https://kristacarter.my.canva.site/

Fantastical Vacations by Krista Carter, Bar Harbor, ME (2025)

04/23/2025

Epic Universe 101:
Today we’re talking Celestial Park!

🌅 This is where the magic begins as you enter the park! This land is the main thoroughfare that runs the length of Epic with the main entrance at one end and the gorgeous Helios Grande Hotel at the other.

🌅 As the name suggests, this area is all about the sun, moon, and cosmos! A statue of Luna, the goddess of the moon, greets you at the main entrance while her counterpart, Helios, god of the sun, keeps watch over his namesake hotel at the other end of the park.
🎠 Celestial’s rides: the wildly popular Stardust Racers (VERY intense dueling coasters) and the Constellation Carousel.
🥗 Dining: 11 venues with full service, quick service, pizza & a few very cool bars like the Plastered Owl and Celestiki
🛍️ Shopping: 6 stores including the Nintendo Super Star Store, Mercantile for all the good stuff plus a chocolatier!
⛲️ Entertainment: check out the fountain shows, I’ve heard these are really awesome, I can’t wait to see them myself!

🌅🚪🌌 Celestial Park is also where you’ll find each land’s portal! More on those in the next few days, stay tuned!

Ready to plan YOUR trip to to see — drop me a DM and we’ll get started!

04/22/2025

One month from today, Epic Universe will host their grand opening!
This brand-new theme park in Orlando brings immersive theming to a whole new level with 5 different areas:
🌅 Celestial Park
🍄 Super Nintendo World
👹 Dark Universe
🪄 Wizarding World of Harry Potter: Ministry of Magic
🐉 How to Train Your Dragon: Isle of Berk
Yours truly will be visiting this awesome new park in 6 days! Stay tuned for more info!
📸: Universal’s artist rendering of Epic Universe
Ready to book your trip to Epic Universe? DM and we’ll get the ball rolling!

04/21/2025

🙌🏼 Walt Disney World resort & ticket package bookings for 2026 open tomorrow! We will be able to book stays through 10/31/26!
🍔 Throughout 2026, guests staying at a Disney Resort hotel will get a free dining plan for their kids ages 3 to 9 when purchasing a dining plan as part of their package for the other members of their party aged 10+
💰 We CAN combine the kids free dining plan offer with other promos, meaning I can apply any future discount offers in 2026!
🤔 Is the dining plan right for your family? There’s only one way to find out — schedule a complimentary phone consult and we can discuss the pros & cons!
🔗 Link in the comments to my online calendar!

04/21/2025

Happy Patriot Day!
✌🏼❤️🇺🇸

04/20/2025

Happy Easter!

04/18/2025

This is the face you make when you find out you’ve been invited by Universal to visit their yet-to-open brand-new theme park, Epic Universe!
I was chosen based on my photogenic appearance in ride photos 🤣
I’ll be visiting EPIC in 🔟 days!!
Stay tuned here for info on this amazing new park!

04/17/2025

Just booked!
🏖️ 🇯🇲
This young couple is looking forward to a “mini moon” in the new year! They’re getting married this fall, but holding off on the official honeymoon for professional reasons!
We went through several scenarios to help them narrow down their choices based on their wish list and ultimately landed here due to the value, convenience, and amenities!
At this adult-only all-inclusive resort, they’ll be enjoying Jamaica’s largest private beach, 12 restaurants & 6 bars, including the over-water bar pictured here. Not to mention complimentary non-motorized water sports & scuba diving all within 10 minutes of the airport! With right down the street, they’ll be able to stay at 1 & play at 2, doubling the amount of amenities!
This resort is lively (though not a party resort) and perfect for young couples and those looking for a quick & convenient getaway!
I would love to help you plan your next vacation! DM and let’s get started!

