Book Review - The Unofficial Guide to Disney Cruise Line 2025

The Unofficial Guide is a wonderful resource for Disney planning (check out their website for lots of good info and tips). This updated book is a valuable resource full of deck plans, reviews of each of the current Disney ships (and a blurb about the future ships as well). There are detailed information on Disney's unique rotational dining with different restaurants and adults-only options as well. Lots of good information on Disney's new port at Fort Lauderdale. Helpful guides on preparing for your trip, packing, what to bring/not bring, embarkation and debarkation. Reviews of popular cruise itinerary destinations.

Title: The Unofficial Guide to Disney Cruise Line 2025 (Unofficial Guides)
Author: Tammy Whiting with Len Testa and Erin Foster
ISBN: 978-1628091625
Pages: 404

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Book Review - Insider's Guide to Williamsburg and Virginia's Historic Triangle

Since I'm planning a trip to Busch Gardens Amusement Park this summer, I thought I'd pick up this guide to see what else I could see while I'm in Williamsburg, Virginia. This travel guide is divided into categories - Accommodations, Entertainment, Shopping, Parks and Recreation, and more.

I like the callout sections that describe some historical tidbits of an area since Williamsburg is so full of history and historical events. There's even detailed information concerning Busch Gardens. Lots of easy-to-read suggestions and even a section if you're considering retirement in the area.

Title: Insiders' Guide® to Williamsburg: And Virginia's Historic Triangle (Insiders' Guide Series)
Author: Susan Corbett
ISBN: 978-1493045310
Pages: 297

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Book Review - Moon Cape Cod, Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket by Ray Bartlett

If you are planning a trip to the Massachusetts coast, this book is a great guide. Lots of trip planning tips including how to get around the towns (especially during high peak season when there is very limited or almost non-existent parking). Local public transporation is always recommended. Where to park, where to eat, where to stay in addition to full-color maps. "Best of" suggestions with number of days to visit. Tips for the beaches. Food suggestions. Very good guide.

Title: Moon Cape Cod, Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket (Travel Guide)
Author: Ray Bartlett
ISBN: 978-1640492097
Pages: 272

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Book Review - Moon Boston: Neighborhood Walks, Historic Highlights, Beloved Local Spots by Cameron Sperance

I really like this Moon guide for Boston as it's a little different than other travel guides as it focuses on neighborhoods. And for each neighborhood, they have full-color maps with walkable tours with suggestions, food options, shopping, and more. There are day trip suggestions as well as longer trip ideas. There's a nice Revolutionary Timeline for those interested in the history within the city. You can also find info on public transportation, how to get around, and travel tips.

Title: Moon Boston: Neighborhood Walks, Historic Highlights, Beloved Local Spots (Travel Guide)
Author: Cameron Sperance
ISBN: 978-1640498624
Pages: 490

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Book Review - Lonely Planet Epic Drives of the World

If you ever wander around the travel section of your local library or the bookstore there is a small section on road trips and awe-inspiring drives. That's how I came upon this big book of drives around the world.

For those of us who enjoy road trips and admiring views from the window of a vehicle, this is a great guide. The book covers six continents with bucket list routes such as Crossing the Kalahari (in Botswana - which is also on my bucket list for safaris), The Pacific Coast Highway, India's road from Srinagar to Manali, the Black Forest High Road of Germany, and more. Beautiful photography. Well written and clear. The only negative is that it was published in 2017 so some of the data might need updates (always check ahead before starting your journey to be sure areas are still accessible).

Title: Lonely Planet Epic Drives of the World
Author: Lonely Planet
ISBN: 978-1786578648
Pages: 328

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Book Review - The Bucket List Wild (1000 Adventures Big and Small: Animals, Birds, Fish and Nature)

If you've ever gone into your local library and seen someone just wandering around, checking out the reshelving carts or checking out the end caps of the book aisles, then it was probably me because I love to "chance upon" interesting books. And this one here is no exception. I found it randomly while searching for more atlas-type books.

