Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:01):
Welcome to Passport Mommy. I'm your host, Michelle Jerson. This
show is for anyone raising little humans. We feature experts
with tips and advice to enrich the lives of our children.
Speaker 2 (00:11):
Mom and dad.
Speaker 1 (00:12):
Entrepreneurs tell us their inspiring stories, learn about products that
could make both you and your child's life easier and
more fun, and of course, fellow parents discuss and laugh
about what's happening in their child's world. Motherhood is a journey.
Speaker 2 (00:26):
Thanks for joining me onmine.
Speaker 1 (00:28):
Welcome to Passport Mommy. I'm Michelle Jerson. And I've been
talking about our visit to Universal Studios in Orlando, Florida,
and there are so many wonderful options and places to
stay when you are at Universal, and obviously when you're
at Disney also, and one particular hotel which is right
near Disney Springs and a great option if you are
(00:49):
visiting any of the parks in the area is the
Hilton Buena Vista Palace, or as they like to call it,
the Palace, And it really is wonderful and it's great
for families, and so I'm thrilled to have on the
show with me today. George Stanfield. He is the general
manager of the Hilton Orlando Buena Vista Palace and the
Hilton Orlando Lake Buena Vista. And then coming up a
(01:10):
little later in the show, we're going to talk with
Anthony Chevidier and he is the director of restaurant at
Hilton Orlando Buena Vista Palace. George, thank you so much
for joining me today.
Speaker 3 (01:20):
Well, first and foremost, Michelle, thank you so much for
the opportunity and for allowing us a few minutes of
your time to show off our destination, our location or
a hotel and what we do. So thank you very much.
Speaker 1 (01:34):
Absolutely, we were supposed to say two nights, and then
because of the wonderful government shutdown, ended up getting rerouted,
but nonetheless we were able to really enjoy the property.
Let's just start off with some of the amenities on property.
Speaker 3 (01:48):
Sure one is I love the palace. You know, there's
a really long history of the palace that is great
to hear. You know, we've got team members that have
been forty plus years in the hotel, So it's just
you know, not only not only you know that we're
going to be speaking a little bit more in detail
about the activations and what it offers, but I have
(02:11):
to mention the team members, right, you know, the biggest
experience with a lot of our guests is the team
members in the ten year of our team members of
knowing the product, knowing how to communicate to the guests
and making them feel so welcome and comfortable, so a
lot of great things. It actually, when you know you
(02:31):
come into the hotel, it just it feels while we
have a little bit of group, it just it feels
that you're getting into a resort. Yes, it's very leisure oriented,
a lot of families, a lot of children.
Speaker 1 (02:46):
You know.
Speaker 3 (02:46):
Something extremely unique that I love is our Lazy River. Right.
Our owners invested in that Lazy River a few years back,
and we're actually the only hotel in this area more over,
literally across the street from Disney Springs that has a
Lazy River. And I will add on some things that
(03:09):
we do that the locals love. And when I see locals,
not only the people with the destination, but the surrounding hotels.
We have a resort pass and we market that and
it just does a fabulous job. We get we get
guests from other hotels just to Lazy River and our
restaurants and locals that come here. And really take advantage
(03:32):
of our property and what we offer. So we're really
we're really proud about that.
Speaker 1 (03:36):
When you mentioned the history. When I told my husband
we were staying here, he says, I stayed there a
long time ago, and I feel like this is the
hotel where people come, the grandparents bring the grandkids, and
you come for generations.
Speaker 3 (03:49):
Yes, yes, indeed.
Speaker 1 (03:50):
So tell me about some of the other amenities besides
the Lazy River.
Speaker 3 (03:54):
So we've got we've got several restaurants. We're the tallest
hotel i e. S slash building in the entire Disney
Springs area.
Speaker 1 (04:03):
Oh wow, the area.
Speaker 3 (04:05):
So we've got twenty seven floors and our highest floor
is an event space that we're right now in the
process of renovating. So that's going to be spectacular. You
get to look over all of Orlando Disney Springs when
we shoot off the fireworks. A lot of guests go
out there and take advantage of it besides their own
(04:25):
guest rooms right in their balconies. Other amenities, you know,
we've got the cabanas. That is a huge hit. We've
got cabanas that surround our hotels and utilize both for
guests and resort pass guests. So it looks it looks
a little bit about you know, those those older time
(04:45):
movies from the six sies and seventies, but they're kind
of back in. They're a little bit more modernized and
people love it.
Speaker 4 (04:53):
You know.
Speaker 3 (04:53):
They got you've got you know, specialized servers for that area,
special food menus for that air. So that's always exciting restaurants.
So I don't know how many restaurants you were able
to take advantage of. I love Shades is only open
aired restaurant right in front of our main pool. Uh,
(05:15):
it's got great burgers. Cassadillas are like the main thing
that people are ordering. They just do a fabulous job.
The chefs are the chefs are from from Puerto Rico,
so usually the the cassadias are kind of made their
style nice. So I always I always enjoy that little
touch that our chefs make in in Shades restaurant. You've
(05:35):
got also Sunny's Sunnis is the main bar restaurant and
and believe me, it's it's it's always packed every single day.
It opens a little bit after four o'clock four thirty
for drinks and food, and that's just a great place,
just to meet people. That's that location is you know
(05:59):
me you the lobby. It's a great destination to meet families,
meet up or it's always prior to leaving or coming.
And that again we've got a full menu there. We've
got Citrus twenty eight that is just a fabulous market
space and it's on this on the second lowest level
(06:20):
the hotel. I don't know if you have the opportunity
to walk by it or enjoy some of the items
that we go there, but that's a full marketplace that
you can make your own pizzas, your own subs and offers.
It's really oriented to families and children. So a nice
little ice cream place right on Citrus twenty eight that
(06:42):
just the kids love. So it's really kind of like
a hub area before they go to the pool, right
after they come into the after the pool area, they
kind of sit around and get their little ice cream
or sandwiches. We also have that I always I love.
It's called the Blue. It's a bar and you know
you have you could play pool, you could play video games.
(07:05):
They actually have a karaoke stage that believe it or not,
it does get used after a couple of drinks. But
it's a really great spot for you know, big groups
or big families or people that basically you know our
leisure gas that are on vacation and they want to
have a couple of drinks after eleven o'clock. It's a
(07:28):
perfect place for them to kind of wind down and
and and have have a couple of appetizers and a
drink before they go to sleep. And you know, one
thing I definitely want to mention, you know, when people
say our hotels are you know, close to Disney Springs,
I would always say, they're really attached to Disney Springs.
(07:50):
You walk out of our hotels and you are in
less than six minute as a walking distance away. So
and the reason why it's only six minutes this because
you have to go through a bridge, but if you
walk across the street then technically you're not allowed. You
probably get there in less than two minutes. So it's
(08:11):
it's it's definitely, uh, it's we're definitely blessed to have
a great location as we do at the Palace.
Speaker 1 (08:19):
Absolutely. And I know you have some really fun holiday
events coming up, tell me about those we do.
Speaker 3 (08:26):
We do I'm not gonna I'm not gonna take Anthony's
thunder in terms of you, I would like to for him.
He's got everything right here in front of me. And
on the multiple of items from Thanksgiving to Christmas. Chelsea
are famous marketing leader here we actually were. She's actually
(08:47):
started steam rooms, Michelle. So for Thanksgiving and Christmas and
New Years, you get a book online you could set
up if you're coming with your children, you could set
up the room with or Christmas tree and pillows and
then gets decorated according to the to the actual holiday.
(09:08):
So we started that about a year ago and it's
done extremely well in prout of the team of doing that.
Speaker 1 (09:14):
I have to say, on the most basic level, if
you're traveling as a family, if you reserve the kids
sweet I mean the bucket of treats that's left for
the kids alone. Sent my kids through the room.
Speaker 3 (09:25):
I could imagine. I can imagine. Those baskets are pretty
they stack them pretty well.
Speaker 1 (09:31):
Yes, yes, that is for sure. They were in all
their glory. First they were like, wait, can we eat these?
Speaker 2 (09:37):
Can we eat these?
Speaker 1 (09:38):
Wait? Do you have to pay for them?
Speaker 2 (09:42):
So that was really special.
Speaker 1 (09:44):
So yeah, so we're going to speak with Anthony in
the next segment. But in the meantime, where can we
go to get more information on everything that you talked
about and to book hour stay.
Speaker 3 (09:54):
So you know, for most guests the majority of the
gas when they're booking online, you're usually talking through our
reservations department that has all the activations for the remaining
of the year. They have all those details in terms
of how to set up the reservations, who to speak
with a lot of guesses they're coming in. Also, the
(10:15):
front desk also has all the activations for the week
that they're there, day by day or offerings our specials
in the restaurants.
