Sam Patru - Travel Advisor with Mousekeplanner

12/15/2024

12/14/2024

✈️🧳✨Whether you’re planning a quick weekend getaway or a longer stay at Walt Disney World, Disney’s Pop Century Resort is the 👌 perfect home base. 🎳🌼🪀

🥶❄️ For those escaping cold winters and curious about snow birding, Pop Century offers an affordable way to soak up some Florida sunshine. If you’re traveling internationally or cross-country, staying longer makes sense—flights aren’t cheap, and Pop Century helps stretch your budget!💰✨

With its lively atmosphere, 🍕🍔great food court packed with shareable options, and convenient Skyliner access to two parks and other resorts, Pop Century isn’t just affordable—it’s also super convenient for park days and fun non-park activities.🎨🎉

It’s also very close to the exit of the Disney “bubble” making 🛍️ errands in the outside world easier. 🏡✨ Do any of you call Disney’s Pop Century Resort “home sweet home”? What do you love most about this resort?

12/13/2024

🎃🎄 🐴✨ For a cozy, storybook experience that’s extra magical during the Halloween and Christmas holidays, book a Horse Drawn Carriage Ride at Disney’s Fort Wilderness Resort. These are available year round, but take on a whole new level of amazing, thanks to the creative campsite decorations of the resort guests. 🛷🎄✨ During the month of December, these become “sleigh rides”, are wildly popular and more expensive. All rides are 25 minutes and can accommodate up to 4 adults or 2 adults and 3 small children.

📌Pro Tip: If you want that holiday magic without the December rush (or sleigh prices), book your ride in November! 🍁 The campsites will already be decked out with festive decorations giving you all the 🎄❄️ holiday feels, but reservations are way easier to snag and you may even be able to walk up. Have you done this? Tell us everything! ⬇️

12/12/2024

🎄🏠🍭 Is building a gingerbread house a tradition you’re on board with? Disney sure is! Each year, Disney’s resort hotels create life-sized gingerbread masterpieces—complete with hidden Mickeys! From the Grand Floridian’s working gingerbread house shop to the Grand Californian’s adorable “mini me” display, these creations are worth the trip alone. They even do this on cruises! 🚢

⏳ Time is winding down to see these sweet works of art in person, but it’s not too early to declare 2025 will be the year for you. DM me or fill out the FREE quote (https://mousekeplanner.com/our-team/samantha-patru/) anytime, but for now, where do you stand on these festive projects? 🛠️🎁 Are you constructing your own or just admire the work of others? 🤩✨

12/11/2024

🛳️🦸‍♂️ “Avengers…on board!” If you’re in your superhero era, consider a Marvel Day at Sea Disney Cruise! These 5-night sailings typically run from January to mid-March from Fort Lauderdale on the Disney Dream, with itineraries to the Bahamas or Western Caribbean. The Bahamas option even includes stops at Disney Castaway Cay and Disney Lookout Cay at Lighthouse Point for double the Disney magic!✨✨

What makes Marvel Day at Sea so special?

Guests of all ages dress as their favorite heroes

Marvel movies on Funnel Vision

Trivia and special shows

🕷️ 🔨 😈 🐾 💫 🇺🇸 Plus, meet Marvel characters such as Spider-Man, Thor, Loki, Black Panther, Captain Marvel, and many more—including heroes like Captain America (Sam Wilson and Steve Rogers) and Mighty Thor!

If you want to see about making dreams come true by cruising with your superhero favorites, DM me or fill out the FREE quote (https://mousekeplanner.com/our-team/samantha-patru/). Let’s fill the comments with what part of these sailings speaks to you most? 🛳️⬇️✨

12/10/2024

😱✈️ Have you SEEN airline baggage fees lately?! With more airlines charging for checking luggage 🧳💸(and increasing the prices of doing so), there’s more reason than ever to consider going to just carry on when flying. But HOW do you go from packing the whole house to one carry on and one personal item? 🎒💼 Here are some pro-tips:

🖤🤍✨ Pack neutral colored layering items and swap them around in different combinations. A couple leggings, a cardigan, some lightweight shirts that can be layered, and voilà…you’ve got several combos that will get you through a few days.

🧼🧴 Stock up on those mini toiletries or use what is available at your hotels. You won’t likely need an entire bottle of anything.

🧥❓ Do you really need a sweatshirt, fleece, AND jacket? Choose the most versatile one and pack it.

🎒✨ Find a good travel backpack and stuff that bad boy! The compartments are great for keeping everything organized like cords, snacks, and other items that can easily get lost in a backpack.

🧳✨ Lots of people swear by packing cubes. Splurge on the compression cubes, roll your items, and see how much more you can get in those mini suitcases.

💡✨ What other tips do you have for packing light? Or are you in the “pfff, charge those extra bags to my card, I need ALL of my stuff” camp? 💳😎

12/09/2024

Yes!

12/09/2024

😱“Wait, I thought YOU grabbed that!?” Have you ever checked out of your room, left an attraction or restaurant only to realize that you left something behind? If you haven’t, good for you! But many of us probably have! Here are some things to know about Disney’s lost and found:

📦 All items go to a central facility and they get turned in quickly! Chances are your item isn’t where you left it for very long.

