Kristen with Wanderlust Adventures

06/04/2025

Disney Day 2: Magic Kingdom! 🏰

I love starting at Magic Kingdom - it really sets the tone for the trip, and puts me in the ✨Disney✨mood.

We rode some favorites (Pirates, Haunted Mansion) and the kids rode the Liberty Square Riverboat for the first time! Had to get that ride in before it’s removed for the new Cars ride soon 🥲

Stopped in for an amazing lunch at Liberty Tree Tavern, and the kids LOVED the new Country Bear Jamboree show! 🐻 It’s a hoot!

It was super hot so we ended the day back at the pool - the kids loved the slide and the fountain, and the adults loved the drinks 🍹😉

04/04/2025

Even though we were leaving Universal, our trip wasn’t over: time to head to Disney World 🏰!

In 2025, Disney resort guests get to enjoy a day at the Disney water park on their check in day and it’s completely FREE! The water parks are a huge highlight for our family, so we made sure to make the most of the offer!

We spent the bulk of our check in day at Blizzard Beach while we waited for our room to be ready. It was a ton of fun! My favorite was the Runoff Rapids - we went down twice 🙌🏼

After getting checked in and changed, we headed to Disney Springs for some shopping and then over to Disney’s Boardwalk for dinner at Trattoria Al Forno for some Italian. It’s one of our family favorites!

We capped off the evening at the Chronos Club Lounge at Disney’s Coronado Springs Resort and loved all of the desserts.

A great way to start the Disney part of our trip!

27/03/2025

Third and final day at the Universal parks and I have to say that three days is the optimal way to experience Universal Orlando Resort. We had plenty of time to see each park, then went back to revisit some favorites and never felt rushed. We even had time to break for a mid-day swim to get out of the heat for a bit!

We visited The Bourne Stuntacular and it was AWESOME! We were all blown away by the show! We found a new favorite. We even had a chance to ride Hagrid’s early in the morning during Early Park Admission.

While we’re sad to leave Universal (yes, there were actual tears) we know for sure we will be back!

Bye for now, Universal!

25/03/2025

Second day at Universal and we doubled down on all things Harry Potter! Got up and left the hotel about an hour before Early Park Admission so we could be some of the first through the gates. We’d seen the wait for Hagrid’s stay above 120 minutes all day the previous day so figured we’d rope drop it! We were able to ride early, then jumped on Velocicoaster before heading back to the Club Lounge at Loew’s Portofino Bay Hotel for breakfast.

We loved day two of Universal and got to see way more of Diagon Alley than the previous day. The kids got to try Butterbeer, and we enjoyed the brews from The Hopping Pot.

Overall, a wonderful second day at Universal!

24/03/2025

First day at Universal Orlando parks was a success! Both kids LOVED Hosgmeade, and both got wands… and Z was chosen in her wand ceremony at Diagon Alley!

After flying through all of the books in a few weeks and watching all of the movies, the kids were PUMPED to see the Wizarding World of Harry Potter. It did not disappoint!

We spent the morning and afternoon at Hogsmeade in Islands of Adventure, then made our way to Diagon Alley at Universal Studios after dinner.

I waited over 20 years to share my love of Harry Potter with my kids and to say this was an emotional day is an understatement (lots of happy tears, to the eternal embarrassment of both kids). Walking into the parks is like walking into another world, and I’m so happy to be here with my family ❤️

14/02/2025

Day 2: Disneyland Park and the rundisney Expo!

What better way to start a park day than at a character breakfast?? 🥞 After a stroll down Main Street, we stopped in for breakfast with Minnie and friends at The Plaza Inn. There were SO. MANY. CHARACTERS! For the sheer number of characters we got to see in one spot, it was amazing. The buffet selection was also great. And Bonus: by the time we were done with breakfast, our first Lightning Lane was ready to use!

After a few rides, we made a (not so quick) pit stop at the rundisney expo to pick up all of our bibs and do a bit of shopping.

We then finished out the day in Galaxy’s Edge, with a drink (or two) at Oga’s Cantina. By the time we were done, Galaxy’s Edge had emptied out so we got some fantastic pictures without the crowds (tip: make a late night reservation at Oga’s Cantina to have Galaxy’s Edge mostly to yourself and get the BEST pics in front of the Millennium Falcon).

With 3 of us doing the 5k race the next morning, we headed back to the hotel for some rest so we could be ready for the race!

Coming up: Day 3, the 5k race, and Disney’s California Adventure Park!

