Creating Holiday Memories for Little Ones

Upon being invited to become a Brand Ambassador for Graham & Brown, I took some time to get to know all products that they have on offer, be they related to my needs or not. As a teacher of Little Ones, I always like to have my finger on the pulse in regards to products that are child related - be it to share with my Parents or to be able to engage in the Children's conversations throughout the day.

I was happily surprised to see that Graham & Brown have many different Disney and Marvel themed products to help make Children's spaces both stylish and child-orientated (a match made in heaven, am I right?!). What Little One doesn't dream of taking a trip to Disney (and the lucky ones that have, surely reminisce often about their magical vacation!). So with that in mind, I decided to create a Horizon Trend inspirational post for Little Ones, and the spaces in your home dedicated to them (as well as the child in all of us).

Subtle Memories
Some people may just want to add a touch of magic to a child's space, and not make any permanent changes. Graham & Brown offer a range of tasteful Disney artwork, some of which would look as much at home in a child-free home, as they would in a Kids Room.

Gorgeous Peter Pan and Cinderella Movie stills

Bambi, Arisocats and Tinkerbell Artwork - To die for!

Wallpaper Choices

As with any wallpaper options - the beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Some are loud and over the top, others are more subdued and classic. Whatever your little Prince or Princess's taste may be, there is definitely a little something for everyone!

Disney's Aulani Resort, Hawaii

During our recent trip to Hawaii, we stayed at Disney's Aulani Resort and Spa,  which is located in Ko Olina, on the leeward coast of Oahu. If you haven't gathered by now, I am a bit of a Disney Girl and kid at heart, and love all things Disney. Luckily, my Husband is also a kid at heart and has as much fun as I do exploring Disney's creations around the world. 

While researching our trip, I looked into other hotels as resorts as a bit of a 'due diligence', but always knew we would end up staying at Aulani. I will run through the pros and cons of staying at this Heaven on Earth, general tips, what we got up to and of course - photos! 

Resort Information and History
Aulani means "messenger of the chief" and opened on the shores of Ko Olina in 2011. Aulani celebrates Hawaiian culture, history and traditions while adding a touch of subtle Disney Magic to the everyday resort happenings. The resort spans over 21 acres on the edge of a private lagoon and you truly feel like you are in your own little paradise. With Ko Olina Golf Course across the road, as well as a selection of shops and restaurants, there is plenty to keep you occupied within the area.
A variety of rooms are available, from standard studio styles to family suites. Rooms are on the side of pricey, starting at just under $400 USD a night, but if you keep an eye out on the Aulani website, deals like these pop up all the time. We stayed in a 1 Bedroom suite over looking the resort pools and ocean (view from our balcony is displayed in the picture above) and it was absolutely stunning (not to mention bigger than our current apartment...).
Aulani is a decent car ride out of Waikiki. If you are after a fast-paced holiday, nightspots to go out to and shopping centres, Aulani is probably not the resort for you. It is easy enough to spend the day in Waikiki and get your tourist and shopping fix, but probably not quite the same as just 'popping out' if you are staying in Waikiki. If you are after a true, relaxing vacation, then I would highly suggest looking into this resort.

View from across the road

Tokyo DisneySea | Japan Travel Diary, Part Five

Tokyo DisneySea is perhaps the best Disney Park in the world. The Magic Kingdom-like parks are my favourite as they are quintessentially Disney, but TDS is the most detailed, perfectly executed park I have visited. Each land has a different and unique feel and themed down to the last grain of sand. You truly feel like you have been transported the one of the pages in a Jules Verne book, or down to the mysterious fathoms below with Ariel and King Triton. 

In this post I will be giving you a rundown of the park as it is so different to all other Disney Parks worldwide, as well as our 'plan of attack' and what we loved. Again - this post will be very photo heavy - but how could it not be with SO much beauty. 

King Triton's gorgeous castle. 

The entrance to Tokyo DisneySea at dusk. 

Selfie with Mt Prometheus

Tokyo Disneyland : Japan Travel Diary, Part Four

Experiencing a new Disney Park for the first time is perhaps more exciting than all of your Christmases combined. Adventuring into the unknown, but also feeling like you are right at home is such a unique and special feeling that only the magic of Disney has managed to create. 

