In Disney groups, it can be a pretty taboo topic to bring up that other park. For some reason, somewhere along the line it's ended up feeling like asking two girls to the prom when you mention actually enjoying BOTH Disney and...Universal. (Gasp! She said it!) I'm here to make it weird because...as a Disney gal, an avid Disney fan, Disney traveler and Travel Agent, I DO actually really love them both. Orlando truly CAN be a two horse town, who knew?! I'm here with five reasons why Universal should no longer be an afterthought vacation destination and maybe, should even get top billing every once in awhile.

Reason #5: It appeals to "big" kids

I know, I know...not that Disney doesn't, as Disney fans we argue that point all the time, that Disney is magical for guests of all ages, and it's true. Although Universal does have a good amount of attractions for the under 40 inch crowd, they have ACTUAL, true THRILL rides. I am a big fan of Hollywood Studios Rock 'n' Roller...

'Tis the season to be merry & bright, festive and fun, and above all...prepared. It's taken me a bit to fully become even just one of those things and to embrace the fact that whether I'm ready or not, the holidays are upon us! Thank goodness (or really just our favorite Disness elf) for this December Launch Box, it's exactly the kick in the tinsel I needed!

Fortunately for many Travel Agents, guests are excited about traveling again and business is picking up. In what falls under the "careful what you wish for" category, these busier work days means that I'm falling behind on those behind the scenes magical things that are important this time of year. This December Launch Box was the perfect, and definitely timely bit of holiday magic I needed. 

For starters, and or the Launch Box WIN...holiday cards, and MICKEY AND MINNIE holiday cards to boot!  I am still (even with the rising postage rates) a firm believer in the power of snail mail. I don't think much out there...

You can hear it in your head, right? "Come Sail Away, Come Sail Away, Come Sail Away With Meeeeeee..." One of those great "older" songs that are now relegated to the grocery story where we can't help but belt them out in the bread aisle. CRUISING! This month's WAY CLEVER Launch Box tackled the world of cruise vacations, and wow...SHIVER ME TIMBERS, it was a treasure trove of goodies! 

I can't speak for all Travel Agents (obviously), but for me, for some reason, booking cruises feels daunting. It's not something I can put my finger on as to why, but I always do a "gulp" as I process a cruising deposit. (Maybe because there are so many dadgum deadlines and penalties!) Then, once my sweet guests get to the finish line, I scratch my head about how to package up a killer final document bundle for them. What do you do for guests who will be on a floating, giant city for a week? They don't need height restriction charts, they don't need cooling towels or things to keep...

The Fall, and specifically Halloween are my FAVORITE times of year. I love the crunch of leaves, the cooler mornings & evenings, bonfires, comfy sweatshirts, spooky movies and the excitement that this season is the kick off to SO MUCH holiday fun to come. Fall just feels like the gateway to months FULL of festivities, family, friends and fun. This October Launch Box is THE epitome of FUN. Dare I say...it's my favorite box to date...gasp!

A very cool element to this box is that it's a dual celebration-palooza box. First, the obvious, yay Halloween, what's October without it?! Then, there is the Travel Agent's DREAM bonus which is theming surrounding Walt Disney World's 50th Anniversary. This Anniversary is obviously a HUGE deal in the travel industry. It is something that we, as agents have been promoting the CONFETTI out of to drum up business and continue the "Let's travel again" momentum. There are some really fantastic materials in here to use for...

You guys, seriously, what's with this virus?! We echoed the whole, "What doesn't kill us only makes us stronger" all last year until we were blue in the face. This year the pulling up from the ole' boot straps began, the sun started shining, vaccines were being given, ports and resorts were reopening, guests were feeling optimistic and traveling again and...gasp...commission checks started coming in. Then...like an unwelcome party crasher, enter, The Delta Variant. (Doesn't that sound like the worst punk rock band name ever?!) Seriously, no one wants you here. Go away. 

Now, this week especially I am feeling like I am slipping right back into 2020ville. Guests are getting nervous, they are watching Covid numbers rise, they are hearing scary reports on the news and as a result, cancellations are starting to ramp up. Granted, some just want to move to what will feel like a safer dot on the calendar but many are just outright cancelling wanting to free up that deposit money...

