June 7, 2024 • 53 mins
The Wishing Well's Terrie Dean discusses this week's travel news.
Plus, we discuss Terrie's family vacation to central Florida. While Disney World is a must-visit, Orlando offers so much more! In this episode, we dive into incredible things to do in Orlando other than Disney. These hidden gems offer a unique perspective on Orlando’s culture, history, and excitement.
Links from this episode:
https://www.facebook.com/terrie.a.dean/
https://www.facebook.com/thewishingwellhburg
Plus, we discuss Terrie's family vacation to central Florida. While Disney World is a must-visit, Orlando offers so much more! In this episode, we dive into incredible things to do in Orlando other than Disney. These hidden gems offer a unique perspective on Orlando’s culture, history, and excitement.
Links from this episode:
https://www.facebook.com/terrie.a.dean/
https://www.facebook.com/thewishingwellhburg
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:00):
This is a Lifeless Ordinary. It'sa travel show and podcasts from your friends
at the wishing Well two forty threef avenue in harsmerg and online at the
wishing Well dot this. The wishingWell is your ultimate luxury concierge, travel
agency and a Lifeless Ordinary is atravel show and podcast hosted by Terry Dean,
bringing her over forty years of experiencein the travel industry to help guide
(00:21):
you to great experiences in your travel, whether it be around the block,
around the country, or around theworld. Let's bring in Terry Dean.
Say hello, Chris. I amso happy to be here and happy to
see you. I feel like I'vebeen m I for I don't know how
long I've had to follow you onFacebook, just so I can remember what
you look like, right, AndI was so jealous myself to you.
When I walk into the door today, I'm like, so I've been under
(00:44):
the weather for a couple of wellyou have, and I'm so sorry about
that. And so you know chanceI might be delirious by the end of
our show today. So if youstart hearing me say weird things, yeah,
it's probably the fever. Well you'renot probably the only one, because
you know, I I even somuch so have heard about people who are
quote unquote under the weather that Ithink we can point to allergies as part
(01:08):
of this. So I do havesome information about that in our news feed.
Today we'll have our doctor Terry segmentlittle later. Doctor Terry's right here
on the job. I did havea fabulous time away though. I did
two wonderful things. One was vacation, yes, thank me very much,
and had a fabulous, fabulous time. But then the other thing I did
(01:32):
has to do with the other facetof our business, and that is event
planning. I was in Virginia Beachlast week overseeing a statewide convention for a
very large organization, and that wasalso really really nice. You have the
best job. It's fun, Ido. I enjoy every moment of it.
(01:53):
I mean there's never a dull moment, that's for sure. Every day
is different. Yeah. Yeah,I'm jealous that you get to travel so
much and you get to see suchwonderful places, and I try to live
vicariously through your trips. Well,you know I've told you before, I
bore very easily, so it probablywas very fortuitous that I wound up in
(02:14):
the travel industry because I think anythingelse that would have been just a normal
desk job or normal anything job wouldhave probably bored me to tears. I
like to believe that the people whowe think have boring jobs probably think I
just can't imagine talking about travel allthe time. Yeah, I've got the
(02:37):
best job in the world. Thatmeans you're in the right job. You
are absolutely right. Ran into somany people over vacation, and also at
the convention that I oversaw that said, you know, I love my job,
and I said, well, thenyou don't work a day in your
life, and they agreed. Andso the world is a happy place because
people find the right places to work. My favorite saying when people ask me
(02:59):
if I work and rap I alwayssaying no, but I'm employed at a
radio station. Yes, absolutely,Well, Terry, I'm glad we've gotten
back together this morning because I've missedour conversation too. Yeah, it's great.
And so we missed Memorial Day.I missed I didn't miss it.
Well, no, I was rightthere. I'm saying, you and I
we didn't get to talk about.We didn't get talk about Memorial Day.
(03:19):
People are going to hear a lotabout that today. What I did you
missed? I think the last timewe may have seen each other was right
before Mother's Day was Yeah, yeah, it absolutely was. So I don't
want to ask too many questions aboutyour trip because that's the topic of today's
show, and so I want tosave that until a little later on.
So if you want to find outwhere Terry went, if you're not following
her on Facebook and just being jealousof her activities, we'll find out a
(03:43):
little later on here on a lifelesson work. Yes we will, Yes,
we will. What's going on inthe news this week, Well,
you know, interestingly enough, Iwanted to talk about something that is plaguing
a lot of folks these days,and that is allergies. Yeah, I
think that's what and I know it. It does seem odd that that sort
of trickles into the travel industry.However, I did find an article in
(04:05):
the Travel News talking about the bestand worst cities for grass allergies this summer
and for Allergy and Asthma Awareness Month. Person by the name of lawn Love
ranked the worst and best cities forgrass allergies. The three hundred and eighty
cities were actually compared Chris based ona number factors. They included allergy risk,
(04:31):
access to detection treatment resources, grasspollen forecasts, allergen intens. To
talk about boring jobs, and lawnmowing frequency. Actually people study that there's
a job for you, but thisperson study found that Washington d C.
And Lancaster, Pennsylvania had the highestpresence of significant grass allergens, while Florida
(05:00):
and Minnesota had the lowest turf allergyrisk overall, with Fort Myers, Florida
being ranked as the best due tothe two states low grass pollen forecasts and
less severe lawn allergens. And also, according to this study, seven Illinois
cities, six Connecticut cities, Philadelphia, and Washington, d C Were found
(05:23):
to have the most overall turf allergens, with all of them containing high levels
of mild, moderate, and significantallergiens. And lastly, the study found
that Chicago and New York City residentshave access to the best allergy care in
the nation. The new ranking actuallygoes as follows. If you want to
(05:45):
know about the worst cities, letme give you the lowdown. Washington d
C. Is number one, Albany, New York number two, Number three,
Virginia Beach, number four Hampton,Virginia. Five is Philledhiladelphia, and
I think we'll just leave it there. Those are the top five the best
cities you can be in for grassallergies if you want to get away from
(06:08):
the little buggers. Is number one, Fort Myers. Number two is a
place called Paradise, Nevada. Ilike just the name of it sounds good
to me. Number three is Ashland, Kentucky, and number four is Edlina,
Minnesota. And the number five cityis Plymouth, Minnesota, tied with
(06:31):
Egan, Minnesota and Bloomington, minnesolin Minnesota. So I don't know.
Maybe the air is just cleaner there. Maybe they've got more evergreens than they
do any other kind of trees.I don't know, but I can tell
you this. I've got an oaktree in my yard and I curse that
tree every day in the summer.It really it drops all kinds of stuff
(06:57):
that I cannot identify. And thoughI love the tree, you know,
there's been poems and books written aboutoak trees and how deep their roots go
and how they liken to families,and I want it gone. I want
that tree absolutely gone. So Anyway, if you do have allergies, you
(07:17):
probably shouldn't do what I do.Let's sleep with your windows open. You
probably shouldn't. They say you shouldwash your bed sheets and your pellic cases
more often during your allergy season.And then I don't know if this is
actually true or not, but eatlocal honey. Yes. Now, my
brother has always suffered from allergies,very badly. I mean, he's plagued
(07:39):
with them. He eats honey andhe gets relief and it is local honey.
Yeah, it's going to be local. It does have to be local
honey. But he does get relieffrom that. So guess what. Every
Christmas there's always a jar honey wrappedup for my brother. I love it.
Yeah, I do too. Nextin the news, Chris, we're
going to talk about some Michelin starrestaurants rising in Mexico out of all places
(08:01):
the all inclusives. There was oncea time when a culinary program at an
all inclusive resort was a little morethan just an all day buffet and a
theme night here and there, andthose days are no more. In the
past ten years, as a matterof fact, the modern all inclusive resort
has turned the traditional model on itshead, and today all inclusive resorts have
(08:24):
traded buffet lines and budget accommodations forbutler service and bolly beds and a couple
of these that I wanted to bringto our listener's attention today because they always
intrigue me. I love a placewith good food. We'll be talking about
that today. But the Coachina DiaTour Los Cabos is located within the gorgeous
(08:45):
property of the Grand Villas Los Cabosresort. It's an ocean front restaurant.
It sets the tone for just anelegant experience with dimly lit cocktail lounge where
diners gather for a drink before theyproceed into the grand dining room, and
it is receiving its Michelin star.And not to be outdone, Kochina d
(09:07):
d Autur Riviera a Maaya also founditself on the Michelin list, located at
again the Grand Vilas rivier A Maya, a place that I have been to
that property. I have to say, all of the Grand Villas properties are
a cut above. You can't evenimagine the elegance and the sophistication of this
(09:30):
property. And when you learn thatis an all inclusive you go, how
can this be? This place isamazing. I mean it is so over
the top, really something more likeyou would expect to see in Las Vegas.
It's unbelievable. And they have twoMichelin starred restaurants. They do.
They have one in Los Gabos andone in the Rivie e Maya, So
(09:54):
definitely, if you're interested, putthose two places on your list of must
seas. Also in the Revie Ramaya, the Azul Beach Resort, I've also
been here, has the list chic. I have actually dined here. It's
now shining with a Michelin star.Itself consistently been named one of the top
fifty restaurants in Latin America. Theyreally specialize in what we call fusion cooking,
(10:18):
which is really kind of a showstopping sort of way to combine food
and art and smoke and mirrors.It's quite fabulous to watch. Not only
that, the food is decadent andit is absolutely fabulous. Finally, we've
got the Hotel Escarret, Mexico's harestaurant, one of the more all inclusive
(10:43):
dining experiences not to be missed restaurantfeatures here Mexican flavors and ingredients with a
decidedly French twist. Now there yougo. There's a combo. But they
do all kinds of things while filetmignon and potatoes are topped with how secure
to Kura. If you opt forthe wine pairing, you're going to have
the opportunity to learn about the wideworld of Mexican wines here for all those
(11:07):
reasons, they pulled out their Michelinstar too, so good on them.
Nice places to eat in Mexico,and I love it because I love Mexico.
Yeah. Do you know the historyof how a tire company started handing
out stars for restaurants? I donot, actually, but I know you
do, Chris, because you keepup on that stuff. It was a
marketing ploy. They just wanted peopleto have to travel a little farther so
(11:31):
they would wear their tires out.Is that right? And so they started
ranking restaurants so that people would travelto tell how interesting fine dining that is?
Awesome? I didn't know that.I want to move on and talk
about something that I know I've hadseveral clients ask me about. I don't
know that anybody's actually ready, butDelta and United are to resume Israel flights.
(11:54):
They are set to resume flights toTel Aviv this week. As a
matter of fact, they confirmed Unanadid that one of their daily flights between
Newark and Tel Aviv was going tostart actually started on Thursday of this week.