Speaker 4 (10:24):
Or at the bar.
Speaker 3 (10:26):
You could go through Open Table. They've got the menus
and open Table as well our website. If you go
to Buenavista Palace dot com, you'll also be able to
get all the all the themes in the celebrations for
the for the events for the remaining of the year.
(10:47):
Perfect so pretty much everywhere you go you'll be hit
on what we're going to be offering to our leisure guest.
Speaker 1 (10:54):
George Stanfield, general manager of Hilton Orlando Buena Vista Palace
and Hilton Orlando Lake Buena Vista think, thank you so
much for that Coming up next, we're going to speak
with Anthony Chevider, director of Restaurants at Hilton Orlando Buenavista Palace,
and he's going to fill us in on all of
the great activations coming up for the holidays. I'm Michelle
Jurson the Passport Mommy more coming up in a few
(11:14):
you're listening to Passport Mommy. I'm Michelle Jerson, and we
are talking about the Hilton Orlando Buena Vista Palace and
also the Hilton Orlando Lake Buena Vista, and now we
have on Anthony. Anthony is going to talk to us
all about what is coming up for the holidays. Thank
you so much for joining me.
Speaker 5 (11:31):
Michelle. First, I want to say thank you for giving
us this opportunity to talk about all the amazing things
we have to offer, but just highlight all the amazing
people that are here putting in all the work and
efforts to create truly member experiences for all of our
guests and families that come and spend time with us.
Speaker 1 (11:45):
Didn't I read something recently that Hilton is like the
best place to work in the world.
Speaker 5 (11:49):
We need to make sure everyone else reads that so
they could understand how much we truly care here with Hilton.
Hear the cliche all the time about families. We're working
with family and we care, but they show it up
on a daily basis. George did a fantastic job talking
about a lot of things that we had to offer
and highlighting a lot of the tenured employees that we
have here. That speaks to itself when people have been
(12:10):
here thirty forty years. So some of the people built
the building here, and you know, you put love into
every brick with it, and that goes into the daily
things that they do every single day. On our end,
It's an incredible partnership that we have, and George talked
about how close we are to Disney and being on
Disney property, so of course you get those families that area,
but we have that reputation that helps and builds every
(12:30):
single day throughout its community, throughout its operations and consistency,
and when you merge those two things together, it creates
a magical thing here at the Palace, that's for sure.
Speaker 1 (12:40):
Absolutely. So tell me about Breakfast with Santa, your New
Year's Eve gala.
Speaker 5 (12:45):
So many things to talk about. Well, first I want
to talk about a few things that we do on
a daily and weekly basis, So daily I'm inviting people,
whether you're staying here, whether you're at Disney Springs, if
you're just in the area of Busney friends and family
come on and pop in and buses at us. We
have happy hours every day at that incredible Sunny's Lobby
bar that welcomes you the second you walk into property
(13:07):
at our front main entrance, as well as Shades our
pool bar outside. You know, we have daily happy hours
running that are always a great hit and we highly
recommend people coming to visit, whether they're staying here or not.
Now we do recommend you stay here so you can
enjoy everything else we have to offer. On top of that,
Sunni's is constantly having live entertainment in our lobby that
you don't want to miss. We have incredible artists, local
(13:28):
acts that are featured on select nights as well as
outside of Shades, as you mentioned, we do live entertainment
and interactive DJs. We're giving out prizes. We have special
swag for everybody to just kind of create the perfect
atmosphere outside, whether you're enjoying the Lazy River, having some
great bites at our restaurant, sharing a drink with friends
and just here to let your hair down and have
(13:49):
a great time. So we want to make sure people
come out on a daily visit to help enjoy some
of those activations. With that said, we all know this
is a special time of the year where people are traveling
all over. You're visiting family, you're visiting friends, and we
want to be part of those memories and be part
of that family as well. This November, we want people
to be thankful for our Thanksgiving specials that we have
(14:11):
coming in. So we're going to have a three course
menu in addition to our already incredible menu that we
have at Letter Press. Guests can actually pair that out
with that menu, or they can order items al la
carte style if they just want to try a few
things like our our breasted turkey breast that will have
on special that evening. I highly recommending doing the entire
paer and we've also curated some drink offerings that will
(14:33):
go hand in hand with each one of those courses,
But of course they have their ultimate decision and however
they want their evening to go. That will be this Thanksgiving.
In December, we will start Breakfast with Santa that begins
December seventh and will run every Saturday until Christmas from
seven am to eleven am. That will be held in
(14:55):
our Letter Press restaurant where everyone will come meet Santa,
have their oh don't taken with them, and have a
world class breakfast at the same time.
Speaker 1 (15:04):
I love that. Now, let me ask you all these
wonderful events, can I know you mentioned you do a
resort pass for locals? Can locals come and take advantage
of this, or if we're flying down to visit family.
Speaker 5 (15:15):
One hundred percent we ask that everyone comes in and
takes it now. Obviously, we will be in high and
demand during those times, so we do want to gear
people towards websites like Open Table reach out to us
here on property. We always want to speak in, whether
it's our front desks who are very knowledgeable, or calling
us down at the restaurant so we can make those
reservations for you as early as possible. We do reach
(15:36):
capacity on a regular basis, including these days where we
will potentially go on wait times or even sell out
for a lot of these events, so we do ask
that people stay active, be proactive on planning their times
and come on and visit a store in these times
open to everyone. Do not need to be staying at
this hotel. You can utilize resort paths, you can come
in off the street ask for me if you want,
(15:57):
We'll help you out and we'll get you taken care of.
Speaker 1 (16:00):
Awesome. Thank you so much. So, where can we go
again to read up about everything that you have going
on for the holidays, including maybe had to book those
holidays suites, the Breakfast with Santa, the New Year's Eve Gala, Thanksgiving.
Speaker 5 (16:12):
Most definitely, we always want people to reach out directly
to us and on our Hilton website, but we do
have offerings such as open table where we can't attach
our menus for those holidays if they're looking at those
specific days, as well as specialty events that are coming up,
which I did save the best for lasts our New
Year's Eve Gala. That's something we definitely want to talk
about while we have the opportunity that will be operating
(16:36):
December thirty first, from eight pm to twelve am on
our twenty seventh floor private location. Not everyone gets the
opportunity to visit this area, and as George mentioned earlier,
we are the largest hotel in the area with the
best view of all the Disney activations and fireworks. You
(16:58):
will get a three sixty view around the property of
all the skyline in this area. It's breathtaking.
Speaker 1 (17:06):
I love it. Well, Thank you so much. Thank you
both so much for joining me today. I'm Passport Mommy.
Thanks for having us at the property and I look
forward to visiting again soon and hopefully everyone who's heading
down to Orlando can take advantage of all of the
wonderful things coming up for the holidays and just in general.
Thank you so much. Anthony Chevedeer, thank you for joining
me today. I'm Passport Mommy. Our stay at the Hilton
(17:28):
property was just the beginning of our phenomenal week in Orlando.
We're going to also talk about the three Universal Studio parks,
Universal Studios, Islands of Adventure, and Epic Universe. I'm Michelle Jerson,
the Passport Mommy, more coming up in a few you're
listening to Passport Mommy. I'm Michelle Jerson. And did you
know that, according to new research, Americans spend over ten
(17:50):
hours a day online, and approximately five of those hours
are spent streaming and the other five on other activities
like browsing, paying Bill shopping. And in addition, thirty seven
percent of Americans compete complete at least some of their
work online, and twenty percent of students now take classes
or do assignments online. So we are just like addicted
(18:12):
and attached to our devices. And so I'm thrilled to
have with me today Anna Flora. She's the author and
founder of We All Grow. And we're just going to
talk about how to just be online safely and get
the most out of our experience. Thank you so much
for joining me today. Oh, thank you so much for
having me, Michelle, My pleasure. So we're spending half of
(18:33):
our days online? How can we make the most of it?
Speaker 6 (18:37):
Yeah, it is a very sobering fact. It's definitely a
very sobering fact. Really, when it comes to our time online,
I really want to want is to be very intentional.
If we're already spending so much time online, how can
we focus that time on the things that really bring
us join, the things that really matter to us. So
(18:59):
maybe we'll we are online, let's think about is there
something new that I can learn? Maybe I can learn
a new song, maybe I can learn a new recipe.
Speaker 2 (19:07):
Right, how do I.
Speaker 6 (19:10):
Use that time? Also there's so many apps. There's so
many programs that help us simplify our day, so also
spend some time.
Speaker 2 (19:18):
Maybe it's a.
