19 February 2025

The USA has Route 66. Japan has the Shinkansen bullet train. For Norway, they have Hurtigruten’s Coastal Express. This is the original Norwegian coastal voyage, sailing the famous route that began all those years ago by founder, Captain Richard. For over 130 years, the fleet of ships has faithfully served the people of the Norwegian coast every year, every season, every week, through sun, snow, and storms. Its ships have brought food, medicine, letters, and loved ones from near and far, and connected the nation together. As a guest of Hurtigruten, I was able to experience first-hand the Coastal Express from Kirkenes to Bergen last May. It operates year-round, offering guests the flexibility to choose from a full 12-day roundtrip voyage or shorter half voyages. The 12-day voyage visits 34 ports twice; ports visited at night on the northbound route are then seen by day southbound. Alternatively, guests can opt for the seven-day northbound or six-day southbound route. On these original voyages, passengers visit an average of six ports daily, spending anywhere from ten minutes to four hours in each port. With over 70 optional seasonal excursions, guests can enhance their journey with immersive experiences that deepen their connection to Norway. From various activity levels to diverse themes, these add-ons allow travellers to customise their voyage to their interests, creating unforgettable memories as they explore further, experience more, and discover the true essence of Norway. Travelling with Hurtigruten means travelling with a true Norwegian company that has sailed these waters for over 130 years. Guests will peer deeper into everyday life here, share in authentic culture, and meet genuine people who call the coast home. The voyages are designed to be an escape from the stresses of a fast-paced world. Settle into the soothing rhythm of life at sea, admire the beauty of Norway’s coast unfolding, and appreciate the moments of wonder. The ships are big enough for guests to find quiet spots for some quality alone time, but small enough to create a cosy atmosphere that makes it easy to chat with like-minded shipmates. Norwegians are down-to-earth people and don’t believe in dress codes onboard. Guests can choose to wear hiking shoes to dinner or slippers to breakfast. They can swap stories in the bar, read in the lounge, or do a jigsaw puzzle. It’s up to them. Hurtigruten is their home at sea. The ships are floating kitchens, sourcing ingredients where they sail on the bountiful Norwegian coast. The fjords are the fish tanks, the mountains the herb garden. Over 80% of the in-season food and 60% of the drinks offered on board come from 80 local suppliers from all over Norway, delivered direct and fresh-as-can-be to the ships at the ports they sail to. Showcasing Nordic cuisine on the ships for the past 130 years, no one else has a network of local Norwegian food and drink suppliers like Hurtigruten does, to give guests a true taste of Norway. Enjoy freshly caught flaky Arctic char from Sigerfjord in Vesterålen, award-winning goat cheeses from Aalan farm in Lofoten, and tangy handpicked cloudberries nicknamed ‘Highland Gold’. Ask my about your trip sailing the Norwegian Coastline.

19 October 2022

I was lucky enough to be invited on Cunard’s Queen Victoria this month for a 4-day break to Amsterdam. It really was such a privilege to go on this iconic luxury ship experiencing the famous Cunard service, taking a glimpse into their beautiful suites, and seeing the life onboard first hand. I experienced a full tour of the ship which included viewing all the different cabins, the many beautiful restaurants, and facilities on board. The impeccable service level of the cruise team shone out as I walked around. I was told that all personnel must achieve the famous White Star badge from their in-house academy before they can be appointed. The daily tradition of afternoon tea was one of the highlights of the cruise. Beautiful sandwiches and gorgeous cakes are served in the Queens Room every day, at 3pm. It is immensely popular so you must get there early! There are many dining experiences on board and, for two evenings, I was lucky enough to try the Pan Asian themed dining in the Lido Restaurant and the exceptional Steakhouse at the Verandah. Although both carry a service charge from the main restaurants, it was lovely to have wine matching, serving boxes with tasters for our starters, a choice of meat cuts brought to our table and an overall enhanced service. Activities and daily entertainment were in abundance on board from music quizzes, guest speakers, fitness classes to a two-floor library and deck pools to dip your toe in. You can also experience: - • Theatre: You can settle into plush seats and prepare to enjoy a performance from some of the finest talent on earth, rivalling Broadway and the West End. Book a royal box on the Queen Victoria and experience, pre-show drinks and champagne served during the performance for a small fee. • Spa & Wellness: A relaxing sanctuary of calm, the sensuous spa includes signature massages and ultimate pampering. There are also a range of activities from relaxing yoga to strengthening Pilates. • Insight Speakers: Features fascinating talks with prominent men and women who have pursued extraordinary careers and achieved remarkable feats. • Wine Tasting: You can join sommeliers to learn about special vintages and even become a qualified taster. • Gala Nights: These famous gala balls are a signature part of the customer experience featuring a live orchestra in the Queens Room. One thing that really shone out was that there was such a mix of guests on board. I had previously thought that you must have to wear certain attire, but it was a very relaxed environment with no set rules except the fabulous black and white gala night which we had been made aware of. There is always at least one gala night on a short break. Ask me about experiencing a short break or the famous transatlantic cruise to New York for a trip of a lifetime.