The second daily flight is still canceleduntil June twentieth, but the carrier
had resumed flights in March, buthalted them again after I Ran launched strikes
(12:20):
on Israel in mid April. Delta'sflights between New York and Tel Aviv will
resume actually did resume sorry on Friday, which it had announced in March,
and the carrier will continue to closelymonitor this situation as we all will in
Israel in conjunction with government and privatesector partnerships. Please know, as you're
(12:41):
listening to me, that we arestill seeing travel's advisories to that area.
So while these flights have resumed,Americans should still travel to that area with
caution. American Airlines on October twentysix, that's a long way out.
They plan to resume direct service toTel Aviv as well, and the carrier
(13:05):
confirmed to Business Travel News just thispast Wednesday, Prior to that suspension,
Americans served Tel Aviv via New Yorkand they will again. So we're seeing
some parting of the seas, Iguess you could say, but Israel is
certainly in some people's must see bucketlist type trips, so you know,
(13:28):
our hearts still go out to thepeople there. There's been a lot that's
gone on, and it's a verypolarized topic depending on who you talk to,
but travel and in any event,is global, and those are things
we need to and want to addresshere on a lifeless, ordinary Next thing
that probably is going to be musicto a lot of folks heres is that
(13:50):
gas prices Chris are going to dropthis summer. According to the experts,
filling up your car finally going tobe lower, and it just started this
week with the national average dropping themost significantly, to three dollars and forty
eight cents a gallon. You takethat, Yeah, no kidding. The
weekly national average is seventeen cents cheaperthan in May and six cents less than
(14:16):
June of twenty twenty three. Thestates that are seeing the largest price changes
are Indiana, Alaska, Illinois,Florida, Michigan, Ohio, Kentucky,
Nevada, California, and Wisconsin,and all of them saw roughly about seventeen
to ten cent drop in price pergallon. Now, currently the states with
(14:37):
the cheapest average gas per gallon goahead, crank up your car and let's
get rolling. Mississippi, Arkansas,Oklahoma, Texas, Kansas, Louisiana and
Tennessee, Missouri, South Carolina andAlabama. Wasn't there a song like that
that named all of the states.Oh that's I've been everywhere, man,
(14:58):
I've been everywhere man. Yeah,And those states gas prices range from two
dollars and ninety eight cents per gallonto only three fifteen per gallon. So
I think that could bode well forpeople who are planning to drive to some
summer destination destinations yet this year,or if you've got weddings to attend or
whatever. You know, it couldbe nice as those numbers come down.
(15:20):
Inflation just eats it up. Itsure does. You're absolutely right, But
six cents, it's down from oneback in our pocket, Joie Chris.
Also in the news, Princess CruiseLine announced that they're going to partner with
the Academy of Country Music and notthat anybody really cares about those two combos,
But Princess does, and the Academyof Country Music does. I bet
(15:43):
you some country music fans are interestedin, which I sartantee you they.
Princess is now the official cruise partneras a matter of fact, of the
Academy of Country Music. The Cruiseline helped celebrate the fifty ninth Academy of
Country Music Awards show that was hostedby Ruba McIntyre in case you missed it
last month on the Red Carpet.They had interviews with artists and nominees on
(16:03):
the Princess stage, so they're gettinga little cred for their participation. Moving
forward, Princess is also Chris goingto be the presenting sponsor of the new
ACM Live from the Red Barrel Loungeseries at the Academy's headquarters in Nashville this
summer. Is that Blake Shelton's lounge, the Red Barrel Lounge. I'm not
(16:26):
sure. I'm not sure, soyou can call in and tell me how
wrong I am if you want to, or you can tell me how right
I was. But this series isgoing to feature performances from new and emerging
country artists. The cruise line isalso going to welcome some of the artists
on board future Princess trips, SoI know that's going to excite a lot
of people. Country music is big, you know, and I mean,
(16:48):
look what just happened. Beyonce steppedover into the country music ranks. Can
you believe that? Of which Noeordstraight said, I'm sorry, that's not
cut. If you've heard the song, I don't know if that's country either.
Yeah, Blake Shelton's bar, whatdid you say it's called? Well,
I don't know. This is thered barrel lound. His bar is
called old Red, old Red.I knew it was something red, but
(17:11):
okay. Princess obviously is incredibly proudto partner with the ACM and to showcase
the next big country stars. Countrymusic has a special place in the hearts
of a lot of the guests onPrincess, and this partnership is going to
allow them to bring unparalleled experiences onboard and combine that love for cruising in
(17:32):
country music in a unique and memorableway. So there you go. I
think that bodes well for what we'vegot going on in the news. And
guess what, Chris not a singlebit of that was bad news today makes
me happy. Yeah, we needmore of those kind of news sings one
of those. Yeah. So ourshow today is called mouse Free Zone.
(17:53):
Does this have anything to do withthe famous mouse that we all know?
It does have everything to do withthat. Well, let's find out exactly
why it's going to be a mousefree zone next here on a Life Less
Ordinary. Protect your vacation investment withguidance from a travel professional. The wishing
Well knows travel and helps you avoidpitfalls they can spoil your hard earned vacation.
We'll plan your trip and have yourback as you travel. All of
(18:15):
this without support or so called conveniencefees. We're on the web at the
Wishingwell dot bizz or call us atfive four zero nine zero eight two three
three three. That's five four zeronine zero eight two thirty three three.
The washing Well really does make dreamscome true and welcome back to a Life
Less Ordinary, the travel show andpodcasts from your friends at the wishing Well.
(18:37):
You can find them on f Avenuein Harrisonburg, online at the Wishingwell
dot biz, or give them acall. It's five four to zho nine
oh eight. Twenty three, thirtythree, and we're joined by Terry Dean,
as we are most Saturday mornings atthis time, except for when she's
galivanning around Central Florida. Did alittle gallivanning hang out with some famous Disney
(19:02):
cares. And you know what elseI'm noticing, Chris, I'm smiling a
whole lot more. Well, it'sit does. But there's something so very
medicinal about vacation, and I neededit. You know, I send people
(19:22):
all over the world every single day, and sometimes it's tough to sit at
your desk and go another day atwork. You know, even though I
love what I do. I mean, never get me wrong, I would
do what I did if I nevergot to eat or sleep. I know
I would. But at some pointyou want to go yourself. And I'm
(19:45):
not lying when I say there's somethingvery medicinal about it. I think we
need to recharge as human beings.We long to just be us for a
while. And I got to dothat, and I got to do it
actually with a goal in mind,Chris. When I went on vacation this
year, I said, you know, as my stupid brain sometimes functions,
(20:11):
I want to combine work and vacation. That's just the way I am.
And so my goal here was,you know, everybody goes to Florida,
and where do they go? Theyhead right for Disney Walt Disney World.
They sure do. And I thought, what would a vacation look like if
you didn't if you didn't do that, what else is down there? Where
(20:34):
else can you go? What elsecan you do? Family oriented things that
may or may not include a dayat Disney doesn't have to, but what
else is there? And can thatstill be a remarkable, over the top
vacation like Disney reports to be toeverybody who goes. You may not believe
(20:57):
this, but I've done that exactlyvacation. Well, then you're going to
identify with everything that I talk abouttoday. I'm sure you will. Played
a lot of putt putt golf.I did not do that. It was
it was a little bit hot putputt. And then we went one afternoon
slash evening to Main Street, USA. I think is that the one where
(21:19):
it's outside of the park Disney Springsis what they call that net okay,
And it was a road and hadsome restaurants and stores exactly, And so
I got the best of Disney.I got to go to the gift shop,
I got to get some food thereyou go, and I didn't have
to pay admission there you go.So it was good. It was a
good afternoon. So I did havesome specific goals in mind for this trip,
(21:44):
and I am here to tell youthat I am a great travel agent.
I exceeded all of my expectations.How could that be any better?
Right? So, and I haveto tell you guys, as a full
time owner of a full travel agency, radio host and manager of an event
and flora boutique, it can bereally challenging to schedule some personal travel time
(22:08):
that really can be time that isjust devoted to enjoyment and family, and
so in many instances that time hasto be carved out over major holidays when
our offices are going to be closed. Anyway, this year, the Memorial
Day week look pretty good for mygetaway, and that turned out to be
a really good decision. Now here'sthe good news bad news about holiday travel
(22:32):
though. First the good news,when the holiday falls on a Monday,
like Memorial Day, you can startyour vacation on the previous Saturday and vacation
all the way through the following Sunday, which, in case you're not doing
your math right now, that isnine glorious days of vacation while you only
(22:52):
have to take off for work forfour. Who doesn't love that five bonus
days of vacation, Chris? Yes? Please, Yes. Also talk about
using the calendar to your advantage,and that's exactly what I did this time.
So in case that wasn't clear,Setting your travel dates and arranging your
schedule around workdays and holidays really forvacations, that ought to be step number
(23:17):
one for most everybody, and itwas for me. Now, this might
not be step number two for you, but it was for me, and
that was budget Let me explain.I had discussed going to Dollywood with my
daughter. It's a destination that actuallyhas eluded me. And famous country music
star and business entrepreneur Dolly Parton justreleased and opened a brand new resort property
(23:42):
in Pigeonforge not too long ago,and I was really eager to check that
out. I wanted to see it. Plus I thought it would be extra
extra fund for my daughter. AndI won't lie though. It wasn't entirely
budget friendly, but I bit thebullet and I proceeded with a reservation there
until this amazing deal floated across mydesk to Orlando. Now, mind you,
(24:06):
I had this reservation to Dollywood andthen I saw Orlando, and I
won't lie. Orlando is not usuallyat the top of my priority. I
mean, when it comes to travelinganymore, as I've grown more mature in
the travel industry, things like Europegrab my attention. You know, more
(24:26):
exotic type, small luxury cruises grabmy attention. It's not usually Orlando.
However, turns out I could purchaseairline tickets NonStop from Richmond to Orlando,
stay in a five star hotel atthe hightt Regency Grand Cypress that has an
eighty thousand ton water feature complete withwaterfalls and caves, airport to hotel transfers,
(24:52):
and breakfast every day for less thanmy four nights at Dollywood were going
to cost me. Hmm, Isaid, don't mind if I do.
So that turned out to be whythat decision was made. It fell over
the same holiday, and quite frankly, I was surprised because you know,
(25:15):
Orlando is typically pretty busy. It'sa family destination, so I was really
surprised to see a deal quote unquotedeal to Orlando, but I want to
tell you a little bit about whatI experienced and how this turned out for
me. But the Hyatt Regency GrandCypress, I can't say enough about.
It's really the epitome of luxury andserenity. And if you want to follow
(25:38):
along as I go through this today, I have posted some great pictures on
our wishing Well Facebook page and havealso shared those over to my personal page.
If you're friends with me on Facebook, it's Terry A. Dean,
so you can find these pictures eitherthere or at the wishing Well on Facebook.
