 A few days ago we talked about all the new fun Fall decor and activities Walt Disney World is going to be offering starting September 15th through out October 31st. Including a Halloween-themed cavalcade with Mickey, Minnie, Pluto and pals wearing their favorite Halloween costumes as well as the fact that guests can also now wear their favorite costumes during their visit to Magic Kingdom during the same time frame (make sure to follow Disney's guidelines). Today we are going to go in-depth about one of our favorite subjects.........The mouth watering Fall treats you can find in every park! MAGIC KINGDOM
EPCOT
ANIMAL KINGDOM
HOLLYWOOD STUDIOS
For more information on what is happening this Fall in Walt Disney World, or to book your next vacation, reach out to a Starstuff Travel Planner today!
1 Comment
8/27/2020 0 Comments Fall Fun at Magic Kingdom Although things may be different this year in Walt Disney World's Magic Kingdom this Halloween season, some of the things they are doing differently may be a nice surprise to those who thought Halloween was cancelled! Starting September 15th through October 31st, Main Street USA will be decked out in its best Fall decor. There will be a special Halloween-themed cavalcade with Mickey, Minnie, Pluto and pals wearing their favorite Halloween costumes. Guests will also want to keep their eyes open to spot other Disney character friends dressed up and riding the horse-drawn trolley down Main Street, U.S.A. Soon the official Foodie Guide to Fall at Walt Disney World will be announced with the seasons "Must Have" treats!  You will also find the seasons hottest items such as a new spirit jersey, Loungefly backpack and candy-swirl Minnie Mouse headband, along with a selection of apparel inspired by Disney Villains and more in select locations around the park. And for the BIGGEST NEWS YET! For the first time in Walt Disney World history guests of all ages can wear their funniest, Disney-ist, most creative costumes during Magic Kingdoms regular operating hours from Sept. 15 to Oct. 31. With the low crowd levels and the fun new details they have in place, it is sure shaping up to be a fantastic Fall! (As an important reminder, costume masks are not permitted for adults; only children younger than 14 years old are permitted to wear costume masks. In addition, all guests are required to wear approved face coverings during their visit.) To book your Walt Disney World Fall vacation, reach out to a Starstuff Travel Planner today! 8/22/2020 2 Comments The Cosmopolitan Las Vegas It is no secret to those who know me, I absolutely adore Las Vegas, and was so excited to be able to get back there this month. We typically stay across the street at the Paris Las Vegas Resort & Casino but this time we spent our week at the stunning Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas and we fell in love! For starters this hotel is nicely placed right in the middle of the strip so the convenience factor is key. You can even walk out of the back door of the Cosmopolitan, walk up to the Vdara and take the short bridge between Vdara and Bellagio to eliminate being out in the heat for to long. Otherwise this hotel is just a moments walk away from Bellagio by walking out the front door and to the left. There is also a nearby tram that takes you between the Bellagio down to Park MGM (both the tram and Park MGM are currently closed) so it is really easy to get around from this specific area. The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas is home to 3,027 beautiful stylish rooms and modern suites and is one of the only hotels on the Vegas strip with rooms/suites that have a terrace! As you can see in the above video, we had a lovely Terrace Studio Premium Fountain View that has views of the Las Vegas skyline and the famous Bellagio dancing fountains. This view was not only beautiful to soak in at night but also breathtaking to wake up to! Below you will find a short video of me showing you the view during the day along with some pictures of early in the morning and at night. For those who like to gamble, this casino is one of our favorites in Vegas. It is a large 100,000 square foot floor with glamorous floor to ceiling windows and beautiful long crystal chandeliers. The service on the floor is top notch and you will never go thirsty with a waitress always around the corner.  Every Vegas hotel has a pretty awesome pool but here at the Cosmopolitan, you will find three pools to choose from! The Boulevard pool is the largest with an upbeat atmosphere and a multi-level sundeck. It has a bar, restaurant and lounge, multiple flat-screen TVs, as well as private cabanas and purple daybeds available to book, and in-water lounge chairs (my favorite to relax on). On Monday evenings, the marquee at Boulevard Pool transforms into a colossal movie screen, showing your favorite films high above The Las Vegas Strip. From classic films to modern blockbusters, imagine how fun it is to take a dip or lounge poolside as you sip on handcrafted, movie-themed cocktails and enjoy creative movie snacks under the stars. In the winter time, the Boulevard pool transforms into an outdoor ice skating rink. Does it get any better than this? Guests looking for a daytime party atmosphere will want to check out the Marquee Dayclub pool, which is an extension of Marquee