Speaker 6 (19:19):
Little bit of a learning curve maybe with some of
these apps, but in the long run, it's really going
to help us simplify our day and maybe gain a
little bit more time in our lives.
Speaker 2 (19:29):
And I also always like to think of is this
bringing me joy at the moment?
Speaker 6 (19:33):
Like can I stop the scroll for a moment and
be like, does this bring me joy?
Speaker 4 (19:38):
Right?
Speaker 6 (19:39):
It's just such a simple question, but it can really
shift your moment. And my second tip is to use
tech to nurture connections, especially during the holidays and during
a time when the country is going through an epidemic
of loneliness. How can having really strong internet help us
to have video calls with our loved ones. My family
(20:00):
doesn't live near me, so for me, it's really important
to have a strong connection, not only a strong fiber connection,
but a strong connection with.
Speaker 2 (20:08):
Them right that I know that I am not.
Speaker 6 (20:11):
Being left out, that we can be part of the
important moments that really matter. Maybe set up online game
nights or with my friends. I like to set up
sometimes a wine date, right to have like a really
fun catch up. And then let's think about our local businesses.
How can we support local businesses by making some purchases online?
Speaker 2 (20:31):
That brings me a lot of joy?
Speaker 1 (20:33):
Absolutely, And so what are some of your favorite money
and time saving tips?
Speaker 2 (20:39):
Oh? I love this question.
Speaker 6 (20:41):
So I am sure that, like me, you probably have
a lot of streaming subscriptions that we pay for every
single month, but we probably only use one or two.
So my tip is, too stream smarter. We can rotate those,
select maybe one or two they're the ones that you're
using and post ability for the rest, and then every
(21:01):
month rotate them. This way, you can still continue enjoying
the shows that you love, but you'll be saving a
significant amount of money at the end of the year.
Another tip is to use the perks that.
Speaker 2 (21:12):
You already have.
Speaker 6 (21:13):
You probably have a lot of credit cards and different
subscription services that offer you perks, but you might not
be optimizing or even using them. For example, T Mobile
offers your customers t Mobile Tuesdays, so every week they
get perks and they get freebies and discounts for things
that really matter like gas and entertainment and travel. Then
(21:36):
so many important things that are small savings that really
add up without additional effort.
Speaker 2 (21:42):
Then my third tip is to create no scroll zones.
Speaker 6 (21:46):
So what I do is that usually in the morning
or during meal times, I will disconnect completely from any
type of screen and any type of technology, so I
can really be present and have a moment to myself,
maybe just really join my cup of coffee or tea
in silence, or stare out my window into nature for
a little bit. These are really small and simple shifts,
(22:07):
but that can make a really big difference.
Speaker 1 (22:09):
Absolutely, And you mentioned the savings. I know. I was
just on a flight recently and I think they offered
T Mobile subscribers free Wi Fi.
Speaker 2 (22:17):
On the airplane, and I was like, darn like vanity
that that's another huge perk.
Speaker 1 (22:23):
Yes, yes, So talk to me about fiber connections and
how they're beneficial.
Speaker 6 (22:28):
Oh, fiber internet right now is the gold standard of
speed and reliability. It offers ultra fast speeds and equal
upload and download speeds, which are actually essential for the
things that we do on those templars hours that we
spend online every day streaming, gaming, working, and video chatting
all at once. But it won't slow us down. So
(22:50):
I do one hundred percent of my work online. My
business is runt from home, and I love to multitask
when I'm online. So I'll be on a video conference
call with a client while I'm trying to upload and
send a really big file, and i might have my
daughter in the room next to me streaming her favorite
series and we can get it all done at the
same time without any lags or drops or slowing down
(23:12):
of our speed. And that really matters to me. So
that's why Fiber Internet is built exactly for that, for
the way that we live. Our lives at home right now,
connected to so many devices, and this is technology that
has been set up to evolve. Fiber is future ready
because there's going to be increasing device demands, increasing demands
(23:33):
for faster speeds, and fiber is ready to meet those demands.
Speaker 2 (23:37):
And T Mobile.
Speaker 6 (23:38):
Fiber is set up exactly that way. It's an investment
in keeping your home connected well into the future.
Speaker 1 (23:44):
I love it, and that is so important because, like
you said, so many people are working from home. We
may have our kids at home with us, and there's
just so many things going on at the same time.
And T Mobile now has new plans that are different
from what's out there today. Tell me about those.
Speaker 6 (24:00):
Oh absolutely, I love T Mobiles plans because it really
sets them apart with how straightforward and predictable they are.
I don't know if this has happened to you, but
it's happened to me. Where other internet providers will hook
you up with the low rate, you get really excited
about it, and then within a year or two, all
of a sudden, like it creeps into your bill that
it's like five or ten dollars or more that the
(24:21):
bill has increased and you had no warning about it.
That's not going to happen to you as a T
Mobile Fiber customer because they offer you a price guarantee.
Speaker 2 (24:30):
This means that the price that you signed up for
today will stay the same. Right.
Speaker 6 (24:37):
That's predictability that we don't really can count on with
a lot of.
Speaker 2 (24:41):
Things in life right now, exactly.
Speaker 6 (24:43):
And there are plans, Yeah, the plans also offer value
beyond the fast Internet, like you've noticed on the plane
with the T Mobile Wi Fi and the T Mobile
Tuesdays that I told you about before, that is an
excellent freebie that you you can that makes it very
different from what any other internet provider is offering, right, now.
(25:06):
But what's really exciting is the Fiber Founder's Club. This
is an offer that's available for a limited time where
you're going to be able to lock in T mobiles
fastest speeds for just seventy dollars a month with the
ten year price guarantee instead of the regular five year
price guarantee.
Speaker 2 (25:23):
So that's double. That is an incredible way to guarantee.
Speaker 6 (25:27):
Amazing fast and limited data with super fast speeds for a.
Speaker 2 (25:31):
Really long time.
Speaker 1 (25:33):
Wow, that is amazing. For ten years to know that
your rates will stay the same is the predictability that
I feel like we all need, especially when we're doing
budgets and when everything is constantly increasing in price. That
is really nice.
Speaker 6 (25:48):
I can't think of any other thing that I could
invest in right now that would not increase the price
exactly exactly.
Speaker 1 (25:56):
Okay, So where can we go for more information on
every thing that you talked about today? To read more
about the fiber networks, to read more about the different plans.
Speaker 6 (26:06):
Yeah, you can go to fiber dot t mobile dot
com and you'll be able to check if T Mobile
Fiber is available in your area, and, like you said,
explore the different plans. You can see all the current offers,
including how to join the Fiber Founders Club.
Speaker 1 (26:19):
Perfect well. Thank you so much, Anna Flores. I appreciate
you joining me today on Passport Mommy. Thanks for all
of the great tips.
Speaker 2 (26:27):
Thank you, Michelle, this was fun.
Speaker 1 (26:28):
You're listening to Passport Mommy. I'm Michelle Jerson. We're talking
perimenopause and menopause because it is something many of us
are going through or will be going through soon, or
you know somebody who's going through it. I feel like
it is a topic that is not discussed enough, and
so I'm really happy to have on the show with
me today. Doctor Aaron Doeraldi. She is a practicing primary
(26:50):
care provider and clinical effectiveness medical director of Women's health
at One Medical. She leads menopause care Delivery. Thank you
so much for joining me today. What are the most
common myths and misconceptions about menopause?
Speaker 7 (27:05):
One myth that I hear all too often is that
hot flashes are the only symptom of menopause. If you
don't have hot flashes, it can't be menopause. That's causing
you to feel off. Hot flashes are really common, but
there are so many other symptoms and we'll talk about them.
The other myth that I really want to dispel right
off the bat is this notion that there's nothing we
(27:27):
can do about it. That's completely false. There's so much
we can do. We have hormone based treatments, we have
non hormonal treatments, we have lifestyle recommendations.
Speaker 1 (27:36):
So how does a woman know if maybe she's experiencing
or in those perimenopausal years.
Speaker 7 (27:42):
Menopause is defined as the point in time when someone
has not had menstrual periods for twelve months.
Speaker 2 (27:48):
Obviously, there are things that.
Speaker 7 (27:50):
Can cause you to not have periods, like an IUD
or pregnancy that happens on average around age of fifty one.
Perimenopause is the time leading up to menopause, and it
can begin four to ten years before that final menstrual period.
So for folks who are in their forties, that's a
really common time for perimenopause symptoms to be arriving. But
(28:13):
it can also happen in the late thirties as well
for some folks.
Speaker 1 (28:16):
So what does that look like? I know sometimes they
say if you miss your period here or there, maybe
you're in perimenopause. Does it also involve mood? Swings, hating
your husband more like what or is that just you know,
have nothing to do with it.
