Steve & Laura Mahaffey - Travel Advisors - Spark A Dream Travel

05/03/2024

When your daughter has a long weekend away from college and asks to go to Universal Orlando Resort and Disney Springs - what else can you do?!

05/09/2023

Sometimes it’s hard to decide what theme parks we want to visit. Do we want to visit Mickey Mouse or Gru’s minions? Main Street USA or Diagon Alley? Then again, maybe we want to relax on a beach in the Caribbean during a cruise vacation? Decisions, decisions, decisions - or maybe the Best option is all of the above? 😉 Yeah. That sounds like the way to go - We’ll tell you all about it when we get back. Bon Voyage!

16/07/2023

Happy National Funnel Cake Day, Everyone!

Whether you prefer it dusted with powdered sugar, drizzled with chocolate, or topped with fresh berries and ice cream, funnel cakes are always a delightful treat! 😋 🤤

I’ll bet you’d never guess where I get MY favorite delectable treat 😉 Here’s a hint: All Treats are Better with Ears 😆

26/03/2023

Who else is ready to get back out on the ocean?

Disney Cruise Line has announced its summer 2024 season with new and popular itineraries to incredible destinations in the Mediterranean, northern Europe, Alaska and the Caribbean, including Lighthouse Point! Guests can experience Disney Cruise Line's new island destination in The Bahamas on inaugural sailings beginning June 2024.

22/03/2023

Experience the magic of the Wizarding World of Harry Potter when you take a ride on the Hogwarts Express at Universal Orlando Resort! Step aboard the iconic steam train and journey between Platform 9 ¾ at King's Cross Station in Universal Studios and Hogsmeade Station in Universal’s Islands of Adventure where you can explore Diagon Alley, Hogsmeade Village and Hogwarts castle - and of course you’ll want to check out the amazing attractions like Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey, Escape from Gringotts and the incredibly popular Hagrid’s Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure.

Contact us today for more information or to book your trip for a once-in-a-lifetime experience! *In order to ride the Hogwarts Express, guests must have a Park-to-Park ticket.

19/01/2023

Disney After Hours events have returned to Walt Disney World!
In case you aren’t familiar with Disney After Hours, these late-night, separately ticketed events let you enjoy a Walt Disney World theme park for three additional hours after regular park hours, with complimentary (YES, Complimentary) ice cream, popcorn and soda included. Best of all, the number of tickets for these events is limited, which means lower wait times for some of our favorite attractions!
With our After Hours ticket, we were able to enter the Magic Kingdom at 7pm (we didn’t have regular tickets for this day, and everyone With regular tickets only had to leave at 10 when the park closed) so we took the opportunity to mingle with the crowd, do some shopping and grab a hotdog and mint julep at Casey’s Corner and watch Enchantment, the nighttime fireworks show created just for Walt Disney World’s 50th Anniversary, one last time before it ends this April, then we just strolled around a while and waited for the regular day guests to leave so the party could get started!
So what can you do at an After Hours event? Eat a bunch of snacks and walk right on to most any attraction you want! At least that’s what we did. Shortly after 10, we headed back towards Main Street to go visit Mickey Mouse (stopping along the way to ride through Journey of the Little Mermaid, just because). Then it was time to grab some of that complimentary ice cream and popcorn and some coke and start our trip around the park.
Over all, we were able to ride 14 rides including Pirates of the Caribbean, Big Thunder Mountain Railroad (2x), The Haunted Mansion, Prince Charming’s Regal Carousel, The Many Adventures of Winnie-the-Pooh, Seven Dwarfs Mine Train, Space Mountain, Peter Pan’s Flight, then back to Seven Dwarfs two more times - All within about 2 and a half hours! We honestly could have done more, but we stopped several times for photos and didn’t get in any particular hurry. Oh, and we ended up eating almost $100 worth of snacks 😋

16/01/2023

Ever wonder if you’ll have enough to do on a mid-trip resort day? Well don’t worry! Even a relaxing day of exploring the resort can lead to tons of opportunities for family photos and maybe even a little friendly competition! We spent most of today just hanging out waiting for time to head to our After Hours event!

