Random Act of Kindness - WOW

This morning, I received a text from one of my clients that read "Text me when you're awake and have a minute, something weird happened with my honeymoon registry."  I immediately thought "uh-oh" and hoped it wasn't something bad.  I messaged her back only to find out that someone who neither her or her fiance knew, purchased over $2000 in gifts for them.  Neither of us knew what to think.  I figured, it must be a mistake, maybe some kind of scam, but I'm not really sure how that would work.  Then she posted the following on her Facebook: 

She mentioned that she was having a hard time believing that this was real, and that a stranger could do something so meaningful. She reached out to who she believed it was on Facebook (they did sign the above note) and we waited.

In the meantime, I reached out to my network of travel professionals first, to see if anyone had heard of anything like this before.  Several of them suggested what I had already though, call the registry people.  So, I reached out to the people at Honeymoon Wishes and let them know my client had received an unusual gift. They immediately knew what I was talking about, and said that it was flagged by them this morning and they were looking into it.

About an hour later, I heard back from the CEO of Honeymoon Wishes and he informed me that this was a first for him, that in 10 years of business, they had never had such a gesture occur before, and quite frankly, didn't know how to confirm that it was legitimate. He had personally spoken to the gentleman who purchased the generous gifts for my clients, and it did in fact seem to be legitimate.  My client posted on social media a few days ago, mentioning they had booked their honeymoon (through me of course) and now they just need $6,000 to pay for it..and she shared a link to her honeymoon registry.  Somehow, the stranger came across the post and thought they could use some help.

My client heard back from the stranger, and thanked him profusely. When she asked him why he picked her, his response was:

"You were picked totally at random.  My wife and I were married at Disney 20 years ago and it's been a huge part of our lives.  You kids looked like you could use some help."

Did you know that you could create a honeymoon registry of your own on my website?  Check it out here: https://magiccarpetdestinations.honeymoonwishes.com/

All we see in the headlines lately is a lot of bad news, tragedy, and hate.  I don't want to get political, but I'll say that this random act of kindness from one stranger to another, has restored my faith in humanity for just a little while.

Clearwater Marine Aquarium

Last week, we took a trip to Tampa for a few days and from there, made a day trip to Clearwater to visit Hope and Winter from the Dolphin Tale movies.  Although we had our trip planned for a few months, a few nights before we left I discovered that we would be there at the same time that they were hosting a "Meet the Dolphin Tale Stars" event.  

When we arrived, the parking was overflowing and the aquarium staff was directing traffic to alternate parking.  Just a short walk and were were in line at the ticket booth. Once we received our tickets, we hopped on the Jolly Trolly and took a 10 minute ride over to the secondary location, Winter's Dolphin Tale Adventure in downtown Clearwater.

We walked through different scenes of the movie, along with props as we waited for the Q&A with the stars Nathan Gamble (Sawyer) and Austin Highsmith (Phoebe).  The actors were cute, they seemed to be genuinely happy to be there. We heard stories of how they have inspired children with disabilities, how they learned to interact with the animals, and what it was like to film both movies.

After the Q&A it was time to line up and meet the stars!  The line was very organized, we were allowed one photograph per group, and one signature item per person.  

Once we were done rubbing elbows with the stars, we headed back to the aquarium so that we could finally get to see the REAL stars of the movies, Winter and Hope.  

We spent about an hour and a half at the aquarium, watching the show, and just looking at all the animals.  Unfortunately, I lost all my photos and videos from that day, if I can find any decent ones on my kids phones, I'll make sure I update them.  If not, we'll have to make another trip out there to get some decent pictures ;)

DisneyParksLIVE Stream tonight - Star Wars A Galactic Spectacular LIVE

Don't forget to tune in tonight at 9:20PM ET to watch #DisneyParksLIVE: Star Wars: A Galactic Spectacular, live from Disney's Hollywood Studios.

Watch it here

Seminole Hard Rock Hotel - Tampa

Last week, we took a trip to Tampa and stayed a few nights at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel.  If you couldn't guess, it's a Rock 'n' roll themed hotel with a casino, and of course, a Hard Rock Cafe located within the property.  

