Picture It with Priscila

Day Trip Inspo: Whidbey Island

I know that the Pacific Northwest is full of wondrous nature and quite a few destinations are accessible from Seattle. Since I’d been to Seattle a couple times now, I thought it might be fun to do a day trip outside of Seattle for a change of scenery. When doing research, Whidbey Island popped up multiple times and it seemed like a fun place to do a day trip or even a weekend trip.

Why Go?

Whidbey Island is home to 7-8 state parks (per my quick Google search), 3 of which I visited. In addition to nature paths and views, there are multiple small towns and farms you could visit to shop and eat at.

Where to Stay?

Whidbey Island is accessible from Seattle by car or ferry, but there are also places you can stay on the island if you want to spend an extra day or two!

How to Get Around?

Unfortunately, a car would be necessary to travel across the island. There were buses, but they were rare, and I believe they were only limited to paths on Whidbey Island.  

The Itinerary

I started at the top of the island and drove my way down to take the ferry back into the city. I think this helps to avoid the early ferry lines so you can get to hiking earlier in the morning but know that you may miss out on store shopping and museums in towns since many will close around 5pm.

Personally, I started with breakfast at Totem Family Diner on my way up. Classic diner, solid food, but not a must do if you’re in a hurry! 

First stop was Deception Pass State Park. You’ll need a Discover Pass ($10/day) but it’s good for all the state parks we’ll be visiting on this itinerary. I parked after the bridge – there is limited parking so come early or plan on a weekday. From this lot, the recommendations were the Goose Rock or the North Beach hikes. Goose Rock was closed that day, so I did the North Beach hike while I also waited for the fog to clear up. Afterwards, I walked the bridge a bit. It was shakier and higher than I expected so a bit was plenty for me. Beautiful views though! 

Afterwards, I drove down to Seabolt’s Restaurant to try the Penn Cove mussels which were fresh, plump, and well cooked. I highly recommend trying this local shellfish even if it’s not at this location (although I will say they had very competitive pricing given that they were basically half a seafood market as well). Side note: their chowder was also very hearty and delicious!

After lunch, it was time for a walk. I went to Ebey’s Landing Trail but left early since being from California, it wasn’t much of a unique coastal view (albeit still very beautiful of course!). 

Next, I went to South Whidbey State Park. This park was very quiet, and I attempted the Ridge Loop Trail – I got frightened by the silence so I left early via a service road. It worked out well though as I wanted to visit Whidbey Pies before heading back on the ferry. 

South Whidbey State Park

That’s it! A full day of nature and food just an hour away from Seattle. I hope you have as much fun as I did!

Final Thoughts 

While there are closer nature spots to Seattle, I do believe this would be worth the visit. There’s so much to do and see, and I can’t imagine anyone not having a good time!

“Everything” You Can Do on the Disney Wonder

I just went on my second Disney cruise and an Alaska cruise to boot! It’s definitely a bucket list item for people and now having been on it, I totally understand. Alaska is truly the last frontier and filled with the beauty of blue skies, snow-capped mountains, and fresh air! And a Disney cruise is always full of delight and magic. It was a WONDER to witness both the ship and Alaska! 

While I loved all the tips and tricks and vlogging videos I saw on social media, I had a hard time finding a place where things were consolidated over multiple days so hopefully, this is helpful for someone like me! I wrote the different experiences in the order of “must do” to “nice to do” in the main categories of dining, activities, and shows. This will all be based on what I’ve personally experienced so you have a good preview of what to expect as you won’t have access to the schedule until you get on board. 

Dining

  • Tiana’s Place – This was my favorite rotational dining restaurant on this ship. Not only were the menus the most exciting (think New Orleans inspired food like jambalaya, crab dip, beignets, etc), but the vibes were the best! Tiana and Louis both make appearances and greet Guests, and there is also a live band that plays music while you’re enjoying your meal. 
  • Animator’s Palate – This is tied with Palo since it’s one of the rotational dining restaurants (aka free) AND the entertainment you get is tied with the level of Tiana’s Place. The first night had the restaurant transforming from black to white to full on color, and the second night, you get to BE an animator! 
  • Palo – This is an adults-only and extra charge restaurant. People rave about this restaurant calling it their favorite restaurant on land AND sea, but honestly, I thought it was only good, not great. The lauded chicken parm was as good as the chicken schnitzel in the free rotational dining restaurant and the breakfast dishes were only slightly better than the quality I get in Cabanas. I will say that the lasagna is solid, the pastries/desserts were truly delicious, and the views were immaculate, but honestly, the next time I plan to go back is when I reach Platinum status and can go for free. It’s just not worth the $55 brunch price tag. 
  • Triton’s – Nothing wrong with this third rotational dining restaurant, but the decor is less exciting and there’s no entertainment. However, the menu is slightly more “fancy” – think steak and lobster. 