What ‘After Hours’ am I talking about? Fair question. Disney recently brought back these specially ticketed events for guests to be able to stay in certain parks for up to 3 hours after the parks are closed to day guests enjoying MUCH shorter wait times with very limited capacity and complimentary soda and snacks like Popcorn, Mickey Premium Ice Cream Bars and Sandwiches and more! And best of all, the event ticket also lets you go into the park a few hours Before closing as well!

Oh, gotta go, it’s almost time for us to go in to the Magic Kingdom! I’ll be sure to let everyone know tomorrow how the crowd levels are and if we are able to ride everything we wanted to.

Give us a call and we can help you decide if you’d like to add an After Hours event to Your next trip!

16/01/2023

We always try to do new things during our trips so we can have as much first-hand experience to share with our clients as possible.
But there’s also some things that we just love so much that we have to do again and again, like having lunch at Chef Art Smith’s Homecomin Kitchen at Disney Springs! The 24-hour buttermilk-brined chicken just melts in your mouth, the creamy mashed potatoes, cheddar drop biscuits, mac & cheese, deviled eggs, even the fried green tomatoes (I’m not a tomato person) are all Fantastic. And I remain convinced that it is the only restaurant in Florida that understands what Sweet Tea should be 😆

16/01/2023

The one thing we can always count on when vacationing in Florida is that it’s going to be HOT, right?! Not Today! 😂 🥶 In fact, my favorite Florida weatherman updated todays forecast from “Chilly” to “Flippin Cold” (I’m sure those were the official meteorological terms 😆).

So we decided to head over to Disney’s Port Orlean’s French Quarter for some of “Walt Disney’s Favorite Chili” in a bread boule at Sassagoula Floatworks. It really hit the spot, even if it does have me wondering what Walt had for indigestion when he ate too much of it in ‘58 😝

And you know, I can’t Possibly visit the French Quarter and not stop by S**t Cats Club Café for a fluffy beignet!

15/01/2023

We’re Celebrating 24 with a Rawr! Yep, today is our Anniversary! I guess we could have found a nice, romantic dinner spot, but instead, we went with Loud and Fun! We’re much more comfortable with this 😂

15/01/2023

What a great start to our trip! We decided to try one of the newer transportation options in Orlando, The Sunshine Flyer. Well, I’ll admit we were already a bit won over by the railroad theme, but we really were impressed by these folks. It’s nothing fancy, for sure, but their motor coach was clean and comfortable, the check-in was easy, everyone was very friendly, and we got to watch vintage cartoons on our ride (featuring trains, of course).
The best part of the evening, though, was the reception we got at the resort. Ok, it wasn’t Really just for us, but we thought it was pretty cool that as soon as we walked into our Theme Park view room, a fireworks show started right outside our balcony! Welcome Home, indeed! 😂
We needed to wind down a little from all that excitement, so we took a quick monorail ride over to Disney’s Polynesian Village for a Dole Whip, then back to the Contemporary Resort to settle in for the night.

14/01/2023

Weekend getaways are Great! 😃
By the way, We’re going to be out of the office for a few days 😂 😆

10/01/2023

The best way to end any day at Walt Disney World’s Magic Kingdom is with a legendary Nighttime Spectacular. It is the icing on the cake. Gathering together with family and friends to enjoy not just a fireworks show, you can see one of those anywhere, but a truly event-worthy experience combining the music and movies we grew up with and the newer favorites that our kids will always love, along with the celebration in the sky - and the thousands of other guests around you singing along with their families. It’s no longer a crowd. In this moment, they are all friends, reliving the excitement of the day, reminiscing about their past trips, and usually already thinking of their next one - all right there in the middle of the Most Magical Place on Earth. That’s my happy place.

So I couldn’t have been more excited when it was announced that Happily Ever After, one of the Best nighttime shows Disney has ever produced, is coming back and will be better than ever with brand new elements that will extend all the way down Main Street!

Wow. Happily Ever After, Tron: Lightcycle/Run (and the recently re-opened Walt Disney World Railroad that had to be stopped for construction) AND the return of Epcot Forever, the nighttime show celebrating the park that was My childhood playground, and with a couple of great promotions just launched for this Spring - I’m pretty sure I know when I’m booking Our next trip!