nightclub. Marquee is an adults only day club with a non-stop party atmosphere. Its multi-level pool deck hosts one of Vegas’ hottest day-time parties, though like the Boulevard pool, Marquee is seasonal. The Chelsea pool is intended to be the hotel’s family-friendly, quiet oasis. While we were there we did see some families utilizing both the Boulevard and The Chelsea pool. The Chelsea is a smaller pool area and is The Cosmopolitan’s only pool that’s also open year-round. The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas is home to some of the best dining in all of Vegas, offering 26 dining options! Your going to be able to find absolutely anything your taste buds desire. I have a list of options for you to review just by clicking here. Below you will find a few pictures of our dining experiences from during our stay at the hotel. Elite Burgers HOLSTEINSMulti-cultural WICKED SPOONROOM SERVICE American BLUE RIBBONBold Sandwiches LARDOThe Cosmopolitan is within walking distance of the Strip’s best attractions, dining, and nightlife. You do not even really need to rent a car, since taxis and ride-share services are all over. Also, as we spoke about earlier, the tram stops at the Crystals shopping center (which connects to the Aria Hotel), the Monte Carlo Resort & Casino, and the Bellagio when it is open. McCarran International Airport is a 10-minute drive from the property making it that much more convenient. Take a peek at our full property tour below to really get a feel on how perfect the hotel is. To book your next Las Vegas getaway, reach out to a Starstuff Travel Planner at Info@StarstuffTravel.com 8/19/2020 0 Comments Flying United Airlines Post Covid Last week we utilized United Airlines for the first time post Covid-19 for our Las Vegas getaway. We were truly impressed by how they are handling their safety and health precautions. United Airlines now uses an electrostatic sprayer to disinfect air and surfaces within the whole entire cabin (you can watch the video below on what the electrostatic sprayer actually does) and you can even smell how clean the plane is the moment you enter. All travelers and crew members are required to wear a mask at all times unless eating or drinking. On the way to Las Vegas we flew Economy. They boarded the plane from the back to the front allowing about 5 rows at a time in order to properly social distance between travelers. As you entered the aircraft the flight attendants handed you a disinfectant wipe that allowed you to wipe your seat and your area down before getting situated. After take off they came around and handed out prepackaged snacks with a water inside. At the end of the flight they also deboarded the plane similar to the way we boarded, by calling a row at a time. To be honest, I appreciate this not just for safety measures but for proper air etiquette. Many travelers started losing their air etiquette prior to Covid-19 so this was refreshing. On our way home we decided to spring for the upgrade to United Polaris Business Class. I will tell you, waiting till we arrived at the airport to ask for the upgrade saved us hundreds of dollars, so it never hurts to ask. We did not have time to utilize the Polaris lounge but it looks amazing (you can view the video below to see more about the lounge and the aircraft seating and amenities). They boarded us the same way as they did when we originally flew in, from the back of the plane to the front. They also handed out a disinfectant wipe to wipe down your surfaces if you wanted. Our earphones were completely sealed and wrapped as was our dinner when the flight attended brought it to us. Flying United Polaris Business Class is worth it's own blog but we will go over that another time! One of the most important parts of our experience was talking with the flight attendants. They were genuinely happy to see us onboard. All of them telling us they are so happy to be back in the skies with United guests. Whether we were in Economy or United Polaris Business Class, the attendants made us feel so welcome and I cannot wait to fly with them again! To book your next United flight, reach out to a Starstuff Travel Planner at Info@StarstuffTravel.com  The Universal Orlando Dining Plan is accepted at over 100 locations throughout all three parks, as well as CityWalk and can be added to your vacation package or purchased as a stand alone. The Universal Dining Plan options are different from the dining plans you may be familiar with over at Walt Disney World. Most of the differences are for the better including the ability to save up to 25%, however if you are looking to do a lot of dining in the actual resort itself, this could pose a problem since the plans are not currently offered in Universal Orlando Resort hotels. WHAT TYPE OF DINING PLANS ARE OFFERED? UNIVERSAL DINING PLAN: This plan is only available with the purchase of a Universal Orlando vacation package. What's included? 1 Full-Service Meal (Includes 1 entree, 1 non-alcoholic beverage, 1 dining plan dessert) 1 Quick-Service Meal (Includes 1 entree, 1 non-alcoholic beverage) 1 Snack from food carts or quick-service locations 1 Non-Alcoholic Beverage from food carts or quick service location UNIVERSAL QUICK SERVICE PLAN: What's Included? 