  • Cove Bar – This is an adults-only and extra charge coffee bar. For some reason, the coffee on the Wonder was not as okay as the Fantasy, so my family and I started visiting this place regularly halfway through the cruise. I tried all the “famous” combos, but then I learned that a standard mocha or latte is just as good and slightly cheaper! 
  • Cabanas – This is the buffet of the ship and most importantly… where you get the churro waffles on glacier viewing day and the last sea day. Other than that, it’s a great place to grab a variety of things for breakfast or lunch as it’s not open for dinner. 
  • Pool Deck Eateries – These locations were a staple in my family’s week. Every time we finished a port day, you would find us out here enjoying chicken tenders, pizza slices, fruit, and various soups and salads since it’s the only other food option besides room service when it’s not peak meal times. 
  • Eye Scream – I got to try new flavors this time – the mint is as wonderful as I thought it would be, mango is solid, and the blueberry was surprisingly good! 

Overall, the food was good per usual, and there were some highlights! For more details, please enjoy the shorts I created on all the different social media platforms! 

Activities

  • Deck Viewing – Even though a Disney cruise is filled with lots of whimsy, fun, and magic, it’s also important to remember that it’s an Alaska cruise so spending time on your balcony or the deck is ESSENTIAL! Take in the views, enjoy the fresh air, and try to find wildlife. I promise you, you won’t regret it. In fact, I wish I did more of it. 
  • Characters – One of the most exciting things about a Disney Alaska cruise are the Alaska outfits the Sensational Six wear! On Glacier Day, there are queues to meet the characters outside, but since I wasn’t too fussed about outside vs inside, I only had to wait about 15ish minutes in the afternoon for a picture with them inside. Note: They’re normally outside in the afternoon too, but it was raining on my glacier day. To compensate, they had the characters outside the following day. Note 2: To mitigate lines, the character attendants had the whole party take photos together rather than have people switching out. For the days after, they didn’t enforce that “rule.” 
  • ‘Til We Meet Again – I think this was one of the few times a smaller ship was better. The characters were easier to spot and wave to from the top levels, and during the unofficial character meet and greet time, some of them even came to the other levels so that was cool to see! 
  • Decades Music Trivia – We joined in this fun halfway through the ship and wished we started Night 1. Basically, trivia started in the 1950s and went all the way to the 2010s. Each night, a different decade was featured, and the trivia took place in the time between the first and second dinner seating so everyone could join in the fun. It became a fun routine activity for my family where we got to relive old song favorites and learn new ones since you had to list both the song and the artist! 
  • Sail-A-Wave Deck Party – I love a sail away party, but this one was definitely a bit outdated. Still fun, but the songs were less catchy than the other sail away parties. 
  • Bingo – This was my first time playing Bingo on a cruise ship and it was alright. The vibes were fun, but it wasn’t very interactive since the tech does everything for you. I wouldn’t recommend doing it every time, but if you wanted to try it out, I recommend the last round since it’s theoretically “easier” to win although you probably won’t win as much as other rounds.
  • Twist ‘n’ Spout – This was super fun but not the longest water slide (I would say about 20 seconds?) so I would feel silly for marking it higher but do go on this at least once.
  • Alaska Naturalist Talks – I love the idea of this since it’s Alaska cruise specific, but I do think this depends heavily on your lecturer and unfortunately, mine was only ok. She rambled a bit in her talks, and it didn’t feel very focused. 
  • Match Your Mate – This was great as usual, but last on the list since it’s on every ship and itinerary. 

There were other activities that I didn’t get to participate in due to how many activities there were on sea days, and I wanted to mix in some relaxation time. Then, with my twisted ankle, I wasn’t able to participate in as many activities on the last sea day.

Shows

  • The Golden Mickey’s – I really liked the musical numbers, but I wasn’t a fan of the stop and go flow of the show (since it’s like an award show). You can tell it’s a fan favorite from the crowd’s reactions though and it fitted very well with Formal Night!  
  • Disney Dreams – This was very similar to Disney’s Believe, but I don’t care for Peter Pan as much as the Genie so Disney’s Believe is better in my book. I also think the musical numbers chosen for The Golden Mickey’s were better than Disney Dreams. 
  • Magician – I’ve seen a lot of great magicians so his family show was a bit boring for me until he did his signature move at the end. I didn’t get a chance to see his adults-only show, but I wish I did. 
  • Broadway Star Series – The family show was centered around Disney music only, but I enjoyed the adults-only show since it was a bit more intimate and featured other Broadway songs. Like the magician, I think this one will also vary depending on who your stars are.
  • Movie Night – We were lucky to be on the ship when The Mandalorian and Grogu came out and we got to watch it the same day it hit theaters. Always a fantastic Disney Cruise Line perk! 

