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Great Wolf Lodge Williamsburg, VA

Dave Rosenthal — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 22:17:25 +0000

This is it for Daydream Excursions’ Williamsburg Week. After going to Colonial Williamsburg, we stopped at the Great Wolf Lodge and I had to go in and take a look. I’ve heard a lot about the location in the Poconos and had to see for myself. Watch the video and see my reaction to the massive indoor water park bolted on to the back of this large resort! There a numerous activities for the kids with games and activities all over the place. There’s also a nice bar for the parents! Please contact us with your comments or questions. Thanks for reading.

The Magazine Colonial Williamsburg, Va

Dave Rosenthal — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 21:58:30 +0000

Magazine…what magazine? A magazine is a place where firearms and ammo were stored. This is another installment from our Daydream Excursion’s Williamsburg Week. What did you think of our posts? Want more? Thanks for reading.

Image via Wikipedia

Visit the Maze in Colonial Williamsburg

Dave Rosenthal — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 00:24:35 +0000

More video from Williamsburg week. Come visit the Maze behind the Governor’s Palace in Colonial Williamsburg. Will we make it out?

Governor’s Mansion Colonial Williamsburg, Va

Dave Rosenthal — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 23:13:48 +0000

We’re back with more of Daydream Excursion’s Williamsburg week. This is the first video in Colonial Williamsburg. Come explore with us as we trek through Colonial Williamsburg.

Das Festhaus Busch Gardens Williamsburg, Va

Dave Rosenthal — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 17:13:51 +0000

We’re back with more of Daydream Excursion’s Williamsburg week. Come take a video tour of Das Festhaus and hear about the food, beer, and music. Busch Gardens morphs into “Christmastown” for the holidays; the show at Das Festhaus gets a holiday spin. I cannot stress how good he food is here! This is not the deep fried, overpriced theme park fare we’ve all come to know and despise. I’m talking turkey dinners and salmon fillets on a nice salad. Managment was nice enought to let me shoot video off a platform which is not open to the public. Enjoy and contact us if you want to visit Christmastown yourself.

Busch Gardens as “Christmas Town”

Dave Rosenthal — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 23:30:17 +0000

Busch Gardens in Williamsburg, Va transforms into an elegantly decorated “Christmastown” during the holiday season. The rates go down as almost all rides are closed but there are many shows and the park is just beautiful. It was especially enjoyable as the weather was over 60 degree with a little rain which kept the crowds at bay. There’s a wonderful show in Germany in Das Festhaus, one of my personal favorite places to visit. More to come as Daydream Excursions blogs Williamsburg week.

Tour Kings Creek Plantation in Williamsburg, Va

Dave Rosenthal — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 03:15:32 +0000

What did you do over the holidays? Daydream Excursions took a trip to Williamsburg, Va; come take a video tour of a 2 bedroom Cottage at Kings Creek Plantation. We did a timeshare preview of this 2 bedroom/2.5 bath unit. It was a great alternative to a hotel room. Do watch out for the time share sales people though. Note: if you like it here, I can set you up in a unit just instead of a hotel room for a whole lot more space with washer/dryer and full kitchen. We also visited Busch Gardens and Colonial Williamsburg.

Colonial Williamsburg houses make magazine’s list (cbsnews.com)

A Taste of my own Medicine – How to book shore excursions revealed.

Dave Rosenthal — Fri, 16 Sep 2011 19:17:00 +0000

This story is about me but the lessons reinforce what you’ve heard for a long time; do not book shore excursions from the cruise lines. On September 4th, we showed up at the Port of NYC fully aware that we would get diverted from Bermuda due to Katia. Sure enough, we were put on a FL/Bahamas itinerary – the identical itinerary offered by the Norwegian Jewel. Without having the ability to get to my third party shore excursion providers (I always recommend for my travel guests), we booked a Disney excursion for Port Canaveral and a Wyndham Cable Beach day pass for Nassau.

So, here is how our two cruise line provided shore excursions played out. We were escorted onto a bus (one of three large coaches) that didn’t have enough seats for us for the the Disney trip, and the price was a little steep as was expected.

Wyndham Cable Beach Nassau

Nassau was another story and not a pleasant one. After debarking the Norwegian Gem, we waited outside the ship in the scorching heat for 45 min past the meeting time. Initially, there was absolutely no indicator of where to assemble for the tour. After asking ship personnel, we were told where to wait. Question: why do we need to wait near the ship went we have to get out of the port and why so long? We were eventually escorted through the port up to where a minibus picked us up for transfer to Cable Beach which was fantastic. Questions: why did we have to wait for 45 minutes for an already brief day trip. The ship staff had no explanations for the delay nor did they seem to care in the slightest bit. Once we boarded the minibus, we were greeted with wonderful air conditioning and a pleasant driver. The day at Wyndham Cable Beach resort was great but could have been even better if I could have booked via my preferred channels to save, time, money and frustration.