The Hard Rock is currently undergoing some work due to an expansion, starting with the arrival process, the parking area was blocked off in some sections, and the "resort check in" area was nowhere to be found.  We ended up following the signs for the hotel valet, and handed over the keys for the night.  A quick walk through the casino to the front desk, and we were checked in, our room was ready.

We went up to the room to drop off our bags, and I was pleased with the lavish room and amenities.

Since I was traveling with my whole family, I called down to the front desk and requested a crib for my little one.  They brought one up within a few minutes.  Once settled in, we decided to venture downstairs and grab something to eat.

We chose to have lunch at the Hard Rock Cafe.  It was still pretty early and the restaurant was pretty empty.  Service was a bit slow, but we were told that they were having issues with the water.  The food was great!  

After lunch we explored the rest of the hotel, and ended up in the pool for a few hours. The pool area includes a pool bar, pool side huts (Chickee's), hot tub, and plenty of seating and lounge chairs to catch some ray's.  The pool even has underwater speakers!

While we didn't have time to partake in any of the Spa services, we did walk by it a few times.  The Rock Spa has an extensive menu of options, from a basic manicure, to a musical massage called "Synchronicity".

Once the kids were settled in for the night, we snuck down to the casino. (Don't worry, my oldest is 17 and about to go off to college, they were in good hands). 

The following morning, we headed to Clearwater to visit the Clearwater Marine Aquarium, and grabbed a late lunch at the Bahama Breeze on Tampa Bay.  You can read about that experience on my next post.

Over the course of the 2 days we spent in Tampa, at the Hard Rock, I played some video poker, while my husband played some actual poker in one of the casino's poker tournaments.  We both spent a few hours playing roulette.  We didn't walk away winners this time, but I still consider myself lucky to have experienced such a great trip.  Only a short drive from where we live in Central Florida, we will be back soon!

You can see some more pictures from our trip on our facebook post by clicking here

  

Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party Dates Announced

Although you may be getting ready for spring and summer, if you are planning a trip to Walt Disney World this fall, you may want to start planning for some extra fun.  Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party will be at the Magic Kingdom on 29 different nights this year.

Guests will trick-or-treat throughout the park, see their favorite Disney Characters dressed in their very own Halloween costumes, enjoy the "Mickey's Boo-to-You Halloween Parade," "Hocus Pocus Villain Spelltacular," and "Happy HalloWishes" fireworks.

Here is the full list of this year's dates:

September - 2, 8, 11, 13, 16, 18, 20, 23, 25, 29, 30
October - 2, 4, 6, 7, 10, 11, 13, 14, 16, 18, 20, 21, 23, 25, 27, 28, 30, 31

New this year, there will be revised costume guidelines for special events.  While costumed attire may be worn, guests ages 14 and older are strongly discouraged from wearing layerd costumes or costume props that surround the entire body as they may be subject to additional security screening.  Additionally, costumes may not contain any props that resemble or could easily be mistaken for an actual weapon.

Stay tuned for the updates on ticket prices, on-sale dates, and more!

"Inside Out" coming to Epcot next month

Exciting news from Disney Parks Blog this morning!  It was just announced that Joy and Sadness will be joining the character line up at Epcot's Character Spot.  The Character Spot is located in Future World, and it has been expanding the last few months to give you the opportunity to meet even more of your Disney friends.

Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse, and Goofy have been there for a while.  Across the way, you can now spend time with Baymax, from "Big Hero 6".  And beginning next month, you will be able to meet Joy and Sadness, two of the Emotions from Disney Pixar's "Inside Out".  

As of right now, you can make fastpass+ reservations to meet Mickey Mouse and his pals, but nothing has been announced to add a fastpass+ for the newest arrivals.

FOOD & WINE FESTIVAL COMING TO DISNEY CALIFORNIA ADVENTURE

Exciting news for all my west coast fans.  This spring, Disney California Adventure Park will host it's first Food & Wine Festival.  The festival will begin April 1, 2016.  The month-long festival, taking place during weekends in April, will celebrate some of the best of delicious California cuisine.  A distinguishing feature will be new Festival Marketplaces, where guests can sip and savor delicious flavors from throughout the state of California.  The Disney California Adventure Food & Wine Festival will also include culinary demonstrations, appearances by celebrity chefs and informative seminars. 

I can't wait to see what this festival will have to offer!