Category: Countries

Last Minute Gift

Happy Valentine’s Day to those who celebrate it! Do you still need a last-minute gift?

Book a trip!

You can still very quickly book a future weekend getaway, a cruise, or an even longer trip today. Just do an initial booking and plan the rest together. That’s part of the fun!

Most hotel bookings don’t even need a booking payment and resorts or cruises usually only need a 20% deposit. There are plenty of deals out there right now for Disney, Universal, cruises, and many other locations. If you book far out enough, that can give you plenty of time to save up the balance and plan the rest of the trip itinerary later.

Just make sure to book something where your reservation and deposit are cancellable and refundable just in case you end up deciding to change plans. Be sure to read the fine print and know the policies.

If you want me to help you plan and book your trip, contact me anytime. For some ideas of possible trips, check out my Instagram and website.

AdventuresByAnne.com

AdventuresByAnne@gmail.com

National Plan For Vacation Day

Did you know that today, Jan 30th, is National Plan For Vacation Day??

This was created to remind us to plan our vacations for the coming year. Don’t lose your vacation days. Planning ahead can usually get you better pricing than last-minute bookings and give you more time to save up and design a better trip. If you’re dealing with the winter doldrums, this will give you something to look forward to also.

Many cruise lines, hotels, and attractions, like Disney and Universal, have sales going on already. Some of the major National Parks require timed entry reservations, and tours and campgrounds are already open for bookings too. Lock them in before they sell out.

Whether your vacation is across the globe or a local staycation, two weeks long or just a long weekend, start planning now. Contact me if you want help with vacation ideas and bookings.

AdventuresByAnne.com

AdventuresByAnne@gmail.com

US National Parks 2024 Free Admission Days

For several days in 2024, the U.S. National Park Service sites that charge an entrance fee will offer free admission to everyone. Here are the entrance fee-free dates in 2024:

January 15: Birthday of Martin Luther King, Jr.
April 20: First day of National Park Week
June 19: Juneteenth National Independence Day
August 4: Anniversary of the Great American Outdoors Act
September 28: National Public Lands Day
November 11: Veterans Day

The first one is this coming Monday in honor of MLK Day!

However, if you can’t make it to one this time, try to go some other time this year. The national parks are such amazing places! We’ve been to over half of them so far and hope to visit the rest soon. The pics above and below are from our trip to Grand Teton and Badlands National Parks, along with many others, during our Fall Cross Country Trip this past Sept.

If you’re planning to visit multiple parks or the same one multiple times this year, don’t forget to check if one of the park passes is right for you.

In addition, some of the more popular parks require you to schedule a timed entry reservation time now for certain days (some are year-round) and times to reduce the line to get in. If you’re planning to visit one of these, make sure to plan ahead and make your reservation before they fill up.

Search the name of the park and check the entry requirements on the National Park Service site. If you need to reserve a time, you will do so on the recreation.gov site. This is the only legit site to reserve any tickets for entries, tours, and even some lodgings for the national parks.

Feel free to contact me if you want to chat about planning a national park trip.

Holiday Cruise

Guess what? We’re sailing on the newest ship, the Disney Wish! Isn’t she gorgeous!?!

We set sail the day after Christmas. So far, we’ve already explored the ship, ate a lot, and did a bunch of fun activities! Last night, we even capped the night off with the only fireworks at sea for Pirate Night!

Today is our Castaway Cay port day, at Disney’s beautiful private island. It’s our favorite Bahamian port. Perfect white sand beaches, BBQ lunch provided by the ship, and lots of fun activities.

Follow along here (trip recap coming soon) and on my Instagram (adventures_by_anne) for more details and pics.

We’re in California!

We finally crossed into California on our 2023 Cross Country Road Trip Recap!

Catch up on the first leg of this mega loop around the United States that we took in September. In the first 10 days. we made it from the East Coast to the West Coast. We explored 3 national parks (Mammoth Cave, Hot Springs, and Great Basin), met some aliens at Roswell, and saw some amazingly gorgeous landscapes.

After a few days in California, we’ll be heading up the Pacific Coast to the national parks in Oregon and Washington, then head back east via some states that we haven’t been to before and more national parks. Very excited to check some more parks and states off our bucket list! Follow along!

2023 Cross Country Road Trip

National Park Pass Change

Starting January 1, 2024, you will no longer be allowed to share a National Park Pass with someone else.

Currently, the passes allow for two signatures on the back, so either person can enter a fee-based U.S. National Park with that pass. They do check IDs. However, that will be changing for any new passes purchased in 2024. There will only be one signature line so the pass is only valid for that person. No more sharing.

