Destination Universal Orlando!

Home of some amazing attractions, experiences, and themed adventures, Universal Orlando is a fabulous vacation option. Check out the attached video to see how they're doing things in the current environment as the covid pandemic hits the one-year mark.

 

 

 

 

There's so much to see and enjoy while maintaining the social distancing stuff too. I love helping guests discover the worlds of Harry Potter and so much more at Universal Orlando! 

 

 

Want to talk about booking your family's Universal vacation? Call, email, or message today!  

 

#travel #adventure #tourism #vacation #exploremore #supportsmallbusinesses #travelagent #theinternetisforlookingbuttravelagentsareforbooking #experiences #florida #universalorlando #universalspecialist

Destination Florida! Summer Vacation Plans Await

Itching to travel but not yet ready to go too far? Want to have some beach & fun? Then be sure to visit the state where the sun always shines: Florida! You’ll never run out of activities and adventures in this tropical paradise. From the beautiful beaches to the amazing theme parks; the awesome natural wonders to the cultural and culinary delights; from the links to the clubs...Florida has something for everyone year-round!

Whether you're thinking of staying in a lush tropical resort, beach condo, a cute bungalow somewhere near the water, or at one of the many incredible vacation homes available to rent, I can help!

Or perhaps you want more thrills and fun at Universal Orlando or Walt Disney World...I can help with that too. Don't let the agency name fool you...we are SO MUCH MORE than simply cruises.

 

I love helping people find amazing adventures and experiences to create memories for a lifetime through land vacations, as well as cruises. Want to know more? Just ask!  

Airport Art & Restaurant Walls

The Indy airport has great art and displays. I love this Corvette, and the Lotus, and the 2017 car. It's nearly Indy500 time!

#exploretheworld #indycars #corvette #indianapolis #indianapolis500

Heading south for some continuing education, ship inspections, networking with other travel professionals and executives, some face-to-face time with my associate, Liz, and of course a wee bit o' fun, too.

Quality Resort Time and Family Fun

Coloring, scrapbooking, reading, and baking cookies. What a fun, relaxing kind of evening in the room, after a fun-filled day at the water park. As much as I love the theme parks, these trips where we don't go to them are so nice. Hanging out at the resort, lots of swimming, and enjoying some of the other wonders of Walt Disney World.

#makingmemories #familyvacations #itsthetimetogetherthatcounts

Ice Cream...it's What's for Lunch!

When on vacation, it's what's for lunch. The Earthquake...Not for the faint of heart, it just a couple people. Serves up to 8. Your choice of 8 flavors and 8 toppings. (Not as sickening as the Kitchen Sink at Beaches & Cream, either.)

Resevations Now Open for Celebrity's Newest Ship - Celebrity Edge

Celebrity Edge sets sail on Dec. 16, 2018. Reservations opened today for this amazing new ship, that will revolutionize cruising once again. Contact me at 317.776.1733 for info and pricing or www.icanshowyoutheworld.vacations. Alternating between the eastern and western Caribbean from Fort Lauderdale, this new ship shouldn't be missed.

Morning Meetings Don't Always Have to be Over Coffee

My final meeting of this trip is in my mobile office this morning. Client meetings are often just coffee meetings, but a walk along the beach while planning that next getaway is so much cooler.

The View On The Way to Day 3 of My Conference

Good morning from Fort Lauderdale! Day three of CP Boot Camp is about to begin as the sun rises over the ocean heralding a beautiful day ahead.

While Continuing Education events like this take me away from family and day-to-day obligations, they are so very important as another means of growing my business. From the networking with other agents and some of CP's Millionaire Club members; to interacting with new franchise owners and associates attending their orientation; to building relationships with suppliers over a delicious dinner of lobster, steak and more these few days has been a worthwhile investment of time and money.

Whatever your industry might be if given the opportunity to attend events, go for it. It’s never a mistake to take those opportunities to improve yourself and ultimately those you work with and for.

 On location from Fort Lauderdale, recorded live while in Fort Lauderdale this past April at the annual Cruise360 conference hosted by CLIA (Cruise Lines International Association). Here I am testing my selfie stick and vlogging capabilities.  It's a beginning, with hopefully more entries to come. 

 

Flashback Friday - Disneyland 1978

It's FLASHBACK FRIDAY! 

Time to go back in time thanks to fun old family photos of days gone by.  Growing up in Southern California, Disneyland was a popular destination for our family.  Sometimes we were there just the four of us, other times with extended family members.  Oftentimes my brother and I would get to go for school or church incentives, or as awards for a successful sports season with the teams we played on.  Trips with friends, or friends' families were often the case as well, and as we became teenagers, the park was a popular destination to hang out.