08/02/2025

Recap time! Last week, my family visited Resort for the Disneyland Half Marathon Weekend 🏃🏽‍♀️‍➡️🏃🏽‍➡️ Four of us were running the races over the weekend, so we made the trip in a few days early to enjoy Disneyland Resort!

Day 1: Downtown Disney and dinner at Pixar Place Hotel

I love a good stroll through Downtown Disney, there’s so much to see! And there’s so much merch from our favorite franchises: Star Wars, Marvel, and Lego were all must-visits.

After some shopping, we stopped in for dinner at Great Maple inside Pixar Place Hotel. It was a favorite meal during our last trip so we were excited to repeat it! And the Cinnamon Roll donuts did not disappoint!! 🍩 😋

Since it was a travel day, we called it an early night so we could rest up for the parks in the morning.

Coming up: Day 2 at Disneyland Park and the rundisney expo!

11/01/2025

Have you heard? Bluey will be joining Disney Parks and Disney Cruise Line this year!

Starting in 2025, Bluey will be available at both Disneyland Resort in California and Walt Disney World in Florida, and will be joining sailings originating in Australia and New Zealand on Disney Cruise Line!

My kids love Bluey, so we can’t wait to meet her soon!

Who else is ready to meet Bluey? 🙋🏻‍♀️🙋🏻‍♀️

Disney Experiences announced that Bluey will join Disneyland Resort and Walt Disney World Resort on land and Disney Cruise Line at sea.

09/01/2025

Happy 2025! With the start of a new year, I thought it was a good time to reintroduce myself: I’m Kristen Stiles, and I specialize in helping families create magical memories at some of the most amazing destinations in the world. From Disney dreams to Universal thrills and beyond, I’ve helped hundreds of families turn vacation planning into a stress-free and exciting experience.

I specialize in:

🏰 All things Disney (World, Land, Cruise, and more)
🌎 Universal Parks & Resorts (Orlando and Hollywood)
🛳️ Cruises: Royal Caribbean, Carnival Cruise Line, Disney Cruise Line, and more
🌴 All-Inclusives: Sandals, Beaches
🏨 Marriott, Hilton, and your favorite hotel chains
… and so much more!

Whether it’s a once in a lifetime family vacation or just a quick trip, I can help! 🙋🏻‍♀️

Ready to get started? PM me or fill out a quote request form (for Disney & Universal vacations).

Let’s get planning!

https://forms.gle/dLAUjqnmS8FijbAz6

17/10/2024

📢🚨BIG NEWS Today!! Disney announced the introduction of the Lightning Lane Premier Pass. It’s a brand new way for guests to experience the Lightning Lane *without reserving a return window*

So what exactly does it mean?

✅ Works for all LL Mutlipass rides AND LL Single Pass rides
✅ No return times needed; walk up and use the LL queue
✅ Highly limited number available each day
✅ Available to purchase 7 days in advance
✅ Pricing will vary by day, by park
✅ Exclusively offered to guests staying at Disney Deluxe and Deluxe Villa Resorts, Walt Disney World Swan and Dolphin, and Shades of Green (for WDW)

This is a pretty significant change! I’m excited to see how this works, and hoping that we can test it out on our trip in early November when we stay at Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge! 🤞🏼

04/10/2024

Day 4 of our Disneyland Halloween Half Marathon Weekend: the half marathon, and more parks!

I’ll be honest, the Disneyland Halloween Half Marathon was brutally hot, and made me dig deep to finish. But it was such a fun course, especially getting to run through the parks with the in full force, and getting to run through Angels Stadium was a blast!

After the half marathon, we had a late breakfast at Storytellers Cafe, which was located at our resort, and I got some great post-race pictures with the characters! And the kids did too 😆. Because of the heat, we headed to the pool afterwards, where I got to unwind with a drink and a book (my favorite way to relax!) before we hit the parks in the evening when it cooled down. We even got to meet Black Widow, who is my daughter’s favorite Marvel Hero.

All in all, we had an amazing time at Disneyland, and I can’t wait to go back in January 2025!

22/09/2024

Day 3 of our Disneyland Halloween Half Marathon Weekend: the 10k, Kids Races, and Disneyland Park!

Started the day bright and early (3:30am 😳) for the Disneyland Halloween 10k. This was probably my favorite course for any 10k I’ve ever run. Almost all of the miles were inside both parks, and it was beautiful to see the parks mostly empty and run down Main Street and through Sleeping Beauty’s castle.

