Four Points by Sheraton Bourbon Street

Four Points by Sheraton Bourbon Street New Orleans

 We found ourselves lucky enough to be in New Orleans for Wizarding World Comi-Con in January. The stay was last minute and we needed a hotel close to all the action. I went with my daughter and two of her friends and we found the perfect hotel.

The Four Points by Sheraton on Bourbon Street in obviously in the perfect location. Being that we visited in the off season, just before Mardi Gras, we were able to get a great last minute rate on Travelocity.com.

The staff was excellent. We arrived late and the room type we reserved was sold out. They kindly upgraded us and gave us the choice of a balcony overlooking the courtyard or a balcony overlooking Bourbon Street. The excited teenagers opted for the Bourbon Street room, even though we were forewarned that there would be noise. In fact, we were offered earplugs! They were right it was noisy, but we were all able to sleep even with the noise from street below.

Double Double Room

We went straight to our room. The double double room is small, 275 square feet, but it is all about location! We had a private balcony overlooking Bourbon Street, you just can't beat that. We went down and walked around for an hour or so before returning to our room.

The hotel offers free coffee and bottled water. There is 24 security and they are very mindful of people walking in off the street. Parking is valet only and is $35 nightly. This is pretty steep, but in line with the other area hotels in the French Quarter. Four Point offers free wifi, 4,000 feet of meeting space, outdoor pool, fitness center, courtyard, concierge service, laundry service, express checkout, and is 100% smoke free.

We ate breakfast at Cafe Opera on site and it was delicious. They are open for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. The hotel is within walking distance to all French Quarter attractions. We visited St. Louis Cathedral and saw the line for Cafe du Monde. We spent the bulk of the day at the Convention Center, but the fantastic location of the Four Points left us wanting to go back and explore the city more.

Four Points by Sheraton French Quarter Pool

Fountain at Four Points by Sheraton French Quarter

The pool looked divine, but as it was January, it was far too cold for a dip. The weather for walking around however, was just perfect. The staff greeting us overtime we walked in to the hotel. They were more than helpful with directions and suggestions.

One night at the Four Points by Sheraton French Quarter was nowhere nearly enough, but it gives us something to look forward to. The next time we are in The Big Easy we will be at Four Points.


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Disney's Coronado Springs Disney's Resort Review

Disney's Coronado Springs Resort

Disney's Coronado Springs Resort is a moderate level resort located at 1000 West Buena Vista Drive in Lake Buena Vista. Coronado Springs was Disney's first moderate resort and the only one to feature a convention center. It is the most stunningly appointed of the moderates and many feel that it is more like a deluxe. The theming is a mixture of Mexican and American Southwest. The main building "El Centro," houses guest check-in, guest services, Panchitos Gift Shop, the Peppermarket Food Court, Cafe Rix, Rix Lounge, and the Maya Grill Restaurant.

There are over 1900 rooms, which are divided into three "village" areas. There are Casitas, Ranchos, and Cabanas. The Casitas section houses almost 1000 rooms and includes buildings similar to those found around Santa Fe. The Ranchos are more rustic and house 624 rooms. The Cabanas are the smallest section with only 319 guest rooms housed in two story Mexican style bungalows.
Most rooms 314 square feet and feature either two queens or one king. They were refurbished in 2009 and are the nicest among the moderate resorts. The room also has two chairs, iron and ironing board, a safe, ceiling fan, flat screen television, dresser, nightstand, sink and mirror with vanity separate from bathroom area,  and sliding doors to separate vanity area from bed area. Handicap-accessible rooms are available upon request. The price range for the rooms runs from approximately $220-$289, depending on the season.

Two Queen Room At Coronado Springs

The resort is vast and no matter which section you are in there will be a great deal of walking involved. This is the case for most on-site properties, but Coronado Springs is especially sprawling. Try to book the casitas closest to "El Centro," that will result in the least amount of walking.The Pepper Market Food Court is one of the best quick service hotel restaurants on property. They serve tostados, burgers, chicken, pasta, sandwiches, burritos, tacos, and Asian stir fry. They are open for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. The Rix Cafe is a grab and go food area. It offers salads, sandwiches, soft drinks, and even beer. The Maya Grill is the only full service restaurant at Coronado. It offers Mexican and American Southwest cuisine. Maya Grill offers it's meats frilled over a wood-burning stove. Maya Grill is open for breakfast and dinner. Room service is also available 24 hours daily.

Pepper Market Food Court

One of the highlights of Coronado Springs is the Dig Site. The Dig Site is the main pool area and themed to represent a Mayan Kingdom. The huge pool is home to the 50 foot Mayan pyramid, which is the centerpiece of the Dig Site. There is also a volleyball court, arcade, hot tub,  kiddie pool, and poolside bar. There are three smaller "quiet" pools" located at each of the village areas. Towels are provided at the Dig Site, but not at quiet pools. There is also a fitness center.

