Destination Blog

Day 1 – 30th December After a mid-morning flight from Manchester, we arrived at Paris Orly around 12:30, we chose to book the Magic Shuttle which takes you straight to your Disney Hotel and we were checked in and in the park by 2:30pm. We stayed in the Disney Hotel Cheyenne which is Toy Story themed, the hotel has frequent shuttle buses that take you to the parks from morning until late at night but we only used this once as it was so easy to walk and it only took around 15 minutes, you get to see all the other hotels on the way down and Disney Village. We booked Half Board which in my opinion is worth it’s weight in gold, every restaurant had a queue coming out of the door so the fact I had pre booked all our meals meant we could stroll in with no worries. You can of course opt for a quick take-out option if you don’t want to sit down for a meal and there are plenty of places available to do this! I had booked a table in PYM Kitchen on our first day, this is in the Studio’s Park, so we found that we spent most of the first day in this park. The food was lovely in here, so much choice on the buffet and something for everyone. Day 2 – 31st December Breakfast in the Cheyenne Hotel was good, there was lots of choice both hot and cold! The kids loved the pancakes, and the Mickey Waffles were delicious! On our way out of breakfast we noticed that Woody was in the reception area, so the kids queued up to get his autograph and some pics with him (they have a character there every morning for a few hours and they alternate between Woody and Jessie) We had a few hours in the park and then we had booked the Royal Banquet for Lunch, because we were on Half Board we only had to pay half of the supplement, and it was a brilliant experience. The restaurant is in the 5* Disneyland Hotel which is simply stunning and is now on my bucket list to go back and stay there one day! The buffet had every food you could imagine, Lobster, Oyster’s, Fillet Steak, Mac & Cheese, Pasta’s and the most amazing deserts. Mickey, Minnie, Donald and Daisy then spend a good couple of hours going round the whole restaurants signing autographs and taking pictures, it was magical for the kids they absolutely loved it. We spent the rest of the day in the park, and it was strangely quiet, we think because it is open until 1am on NYE people came a lot later so it was a good day to spend there. Unfortunately, we didn’t make it to watch the midnight fireworks as we were tucked up in bed Day 3 – 01st January Again, after breakfast we had another full day in the parks, because we had spent most of the previous day in the main park we headed to the Studio’s first and tried to get on the rides we all enjoyed the most or ones we hadn’t yet done. It was a lot busier today, so the queues were long! I had booked us a table at Walt’s Restaurant which is on the Main Street in the Disney Park. Again, the food here was so good, we didn’t have a bad meal on the whole trip. Once we had finished, we were in the perfect spot to watch the parade outside of the restaurant. *Top Tip if you book your meal for the time the parade is on you can watch it from the upstairs windows and you have the best view! Disneyland Paris is just magical at Christmas, I would 100% recommend it either before or after like we did. It is absolutely freezing so you need lots of layers, gloves and hats etc but if you go prepared you will have the best time.

We recently embarked on a week sailing the Mediterranean with Marella cruises. It was the first time sailing on Marella but also the first time we had all been away as a family - 3 generations ranging from 3 years to 72 years. Cruising is the ideal holiday option for family groups because of everything which is included, plus there is plenty of choice onboard for what to do during both the day and night. Whether it be chilling round the pool, joining in one of the activities on board, an organised excursion in one of the destinations you stop off at or just getting on land and exploring for yourself. We picked Marella for a few different reasons... flights from Leeds Bradford made it easy for us all. All-inclusive package meaning we knew everything was paid for in advance including tips, and the inside family cabins which gave us extra space and a separate partition area to lock the kids in when we had had enough! The ports on this cruise, Mediterranean Medley were Livorno (Pisa), Toulon, Vilefranche (Nice or Monaco), Barcelona and Alicante and to say we visited at the end of October the weather was very good for the time of year ☀️ We made our own way by train to both Pisa and Monaco, both of which took about 25 mins and then spent free time in both destinations rather than using a planned excursion but this is something we can discuss with you when talking through the itineraries. Barcelona we just disembarked the ship at leisure and had a wander up the Ramblas. We have done this many times before but never noticed the incredible indoor food market hidden away on the Ramblas so we had a good explore round here and tried some of the amazing fresh fruit on offer. The ship itself was a good size, not over big so we managed to find our way round pretty well, with only having a week onboard we didn’t want to be on a mega ship where we wouldn’t have time to try everything. There was a choice of 16 Restaurants and 10 bars on board. The main dining, Latitudes 53 Restaurant was set over 2 floors and served lovely food and had a great atmosphere. We did have to wait for a table with us been a group of 8 but we only had to wait