13 May 2021

Ask me about my own family experience to Lapland

03 June 2019

My family and I love to cruise. We have just booked our 6th cruise so we must love it. We think it ticks all our list of wants on our precious family holiday and here is why. Combination of pool time and adventure Having time by the pool, relaxing with my favourite book or watching the kids in the splash pool is great fun but I wouldn’t do this every day. Now combine this with going off and exploring every other day is the perfect combination to us. It’s all a balance. I want to show my kids different places and experiences as well as having that down time by the pool. Food We just simply want plenty to choose from and I think you have more choice on a ship than one main buffet restaurant and one a la carte restaurant in a standard resort hotel. Generally, you have several food choices from cafés, ice cream parlours, 24hr dining rooms to a handful of speciality dining places as well. My kids loved the getting fresh pizza during the late afternoon whereas my hubby and I liked Chops Grille, a speciality restaurant, for a juicy steak! Activities Will I be bored? No way! These cruise ships have plenty to entertain you from morning until night. Your ships daily newsletter will pop in your cabin the night before, so you can plan your day. More and more fantastic facilities from a zip line, ice skating rink, indoor skydiving to sports hall, bumper cars, a climbing wall, flow rider and crazy golf are being added all the time. Again, I’ve never seen a resort on land with so much going on for kids. Then there are kids' clubs too, all age appropriate, from tots to teenagers offering themed areas to state of the art video making, gaming and sports clubs. Entertainment Royal Caribbean has won a Tony Award for Winning Cruise Ship Entertainment. You are quite simply spoilt for choice, but these can be ship dependant. Each night there is something new from comedians in one of the smaller bars, to a West End Style Show in the main theatre, a pianist in the main atrium, an ice-skating show or perhaps a set from a lovely jazz group. If you are a late-night owl, there’s a disco too. Royal Caribbean is the first to offer shows in their amazing aqua theatres, offering two 30-foot diving platforms that set the scene for mesmerizing dive spectaculars. Adventure In as little as a week, you could experience a handful of new destinations, allowing you to see different cultures and cuisines. You could even add on a stay in the port before and after your cruise to extend your holiday. I love showing my children new cities and countries and it’s a great trade off when it’s for one day or every other day. On our Northern Europe cruise, we visited Hamburg, home to the biggest miniature wonderland, Oslo, where we visited a Viking ship museum and Bruges. We had a tour of a chocolate making factory and meandered through the streets sampling waffles and took a boat ride through this pretty town. Choose to cruise Overall cruising to me is about quality, value for money and memory making. Resorts offer activities and experiences but there's no level of quality and attention quite like that on a cruise line. When you go on a cruise, you have so much more than unique shore excursions to look forward to, you find top-quality Broadway-style shows, comedy nights and musical performances. In addition to the onboard entertainment, there are also spas, art auctions, poolside activities, and plenty of opportunities to learn. As for the cuisine, a wide array of world-class, internationally inspired dining options. It just ticks all the boxes for us a family. If you’ve not tried it, give me a call and let’s go through some ideas.