📋 Submit a form right away via the My Disney Experience app. (Just search for Lost and Found within the app) Within 48 hours you’ll get an update.

🚚 Don’t lose hope if at first you get a notice it hasn’t been found. They will keep looking and if your item is under 70 pounds and smaller than 15x15x15 inches, they will ship it to you!

✨🪄 Pixie dust happens all the time, so don’t feel like your items are lost forever if you leave something behind! Do you have any stories of lost or forgotten items making their way home to you? 📦💌

12/08/2024

🎁✨ Need stocking stuffer ideas for someone going on a Disney or Universal trip soon? OOOH, here’s an idea— maybe the stocking is the big “we’re going on a vacation” reveal gift? That might be fun! Here are some must have items that will come in real handy on a theme park vacation:

🔋 Fuel Rods (both Disney and Universal have exchange machines-but beware there is a fee to do so at Universal)

🧊 Cooling towels if going in the warmer months

🌬️ Personal fan

💳 Disney or Universal gift card

🧼 Personal size hand sanitizer

🪥Travel size toiletries

These little gifts make vacation easier and more fun!

⬇️✨ Have any other ideas to add to this list? Drop them in the comments!

12/07/2024

❄️🎄 Winter is always welcome...until after Christmas! 😆 If you’re like most, your mind is wandering and it’s taking you in a much warmer direction now that the holidays are winding down. (Ask me how I know. 😅 ) My friends, there are still MONTHS until spring, so let me point you toward a winter cruise! Sun, fun, tropical islands, rest, relaxation and a whole lot of aaaaaah. 😌✨

⛄➡️🏖️ Doesn’t trading snow for sand sound amazing right now? DM me or fill out the FREE quote (https://mousekeplanner.com/our-team/samantha-patru/) even just to see what a cruise can look like for you. If you’re a big cruise fan, help our first-timers by sharing why you love it! 🚢 💬💛

12/06/2024

Let's talk about Epcot's Living with the Land ride. This educational and relaxing ride gets an AMAZING layover for the holidays! The Christmas lights and decor add great enhancement to the ride and is a must do at night. It even gets a new name during the holidays, Living with the Land - Glimmering Greenhouses.

Have you riden this ride during the holidays?

12/05/2024

✨ 🎭 FINALLY, Walt Disney is getting his own audio-animatronic for the new show, “Walt Disney-A Magical Life”, at the Main Street Opera House in 2025! For the 70th Anniversary perhaps? 🎉🎂 Until then, did you know there are tributes to Walt Disney throughout Disneyland? Let’s celebrate his birthday by sharing our favorites!

Want to experience ‘Walt’s Disneyland’? Maybe get out there for the 70th Anniversary celebration? It’s going to be amazing! 🥳✨ So...what’s your favorite “nod to Walt” at Disneyland?

12/04/2024

🐾🩺 Any budding veterinarians or in your crew? 🚂 Hop on the Wildlife Express train to Rafiki’s Planet Watch to visit the Conservation Station at Animal Kingdom! Here, you’ll get to peek behind the scenes, visit the veterinary center, witness how they care for over 300 animals and even get to pet some! 🐐💛 Whether you aspire to work here or just simply love animals, it’s a magical place!

💚🐾 While planning a Flight of Passage strategy and making sure to visit Dinoland before it’s completely gone, don’t skip this unique experience that truly encompasses the heart and mission of Disney’s Animal Kingdom! What are your thoughts on this park-full day or half day?⬇️

12/03/2024

✨🏰 Disney guests can be pretty magical too! On Giving Tuesday, let’s celebrate the stories of kindness guests share with each other and Cast Members 😊💖—like gifting extra dining or snack credits, leaving a Cast Compliment, offering a gift locker or even letting little ones stand in front of you during the parade. These small gestures make a big impact on fellow travelers, creating those special “Disney moments” that become core memories.

🤔 What about you? Have you ever “paid it forward” on a Disney trip or received an unexpected act of kindness? 👐 Share your story below ⬇️, we could all use some “feel good” social scrolling today!

12/02/2024

🤔✨Hesitant to pull your kids out of school to visit Walt Disney World during an off season? There are lots of ways to make your Disney vacation educational! 🎓🏰 Here’s just a few:

🌎 World Showcase: Cast Members are cultural representatives from each country and LOVE to chat with guests about their homes. Kidcot packets have some tasks to complete while touring each pavilion to make it fun.

🐠 The Seas with Nemo and Friends: Finding Dory’s Friends scavenger hunt is a fun activity the whole family will enjoy. You’ll learn all about the creatures living here and the environment that they call home.

🇺🇸The Hall of Presidents and The American Adventure: American history literally comes to life at both of these attractions. Encourage your kiddos to be on the lookout for their favorite presidents or recap important moments, you’ll just might find they absorbed more than you realized! And you’ll appreciate the air conditioning!

🤔🎒 So, what do you say? Do the edutainment aspects of WDW make you feel better about missed school, or would you just have your kids make up work or write a report once home?