(26:00):
Now, in the lobby of theHighatt Regency, you've got this convenient
little market that specializes in great breakfastgrabs I like to call it, as
well as gourmet salads for an afternoonpickup. They've also got a variety of
baked goods and pastries there, aswell as yogurts, ice creams and drinks
of all kinds. You get thepicture. It's really stuff that you can
(26:22):
just cash and carry. So youknow you're going High Regency. Oh yeah,
I bet the food is really expensivethere. Well, you know,
they throw in the market and allof a sudden, now it's not only
convenient, but it is less expensiveas well, so that's kind of a
win win. That's perfect if youreally don't want or you don't need,
a full restaurant dining experience. Andalso in the lobby for evenings or late
(26:45):
nights, there's a full service foodand beverage lounge bar. So if you
do want that experience and you wantto be inside and you want to have
that and you want to just kickback and relax, yeah, they got
that. It's great now not tobe outdone for daytime culinary experiences. The
Hyatt also the High Regency Grand Cipress, We're still talking about the same place.
(27:07):
They feature two very upscale restaurants.One is called the lake House and
the Four Flamingos, which is aRichard Blais Florida kitchen. I don't know
if you know who that is.He is a very famous chef. I've
watched him on TV a lot.The lake House is superb for breakfast buffet
while the Four Flamingos is really afeast for the eyes as well as the
(27:32):
palette. And like I said,I've been watching this celebrity chef compete on
TV for a number of years,so I was really excited when I learned
that he had opened a restaurant wherewas actually going to be staying in Florida.
It was great. Four Flamingos hasthis old Florida you know. I
would almost even liken it to someof the restaurants in places that I saw
(27:56):
on a trip in Cuba. That'sthe closest that the decor came to something
else I had seen. So FourFlamingos really has that old Florida dark wooden
floors, elegant dining tables, Floridaceiling windows, lots of pink, pink
Flamingos. Shocking, I know,but of course they have all of that,
(28:18):
so really does kind of put youin mind of sort of a Cuban
vibe, if you will. Now, the menu features seafood and steaks there,
and that all has sort of aCaribbean style twist, i'd call it.
And the menu is described by theMichelin Restaurant God as a contemporary Americana
(28:38):
meets the Tropics, and yes itdoes have a Michelin star. So it
was that quality of food as well, and I'd wholeheartedly agree after trying dishes
there, like the ham and cheesecroquettes, seafood stew, and oh,
my gosh, the decadent swordfish.I don't know, do you like swordfish?
(29:03):
Have you ever tried it before?Oh? It is fabulous. It's
like a white steak. It's soamazing. I have had that actually mahi.
Yeah, almost the texture of asteak, but with that really fabulous
white meat. Wow. Oh lordie, my mouth is watering right now.
And then they've got a lobster tankthere, Chris. It's the main feature
(29:26):
of the four Flamingos restaurant and alot of evenings, I was told that
the restaurant offers what they call offmenu specials that include fresh lobster from that
tank. That's a little pricier thanmost of the average family meals, but
you could definitely chalk this one upto a two for one experience great food
(29:48):
and culinary entertainment. And when youdo that, the price is just right,
you know, when you call diningentertainment, and you can really make
that price equal both of those twothings. It's worth it all the way.
Really great restaurant, something to try, and all under one roof.
At the Hyatt Grand Cypress. Ifeel like when you take a vacation.
(30:08):
You should treat one of your mealsas an event. I agree, budget
budget for it. Know that you'regonna spend five or ten times as much
as you normally spend on a dinner. But it's gonna be fun, it's
gonna be worth it, and you'regoing to create memory sweeping do that.
And that's a good point. Andthe question is why do that? Well,
(30:30):
I have a theory. You probablyhave one I'd be interested in hearing.
But my theory is this, Ican't get that here and I'm there,
and I want to experience things minusbecause I tend to I tend to
be so frugal when I travel.I'm like, I don't want to spend
(30:51):
all this money. I don't Iwant to have a nice time, but
I don't want to go broke doingit. And I always feel like,
if I have one nice meal,the rest of my frugality is acceptable because
I'm going to have this memorable meal. We did that on our honeymoon.
We ate pizza in the basement ofone of the casinos with the employees.
I mean, one night to makeup for the fact that we went to
(31:14):
Wolfgang Puck's restaurant and had one ofthe most delicious meals we've ever had.
Well, here's what was interesting aboutthe Four Flamingos. Now, mind you,
this is a renowned chef who hascreated the menu there, and as
a matter of fact, he's goingto be in residence there at the hotel
and at the Four Flamingos next week, which is great. But you would
(31:37):
expect, probably just hearing this,to go, oh sure, So,
I'm absolutely certain meals there are goingto be probably fifty nine, if not
sixty five and up not so.Dinner entrees were pricing at about twenty five
to thirty nine dollars for some ofthe things that I just told you about,
the ham and cheese croquettes, theseafood stew, the swordfish was a
(32:00):
little bit more. It's only whenyou go into the specialty typ meals,
like you want to get one ofthose lobsters out of the tank, Yeah,
that's going to cost you a littlebit more. Surf and turf would
as well, not necessarily because ofthe seafood, but because of the beef.
Beef is skyrocketing right now, andthey have the wagou beef that they
serve at the Four flamingos alongside ofthe surf. So you have that fabulous
(32:24):
meal. Yes, that's going tocost you about one hundred and ten dollars
a plate, but I'm told bysome of the guests who were there,
who were enjoying it, that itwas worth every penny. So you're right,
Chris. I mean that tends tobe and should be I think part
of your overall vacation experience, becauseyou remember it, you talk about it.
(32:46):
It's something that is part of theselective enjoyment that you have when you're
there. Now, there were someother great unintended consequences that came from my
decision to do this that I don'thave any regrets about. One being that
over these same dates, Epcot washolding their annual Flower and Garden Show.
(33:13):
I own a floral boutique, sofor me, it was an absolute must
see. I had to do that. I know we're calling this a mouse
free zone, but I really feltlike, because I do own a floral
boutique, that this was an absolutemust see and I wanted my daughter to
seat as well. And for theprice of admission to Epcot, we were
(33:35):
also able to enjoy a free concertby one of my favorite groups, a
group called Casting Crowns the same daywith the purchase of a dinner in Epcot,
which we had to eat anyway.So we had the dinner, we
got free concert tickets and we wereguaranteed because we did that package of premium
tickets to the concert. So wehad VIP seeding, which was great,
(33:59):
not a bad deal and at agreat concert. So the ironic thing was
it was not even I wasn't evenconsidering going to any of the Disney parks
until I found out about the Flowerand Garden Show, So how could I
not go? You know, itwas just fabulous. Now, admission price
to Epcot for the Flower and GardenShow, I'm not so family friendly.
(34:22):
One hundred and ninety dollars per person. Ouch yeah ouch, I you know
one of these days a year afteryear, I have sent and addressed emails
and letters to the Disney folks becauseI'm a travel agent and I'm an owner
of a travel agency, and haveappealed to them about becoming more family friendly
(34:46):
with their costs, with their admissions. And do you know what they've said,
nothing crickets have churched. Yeah,yep, So I can complain about
that endlessly, but I mean,I don't see that changing anytime soon.
However, I certainly made the mostout of this park. I thoroughly,
(35:07):
thoroughly enjoyed the Flowering Garden show isspectacular, but also enjoyed the adult style
entertainment while I was in the park. And I want to be sure to
share the special accommodations that Epcot providesfor the handling of special needs folks.
Now, for those of you wholisten to us regularly here, I do
(35:28):
want to share, and may haveshared this before. I have a special
needs daughter. She's thirty six yearsold, but navigating a park of the
size of Epcot would be unsurmountable forher. She has some cerebral palsy,
so her walking is very challenged,at least for eight to ten hours,
which is when you're in these parks. So I was able to get a
(35:51):
wheelchair for her. Guest services wasvery accommodating. They actually had an endless
number of wheelchairs and they rent foronly twelve dollars per day. So if
you have someone who's elderly in yourfamily, or someone with special needs or
walking disabilities for that matter, considera twelve dollars wheelchair. It makes your
(36:13):
life so much easier. And there'swhile you're in the park, and if
you are off site as we were, and you can even leave the wheelchair
at the shuttle bus departure areas andDisney will send somebody out there and retrieve
it and bring it back into thepark for you. What could be easier.
So what I'm saying is you don'thave to actually wheel that chair back
(36:37):
to where you got it. Theyallow you to take it all the way
out to the shuttle buses that aregoing to the off site hotels, so
that it's convenient for whoever's using it. I loved that. I thought that
was great. Conversely, now Iwant to tell you about the other experience
I had in Disney Springs. Now, Disney Springs is one of the only
(37:00):
free attractions that Disney has that youdon't have to pay admission to, and
we'll get to that in just aminute. The wheelchair there renting for the
same twelve dollars, but there wasalso a refundable one hundred dollars deposit that
was required for that chair, andyou had to return it to the rental
location where you picked up the chair, and getting from there to the shuttle
(37:23):
bus stop was on your own.So come on, Disney Springs, get
your ada act services together and upto date a little bit more with the
rest of the Disney parks. Please, I beg of you, because that
was really inconvenient. The rest ofDisney Springs I'll talk to you about in
(37:43):
just a minute. But that partwas not convenient, and this part presented
quite a challenge for my daughter.Now, as far as things to do
in Epcot, we've really tried notto leave any stone unturned. We were
only there one day, of course, and including a di inner reservation and
a concert, I think we packeda heck of a lot in. If
(38:04):
you want to know the truth,Now you've been to Disney, have you,
Oh, when I was a littlekid, when you were a kid.
Okay, so it's time you goback. Things have changed a lot,
and then this Disney Springs, Iguess, is where I was as
an adult more than likely. Yes. Now, some of the things that
I enjoyed there and Epcot was becauseit was very hot, you know,
(38:25):
you like my saying it was sohot you might as well lick the sum.
So getting into some of these attractionswas really important. It was the
Memorial Day holiday weekend, so theparks were packed. But I will tell
you the longest line that I stoodin was fifty minutes, and that was
for one of the most sought afterattractions in the park called Frozen ever After,
(38:52):
So that when we did and weonly stood in line for that for
fifty minutes, and we enjoyed theSeas with Nemo and Friends Living with the
Land, which is really educational.It talks about what's going on in conservation
and ways in which our researchers arelooking to utilize our land better and create
more sustainability. I enjoyed that partvery much. The American Adventure, which
(39:15):
really tells the story of the Americanpeople, set to as only Walt Disney
can do animation, and it wasreally great. Our Awesome Planet again,
more information about the sustainability of theland and that kind of thing. Beauty
and the Beast sing along, whichmy daughter thoroughly enjoyed or was she asleep,
I can't remember, but either way, very much, Yes, Yes,
(39:39):
and Journey into Imagination. All ofthat. Good news is all of
those attractions were perfect for people whoare challenged or special needs. Adults and
children, with a wheelchair. Wouldhighly recommend that you use the Disney App
for making your most of the timein the park, even for a day.