07 May 2019

So, they say travel broadens the mind and, so it should do. More and more people are taking to adventures and experiences on their holidays. These destinations appeal because they can only be reached by smaller ships, are journeys away from the crowds and are just simply closer to nature. If you find yourself with plenty of time, like to explore, be active and experience wild landscapes and encounters, then expedition cruising is for you. The focus is not about the ship’s creature comforts but very much about the destination, it’s nature and wildlife - and to experience this not just from the water but also on land. Specially designed boats are used, called “Zodiac inflatable boats” and these allow daily landing possibilities in the remotest of places. You will not find any west end shows, black tie dinners or floating mega hotels but a pure form of cruising. Fresh local produce from every port, films, talks and lectures from expert ornithologists/biologists to immersive excursions which may involve picking up litter whilst your there! Ships are classed as working ships in that they deliver goods and post between ports. You won’t be sacrificing comfort though, all vessels feature excellent meals, great facilities and very comfortable cabins. The expeditions take you off the beaten track to untouched environments. Visiting these places is a privilege and care is taken to ensure there is minimal impact. With this in mind, you will find that these cruise operators take responsible tourism very seriously too. None more so than Hurtigruten Cruises. They have exploring heritage dating back to 1893. Hurtigruten is the first operator to ban the use of polluting and toxic Heavy Fuel Oil on its ships and are campaigning for a full international ban. Instead, Hurtigruten uses Special Distillate Marine which has 30 times lower sulphur emissions and less soot. Engineers have installed new, highly efficient propellers reducing emissions of CO2 by 2,300 tonnes per year. Hurtigruten and Rolls Royce have signed a letter of intent to retrofit 9 ships to run on LNG (Liquid Natural Gas), fossil-free renewable fuel produced from dead fish and battery power. This means that by 2021, Hurtigruten entire fleet will be hybrid ships. The combination of battery power and the most environmentally friendly gas engines available. So, expedition cruising is not your “normal way of cruising”. You will travel with like-minded travellers from all over the world. Wanting to learn about this wonderful planet of ours, who value sustainable travel and that value all this over luxury. Expedition cruising offers the following experiences: - Northern Lights cruising at its best Travelling to remote/scenic countries such as Greenland, Antarctica, Norway, North Pole and many more. Experiencing UNESCO sites Expedition adventures with experienced leaders Landscape and animal Photography Hiking, climbing, snowmobiling, dog sledding and kayaking So, if this is for you, what are you waiting for? Experience the wilderness, experience nature at its finest, chose expedition cruising. Expedition cruising takes the intrepid traveller to the world’s hardest to reach regions. Whether sealed in ice most of the year, untouched by human activity or just a speck in the ocean on a world map, these far-flung destinations are often only accessible by boat. If you’re tempted by a once-in-a-lifetime adventure, that contact me for further information. this kind of trip entails and when is the best time to go.

02 April 2019

1. Walk the Plank with NCL Cruises. Perched high above the ocean on Norwegian’s Breakaway Class ships is The Plank, an 8-foot long, six-inch-wide plank that will terrify even the most adventurous thrill seekers 2. High Ropes with Carnival Cruises. The course features two levels of challenge, and you can increase or decrease the toughness as you go 3. iFly skydiving simulator with Royal Caribbean. Try the exhilaration of skydiving without ever leaving the deck, courtesy of RipCord® by iFLY®. Feel what it's like to fly, as you float on air within the safe confines of this ground-breaking simulator 4. Flowrider with Royal Caribbean. The surf’s always up on the 40-foot-long FlowRider® surf simulator. Grab your board and get ready, 30,000 gallons of rushing awesome are headed your way 5. Bumper cars with Royal Caribbean. Visit SeaPlex®, the largest indoor activity space at sea, offers your favourite amusements, amazements and more, so you can get down on the roller rink or run away to circus school 6. Ultimate Abyss with Royal Caribbean. It is a pair of side-by-side, 216-foot-long slides that run 10 decks, from the Sports Zone (Deck 16) to the Boardwalk (Deck 6) at the back of the ship 7. Zip Line with Royal Caribbean. Fly from one end of the Boardwalk to the other on a Zip Line on the Harmony of The Seas that suspends nine decks in the air and 82 feet across 8. The Magic Carpet with Celebrity Edge. Reaching 13 storeys above sea level, the Magic Carpet is the world’s first cantilevered, floating platform, and the highlight of the exterior of Celebrity Edge Class ships. This spectacular space opens to several decks onboard and transforms into a new and exciting venue depending on where it’s positioned 9. The Sea Walk with Princess Cruises. A dramatic over-the-ocean glass walkway is 60 feet long, cantilevered 128 feet above the waves and extending 28 feet beyond the edge of the ship, it affords thrilling vistas of the ever-changing seascape 10. The North Star with Royal Caribbean - See the world from brand new heights at North Star, the cherry on top of Ovation of the Seas, which rises 300ft into the air for jaw-dropping views that you’ve never even dreamed of CHECK IT OUT! Each cruise ship will have different facilities so please check the ship before you book!

