Ritz Carlton- Amelia Island

Looking for a beach getaway with top notch service? Then I would highly recommend the Ritz Carlton at Amelia Island, Florida. Amelia Island is located about 45-60 minutes northeast of Jacksonville and is part of the Sea Island chain of barrier islands along the east coast of the U.S. It is a beautiful island and offers a lot of options for relaxation, adventure, or something in between.

Given the times (2020) and concerns with traveling during COVID, a lot of people wonder if we felt safe around the resort. The answer is, YES! The hotel was incredibly clean, staff and guest wore masks in and outdoors (when around others), and the restaurants spaced diners out thanks to limited seating. Sometimes it even seemed that the elevators would leave the door open until someone selected a floor to reduce the number of people pushing the call button. Hand sanitizer stations were also on every floor in front of the elevator doors to help promote cleanliness. The resort offers a number of activities even with some options currently not available (e.g. Ritz Kids play room) due to COVID; although, we primarily spent our time on the beach or the pool. We did not eat at the AAA Five Diamond restaurant, Salt, but we did enjoy the other options around the resort, including room services, and never had a bad meal. We also ventured out locally and enjoyed breakfast a couple of times at the Beach Diner.

Some of the activities available to resort guest include: Indoor and outdoor pools and hot-tubs (the main pool also has a swim up sitting area with fire pit), kids splash area, gym, world class golf, kids play area/camp, fitness classes, full spa services, shopping, beach access, camp fires on beach, sea shell and shark tooth hunts, and a number of other scheduled activities. A daily activity schedule is provided the night before with the turn down service. Kids can have a pirate themed tent and bed added to their room. Towels are also provide around the pool with food and beverage service available. Guest can also reserve a beach cabana during their stay which comes with a butler, food, drinks, t.v., and a number of other amenities. The hotel has three board walks for beach access and staff to assist with your beach chairs and umbrella.

There is a daily resort fee that provides: High-speed internet access, one fitness class daily per room, one beach umbrella per room, beach chairs for everyone in the room, boogie board per room per day, two bicycles for 2 hours per room/day, one bag of range balls at the golf course (golf attire required), tennis court access including racquets and balls for 1 hour per day.

I can’t say enough how impressed I was with the level of service across the resort. From when we first pulled in and was greeted by the valet (no self parking) to check-in, services, house keeping, and everyone else we were treated with first class attention. If the Ladies and Gentlemen of the Ritz Carlton were not calling us by our last name it was Ma’am or Sir. We even received a surprise gift of milk, cookies, and a bottle of wine due to an issue with our room that we didn’t even bring up.

I think everyone should experience this level of service and luxury at least once, and I really do hope to return in the future.

Staybridge Suites/Sea World Orlando

We took a weekend trip to Orlando, Florida and spent two days at Sea World as the last time I visited I think I was in 8th grade. During our trip we stayed at the Staybridge Suites at Sea World. The location is great as you are technically close enough to walk to the park or use the hotel shuttle. We opted to drive as we wanted the flexibility to go and come as we pleased. The drive might be 5-6 minutes depending on traffic lights. When you pull out of the hotel you make a right onto the main road and then next intersection is the parking lot for Sea World. You’re also close to their other parks, Aquatica and Discovery Cove.

Overall we really liked the hotel. James was very friendly when checking us in, as too were the other staff we met around the property. Our king room was huge and came with a kitchenette, desk, sleeper sofa, tv, siting chair, and bathroom. The daily breakfast was fresh and had a lot of variety. We also didn’t have to worry about the hordes of people zipping in and out of the food line as we’ve had when staying off property near Disney. My only down for the stay was the bed. While most people would be fine the mattress was too firm for my liking, but that’s personal preference. That said, I would be happy to stay here again.

We had a great time at Sea World and spent two days taking our time to see all the sights and sounds. One of the rides we enjoyed was Journey to Atlantis; which is your typical log flume ride. There isn’t much of a story to the ride if your comparing it to Splash Mountain, but what sets this ride apart is the “roller coaster” section when you’re out of the water zipping along the track. It was unexpected which made it that much more exciting. The Dolphin, Orca, and Sea Lion show were also a lot of fun (well, our little traveler at least like the Sea Lion show), but the highlight came when we did the dolphin encounter. One of the neat promos Sea World had going on was a souvenir drink mug that you could get unlimited refills on. The refills came in handy as our two days were in the upper 80’s to low 90’s. Additionally, preschool aged kids can get a free annual pass. Check the Sea World website for more details.

Carnival Elation

It was an exciting time for Travel By Troy as our little traveler experienced their first cruise aboard the Carnival Elation. We sailed out of Port Canaveral for 4-Day Bahamas Cruise with stops in Nassau and Freeport. Our fun day at sea was rescheduled due to high winds and bad weather in Nassau, but we managed. After all there is so much to do on a ship! Our little traveler enjoyed the pool, hot tubs, water slides, and Camp Ocean, and we all enjoyed our Cat in the Hat/Green Eggs and Ham breakfast during our Sea Day. We stayed in a Junior Suite and the little extras will make it hard to sail at a lower level again. Between the priority embarkation, disembarkation, extra water, and a few other things a lower level just won’t be the same.

The Elation is a smaller ship which was good for our first family “test cruise”. It holds 2130 guest with 920 crew (Cruise Director Jen was great), and is 855 feet in length. There’s a lot of options for entertainment for all ages, but I would have liked the dealer and stickman to have been more aware during my Craps play…. Overall we had a great trip and can’t wait for our next cruise, or another Guy’s Burger Joint burger!

Disney’s Art of Animation

During our latest Disney trip, we stayed in a Cars Family Suite at Disney’s Art of Animation. Family suites are a great option for families and can sleep up to 6 people. Our Cars themed room had 1 bedroom, 2 bathrooms, a pull down bed (similar to Pop Century), and a sofa bed. There was a sink, mini fridge, two tvs, and tons of space. Having easy access to the Skyliner made getting to and from Hollywood Studios and EPCOT a breeze, and don’t worry, we didn’t break down. While we didn’t get to ride Smuggler’s Run we did enjoy our time in Galaxy’s Edge, and I built a lightsaber!

Bryson City/Cherokee, NC.

I stayed in the heart of the Smoky Mountains in Bryson City. During this trip I was able to tour the Harrah’s Cherokee hotel and casino. The family also visited Santa’s Land attraction, also located in Cherokee.

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Delta Hotel- Orlando, Fl

Review of the Delta Hotel in Orlando, Fl during a visit to Disney World.