10/01/2023

Walt Disney World just announced that “TRON: Lightcycle/Run” will Officially open April 4, 2023! Being an 80’s kid myself and a fan of the original film, I have been looking forward to my chance to enter the Grid on this high-speed, neon-laced roller coasting race adventure! Who will be the first to clear all 8 Energy Gates? Will it be Team Blue (that’s us) or the Grid’s own Programs on Team Orange?

02/01/2023

Welcome to 2023! We hope each of your families has had the Merriest of Christmas Seasons and Happiest of New Years — and are now ready to start planning the Most Magical of Vacations!

Let us know how we can help!

10/11/2022

Another day, another port of call. You know, that’s probably one of the best things about a cruise vacation: visiting different countries over a few days without a care in the world about how you’re getting there, who has to drive, where you’re going to stop for dinner or to sleep - everything you need is right there with you. All you’ve got to do is relax (or play), enjoy some great food and entertainment, then after dinner and a good nights sleep, you wake up somewhere like Falmouth, Jamaica 🇯🇲

Among the shops in the port at Falmouth are many local vendors selling hand made crafts from right there on the island and you can even visit Jimmy Buffet’s Margaritaville just a few steps from the ship if, like us, you aren’t going on a shore excursion. After exploring and shopping, and chatting with some of the locals, we made our way back to the ship to relax on deck and snack on some ice cream - and enjoy the evening’s comedy and juggling entertainment provided by Charles Peachock, who you may have seen on America’s Got Talent!

Then, of course, it’s right back to that great food I mentioned - like some Sourdough Bread with Red Pepper Dip, Marinated Tiger Shrimp, Braised Oxtail Soup, Oven Baked Lobster Tail with Lemon Pesto Mash, Pan-Seared Venison Medallions in a Merlot Reduction and a dessert ofOld Fashioned Apple Pie and “The Captain’s Table Sundae” - Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream topped with Chocolate Sauce, Whipped Cream and crunchy Meringue 😋 Oh, and yes, there was still a sirloin steak and baked potato followed by vanilla ice cream for Laura 😆

Another late-night stroll around the decks and our day was done.

09/11/2022

Arrgh! It’s A Pirate Life For Me! Following our day at Cozumel, we sailed farther into the cerulean blue waters of the Caribbean Sea to George Town, Grand Cayman 🇰🇾. After our usual breakfast (I promise, there are Way more options for breakfast, I just Really Love Mickey Waffles with Strawberry Compote and Whipped Cream 😂) we walked the deck a bit to allow some of the other passengers to go on ashore and ran in to Captain Mickey just strolling along! We made our way to the lower decks, not really sure what to expect. You see, the waters of the Cayman Islands are highly treasured for their coral reefs, so in an effort to protect them, there is no pier for large cruise ships, so they use a tendering process to get to shore, loading everyone onto a small fleet of ferry boats while the cruise ship stays at anchor just off shore. Our concern was Laura and the tendering vessel. She’s not a fan of small boats on the open water. It took me Years to talk her in to even getting on a cruise ship - but considering this was our 6th cruise in 9 years (even with a couple-year shutdown), I’d say she made peace with the big ships 😂

I was truly not prepared for how much we would love Grand Cayman! The absolutely beautiful water, the gentle breeze keeping things so very comfortable - and the people were So Friendly and seemed to have a certain joy to everything they were doing. Even the police man directing traffic was dancing, talking to visitors, chatting with the children and having fun waving to all the cars going by. Even areas of town that had construction going on were still very clean and we never once felt like strangers or uncomfortable in any way. It was just an absolute pleasure to go shopping and exploring on the island and I simply cannot wait until we get to go back!

Eventually we had to return to the ship and found that all of our character friends were now Mickey’s Pirate Crew for tonight’s theme of Pirates In The Caribbean! We always have fun on Pirate night on Disney Cruise Line sailings, sometimes going all-out in full pirate gear. On this trip, we kept things simple to keep with our theme of a relaxing-fun vacation. But we Absolutely Had to get pictures with a certain alien pirate to send to our Stitch-obsessed daughter!

Instead of a stage show on Pirate Night, there are a pair of deck parties. Early in the evening is Mickey’s Pirates in the Caribbean where kids of all ages can learn what it takes to be part of Mickey’s pirate crew and compete against Captain Hook in all things Pirate-y. Later on, Captain Jack Sparrow joins the party with a spectacular entrance from atop the ships funnel and helps kick off the Buccaneer Blast fireworks show - one of the only cruise ship fireworks shows at sea. Then the entire midship area turns into the Club Pirate Dance Party to close out the evening!