Speaker 2 (28:31):
You nailed it.
Speaker 7 (28:32):
That's the main symptom that gets met, so perimenopause. When
we see miss periods, there actually can be a lot
of different medical reasons for that, so it's important to
talk to a provider who's going to take a really
good history on what's been going on. Are there any
patterns here? We think about other things too with miss periods,
like PCOS or pregnancy or a particularly stressful event, a
(28:56):
new medication. There's lots of different things, diroid dysfunction, but
ry menopause is a really really common cause of that,
particularly when we're talking about this phase of life in
the forties where we see trouble falling asleep or trouble
staying asleep, waking up in the middle of the night.
That can lead to a lot of irritability as well,
So those are common. Then we have period of regularities
(29:18):
you mentioned, maybe a missed period, or sometimes we'll first
see periods that are getting closer together or heavier, or
they're starting to space out, and maybe there becomes you know,
used to be every twenty five days, you had a period.
Now it's twenty five to thirty five or twenty one
to thirty five. More range tells us, hey, something's going
(29:40):
on with the hormones.
Speaker 1 (29:42):
Okay, And so why do you think it's important for
menopause and women's health to be part of primary care?
Speaker 7 (29:51):
Well, half the population is impacted directly by menopause, and
I would say one hundred percent indirectly as well, and
eighty five percent of people experience bothersome symptoms that can
last years. And menopause isn't just a set.
Speaker 1 (30:06):
Of the symptoms we're describing.
Speaker 7 (30:08):
If that wasn't enough, it's also impacting all aspects of
our health, so cardiovascular health, muscular, skeletal health, mental and
cognitive health. So we see these widespread impacts, and it's
important to take into account someone's chronic conditions they may have,
or risk factors from their family history as we think
(30:28):
about making a comprehensive plan for their perimenopause or menopause care.
So primary care can really help integrate all of those
different aspects into a treatment plan that is full health picture,
that is full person focused and really personalized.
Speaker 1 (30:47):
I love that, and I definitely agree there should be
more of that now, tell me about One Medical's approach
to women's health and how is it different from other providers.
Speaker 7 (30:57):
We're primary care organization. We're in quite a few regions nationally,
and we offer in person and virtual care. And what
we've done is we've trained hundreds of our providers in
the Menopause Society principles so that they can provide evidence
based care to patients and really focus on getting a
(31:18):
good background on personal health, family health history, and giving
folks the best available information so that they can make
those treatment decisions. So whether it's you know, starting a
hormonal medication or a non hormonal medication, or working on
their heart health or working on some pre diabetes, those
(31:39):
are all things we can work on together. And that's
a big focus for us at One Medical. And what
I'm happy to share too is that we take most
major insurances and we can even offer same week appointments
to a lot of patients. So trying to create that
access to good care is really important to us.
Speaker 1 (31:56):
So where can we go for more information?
Speaker 7 (31:58):
Can check out health dot Amazon dot com, slash menopause
and look for a location near you.
Speaker 1 (32:06):
Thank you so much, doctor Douraldy. I appreciate you joining
me today on Passport Mommy. Thank you for all of
the good insight and advice you're listening to Passport Mommy.
I'm Michelle Jerson. And if you are already dreaming about
and planning your summer vacation, you are not alone. I
know I am too, and now is the time to
start planning and most of all saving and Black Friday
(32:28):
cruise deals are here. And I'm so happy to have
on the show with me today Colleen McDaniel. She is
the editor in chief of Cruise Critic, and she's going
to tell you about the latest and best cruise options
for you and your family. Hi Colleen, Hi Michelle, thanks
for having me my pleasure. So why are cruises such
a great option for families traveling together?
Speaker 4 (32:50):
Families appreciate that cruising offers tremendous variety and value. Pricing
is more inclusive when you compare it with a similar
land vacation. It is simply the best value for your
vacation dollar. And let's face it, you all know planning
a family vacation is hard, but planning a cruise is
easy and it's stress free. And once you're on board,
(33:12):
you unpack once and then you wake up every day in.
Speaker 5 (33:15):
A new bucketless destination.
Speaker 1 (33:18):
Exactly.
Speaker 4 (33:19):
Yeah, it's a fabulous thing that unpacking is really great,
especially if you have kids, because we all know packing
up kids can be tough.
Speaker 1 (33:26):
Yes, one hundred percent, and there's something for everyone on
a cruise ship, which I love in addition to the destinations,
And so what kind of deals can we expect to
find on Black Friday?
Speaker 4 (33:37):
Black Friday has become a really great time to book
a cruise and some of the best deals of the
year are happening right now. Norwegian Cruise Line launched its
biggest sale of the year, and that's fifty percent off
all cruises, plus it's added in it's Freetsy package, which
is backed by popular demand, and amenities in this package
are valuated over two thousand dollars in saving and perks
(34:00):
include things like unlimited open bar, free specialty dining, shore
excursion credits and more. And if you pay attention throughout
the holidays, some surprise bonuses might pop up with offers
like free prepaid gratuities or up to one thousand dollars
in on board credit.
Speaker 1 (34:17):
I love that those on board credits are so much
fun and why not take advantage if you can. And
I'm a big fan of NCL and I think they're
great for families all their ships. So what are some
of the more popular cruise destinations you're seeing for twenty
twenty six.
Speaker 4 (34:32):
Well, the hot destinations we're seeing for twenty twenty six
at Cruise Critic include the Caribbean and the Mohamas, And
in twenty twenty six NCL we'll have eighteen cruise ships
sailing there, including Norwegian Luna, which is making its debut
next spring. Cruising also is the best way to visit Alaska,
which is one of my favorite destinations and it is
a great family vacation. Next summer, multiple NCL ships are
(34:56):
sailing to Alaska, including Norwegian Encore and Bliss.
Speaker 1 (35:01):
Oh nice. Yeah. I was trying to plan and Alaskan
cruises past summer and then we just run out of time.
And I think that's something that you could definitely get
on board with and start planning now, so you know
you have it set for the summertime, because that's an
ideal time to visit Alaska.
Speaker 2 (35:16):
Now is not too soon for Alaska.
Speaker 4 (35:18):
It's really popular, especially during the summer when the kids
are out of school. So now is a great time
to book. It's also a really great time to book. Europe,
which is a popular destination for its really great immersive
itineraries and Norwegian Cruise Line actually stays in some of
the best ports across Europe for over ten hours and
(35:39):
it's soon going to be deploying nine ships across the Mediterranean,
the Greek Islands and Northern Europe, which are all terrific destinations.
Speaker 1 (35:47):
Amazing, and so we know that cruise ships experiences, they
are always evolving. What new cruise offering should we be
looking out for next year?
Speaker 4 (35:57):
Private destinations are becoming increasingly popular, and one that we're
really excited about is Norwegian's Great Stirrup k which is
undergoing a massive transformation. Located in the Bahamas, ncl's private
island will offer new experiences like a one point acre pool, swim.
Speaker 5 (36:14):
Up bars and a kids splash zone.
Speaker 4 (36:16):
Plus guests visiting the island next summer will be among
the first to experience the all new Great Tides water Park,
which has nineteen water slides and a dynamic river.
Speaker 1 (36:28):
Yeah. I actually was at an NCL event recently that
talks all about that, and let me tell you it
looks amazing. It looks incredible for families and as though
all the other ports weren't reason enough to take an
NCL cruise, this port alone is going to be incredible.
Speaker 4 (36:44):
Absolutely, and I mean talk about keeping the kids and
the adults happy. Nineteen water slides, and I love this
concept for the dynamic river, which is faster than a
lazy river just you know, just a hair and it
sounds like a lot of fun to me.
Speaker 1 (36:57):
Yeah. Absolutely, it's so funny because my kids love lazy
rivers and you know, as somebody who can't relax, I'm
always like, oh my god, this is so slow. But
the dynamic river is perfect. It's perfect to get a
little bit beyond that lazy river but still relaxing and
enjoying yourself.
Speaker 3 (37:15):
Absolutely.
Speaker 1 (37:16):
Yeah, I'm ready to give it a try. Same. So
where can we go for more information and to book
our NCL cruise.
Speaker 4 (37:23):
Well to hear from real cruisers just like you, Visit
cruisecritic dot com. And for more on the great ships,
destinations and itinerars that I talked about, visit NCL dot com.
Speaker 1 (37:34):
Perfect. Thank you so much, Colleen McDaniel, editor in chief
of Cruise Critic. I appreciate you joining me today on
Passport Mommy. And that's a wrap for passport mommy.
Speaker 2 (37:42):
Have a wonderful week.