13 March 2019

After getting an invitation to spend 24hrs on a brand-new ship, I jumped at the chance to spend time on MSC Bellissima. Whilst traveling down, I reminisced about our family cruise last year and the fab time we had, so I knew it would be a great experience. As soon as I approached the cruise terminal, the ship looked magnificent and instantly I went WOW! Holding 4,500 passengers, I did wonder how MSC would cater for everybody’s choices, wants and needs and I was very excited to step on board to find out. Everyone loves a little bit of glamour! I went up the ramp, boarded the ship and had my card scanned. I knew this was a special ship when I saw the Swarovski staircase and imagined how I would feel stepping down this when I was dressed for dinner tonight! There are 6 impressive staircases in total and each step has been created by 640 individual Swarovski crystals in every step! I can certainly see why Bellissima has been named as one of most beautiful ships at sea. So, I thought I would start to explore what the ship had to offer. The main area of the ship has a two deck inside promenade with an 80-metre-long LED screen. This was a great back drop for the numerous restaurants and bars which had tables looking out over this. The ship has 12 dining venues and 20 bars to choose from so knew that anyone choosing to book onboard, would be spoilt for choice. There is certainly a British feel to this ship by the presence of a British pub! MSC is specifically aiming this ship to appeal to the British & Irish tourism market. Having a family, myself, I was keen to look at the offering. I was blown away by the facilities and knew my kids would love the F1 simulator, bowling alley, aquapark, high ropes, kids/teens club as well as the full-size sports complex and tv studio. The gaming room is also fully equipped with the latest consoles. For the evenings, the entertainment did not disappoint. MSC had a live entertainment show for us for our one night but will have on offer the fabulous Cirque De Soleil, a multi-purpose karaoke bar, a nightclub, a comedy club as well as musicians dotted around the ship all to entertain you. Some of the events must be pre-booked so that always exciting to do on the lead up to your holiday. MSC Yacht For those wanting a more luxurious experience on the ship, MSC have the Yacht Club. It’s an exclusive area on the ship which is for the higher-grade cabins. Guests have a separate section on the ship, and they have access to the club’s lounge, pool and restaurant area. The main benefit of the club is that you have your own personal butler! Cabins I was lucky enough to have balcony cabin to myself. It had lovely fresh modern décor and well thought out bathroom with shower configuration. New to MSC Bellissima is Zoe, the personal digital assistant. With a lot of touch screen tech on the decks useful for maps and information, this is another added tech feature in all cabins. Just like a little “Alexa”, you can ask questions and gain information by speaking to her. The ship also offers further cabins such as inside and outside cabins. More family cabins come in various sizes with the super family plus cabins that can sleep 10 guests that have interconnecting rooms. The suites on offer, have whirlpool spa’s in a standard or corner floor plan arrangement. Accessible Cabins are available but due to the small number, early booking is needed to secure these. Book your very own trip on MSC Bellissima Her first season will be in the Med, then she will then sail over to Dubai for the Winter. If you just fancy a taster cruise, then you can do short mini before you tackle an around the world cruise! For further details, please do not hesitate to ask.