04/16/2025

Happy check-in day to the F family!
They’re celebrating April vacation at the most magical place on earth,
They’ll be staying at Disney’s Fort Wilderness, have 4 days of park tickets and some really fun dining reservations lined up, like Princess dining at Akershus in the Norway pavilion at & the Hoop-Dee-Doo R***e, the longest-running dinner show in the USA! Howdeee! 🤠🇺🇸
Last week, we had a phone call where I prepped her on how to secure her family’s first choices for Lightning Lanes (skip the line system) as well as how to modify and grab more of those passes while in the parks! This is something I offer to all of my Disney clients, setting them up for a more enjoyable and stress-less vacation!
I would love to help you plan your next Disney vacation! DM and we’ll get the ball rolling!

04/15/2025

Just booked!
This Disney-loving family is headed back to one of their favorite resorts, Saratoga Springs!
🐎
Most Disney Vacation Club resorts are located adjacent to a theme park, but Saratoga is next door to Disney Springs shopping, dining, & entertainment district! If you like spending the day at the parks but tend to leave before dinner, this would be a great resort for you!

04/14/2025

It’s
Yes, I’m in the business of selling travel. 🙋🏻‍♀️
Yes, I realize this post may be counterintuitive. 🤦🏻‍♀️
But I’m all about a good laugh! 😂

04/11/2025

Final thoughts on
🇯🇲🏖️🏝️🏖️🏝️🏖️🏝️🏖️🏝️🏖️🏝️🇯🇲
The basics: we had a small group of 3 couples and went for 6 nights in late March!
The best rooms are the Coyoba Sky Villa Rondoval butler suites, Tufa Terrace swim-up suites are also top notch! Club level ocean view is solid as are the entry-level resort view luxury rooms! It all depends on what amenities you want!
Loved all of the food and most of the drinks! Order your drinks by specifying the brand name or you will get well brands.
Best food was at the French restaurant and the Greek restaurant was a surprise hit for all of us!
Dunns Rum Club is hands down the best bar on property!
We all agreed we would love to come back or go to another Sandals or another all-inclusive brand, which I would be picky about because I read so much about subpar resorts and unsuspecting guests.
I would rate this an 8 out of 10 across the board with the strengths being its compact size, fabulous food, and upscale amenities. Weaknesses are the 90-minute drive to and from the airport, bathrooms are not super private, and the fact that the RIU (a family-friendly not-so-nice loud & obnoxious resort) is next door but only noticeable from club level standard-view rooms.
I would love to help you plan your trip to Sandals!

04/10/2025

Today we’re talking about the pools and beach at
👙 2 beachside infinity pools and 2 hot tubs plus butler level rooms with swim up suites
The pool with the swim-up bar was warmer than the other one but both were lovely. They had some pool floats, but if you’re picky bring your own! We were gifted a few from departing guests, which we also passed along at the end of our trip and totally made another guest’s day! The lounge chair game here is strong! Get up early to secure a poolside lounger OR if you are in a butler suite, they’ll get you a great spot, maybe even a Bali bed if you prefer that and bring you a cooler full of your favorite snacks and beverages! Which is quite lovely 🤵‍♂️
🏖️ The beach was nice with powdery white sand, clear turquoise water, and plenty of loungers, easy to get a chair here with no advance planning! They also had a few hammocks! The wind was a bit crazy during our stay with a red flag warning a few different days. When it’s calmer, they have an array of water sports like snorkeling, Hobie Cats, stand up paddle boarding, water skiing, canoes & kayaks. Scuba diving is also included here for certified divers! Or take a class while you are here to become PADI certified (for a small fee)! There are also boat tour excursions that you can add on to your stay that depart from the pier, super convenient!
We spent the majority of our time in and around the pools, making the occasional pilgrimage over to the swim up bar, a good way to get our steps in 😉
Oh and bring double the amount of sunscreen than you think you’ll need. They have it for sale in the sundries shop for $25-30USD 🤑
Don’t bring home a sunburn as a souvenir, that’s no fun! 🥵
Do you prefer a swimmable beach or gorgeous pools when vacationing? LMK in the comments! ⤵️

04/10/2025

It’s
Drop a pic of you and your siblings in the comments!
📸: Alan Lazaro
In this pic, my little sister, moi, and my big sister!
Photo 💣: my little sister’s husband 😆

