Wizards and Pixie Dust

Romantic Dining at Disney World is on everyone’s mind right now. With Valentine’s day is this weekend, we discuss a few good, romantic dining options. Join Melissa Snyder and Mary Yohannan, expert travel advisors, get into the romantic spirit of Valentine’s Day.

Dena Bentz, owner of Compass Destinations, has helped many clients enjoy romantic getaways to Disney. Because she has planned so many romantic Disney getaways, she joins us to discuss some of her favorite, as well as, some of her client’s favorite romantic dining venues.

In addition, Dena gives some tricks of overcoming your buffet anxieties. After all, when in Disney you must try everything! She also gives some tips how a travel agent is a good resource for helping pick restaurants based on a persons dietary likes or dislikes.

Make sure to check out and follow Dena’s social media pages on Facebook at Compass Destinations Travel Agency and Instagram at Compass Destinations. Thinking of taking that Romantic Getaway? Contact Dena today…CLICK HERE

Romantic Dining in Epcot. Valentine’s Day is just around the corner. We pick our favorite romantic dining places in Epcot. It may surprise you that Melissa and I don’t have the same go-to romantic restaurant.

Of course we have to talk about our favorite romantic dining options over at Universal Orlando. Mythos always makes a great choice but make sure to listen to hear about our other favorites places for a romantic dinner.

We also give a few Disney and Universal Updates.

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New Disney Jungle Cruise? Disney is adding new components to the Jungle Cruise. The iconic water ride has been around for years, Walt Disney years. Originally Walt Disney wanted to use real animals. However, real animals are unpredictable so that idea was scrapped. After many years, both Jungle Cruises at Walt Disney World and Disneyland are getting spruced up.

A favorite watering hold, Pecos Bill will also be getting some type of refurbishment. Disney submitted for permit this week looking to do some “General” updates. Lighting, floors, paint? We can’t wait to see.

Good-bye to another favorite kids activity at the Magic Kingdom, Sorcerers of the Magic Kingdom. This interactive card that had both kids and adults throwing cards to defeat villainous characters has been permanently put away. We are hoping that you can still purchase the cards on Main Street. However, over in Animal Kingdom they are bringing back the Lion King show!

Nintendo World in Japan will have a Super Mario Brother Cart type of ride. We hear it is super interactive. Velocicoaster at Universal Orlando officially had human riders this week. We are hoping this means that they will open the ride before the projected summer date.

Need help planning a Disney or Universal Orlando vacation? Contact one of our Award-Winning travel agents with Life is Better Traveling to help you start planning today.

No annual passes anymore for Disney! Last week Disneyland came out saying that they would not be continuing their annual pass program. They were going to refund those who currently have annual passes. This week we have heard rumors that Walt Disney World will not be selling any new annual passes. They would allow current pass holders to keep this perk, but we aren’t sure for how long.

Disney Springs is opening some new sweet treat places. Gideon’s Bakehouse had it’s grand opening last week. The virtual queue wait was up to 8 hours, but we heard there were some unique cookies just for this special day. It also looks like a donut shop and marshmallow kiosk will be the newest sweet treat places. Homemade marshmallows, yummy!

We also talk about few new restaurants opening at both Epcot and Hollywood Studios. Even though we are still confused why there isn’t a pizza planet in Toy Story Land, we have heard there will be a Rodeo Round Up BBQ. It looks like you should be able to eat in outer space soon. The new restaurant near Mission Space should be opening earlier this year. Finally, France pavilion is getting a quick service restaurant. Hear what they may have.

Universal Orlando is getting ready to have their Mardi Gras. This is an amazing six weeks of festivals, floats, food, and fun! We are excited to see that they will be representing may different countries including Tobago, Germany, and Bahamas. Of course there will be Beignets, Jambalaya, and other iconic New Orleans cuisine. Universal is really making sure to get the most out of their Tribute Store and are having a Mardi Gras Tribute store.

This is a great time of year to head down to Universal Orlando and Disney. You can take in the Mardi Gras Festival at Universal and enjoy the Flower and Garden Festival over at Disney. Think you might want to go down for a visit? Make sure to contact one of our award-winning travel agents at Life is Better Traveling.

Agent Help Please

Magical Express is the latest thing to be cut by Disney. Starting January 1, 2022, the Magical Express will no longer be available for service to take clients from the airport to the hotel and vice versa. Clients also lose the privilege of having their luggage delivered directly to their resort. The new question will be, how will clients get to and from the airport during their Walt Disney World vacation. The new train system, Uber, taxi, or a new shuttle service? I guess we will have to wait and see.

Disney has also decided to no longer have Extra Magic Hours (EMH) in the evening and is limiting the Extra Magic Hours in the morning. It appears that resort guests will be able to get into the parks in the morning during EMH just 30 minutes before the other guests. Another perk of a Walt Disney Vacation that has vanished.

The 5th anniversary Festival of the Arts is going on right now at Epcot. There are so many amazing foods around the world that are new to the Festival including Artist Palette Jumbo Chocolate Chip Cookie, a favorite. Of course we are so over-the-moon that Figment is again the mascot of this festival. The kids can enjoy a fun scavenger hunt throughout the World Showcase. Kids look for Figment hiding inside famous works of art at each pavilion. Once they complete the journey, they can return the map to the park’s Disney Traders for an artful surprise

Yeah, we talk about 20 fun things to do at Universal Orlando Resorts. Even I, who loves Universal, had a few things on the list that surprised me. Rum tastings, secret waterfalls, a Who Can of food, are just a few of the things that we mentioned, and oh yeah, seeing the Men in Black office.