13 March 2019

Born out of volcanic eruptions millions of years ago, Iceland was buried under ice until 8,000 years ago. This fantastic destination was the choice for our wedding anniversary weekend, and it did not disappoint. Our trip was for a long weekend In April with Icelandair from our local airport. On arrival at the main airport, we took a shuttle to Reykjavik centre which took around 45 mins. You are taken to a main bus terminus (the terminus is the suburbs of Reykjavik which is where most tours leave and depart from) and smaller coaches drop you off at your chosen hotel. The FossHotel was a 10min walk from the city centre. After arriving in the evening, we stayed in the hotel bar which speciality hot dogs and beers with other foods on offer. I always like to orientate myself in a new city, so we walked along the sea front into. We visited the Hallfrimskirkja Church, which is the largest church in Iceland standing 74.5 metres tall and looked around the National Iceland museum to understand about the country’s history from its medieval past to its current contemporary culture we know today. After, we found a lovely restaurant and enjoyed a meal there. White beetroot featured in both our dishes and seemed to be the ingredient of choice for the weekend! We chose to have soft drinks as alcohol is on the expensive side. Top Tip! Take snacks and look out for happy hours in local establishments. There were many restaurants on offer from wood fired pizzas to a la carte dining so catered for all budgets. Fermented shark is a local delicacy there, but I shied away from trying it, would you? In the afternoon, we ventured to the harbour to do a whale watching and puffin tour. Puffins migrate to the open seas in Iceland to nest and breed. We saw many of these adorable north Atlantic puffins and got quite close due to the small drought of our boat. We saw pods of whales, porpoises and dolphins on our trip, capturing some fab photos and it was an experience I won’t ever forget. We knew the second day of the tour would be a full day, so it was nice to have a relaxing day on the first day. We booked the Golden Circle tour which is an absolute must. We visited Thingvellir National Park which sits in a rift valley caused by the separation of two tectonic plates. It has a breath-taking landscape and every time I turned the corner or climbed some of the rocks, I got some amazing photos of the area. Gulfoss waterfall was our next stop and we were in for an adventure. Just the walk down to the natural viewing platform was hair raising enough for me! The Strokkur Geyser was our final stop and if like me, you love to see these amazing sights, you’re in for a treat. In comparison this is not in a large thermal area like Rotorua in New Zealand but still impressive none the less. The whole day tour lasted approx. 10hrs so excellent value for money. Our last day was spent at the famous Blue Lagoon Spa. There are many regular shuttles to the spa from the bus terminus, so it was very easy to get to and from. Top Tip! You must pre-book your day there along with any treatments or lunch reservations as it is so popular. You can buy snacks and refreshments from the café, hire towels, dressing gowns, flip flops along with a locker for safe keeping but you could bring your own items to save pennies. After leaving all your items in your locker, you have a wristband so that you free of your belongings and any purchases of drinks can be charged to this. This day was one of the highlights of our trip. Once changed, we stepped outside and walked around the walkway. It certainly is surreal. The water looked lush and warm, the steam rose from the water and the volcanic rocks surrounded the spa. We had a token for a free drink whilst in the lagoon and used the silica mud face mask which is known for its rejuvenating properties. You can find inlets and fountains dotted around the lagoon to experience. There are people on hand taking complimentary photos which they email to you, but you could take your own waterproof camera. Unfortunately, our final day came all too quickly, and I know that I would certainly return for a longer break. I would perhaps look to do a cruise around the island or hire a car in the summer months to explore further afield. The ice caves, dog sledding and snowmobiling would be straight on my list. Reykjavik was a lovely and easy city to navigate around but found that as it was an exposed city, it was very windy. We wrapped up with a snood, layers of clothing and walking boots for our trip so felt prepared. The locals were friendly and found that shuttles, tours and boat trips ran on time. It is such an exciting country, but I know I would like to experience more. I would go back for at least 1-2 weeks. Contact me for further information about your visit to Iceland. With a two and half hour flight time, it’s so easy to get too and it has so much to see and explore.

19 November 2018

As part of our week-long stay in Florida, we visited Clearwater. Located on West Coast of Florida and surrounded by the Gulf of Mexico, Clearwater Beach is named as the No.1 beach in the U.S.A for 2018. It was the fifth day of our week-long stay in Florida. We travelled over late afternoon from Orlando and settled into a hotel for the next three nights, the Sheraton Sand Key. It has its own private beach which leads on to Clearwater beach, so we headed down there straight away to check it out. I can see why it was voted No 1 due to it being made up of tiny little white shells and an overall powdery like feel. Absolutely breath-taking. Our first evening was at the award-winning steakhouse at the Marriott Sand Key. The steak was probably THE best steak I have ever had and with fabulous views of the harbour, it was the perfect start to our next two full days. The next morning, we were up bright and early to go over to St Pete’s beach, another award-winning beach. With miles of beach, surf shops, boutiques and a range of accommodation, it is another ideal location to combine with a busy Orlando holiday. We took a dip in the Gulf of Mexico and enjoyed the beautiful sunshine whilst listening to our host tell us about the area. Our afternoon was to be another highlight for me and the rest of my companions, the Dolphin Speedboat Racer experience. We spent the next hour in a high-speed boat which creates a large wake in its path. This invited the dolphins to jump and body surf alongside. As well as getting very wet, we were all full of smiles during the hour and didn’t want it to end. I got some fabulous video footage and photos. An experience I won’t ever forget. Our second day in Clearwater was going to be our last full day. We were asked to meet on the hotels private beach at 730am in gym clothes with a towel and a bottle of water. Before breakfast, we had a very refreshing yoga session on the beach, a great start to the day. After getting ready, we then headed to downtown St Pete. The area is known for awe-inspiring art and culture. It has more than 70 street murals on buildings around Central Avenue. Our first stop was a tour of the Imagine Museum in the Central Arts District. We were told about the collection of more than 580 pieces of art. It was a fabulous place to visit and I was wowed by the whole collection. Our next visit was to The Dali Museum. Here, we picked up our audio guides and made our way round the largest collection of his work outside of Spain. We saw masterpieces such as the “Bubble Mirror” and “The Persistence of Memory” replicated outside in the Avant Garden. Such a shame for our last day to go so fast but after having lunch at Sea Salt, a contemporary seafood restaurant that houses over 6,000’s bottle of wine in its glass wine cellar, we headed back to our hotel for our last evening outing. To celebrate our last night, we were taken to the harbour and boarded StarLite Majesty for a dinner cruise. We enjoyed a lovely three course meal with live entertainment whilst sailing around Clearwater. Truly a great way to end our fabulous trip. So, the flight home really was our opportunity to rest as we were virtually on the go for the whole week! If you do book a trip to Orlando, it is worth exploring further afield and hiring a car to truly experience the area. Next time, combine the fast-paced theme parks in Orlando with a rejuvenating trip to the beach and you’ll see a whole new side to Florida.

