The Lucky Travelers

The Lucky Travelers

The Epcot Festivals, Ranked

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An opinionated vegetarian ranks the festival food from best to worst, and shares what to seek and what to skip.

Epcot Flower and Garden Festival

Epcot is my favorite Disney park. As a kid, I loved the magic of visiting different countries in rapid succession, and some of my oldest Disney memories are of the now-defunct Wonders of Life Pavilion, which included my favorite ride as a kid, Body Wars. Now as an adult I still love it, mostly because it hosts the many Epcot festivals on a nearly year-round basis.

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What’s on Renaissance Island in Aruba?

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Swimming with flamingos is one of the many things you can do on Renaissance Island

When we went: July 2019
Where we stayed: Renaissance Marriott Ocean Suites and Marina
How long we stayed: 4 nights

We recently visited Aruba for a 10-year anniversary trip. It was a rare trip WITHOUT our children. Aruba seemed like the perfect place because it was somewhere relaxing, affordable, and easy to get to. One of the biggest draws about Aruba, and the Renaissance Marriott specifically, is their private island. It is the only private beach in Aruba. Renaissance Island has so many amenities you can easily go there and comfortably spend your whole day. Here is everything you can expect on a visit to Renaissance Island:

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The Pros and Cons of Staying at the Disney Swan and Dolphin

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The Disney Dolphin Hotel
The Dolphin Hotel

The Disney Swan and Dolphin Resort is unlike any other Disney Hotel. It’s literally in a class of its own; a unique situation which provides some benefits but also some potential drawbacks. Still, it is often one of our favorite hotels to stay at, and we have done so many times. This article will break down the differences between the Swan and Dolphin and all of the other Disney resorts, and will help you decide if it is the right hotel for you, too.

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An American Family Visits Alton Towers

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two children in a toy plane in front of the CBeebies Land Hotel

How we traveled from the USA to England to visit Cbeebies Land at Alton Towers

Part 1

When we went: April 2019
Where we stayed: Cbeebies Hotel at Alton Towers
How long we stayed: 2 nights

This post (Part 1) is all about the logistics and travel for our trip to Alton Towers in England. Part 2 (coming soon!) is about the the park, hotel, and attractions.

Alton Towers is a theme park in England, and among other things it is the home to some castle ruins, a bunch of rollercoasters, and Cbeebies land. As an American, I had never heard of Alton Towers until a couple of years ago when the Octonauts shared this post about a new hotel with an Octonauts-themed hotel room:

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The Case For a 7-Night Disney Cruise

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Why we only take 7+ night Disney Cruises, and why you should too.

The Disney Dream docked at Castaway Cay

It’s no secret that we love Disney Cruises. We’ve been on nine so far, with two more coming up in the next 12 months. We took our first Disney Cruise five years ago, when our oldest daughter was a year and eight months old. We’ve sailed on all four of the current Disney ships, to itineraries near and far, but one thing we’ve never done is taken a cruise that is shorter than 7 nights. We’ve been on two 11-night cruises, one 13-night cruise, and the rest have all been 7-night (including one back-to-back combo of a 3-night and a 4-night on the Dream, which I’ll talk more about below). 

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