  

Here's a look at Tomorrowland from April 1978.  The shot itself is a bit blurry, but it's of Sam the Eagle, host of America Sings, an all-audio animatronics show celebrating America's music, which originally opened in 1974 in honor of America's upcoming Bicentennial in 1976.  The show occupied the space originally designed and built for the Carousel of Progress which opened at Disneyland in 1967, and closed in 1973 to be shipped east to Walt Disney World.  Just as COP did, the audience revolved around a series of stages, with each section celebrating a different era in American music, with the eagle and owl seen here popping up in each sequence to tell the story of the various musical styles.  Never meant to be a long-term attraction, since the Bicentennial celebration was only meant to last from 1975 - 1977, the show closed permanently in 1988.  (I was in the last performance as the carousel spun around for it's final performance).  Prior to the closing in 1988, a few geese were stripped of their skin and found a new home in the all-new Disneyland classic Star Tours, when it opened in early 1987.  When the show was dismantled, many of the audio animatronics found new life in the Disneyland classic, Splash Mountain over in the all-new Critter Country (replacing Bear Country) in 1988 as a cost-savings measure.  Thanks the smashing success of both Star Tours and Splash Mountain at Disneyland, a whole slew of new animatronics in the same style had to be created when both Star Tours opened at Walt Disney World's Disney-MGM Studios in 1989 and Splash Mountain was added to Walt Disney World's Magic Kingdom and Tokyo Disneyland in 1992.  

Tips on Thursday - Love Happens

You’ve dreamt your whole life of that special day where everything is absolutely perfect.  Did you know that Cruise Planners can help you plan the most idyllic destination wedding, whether it is on a cruise to the Mediterranean or at an all-inclusive resort in the Caribbean?  It’s true!  We can take care of all your travel needs and ensure a dedicated wedding planner is on location to handle every last-minute detail. 

With exclusive shoreside wedding packages in over 20 beautiful destinations, your special event can be customized to suit you and your intended.  To name just a few, locations include Miami, Ft Lauderdale, the Bahamas, Grand Cayman, Jamaica, Rome, Santorini and more!

Weddings, vow renewals, commitment ceremonies, anniversaries, you name it – we do it!  Tell us your hopes and dreams and we will simplify the process for you so that you can simply enjoy your special day.  With packages designed to fit all party sizes and budgets, your Destination Wedding or Honeymoon is simply a phone call away.  To learn more, please visit my website or call 317.776.1733.   

Featured Foto Friday - You WILL Get Wet

Dudley Do-Right's Ripsaw Falls in the Toon Lagoon area of Islands of Adventure, at Universal Orlando Resort is one of my favorite log flume attractions ever, simply because this attraction was truly designed to get you wet.  And in the Florida heat, that can be such a welcome refreshment.  I first rode it in 2007, and loved it then, and love it now.  Being a Rocky & Bullwinkle Show fan helped a bit, to be able to understand the various thematic elements, sight gags and overall inherent humor of the attraction - but that is by no means necessary to be able to enjoy it.  All in all, this water adventure is just good clean fun! 

Featured Foto Friday - Unusual Occurance at the Wizarding World

This was a happy, but unusual sight to see recently at the Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey attraction at Universal Orlando's hottest addition to its' Islands of Adventure theme park, the Wizarding World of Harry Potter.  A 10 minute wait time just didn't seem possible after all of the online reports of multiple hour wait times... but then, I was at the resort in the off-season, too (very early February)... give it a few weeks til the spring break season kicks in and that 10 minute wait will once more be but a dream.  

stopher's stuff - What a Wonderf-ful Week it Was

What a WONDER-ful week it was this past week.  I had such a great time onboard the Disney Wonder, and look forward to sharing lots of information, photos and more about the ship, and the experience soon.  I just got off the ship yesterday morning, and today am headed over to Universal Orlando for some first-hand experiences with both parks, as I haven't been to either one since 2007.  It'll be nice to see how Islands of Adventure has changed since Harry Potter came to reside in that park.  Plus seeing some newer attractions and experiences that have been added to Universal Studios since I was last there too.  Be sure to check back soon for more on the beautiful ship, the Disney Wonder! 

As always, thanks for reading along.  Until next time...

stopher's stuff - The WONDER Begins Now

Greetings from sunny Florida!  Once again it’s time to set sail on another cruise adventure, and I’m sure this week will be filled with WONDER-ful new experiences and fun.  Yes, I’m setting sail on the Disney Wonder, leaving out of Miami, FL for a 5-night Western Caribbean itinerary.  This cruise will different from my last Disney cruise in October, (when my lovely bride came along with me) – different since my lovely bride is not coming along with me, rather I’ll have another travel professional as my roommate.  This is an Agent Education experience, so we’ll be in a conference room each day for a couple of hours at the least, and specific activities that we “recommended” to experience for ourselves. 

