Blog Posts by Amy Sowinski

Virgin Voyages Quick Tips!

5/6/2025 • Blog, Cruises • Whether this is your first Virgin Voyage, or you’re an experienced sailor, these helpful tips will make your voyage that much smoother! Forgot to add a Bar Tab? Want to add more Bar Tab to your account? Great news! You will still be able to add Bar Tab while at the port! Before you board the ship, visit any desk with a Bar Tab sign (like below), to add Bar Tab to your voyage. Bar Tabs are great ways to pre-pay your drinks (alcoholic drinks, specialty coffees, juices, and non-alcoholic specialty drinks). Sometimes, bonus Bar Tab is offered with that purchase. Remember - Bar Tabs cannot be purchased onboard! Want to reserve a pool lounge chair? You can! But if your belongings are abandoned for more than 40 min, personal items (not belonging to VV) will be taken to Lost and Found. Any pool attendant can direct you! Forget to […]

Virgin Voyages – Splash for Your Bash Package

1/7/2025 • Blog, Cruises • Virgin Voyages offers many unique experiences for your adult cruise adventure - and one that is a VERY fun add is Splash for Your Bash! A $250 pre-voyage add-on to your voyage (valued at $375), this package includes many perks! Complimentary Moet was delivered to our room! We did not request - it was a surprise delivery from our room steward when they saw we were back! We were contacted prior to our trip by Sailor Services to select our brunch date/time and curated dinner date/time. We already had our dining reservations made, so it was simply to coordinate that we were given our celebration options! Dinner was at Test Kitchen - as dinner promises beverage pairings with each course, and specialty dessert - we were excited to experience this with Test Kitchen to maximize our Bash offerings! Test Kitchen is a multi course, experimental dining experience - so each […]

Splash of Romance Package – Virgin Voyages

3/5/2024 • Cruises • Virgin Voyages is a cruise line like no other! Beautiful ship spaces, incredible entertainment, and unforgettable experiences - Virgin has something for everyone! On all voyages, a select number of ‘Splash of Romance’ (SOR) packages are available to add-on to your voyage! This is a $350 value, for only $250 (updated 11.14.24). It’s an amazing deal, and one we will likely add on to our next voyage too. Here are all this amazing package has to offer: - Priority check in and boarding. Not quite Rock Star, but not ‘regular’ either. Quick, separate, and ready to sail! - Exclusive wristband - used to identify you for those special perks on board! We arrived slightly earlier than our boarding time. Boarding opens officially at 1pm - Signage at the Terminal V entrance allowed Deep Blue Extras and Splash of Romance packages to board from a separate line. We were the first […]

Margarita and Chocolate Mixology – Virgin Voyages “Shore Things”

2/13/2024 • Blog, Cruises, Reviews • Virgin Voyages has unique, immersive, and cultural experiences at every port! In Cozumel, you can venture to Mayan ruins at Chichen Itza, swim and sun at the blue beaches, experience scenic tours, or taste food and drink perfected by this culture. We chose to book a Shore Thing called “Margaritas and Chocolate Mixology” that took us to the Mayaland Cacao Company where we would learn about the Mayan culture, the history of cacao and tequila, and indulge in our own hand made margaritas! This was a fantastic experience! Our tour guide, Roberto, met us at the end of the pier, and made us all feel welcome. This ‘shore thing’ capped at 12 guests, but our particular tour had only 8! Not only was our guide incredibly friendly, he was also one of the developers of this specialty tour to bring culture and fun to cruise travelers. You could tell he […]

Epcot After Hours Event

9/12/2023 • Walt Disney World • In July, my family had the opportunity to take part in Epcot After Hours event! While Magic Kingdom and Hollywood Studios had offered such events in the past, and holiday parties after hours events are common, Epcot’s After Hours event is one we will definitely do again! You can read more about different After Hours events in our previous BLOG Epcot After Hours dates seemingly filled the gaps between festivals - Flower and Garden had ended, and Food and Wine had not yet started. Pricing for this event is similar to a party night, and discounts for DVC and AP holders were available - these tickets must be purchased separately from your package and are non-refundable/non-transferable once purchased. Every major attraction is included, and free snacks too! Crowds were extremely low for this event, so lines during the actual event time were very quick! Like all after hours events, guests […]

Deluxe Resorts, Extended Evening Hours, and Virtual Queues – OH MY!