Basically, this book lists out over a thousand places or experiences related to "the wild" such as animal spottings, habitats, geological formations, and more. It can provide some interesting trips or just give you new knowledge on why animals behave as they do.

The book is broken out by geographic regions and then lists the unique experiences that can be found in those locations. In addition to tourist experiences, there are also suggestions on what we can do to preserve and protect these phenomenon or even how to join conservation type travel.

And even if you don't plan to do any major travelling, I found the pictures and education to be enjoyable.

With most books, always verify current conditions and travelability on a location before making plans to visit.

Title: The Bucket List: Wild: 1000 Adventures Big and Small: Animals, Birds, Fish, Nature
Author: Kath Stathers
ISBN: 978-0-7893-3445-9

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Book Review - The Unofficial Guide to Disneyland 2025

Our family visits Walt Disney World several times a year, but it's been while since we've gone to the other coast to Disneyland. So I went ahead and bought this book to see what has changed (a lot!) so we can plan a visit.

The goal of this book is to save families money and time at one of the most popular (and crowded) amusement parks in America. This book has over 400 pages of very useful information. Every restaurant, ride, activity, hotels, and more are discussed in detail throughout as well as when to go, how to maximize your number of days, where and how to get discounts, etc.

Another thing I love about these guides are the ratings provided for each ride and activity with regard to preschool child, grade school child, teens, young adults, over 30 adults, and seniors and then whether the ride is seasonal and/or has Lightning Lane options.

There's a small section on Universal Studios Hollywood in case you plan to add that to your trip.

The back of the book features pull-out maps to take with you (for those who don't enjoy relying on the park apps).

Notice - there is currently a 25% off coupon on this book for a limited time!

Title: The Unofficial Guide to Disneyland 2025
Author: Seth Kubersky, Bob Sehlinger, Len Testa
ISBN: 978-1-62809-155-7

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Book Review - Moon Death Valley National Park

Browsing through the library for places to visit in the future, I found this book on Death Valley National Park which is on my bucket list of places to visit. It's not really a place to visit during the summer break due to the super high temperatures (and a lot of local businesses actually close for parts of the summer due to the heat).

You know I love the Moon Travel Guides for their full-color maps and highlights in addition to the tips and beautiful photographs. This book is divided into sections - Death Valley National Park itself, Furnace Creek and the Amargosa Range, Stovepipe Wells and the Nevada Triangle, Scotty's Castle and the Eureka Valley, Panamint Springs and the Saline Valley and more. Within each section is a detailed map, highlights, where to go, when to go, visiting in a single day, accommodations, recreation, etc.

What's really valuable is knowing where you will need a high-clearance vehicle or a 4WD vehicle because some of the roads and trails are not appropriate for normal passenger cars or even RV's or trailers.

The first 20 or so pages highlight the top 6 experiences followed up a very useful chart of In-Park lodging options.

Title: Moon Death Valley National Park: Hiking, Scenic Drives, Desert Springs
Author: Jenna Blough
ISBN: 978-8-88647-040-6

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Book Review - Moon Tahoe and Reno

As you know from previous posts, I've been researching places to visit with my family this summer. While I was exploring the Travel Section at the library, I narrowed down my search to places I haven't been to in a very long time or at all. One of the places I have been wanting to visit is Lake Tahoe and the surrounding areas so I picked up this book.

What I love about the Moon Travel Guides (and you'll hear this from me a lot) are the full-color maps and the little highlights in each section.
Just a side note, this book was published in 2020, so be sure to research locations for updated hours and prices before heading out.

The Tahoe and Reno book is organized by area - South Shore, North and West Shore, East Shoe, Carson Pass, Reno, and Nevada's Frontier Towns (Virginia City, Carson City, etc). Each section contains maps, trip highlights or must-sees, tips, and info about restaurants, recreation, shops, accommodations, and tips. Plus, there are tips on "getting there" which is very helpful.