(39:59):
I wasn't sure about it, soI went ahead and just loaded the
Disney App, and actually the apppointed me to the next best attraction to
go to given the time that Ihad in the park. I told it
how much time I had in thepark for the day, and it really
charted all of the things based onwait times for rides or attractions, and
(40:22):
we got through with no problem.It was incredible. Talk about a great
use of technology at Disney, andit really is what allowed us to plan
our visit without wasting time between anyof those experiences. So that was really
my one day at Epcot, andI was glad it was just a day
because it was hot and it waskind of draining. At the end of
(40:43):
the day, we were tired.Now, another unintended consequence, as I
said, was that free transportation thatwas offered from our hotel, the Higatt
Grand Cypress, to Disney Springs forthe day. Now, for those of
you who don't know about Disney Springs, it's the only totally free Disney park,
and within this park, there aresome top notch restaurants and shops,
(41:08):
including pastry makers and chocolateers, soyou can really kind of watch what they're
doing and get involved with that.At another level, it's easy to walk
around here and something is always goingon around a lot of the restaurants live
entertainment. You'll see on some ofthe postings that I did on Facebook,
(41:30):
Chris there was the most amazing Spanishguitarist that I have ever witnessed in my
life. He was a showstopper andthat was all free, totally free.
There's a fabulous circusole show within DisneySprings that does charge it admission, but
(41:52):
it's worth every penny. We wentto see that. The name of the
show is drawn to life, andit incorporates Walt Disney's love of animation and
the emotional heart string tugging moments anda bit of whimsy and a whole lot
of acrobatic skill and athleticism. Soit's really a show not to be missed.
I almost didn't. We went toDisney Springs because we had that free
(42:13):
shuttle every day and it always leftat about four o'clock in the afternoon when
it was cooler. Part of theday and came back. Last one was
about ten o'clock, and the firstday that we went, we just kind
of checked out the shops and therestaurants, kind of got a lay of
the land. I saw the certainsolet show there and I went, eh,
I'm not sure, maybe maybe not. We did it. I'm so
(42:36):
glad we did it. Ten Itwas one of the highlights. Don't ever
let a cert Tolay show pass youby. Oh it was fabulous, absolutely
fabulous. I can highly recommend it. The other thing, the other unintended
consequence of going to Disney Springs again, Remember, folks, I said it
was free, didn't have to payfor this. Disney had just begun that
(42:59):
week Disney Drone Light Show, andI mean to tell you, I've never
experienced anything quite like it. Youhave these literally thousands of drones up in
the air making some sort of characteror something out of lights, and it
(43:22):
changes every five seconds. The imagechanges, the drones go away, a
whole new pack of drones come outwith and all you see at first are
these thousands of drones coming out withlights shining, and within minutes they have
created this spectacular image up in thesky that looks every bit like a light
(43:44):
bright that you have when you werea kid. It's just amazing to witness
that, and I was so happywe were there for that. One of
the most entertaining experiences we had.Do this. It's worth it again.
The big challenge here was the wheelchairpole. But if you can get past
that, or if you don't needone, it's perfect. Now. Because
(44:06):
I was interested in combining vacation andwork, I can't seem to help myself.
I deliberately made reservations for additional experiencesat other off site Disney resorts.
We're going to talk about that.We'll talk about that next year on a
Lifeless Ordinary. Protect your vacation investmentwith guidance from a travel professional. The
wishing Well knows travel and help youavoid pitfalls they can spoil your hard earned
(44:29):
vacation. We'll plan your trip andhave your back as you travel. All
of this without support or so calledconvenience fees. We're on the web at
tho Wishingwell dot biz or call usat five four zero nine zero eight two
three three three. That's five fourzero nine zero eight two three three three.
The washing Well really does make dreamscome true. And welcome back to
(44:51):
a life less Ordinary. The travelshow and podcasts from your friends at the
wishing Well. Find them on thef Avenue in Harrisonburg, online at the
wishing Well dot biz, or givethem a call at five four h nine
eight twenty three thirty three every Saturdaymorning at ten am. You can find
us here on the radio or anytimeon the free iHeartRadio wrapper on the wishing
Well dot this website and you canlisten to this in past episodes. Now
(45:16):
our show today is called mouse FreeZone, and we're talking about Terry's Memorial
Day holiday at Disney and Orlando area. But now I guess we're going to
get to the mouse free part becauseyou had you made some plans outside the
Disney property. Did And you know, I'm probably not the easiest person in
the world to travel with, peoplehave told me, because I'm not still.
(45:40):
I don't stay still, I reallydo. I love to try,
like to learn things. I liketo grab as much information from an area
as I can absorb. And soinstead of just staying at one hotel and
calling it quits, you know,I felt like I really wanted to add
two other properties that were off siteDisney properties, and I wanted to see
them, but I wanted to seethem in a way that I could incorporate
(46:05):
going to them seamlessly into my ownvacation plan. So I want to tell
you about how I did that.The next resort on my list, Chris,
was the Lowe's Royal Pacific Resort.Now that's actually an off site Universal
upscale hotel, Universal Park Hotel,and what a beauty this is. Lowe's
Royal Pacific Resort is a premium hotel. It's within walking or boat distance of
(46:30):
the Universal Studios Florida and Islands ofAdventure. They've got unlimited Front of Line
Express passes there and rides in boththeme parks. So it really is conveniently
located to Universal, but I wantedto see it. So it's themed to
the South Pacific. The Royal Pacifichas kind of a sense of adventure.
(46:51):
It's another transportive resort at Universal Orlando. It kind of makes you think of
a bygone era. That's the bestway I can describe. It feels like
a luxurious resort you'd find in theSouth Pacific. Maybe if you ever saw
the movie South Pacific, it wouldput you in the mind of that catering
to definitely affluent world travelers. Ironically, it's the kind of place I thought
(47:15):
where you'd find Lilian and Walt Disney. Actually that they might have stayed there
during their globe trotting adventures when theywere still living. But Lowe's Royal Pacific
Resort has a lot of selling points. But this grand and beautiful executed theme
is one thing that makes it particularlyappealing to the universal theme park fans.
(47:37):
The hotel towes the line between ruggedexploration, I think, and refined opulence.
At least that's what I thought,with lush and beautiful grounds, kind
of fitting the sophisticated Orchid Court loungeand its reflection pool there. If this
is painting a picture for you,I'm glad. Statues of Imperial Elephant,
(48:00):
I mean, it's just gorgeous.It's like you've stepped into Thailand is the
way I would describe it. Butwhat enticed me here, Chris, was
that Lowe's Royal Pacific has a nightlyHawaiian luel. This is a fabulous evening
of entertainment, glorious, authentic Hawaiianfood, drinks, and desserts. I'd
(48:21):
give the show an eight out often, but the dinner and drinks were
a solid ten. Plenty to eatquality dishes, outstanding presentation complete with real
floral Hawaiian lays. It was great. Now. Next on my hotel list
had to be the Four Seasons Orlandoat Walt Disney World. This one is
a stunner, sophisticated, luxurious,top notch. What made me go to
(48:44):
this resort in particular? Well,this time it was their outstanding Sunday brunch
menu in their Michelin Star restaurant.We enjoyed this meal situated on their beautiful
manicured golf course with views for miles, and were escorted of one from one
into the property to the other ina luxurious golf cart with air conditioning.
(49:04):
Thank you very much, YEP.Appreciated and necessary the word the food in
a word, actually delicious. Itwas wonderful. Now. The other thing
that I wanted to address is actuallytransportation, because as you know, I
stayed off site, so I wantedto address that Florida has crazy traffic.
And you know, Chris, youknow me. I don't drive. I
(49:28):
hate traffic. I hate driving intraffic. I'm not lying. I would
never attempt to drive in that craziness, so I discovered the magic world of
Uber. Okay, it was somuch fun because the concierge actually at the
Hyatt where we stayed graciously helped mewith the Uber app on my phone,
and in minutes I was conveniently goinganywhere and everywhere we wanted to venture to
(49:51):
fair price transportation by locals who knowand are comfortable with most any traffic condition
in Florida, arriving within minutes ofbeing summoned. Love love, love this
way of transportation. So hopefully thisreview of my off site Orlando experience may
have tweaked your interest. I hopeso, and let you know just how
(50:14):
exciting and wonderful a vacation can beto Orlando with or without mouse ears.
It sounds like you had a blast. It was absolutely Yeah. The heat
is something that I don't like,but we got away with being in it
daily because of this fabulous resort,pool and complex at the Hyatt Grand Cypress.
(50:40):
I mean, if you have notlooked up this particular hotel online,
please do so. It is aresort unto itself. You don't need a
water park. As a matter offact, one day we did go to
Aquatica, which is a Sea Worldfamily of branded water parks. I thought
that might be fun for Morgan fora day. First of all, it's
(51:01):
not special needs friendly, but two, it was Memorial Day. They had
had a special forty nine dollars entryplus ten dollars all you could eat and
drink. Every local in Florida wasthere, and I would say it was
too crowded to enjoy and the sanitationwasn't what wasn't up to my standards.
(51:23):
So we kind of just chalked thatup as a lost afternoon and went back
to the pool at the Hyatt andsaid this is much better. Yeah,
yeah, And it was, andI enjoyed it very much. I could
highly recommend Orlando is a destination andyou can be very creative with the things
that you do. That's what wedid. We loved it. We had
(51:44):
such a great time. I know, we talk about this all the time
about you know, the best vacationis the vacation that's right for you,
exactly. And it sounds like youmade the best out of the vacation you
designed. Yes, And as yousaid at the beginning, you're an ex
travel agent. I am, Iam, I'm such a good travel agent.
(52:04):
I even like what I do,so you know, I had a
great time. I was really hopingto have, you know, Morgan,
have a good time. That wasthat was my goal, and we accomplished
that and I think exceeded our expectations. Well, I always enjoy when we
talk about places that you've personally experienced, because well, we know that you've
(52:27):
experienced it and makes it real ifwe want to experience it firsthand, can
we contact you? You absolutely can. And I'm so easy to find and
I'm happy these days, so youget a good Terry. I'm located at
two forty three and f Avenue inHarrisonburg in the Valley Center. You can
call us at five four oh nineoh eight two three three three or look
(52:49):
us up on the web. Weare at the wishing Well dot biz.
And please do check out all ofthe great pictures from my vacation on Facebook.
You'll find it at the wishing Wellor Terry a Dean. I'll post
those Pistol link Forum in the descriptionof our podcast. It'd be excellent.
Yeah, so few so go tothe Iron Thank you from there. If
(53:09):
you go to the iHeartRadio app orthe wishing Well dompz. You'll have the
links to the Facebook and thank youall for joining us here every week on
a Lifeless Ordinary. It's fun forme. I love being with you in
your living room or your kitchen,wherever you listen to us, and we're
always happy to bring you the world. This has been a life Less Ordinary.