If you already own one of the two signature pass cards purchased in 2023, they will still honor it for two people until its expiration date. So, if you think you’ll benefit from getting a National Park Pass and would like to share it with someone, buy your 2023 pass before the end of the year! It’ll be valid for 12 months after purchase.

There are several passes available, some aimed at specific groups such as seniors, military, and even 4th graders. Check this flowchart from the National Park Service to see which one is right for you.

National Park Pass type chart — *(click to enlarge)*

We love the national parks and have gotten an annual pass for many years. It’ll usually pay for itself after 3-4 visits to any of the major parks. I encourage you to get one and visit all of parks too. We still have a bunch left but have already gone to many amazing ones so far!

Feel free to contact me if you want me to help plan your next national park trip.

Time For More Road Trips

Phew, there’s been so much trip news lately! But now, it’s time to get back to more road trips!

We’ll be doing another cross-country road trip, a giant 3-week loop across the USA, visiting many National Parks and other exciting sites! Follow along!

Subscribe to my site to get my trip posts and emails.

adventuresbyanne.com

If you’re on Instagram, Follow my channel there to see all the pics.

@adventures_by_anne

Bring the road trip snacks!

Details Announced for Disney Lookout Cay

We just got info about some of the venues at Disney Lookout Cay at Lighthouse Point. Lookout Cay is Disney Cruise Line’s newest retreat on the island of Eleuthera in The Bahamas.

Guests will arrive at Mabrika Cove, which means “welcome” from the indigenous people of The Bahamas, and experience the warmth of the Bahamian culture.

The colorful Goombay Cultural Center will invite guests to join in the “Junkanoo” celebration, a signature Bahamian festival filled with joyous music and vibrant parades.

The Triton’s Trumpet Stage area will provide plenty of fun family entertainment, while Serenity Bay will be an 18+ retreat featuring a tranquil beach, dining area, and private cabanas available for reservation.

Shop for souvenirs at Treasures of Eleuthera, which will feature locally made gifts and crafts by Bahamian artists.

I’m sure there are many more fun features yet to be revealed. Follow along and I’ll share them as I hear about them.

Several of the Disney cruise ships will begin making port calls to this island on their Summer 2024 sailings, already available for booking. Some sailings will even have port stops at both Lookout Cay and Castaway Cay, Disney’s current gorgeous Bahamian island! Those sound awesome! Bucket list!

The initial sailings to Lookout Cay will be in high demand. If you’re interested in booking one of those sailings, do so soon. If you want to chat about booking a cruise, feel free to contact me.

Disney 100 Celebrations

October 16, 2023 is officially the 100th Anniversary of the Walt Disney Company. This was the day when Walt and Roy Disney signed the contract to create their first animated short in a little humble studio in California soon after arriving from their hometown in Missouri. The rest, as they say, is history.

To celebrate these 100 years of great stories and characters, Disney debuted a new short film featuring over 500 beloved characters from its long list of featured films. Once Upon a Studio is available now for streaming on Disney+.

In addition, Disney has restored a 4K version of its first full-length feature animation, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, now also available for streaming on Disney+. There is a 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray version too.

TikTok and Disney have partnered together to create a unique Disney100 interactive experience on TikTok that features “unique Disney videos, trivia challenges, ‘Character Cards’ of favorite Disney characters to collect and trade, unique profile badges, and more. The new destination also lets you participate by creating your own videos with custom Disney effects and music. You can engage and connect with Disney fans while reliving favorite memories”. TikTok is also creating a Disney100 Playlist featuring popular hits from the Disney catalog.

Disney100: The Exhibition is traveling to various museums around the world still, currently in Chicago and London. The exhibit features tons of items from the Disney Archives and provides a look at the company’s achievements in films, parks, and many other facets.

If you’re going to any of the Disney parks worldwide, you’ll see new decorations, events, foods, merchandise, and more commemorating this milestone. Some new rides and attractions are opening and for the next few months, there will be new Disney100 PhotoPass Magic Shots. Join in the festivities!

It’s been an amazing 100 years of unforgettable stories and memorable experiences. Do you have a Disney story?

Happy Disney100!

Pics ©Disney

2023 Summer European Adventure

In late June and early July, we went on a three-week European Adventure across Lisbon, Madrid, Paris (Disneyland Paris), and London! We had an awesome time seeing so many sites and trying so many foods in each place. I’m finally almost done posting the tons of pictures that I took on my Instagram (adventures_by_anne). Check out my trip recap as well.

It was easy to get around and we got by fine speaking English primarily. The people were friendly, the sites were beautiful, and the food was delicious. We’ll definitely be back for more deep dives and to explore other parts of Europe. I encourage you to go too. Obviously, do all your research, but don’t be intimidated to plan a trip to another country. If you want to chat about a European trip, feel free to contact me.