Title: Moon Tahoe and Reno: Local Spots, Getaway Ideas, Hiking and Skiing
Author: Nicole Szanto
ISBN: 978-1-64049-759-7

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Book Review - Lonely Planet's The World's Great Wonders

Whenever I visit my local library, I always end up wandering the aisles and browsing the returns carts for interesting books that just "pop out". And that's how I found this fascinating book. It's a little bit older, published in 2014, but the information as a whole is still relevant. For more specific details about places, I would further research before heading out. Covid has negatively affected a lot of places/tours so research first.

This book deep-dives into 50 of the world's greatest wonders such as the Taj Mahal, the Great Pyramids of Giza, and even the Aurora Borealis with details about how the wonder was created or formed, suggestions on getting there, and things to do while you're there. Lots of full-color photographs and diagrams. Tons of facts. Overall, a really great book for both travelers and researchers.

Title: The World's Great Wonders: How They Were Made & Why They Are Amazing
Author: Lonely Planet
ISBN: 978-1-74321-430-5

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Book Review - Moon Nashville

Following our Road Trip exploration last week, I went ahead and got the Nashville Travel Guide from Moon. It is almost 300 pages of really good info on exploring Nashville and maximizing your time visiting the city.

What I love about the Moon Travel Guides are the colorful maps and the highlights for each area of the city (such as Downtown, Germantown, Midtown, and more). The book is sectioned out by area with details such as places to eat, where to go, music joints, entertainment, etc. The "Where to stay" section is in the back of the book along with "Day Trips" to areas nearby and an "Eseentials" section full of good info for those visiting the city (or even America) for the first time.

The first thirty pages or so highlight some of the most popular places to visit and some tips for exploring.

Keep in mind this book was published in 2022, so be sure to research a chosen location's hours, prices, and updated info before heading out.

Title: Moon Nashville: Can’t-Miss Experiences, Food and Music, Local Favorites
Author: Margaret Littman
ISBN: 978-1-64049-623-1

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Book Review - Moon Nashville to New Orleans Road Trip

I'm starting to research some options for summer vacation with the family and while browsing through the library, I saw this little gem. Normally, being from Texas, I would just drive across state into Louisiana directly and then heading down to New Orleans from Shreveport. But, going from Tennessee down to New Orleans or even vice versa would be a great change. And this book has a lot of great stops and tips.

What I like about this book is it is divided into sections. So if you don't want to do a full trip, you can pick and choose key areas. For example, if you want to start from Tennesse, you can head out of Nashville or you can head out of Memphis. Or if you want to start from Alabama or Mississippi, you can. It's very customizable. Or, you can work backwards and plan going up.

Each section in the book discusses places to visit, museums, parks, food options, accommodations, shopping, and other entertainments. Keep in mind this book was published in 2021, so be sure to look up the places you plan to stop at ahead of time for hours, prices, etc. Also, the colorful maps are great.

The end of the book has a nice "Essentials" section with a lot of information for both American-based travelers and those coming from abroad.

Title: Moon Nashville to New Orleans Road Trip: Hit the Road for the Best Southern Food and Music Along the Natchez Trace
Author: Margaret Littman
ISBN: 978-1-64049-924-9

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Book Review - The Best Places for Everything by Peter Greenberg

While I was browsing through the Travel section at my local library, I wandered further up the aisle and I found this large volume of inspiration by well-known travel author and television travel show host, Peter Greenberg. The book is a bit outdated (published in 2012) but many of the places are still operating. Always be sure to check ahead of visiting for operating hours, fees, entry restrictions/timed tickets, etc.

So basically this book is a guide to some of the "best" locations for different categories (like Best Beer) based on Peter Greenberg's extensive travel experiences. Listings include both domestic spots and international spots. Also, there are suggestions for finding deals and callouts for interesting related things to do/try.