I feel like I spent all of the winter wishing for summer and then summer finally arrived and I just haven't had a chance to adequately soak her up. What used to be the lazy, hazy days of summer has been replaced with running around, squeezing in vacations, daily errands and just living life at breakneck speed. This August Launch Box was a sweet summery reminder to, "SLOW THE HECK DOWN WOMAN". 

The Launch Box packaging is always top-notch, I just love tearing into the tissue paper like a kid on Christmas, it's a gift for me...for once. (Does summer make me sound bitter?) Everything is always placed so intentionally and the presentation is lovely. Presentation isn't lost on me even as I immediately just start tossing things around. (I'm just SO excited!!) 

The first item I lingered on was the Unicorn Pop from Goofy's Candy Company. Weren't those unicorn pops just one of the greatest things about being a kid?! Instant nostalgia. I opened this RIGHT up, popped...

I am going to start this review of Disney's Riveria Resort off with a bit of a preamble. "It was a dark and stormy night"....Just kidding...

Last year, during our covid-phased reopening visit we hopped on the Skyliner from Hollywood Studios to have lunch at the Riviera's Quick Service restaurant, Primo Piatto. We were curious about the resort as it had JUST opened right before the world shut down and...we were anxious to ride the Skyliner for the first time ever. After a fun whirl on the Skyliner and a QUICK walk through a breezeway, we arrived. Maybe it was the stunning Tangled mosaic mural you pass under, maybe it was the embossed toilet paper in their pool restroom (seriously, SO extra!), maybe it was the crazy good Croque Monsieur sandwich I devoured...but it was love at first sight. We were all quietly coveting this resort, no one really wanting to say out loud that we were having some serious resort envy and all really wanting to pack up and bring everything over to the...

Truth bomb, I have JUST returned home from Disney World. (As in not even 48 hours ago, you're familiar with that level of sadness, right?) I was on the plane coming home, the post-Disney trip blues already starting to wash over me and I had that moment where I thought, "How can I be excited about planning trips when my own trip is already in the bag?! I know, I know, selfish, first-world problems, but I'm nothing if not honest. Then...I saw that precious blue box sitting on my counter. WHAT A TREAT to come home to my Plussing It Launch Box! (Cue the angels singing...)

It's some kind of crazy kismet that these monthly boxes somehow always know exactly what I need each month, even before I know! Over the last few months, every box has had a couple of things that I have been DESPERATE to restock because they are just SUCH clever items. However in this month's box...EVERY item fits that bill. I need more, more, MORE...MORRRRE!

On our way home from Disney, we were plotting our...

I have such a love/hate relationship with summer. I claim to love it, I wish for it all year long, I even rub it in winter's face all season long how much I miss and love summer. Then summer comes, and like clockwork (or sun dial work) I am the FIRST to complain about the heat. I still inevitably will visit Walt Disney World this summer even if it means sweating bullets from every last pore...but it's SUMMER! I have to! Longer days, funky tan lines, ice cream for dinner and just a more laid back frame of mind are all things I LOVE about summer. This June Launch Box was the perfect blend of summery fun without all the sweaty messiness. 

I love how this month was bundled up, swaddled like my own little bundle of Travel Agent love. (Let's make Christmas in June a thing, because that's what tearing into that tissue felt like!) Okay, maybe it's obnoxious, but BECAUSE I DO have a trip coming up in less than a month I looked this box over and thought, "Ohhhh yeahhhh, that's...

May is a month full so so many possibilities, the whole "April Showers" thing is over with and we can focus on the May flowers part. Possibilities are BLOOMING, the school year is winding down, the weather is warm, summer vacations are becoming more and more tempting to us AND to our travel clients. The days are longer, the sun is out and I just received my ah-MAY-zing Plussing It Launch Box, life is indeed GOOD! Just in time for an uptick in travel momentum, we MAY just be turning the corner for real folks! 

It's true that I subscribe to this box predominantly to gain fresh ideas on how to spoil my travel guests and entice new guests to take a walk on the wild side, by trusting and booking with this agent. (I know it's hard to believe that all of this travel booking goodness is free.) Each month when I open the Launch Box, there's a healthy amount of give and take happening...not this month. Nope, every single morsel of fabulousness is staying right here with me. (It's really...