After the 10k, I joined the kids for the runDisney Kids Races 300 meter dash! It was such a cute race, with all of the kids running their little hearts out. 🏃🏽‍♀️‍➡️🏃🏽‍➡️

We had a fantastic breakfast at Goofy’s Kitchen at Disneyland Hotel, then walked over to Disneyland park to enjoy the day. We were able to join the Virtual Queue for the Nightmare Before Christmas holiday overlay at The Haunted Mansion, and even got to see Jack Sparrow hanging out at The Pirates of the Caribbean. We had a great dinner at Cafe Orleans and then called it an early night since I was running the Half Marathon the next morning.

Stay tuned for Day 4: the Half Marathon, more parks, and more character meals!

15/09/2024

Day 2 of our Disneyland Halloween Half Marathon weekend: Disney Princess Breakfast Adventure at Napa Rose 🌹 followed by California Adventure Park!

When we visited Disneyland in January, we were able to enjoy the Princess Breakfast at Napa Rose and it was one of the first things I reserved when I knew we were going back. It’s a beautiful restaurant and an incredible, 3-course experience, complete with Princess meet and and greets. We had a fantastic time, a filling meal, and a ton of fun as a family.

Since our hotel directly connected to Disney’s California Adventure Park, we made that our first park day. Since I was running early the next morning, we only stayed for a little bit. In just a few short hours, we were able to ride Soarin, Spiderman Web Slingers, Incredicoaster, the Little Mermaid, and Grizzly River Run, all thanks to the Lightning Lane Multipass. 👏🏼👏🏼

We had dinner at Naples Ristorante (the 🍕 was amazing!!), shopped Downtown Disney a bit, and then called it an early night.

Stay tuned for Day 3, the Halloween 10k and Kids Races!

06/09/2024

It’s here! It’s time for the Disneyland Halloween Half Marathon Weekend, and it’s an entire family event for us this weekend! The kids and I are all running and I can’t wait to see how they do in their first Kids Race 300 yard dash 🏃🏽‍♀️‍➡️🏃🏽‍➡️

We are staying at Disney’s Grand Californian Hotel, and it’s beautiful. It feels like being in the redwood forest 🌳, and it’s a nice respite from the crowds.

Today we went to the runDisney expo, had a fantastic dinner at Great Maple inside the newly redesigned Pixar Place Hotel, and indulged in their Tres Leches Donuts and they were 👌🏼👌🏼

Topped off our evening in the pool, and turned in for an earlier night so we can start bright and early at Napa Rose breakfast with the princesses tomorrow!

I’ll be sharing more about Disneyland, the hotels, the parks, the food and the races, so feel free to follow along!

26/05/2024

First park of the trip was Disney’s Animal Kingdom! Gotta start at Tusker House for the character breakfast and POG juice, it’s tradition 😉

The kids got to try something new this trip and drew Nick Wilde from Zootopia during the Animation Experience at Conservation Station. They did a great job!

We had lunch reservations at Roundup Rodeo BBQ in Hollywood Studios so we park hopped over and had some amazing BBQ… and Zoe discovered she loved ribs! 😋

We hit some favorite rides and stopped for a ton of photo stops, before closing out the night at Oga’s Cantina in Star Wars Galaxy’s Edge. It was a short walk home to Disney’s Boardwalk Inn, which is my favorite part of staying in that area of the resort.

Then off to sleep so we could rest up for another park day!

25/05/2024

Stopped by the Travel Advisor Appreciation Station at Disney’s Animal Kingdom today! What a nice treat!! Ice cream bars, water, rice krispy treats, and a shaded place to sit! Thank you Disney!

Wanderlust Adventure Company Kristen with Wanderlust Adventures

25/05/2024

We are 🌟H O M E🌟

There is something about being on Disney property that just gives me allllllll the feels. There has been a LOT going on and it is so good to be back at our Happy Place, and especially to be back at our favorite resort: Disney’s BoardWalk Inn!!

It was the last day of school so we caught a late flight out and then spent the evening enjoying the Boardwalk food and entertainment before turning in for the night so we could start at Disney’s Animal Kingdom bright and early the next morning!

So happy to be here with my babies, but even more excited to be here with my mom and my sister too ❤️❤️

I’ll be posting about our adventures at Disney all week so follow along!

04/04/2024

Nothing beats the atmosphere of Diagon Alley at night. Even the moon cooperated and gave it that extra special moody vibe.

From Weasley’s Wizard Wheezes, to the Leaky Cauldron, to the dragon perched atop Gringott’s Bank. It’s pure magic ⚡️

Wanderlust Adventure Company