Welcome to Passport Mommy. I'm your host, Michelle Jerson. This
show is for anyone raising little humans. We feature experts
with tips and advice to enrich the lives of our children.
Speaker 2 (00:11):
Mom and dad.
Speaker 1 (00:12):
Entrepreneurs tell us their inspiring stories, learn about products that
could make both you and your child's life easier and
more fun, and of course, fellow parents discuss and laugh
about what's happening in their child's world. Motherhood is a journey.
Speaker 2 (00:26):
Thanks for joining me onmine.
Speaker 1 (00:28):
Welcome to Passport Mommy. I'm Michelle Jerson. And I've been
talking about our visit to Universal Studios in Orlando, Florida,
and there are so many wonderful options and places to
stay when you are at Universal, and obviously when you're
at Disney also, and one particular hotel which is right
near Disney Springs and a great option if you are
(00:49):
visiting any of the parks in the area is the
Hilton Buena Vista Palace, or as they like to call it,
the Palace, And it really is wonderful and it's great
for families, and so I'm thrilled to have on the
show with me today. George Stanfield. He is the general
manager of the Hilton Orlando Buena Vista Palace and the
Hilton Orlando Lake Buena Vista. And then coming up a
(01:10):
little later in the show, we're going to talk with
Anthony Chevidier and he is the director of restaurant at
Hilton Orlando Buena Vista Palace. George, thank you so much
for joining me today.
Speaker 3 (01:20):
Well, first and foremost, Michelle, thank you so much for
the opportunity and for allowing us a few minutes of
your time to show off our destination, our location or
a hotel and what we do. So thank you very much.
Speaker 1 (01:34):
Absolutely, we were supposed to say two nights, and then
because of the wonderful government shutdown, ended up getting rerouted,
but nonetheless we were able to really enjoy the property.
Let's just start off with some of the amenities on property.
Speaker 3 (01:48):
Sure one is I love the palace. You know, there's
a really long history of the palace that is great
to hear. You know, we've got team members that have
been forty plus years in the hotel, So it's just
you know, not only not only you know that we're
going to be speaking a little bit more in detail
about the activations and what it offers, but I have
(02:11):
to mention the team members, right, you know, the biggest
experience with a lot of our guests is the team
members in the ten year of our team members of
knowing the product, knowing how to communicate to the guests
and making them feel so welcome and comfortable, so a
lot of great things. It actually, when you know you
(02:31):
come into the hotel, it just it feels while we
have a little bit of group, it just it feels
that you're getting into a resort. Yes, it's very leisure oriented,
a lot of families, a lot of children.
Speaker 1 (02:46):
You know.
Speaker 3 (02:46):
Something extremely unique that I love is our Lazy River. Right.
Our owners invested in that Lazy River a few years back,
and we're actually the only hotel in this area more over,
literally across the street from Disney Springs that has a
Lazy River. And I will add on some things that
(03:09):
we do that the locals love. And when I see locals,
not only the people with the destination, but the surrounding hotels.
We have a resort pass and we market that and
it just does a fabulous job. We get we get
guests from other hotels just to Lazy River and our
restaurants and locals that come here. And really take advantage
(03:32):
of our property and what we offer. So we're really
we're really proud about that.
Speaker 1 (03:36):
When you mentioned the history. When I told my husband
we were staying here, he says, I stayed there a
long time ago, and I feel like this is the
hotel where people come, the grandparents bring the grandkids, and
you come for generations.
Speaker 3 (03:49):
Yes, yes, indeed.
Speaker 1 (03:50):
So tell me about some of the other amenities besides
the Lazy River.
Speaker 3 (03:54):
So we've got we've got several restaurants. We're the tallest
hotel i e. S slash building in the entire Disney
Springs area.
Speaker 1 (04:03):
Oh wow, the area.
Speaker 3 (04:05):
So we've got twenty seven floors and our highest floor
is an event space that we're right now in the
process of renovating. So that's going to be spectacular. You
get to look over all of Orlando Disney Springs when
we shoot off the fireworks. A lot of guests go
out there and take advantage of it besides their own
(04:25):
guest rooms right in their balconies. Other amenities, you know,
we've got the cabanas. That is a huge hit. We've
got cabanas that surround our hotels and utilize both for
guests and resort pass guests. So it looks it looks
a little bit about you know, those those older time
(04:45):
movies from the six sies and seventies, but they're kind
of back in. They're a little bit more modernized and
people love it.
Speaker 4 (04:53):
You know.
Speaker 3 (04:53):
They got you've got you know, specialized servers for that area,
special food menus for that air. So that's always exciting restaurants.
So I don't know how many restaurants you were able
to take advantage of. I love Shades is only open
aired restaurant right in front of our main pool. Uh,
(05:15):
it's got great burgers. Cassadillas are like the main thing
that people are ordering. They just do a fabulous job.
The chefs are the chefs are from from Puerto Rico,
so usually the the cassadias are kind of made their
style nice. So I always I always enjoy that little
touch that our chefs make in in Shades restaurant. You've
(05:35):
got also Sunny's Sunnis is the main bar restaurant and
and believe me, it's it's it's always packed every single day.
It opens a little bit after four o'clock four thirty
for drinks and food, and that's just a great place,
just to meet people. That's that location is you know
(05:59):
me you the lobby. It's a great destination to meet families,
meet up or it's always prior to leaving or coming.
And that again we've got a full menu there. We've
got Citrus twenty eight that is just a fabulous market
space and it's on this on the second lowest level
(06:20):
the hotel. I don't know if you have the opportunity
to walk by it or enjoy some of the items
that we go there, but that's a full marketplace that
you can make your own pizzas, your own subs and offers.
It's really oriented to families and children. So a nice
little ice cream place right on Citrus twenty eight that
(06:42):
just the kids love. So it's really kind of like
a hub area before they go to the pool, right
after they come into the after the pool area, they
kind of sit around and get their little ice cream
or sandwiches. We also have that I always I love.
It's called the Blue. It's a bar and you know
you have you could play pool, you could play video games.
(07:05):
They actually have a karaoke stage that believe it or not,
it does get used after a couple of drinks. But
it's a really great spot for you know, big groups
or big families or people that basically you know our
leisure gas that are on vacation and they want to
have a couple of drinks after eleven o'clock. It's a
(07:28):
perfect place for them to kind of wind down and
and and have have a couple of appetizers and a
drink before they go to sleep. And you know, one
thing I definitely want to mention, you know, when people
say our hotels are you know, close to Disney Springs,
I would always say, they're really attached to Disney Springs.
(07:50):
You walk out of our hotels and you are in
less than six minute as a walking distance away. So
and the reason why it's only six minutes this because
you have to go through a bridge, but if you
walk across the street then technically you're not allowed. You
probably get there in less than two minutes. So it's
(08:11):
it's it's definitely, uh, it's we're definitely blessed to have
a great location as we do at the Palace.
Speaker 1 (08:19):
Absolutely. And I know you have some really fun holiday
events coming up, tell me about those we do.
Speaker 3 (08:26):
We do I'm not gonna I'm not gonna take Anthony's
thunder in terms of you, I would like to for him.
He's got everything right here in front of me. And
on the multiple of items from Thanksgiving to Christmas. Chelsea
are famous marketing leader here we actually were. She's actually
(08:47):
started steam rooms, Michelle. So for Thanksgiving and Christmas and
New Years, you get a book online you could set
up if you're coming with your children, you could set
up the room with or Christmas tree and pillows and
then gets decorated according to the to the actual holiday.
(09:08):
So we started that about a year ago and it's
done extremely well in prout of the team of doing that.
Speaker 1 (09:14):
I have to say, on the most basic level, if
you're traveling as a family, if you reserve the kids
sweet I mean the bucket of treats that's left for
the kids alone. Sent my kids through the room.
Speaker 3 (09:25):
I could imagine. I can imagine. Those baskets are pretty
they stack them pretty well.
Speaker 1 (09:31):
Yes, yes, that is for sure. They were in all
their glory. First they were like, wait, can we eat these?
Speaker 2 (09:37):
Can we eat these?
Speaker 1 (09:38):
Wait? Do you have to pay for them?
Speaker 2 (09:42):
So that was really special.
Speaker 1 (09:44):
So yeah, so we're going to speak with Anthony in
the next segment. But in the meantime, where can we
go to get more information on everything that you talked
about and to book hour stay.
Speaker 3 (09:54):
So you know, for most guests the majority of the
gas when they're booking online, you're usually talking through our
reservations department that has all the activations for the remaining
of the year. They have all those details in terms
of how to set up the reservations, who to speak
with a lot of guesses they're coming in. Also, the
(10:15):
front desk also has all the activations for the week
that they're there, day by day or offerings our specials
in the restaurants.