around 30 mins, we were given a buzzer so we all went for a drink in one of the bars on board. Flutes is your onboard champagne bar where you press a button on the wall and bubbles appear. Another bar which was one of our favourites was The Art House, they played a lot of live music in here which we loved. For somewhere a little more chilled head to Summer House which has both inside and outside seating. It had a lovely light feel which even when inside made you feel like you were sat outside. Live music was played in here every night. The buffet restaurant area, called The Kitchens was a great set up with 8 different restaurant areas ranging from Indian, Greek to Pie and Mash and Roast dinners. Plus an Ice Cream Cart which was a big hit with grandad and the kids! The Kitchens you went up to be served and they had a selection off different dishes on every night. This is also where the midnight buffet and self-serve wine and beer station was which the dads liked to visit after losing in the casino! The Chicken Satay and Thai Green Curry are a must! Apparently, the Pie and Mash was a hit going by the number of servings our table had too!! We tried Surf and Turf one night too which was a steak and seafood place. We nearly all had surf and turf (filet steak and lobster tail) which was lovely, the service here was fabulous and the food amazing. It has a small supplement but well worth it. On board there were so many different activities to join in with that would suit all ages, including Mini Golf, Quizzes, Bike Hire, wine tastings and our favourite Bingo, I think it helped that we got a full house on day one so we all because addicted after that! When we came to leaving everything was as efficient as on arrival day. The afternoon before departure we received a pack through the door with our leaving details, luggage tags and our flight timings with coach pick up time. The morning of departure we grabbed a quick breakfast from The Kitchens, collected our bags from port side and boarded our coach back to the airport where we checked in and headed to our gate ready for our flight back to Leeds. The end of a fabulous cruise with stunning ports and one I would highly recommend.

We flew direct from Manchester with Aer Lingus, flight was great, lovely aircraft and great service on board, we had an afternoon departure which was ideal as we didn’t have a mega early star and we took advantage of using the lounge at Manchester Airport. We took a cab from JFK airport straight to the hotel, we stayed at the Holiday Inn City Times Square and what a fabulous location! We dumped our luggage and was straight out into Times Square for a wander around, being Saturday night it was buzzing, so much to take in, the bright lights, the nightlife and plenty of cabs beeping their horns! We settled in an Irish Bar (of course) had a nightcap and then an early night ready to hit the ground early the next day. The time difference meant that we were up and at em and ready to explore by 7.30 am the next morning. On todays agenda was an open top bus tour, I always find these are a great way to get your bearings in a new city. We had a great tour and even sat on top deck in the winter sun! It was chilly up there but we were well wrapped up and the views were amazing. We got off the bus near to Battery Park and got tickets to go across to Ellis Island and Statue of Liberty. *Tip* There are a lot of ticket sellers on the street around here, don’t use these as they are way over priced, use the official ticket booth down by the ferry for the correct pricing. Lady Liberty did not disappoint, shes amazing! The ferry trip over is great and we paid a few dollars more to gain access to the pedestal, 164 steps up and you come out on the pedestal, couldn’t be any closer! We sat and had a coffee in the sun with the Statue of Liberty looking over us it was such a surreal moment, turns out we had a few more of these to come. Next stop Ellis Island and what an amazing piece of history this is, we paid $10 to do a search of people who had arrived here and we all found relatives and even some from Keighley, was emotional to experience such an important part of family history. After a pit stop and little rest we ventured to Wall Street, saw the famous “Bull” and had a good explore. We finished off the day with a cocktail or two and some huge slices of pizza! *Tip* New York can be expensive for food and drinks, we found some great value breakfasts and food by just having a wander around, each deli and bakery has a sitting in area which is ideal for a good value quick breakfast. Day 2 Todays agends started off with a visit to the Rockerfella Centre, we had booked tickets in advance for the “Top of the Rock” experience, we again were so lucky with the weather as we had another beautiful clear sunny day, we got out of the lift and the views were unreal, we saw all the way across Central Park and Beyond. We spent some time in this area after, we saw Good Morning America being filmed, people ice skating and some amazing shops. Then it was time for a real treat! We had booked for afternoon tea at The Plaza, we decided to walk down there as it was such a lovely day and you definitely see more on foot rather than using the Subway. The Plaza was everything you imagine, uber swish, elegant, and well worth a visit. We had a gorgeous afternoon tea with a lovely glass of champagne! After leaving The Plaza we were straight across from Central Park, we opted for a tour in a Tuk Tuk, this was brilliant. We had an amazing driver who was so knowledgeable about the Park, he took us to