Blog Posts by Amy Sowinski

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, […]

Park Hopping at Walt Disney World in 2022

2/25/2022 • Blog, Walt Disney World • Visiting Walt Disney World since reopening after the pandemic closure has been nothing short of an adventure! While Covid-19 protocols are ever-changing, a few things have remained the same since they were introduced: Disney Park Pass Reservations and Park Hopping. I hope to clarify the process for our loyal readers and clients! In order to visit Walt Disney World theme parks, Disney Park Pass Reservations are required along with a valid park ticket. Reservations should be made when your resort reservation is secured with a deposit, or stand-alone tickets purchased. But how exactly does this work for those with park-hopper tickets? Disney Park Pass Reservations should be made for the FIRST park you wish to visit in a day. You must physically scan into the theme park for which you have the reservation before you are allowed to “hop” to another.* When can you “hop”? You may enter your second […]

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’s drive. And for Walt Disney World, about an hour and twenty minutes. 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 note […]

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 […]

Honeydukes and Weasley’s Wizard Wheezes

11/18/2021 • Universal Studios • The Wizarding World of Harry Potter, spanning both Universal Studios Orlando and Islands of Adventure, dazzles guests with the most authentic and immersive movie-set experience.  Two stores, in particular, allow you to not only bring home some of the magic of Harry Potter...but to physically experience it as well! Honeydukes can be found in Hogsmeade - located in Islands of Adventure. Honeydukes, as you know, is the candy store of choice for all Hogwarts students on their weekend day trips to Hogsmeade in the winter months from book three on. Buildings covered in snow. Cobblestone streets and magical windows. Blink and you may miss Honeydukes!  This lovely candy shop has EVERY candy mentioned in the books, from Bertie Botts Every Flavor Beans to the Ton Tongue Taffy that Dudley Dursley could not resist when it fell out of the Weasley Twins’ pockets. Everywhere you turn is more whimsey and lovely […]

The Flaming Moe!

11/16/2021 • Reviews, Universal Studios • Every Simpsons fan remembers that episode...waaaaay back from 1991...where the impossible-to-love bartender, Moe Szyslak, stole Homer’s idea for a fun beverage, got super famous, and Aerosmith came to town?!  Right? No?! Well, maybe I’ve been watching “The Simpsons” too long, but the drink - The Flaming Moe - is something every fan probably remembers! While at Universal Studios Orlando, you can wander over to Springfield U.S.A. and join fellow Simpson-ites in the delicacies of Fast Food Boulevard...Krusty Burger, Lard Lad Donuts, Duff Brewery, Cletus’ Chicken Shack...and the famous, MOE’s Tavern. The Flaming Moe can be found by bellying up to the bar in MOE’s Tavern, or by going to The Flaming Moe window inside of Fast Food Boulevard. Both locations are connected, so you won’t have to go far! The Flaming Moe is… Non-alcoholic Like Orange Crush In a sweet souvenir cup Super fizzy and ‘flaming’ Just enough for 1 […]

Riding the Hogwarts Express

11/11/2021 • Reviews, Universal Studios • When visiting Universal Orlando Resort, the most magical time you and your family will have is visiting the Wizarding World of Harry Potter and Hogsmeade! Universal has pulled out all the stops to make this the most authentic guest experience possible - you can read about all these worlds have to offer HERE and by searching the Me and the Mouse blog! One experience that is truly unforgettable is a ride on the Hogwarts Express. Only those with a “Park to Park” ticket (meaning you are able to visit multiple parks in one day) at Universal Orlando Resort are allowed to take part in this experience. If you don’t currently hold a Park to Park ticket, ask your travel specialist for an upgrade! Guests can board the Hogwarts Express either at Platform 9 ¾ at Kings Cross Station in Universal Studios, OR, at the station in Hogsmeade in Islands of […]

Your Preschooler and Universal Studios Orlando Resort

10/6/2021 • Universal Studios • Many clients ask us if their children are too young to visit theme parks. Universal Studios Orlando Resort offers unique experiences for preschool children in its theme parks. Before you plan your trip with your preschooler to the Universal Studios Orlando Resort, it is important that you think about the following points: Is your child: tall enough to ride the attractions? familiar with the characters and themed experiences at the Universal Resort? adventurous and willing to ride attractions that include motion simulators, 3D films, fast or tall drops, and spinning ride cars? more low key and prefer a playground and/or carnival style attractions? Your answers to these questions will ultimately help your decision on which parks and attractions to visit at the Universal Studios Orlando Resort. Universal Studios does contain a preschool friendly area featuring Woody Woodpecker and Curious George with a playground and splash pad. An animal show and […]

World of Color Dining Package: Carthay Circle – A California Adventure Dining Experience Review

9/16/2021 • Disneyland, Reviews • Journeying to the Disneyland Resort in Anaheim, California, for the first time as a family was an exciting experience. Such an experience required a proper celebration of food…and Carthay Circle fit that bill! Carthay Circle, located in California Adventure’s Buena Vista Street at the Disneyland Resort, boasts a grand marquee reminiscent of a movie theater of bygone eras. Inside, you’ll find this is exactly the aesthetic they planned for. Modeled after the Carthay Theater in Los Angeles where Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs first premiered, you’ll find beautiful décor, intricate woodwork, and ambient lighting – you’ll feel like you should be wearing your best red-carpet attire! The lobby houses tables and chairs while you wait. There is also a lobby sushi bar, which I am told, has some of the BEST sushi in Anaheim!  The second floor (accessible by a grand staircase or fancy elevator), is the ‘theater’ floor. […]

Vanellope’s Sweets and Treats – on the Disney Dream!

8/6/2021 • Cruises, Reviews • For fans of Disney’s Wreck it Ralph, or anyone with an imagination and a sweet-tooth...you’ll want to explore Vanellope’s Sweets and Treats aboard the Disney Dream! You’ll find this confectionary inside the Cabana’s, with limited hours. Vanellope’s has a wide array of candies, ice creams, gelatos, and confections, that you’re sure to find something for everyone in your family to enjoy*.  It’s whimsically decorated to resemble “Sugar Rush”, Vanellope’s video game in Wreck it Ralph...complete with Sour Bill, King Candy, and Vanellope herself! While I could gush about the insane amount of goodies I drooled over this summer while on board the Disney Dream, I want to talk about Vanellope’s specialty items! The menu for Artisan Sundaes is jam-packed full of movie-referenced concoctions for you and your family to enjoy. The BEST part??!!  You can special order ANY of these sundaes AND they will hand-deliver for your dessert any night […]