Speaker 4 (10:24):
Or at the bar.
Speaker 3 (10:26):
You could go through Open Table. They've got the menus
and open Table as well our website. If you go
to Buenavista Palace dot com, you'll also be able to
get all the all the themes in the celebrations for
the for the events for the remaining of the year.
(10:47):
Perfect so pretty much everywhere you go you'll be hit
on what we're going to be offering to our leisure guest.
Speaker 1 (10:54):
George Stanfield, general manager of Hilton Orlando Buena Vista Palace
and Hilton Orlando Lake Buena Vista think, thank you so
much for that Coming up next, we're going to speak
with Anthony Chevider, director of Restaurants at Hilton Orlando Buenavista Palace,
and he's going to fill us in on all of
the great activations coming up for the holidays. I'm Michelle
Jurson the Passport Mommy more coming up in a few
(11:14):
you're listening to Passport Mommy. I'm Michelle Jerson, and we
are talking about the Hilton Orlando Buena Vista Palace and
also the Hilton Orlando Lake Buena Vista, and now we
have on Anthony. Anthony is going to talk to us
all about what is coming up for the holidays. Thank
you so much for joining me.
Speaker 5 (11:31):
Michelle. First, I want to say thank you for giving
us this opportunity to talk about all the amazing things
we have to offer, but just highlight all the amazing
people that are here putting in all the work and
efforts to create truly member experiences for all of our
guests and families that come and spend time with us.
Speaker 1 (11:45):
Didn't I read something recently that Hilton is like the
best place to work in the world.
Speaker 5 (11:49):
We need to make sure everyone else reads that so
they could understand how much we truly care here with Hilton.
Hear the cliche all the time about families. We're working
with family and we care, but they show it up
on a daily basis. George did a fantastic job talking
about a lot of things that we had to offer
and highlighting a lot of the tenured employees that we
have here. That speaks to itself when people have been
(12:10):
here thirty forty years. So some of the people built
the building here, and you know, you put love into
every brick with it, and that goes into the daily
things that they do every single day. On our end,
It's an incredible partnership that we have, and George talked
about how close we are to Disney and being on
Disney property, so of course you get those families that area,
but we have that reputation that helps and builds every
(12:30):
single day throughout its community, throughout its operations and consistency,
and when you merge those two things together, it creates
a magical thing here at the Palace, that's for sure.
Speaker 1 (12:40):
Absolutely. So tell me about Breakfast with Santa, your New
Year's Eve gala.
Speaker 5 (12:45):
So many things to talk about. Well, first I want
to talk about a few things that we do on
a daily and weekly basis, So daily I'm inviting people,
whether you're staying here, whether you're at Disney Springs, if
you're just in the area of Busney friends and family
come on and pop in and buses at us. We
have happy hours every day at that incredible Sunny's Lobby
bar that welcomes you the second you walk into property
(13:07):
at our front main entrance, as well as Shades our
pool bar outside. You know, we have daily happy hours
running that are always a great hit and we highly
recommend people coming to visit, whether they're staying here or not.
Now we do recommend you stay here so you can
enjoy everything else we have to offer. On top of that,
Sunni's is constantly having live entertainment in our lobby that
you don't want to miss. We have incredible artists, local
(13:28):
acts that are featured on select nights as well as
outside of Shades, as you mentioned, we do live entertainment
and interactive DJs. We're giving out prizes. We have special
swag for everybody to just kind of create the perfect
atmosphere outside, whether you're enjoying the Lazy River, having some
great bites at our restaurant, sharing a drink with friends
and just here to let your hair down and have
(13:49):
a great time. So we want to make sure people
come out on a daily visit to help enjoy some
of those activations. With that said, we all know this
is a special time of the year where people are traveling
all over. You're visiting family, you're visiting friends, and we
want to be part of those memories and be part
of that family as well. This November, we want people
to be thankful for our Thanksgiving specials that we have
(14:11):
coming in. So we're going to have a three course
menu in addition to our already incredible menu that we
have at Letter Press. Guests can actually pair that out
with that menu, or they can order items al la
carte style if they just want to try a few
things like our our breasted turkey breast that will have
on special that evening. I highly recommending doing the entire
paer and we've also curated some drink offerings that will
(14:33):
go hand in hand with each one of those courses,
But of course they have their ultimate decision and however
they want their evening to go. That will be this Thanksgiving.
In December, we will start Breakfast with Santa that begins
December seventh and will run every Saturday until Christmas from
seven am to eleven am. That will be held in
(14:55):
our Letter Press restaurant where everyone will come meet Santa,
have their oh don't taken with them, and have a
world class breakfast at the same time.
Speaker 1 (15:04):
I love that. Now, let me ask you all these
wonderful events, can I know you mentioned you do a
resort pass for locals? Can locals come and take advantage
of this, or if we're flying down to visit family.
Speaker 5 (15:15):
One hundred percent we ask that everyone comes in and
takes it now. Obviously, we will be in high and
demand during those times, so we do want to gear
people towards websites like Open Table reach out to us
here on property. We always want to speak in, whether
it's our front desks who are very knowledgeable, or calling
us down at the restaurant so we can make those
reservations for you as early as possible. We do reach
(15:36):
capacity on a regular basis, including these days where we
will potentially go on wait times or even sell out
for a lot of these events, so we do ask
that people stay active, be proactive on planning their times
and come on and visit a store in these times
open to everyone. Do not need to be staying at
this hotel. You can utilize resort paths, you can come
in off the street ask for me if you want,
(15:57):
We'll help you out and we'll get you taken care of.
Speaker 1 (16:00):
Awesome. Thank you so much. So, where can we go
again to read up about everything that you have going
on for the holidays, including maybe had to book those
holidays suites, the Breakfast with Santa, the New Year's Eve Gala, Thanksgiving.
Speaker 5 (16:12):
Most definitely, we always want people to reach out directly
to us and on our Hilton website, but we do
have offerings such as open table where we can't attach
our menus for those holidays if they're looking at those
specific days, as well as specialty events that are coming up,
which I did save the best for lasts our New
Year's Eve Gala. That's something we definitely want to talk
about while we have the opportunity that will be operating
(16:36):
December thirty first, from eight pm to twelve am on
our twenty seventh floor private location. Not everyone gets the
opportunity to visit this area, and as George mentioned earlier,
we are the largest hotel in the area with the
best view of all the Disney activations and fireworks. You
(16:58):
will get a three sixty view around the property of
all the skyline in this area. It's breathtaking.
Speaker 1 (17:06):
I love it. Well, Thank you so much. Thank you
both so much for joining me today. I'm Passport Mommy.
Thanks for having us at the property and I look
forward to visiting again soon and hopefully everyone who's heading
down to Orlando can take advantage of all of the
wonderful things coming up for the holidays and just in general.
Thank you so much. Anthony Chevedeer, thank you for joining
me today. I'm Passport Mommy. Our stay at the Hilton
(17:28):
property was just the beginning of our phenomenal week in Orlando.
We're going to also talk about the three Universal Studio parks,
Universal Studios, Islands of Adventure, and Epic Universe. I'm Michelle Jerson,
the Passport Mommy, more coming up in a few you're
listening to Passport Mommy. I'm Michelle Jerson. And did you
know that, according to new research, Americans spend over ten
(17:50):
hours a day online, and approximately five of those hours
are spent streaming and the other five on other activities
like browsing, paying Bill shopping. And in addition, thirty seven
percent of Americans compete complete at least some of their
work online, and twenty percent of students now take classes
or do assignments online. So we are just like addicted
(18:12):
and attached to our devices. And so I'm thrilled to
have with me today Anna Flora. She's the author and
founder of We All Grow. And we're just going to
talk about how to just be online safely and get
the most out of our experience. Thank you so much
for joining me today. Oh, thank you so much for
having me, Michelle, My pleasure. So we're spending half of
(18:33):
our days online? How can we make the most of it?
Speaker 6 (18:37):
Yeah, it is a very sobering fact. It's definitely a
very sobering fact. Really, when it comes to our time online,
I really want to want is to be very intentional.
If we're already spending so much time online, how can
we focus that time on the things that really bring
us join, the things that really matter to us. So
(18:59):
maybe we'll we are online, let's think about is there
something new that I can learn? Maybe I can learn
a new song, maybe I can learn a new recipe.
Speaker 2 (19:07):
Right, how do I.
Speaker 6 (19:10):
Use that time? Also there's so many apps. There's so
many programs that help us simplify our day, so also
spend some time.
Speaker 2 (19:18):
Maybe it's a.