Overall, I was a bit disappointed by the shows for the Wonder. I think there needs to be a refresh since the shows were showing their age a bit, and the ship would also benefit from a show unique to the ship. 

Final Thoughts

I hope this post was helpful for understanding what you can expect on the Disney Wonder! Let me know if you have any questions I can help answer!

How to Have a “Perfect” Day at Epic Universe

I just went on my first visit to Epic Universe, and wow, is it amazing!!! This is now my second favorite park in the world – Disneyland is still number one (a huge part due to nostalgia and personal history). Epic Universe is massive (can’t wait to see how they grow it), beautiful (you can tell they put money into it), rich in storytelling, boasts great food, and is just overall, one of the best places to simply exist in. Honestly, one of my favorite parts was sitting on the lawn, watching the fountain, listening to one of the most impressive background tracks, and chatting with my friend.

While this park is truly epic (pun intended), wait times can get pretty high. For example, the newest Harry Potter attraction averages a 2-3 hour wait with it having climbed up to 4 hours on 2 of 4 days and causing the attraction to have to close their queue 2 hours ahead of park closing. Therefore, it’s important to be flexible while also building a plan so I think the best way to prepare the “perfect” day is to prioritize the must do’s and then build the rest of the day around those. Another option would be to get the Express Pass, but I know that’s not feasible for every party. 

I wrote the different experiences in the order of “must do” to “nice to do” in the main categories of attractions and shows. For dining, I also went in order of favorites, but by restaurant locations with details of the dishes in the description. This will all be based on what I’ve personally experienced so you have a “buffet” menu to help start building YOUR perfect day while allowing space for your own exploration. I hope this helps you have your “most epic” day at Epic Universe! 

Attractions

  • Harry Potter And The Battle At The Ministry – WOW, this ride blew my mind! I could not believe how this whole thing was happening and how big everything was. Plus, the story was original, but still realistic in the Wizarding World. My jaw fell open and I was just completely mesmerized. If you are a fan of Harry Potter, this might be your new favorite ride in the world. It is for me. However, is it worth a 4 hour wait? No, I think it’s worth a 90-120 minute ride if it’s your first time experiencing it, but there’s too many other great things at Epic Universe for you to spend 4 hours in one queue if you only have a day. Also, it’s motion-sickness approved per my friend! 
  • Monsters Unchained: The Frankenstein Experiment – This is the other headliner attraction, and it is truly a headliner. There’s multiple animatronics that bring to life the Universal Monsters in a brand new story. It’s just a little bit scary, a whole lot cooler, and surprisingly, it’s another motion sickness approved ride despite using the same ride vehicle as Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey.  
  • Hiccup’s Wing Gliders – This roller coaster was a dark horse for me. On the outside, it looks like a family roller coaster, and while it is, it definitely also has more thrill than what you see. Plus, Universal does the best job with storytelling on roller coasters, and this one is no exception. Paired with the music, it’s a can’t miss. Don’t miss this one – trust me. 

  • Stardust Racers – This is your adrenaline-racing thrill roller coaster although it also does have a backstory. Basically, the Celestians in Celestial Park are inviting us to race on comets which is why the coasters are the ones that are lit up at night instead of the track. How cute is that? I found the yellow side more thrilling, but it’s literally split 50-50 on the Internet so do both and try it both in the daytime and at night! 
  • Donkey Kong: Mine-Cart Madness – This is a shorter roller coaster so while it’s not worth the 3 hour wait it can get to, if you can rope drop this and ride it with a less than 45 minute wait, I think it’s worth doing at least once if you’ve got multiple days. It was less exciting for me as a story since I’m not as familiar with Nintendo World, but I still had a lot of fun.
  • Constellation Carousel – This is like the most epic form of a carousel you can imagine. There’s a double rotation (if you choose those animals), lights, enchanting music, and animals designed after constellations. Best ridden at night which is also signified by the longer lines at night!
  • Curse of the Werewolf – This is a spinning roller coaster, but besides some thrill, I didn’t get as much story so it was less exciting for me. 