The Dig Site

Coronado enjoys it's own bus transportation service to all Disney parks, water parks, and Disney Springs. At peak times the wait time to return to the hotel can be extensive. The resort is really beautiful and guest enjoy all the benefits of staying on property such as extra magic hours, free transportation, Magical Express, ability to reserve Fastpass 60 days out, and Disney Dining Plan.
Disney's Coronado Springs Resort was a delight to stay at. the beds were so very comfortable that it was hard to get out of bed each morning. the customer service was excellent. Every cast member we encountered went above and beyond. We would highly recommend Disney's Coronado Springs Resort for your next Disney vacation.

Disney's Pop Century Resort Review

Disney's Pop Century Resort

Disney's Pop Century Resort is part of Disney's "value" resort collection. It is located at 1050 Century Drive in Lake Buena Vista, near the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex and across from Disney's Art of Animation Resort.

Disney's Pop Century Resort

The resort is huge and has ten buildings divided into five sections with 2880 rooms, each section represents a decade from the 1950's to the 1990's. Each decade is decorated with giant icons from that decade including Big Wheels, computers, Rubrik's Cubes, pin ball machines, ect. The icons make the resort have a fun and playful feeling. The buildings are all equipped with elevators.

The main building "Classic Hall," houses the lobby, Everything Pop Gift Shop, and an arcade. There are three pools, the Hippie Dippie is the main pool and is located in the 1960's section. There is also a Bowling Pool in the 1950's sections and a Computer Pool in the 1990's section. The pools are heated to 82 degrees. They do not include any water slides or hot tubs, which is standard in the value collection.

Pop Century's Hippie Dippie Pool

The rooms are on the small size at 260 square feet and there is a maximum capacity of 4 per room. Rooms come with either one king or two double beds. The rooms include a beverage cooler, nightstand, telephone, small table with two chairs, armoire, television, wall mirror, clock radio, vanity and a single sink. The bathroom is quite small and includes Disney travel size bath essentials. The rooms are all accessible through an outdoor entrance. There are no interior hallways. There is really nothing "special" about the rooms themselves. Why then you might ask would someone choose to stay on property at Pop Century or any Disney Value Hotel?

Disney's Pop Century Resort

There are many perks at staying on property at Disney. You receive all the perks whether you stay at a value, moderate, or deluxe resort. The perks include Extra Magic Hours, each day one park either opens one hour early or stays open up to three hours late. This allows guests to ride attractions with little to no wait times. On property guests are also allowed to make their Fastpass Plus selections up to 60 days in advance as opposed to 30 with non-property guests. This allows guests the first opportunity to book the most popular attractions. Disney resort guests also enjoy complimentary MagicBands, complimentary transportation and parking (both at the hotel and at the parks!). Disney resort guests can utilize Disney's Magical Express at no charge. Disney's Magical Express will take you to and from the airport in a charter bus and even transfer your checked luggage for you and deliver it straight to your hotel room! Another perk of staying on property is the ability to book the Disney Dining Plan. This is entirely optional, but only available for guests of the Disney Resort.

We have stayed at Pop Century twice, once in the 1970's section and once in the 1990's section. We really enjoyed staying at Pop Century. Most people at Disney use their rooms simply to sleep and spend the bulk of their time at the parks. If this is you, then Pop is perfect! It can only accommodate a family of four in one room. Disney is VERY strict about this. However the rooms are so small you would not want to exceed that anyway. If you have a larger family, I would recommend booking a moderate or deluxe resort. Pop century has a price range of $95-$185 depending on the season and whether you have a standard or preferred room. Preferred rooms are located closer to the main hall. Pop Century has it own bus transportation to and from all parks and Disney Springs.

Pop Century is a fun and whimsical resort that more than serves it purpose. If you have a small family it is well worth it for the additional perks you receive for staying on property. I would recommend Disney's Pop Century Resort to anyone on a budget and smaller families looking to make the most of their Disney stay. It is also ideal for groups.

At On a Dime Destinations we are able to quote and book Disney vacations at NO additional charge to you! We can help with selecting the right resort, tickets, and even dining options for your family. If you would like a FREE NO OBLIGATION quote, please email us at onadimedestinations@gmail.com.

 Hotel Alto

 The final three nights of our London adventure we stayed at Hotel Alto, the hotel we booked with the package through Travelocity. The hotel is located in Ilford, which is a 20 minute train ride outside of central London. The payoff for the inconvenience of the location is PRICE! This is a nice basic hotel with prices starting as low as $35 nightly. Our price was included in the package, but if price is your deciding factor, you can't bet this. 
Hotel Alto is less than 1/4 mile from the Grants Hill Tube Station. From central London you simply take the Liverpool Street station train to Brentwood and exit at Ilford. 
The hotel is located at 16 Ilford Hill. The biggest disappointment we had with the hotel was that it had NO AC!! This is standard for many non-chain hotels in Europe, especially those housed in older historical buildings. Luckily it was March, but I would have liked to had air circulating in the room. We had the window open. but it was still a little warm. I couldn't imagine in the summer. The rooms are also SUPER small, even for London standards. We had one double bed for both of us and barely enough room to get ready. 
The owners were so very nice and helpful! They opened the restaurant late for us one evening. They were outstanding. Each room has a small flat screen TV and a private bath. The hotel has a restaurant open for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Hotel Alto has no direct website, but can be booked through travelocity or any hotel booking site. I would recommend it for the budget minded traveler! 