Speaker 6 (19:19):
Little bit of a learning curve maybe with some of
these apps, but in the long run, it's really going
to help us simplify our day and maybe gain a
little bit more time in our lives.
Speaker 2 (19:29):
And I also always like to think of is this
bringing me joy at the moment?
Speaker 6 (19:33):
Like can I stop the scroll for a moment and
be like, does this bring me joy?
Speaker 4 (19:38):
Right?
Speaker 6 (19:39):
It's just such a simple question, but it can really
shift your moment. And my second tip is to use
tech to nurture connections, especially during the holidays and during
a time when the country is going through an epidemic
of loneliness. How can having really strong internet help us
to have video calls with our loved ones. My family
(20:00):
doesn't live near me, so for me, it's really important
to have a strong connection, not only a strong fiber connection,
but a strong connection with.
Speaker 2 (20:08):
Them right that I know that I am not.
Speaker 6 (20:11):
Being left out, that we can be part of the
important moments that really matter. Maybe set up online game
nights or with my friends. I like to set up
sometimes a wine date, right to have like a really
fun catch up. And then let's think about our local businesses.
How can we support local businesses by making some purchases online?
Speaker 2 (20:31):
That brings me a lot of joy?
Speaker 1 (20:33):
Absolutely, And so what are some of your favorite money
and time saving tips?
Speaker 2 (20:39):
Oh? I love this question.
Speaker 6 (20:41):
So I am sure that, like me, you probably have
a lot of streaming subscriptions that we pay for every
single month, but we probably only use one or two.
So my tip is, too stream smarter. We can rotate those,
select maybe one or two they're the ones that you're
using and post ability for the rest, and then every
(21:01):
month rotate them. This way, you can still continue enjoying
the shows that you love, but you'll be saving a
significant amount of money at the end of the year.
Another tip is to use the perks that.
Speaker 2 (21:12):
You already have.
Speaker 6 (21:13):
You probably have a lot of credit cards and different
subscription services that offer you perks, but you might not
be optimizing or even using them. For example, T Mobile
offers your customers t Mobile Tuesdays, so every week they
get perks and they get freebies and discounts for things
that really matter like gas and entertainment and travel. Then
(21:36):
so many important things that are small savings that really
add up without additional effort.
Speaker 2 (21:42):
Then my third tip is to create no scroll zones.
Speaker 6 (21:46):
So what I do is that usually in the morning
or during meal times, I will disconnect completely from any
type of screen and any type of technology, so I
can really be present and have a moment to myself,
maybe just really join my cup of coffee or tea
in silence, or stare out my window into nature for
a little bit. These are really small and simple shifts,
(22:07):
but that can make a really big difference.
Speaker 1 (22:09):
Absolutely, And you mentioned the savings. I know. I was
just on a flight recently and I think they offered
T Mobile subscribers free Wi Fi.
Speaker 2 (22:17):
On the airplane, and I was like, darn like vanity
that that's another huge perk.
Speaker 1 (22:23):
Yes, yes, So talk to me about fiber connections and
how they're beneficial.
Speaker 6 (22:28):
Oh, fiber internet right now is the gold standard of
speed and reliability. It offers ultra fast speeds and equal
upload and download speeds, which are actually essential for the
things that we do on those templars hours that we
spend online every day streaming, gaming, working, and video chatting
all at once. But it won't slow us down. So
(22:50):
I do one hundred percent of my work online. My
business is runt from home, and I love to multitask
when I'm online. So I'll be on a video conference
call with a client while I'm trying to upload and
send a really big file, and i might have my
daughter in the room next to me streaming her favorite
series and we can get it all done at the
same time without any lags or drops or slowing down
(23:12):
of our speed. And that really matters to me. So
that's why Fiber Internet is built exactly for that, for
the way that we live. Our lives at home right now,
connected to so many devices, and this is technology that
has been set up to evolve. Fiber is future ready
because there's going to be increasing device demands, increasing demands
(23:33):
for faster speeds, and fiber is ready to meet those demands.
Speaker 2 (23:37):
And T Mobile.
Speaker 6 (23:38):
Fiber is set up exactly that way. It's an investment
in keeping your home connected well into the future.
Speaker 1 (23:44):
I love it, and that is so important because, like
you said, so many people are working from home. We
may have our kids at home with us, and there's
just so many things going on at the same time.
And T Mobile now has new plans that are different
from what's out there today. Tell me about those.
Speaker 6 (24:00):
Oh absolutely, I love T Mobiles plans because it really
sets them apart with how straightforward and predictable they are.
I don't know if this has happened to you, but
it's happened to me. Where other internet providers will hook
you up with the low rate, you get really excited
about it, and then within a year or two, all
of a sudden, like it creeps into your bill that
it's like five or ten dollars or more that the
(24:21):
bill has increased and you had no warning about it.
That's not going to happen to you as a T
Mobile Fiber customer because they offer you a price guarantee.
Speaker 2 (24:30):
This means that the price that you signed up for
today will stay the same. Right.
Speaker 6 (24:37):
That's predictability that we don't really can count on with
a lot of.
Speaker 2 (24:41):
Things in life right now, exactly.
Speaker 6 (24:43):
And there are plans, Yeah, the plans also offer value
beyond the fast Internet, like you've noticed on the plane
with the T Mobile Wi Fi and the T Mobile
Tuesdays that I told you about before, that is an
excellent freebie that you you can that makes it very
different from what any other internet provider is offering, right, now.
(25:06):
But what's really exciting is the Fiber Founder's Club. This
is an offer that's available for a limited time where
you're going to be able to lock in T mobiles
fastest speeds for just seventy dollars a month with the
ten year price guarantee instead of the regular five year
price guarantee.
Speaker 2 (25:23):
So that's double. That is an incredible way to guarantee.
Speaker 6 (25:27):
Amazing fast and limited data with super fast speeds for a.
Speaker 2 (25:31):
Really long time.
Speaker 1 (25:33):
Wow, that is amazing. For ten years to know that
your rates will stay the same is the predictability that
I feel like we all need, especially when we're doing
budgets and when everything is constantly increasing in price. That
is really nice.
Speaker 6 (25:48):
I can't think of any other thing that I could
invest in right now that would not increase the price
exactly exactly.
Speaker 1 (25:56):
Okay, So where can we go for more information on
every thing that you talked about today? To read more
about the fiber networks, to read more about the different plans.
Speaker 6 (26:06):
Yeah, you can go to fiber dot t mobile dot
com and you'll be able to check if T Mobile
Fiber is available in your area, and, like you said,
explore the different plans. You can see all the current offers,
including how to join the Fiber Founders Club.
Speaker 1 (26:19):
Perfect well. Thank you so much, Anna Flores. I appreciate
you joining me today on Passport Mommy. Thanks for all
of the great tips.
Speaker 2 (26:27):
Thank you, Michelle, this was fun.
Speaker 1 (26:28):
You're listening to Passport Mommy. I'm Michelle Jerson. We're talking
perimenopause and menopause because it is something many of us
are going through or will be going through soon, or
you know somebody who's going through it. I feel like
it is a topic that is not discussed enough, and
so I'm really happy to have on the show with
me today. Doctor Aaron Doeraldi. She is a practicing primary
(26:50):
care provider and clinical effectiveness medical director of Women's health
at One Medical. She leads menopause care Delivery. Thank you
so much for joining me today. What are the most
common myths and misconceptions about menopause?
Speaker 7 (27:05):
One myth that I hear all too often is that
hot flashes are the only symptom of menopause. If you
don't have hot flashes, it can't be menopause. That's causing
you to feel off. Hot flashes are really common, but
there are so many other symptoms and we'll talk about them.
The other myth that I really want to dispel right
off the bat is this notion that there's nothing we
(27:27):
can do about it. That's completely false. There's so much
we can do. We have hormone based treatments, we have
non hormonal treatments, we have lifestyle recommendations.
Speaker 1 (27:36):
So how does a woman know if maybe she's experiencing
or in those perimenopausal years.
Speaker 7 (27:42):
Menopause is defined as the point in time when someone
has not had menstrual periods for twelve months.
Speaker 2 (27:48):
Obviously, there are things that.
Speaker 7 (27:50):
Can cause you to not have periods, like an IUD
or pregnancy that happens on average around age of fifty one.
Perimenopause is the time leading up to menopause, and it
can begin four to ten years before that final menstrual period.
So for folks who are in their forties, that's a
really common time for perimenopause symptoms to be arriving. But
(28:13):
it can also happen in the late thirties as well
for some folks.
Speaker 1 (28:16):
So what does that look like? I know sometimes they
say if you miss your period here or there, maybe
you're in perimenopause. Does it also involve mood? Swings, hating
your husband more like what or is that just you know,
have nothing to do with it.