  • Dragon Racer’s Rally – While the goal may be to get as many barrel rolls as you can, I found it quite hard! Also, since the load and unload process takes some time, the actual time you spend on the ride is quite short. Fine for a 20 minute wait, but I would not wait more than 30 minutes. However, the queue is cute, showcasing other trophies that dragon racers in Berk have won, and you get a nice aerial view of Berk.

  • Yoshi’s Adventure – Cute, but it’s the most simplistic ride at Epic Universe. You ride in a Yoshi, encounter character animatronics, and press buttons when you notice certain eggs. 
  • Fyre Drill – This is the water ride, and unfortunately, it was too cold the last 2 days I was there to ride it. However, I hear great things about it and am definitely excited to try it in the future! 
  • Mario Kart: Bowser’s Challenge – We didn’t prioritize this as I heard this was the same ride in Hollywood. Great fun, but not a priority at Epic Universe if you’ve been to Universal Studios Hollywood.

Shows

  • The Untrainable Dragon – The thing I loved most about this show was the music. The acting, the props, and the special effects were all great, but the music tied everything together beautifully. Simple story but done really well and a great 20 minute break from the outdoors. 
  • Le Cirque Arcanus – Another simple story done well, but I didn’t love the logistics of how the audience was moved. However, the queue and theater decor are both amazing. Really brings the “small tent, big space” of the Wizarding World to life.

Foods

  • Pizza Moon – This was my favorite quick service restaurant in Epic, and I do think it’s a lot of people’s favorite as well! My recommendation (like many others) is Pizza Lunare – you get roasted garlic béchamel, fromage de lune, ricotta, pancetta, and garlic confit on a purple celestial ube crust. This was SOOOO good – they make the pizzas fresh so it’s hot, cheesy, and has a nice chew. Not sure if it’s the ube, the crust, the pizza oven, or maybe all of it, but the crust texture is really well done! Then, for dessert, I recommend the Lunar Phase Cake – it’s a Meyer lemon olive oil cake with limoncello sabayon, blackberries, raspberry crisps. You get a moist but light cake and it has a beautiful (not artificial) lemon flavor paired with berries – what’s not to love?
  • Atlantic – If you have time, I recommend this table service restaurant. Not only is it beautifully themed, you get an epic view of Epic, and the food is really good. Celestial Park swings it out of the park with the food options. We split the Grouper Sandwich and The Atlantic Burger “Au Poivre” and if you have another person who can split with you, I highly recommend this combo. Both were delicious, well made, and fairly priced. Dessert was less exciting for me. We got El Pulpo and Passion Fruit “Caviar” – I liked the “caviar” more due to the tropical notes (plus, it came with a tin you can take home), but both were fine and very Instagrammable. 
  • Spit Fyre Grill – This spot is great if you’re looking for something quick in Berk. We got Meatlug’s Chicken Bowl which is a great option if you want something light, but the PB and J – Pork, Bacon and Jam mac and cheese cone is indulgent and heartier. Both would pair well with Stoick’s Ale which is a honey white ale, but it’s also a great walking beer. 

  • Mead Hall – We got the Thawfest Platter so we got a nice selection of meat, veg, and fries to eat and all were pretty good with our favorite being the sausage. We also got to try Gronckle’s Bread Pudding which was delightful – you can definitely taste the cinnamon in the bread pudding so if you’re not a fan of that, this might not be for you. 
  • Café L’air De La Sirène – I had to try the Butterbeer crepe! It comes with two so it’s definitely shareable. I loved it as a Butterbeer and Harry Potter fan, but my friend was less of a fan so the fan whimsy might need to be present for this one to be a must have. 

  • Das Steakhaus – The caliber of food is so good at Epic that this quick service is my least favorite even though it is truly a solid food option. It might have had to do with my ordering as my chicken, Bird on a Stake, was drier than the chicken sandwich, “Blood” Orange Chicken Sandwich. The Darkmoor Black Wings were good wings, but not my favorite. The desserts, Labotocotta and Red Velvet Death, felt similar to the Atlantic desserts – fine and very Instagrammable, but not something I would write home about. 
  • How To Treat Your Dragon – This is a bakery case location, and we chose a cake pop. The chocolate cake pop looked so good in videos, but it was too sweet (too much frosting to cake ratio) and too dry. Not sure if it was just our luck or chocolate was less popular, but I was definitely disappointed with this one. 

A note on Universal dining! While a few quick service locations have a mobile order pickup area where you then go find your own table and/or seat, most locations require you to sit at a table and they bring your order out to you. It’s both a pro and a con. Pro: it’s nice to get a table service experience at a lower price point. Con: you may have to get into a queue to even get your order. 