all the photo spots, showed us all the film sights, took us out of the Park to John Lennons apartment and then back into the Park to the John Lennon Memorial, just in time to see a busker performing “Imagine” with the sun shining down on us, another surreal moment! Our drive then dropped us off at a local bar where we had a good relax and sit down with really good value local beers, we had a great time there, if you ever get to New York check it out, Its called Rudies and the beers are $3 a pint with a free hot dog! Bargain. Next stop tonight was a roof top bar, 230 Fifth is a fab rooftop bar, amazing view of The Empire State Building and we sat in heated Igloos and had drinks and nachos. There is no fee to book theses just a minimum spend required of $100 between the three of us. What an amazing packed day, an early night was needed! Day 3 This morning we were up and early off again and Shevaun had one thing she wanted to do, see Carrie Bradshaws apartment! (Sex and the City). Again another beautiful sunny day so we decided to walk down to the West Village, and this place is beautiful, very different from other parts of the City, think Notting Hill vibes. Using google maps we found the apartment and had some photos taken, Shevaun loved this and was so happy she skipped down the street! We had a lovely brunch in a local bistro, really local style and great value. We hit the streets again and made our way down to China Town and had a shop, then on to Little Italy where we shopped some more. We then found a lovely little Italian restaurant called Sofias and sat outside in the sun and enjoyed a Carafe (or two) of lush red wine and sampled some Brushetta. Then it was time for another amazing spectacle, The Brooklyn Bridge, we timed this perfect and walked over it at Sunset, it was simply stunning, another surreal experience. Once in Brooklyn we got an uber and headed to a restaurant Shevaun had found and booked, St Anselm, what a little gem, the best steak we have ever had, filled with locals and a buzzing atmosphere it was a great evening. An uber back to the hotel after another hectic day. Day 4 As we were flying back later tonight we decided to fit in some shopping and visit the 9/11 memorial. Shopping is amazing in New York, we didn’t do the Macys and big department stores, we just did the local shops and bought hoodies, Christmas baubles and key rings oh and lots of American sweets and chocolate! We walked down to the 9/11 Memorial, and what an experience, this place is so beautiful, it is very moving, the fountains are stunning and a place for reflection. There is the museum there and also the church that wasn’t harmed in the attack which is amazing in itself. There is also a Westgate shopping centre nearby which is full of all the usual designers etc. We just had to have once last visit to Rudies before starting the journey home, we loved that place. Back to the hotel for out luggage and the Hotel had arranged a car for us to the airport which was actually cheaper than a cab and a lovely car and driver and definitely less horn beeping! JFK airport is great, so easy to navigate and well organised, we were soon on our flight homeward bound! New York is simply amazing, something for everyone and somewhere you can have a different experience each time you visit, I can not wait to go back!

DAY 1 • I arrived at Manchester airport and was able to head straight to security due to having hand luggage only and had checked myself in before arrival, this made my airport experience easier with it being my first time flying on my own. I found it straight forward to get around the airport because of the signs which are everywhere, this made it easy to find the gate I needed to be at. • The flight was very short being just under 2 hours landing in Milan Malpensa airport, the transfer down to Cernobbio was around an hour with stunning views over the mountains and the lake. • After arriving at the hotel we was taken by a coach to Como town where we got on the Sunset Boat Cruise, we was on the boat for around 90 minutes and saw the stunning houses and hotels along the Lake. We got off the boat at the gorgeous Villa Erba Hotel this was built in the 19th Century we were told all about its history and culture by the owners, this hotel also makes makes a perfect wedding destination. We tried lots of different Italian foods here. Day 2 • The hotel breakfast was American buffet style with so much to choose from • After breakfast I met up with my small group and we hopped on a water taxi down to Como town which took around 30 minutes. We had a coffee in a local café while waiting to collect the bikes we had hired then rode for 15 miles crossing the border into Switzerland on E bikes, this took just under 2 hours. Once we had returned our bikes the tour guide recommended a local pizza restaurant for us to visit just around the corner where we had freshly cooked pizzas for lunch. We got the water taxi back to the hotel where we were welcomed to their rooftop terrace for drinks and snacks overlooking the beautiful lake while chatting to suppliers. • From here we split off into smaller groups again and was taken to separate restaurants for a 4-course meal of all local cuisine including fish from the lake. • The morning after we had breakfast in the hotel and got on the transfer back to Milan airport ready for the journey home. I absolutely loved my first trip travelling on my own it was so easy and I got to see a gorgeous part of Italy, meet some suppliers and agents and I cant wait to tell our clients all about this amazing place.