Grand Hotel Central – Great Hotel in Barcelona

Dave Rosenthal — Mon, 06 Jun 2011 19:01:07 +0000

Daydream Excursions planned a three-night stay at the Grand Hotel Central for six people. My guests had a great time there! I must single out the Concierge, Sandrine. She was very helpful and provided a great range of dining suggestions (not just names, but exact locations and price ranges) and helped me welcome my guests to her hotel!

Some of the comments include:

Rooftop bar at Grand Hotel Central and pool were great for people watching at end of day over a drink.

The hotel was in a great location with great staff and clean.

15 minute walk to beach

Can walk to Las Ramblas which has live acts – kind of like Key West, FL.

You can also walk to the Sagrada Familia http://www.sagradafamilia.cat/sf-eng/index.php

Mexico: Is it safe to travel there? Where is “there”?

Dave Rosenthal — Tue, 10 May 2011 14:36:20 +0000

(Updated April 27, 2011)
1. While the U.S. State Department re-issued a Travel Warning for Mexico in April
2011, the warning is not a “blanket statement” covering the entire country and
does not explicitly say, “Do not travel to Mexico.”
The State Department Travel Warning for Mexico provides · detailed and specific
information on particular Mexican states that are impacted by drug-related
violence. Much of that violence is taking place in northern Mexican states and
communities at or near the U.S. border.
o The State Department aptly notes: “Millions of U.S. citizens safely visit
Mexico each year. This includes tens of thousands who cross the border
every day for study, tourism or business and at least one million U.S.
citizens who live in Mexico. The Mexican government makes a
considerable effort to protect U.S. citizens and other visitors to major
tourist destinations.”
o The Travel Warning further states: “There is no evidence that U.S.
tourists have been targeted by criminal elements due to their citizenship.”
o While the State Department warning has now been extended to the state
of Jalisco due to problems in Guadalajara, resort areas around Puerto
Vallarta have remained relatively safe.
· Major resort areas where Americans like to go, such as Cancun, Cozumel, the
Riviera Maya and Cabo San Lucas are quite safe.
· Mexico is a huge country. Based on geographic size, it is among the top 15
largest independent nations in the world.
· Most media reports of violence in Mexico fail to mention nearly all of these
incidents take place along the border and far away from popular resort areas
frequented by U.S. tourists.
o The distance between the U.S./Mexico border, where much of the
violence takes place, and Cancun is over 1,400 miles. The flying
distance between the border and Cabo San Lucas is the same as
between Oklahoma and Indiana.
· Those individuals trying to lump Acapulco into the list of top Mexico destinations
U.S. travelers visit are misinformed. It has been decades since it was a hot
tourist destination – today it is more of a destination for Mexican nationals rather
than U.S. tourists.
· USA Today provided some statistical comparisons in the fall of 2010 between
Mexico and the U.S.
o Yucatán, the Gulf of Mexico state known for its beaches and Mayan
ruins, had a murder rate of 2 per 100,000 which is comparable to
Wyoming and Montana.
Washington, D.C.’s murder rate is nearly quadruple o that of the Mexican
capital, Mexico City. Washington’s murder rate was 31.4 per 100,000
people in 2008; Mexico City’s rate in 2009 was 8.
2. All travelers, no matter what country they visit, can take precautions to help
ensure their safety and well-being. First and foremost: obey the law.
· If our clients are going to pack one thing, we’d strongly recommend it be
common sense. No matter what our clients’ age or destination, they should
always use good common sense when it comes to their personal safety, just as
they would at home.
· To maximize safety and security while traveling in Mexico or any other
international destination:
o Follow your instincts and avoid any areas or situations that seem as
though they could become dangerous.
o Stay in the well-known tourist areas of the cities.
o Know and respect the laws in the country you are visiting.
o Visit only legitimate businesses and tourist areas, and avoid areas where
prostitution and drug dealing might occur.
o Leave your itinerary with a friend or family member back home.
o Check with your cell phone provider prior to departure to see if your
phone is capable of roaming on GSM or 3G international networks.
o Do not display expensive looking jewelry, large amounts of money or
other valuable items.
o Make every attempt to travel during daylight hours, and stick to main
roads.
· The U.S. State Department recommends all travelers travel only during daylight
hours, avoid isolated roads, and, if driving, use toll roads whenever possible.
3. Safety is our top priority for our clients.
· Our business is founded on repeat customers. Therefore, we want to be sure
everything goes off without a hitch.
· We provide the facts so our clients can make informed decisions about their
travel plans.
· We closely monitor the U.S. Department of State Web site for travel alerts for all
destinations, including those that are most popular with our clients.
· Should we become aware of an issue for a specific destination, we alert clients
who may be planning to travel there so they can make determine for themselves
if they still wish to travel.