Oh, you didn’t think I was going to end todays cruise update without talking about the food, now did you? 😆 Tonight we returned to Enchanted Garden for a pirate-themed menu of goodness. First was the bread service of Johnny Cake with Mango Dip, then Deep Fried Calypso Crab Cake with Cajun remoulade. Believe it or not, Laura actually tried something new this meal! She had Tia Dalma’s Jerk Chicken 😃 She did find it a little spicy for her, and I’ll admit, I tried and it did have quite a kick, but our servers and I were impressed she tried nonetheless! At this point, I’ve decided to just let Randy bring me whatever food he thinks I’ll like - he hasn’t missed yet, after all. He brought me King George’s Roasted Privateer Strip Loin with thyme-roasted potatoes and Yorkshire pudding with a rosemary wine sauce AND Chevaliers Lamb Shank, braised in red wine. Both were absolutely succulent! Even though I wasn’t hungry at all after that, I decided to try the Rum Soaked Chocolate Cake with Raspberry Glaze and Whipped Cream, which was also Very good. I probably ate too much, but it’s a good thing the pirate dance party was After dinner so I could work some of the food off before bed. At least that’s what I’m telling myself 😂

08/11/2022

This morning started much like our others, with a late breakfast at Cabana’s, except on this day, we awoke in Cozumel, Mexico! 🇲🇽

Once we finished our breakfast of scrambled eggs, bacon, cereal and a doughnut for Laura; Eggs Benedict, bacon, hashbrowns, breakfast potatoes and Mickey Waffles with strawberries and whipped cream for me, we headed down to the aft gangway and off the ship to go exploring!

I think it’s an unspoken rule that once you get off a cruise ship, you have to then take pictures OF the ship 😂 I really don’t mind this rule since I think Disney’s fleet has some of the most beautiful, classically shaped cruise ships on the water. We were able to do a little shopping right in the port area, then some exploring on our own to see some of the town. We don’t usually do excursions, especially the first time we go to a new place, and instead just try to take in the location.
What we found in this location was plenty of sunshine, but it did get hot rather quickly. We went down to the waterfront and admired the crystal clear ocean, but unfortunately after a couple of hours of exploring, the heat was just too much for me and we headed back to the ship to cool down and rest a little before dinner. Next time we go, we’ll have to do some snorkeling to stay cool 😃

Back on board, it seemed like we had much of the ship to ourselves. Not that we ever really felt cramped or crowded, but with many of our fellow shipmates on the island, we took advantage of a nearly private adult-area sun deck and cooled off in a spot known as Satellite Falls - a sit-in water fountain below one of the ships satellite units. The sound of the water trickling down around us, combined with the relative quiet of the ship and a gentle breeze (it’s on deck 13) made the a perfect place to relax for a little while.

Eventually, we headed back to our stateroom to freshen up for dinner and the evening’s entertainment, and along the way, we ran into a recent addition to Disney Cruise Line - Minnie, Daisy and Clarabelle dressed as none other than the Sanderson Sisters from “Hocus Pocus!” In case you haven’t noticed, we take time on all of our Disney trips to get new photos with characters, so we really appreciate the more rare appearances and special costumes and with this being a Halloween on the High Seas voyage, having them dressed as Winifred, Mary and Sarah just fit right in!

Tonight, our stage show was “Frozen - A Musical Spectacular.” This show is a Lot of fun, especially Olaf, who did remind me very much of the beloved character from the Frozen films, and was so expertly brought to life by the puppeteer that I often forgot there was an actor with him. But don’t just take my word for it - Disney was gracious enough to share this particular show on YouTube a couple of years ago, in an effort to spread some lighthearted entertainment during an otherwise, shall we say, trying time for the world 🤔. Check it out and let us know what you think!