7/14/2023 • Blog, Walt Disney World • In 2023 and extended through 2024 - those Walt Disney Resort guests who have a stay booked at a Deluxe Disney Resort or Deluxe Villa Disney Resort are eligible for Extended Evening Hours on limited and select nights at either Magic Kingdom Park or Epcot. These Extended Evening Hours allow entry for only those deluxe resort guests to enjoy theme parks at a lower capacity beyond normal park closing hours. Combined with the early theme park entry for all resort guests, you can really maximize your park time! This amazing evening perk to those staying at one of Walt Disney World’s Deluxe Resorts also affords them one more super, and free, opportunity to experience the hottest new attractions in each park! In the My Disney Experience app, those staying at a Deluxe Resort during an Extended Evening Hours day, get the chance to join the Virtual Queue for Tron Lightcycle […]

ShipEats! Room Service the Virgin Voyage Way

3/7/2023 • Blog, Cruises • With over $600 of included amenities on your Virgin Voyage, you can count on room service as one of those amenities as well! “ShipEats!” is a unique onboard room service option that can be ordered from your Virgin Voyages app, or your in-room tablet. While aboard the Scarlet Lady, I wanted to be sure I experienced as much of the food as I possibly could! And who wouldn’t - with Michelin chefs on board, everything was absolutely amazing. But sometimes, sometimes you just want to hang out on your balcony in your hand crafted hammock and snack, or maybe early mornings at a restaurant just aren’t your thing. ShipEats! is your solution! ShipEats! menus are accessible via your VV app, and include meals, snacks, and drinks, that are included with your voyage cost. Some items on the menu are from the various restaurants on the ship. There are some items, […]

Top 5 Reasons To Visit Walt Disney World BEFORE Your Disney Cruise!

3/22/2022 • Cruises, Tips, Walt Disney World • The anticipation of a Disney Cruise can be grand. There’s so much to plan, and for most travelers, it is a once-in-a-lifetime experience.  Your Me and The Mouse Travel Specialist will guide you in the best options for your travel party: before, during, and after your cruise.  One such option, is visiting the Walt Disney World Resort for a few days before embarking on your cruise that leaves from a Floridian port! There are benefits to visiting the Most Magical Place On Earth BEFORE your cruise… Here are the Top Five! 5. You will be too relaxed (and tired) to visit the Walt Disney Resort! Cruising changes your mood, and changes your routine, to a Hakuna Matata lifestyle!  To then switch gears and amp up for a theme park visit is exhausting. Rest your tired feet, be pampered, and end your vacation refreshed! 4. By arriving a few days early, […]

Transportation Options from Orlando Sanford International Airport (SFB)

12/21/2021 • Blog, Universal Studios, Walt Disney World • If you are reading this blog post, chances are you have found cheap flights from Allegiant to Orlando and are curious about your best options for transportation to Walt Disney World or Universal Orlando Resort. Allegiant flies into Orlando Sanford Airport (SFB) in Sanford, FL, which is northeast of Orlando, FL, and is considerably farther away from your travel destination than Orlando International Airport (MCO). One way to Universal Studios is about an HOUR away. And for Walt Disney World, about ONE HOUR and TWENTY MINUTES away. Both travel times depend upon construction, and I-4 traffic! Because of this, Having safe, reliable transportation to/from SFB is very important! So what are your options? There are no complimentary transportation services available at SFB to either theme park destination, but there are paid services available. Me and The Mouse Travel recommends the following, and can assist you with these booking options. Please […]

Lockers 101 – Universal Studios Orlando

12/6/2021 • Tips, Universal Studios • At Universal Studios and Islands of Adventure in Orlando, most major attractions have a strict ‘no loose items’ policy - and that encompasses change, wallets, purses of any kind, backpacks, sunglasses, hats, etc. There are a few solutions to this:  asking a party member to hold everything while you enjoy the attraction is one solution, but a better one is to utilize Short-Term Lockers. Various locations throughout the theme parks, strategically located close to attractions with these requirements, will house banks of lockers with a digital kiosk.  Using the kiosk allows you to ‘rent’ a short-term locker by either using a fingerprint and code or your theme park admission ticket. You will then be assigned a locker for your belongings, which are roughly big enough for a standard-sized backpack. What’s great about these lockers?  They are FREE for the first hour, typically.  The FREE use of the locker is based […]