Kingdom Konsultant Travel Blog

Have you ever looked up at a hilltop and wondered what the view would look like from up there?   Or maybe been curious about hiking thru a rainforest?   If either of those questions has ever crossed your mind, then the Mountain Top Downhill Rainforest Trek in St. Maarten is for you! While the name Mountain Top can be a bit deceiving since St. Maarten does not technically have any mountains, this excursion does take you to the highest point in St. Maarten- Pic Paradise.   The excursion begins with a bus ride from the port to Loterie Farms.   This property was once the largest sugar cane plantation on the island, but is now a Wildlife and Nature Preserve as well as a tourist location offering many outdoor activities. Once you arrive at the farm, you switch vehicles to an open air (think back of a pickup with benches) vehicle for the steep climb up the hill.   At the top of the hill you have an amazing 360 degree view of the entire island which is ...

Photo Courtesy of Disney Parks Blog Disney's Princess Fairytale Hall meet and greet is now open to guests in the Magic Kingdom's Fantasyland as the New Fantasyland project completes another phase. Princess Fairytale Hall is the new home to Cinderella and Rapunzel, who are each day joined by their royal guests, including Aurora, Snow White, Tiana, Jasmine and Mulan.  The attraction is split into two sides, one with a queue for Cinderella and, and one with a queue for Rapunzel. This means that if you want to meet both princesses, you will need to enter the attraction twice. The visiting princesses will be posted on the signage outside of the attraction. FASTPASS is available, along with FastPass+ for those guests taking part in the MyMagic+ tests. Since Disney's Princess Fairytale Hall’s opening, the princesses are no longer appearing in their former home in Town Square Theater. Mickey Mouse is continuing to appear there however. Here is the opening day press...

Table set-up If you read my review of La Hacienda de San Angel , you know that I love, love, love chips and salsa.   So, when my husband and I booked a Western Caribbean cruise on the Disney Fantasy, I was ecstatic to see the Costa Maya Salsa & Salsa excursion.   There was no question that we were going on this excursion.   Sign us up! Blue Margarita After disembarking the ship, it’s a quick 15-minute ride to a beachfront restaurant for the excursion.   The covered patio is set up with numerous tables and chairs set for four with a beautiful view of the ocean.   Everyone, of legal drinking age, is given drink tickets to order sodas, beer or margaritas.   Wes and I decided to start with some blue margaritas and then switched to beer.   The margaritas were good but were not as strong as we would have liked.   We realized that if we really wanted a buzz, uh…I mean, more bang for our buck, we should have started with beer.   We would...

Beginning in early September 2013, look for Twinings tea bags to replace the current Nestle offering at quick service restaurants throughout Walt Disney World. Continuing their sponsorship of Epcot's Tea Caddy in the United Kingdom Pavilion, Twinings will also begin new sponsorship of the Garden View Tea Room at Disney's Grand Floridian Resort. The full roll-out of Twinings to table service restaurants will follow throughout the year. Twinings has been selling teas for over 300 years, and serves 100 countries with over 200 teas. The relationship with Disney began with the opening of Epcot and the United Kingdom's Tea Caddy shop. FastPass+ at Fantasmic! Has been added to the round of testing, with the first show of each night now having an allocation for FastPass+. Those taking part in the MyMagic+ testing should be able to make reservations for the show. The Magic Kingdom's Main Street Trolley show switched to the fall show on 9/1/2013. Shows are perfor...

With summer winding down and kids back in school, my mind is already on the next big thing: Holidays! If you have a trip planned to Walt Disney World this Christmas season, you are either at or quickly approaching the double digit dance of your countdown.   The holidays are a wonderful time of year to visit- just when you thought it couldn't get any more magical, it starts snowing on Main Street. With all respect to Julie Andrews, here are a few of my favorite things (to see!) Magic Kingdom The Magic Kingdom is breathtaking at Christmas. Each year beginning in November, the iconic Cinderella castle becomes even more breathtaking as it is draped in an elegant blanket of sparkling lights. Each night, guests can watch the magical transformation with a short show at the castle stage, and then enjoy the majestic view for the rest of the evening. Periodically, the lights will shimmer, mimicking the glistening of actual snow and ice. NEW IN 2014: The nightly show to tra...