Thinking of taking a Disney Vacation or Universal Orlando Resort vacation? Contact one of our award-winning travel consultants to help you start planning today.

As you know, we love to talk about food. It wouldn’t be a podcast if we didn’t get into the new foods coming to the Magic Kingdom. We love that there is finally meat on a stick! Corn Dogs with chips is a great idea. This is an easy to eat food, and very kid friendly. We also loved they are bringing in quick breakfast options including Cheshire Cat Tails and Donut holes.

We haven’t been to Gideon’s Bakehouse personally, and we are a bit sad to hear that they have temporarily closed their doors at Disney Springs. However, it does look like they will be re-opening their doors at a later date for those scrumptious treats. We will keep you updated on the re-opening date.

There are so many new promotions that came out this year too. Free tickets, up to 30% off room rates, and Memory Maker long time use. The Life is Better Traveling team has been very busy helping our clients get the most value for their vacation while saving them hundreds of dollars with these promotions.

If you are thinking of taking a Disney Vacation, let us help you with a quote!

I was amazed by the amount of so many new things that came to Walt Disney World and Disneyland. We start off talking about the new re-vamping of Snow White’s Scary Adventures. This ride has been very dark, and many people have complained that it abruptly ends. Hopefully with these revamps, the new ride will be more jolly with a happy ending, especially with the new name Snow White’s Enchanted Wish!

One of the other many new things that came to Walt Disney World, we all just love the new fountain at Epcot. However, we are curious to see just how large this fountain really is. We don’t think that the pictures do this fountain justice. We also want to know what happened to all those walls?

We love that Disney is talking about their latest ship, the Wish. New itineraries, new places, and new amenities. Finally, we finish talking about Disney’s latest promotion. FREE tickets is amazing deal so if you are thinking about taking a Walt Disney World vacation make sure to contact one of our Life is Better Traveling travel agents.

A recent trip to WDW was exactly what we needed to hear from one of our amazing clients Mrs. D. We love Mrs. D because she is so transparent with us about what is really going on at the parks. Mrs. D goes to WDW at least 3 times a year so is a great resource for us and you! She opens up about exactly why the lines look so long for the rides but really aren’t. Talking about ride lines winding out and around the ride was eye-opening.

Everything that we have seen on various forums says “the magic” is gone but Mrs. D puts the squash on this. She talks about some of the differences she sees including characters, dining, and transportation. Even with these differences, she encourages everyone that “the Magic” is still there and how to best enjoy it.

Lastly, we talk about the new Rise of the Resistance new times to be able to get your group number. With the park hopping coming back January 1, 2021, you will need to have your park reservation at Hollywood Studios in order to get a group for Rise of the Resistance. If you have a reservation at Magic Kingdom and park hop to Hollywood Studios, you would not be allowed to get a group number. We talk all about this and more in the podcast.

Thinking of taking a WDW vacation? We are even planning last minute vacations right now! Contact one of our Authorized Disney Vacation Planners today for a quote.

Let’s talk Holiday Merchandise! We are so excited that Universal Orlando has decided to turn their Tribute Store into a Holiday Christmas Store. We talk about several rooms including a Dr. Seuss room and Harry Potter themed room. Before leaving the Tribute Store, you can grab a quick bite at Earl’s.

Some of our other favorite items at Universal Orlando include their throw-back merchandise. My favorite was the throw-back poster with all the original rides and Universal Studios. There is also some new Secret Life of Pets merchandise all about Chloe and Gidget, Melissa’s favorite. Feel free to shop at Universal’s Store.

Of course, Disney had some great holiday merchandise too. One of our favorite must have items for 2020 was a Disney cooking book. There were great ideas on making food fun for little ones. This may help them to eat anything! Another favorite of ours is the Aladdin Wishables. With every purchase, 100% of the total cost of the product goes to the Make-A-Wish Foundation.

Thinking of planning a last minute Disney or Universal Orlando Vacation? Contact one of our Authorized Vacation Planners to help you get started today!

The holidays at Walt Disney World and Universal Orlando are Magical. Come on a food journey with us as we talk about all the fun Christmas Foods.

We start talking about all the Christmas foods available throughout the various parks. We were surprised to learn that many of the Christmas foods at the Magic Kingdom were actually at new food stands. Of course, there are many amazing treats including a sugar cookie taco. Our favorite park for holiday joy and treats is Hollywood Studios. We were so excited that there as a red velvet whoopie pie available.

Finishing off with the Animal Kingdom and Epcot, we were over the moon for a brownie treat. We love brownies so this was our favorite. Since Epcot has their Taste of Epcot going on right now we talked about all the different foods available during this limited time. Treats from all nations are available including various beers and wines from their respective countries.

Lastly we head over to Universal Orlando Resorts and check out their Holiday Treat Trail. There are only a few items on the trail so it is very easy to get a stamp for all these during your visit. Our favorite part of the treat trail is the FREE treat for completing this trail.

Thinking of planning a WDW or UOR vacation? Make sure to contact one of our Authorized Travel Professionals to ensure your vacation is Magical. After all, Life is Better Traveling.