The travel show from your friends atthe wishing Well at two forty three
(53:30):
nep Avenue in Harrisonburg. If youhave any questions on topics discussed today,
please reach out to The wishing Wellonline at the wishing Well dop biz or
five four oh nine oh eight twentythree thirty three. Past episodes are available
on the iHeartRadio app. And we'llsee you again next Saturday morning at ten
for a life Less Ordinary from thewishing Well
This is a Lifeless Ordinary. It'sa travel show and podcasts from your friends
at the wishing Well two forty threef avenue in harsmerg and online at the
wishing Well dot this. The wishingWell is your ultimate luxury concierge, travel
agency and a Lifeless Ordinary is atravel show and podcast hosted by Terry Dean,
bringing her over forty years of experiencein the travel industry to help guide
(00:21):
you to great experiences in your travel, whether it be around the block,
around the country, or around theworld. Let's bring in Terry Dean.
Say hello, Chris. I amso happy to be here and happy to
see you. I feel like I'vebeen m I for I don't know how
long I've had to follow you onFacebook, just so I can remember what
you look like, right, AndI was so jealous myself to you.
When I walk into the door today, I'm like, so I've been under
(00:44):
the weather for a couple of wellyou have, and I'm so sorry about
that. And so you know chanceI might be delirious by the end of
our show today. So if youstart hearing me say weird things, yeah,
it's probably the fever. Well you'renot probably the only one, because
you know, I I even somuch so have heard about people who are
quote unquote under the weather that Ithink we can point to allergies as part
(01:08):
of this. So I do havesome information about that in our news feed.
Today we'll have our doctor Terry segmentlittle later. Doctor Terry's right here
on the job. I did havea fabulous time away though. I did
two wonderful things. One was vacation, yes, thank me very much,
and had a fabulous, fabulous time. But then the other thing I did
(01:32):
has to do with the other facetof our business, and that is event
planning. I was in Virginia Beachlast week overseeing a statewide convention for a
very large organization, and that wasalso really really nice. You have the
best job. It's fun, Ido. I enjoy every moment of it.
(01:53):
I mean there's never a dull moment, that's for sure. Every day
is different. Yeah. Yeah,I'm jealous that you get to travel so
much and you get to see suchwonderful places, and I try to live
vicariously through your trips. Well,you know I've told you before, I
bore very easily, so it probablywas very fortuitous that I wound up in
(02:14):
the travel industry because I think anythingelse that would have been just a normal
desk job or normal anything job wouldhave probably bored me to tears. I
like to believe that the people whowe think have boring jobs probably think I
just can't imagine talking about travel allthe time. Yeah, I've got the
(02:37):
best job in the world. Thatmeans you're in the right job. You
are absolutely right. Ran into somany people over vacation, and also at
the convention that I oversaw that said, you know, I love my job,
and I said, well, thenyou don't work a day in your
life, and they agreed. Andso the world is a happy place because
people find the right places to work. My favorite saying when people ask me
(02:59):
if I work and rap I alwayssaying no, but I'm employed at a
radio station. Yes, absolutely,Well, Terry, I'm glad we've gotten
back together this morning because I've missedour conversation too. Yeah, it's great.
And so we missed Memorial Day.I missed I didn't miss it.
Well, no, I was rightthere. I'm saying, you and I
we didn't get to talk about.We didn't get talk about Memorial Day.
(03:19):
People are going to hear a lotabout that today. What I did you
missed? I think the last timewe may have seen each other was right
before Mother's Day was Yeah, yeah, it absolutely was. So I don't
want to ask too many questions aboutyour trip because that's the topic of today's
show, and so I want tosave that until a little later on.
So if you want to find outwhere Terry went, if you're not following
her on Facebook and just being jealousof her activities, we'll find out a
(03:43):
little later on here on a lifelesson work. Yes we will, Yes,
we will. What's going on inthe news this week, Well,
you know, interestingly enough, Iwanted to talk about something that is plaguing
a lot of folks these days,and that is allergies. Yeah, I
think that's what and I know it. It does seem odd that that sort
of trickles into the travel industry.However, I did find an article in
(04:05):
the Travel News talking about the bestand worst cities for grass allergies this summer
and for Allergy and Asthma Awareness Month. Person by the name of lawn Love
ranked the worst and best cities forgrass allergies. The three hundred and eighty
cities were actually compared Chris based ona number factors. They included allergy risk,
(04:31):
access to detection treatment resources, grasspollen forecasts, allergen intens. To
talk about boring jobs, and lawnmowing frequency. Actually people study that there's
a job for you, but thisperson study found that Washington d C.
And Lancaster, Pennsylvania had the highestpresence of significant grass allergens, while Florida
(05:00):
and Minnesota had the lowest turf allergyrisk overall, with Fort Myers, Florida
being ranked as the best due tothe two states low grass pollen forecasts and
less severe lawn allergens. And also, according to this study, seven Illinois
cities, six Connecticut cities, Philadelphia, and Washington, d C Were found
(05:23):
to have the most overall turf allergens, with all of them containing high levels
of mild, moderate, and significantallergiens. And lastly, the study found
that Chicago and New York City residentshave access to the best allergy care in
the nation. The new ranking actuallygoes as follows. If you want to
(05:45):
know about the worst cities, letme give you the lowdown. Washington d
C. Is number one, Albany, New York number two, Number three,
Virginia Beach, number four Hampton,Virginia. Five is Philledhiladelphia, and
I think we'll just leave it there. Those are the top five the best
cities you can be in for grassallergies if you want to get away from
(06:08):
the little buggers. Is number one, Fort Myers. Number two is a
place called Paradise, Nevada. Ilike just the name of it sounds good
to me. Number three is Ashland, Kentucky, and number four is Edlina,
Minnesota. And the number five cityis Plymouth, Minnesota, tied with
(06:31):
Egan, Minnesota and Bloomington, minnesolin Minnesota. So I don't know.
Maybe the air is just cleaner there. Maybe they've got more evergreens than they
do any other kind of trees.I don't know, but I can tell
you this. I've got an oaktree in my yard and I curse that
tree every day in the summer.It really it drops all kinds of stuff
(06:57):
that I cannot identify. And thoughI love the tree, you know,
there's been poems and books written aboutoak trees and how deep their roots go
and how they liken to families,and I want it gone. I want
that tree absolutely gone. So Anyway, if you do have allergies, you
(07:17):
probably shouldn't do what I do.Let's sleep with your windows open. You
probably shouldn't. They say you shouldwash your bed sheets and your pellic cases
more often during your allergy season.And then I don't know if this is
actually true or not, but eatlocal honey. Yes. Now, my
brother has always suffered from allergies,very badly. I mean, he's plagued
(07:39):
with them. He eats honey andhe gets relief and it is local honey.
Yeah, it's going to be local. It does have to be local
honey. But he does get relieffrom that. So guess what. Every
Christmas there's always a jar honey wrappedup for my brother. I love it.
Yeah, I do too. Nextin the news, Chris, we're
going to talk about some Michelin starrestaurants rising in Mexico out of all places
(08:01):
the all inclusives. There was oncea time when a culinary program at an
all inclusive resort was a little morethan just an all day buffet and a
theme night here and there, andthose days are no more. In the
past ten years, as a matterof fact, the modern all inclusive resort
has turned the traditional model on itshead, and today all inclusive resorts have
(08:24):
traded buffet lines and budget accommodations forbutler service and bolly beds and a couple
of these that I wanted to bringto our listener's attention today because they always
intrigue me. I love a placewith good food. We'll be talking about
that today. But the Coachina DiaTour Los Cabos is located within the gorgeous
(08:45):
property of the Grand Villas Los Cabosresort. It's an ocean front restaurant.
It sets the tone for just anelegant experience with dimly lit cocktail lounge where
diners gather for a drink before theyproceed into the grand dining room, and
it is receiving its Michelin star.And not to be outdone, Kochina d
(09:07):
d Autur Riviera a Maaya also founditself on the Michelin list, located at
again the Grand Vilas rivier A Maya, a place that I have been to
that property. I have to say, all of the Grand Villas properties are
a cut above. You can't evenimagine the elegance and the sophistication of this
(09:30):
property. And when you learn thatis an all inclusive you go, how
can this be? This place isamazing. I mean it is so over
the top, really something more likeyou would expect to see in Las Vegas.
It's unbelievable. And they have twoMichelin starred restaurants. They do.
They have one in Los Gabos andone in the Rivie e Maya, So
(09:54):
definitely, if you're interested, putthose two places on your list of must
seas. Also in the Revie Ramaya, the Azul Beach Resort, I've also
been here, has the list chic. I have actually dined here. It's
now shining with a Michelin star.Itself consistently been named one of the top
fifty restaurants in Latin America. Theyreally specialize in what we call fusion cooking,
(10:18):
which is really kind of a showstopping sort of way to combine food
and art and smoke and mirrors.It's quite fabulous to watch. Not only
that, the food is decadent andit is absolutely fabulous. Finally, we've
got the Hotel Escarret, Mexico's harestaurant, one of the more all inclusive
(10:43):
dining experiences not to be missed restaurantfeatures here Mexican flavors and ingredients with a
decidedly French twist. Now there yougo. There's a combo. But they
do all kinds of things while filetmignon and potatoes are topped with how secure
to Kura. If you opt forthe wine pairing, you're going to have
the opportunity to learn about the wideworld of Mexican wines here for all those
(11:07):
reasons, they pulled out their Michelinstar too, so good on them.
Nice places to eat in Mexico,and I love it because I love Mexico.
Yeah. Do you know the historyof how a tire company started handing
out stars for restaurants? I donot, actually, but I know you
do, Chris, because you keepup on that stuff. It was a
marketing ploy. They just wanted peopleto have to travel a little farther so
(11:31):
they would wear their tires out.Is that right? And so they started
ranking restaurants so that people would travelto tell how interesting fine dining that is?
Awesome? I didn't know that.I want to move on and talk
about something that I know I've hadseveral clients ask me about. I don't
know that anybody's actually ready, butDelta and United are to resume Israel flights.
(11:54):
They are set to resume flights toTel Aviv this week. As a
matter of fact, they confirmed Unanadid that one of their daily flights between
Newark and Tel Aviv was going tostart actually started on Thursday of this week.
The second daily flight is still canceleduntil June twentieth, but the carrier
had resumed flights in March, buthalted them again after I Ran launched strikes
(12:20):
on Israel in mid April. Delta'sflights between New York and Tel Aviv will
resume actually did resume sorry on Friday, which it had announced in March,
and the carrier will continue to closelymonitor this situation as we all will in
Israel in conjunction with government and privatesector partnerships. Please know, as you're
(12:41):
listening to me, that we arestill seeing travel's advisories to that area.
So while these flights have resumed,Americans should still travel to that area with
caution. American Airlines on October twentysix, that's a long way out.
