Let's Just Go

Corfu was a new destination and I went in prepared — research done, hours double-checked, spots saved in my maps. Then it was Sunday and almost everything was closed.

In this episode I am covering:

• The two-bus process getting from the DCL ship into Corfu Old Town and why it takes more time than you expect
• Why Sunday closures in smaller European cities are real and not always accurately reflected in Google Maps
• The bakery that saved the morning: feta and honey pastry in phyllo dough, koulouri, apple pastry for Brian
• Wandering Old Town without a plan, getting mildly lost, and sitting down on a bench
• Chin Chin: scrambled eggs with tomatoes, feta, and oil on toast, and the last Freddo Cappuccino of the entire trip
• The Greek yogurt situation — high expectations from a previous Mykonos experience, extremely sour reality, very good custard
• A city-wide plumbing outage and how the cruise WhatsApp group solved it with a Starbucks bathroom door code
• Getting back on the ship, the pool, and the rainforest room stone loungers and sauna — both with floor-to-ceiling windows — as the ship pulled out of Corfu
• Ant-Man

I am going back to Corfu. Just not on a Sunday.

Next episode: Valletta, Malta — a women-owned co-op, a store called Hollywood with locally made goods, Cafe Society drinks on the stairs with a water view, a bird that had terrible aim, and no shower curtain waiting back on the ship.

Find me at kaylareneetravel.com and across all socials at Kayla Renee Travel.

Until next time — let's just go.

I have been to Mykonos multiple times. I thought I knew what a day there looked like. A private tour with a guide named Fotis showed me I was wrong — in the best possible way.

In this episode I am covering:

• How tendering works in Mykonos and why it affects your port day timing
• Getting on an early tender and using the quiet morning before the crowds arrive
• Booking a private tour through Viator the day before after finding out it was going to be the busiest day of the month at the port
• Our guide Fotis — how he pivoted the entire day based on what we had already done, stopped mid-tour to get us more Freddo Cappuccinos, took us to his friend's bakery for spanakopita, and showed us local beaches and viewpoints tourists do not find on their own
• The hidden cat sanctuary that has been operating since the 1990s — we stopped at a grocery store for cat food and treats on the way
• Getting my septum pierced — the piercing itself, five declined cards, and why the Apple Card worked when nothing else did
• Duck bar: the piercer's recommendation across the street, hours of beers and a ham and cheese toastie, and a server I exchanged Instagrams with and am still in contact with
• Dinner at Palo back on the ship — the right way to end a busy port day

If you are heading to Mykonos and want Fotis's contact information, reach out to me directly. I am already sending clients his way.

Next episode: Corfu — a new destination for both of us, Sunday closures that affected our morning, scrambled eggs with feta and tomato on toast, and a stone lounger in the rainforest room on the way out of port.

Find me at kaylareneetravel.com and across all socials at Kayla Renee Travel.

Until next time — let's just go.

Chania was our first port of call on the Disney Dream's Greek Isles itinerary, and I went in with a local advantage — an American TikToker who lives in Chania and gives restaurant and neighborhood recommendations. I followed her suggestions for the day and had one of the best port stops of the entire cruise.

In this episode I am covering:

• How the DCL buses work getting from the ship into Chania and back — easy, no stress
• The Jar: Freddo Cappuccinos, peanut butter banana toast, and a turtle pond I almost did not leave
• What the old town of Chania actually looks like — Old World coastal, Venetian architecture, nothing like the Santorini and Mykonos photos in your head
• Why Chania does not need a tour and rewards independent wandering
• The best port shopping of the entire cruise — clothes, souvenirs, a hat for 15 euros, and Brian's outfit that tore the first time he wore it
• Lunch at Chrisostomos: a pork platter, Cretan bruschetta with mizithra cheese, a Cretan salad, local beers, and complimentary donut holes
• Why Cretan food is a great option if you are not a seafood person
• The street cats of Chania (an important topic)
• Finding out that the next day in Mykonos was going to be the busiest day of the month at that port — and booking a private tour immediately

Next episode: Mykonos — a private tour with a guide named Fotis, a cat sanctuary with a grocery store stop for cat food, a septum piercing that finally happened, and a server at a bar called Duck who we are still following on Instagram.

Find me at kaylareneetravel.com and across all socials at Kayla Renee Travel.

Until next time — let's just go.

I have been on multiple Disney cruises. I have also cruised Greece multiple times. This was my first time combining the two — nine nights on the Disney Dream through the Greek Isles and Malta. I am a Disney adult and a travel advisor who sells DCL, and I want to give you my honest take on what this experience was actually like.

In this episode I am covering:

• Getting to the port from Rome and what the check-in situation was actually like
• Why you should join the WhatsApp group and Facebook group for your specific DCL sailing before you go
• The Disney Dream — what it does well and where it feels dated compared to newer DCL ships
• The honest food take: rotational dining, why Palo is always the right call, and why the main dining room quality has declined
• The rainforest room add-on — approximately $200 per person for nine nights and worth every dollar
• The teenager situation: real, documented in the WhatsApp group, and something to know going in
• Two active volcanoes — Stromboli and Mount Etna — on the same morning before breakfast
• Churro Mickey waffle day and why guests plan their mornings around it
• The VAT refund process on DCL European sailings — do this the same day you make your purchases or you will regret it
• The honest verdict: who DCL in Europe is right for and who might want to look at alternatives

The ports — Chania, Mykonos, Corfu, and Valletta — are each getting their own episodes. This one is all about the ship.