Just as my last Disney cruise was, this is a business research and building trip.  It is a FAM, or familiarization trip, offered to travel professionals, specifically to other CRUISE PLANNERS agents like me, so that we might experience first-hand the ships & itineraries for ourselves, so that we can then have a better understanding of what we sell – and of course, to be able to sell even more of it.  But beyond the deeply discounted price, there are no special perks that I’m receiving as a result of going on this voyage.  It will be interesting to be able to enjoy spending time with other Cruise Planners.  My roommate, in fact, acquired his franchise at the same time as we did, and went through initial training when I did.  So it will be fun to reconnect with him and spend the week together. 

Our itinerary includes stops in Grand Cayman and Cozumel.  Unlike the last cruise, I do not have any pre-planned port adventures, though Jeff, my roommate, has said that he’s been trying to get us to be able to explore a specific resort in Cozumel as an FAM tour.  So we’ll see if that works out or not. I was just planning to head over to the beach or something myself, so if we can get in to see a resort, great!  If not, I’ll just put on lots of sunscreen and head to the beach for a while. 

It’s been cold and snowy at home, so my family isn’t all too thrilled about me being able to escape winter’s cold while they have to stay home.  So for now, there will be no talk about the weather right now, except to say that it is a good deal warmer here than at home.  With that, I will bid you adieu, and hope you have a great week… I know my week will be WONDER-ful.

Until next time,

 

Today in Disney Parks and Resorts History - Tomorrowland Additions

January 15, 1975 – Walt Disney World – Lake Buena Vista, FL

Space Mountain opens in Tomorrowland in the Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World.  A space-themed indoor roller coaster, originally envisioned by Walt Disney for Tomorrowland at Disneyland in the 1960’s, the technology to build it simply didn’t yet exist when Walt dreamed it up.  The first official ride is taken by Colonel James Irwin, the pilot of the Apollo XV Lunar Module on Apollo XV.

Also opening on this day in Tomorrowland at the Magic Kingdom is the Carousel of Progress, an attraction relocated to Florida from Disneyland in California, tracing 100 years of innovations in electricity. The attraction had a home in Tomorrowland at Disneyland from 1967 – 1972, but it originally debuted at the 1964-65 New York World’s Fair.  It features a rotating carousel, whereby the guests are seated and rotate around the various stationary stages where an audio-animatronics family showcases American life from the days before electricity to the present.

Featured Foto Friday - Downtown Disney Lego Creations

The Lego store at Walt Disney World has some terrific creations on display.  Here, the classic scene from "Sleeping Beauty" where Prince Phillip battles the evil Maleficent turned into a dragon, in order to get to the castle to find his true love.  

Today in Disney Parks and Resorts History - Disney-MGM Studios Changes

January 7, 1992 – Walt Disney World – Lake Buena Vista, FL

Disney-MGM Studios debuts the all-new Voyage of The Little Mermaid, a multi-media presentation, replacing Here Come the Muppets. The new show is a 17-minute experience, featuring a unique combination of special effects, film clips, live performances and innovative puppetry.

January 7, 2008 – Walt Disney World – Lake Buena Vista, FL

Disney-MGM Studios is now officially called Disney's Hollywood Studios.

Featured Foto Friday - Mr. Ray at Art of Animation

Mr. Ray at Disney's newest resort, Art of Animation at Walt Disney World.  It's just one of many oversized icons around the resort.  This new value-level resort includes both traditional rooms and family suites.  It has 4 phases: Finding Nemo, Cars, The Lion King and The Little Mermaid. 

Today in Disney Parks and Resorts History - Roy O Disney Passes Away

December 20, 1971 – Burbank, CA

Roy O. Disney, Walt's older brother and lifelong business partner, and co-founder of Walt Disney Productions, passes away at the age of 78 from a cerebral hemorrhage.  Roy served as the company's Chief Executive Officer (1929–1971) and President (1945–1971). While Walt was the creative man, Roy was the one who made sure the company was financially stable - and it was Roy who made sure that Walt’s last dream came to fruition.  Roy made sure that the company pressed forward with Disney World, but even taking it a step further and renaming the project Walt Disney World so that the world would always remember whose dream it truly was. With both Disney brothers gone, the board of directors for the first time will have to turn outside the Disney family for leadership.