Speaker 2 (28:31):
You nailed it.
Speaker 7 (28:32):
That's the main symptom that gets met, so perimenopause. When
we see miss periods, there actually can be a lot
of different medical reasons for that, so it's important to
talk to a provider who's going to take a really
good history on what's been going on. Are there any
patterns here? We think about other things too with miss periods,
like PCOS or pregnancy or a particularly stressful event, a
(28:56):
new medication. There's lots of different things, diroid dysfunction, but
ry menopause is a really really common cause of that,
particularly when we're talking about this phase of life in
the forties where we see trouble falling asleep or trouble
staying asleep, waking up in the middle of the night.
That can lead to a lot of irritability as well,
So those are common. Then we have period of regularities
(29:18):
you mentioned, maybe a missed period, or sometimes we'll first
see periods that are getting closer together or heavier, or
they're starting to space out, and maybe there becomes you know,
used to be every twenty five days, you had a period.
Now it's twenty five to thirty five or twenty one
to thirty five. More range tells us, hey, something's going
(29:40):
on with the hormones.
Speaker 1 (29:42):
Okay, And so why do you think it's important for
menopause and women's health to be part of primary care?
Speaker 7 (29:51):
Well, half the population is impacted directly by menopause, and
I would say one hundred percent indirectly as well, and
eighty five percent of people experience bothersome symptoms that can
last years. And menopause isn't just a set.
Speaker 1 (30:06):
Of the symptoms we're describing.
Speaker 7 (30:08):
If that wasn't enough, it's also impacting all aspects of
our health, so cardiovascular health, muscular, skeletal health, mental and
cognitive health. So we see these widespread impacts, and it's
important to take into account someone's chronic conditions they may have,
or risk factors from their family history as we think
(30:28):
about making a comprehensive plan for their perimenopause or menopause care.
So primary care can really help integrate all of those
different aspects into a treatment plan that is full health picture,
that is full person focused and really personalized.
Speaker 1 (30:47):
I love that, and I definitely agree there should be
more of that now, tell me about One Medical's approach
to women's health and how is it different from other providers.
Speaker 7 (30:57):
We're primary care organization. We're in quite a few regions nationally,
and we offer in person and virtual care. And what
we've done is we've trained hundreds of our providers in
the Menopause Society principles so that they can provide evidence
based care to patients and really focus on getting a
(31:18):
good background on personal health, family health history, and giving
folks the best available information so that they can make
those treatment decisions. So whether it's you know, starting a
hormonal medication or a non hormonal medication, or working on
their heart health or working on some pre diabetes, those
(31:39):
are all things we can work on together. And that's
a big focus for us at One Medical. And what
I'm happy to share too is that we take most
major insurances and we can even offer same week appointments
to a lot of patients. So trying to create that
access to good care is really important to us.
Speaker 1 (31:56):
So where can we go for more information?
Speaker 7 (31:58):
Can check out health dot Amazon dot com, slash menopause
and look for a location near you.
Speaker 1 (32:06):
Thank you so much, doctor Douraldy. I appreciate you joining
me today on Passport Mommy. Thank you for all of
the good insight and advice you're listening to Passport Mommy.
I'm Michelle Jerson. And if you are already dreaming about
and planning your summer vacation, you are not alone. I
know I am too, and now is the time to
start planning and most of all saving and Black Friday
(32:28):
cruise deals are here. And I'm so happy to have
on the show with me today Colleen McDaniel. She is
the editor in chief of Cruise Critic, and she's going
to tell you about the latest and best cruise options
for you and your family. Hi Colleen, Hi Michelle, thanks
for having me my pleasure. So why are cruises such
a great option for families traveling together?
Speaker 4 (32:50):
Families appreciate that cruising offers tremendous variety and value. Pricing
is more inclusive when you compare it with a similar
land vacation. It is simply the best value for your
vacation dollar. And let's face it, you all know planning
a family vacation is hard, but planning a cruise is
easy and it's stress free. And once you're on board,
(33:12):
you unpack once and then you wake up every day in.
Speaker 5 (33:15):
A new bucketless destination.
Speaker 1 (33:18):
Exactly.
Speaker 4 (33:19):
Yeah, it's a fabulous thing that unpacking is really great,
especially if you have kids, because we all know packing
up kids can be tough.
Speaker 1 (33:26):
Yes, one hundred percent, and there's something for everyone on
a cruise ship, which I love in addition to the destinations,
And so what kind of deals can we expect to
find on Black Friday?
Speaker 4 (33:37):
Black Friday has become a really great time to book
a cruise and some of the best deals of the
year are happening right now. Norwegian Cruise Line launched its
biggest sale of the year, and that's fifty percent off
all cruises, plus it's added in it's Freetsy package, which
is backed by popular demand, and amenities in this package
are valuated over two thousand dollars in saving and perks
(34:00):
include things like unlimited open bar, free specialty dining, shore
excursion credits and more. And if you pay attention throughout
the holidays, some surprise bonuses might pop up with offers
like free prepaid gratuities or up to one thousand dollars
in on board credit.
Speaker 1 (34:17):
I love that those on board credits are so much
fun and why not take advantage if you can. And
I'm a big fan of NCL and I think they're
great for families all their ships. So what are some
of the more popular cruise destinations you're seeing for twenty
twenty six.
Speaker 4 (34:32):
Well, the hot destinations we're seeing for twenty twenty six
at Cruise Critic include the Caribbean and the Mohamas, And
in twenty twenty six NCL we'll have eighteen cruise ships
sailing there, including Norwegian Luna, which is making its debut
next spring. Cruising also is the best way to visit Alaska,
which is one of my favorite destinations and it is
a great family vacation. Next summer, multiple NCL ships are
(34:56):
sailing to Alaska, including Norwegian Encore and Bliss.
Speaker 1 (35:01):
Oh nice. Yeah. I was trying to plan and Alaskan
cruises past summer and then we just run out of time.
And I think that's something that you could definitely get
on board with and start planning now, so you know
you have it set for the summertime, because that's an
ideal time to visit Alaska.
Speaker 2 (35:16):
Now is not too soon for Alaska.
Speaker 4 (35:18):
It's really popular, especially during the summer when the kids
are out of school. So now is a great time
to book. It's also a really great time to book. Europe,
which is a popular destination for its really great immersive
itineraries and Norwegian Cruise Line actually stays in some of
the best ports across Europe for over ten hours and
(35:39):
it's soon going to be deploying nine ships across the Mediterranean,
the Greek Islands and Northern Europe, which are all terrific destinations.
Speaker 1 (35:47):
Amazing, and so we know that cruise ships experiences, they
are always evolving. What new cruise offering should we be
looking out for next year?
Speaker 4 (35:57):
Private destinations are becoming increasingly popular, and one that we're
really excited about is Norwegian's Great Stirrup k which is
undergoing a massive transformation. Located in the Bahamas, ncl's private
island will offer new experiences like a one point acre pool, swim.
Speaker 5 (36:14):
Up bars and a kids splash zone.
Speaker 4 (36:16):
Plus guests visiting the island next summer will be among
the first to experience the all new Great Tides water Park,
which has nineteen water slides and a dynamic river.
Speaker 1 (36:28):
Yeah. I actually was at an NCL event recently that
talks all about that, and let me tell you it
looks amazing. It looks incredible for families and as though
all the other ports weren't reason enough to take an
NCL cruise, this port alone is going to be incredible.
Speaker 4 (36:44):
Absolutely, and I mean talk about keeping the kids and
the adults happy. Nineteen water slides, and I love this
concept for the dynamic river, which is faster than a
lazy river just you know, just a hair and it
sounds like a lot of fun to me.
Speaker 1 (36:57):
Yeah. Absolutely, it's so funny because my kids love lazy
rivers and you know, as somebody who can't relax, I'm
always like, oh my god, this is so slow. But
the dynamic river is perfect. It's perfect to get a
little bit beyond that lazy river but still relaxing and
enjoying yourself.
Speaker 3 (37:15):
Absolutely.
Speaker 1 (37:16):
Yeah, I'm ready to give it a try. Same. So
where can we go for more information and to book
our NCL cruise.
Speaker 4 (37:23):
Well to hear from real cruisers just like you, Visit
cruisecritic dot com. And for more on the great ships,
destinations and itinerars that I talked about, visit NCL dot com.
Speaker 1 (37:34):
Perfect. Thank you so much, Colleen McDaniel, editor in chief
of Cruise Critic. I appreciate you joining me today on
Passport Mommy. And that's a wrap for passport mommy.
Speaker 2 (37:42):
Have a wonderful week.
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