If you are trying to figure out whether a European cruise is right for you, or which cruise line fits how you travel, reach out. This is exactly the kind of thing I love helping people think through.

Find me at kaylareneetravel.com and across all socials at Kayla Renee Travel.

Until next time — let's just go.

This entire trip to Europe started with one reason: my friend Hannah, who I met on the Disney College Program back in 2010, was getting married. In a castle. On Lake Garda. In Italy. She said she was only inviting people she knew would show up. I showed up.

In this episode I am talking about:

• Getting from Verona to Malcesine by private transfer — the beautiful drive, the narrow roads, and why you want someone else behind the wheel
• Last-minute shopping in Verona: Scout, OVS, and a pair of Birkenstocks I am pretty sure do not exist in the US
• Arriving in Malcesine and why it immediately felt like a fairy tale
• The Hugo spritz — what it is, why it is better than Aperol, and why I now have a bottle of St-Germain at home
• The castle wedding: a bilingual ceremony on a cliff above the lake, a 30-minute walk along the water to the reception, and a bride and groom who arrived by boat
• The best lasagna I ate in three weeks in Italy
• Being the only Americans at a very international wedding
• Getting up early and finding a grapevine terrace before the tour groups arrived — the quiet morning version of Malcesine is a completely different place

Next episode: the Disney Cruise Line Greek Isles itinerary — Mykonos, Corfu, Valletta, a sea day with an active volcano, and a septum piercing somewhere in the Aegean.

Find me across all socials and at kaylareneetravel.com — travel planning, blog posts on every destination from this trip, and TikTok videos of that harbor view that people genuinely cannot stop watching.

Until next time — let's just go.

Verona was never supposed to be a highlight. It was a logistical stop — the closest train connection to Lake Garda, where we were headed for a wedding. It turned into one of the best destinations of the entire three-week trip.

In this episode I am talking about:

• Getting from Venice to Verona by train (and why the 110-euro private water taxi to the station was worth it)
• Staying at the Moxy Verona — what the brand is actually like and who it is right for
• Terrazza Bar al Ponte: a river bar with a castle view, house wine, charcuterie, and a 35-euro bill
• Taking the funicular up to Castel San Pietro at sunset
• Asking our hotel bartender where to order delivery from — and why asking what they actually order is the question that matters
• A wine tour in the Valpolicella region: two wineries, Amarone, a great group of strangers, and drinks in a piazza after
• Dinner at Caffè Monte Baldo: Amarone risotto that I could have licked off the plate

If you have been on the fence about adding Verona to an Italy itinerary, this episode will make the decision for you.

Next episode: Lake Garda — a wedding in a castle, Hugo spritzes, and the discovery that completely changed what I order at bars.

Find me and all things Kayla Renee Travel at kaylareneetravel.com — travel planning, podcast episodes, and blogs going deeper on every destination from this trip.

Until next time — let's just go.

Kayla leaves Dublin for Venice on the next leg of her European trip. This itinerary is going from Dublin, to Venice, Verona, a wedding at Lake Garda, Rome, then on a Disney Cruiseline adventure to Greece, Malta, and Croatia.

This episode is all about Venice. Two days and two nights is all that we had at this ancient city build on the water. She tries the local cuisine, has drinks where the Bellini was invented, shops for hand-made lace, and sits in on a glass blowing demonstration where the famous glass blower Dale Chihuly studied the craft.

Book your next trip with Kayla: kaylareneetravel.com

editing provided by Brian: [email protected]

Let's Just Go To Dublin On the first stop in a 3-week tour of Europe, Kayla spends two nights in Dublin, Ireland. This itinerary will take her from Philadelphia on a direct flight to Dublin, then she flies down to Venice, Italy for a couple more nights before taking a train to Verona, then a car into Lake Garda, another train into Rome, then boards a 9-night cruise taking her to Mykonos, Chania Crete, and Corfu in Greece; Dubrovnik, Croatia; and Valletta, Malta.

This quick, 2-night stay in Dublin was fun, and Kayla is very likely to return. Popular destinations like The Temple Bar, and The Book Of Kells were skipped on this trip, but taking time with the Guinness Experimental Brewery, finding Roe & Co, and going to The Church were worthy trade offs that we strongly encourage visitors to check out for themselves.

For my last trip to Epic Universe, we wanted to check out a newly rebranded and remodeled hotel near the parks. That brought us to Hotel Landy. I wanted to check this place out because some of the reviews online were great, but it was undergoing changes. I wanted to see it for myself and make my own conclusions.

I am so glad that I did. I thought this hotel was great, I would definitely stay there again, and between the staff, the rooms, and its location near I-Drive, I would definitely consider this a great pick for other travelers as well.

One thing that is good to note is if you are traveling with little ones or mid to large groups and you would like to walk around I-Drive, it is walkable, but the roads are wide, with many lanes, and the sidewalks are small. I would consider rideshares to get safely to and from ICON Park or the surrounding areas.

pen, now, for about a year, and I thougth it would be fun to take another look, taking my boyfriend along.

The rides are just as fun as I remember them, and the food was still excellent. A new location since my last visit was the Blue Dragon, with Asian-inspired cuisine and sake- or japanese whisky-infused cocktails and flights, which was also excellent.

We did have a long wait for Donkey Kong Minecart Madness, but even dispite an extended wait we were able to fit in everything that we wanted to experience in just one day. The ride does offer a unique experience, however that does come at the cost of increased downtimes. Is it worth it? Brian certainly thinks so, but your party may be better off being a little more stratigic in choosing their experiences if you encounter longer than normal wait times.