Tokyo Disneyland has long been touted as a carbon-copy of Magic Kingdom park in Orlando. I couldn't disagree more. Yes, they both have the amazing Cinderella's Castle as the beautiful centrepiece, and some similar lands and attractions, but that in my opinion, that is where the similarities end. Tokyo Disneyland stands on her own two feet, and the fact that I was proposed to in front of this beautiful castle may have left me slightly biased - but dare I say, I like it better than than the Florida version.

So much beauty

A successful day at TDL require some planning, research and dedication. Yes - you can just rock up to the park after opening hours and cruise around, but if you are a big Disney Parks fan and expect to experience all of the attractions, that wont work. Basically if you fail to plan, you are planning to fail (thanks Hubby for that quote haha). In this post, I will go through the plan of attack we used for our first day at TDL, and any little tips we picked up along the way. This will be a very photo-heavy post, so don't say you haven't been warned! 

it's a small world

Tokyo Disney Resort : Japan Travel Diary, Part Three

"I only hope we don't lose sight of one thing - that it was all started by a mouse" - Walt Disney

Disney. This to me is a symbol of happiness, joy & magic. I don't love it because it 'takes me back to my childhood' or makes me feel like a kid again. It just makes me happy. Plain and simple. Watching a Disney Film or entering a Disney Park is like swallowing a happy pill. The smile doesn't leave my face & nothing is wrong with the world for those hours spent within Walt's magical creations.
My Bucket list basically consists of visiting every Disney Park in the World (standing at 6/11 currently, hubby at 2/11...guess I'll just have to revisit a few. Shame!), seeing an Orca in the wild and that is about it. Adventurous, I know. This Japan Travel Diary instalment will cover the first initial stages of getting to Tokyo Disney Resort, Ticketing, Hotels and the basics. I will go into the Parks in depth in posts to come.

Hubby enjoying the Mad Hatter's Tea Party

We spent 5 days at Tokyo Disney Resort, which consists of 2 parks (Disneyland & DisneySea), 3 Disney Hotels, a Shopping area 'Ikspiari ', as well as 6 Official Disney Hotels. The Tokyo Disney Resort website is in Japanese, but translates fairly well to English in most sections.

Getting there
Hubby & I travelled from Osaka to TDR on the Shinkasen (Bullet Train). As I assume most people will arrive at Tokyo (Narita) Airpot, I won't go into this too much, except to say that it was a very easy & enjoyable experience. Very little English is spoken in Japan, with many not understanding a single word, so be prepared to become an expert in charades or learn some of the language yourself. We purchased tickets for the Shinkasen at the Shin-Osaka station and found our platform with ease. All train stations and airports have some English signage (numbers and text). If given the chance, a Shinkasen trip is definitely worth experiencing at least once in your life. It is super smooth & much more comfortable than a plane and regular trains.

Typical station signage. I love that the TDR poster is in the foreground. That wasn't even intentional.

We took the Shinkasen to Tokyo Station, which is the heart of the Tokyo train lines. It is big, fast, and if you don't know what to look for, confusing. It really pays to do your research prior to arriving at this station just in case you are unable to locate someone that speaks English. It was a fair hike to the next platform we needed to be at, and I highly suggest investing in good quality baggage with a spinning wheel system, as there are A LOT of escalators/stairs/lifts where you need to think quick and enter & exit swiftly.

JR Keiyo Line is the one you need to look for if traveling to TDR via train. It is red (all lines are coded with a different colour and if you know what colour you need to follow, the whole process is very easy), and is located 4 stories below ground. Tokyo Disney Resort's Station is named Maihama, and is about 15 minutes out of central Tokyo. Once you have spotted that on the overhead screens you know you are on the home stretch!

Gateway to where dreams come true

Japan Travel Diary : Part One

In October last year my Husband & I (then Boyfriend!) took a trip to Japan. The first thing that people asked me was 'Are you skiing?!' 'No, we are going to Disney' I would say and look forward to their confused looks in response. Truth was, we did go to Disney, but we also travelled to Osaka & Tokyo City. The Disney portion of the trip was what I was excited by the most.

**sigh!**