They plan to resume direct service toTel Aviv as well, and the carrier
(13:05):
confirmed to Business Travel News just thispast Wednesday, Prior to that suspension,
Americans served Tel Aviv via New Yorkand they will again. So we're seeing
some parting of the seas, Iguess you could say, but Israel is
certainly in some people's must see bucketlist type trips, so you know,
(13:28):
our hearts still go out to thepeople there. There's been a lot that's
gone on, and it's a verypolarized topic depending on who you talk to,
but travel and in any event,is global, and those are things
we need to and want to addresshere on a lifeless, ordinary Next thing
that probably is going to be musicto a lot of folks heres is that
(13:50):
gas prices Chris are going to dropthis summer. According to the experts,
filling up your car finally going tobe lower, and it just started this
week with the national average dropping themost significantly, to three dollars and forty
eight cents a gallon. You takethat, Yeah, no kidding. The
weekly national average is seventeen cents cheaperthan in May and six cents less than
(14:16):
June of twenty twenty three. Thestates that are seeing the largest price changes
are Indiana, Alaska, Illinois,Florida, Michigan, Ohio, Kentucky,
Nevada, California, and Wisconsin,and all of them saw roughly about seventeen
to ten cent drop in price pergallon. Now, currently the states with
(14:37):
the cheapest average gas per gallon goahead, crank up your car and let's
get rolling. Mississippi, Arkansas,Oklahoma, Texas, Kansas, Louisiana and
Tennessee, Missouri, South Carolina andAlabama. Wasn't there a song like that
that named all of the states.Oh that's I've been everywhere, man,
(14:58):
I've been everywhere man. Yeah,And those states gas prices range from two
dollars and ninety eight cents per gallonto only three fifteen per gallon. So
I think that could bode well forpeople who are planning to drive to some
summer destination destinations yet this year,or if you've got weddings to attend or
whatever. You know, it couldbe nice as those numbers come down.
(15:20):
Inflation just eats it up. Itsure does. You're absolutely right, But
six cents, it's down from oneback in our pocket, Joie Chris.
Also in the news, Princess CruiseLine announced that they're going to partner with
the Academy of Country Music and notthat anybody really cares about those two combos,
But Princess does, and the Academyof Country Music does. I bet
(15:43):
you some country music fans are interestedin, which I sartantee you they.
Princess is now the official cruise partneras a matter of fact, of the
Academy of Country Music. The Cruiseline helped celebrate the fifty ninth Academy of
Country Music Awards show that was hostedby Ruba McIntyre in case you missed it
last month on the Red Carpet.They had interviews with artists and nominees on
(16:03):
the Princess stage, so they're gettinga little cred for their participation. Moving
forward, Princess is also Chris goingto be the presenting sponsor of the new
ACM Live from the Red Barrel Loungeseries at the Academy's headquarters in Nashville this
summer. Is that Blake Shelton's lounge, the Red Barrel Lounge. I'm not
(16:26):
sure. I'm not sure, soyou can call in and tell me how
wrong I am if you want to, or you can tell me how right
I was. But this series isgoing to feature performances from new and emerging
country artists. The cruise line isalso going to welcome some of the artists
on board future Princess trips, SoI know that's going to excite a lot
of people. Country music is big, you know, and I mean,
(16:48):
look what just happened. Beyonce steppedover into the country music ranks. Can
you believe that? Of which Noeordstraight said, I'm sorry, that's not
cut. If you've heard the song, I don't know if that's country either.
Yeah, Blake Shelton's bar, whatdid you say it's called? Well,
I don't know. This is thered barrel lound. His bar is
called old Red, old Red.I knew it was something red, but
(17:11):
okay. Princess obviously is incredibly proudto partner with the ACM and to showcase
the next big country stars. Countrymusic has a special place in the hearts
of a lot of the guests onPrincess, and this partnership is going to
allow them to bring unparalleled experiences onboard and combine that love for cruising in
(17:32):
country music in a unique and memorableway. So there you go. I
think that bodes well for what we'vegot going on in the news. And
guess what, Chris not a singlebit of that was bad news today makes
me happy. Yeah, we needmore of those kind of news sings one
of those. Yeah. So ourshow today is called mouse Free Zone.
(17:53):
Does this have anything to do withthe famous mouse that we all know?
It does have everything to do withthat. Well, let's find out exactly
why it's going to be a mousefree zone next here on a Life Less
Ordinary. Protect your vacation investment withguidance from a travel professional. The wishing
Well knows travel and helps you avoidpitfalls they can spoil your hard earned vacation.
We'll plan your trip and have yourback as you travel. All of
(18:15):
this without support or so called conveniencefees. We're on the web at the
Wishingwell dot bizz or call us atfive four zero nine zero eight two three
three three. That's five four zeronine zero eight two thirty three three.
The washing Well really does make dreamscome true and welcome back to a Life
Less Ordinary, the travel show andpodcasts from your friends at the wishing Well.
(18:37):
You can find them on f Avenuein Harrisonburg, online at the Wishingwell
dot biz, or give them acall. It's five four to zho nine
oh eight. Twenty three, thirtythree, and we're joined by Terry Dean,
as we are most Saturday mornings atthis time, except for when she's
galivanning around Central Florida. Did alittle gallivanning hang out with some famous Disney
(19:02):
cares. And you know what elseI'm noticing, Chris, I'm smiling a
whole lot more. Well, it'sit does. But there's something so very
medicinal about vacation, and I neededit. You know, I send people
(19:22):
all over the world every single day, and sometimes it's tough to sit at
your desk and go another day atwork. You know, even though I
love what I do. I mean, never get me wrong, I would
do what I did if I nevergot to eat or sleep. I know
I would. But at some pointyou want to go yourself. And I'm
(19:45):
not lying when I say there's somethingvery medicinal about it. I think we
need to recharge as human beings.We long to just be us for a
while. And I got to dothat, and I got to do it
actually with a goal in mind,Chris. When I went on vacation this
year, I said, you know, as my stupid brain sometimes functions,
(20:11):
I want to combine work and vacation. That's just the way I am.
And so my goal here was,you know, everybody goes to Florida,
and where do they go? Theyhead right for Disney Walt Disney World.
They sure do. And I thought, what would a vacation look like if
you didn't if you didn't do that, what else is down there? Where
(20:34):
else can you go? What elsecan you do? Family oriented things that
may or may not include a dayat Disney doesn't have to, but what
else is there? And can thatstill be a remarkable, over the top
vacation like Disney reports to be toeverybody who goes. You may not believe
(20:57):
this, but I've done that exactlyvacation. Well, then you're going to
identify with everything that I talk abouttoday. I'm sure you will. Played
a lot of putt putt golf.I did not do that. It was
it was a little bit hot putputt. And then we went one afternoon
slash evening to Main Street, USA. I think is that the one where
(21:19):
it's outside of the park Disney Springsis what they call that net okay,
And it was a road and hadsome restaurants and stores exactly, And so
I got the best of Disney.I got to go to the gift shop,
I got to get some food thereyou go, and I didn't have
to pay admission there you go.So it was good. It was a
good afternoon. So I did havesome specific goals in mind for this trip,
(21:44):
and I am here to tell youthat I am a great travel agent.
I exceeded all of my expectations.How could that be any better?
Right? So, and I haveto tell you guys, as a full
time owner of a full travel agency, radio host and manager of an event
and flora boutique, it can bereally challenging to schedule some personal travel time
(22:08):
that really can be time that isjust devoted to enjoyment and family, and
so in many instances that time hasto be carved out over major holidays when
our offices are going to be closed. Anyway, this year, the Memorial
Day week look pretty good for mygetaway, and that turned out to be
a really good decision. Now here'sthe good news bad news about holiday travel
(22:32):
though. First the good news,when the holiday falls on a Monday,
like Memorial Day, you can startyour vacation on the previous Saturday and vacation
all the way through the following Sunday, which, in case you're not doing
your math right now, that isnine glorious days of vacation while you only
(22:52):
have to take off for work forfour. Who doesn't love that five bonus
days of vacation, Chris? Yes? Please, Yes. Also talk about
using the calendar to your advantage,and that's exactly what I did this time.
So in case that wasn't clear,Setting your travel dates and arranging your
schedule around workdays and holidays really forvacations, that ought to be step number
(23:17):
one for most everybody, and itwas for me. Now, this might
not be step number two for you, but it was for me, and
that was budget Let me explain.I had discussed going to Dollywood with my
daughter. It's a destination that actuallyhas eluded me. And famous country music
star and business entrepreneur Dolly Parton justreleased and opened a brand new resort property
(23:42):
in Pigeonforge not too long ago,and I was really eager to check that
out. I wanted to see it. Plus I thought it would be extra
extra fund for my daughter. AndI won't lie though. It wasn't entirely
budget friendly, but I bit thebullet and I proceeded with a reservation there
until this amazing deal floated across mydesk to Orlando. Now, mind you,
(24:06):
I had this reservation to Dollywood andthen I saw Orlando, and I
won't lie. Orlando is not usuallyat the top of my priority. I
mean, when it comes to travelinganymore, as I've grown more mature in
the travel industry, things like Europegrab my attention. You know, more
(24:26):
exotic type, small luxury cruises grabmy attention. It's not usually Orlando.
However, turns out I could purchaseairline tickets NonStop from Richmond to Orlando,
stay in a five star hotel atthe hightt Regency Grand Cypress that has an
eighty thousand ton water feature complete withwaterfalls and caves, airport to hotel transfers,
(24:52):
and breakfast every day for less thanmy four nights at Dollywood were going
to cost me. Hmm, Isaid, don't mind if I do.
So that turned out to be whythat decision was made. It fell over
the same holiday, and quite frankly, I was surprised because you know,
(25:15):
Orlando is typically pretty busy. It'sa family destination, so I was really
surprised to see a deal quote unquotedeal to Orlando, but I want to
tell you a little bit about whatI experienced and how this turned out for
me. But the Hyatt Regency GrandCypress, I can't say enough about.
It's really the epitome of luxury andserenity. And if you want to follow
(25:38):
along as I go through this today, I have posted some great pictures on
our wishing Well Facebook page and havealso shared those over to my personal page.
If you're friends with me on Facebook, it's Terry A. Dean,
so you can find these pictures eitherthere or at the wishing Well on Facebook.
(26:00):
Now, in the lobby of theHighatt Regency, you've got this convenient
little market that specializes in great breakfastgrabs I like to call it, as
well as gourmet salads for an afternoonpickup. They've also got a variety of
baked goods and pastries there, aswell as yogurts, ice creams and drinks
of all kinds. You get thepicture. It's really stuff that you can
(26:22):
just cash and carry. So youknow you're going High Regency. Oh yeah,
I bet the food is really expensivethere. Well, you know,
they throw in the market and allof a sudden, now it's not only
convenient, but it is less expensiveas well, so that's kind of a
win win. That's perfect if youreally don't want or you don't need,
a full restaurant dining experience. Andalso in the lobby for evenings or late
(26:45):
nights, there's a full service foodand beverage lounge bar. So if you
do want that experience and you wantto be inside and you want to have
that and you want to just kickback and relax, yeah, they got
that. It's great now not tobe outdone for daytime culinary experiences. The
Hyatt also the High Regency Grand Cipress, We're still talking about the same place.