Here are a few categories you can find in this book: Outdoor Adventures (including Bird-Watching, Fall Foliage, Zip-lining, Whitewater Rafting, etc), Great Foods and Drinks of the World (Chocolate!), Educational Travel (Digging for Fossils, Literary Travel, etc), Shopping (like Specialty Shopping and Street Markets), and so much more.

Title: The Best Places for Everything: The Ultimate Insider's Guide to the Greatest Experiences Around the World
Author: Peter Greenberg
ISBN: 978-1-60961-829-2

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Review - Florida - Orlando - SeaWorld - Christmas Celebration

This past week my family and I were able to visit SeaWorld in Orlando, Florida. Since it was chilly (65 degrees) and rainy, the park had surprisingly low attendance for a holiday week which worked great for us. Despite the rain, the Christmas Celebration was in full swing and most of the food/drink booths were operating.

What is Christmas Celebration?
For a limited time, the park contains holiday-themed decor, opportunities to meet Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer and his friends, photos with Santa (before Christmas), an ice-skating show, public ice skating, and over 40 tasty treats at different drink/food booths.

Rudolph and Friends:
Tucked away in the back of the park you'll find an enclosed area called Rudolph's Christmas Town featuring photo-ops with life-sized story book vignettes as well as picture-taking opportunities with Rudolph and his friends. You may purchase photos that are taken by the professional camera crew or take your own. This area opens at 5:00pm EST and is capacity-limited. At the end of the trail is a small market with ornaments, stockings, shirts, etc for sale.



Holiday Treats:
As you know, I really enjoy food festivals and treat trails, so I went ahead and purchased a sampler lanyard at booth #1. 5-sample lanyard costs $35. 10-sample lanyard costs $50. Passholder 12-sample lanyard costs $50. The way it works is every time you order a food/drink marked with a star from one of the booths, they stamp/punch your lanyard. The lanyard is a pretty good deal considering most items were in the $10 price range. Items not marked with a star require additional payment.

There were supposed to be 20 booths, however one of them was closed (Baking Spirits High, #18). Three of the booths (#2, #10, #12) are bars without food options (#10 and #12 do offer one non-alcoholic option). Many of the food booths also serve alcohol drinks (any with a star are part of the lanyard program). Two of the booths serve cocoa (#8 and #14) which are provided in refillable plastic cups (refills start at $0.99).

Here are a few items we sampled and our reviews:

Christmas Comforts (Booth #6)

  Lobster Mac & Cheese Bowl - since the cheese wasn't melted, it wasn't as good as it could have been.

  Traditional Turkey Christmas Dinner Stack - Roasted Turkey, Stuffing, Mashed Potatoes, Gravy, and Cranberry Sauce - This was actually our favorite dish. Well-cooked and very tasty.

Tottin' Around the Christmas Tree (Booth #11)

  Totchos - Chicken on top of tator tots with shredded cheese, jalapenos and salsa - Worse than it looks. The staff here were so nice. They will customize your toppings (or leave them off) which is great for picky eaters.

  Totchos - Carnitas (braised pork) on top of tator tots with shredded cheese, japanenos and salsa - Just gross. The cheese didn't melt.

Sliders that Sleigh (Booth #9)

Pork Belly Slider - Roasted then Seared Pork Belly, Sauerkraut, Mustard Aioli - definitely not for picky eaters as the flavors are weird
Hot Chicken Slider - Crispy Chicken, Apricot, Serrano Glaze, Pickles - Another miss. The sweet sauce was a little too heated; would have been better without the sauce/topppings.

O'Christmas Sea... Food Delights (Booth #7)

  Seared Scallops - Served with Pumpkin Seed and Serrano Pesto, Mushroom Risotto - It was alright. Kids didn't like it.

  Dynamite Shrimp - Served with Sambal Aioli & Cucumber Slaw - too spicy for most of our family members; next time I would leave off the aioli.