After the show we met up with a few more character friends in their sailors outfits then it was on to dinner at Enchanted Garden. This is probably the most elegantly themed of the the main dining restaurants onboard, inspired by the French gardens of Versailles. My meal started with Country Currant Rolls with Chickpea-Garlic Purée and some North Atlantic Lobster Ravioli with Roasted Garlic and Sweet Basil. For the main course, I went with the Slow Roasted Prime Rib with Double-Baked Potato. I’ve had this a few times on previous cruises and have always enjoyed it. Once again, our server, Randy, suggested I also try something new and highly recommended the Pan Seared Sea Bass with Fava Bean and Pea Risotto, sliced Fennel and a Dill-Chive Riesling Wine Sauce. And once again, Randy was exactly right! I think I have a new favorite meal on board! Laura - surprise - had the grain-fed sirloin, medium well, with a baked potato and vanilla ice cream 😂. Maybe one day she’ll try some new foods, but at least she enjoyed the meal! My dessert was a delicious Chocolate Brownie Sundae with Peanut Butter Brownie Bites and Chocolate Ice Cream 😋

After dinner, we were pretty tired so we decided to make it an early night. Tomorrow, we visit George Town in the Cayman Islands!

06/11/2022

I’ve mentioned before that there are So So many things to do onboard during a Sea Day on your Disney Cruise Line adventure. First-Run movies like “Hocus Pocus 2” and “Dr Strange and the Multiverse of Madness,” Family Crafts, Shopping, Trivia, Bingo and there’s still the AquaDuck - a water coaster wrapping around midship, and a little beyond the sides, on the Disney Fantasy and Disney Dream…

But on the second day of our cruise, we decided to be a little lazy. It is vacation, after all, and so we took part in another time-honored cruise activity… and we did absolutely nothing 😂 This was our 6th Disney Cruise and it was just the two of us so we decided to just chill 😎

We got a late start to the day with breakfast at Cabanas - I can’t pass up the Mickey Waffles - then we watched some of “Lilo and Stitch” poolside on the giant FunnelVision screen, watched some other folks enjoying the AquaDuck, snacked on pizza, shrimp and roast beef for lunch (man I love a buffet sometimes) and then just lounged around enjoying the sea breeze while we sailed the Straits of Florida, with Havana off one side of the ship and Key West in the distance off the other.

This night was optional Formal Dress night at dinner as well as our first stage show of the voyage - Aladdin: A Musical Spectacular - in the Walt Disney Theater. We got dressed up in what has become our ‘traditional’ Formal Night outfits 😂 We always make sure to get a formal photo during our cruises and keep them all displayed across our mantle. After a few trips, we noticed that we accidentally packed nearly the same outfits for this photo, so now almost as a family joke, the tradition continues.

Before the show, we ran up with some character friends also dressed in their formal attire for some more photos. The show was Fantastic! Aladdin was always one of my favorite animated features of the ‘Disney Renaissance’ of the 90’s and this performance was everything I hoped it would be! It’s not an exact copy of the movie - and even makes a few jokes referencing the differences for us older folks to get a chuckle. You’ll have to see it for yourself so I won’t spoil it 😂

Tonight we ate at Animators Palate. I always enjoy the atmosphere at this restaurant and it actually has a slightly different theme depending on which ship you are on and the voyage length. For our first time here during this trip, the theme is very much like “Turtle Talk with Crush” from the Disney Parks. Around the restaurant during the meal, what looks like boards with sketches of animated classics changes to scenes of the ocean from Finding Nemo with Crush the Turtle swimming around, stopping occasionally to talk with the guests! It does get kinda loud at times, and the whimsical restaurant on ‘Formal Night’ may seem odd, but we really had a great time.

And as always, I have to talk about the food 😋

Bread Service was a Garlic and Herb Foccacia with a roasted garlic dip. I enjoyed the Baked Potato and Cheddar Cheese Soup and almost asked for a second bowl - but then I remembered I couldn’t choose between a couple of entrées and had ordered them both 🤤. Laura had a sirloin steak with baked potato. I told you there wouldn’t be much variety for her 😂 I was really excited for the Ginger-teriyaki dusted Angus Beef Tenderloin with wasabi mashed potatoes, bok choy and tamarind-barbecue reduction, but after a little prodding from our server Randy, I decided to also try the Herb Crusted Pork Chop. I learned a couple of lessons that meal. One, trust your server! Randy was absolutely right and while the tenderloin was really good, the pork chop was the star of the meal! The second lesson, that I had already known but always hesitate to act on, is that you aren’t limited to just one entrée, so go ahead and order what you want to try, you just might be surprised! The only down side, besides the numbers on the scales when I got back home, was that I was way too full to eat the Cookies ‘n Cream Sundae that I had been planning to get, but Laura did get her vanilla ice cream - she wasn’t as easily convinced by Randy to try new things, but he didn’t give up trying with a smile 😆.