(27:07):
They feature two very upscale restaurants.One is called the lake House and
the Four Flamingos, which is aRichard Blais Florida kitchen. I don't know
if you know who that is.He is a very famous chef. I've
watched him on TV a lot.The lake House is superb for breakfast buffet
while the Four Flamingos is really afeast for the eyes as well as the
(27:32):
palette. And like I said,I've been watching this celebrity chef compete on
TV for a number of years,so I was really excited when I learned
that he had opened a restaurant wherewas actually going to be staying in Florida.
It was great. Four Flamingos hasthis old Florida you know. I
would almost even liken it to someof the restaurants in places that I saw
(27:56):
on a trip in Cuba. That'sthe closest that the decor came to something
else I had seen. So FourFlamingos really has that old Florida dark wooden
floors, elegant dining tables, Floridaceiling windows, lots of pink, pink
Flamingos. Shocking, I know,but of course they have all of that,
(28:18):
so really does kind of put youin mind of sort of a Cuban
vibe, if you will. Now, the menu features seafood and steaks there,
and that all has sort of aCaribbean style twist, i'd call it.
And the menu is described by theMichelin Restaurant God as a contemporary Americana
(28:38):
meets the Tropics, and yes itdoes have a Michelin star. So it
was that quality of food as well, and I'd wholeheartedly agree after trying dishes
there, like the ham and cheesecroquettes, seafood stew, and oh,
my gosh, the decadent swordfish.I don't know, do you like swordfish?
(29:03):
Have you ever tried it before?Oh? It is fabulous. It's
like a white steak. It's soamazing. I have had that actually mahi.
Yeah, almost the texture of asteak, but with that really fabulous
white meat. Wow. Oh lordie, my mouth is watering right now.
And then they've got a lobster tankthere, Chris. It's the main feature
(29:26):
of the four Flamingos restaurant and alot of evenings, I was told that
the restaurant offers what they call offmenu specials that include fresh lobster from that
tank. That's a little pricier thanmost of the average family meals, but
you could definitely chalk this one upto a two for one experience great food
(29:48):
and culinary entertainment. And when youdo that, the price is just right,
you know, when you call diningentertainment, and you can really make
that price equal both of those twothings. It's worth it all the way.
Really great restaurant, something to try, and all under one roof.
At the Hyatt Grand Cypress. Ifeel like when you take a vacation.
(30:08):
You should treat one of your mealsas an event. I agree, budget
budget for it. Know that you'regonna spend five or ten times as much
as you normally spend on a dinner. But it's gonna be fun, it's
gonna be worth it, and you'regoing to create memory sweeping do that.
And that's a good point. Andthe question is why do that? Well,
(30:30):
I have a theory. You probablyhave one I'd be interested in hearing.
But my theory is this, Ican't get that here and I'm there,
and I want to experience things minusbecause I tend to I tend to
be so frugal when I travel.I'm like, I don't want to spend
(30:51):
all this money. I don't Iwant to have a nice time, but
I don't want to go broke doingit. And I always feel like,
if I have one nice meal,the rest of my frugality is acceptable because
I'm going to have this memorable meal. We did that on our honeymoon.
We ate pizza in the basement ofone of the casinos with the employees.
I mean, one night to makeup for the fact that we went to
(31:14):
Wolfgang Puck's restaurant and had one ofthe most delicious meals we've ever had.
Well, here's what was interesting aboutthe Four Flamingos. Now, mind you,
this is a renowned chef who hascreated the menu there, and as
a matter of fact, he's goingto be in residence there at the hotel
and at the Four Flamingos next week, which is great. But you would
(31:37):
expect, probably just hearing this,to go, oh sure, So,
I'm absolutely certain meals there are goingto be probably fifty nine, if not
sixty five and up not so.Dinner entrees were pricing at about twenty five
to thirty nine dollars for some ofthe things that I just told you about,
the ham and cheese croquettes, theseafood stew, the swordfish was a
(32:00):
little bit more. It's only whenyou go into the specialty typ meals,
like you want to get one ofthose lobsters out of the tank, Yeah,
that's going to cost you a littlebit more. Surf and turf would
as well, not necessarily because ofthe seafood, but because of the beef.
Beef is skyrocketing right now, andthey have the wagou beef that they
serve at the Four flamingos alongside ofthe surf. So you have that fabulous
(32:24):
meal. Yes, that's going tocost you about one hundred and ten dollars
a plate, but I'm told bysome of the guests who were there,
who were enjoying it, that itwas worth every penny. So you're right,
Chris. I mean that tends tobe and should be I think part
of your overall vacation experience, becauseyou remember it, you talk about it.
(32:46):
It's something that is part of theselective enjoyment that you have when you're
there. Now, there were someother great unintended consequences that came from my
decision to do this that I don'thave any regrets about. One being that
over these same dates, Epcot washolding their annual Flower and Garden Show.
(33:13):
I own a floral boutique, sofor me, it was an absolute must
see. I had to do that. I know we're calling this a mouse
free zone, but I really feltlike, because I do own a floral
boutique, that this was an absolutemust see and I wanted my daughter to
seat as well. And for theprice of admission to Epcot, we were
(33:35):
also able to enjoy a free concertby one of my favorite groups, a
group called Casting Crowns the same daywith the purchase of a dinner in Epcot,
which we had to eat anyway.So we had the dinner, we
got free concert tickets and we wereguaranteed because we did that package of premium
tickets to the concert. So wehad VIP seeding, which was great,
(33:59):
not a bad deal and at agreat concert. So the ironic thing was
it was not even I wasn't evenconsidering going to any of the Disney parks
until I found out about the Flowerand Garden Show, So how could I
not go? You know, itwas just fabulous. Now, admission price
to Epcot for the Flower and GardenShow, I'm not so family friendly.
(34:22):
One hundred and ninety dollars per person. Ouch yeah ouch, I you know
one of these days a year afteryear, I have sent and addressed emails
and letters to the Disney folks becauseI'm a travel agent and I'm an owner
of a travel agency, and haveappealed to them about becoming more family friendly
(34:46):
with their costs, with their admissions. And do you know what they've said,
nothing crickets have churched. Yeah,yep, So I can complain about
that endlessly, but I mean,I don't see that changing anytime soon.
However, I certainly made the mostout of this park. I thoroughly,
(35:07):
thoroughly enjoyed the Flowering Garden show isspectacular, but also enjoyed the adult style
entertainment while I was in the park. And I want to be sure to
share the special accommodations that Epcot providesfor the handling of special needs folks.
Now, for those of you wholisten to us regularly here, I do
(35:28):
want to share, and may haveshared this before. I have a special
needs daughter. She's thirty six yearsold, but navigating a park of the
size of Epcot would be unsurmountable forher. She has some cerebral palsy,
so her walking is very challenged,at least for eight to ten hours,
which is when you're in these parks. So I was able to get a
(35:51):
wheelchair for her. Guest services wasvery accommodating. They actually had an endless
number of wheelchairs and they rent foronly twelve dollars per day. So if
you have someone who's elderly in yourfamily, or someone with special needs or
walking disabilities for that matter, considera twelve dollars wheelchair. It makes your
(36:13):
life so much easier. And there'swhile you're in the park, and if
you are off site as we were, and you can even leave the wheelchair
at the shuttle bus departure areas andDisney will send somebody out there and retrieve
it and bring it back into thepark for you. What could be easier.
So what I'm saying is you don'thave to actually wheel that chair back
(36:37):
to where you got it. Theyallow you to take it all the way
out to the shuttle buses that aregoing to the off site hotels, so
that it's convenient for whoever's using it. I loved that. I thought that
was great. Conversely, now Iwant to tell you about the other experience
I had in Disney Springs. Now, Disney Springs is one of the only
(37:00):
free attractions that Disney has that youdon't have to pay admission to, and
we'll get to that in just aminute. The wheelchair there renting for the
same twelve dollars, but there wasalso a refundable one hundred dollars deposit that
was required for that chair, andyou had to return it to the rental
location where you picked up the chair, and getting from there to the shuttle
(37:23):
bus stop was on your own.So come on, Disney Springs, get
your ada act services together and upto date a little bit more with the
rest of the Disney parks. Please, I beg of you, because that
was really inconvenient. The rest ofDisney Springs I'll talk to you about in
(37:43):
just a minute. But that partwas not convenient, and this part presented
quite a challenge for my daughter.Now, as far as things to do
in Epcot, we've really tried notto leave any stone unturned. We were
only there one day, of course, and including a di inner reservation and
a concert, I think we packeda heck of a lot in. If
(38:04):
you want to know the truth,Now you've been to Disney, have you,
Oh, when I was a littlekid, when you were a kid.
Okay, so it's time you goback. Things have changed a lot,
and then this Disney Springs, Iguess, is where I was as
an adult more than likely. Yes. Now, some of the things that
I enjoyed there and Epcot was becauseit was very hot, you know,
(38:25):
you like my saying it was sohot you might as well lick the sum.
So getting into some of these attractionswas really important. It was the
Memorial Day holiday weekend, so theparks were packed. But I will tell
you the longest line that I stoodin was fifty minutes, and that was
for one of the most sought afterattractions in the park called Frozen ever After,
(38:52):
So that when we did and weonly stood in line for that for
fifty minutes, and we enjoyed theSeas with Nemo and Friends Living with the
Land, which is really educational.It talks about what's going on in conservation
and ways in which our researchers arelooking to utilize our land better and create
more sustainability. I enjoyed that partvery much. The American Adventure, which
(39:15):
really tells the story of the Americanpeople, set to as only Walt Disney
can do animation, and it wasreally great. Our Awesome Planet again,
more information about the sustainability of theland and that kind of thing. Beauty
and the Beast sing along, whichmy daughter thoroughly enjoyed or was she asleep,
I can't remember, but either way, very much, Yes, Yes,
(39:39):
and Journey into Imagination. All ofthat. Good news is all of
those attractions were perfect for people whoare challenged or special needs. Adults and
children, with a wheelchair. Wouldhighly recommend that you use the Disney App
for making your most of the timein the park, even for a day.