19 November 2018

I travelled to Orlando at the start of October 2018 as part of an educational trip with Travel Counsellors. The weather was gorgeous, an average of 30c so when our group arrived the temperature hit us straight away in comparison to the coldness of autumn in the UK. I spent the week exploring the SeaWorld parks and the beautiful beaches of St Pete and Clearwater on the west coast of Florida. More on Clearwater in my next blog. SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment is made up of four amazing parks: SeaWorld, Aquatica, Busch Gardens and Discovery Cove. You can either buy 3 parks for the price of 2 or simply upgrade to explore all the parks with the Ultimate ticket which includes Discovery Cove and a dolphin swim too. You can experience exciting new thrill rides, up-close animal encounters, water-based activities with chilled out spaces once you have visited all four parks. SeaWorld Our first day was at SeaWorld. Besides all the rides and the new ride of Infinity Falls which opened on this day, my main interest was finding out about how the park cares for their animals. It was amazing to see the state of the art veterinary facilities, learn how they rescue animals by working alongside the US government and have a non-profit conservation fund for rehabilitation, research and preventative medicine. Of course, I had to try Infinity Falls which was brilliant along with the shows and famous coasters such as Mako and Manta. My step count had a sharp incline on that day! Aquatica Aquatica was on the agenda for day two. Compared to the fast pace of SeaWorld, this park is a combination of a splashy watery park full of super-sized slides, speedy splashdowns and sandy shores to relax in. We had great fun trying all the slides and rides and there were areas for little ones right up to big kids. Aquatica is known as a thrill leader among Florida waterparks, especially as they have introduced the latest family attraction, Ray Rush. Also, next year, there is the opening of the new thrill slide KareKare Curl. Holding two passengers per raft, this new slide delivers a high-adrenaline, weightless adventure. Discovery Cove Another highlight of my trip was visiting the amazing Discovery Cove. Set in a tropical paradise, it has an aviary, Serenity Bay beach and the Grand Reef, where you can snorkel to your hearts content surrounded by beautiful saltwater fish. Within the ticket, you get all day dining, lockers, towels, access to showers/changing areas, wetsuits and snorkel hire for the full day. Our first experience was SeaVenture (this carries an extra charge). Having never dived before I was a little cautious but found it was something I could not miss. With a full wet suit on and dive helmet, you go on an underwater tour of the Grand Reef. It’s an immersive underwater walking tour where you get up close with sharks (behind a panoramic window), watch beautiful stingrays glide and see the feeding time frenzy with schools of fish around you! Our second experience of the day was swimming with dolphins. The area is set in a huge lagoon with large inlets, so you feel you are in a coastal paradise but with the safety of experts on hand to guide you through your time with the dolphins. It was endearing to hear the dolphin’s noises and watch them play with each other, whilst getting time to play and stroke our own dolphin, a young 3-year old called Reef. I won’t ever forget that. Busch Gardens Busch Gardens was our fourth day. It is an African theme park and combines animal encounters with thrill rides such as the renown Falcons Fury which has a 102-metre drop and coasters such as Cobras Curse. Not for the faint hearted of you! Ok, I wasn’t brave enough to go on Falcons Fury but enjoyed some of the animal experiences in the Serengeti Plains area. We had a fabulous day and got to feed everyone’s favourites, the giraffes, one of the many experiences you can book here. These guys were so So, you see, it’s not just Disney in Orlando. I would heartily recommend booking your flights, villa and car hire to explore these fab parks. Combine this with the relaxation of Clearwater, America’s Number One beach and you have the makings of a great holiday.