouse 71 are located in the lobby area. One of the best reasons for staying at this hotel is access to the monorail which comes right through the main lobby. I visited Coronado Springs and the Grand Tower rooms. They are absolutely gorgeous and the Dahlia Lounge and Toledo Restaurant are located there. Delicious food and a wonderful place for couples or families to stay. I visited the Polynesian Resort, which is one of my all time favorites. Its lobby is so gorgeous and sets the tone for the polynesian style resort. I was able to visit the Grand Floridian Resort which is newly renovated and has some beautiful new rooms that are blue and white Mary Poppins themed.Both the Polynesian and Grand Floridian are wonderful properties because of location and access to the monorail. This was such a wonderful training trip for me because I was able to visit all four parks and use my park hopper pass to go back and forth. I really had a great opportunity to get used to the new Genie + and get familiar with how to manage rides and stack those to make the most of my visits to the park.
Cruising the Moselle, germany
This summer I had the opportunity to take my first River Cruise in Europe and I have to say it did not disappoint. I chose an Active and Discovery cruise with Avalon down the Moselle River. My cruise began in the small port town of Remich, Luxembourg. From there we sailed to Bernkastel, Germany and had an opportunity to see this charming little village and taste some of the area's best Riesling wine. Sailing down the Moselle our next stop was in Cochem. There we were able to see some beautiful vineyards and visit the Reichsburg Castle. The views all down the Moselle are just breathtaking. Our next stop was in Koblenz where I chose to take a guided tour of the city and visit areas such as Catholic Churches and the German Corner. Sailing from there we sailed into the Rhine and saw the Rhine Gorge area. I was overjoyed to see the beautiful area of Rudesheim. I was so lucky to visit numerous castles and ancient Roman ruins. My last port was in Frankfurt and I really enjoyed seeing the city of Frankfurt and its culture.My favorites all throughout were the delicious pastries and Riesling wines.
Hawaii
Traveling to Hawaii has always been a dream for me. Getting to visit the island of Maui first was the perfect choice. Maui is a beautiful island with gorgeous beaches and mountains filled with lush greenery. I loved staying in the Ka’anapali Beach area at the Royal Lahaina Resort right near the golf course. We spent a day driving the winding highway up to Hana which is a must do on my list. I love to snorkel and snuba, so several days were spent on the beautiful beaches with clear water looking for gorgeous fish and corals. One of my favorite days was taking a boat trip out to the Molokini Crater for some fantastic views under the ocean waters. Personally, this might actually be the highlight of my trip. You can’t go to Maui without going to a Luau. We had the opportunity to see the BEST one in Maui at the Old Lahaina Luau. The food was amazing and the dancers were so talented. Lastly, I think everyone should take the opportunity to eat at Mama’s Fish House while on the island of Maui. It's delicious and the ambiance is amazing. We, of course, ate there and it was everything I dreamed of it being and more.
alaska
Taking an Alaskan Cruise has got to be on everyone’s bucket list for sure. I had the wonderful opportunity to cruise Alaska’s inside passage in June 2022. I chose Princess Cruise Line and sailed on one of their newest ships, the Discovery Princess. My trip was a closed loop cruise that started out of Seattle, Washington and returned there. It was a 7 night inside passage and we stopped at the following ports: Ketchikan, Juneau, Skagway, Glacier Bay National Park (Hubbard Glacier), Icy Strait Point and then Vancouver, BC. Starting out from Seattle you will sail the night and be in Ketchikan first thing the next morning. It’s one of the most popular beautiful port towns with totem poles and rivers with salmon running, incredible scenery and lots of great food. Juneau is the capital of Alaska and very interesting to visit because it’s only accessible by boat or plane. When in Juneau we took a van ride over to see the Mendenhall Glacier and then afterwards a boat ride to see humpback whales. It was all breathtaking and such a beautiful opportunity to see the grandness of mother nature. Our next stop was scheduled for Skagway where you’ll definitely want to ride the White Pass Mountain Railway. From there we had the opportunity to see true Alaska wilderness stopping at Icy Strait Point. This is a small community which has a private cruise ship destination. It is the largest Tlingit community in Alaska and has a population of around 765 residents. We loved riding the free gondola to the top of the mountain and down, amazing scenery. If you love zip lining this is the place to do it. I regret not getting a ticket early on and missing out on this. Guess I’ll have to go back. On our last evening out we visited Vancouver, BC for a couple of hours. It’s easy to get off and take a van or taxi into town. Visit some of the shops, look at the beautiful hanging baskets of flowers and enjoy a drink or ice cream. I absolutely love Alaska and I would say before you go that you can't see it all. I can’t wait to return on my second cruise in the summer of 2024.
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