1 Quick-Service Meal (Includes 1 entree, 1 non-alcoholic beverage) 1 Snack from food carts or quick-service locations 1 Non-Alcoholic Beverage from food carts or quick service location UNIVERSAL QUICK SERVICE WITH COCA COLA FREESTYLE SOUVENIR CUP What's included? 1 Quick-Service Meal (Includes 1 entree, 1 non-alcoholic beverage) 1 Snack from food carts or quick-service locations 1 Non-Alcoholic Beverage from food carts or quick service location 1-Day Unlimited Coca-Cola freestyle® Beverage COCA COLA FREESTYLE SOUVENIR CUP What's Included? 1-Day Unlimited Coca-Cola freestyle® Beverage One of the benefits of a Universal Orlando Dining Plan is the flexibility of how they can be purchased. Unlike Walt Disney World, your whole traveling party does not have to have to actually participate in the dining plan. This is extremely helpful for those who have little ones who do not eat enough to warrant purchasing a plan for them or for those with finicky eaters. The other great aspect of the plan is you can also tailor the amount of days that seem appropriate for your vacation. So if you are flying in late your first arrival date and leaving super early your departure date you can skip purchasing the plan for those days if you are on a budget. This is very different than a Walt Disney World dining plan where it is cut and dry and you must have it for the length of your stay. During a recent stay we utilized the Quick Service plan and really felt it was a great value for us. While having lunch at Mel's Dinner (which is themed after the classic 1950's themed movie American Graffiti) a team member gave us a great tip to order a Combo which was more bang for your buck and would come with your burger, chicken tenders, or sandwich, a side of fries or onion rings, a milkshake and a beverage. Since we had the milkshake we ordered water bottles as the beverage that came with the meal for later on in the day and still even had yet another beverage left on the plan to utilize later in the day as well. We also loved that we could use a snack for signature drinks like Pumpkin Juice and Butterbeer. Another huge value we found if you are a Harry Potter fan was having breakfast at the Leaky Cauldron which is also a Quick Service experience. Below you will see the Pancake Breakfast that includes three fluffy buttermilk pancakes, crisp bacon and link sausage with butter croissant and a small beverage as well as the Traditional Breakfast that includes fresh scrambled eggs, sausage links, black pudding, English bacon, baked beans, grilled tomato, sautéed mushrooms and breakfast potatoes with a small beverage as well. There was so much food for a Quick Service meal and after pricing everything out we saved at least 15% savings that day utilizing the dining plan and were super full when we left! WHERE CAN I UTILIZE THE DINING PLANS WHILE VISITING UNIVERSAL ORLANDO RESORTS? Full-Service Dining Locations Universal Studios Florida Lombard's Seafood Grille Finnegan’s Bar & Grill Universal's Islands of Adventure Mythos Restaurant Confisco Grille Universal CityWalk The Cowfish® Sushi Burger Bar Bob Marley—A Tribute to Freedom℠ Jimmy Buffett's® Margaritaville® Red Oven Pizza Bakery Antojitos Authentic Mexican Food Pat O'Brien's® VIVO Italian Kitchen (seasonal) NBC Sports Grill & Brew The Toothsome Chocolate Emporium & Savory Feast Kitchen™ Bigfire Quick-Service Dining Locations Universal Studios Florida TODAY Cafe Leaky Cauldron™ London Taxi Hut Mel’s Drive-In Universal Studios’ Classic Monsters Cafe Louie's Italian Restaurant KidZone Pizza Company Richter's Burger Co. San Francisco Pastry Company Fast Food Boulevard Universal's Islands of Adventure Croissant Moon Bakery Cafe 4 Captain America Diner® Comic Strip Cafe Blondie's Wimpy's The Burger Digs Pizza Predattoria Thunder Falls Terrace Three Broomsticks™ Fire Eater's Grill Circus McGurkus Cafe Stoo-pendous™ Green Eggs & Ham™ Cafe Doc Sugrue's Desert Kebab House Universal's Volcano Bay Kohola Reef Restaurant and Social Club Whakawaiwai Eats Bambu The Feasting Frog Universal CityWalk Hot Dog Hall of Fame® Bread Box Handcrafted Sandwiches Snacks And Refreshments Universal Studios Florida Schwab's Pharmacy Silver Screen Coke® La Bamba Slush La Bamba Veranda Bar Monsters' Slush Ben & Jerry’s Guido's Gelato Louie's Fruit Stand KidZone Pizza Company KidZone Snacks ICEE® locations San Francisco Beer San Francisco Pastry Company Starbucks® Florean Fortescue’s Ice-Cream Parlour London Taxi Hut The Fountain of Fair Fortune The Hopping Pot King’s Cross Station Kiosk Expo Eats Front Gate Popcorn Additional food carts throughout the park Universal's Islands of Adventure Croissant Moon Bakery Cathy's Ice Cream Oasis Coolers Port of Entry Fruit Port of Entry Lemon Slush ICEE® locations Hop on Pop™ Ice Cream Shop Moose Juice, Goose Juice Butterbeer™ Cart The Magic Neep™ Cart Cinnabon® Starbucks® Dippin' Dots® Chill Car Cotton Candy Cart Additional food carts throughout the park Universal's Volcano Bay Koka Poroka Ice Cream Kona Lemon Slush Dippin' Dots® ICEE® Universal CityWalk Cinnabon® Starbucks® Cold Stone Creamery® Blue Man Group Theater Coke® Icon Hub Cart If you are interested in finding more information about Universal Orlando Resorts Dining Plans or would like to book a vacation to UOR please reach out to a Starstuff Travel Planner today by clicking here! Check us out on social media! |
CategoriesArchives
March 2023
|
RSS Feed