After the meal, we went for a peaceful stroll along the upper deck, took a few more photos and watched a little football on FunnelVision then it was off to bed. Tomorrow is going to be a bigger day for us because it is the first time we’ve ever been to Cozumel, Mexico!

06/11/2022

What’s it like to sail on a 7-Night Disney Cruise Line voyage, you ask? Well, lucky for you, we were recently on the Disney Fantasy and we’re here to tell you all about it! Instead of doing one crazy-long post (I would Never do that 😆) we’re going to break it down day by day, so get ready for a new (crazy long) post all this next week! Of course, this was not our first Disney cruise. We have previously sailed on 3 and 4 night trips aboard the Disney Dream and the Disney Magic, so feel free to ask any questions you may have about the differences in voyage length, ship size or overall experience. Now, we will keep all the best secrets and tips for our clients so once you decide Disney Cruise Line is for you (and if you’re reading one of our posts, it probably is 😉) then we’re ready to go over every single detail to help make Your cruise great!

So now that’s out of the way, let’s talk about Embarkation Day from Port Canaveral!

Using the Disney Cruise Navigator app, we had already completed our online check-in and submitted our travel documentation - which is going to be Much easier now, by the way, because soon travelers will no longer have to submit any form of Covid vaccination proof or test results! I know this is Fantastic news for those of us anxious to return to a world more normal! Anyway, thanks to Online Check-In, the port arrival experience was super easy! Once we parked and were scanned in at the terminal, it was off to take a few photos and then be welcomed aboard the Disney Fantasy.

And I do mean Welcomed! Every family is made to feel like a VIP as your entry is announced in the ships main atrium with the crew lining the path in applause! OK, it can be a bit embarrassing if you are a little introverted like we are, but it really sets the stage for the level of guest satisfaction and attention Disney Cruise Line is famous for.

“Disney Fantasy Please Welcome Aboard the Mahaffey Family!” 👏 👏 is followed by a trip up to deck 11 to Cabanas for a buffet lunch and a chance to settle in to the cruise vibe 😎

On our way to freshen up a little and ran into Vinicius, our stateroom host, who already knew us by name - how’s That for some Disney Magic!

After a few minutes looking over our room, it’s back up to decks 11 and 12 midship for the Sail Away party with several of our Disney character friends and with a blast of the ships horn playing “When You Wish Upon A Star” it’s time to wave farewell to Port Canaveral and get the voyage underway! There were already many guests lounging by the pool and riding the AquaDuck - I’ll talk about that another day - but we like to take things easy that first day and just wander around the ship until time for dinner.

There’s really not an absolute ‘Dress Code’ for the main dining venues, but I do enjoy dressing up a little on the optional Formal and Semi-Formal nights. To me, if I’m going to have a fancy meal on a ship designed after classic ocean liners, I like to dress the part. Just the same, on that first night, the dress code is Cruise Casual, so no need to worry about dressing up after a long travel day. We dined at Royal Court, which has a regal theme highlighting Disney Princesses, especially Cinderella, and a French-inspired menu. Once we met our servers for the cruise, Randy and Ale, it was time for one of my favorite parts of any trip - the food 😋

The meal started with bread service of warm herb brioche with an olive spread. My appetizer was breaded, deep fried Brie with an orange and cranberry chutney, then some potage parmentier (leek and potato soup). For my main dish, I had the chateaubriand-roasted filet with crushed potatoes and shallots, a red wine jus, and buttered green beans with béarnaise sauce on the side. Dessert was an absolutely magnificent Tahitian Vanilla Créme Brûlée with almond biscotti 🤤 Laura’s meal was not quite as exotic. That’s probably not going to surprise anyone 😂 but she did really enjoy her sirloin steak with fries and some vanilla ice cream. Almost every night. 😆

Believe it or not, I did try to keep this brief but that was our day. Maybe tomorrow’s post will be shorter since it was a sea day and we mostly lounged around the ship 😃