Final Thoughts

I hope this post was helpful for planning your Epic Universe day. Let me know if you have any questions I can help answer!

Southern Caribbean Ports – Should I Book an Excursion?

The best part of a cruise, besides the unlimited food, only having to unpack/pack once, entertainment on board, luxuriation time, … where was I going with this? Oh right! The ports that you get to travel to! Although all of them are touristy, it doesn’t mean they’re not fun or full of cool and beautiful stuff to do and see. For this post, we’ll dive into Southern Caribbean ports – these are the ones I visited on the Sunny Miles of Tropical Isles itinerary that I booked with Virgin Voyages. Spoiler alert: The islands are Sint Maarten, Barbados, St. Lucia, Martinique, St. Kitts, Puerto Rico. If you want to know more about a Virgin Cruise, check out my previous blog here.

Philipsburg, Sint Maarten

I would say No Excursion for this port. You can get a group taxi (~$10 each way per person) to take you downtown or to Maho Beach, the top 2 places to go (according to the Visitor Center I visited). We weren’t that impressed with downtown – it looked like a small village town with shops but nothing unique. Maho Beach is the beach you see on Instagram where planes land feet from a beach. It’s super cool to see a plane fly above you and then land, and it also makes for great photos. Just be careful when a plane is taking off – the exhaust blows the sand and it feels like little daggers hitting your skin. After you take all the fun airplane photos, there’s a bar next to the beach to get some food and drink (albeit a bit pricey). If that’s not your cup of tea, there’s apparently another beach pretty close to the cruise port where you can rent some chairs and have some beach time. 

Bridgetown, Barbados

I would say No Excursion for this port. There were plenty of beach clubs in Carlisle Bay where the farther you walked, the better the deal you got. TIP: You can negotiate for beach chairs along with a turtle snorkel tour for $35-40. There was only one turtle on our tour, but we also got to see a couple shipwrecks. Overall, Barbados had my favorite ocean water – the waves were fun and the blue color was super gorgeous. Definitely make your way out to experience the beach here. 

Castries, St. Lucia

I would say Book an Excursion for this port. There wasn’t much around the cruise port so a transfer would be required to go anywhere. The main attraction are the Pitons (dormant volcanic spires) which are not near the cruise transport so seeing or hiking near them would require transport. We did an excursion where we saw the island and the Pitons via car, had lunch, did a botanical tour, and then sailed a catamaran back to the port with a farewell view of the Pitons, and I would say it was worth the money. We also got a ~30 minute stop to swim and see the black sand when we were on the catamaran. It was super fun, and I think the highlight was the catamaran as it was way faster to travel as the roads have lots of switchbacks. 

Fort-de-France, Martinique

I would say No Excursion for this port unless there is something specific you’re interested in. We walked around the port area, took photos, visited the church and the library, went shopping, visited the market for fruit and souvenirs, and had a rum tasting. It was super fun and pretty inexpensive. However, we also heard other sailors mentioning taking a rum tour or a dive tour so there are definitely excursions worth going on if there’s an activity of interest to you. 

Basseterre, St. Kitts

I would say Book an Excursion for this port. This excursion will likely be a resort visit, so I would suggest researching ahead of time to see what resort you might want to visit. For us, we visited the Park Hyatt and really liked it! We were also lucky that it was relatively empty. The resort pass included an adults only section as well as a large family pool and a private beach – perfect for quiet, luxurious relaxation! We took a group taxi with people also heading there for $10 per person one way for about a 20 minute ride. The taxi driver also called out a viewpoint where you can see the water difference between the Atlantic Ocean and the Caribbean Sea. The ocean had stronger, bigger waves whereas the sea had calmer, smaller waves. 

San Juan, Puerto Rico

I would say Book an Excursion if you’ve only got one day in order to visit El Yunque. We booked one with AirBnB for convenience although it also ended up being for safety too! We walked through the rainforest from a gravel road (bring and wear socks for traction), slid down natural waterfalls, and jumped down from rocks so even if you drove yourself, you wouldn’t know where to park and/or how to navigate the slides safely. Then, they also introduced and gave us traditional snack foods and gave us some time on the beach. Perfect way to end a day of adventuring! Then, if you have even more time, you can walk around Condado Beach, enjoy a beachfront drink, and find a delicious dinner before your flight out (at least that’s what we did)! 

Final Thoughts

I hope this post was helpful for helping you make decisions on what to do in these ports. They’re all amazing islands, and I hope you have a chance to visit one or all of them someday and on top of it, have a wonderful time exploring and getting to know the people, the culture, and the islands themselves. Let me know if you have any questions I can help answer!