04/09/2025

Let’s talk food & beverage at
🥗 Dining was amazing! There are 6 dinner venues with Latin American, French, Italian, Greek, Asian-fusion, and Sushi! We went to all but the sushi place. We did Italian twice, which was the group favorite, though every meal we had was amazing! My personal faves were the gluten free options of pasta Alfredo and Kung Pao chicken. Breakfast and lunch at the buffet was great; breakfast options were pretty standard each day, lunch options changed daily. There was also grab & go pizza and soft serve ice cream, plus a quick-ish service lunch served in the shade, beachside!
🍹 Drinks were actually pretty good. There is a drink of the day at the beach bar but those weren’t great. Our go-to was the Bailey’s, Banana, and coconut frozen cocktail with a rum floater — SO good! Our favorite bar was Dunns Rum Club where the drinks were strong and handcrafted. This venue had indoor billiards plus a large seating area around the bar, but we opted to take our drinks outside to sit at one of the patio fire pits.
The only type of restaurant that our gang would have enjoyed was a steakhouse. Some Sandals resorts have one, Dunns River does not, but it is rumored to be coming to the Sandals Royal Dunns River expansion next door, coming in 2027!
What’s your favorite food and beverage to enjoy on vacation? LMK in the comments ⤵️

04/08/2025

Just booked!
These families wanted to mix it up and skip Disney this year!
Instead, they’re headed to staying at the a Signature Collection resort!
🌺 Theme: South Seas Pacific
🌟Perks: FREE Universal Express Pass Unlimited (no lines, no waiting!), water taxi and walking path to City Walk, Early Park Admission, Priority Seating at most on-site restaurants!
💁🏻‍♀️My assistance: besides lining up their resort & ticket package, I am also reserving their cabana at waterpark, providing a detailed parks guide including insider tips & tricks, dining reservations, Harry Potter lanyards (a special gift from yours truly to keep those tickets handy to scan in for Express Passes), and being their advocate for any issues that may arise!
💥They are going to have a BLAST!
I would love to help you plan your Universal vacation!
PSA: Universal’s 4th park, EPIC Universe, opens May 22nd!!!

04/07/2025

One month from today, all US citizens ages 16+ flying domestic routes will need a REAL ID or a valid passport. This policy has been delayed numerous times. However, it looks like all systems are GO for the May 7, 2025 start date.
💫
✈️

04/06/2025

Let’s talk rooms at this resort!
There are 3 levels:
🤵‍♂️Butler Elite 🍾 Club Level 👑 Luxury
And 14 categories
Best & most private: the unique Sandals Rondoval with a private plunge pool as well as a swim out to a shared river pool. This would be great for a group of friends or for a honeymoon couple wanting privacy and the best service available.
Turns heads: Sky Pool Suites. Your suite has a plunge pool on the balcony. Not private, everyone walking by can see what you’re doing in that pool. Just sayin’ 😏
Entry-level bougie: the swim up suites. They’re not super private as the walkway is right there but you can usually get these rooms at a pretty good price, especially if your travel advisor keeps an eye on promos!
Club level oceanview — nice rooms with a bit of extra service like a replenished minibar every day and private lounge with snacks, cold drinks, and bottled water! Don’t stay in the non-view club level (like I did 🙄) — your view will be the resort next door. I mean, it’s better than looking at snow but still..
Luxury — entry level rooms that don’t have a ton of extra service, if you request a minibar refill they’ll oblige. But the views are better than the non-view club level rooms!
When you have a travel advisor doing the research for you, she has connections at each resort where she can email them and ask for pictures and honest feedback! 🤔
Despite my terrible “view”, I had a fabulous time and still enjoyed coffee on the balcony, I was looking at my iPad anyways 👩🏻‍💻
Which room category would you choose? What would you choose if money was no object?

Fantastical Vacations by Krista Carter

04/23/2025

04/22/2025

04/21/2025

04/21/2025

04/20/2025

04/18/2025

04/17/2025

04/16/2025

04/15/2025

04/14/2025

04/11/2025

04/10/2025

04/10/2025

04/09/2025

04/08/2025

04/07/2025

04/06/2025

Address

Website

Alerts

Contact The Business

Shortcuts

Share

Category