(39:59):
I wasn't sure about it, soI went ahead and just loaded the
Disney App, and actually the apppointed me to the next best attraction to
go to given the time that Ihad in the park. I told it
how much time I had in thepark for the day, and it really
charted all of the things based onwait times for rides or attractions, and
(40:22):
we got through with no problem.It was incredible. Talk about a great
use of technology at Disney, andit really is what allowed us to plan
our visit without wasting time between anyof those experiences. So that was really
my one day at Epcot, andI was glad it was just a day
because it was hot and it waskind of draining. At the end of
(40:43):
the day, we were tired.Now, another unintended consequence, as I
said, was that free transportation thatwas offered from our hotel, the Higatt
Grand Cypress, to Disney Springs forthe day. Now, for those of
you who don't know about Disney Springs, it's the only totally free Disney park,
and within this park, there aresome top notch restaurants and shops,
(41:08):
including pastry makers and chocolateers, soyou can really kind of watch what they're
doing and get involved with that.At another level, it's easy to walk
around here and something is always goingon around a lot of the restaurants live
entertainment. You'll see on some ofthe postings that I did on Facebook,
(41:30):
Chris there was the most amazing Spanishguitarist that I have ever witnessed in my
life. He was a showstopper andthat was all free, totally free.
There's a fabulous circusole show within DisneySprings that does charge it admission, but
(41:52):
it's worth every penny. We wentto see that. The name of the
show is drawn to life, andit incorporates Walt Disney's love of animation and
the emotional heart string tugging moments anda bit of whimsy and a whole lot
of acrobatic skill and athleticism. Soit's really a show not to be missed.
I almost didn't. We went toDisney Springs because we had that free
(42:13):
shuttle every day and it always leftat about four o'clock in the afternoon when
it was cooler. Part of theday and came back. Last one was
about ten o'clock, and the firstday that we went, we just kind
of checked out the shops and therestaurants, kind of got a lay of
the land. I saw the certainsolet show there and I went, eh,
I'm not sure, maybe maybe not. We did it. I'm so
(42:36):
glad we did it. Ten Itwas one of the highlights. Don't ever
let a cert Tolay show pass youby. Oh it was fabulous, absolutely
fabulous. I can highly recommend it. The other thing, the other unintended
consequence of going to Disney Springs again, Remember, folks, I said it
was free, didn't have to payfor this. Disney had just begun that
(42:59):
week Disney Drone Light Show, andI mean to tell you, I've never
experienced anything quite like it. Youhave these literally thousands of drones up in
the air making some sort of characteror something out of lights, and it
(43:22):
changes every five seconds. The imagechanges, the drones go away, a
whole new pack of drones come outwith and all you see at first are
these thousands of drones coming out withlights shining, and within minutes they have
created this spectacular image up in thesky that looks every bit like a light
(43:44):
bright that you have when you werea kid. It's just amazing to witness
that, and I was so happywe were there for that. One of
the most entertaining experiences we had.Do this. It's worth it again.
The big challenge here was the wheelchairpole. But if you can get past
that, or if you don't needone, it's perfect. Now. Because
(44:06):
I was interested in combining vacation andwork, I can't seem to help myself.
I deliberately made reservations for additional experiencesat other off site Disney resorts.
We're going to talk about that.We'll talk about that next year on a
Lifeless Ordinary. Protect your vacation investmentwith guidance from a travel professional. The
wishing Well knows travel and help youavoid pitfalls they can spoil your hard earned
(44:29):
vacation. We'll plan your trip andhave your back as you travel. All
of this without support or so calledconvenience fees. We're on the web at
tho Wishingwell dot biz or call usat five four zero nine zero eight two
three three three. That's five fourzero nine zero eight two three three three.
The washing Well really does make dreamscome true. And welcome back to
(44:51):
a life less Ordinary. The travelshow and podcasts from your friends at the
wishing Well. Find them on thef Avenue in Harrisonburg, online at the
wishing Well dot biz, or givethem a call at five four h nine
eight twenty three thirty three every Saturdaymorning at ten am. You can find
us here on the radio or anytimeon the free iHeartRadio wrapper on the wishing
Well dot this website and you canlisten to this in past episodes. Now
(45:16):
our show today is called mouse FreeZone, and we're talking about Terry's Memorial
Day holiday at Disney and Orlando area. But now I guess we're going to
get to the mouse free part becauseyou had you made some plans outside the
Disney property. Did And you know, I'm probably not the easiest person in
the world to travel with, peoplehave told me, because I'm not still.
(45:40):
I don't stay still, I reallydo. I love to try,
like to learn things. I liketo grab as much information from an area
as I can absorb. And soinstead of just staying at one hotel and
calling it quits, you know,I felt like I really wanted to add
two other properties that were off siteDisney properties, and I wanted to see
them, but I wanted to seethem in a way that I could incorporate
(46:05):
going to them seamlessly into my ownvacation plan. So I want to tell
you about how I did that.The next resort on my list, Chris,
was the Lowe's Royal Pacific Resort.Now that's actually an off site Universal
upscale hotel, Universal Park Hotel,and what a beauty this is. Lowe's
Royal Pacific Resort is a premium hotel. It's within walking or boat distance of
(46:30):
the Universal Studios Florida and Islands ofAdventure. They've got unlimited Front of Line
Express passes there and rides in boththeme parks. So it really is conveniently
located to Universal, but I wantedto see it. So it's themed to
the South Pacific. The Royal Pacifichas kind of a sense of adventure.
(46:51):
It's another transportive resort at Universal Orlando. It kind of makes you think of
a bygone era. That's the bestway I can describe. It feels like
a luxurious resort you'd find in theSouth Pacific. Maybe if you ever saw
the movie South Pacific, it wouldput you in the mind of that catering
to definitely affluent world travelers. Ironically, it's the kind of place I thought
(47:15):
where you'd find Lilian and Walt Disney. Actually that they might have stayed there
during their globe trotting adventures when theywere still living. But Lowe's Royal Pacific
Resort has a lot of selling points. But this grand and beautiful executed theme
is one thing that makes it particularlyappealing to the universal theme park fans.
(47:37):
The hotel towes the line between ruggedexploration, I think, and refined opulence.
At least that's what I thought,with lush and beautiful grounds, kind
of fitting the sophisticated Orchid Court loungeand its reflection pool there. If this
is painting a picture for you,I'm glad. Statues of Imperial Elephant,
(48:00):
I mean, it's just gorgeous.It's like you've stepped into Thailand is the
way I would describe it. Butwhat enticed me here, Chris, was
that Lowe's Royal Pacific has a nightlyHawaiian luel. This is a fabulous evening
of entertainment, glorious, authentic Hawaiianfood, drinks, and desserts. I'd
(48:21):
give the show an eight out often, but the dinner and drinks were
a solid ten. Plenty to eatquality dishes, outstanding presentation complete with real
floral Hawaiian lays. It was great. Now. Next on my hotel list
had to be the Four Seasons Orlandoat Walt Disney World. This one is
a stunner, sophisticated, luxurious,top notch. What made me go to
(48:44):
this resort in particular? Well,this time it was their outstanding Sunday brunch
menu in their Michelin Star restaurant.We enjoyed this meal situated on their beautiful
manicured golf course with views for miles, and were escorted of one from one
into the property to the other ina luxurious golf cart with air conditioning.
(49:04):
Thank you very much, YEP.Appreciated and necessary the word the food in
a word, actually delicious. Itwas wonderful. Now. The other thing
that I wanted to address is actuallytransportation, because as you know, I
stayed off site, so I wantedto address that Florida has crazy traffic.
And you know, Chris, youknow me. I don't drive. I
(49:28):
hate traffic. I hate driving intraffic. I'm not lying. I would
never attempt to drive in that craziness, so I discovered the magic world of
Uber. Okay, it was somuch fun because the concierge actually at the
Hyatt where we stayed graciously helped mewith the Uber app on my phone,
and in minutes I was conveniently goinganywhere and everywhere we wanted to venture to
(49:51):
fair price transportation by locals who knowand are comfortable with most any traffic condition
in Florida, arriving within minutes ofbeing summoned. Love love, love this
way of transportation. So hopefully thisreview of my off site Orlando experience may
have tweaked your interest. I hopeso, and let you know just how
(50:14):
exciting and wonderful a vacation can beto Orlando with or without mouse ears.
It sounds like you had a blast. It was absolutely Yeah. The heat
is something that I don't like,but we got away with being in it
daily because of this fabulous resort,pool and complex at the Hyatt Grand Cypress.
(50:40):
I mean, if you have notlooked up this particular hotel online,
please do so. It is aresort unto itself. You don't need a
water park. As a matter offact, one day we did go to
Aquatica, which is a Sea Worldfamily of branded water parks. I thought
that might be fun for Morgan fora day. First of all, it's
(51:01):
not special needs friendly, but two, it was Memorial Day. They had
had a special forty nine dollars entryplus ten dollars all you could eat and
drink. Every local in Florida wasthere, and I would say it was
too crowded to enjoy and the sanitationwasn't what wasn't up to my standards.
(51:23):
So we kind of just chalked thatup as a lost afternoon and went back
to the pool at the Hyatt andsaid this is much better. Yeah,
yeah, And it was, andI enjoyed it very much. I could
highly recommend Orlando is a destination andyou can be very creative with the things
that you do. That's what wedid. We loved it. We had
(51:44):
such a great time. I know, we talk about this all the time
about you know, the best vacationis the vacation that's right for you,
exactly. And it sounds like youmade the best out of the vacation you
designed. Yes, And as yousaid at the beginning, you're an ex
travel agent. I am, Iam, I'm such a good travel agent.
(52:04):
I even like what I do,so you know, I had a
great time. I was really hopingto have, you know, Morgan,
have a good time. That wasthat was my goal, and we accomplished
that and I think exceeded our expectations. Well, I always enjoy when we
talk about places that you've personally experienced, because well, we know that you've
(52:27):
experienced it and makes it real ifwe want to experience it firsthand, can
we contact you? You absolutely can. And I'm so easy to find and
I'm happy these days, so youget a good Terry. I'm located at
two forty three and f Avenue inHarrisonburg in the Valley Center. You can
call us at five four oh nineoh eight two three three three or look
(52:49):
us up on the web. Weare at the wishing Well dot biz.
And please do check out all ofthe great pictures from my vacation on Facebook.
You'll find it at the wishing Wellor Terry a Dean. I'll post
those Pistol link Forum in the descriptionof our podcast. It'd be excellent.
Yeah, so few so go tothe Iron Thank you from there. If
(53:09):
you go to the iHeartRadio app orthe wishing Well dompz. You'll have the
links to the Facebook and thank youall for joining us here every week on
a Lifeless Ordinary. It's fun forme. I love being with you in
your living room or your kitchen,wherever you listen to us, and we're
always happy to bring you the world. This has been a life Less Ordinary.
The travel show from your friends atthe wishing Well at two forty three
(53:30):
nep Avenue in Harrisonburg. If youhave any questions on topics discussed today,
please reach out to The wishing Wellonline at the wishing Well dop biz or
five four oh nine oh eight twentythree thirty three. Past episodes are available
on the iHeartRadio app. And we'llsee you again next Saturday morning at ten
for a life Less Ordinary from thewishing Well
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