Treat Yo’ elf (Booth #20)

  - Chocolate Dipped Items - Bacon - Not as advertised at all (they used WHITE chocolate on bacon); grosser than it sounds/looks; very disappointing

North Pole Bakery (Booth #15)

  - Loaded Mini Donut Bites - Bananas Foster - Basically, a pile of mini sugar donuts with a squirt of flavored sauce. Just plain gross. The donuts were hard. Not like the advertised picture at all. We also tried the pumpkin pie flavor. Even worse. Stick with the plain sugar mini donuts.

Claus Cookie Co. (Booth #17)
S'mores - Graham Cracker, Melted Fluff, Melted Chocolate - This didn't turn out well for us; it was a big melted sticky mess.
Cookie Decorating Kit - Sugar Cookie Decorating Kit Includes Icing, Sprinkles, and Christmas Candy - this one cookie came in a nice box which we took to-go and decorated the next day. It's just one cookie so not sure it justifies the price if you pay out of pocket.

Sea of Trees:

The Christmas Light and Music show on the lake (called Sea of Trees) was really nice. The trees turned different colors according to the songs.

Other Photo Ops:


Details:
Christmas Celebration at SeaWorld Orlando ends January 2nd, 2022.
For specifics and hours, click on the Seaworld Orlando Christmas Celebration website

Overall Family Ratings:

• 16 year old - Liked the Turkey Dinner; enjoyed riding Mako several times (since the line was so short)
• 12 year old - Liked the plain cocoa; enjoyed Mako ride
• 7 year old - Couldn't ride any of the big-kid rides due to his height and didn't really like the "baby" rides; liked the White Chocolate flavored cocoa
• 15 month old - Really liked Sesame Street land

Review - Texas - Waco - Mayborn Museum on Baylor University Campus

I'm slower than a mammoth at posting these reviews from our Waco day trip several weeks ago. *grins* So we visited the Mayborn Museum which is located on the Baylor University campus right after seeing the Columbia Mammoths at the Waco Mammoth National Monument.

Note - there is a lot of road construction in this area right now so take extra caution and time to get through it.


The Mayborn Museum is in a huge red brick building with free parking out front. At the time we visited (May 2021), masks were required. We were able to use our ASTC reciprocal membership to get in for free (for ticket prices see information down below).

Also, please note, the Play Waco Hall was still closed at this time. Some hands-on exhibition components within the Natural and Cultural History Wing and the Bill and Vara Daniel Historic Village may be unavailable. Check the website for the latest re-opening details.


The first thing that will greet you when you enter the museum is the giant T-rex dinosaur (on loan from the Perot Museum) named "Stan".


There is a whole display dedicated to Baylor University and some of its history. They had a neat video of some amazing sports accomplishments as well as original mascot costumes and some various props. Very neat even if you're not a Baylor Bear fan.


The museum features a really well-done Western history display with a buffalo, longhorn cow, teepee and a log cabin. You can peek into the log cabin.


There is a small space dedicated to the Waco Mammoth National Monument and a replica of the dig site made with glass floor.


There are several natural science areas including Forest-themed room with creatures and plants found in a forest and a Cave-themed room with bats.


Upstairs on the second floor is the hands-on children's museum. Each room has a different theme (such as Colors, Water, Sound, etc). Although it appears many of the activities were removed thanks to Covid, there were still plenty of things to do.

Overall Family Ratings:

• 16 year old - Enjoyed the interactive area
• 11 year old - Enjoyed the interactive area
• 6 year old - Enjoyed the dinosaurs downstairs and the interactive area upstairs

Mayborn Museum
https://www.baylor.edu/mayborn/
Address: 1300 S. University Parks, Waco, TX 76706
Hours: Monday-Saturday 10am CST - 5pm CST; Sunday 1pm CST - 5pm CST
Tickets: Children (2-12 years) $8.00; Adults $10.00