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Holiday Inn Express London City Old Street

Holiday Inn Express London City Old Street

Comfy beds

Hot breakfast

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                                    Our first night in London we quickly found out that the trains to Ilford (where our hotel was located) were not running. We could have taken a bus, but considering we were completely exhausted we opted to find a closer hotel for the night. I used Travelocity.com to book a last minute deal. We got Holiday Inn Express London City for about $65 plus taxes and fees. If you are looking for a reasonably priced hotel in a convenient area, this is a great choice. The price was excellent. We were able to get a room with two twins, which is typical for Europe. The beds were super soft. We took a much needed nap and couldn't have asked for softer beds. One of the highlights of the room was the use of a device called the Handy. It is a cellular device that allows you to make free international calls. The Handy also can be used as a navigation device. You can look up attractions and restaurants. It is indeed very handy and it is free as long as you are staying at the hotel. The staff at the hotel could not have been nicer. They were so helpful with allowing us to check in early to giving us directions. In the morning the hotel offer a free hot British breakfast, which included scrambled eggs, sausage, baked beans, bagels and a variety of juices and coffees. We were left wishing that we had book the Holiday Inn Express for our entire stay. I would highly recommend it to anyone visiting the great city of London. We hope to stay there again soon. Stays can be booked at stay@expresslondon.co.uk or through http://travelocity.com/pubspec/scripts/eap.asp?GOTO=HOME

London Day 4

Palace Theatre London

Day four in London was our last day and dedicated to Harry Potter and The Cursed Child. Harry Potter and The Cursed Child is a latest Harry Potter story in the form of a play. Currently the only way to see the play is to purchase the almost impossible to get tickets and make the trek to London's Palace Theatre, although there are plans to bring the play to Broadway by Spring 2018.

Harry Potter and The Cursed Child is the 8th story in the Harry Potter series. It is based on an original new story by J.K. Rowling, Jack Thorne, and John Tiffany. The synopsis according to www.HarryPotterThePlay.com:

 "It was always difficult being Harry Potter and it isn’t much easier now that he is an overworked employee of the Ministry of Magic, a husband and father of three school-age children. While Harry grapples with a past that refuses to stay where it belongs, his youngest son Albus must struggle with the weight of a family legacy he never wanted. As past and present fuse ominously, both father and son learn the uncomfortable truth: sometimes, darkness comes from unexpected places." 

We purchased our tickets eighteen months ago, the day the first batch went on sale. This was very lucky for us as they have since gone up considerably and the resale tickets demand as much as a thousand pounds each. We were able to score orchestra seats row D. These were amazing seats. The play is in two parts with each part being 2 1/2 hours long with a three hour break between each part. It is easy to see why the production is an all day event. 

The play recently won 8 WhatsonStage Awards, the UK theatre awards voted on by the public. Cursed Child won Best New Play, Best Director - John Tiffany, Best Actor (Harry) - Jamie Parker, Best Supporting Actor (Scorpius Malfoy) - Anthony Boyle, Best Supporting Actress (Hermione) - Noma Dumezweni, Best Set Deign, Best Lighting, and Best Video Design. In addition, the play has been nominated for 11 Olivier Awards, the UK equivalent of the Tony Awards. The Olivier Awards will take place on April 9, 2017. 

The Palace Theatre located on Shaftsbury Avenue is a gorgeous theatre built in 1891. It has a capacity of 1400 across four levels, stalls (orchestra), dress circle, grand circle, and balcony. Some of the other shows that have been performed at the legendary theatre include; Jesus Christ Superstar, Les Miserables, Priscilla Queen of The Desert, and The Commitments. 

During the break we walked about a block to Greek Street to the House of MinaLima. Miraphora Mina and Eduardo Lima, collectively known as MinaLima, are graphic designers whose stunning designs can be seen throughout all eight of the Harry Potter films. Some of their work includes; Weasley Wizard Wheezes, Daily Prophet, Wanted Posters, Hogwarts textbooks, Horcruxes, and the Goblet of Fire. Touring the business filled with their designs from the film is free and fantastic. Limited edition prints are also available for purchase.

After House of MinaLima, we walked to Nando's, a chicken restaurant we have been wanting to try for several years. You pick the level of spiciness for your chicken and sides. It was delicious. After dinner we headed back to the Palace Theatre for part two of Harry Potter ans The Cursed Child.

I won't give away any spoilers for those who still want to see our read the screenplay, but it was the best production I have ever seen. It was simply amazing, all 5 hours! It was so good that I did not want it to end. I was moved to tears numerous times in both parts. The actors were phenomenal and that is especially meaningful given that the play lasts about twice as long as a typical Broadway production.

After the show we decided to try our luck with meeting the cast and having our program signed. There was already a short line, so we waiting and kept our fingers crossed. We were in luck because most of the cast stopped by and were happy to pose for pictures and sign programs. It was truly a highlight.

Karli and Tom Mackley (Albus Potter)

After we had our programs signed we made our way back to Hotel Alto and called it a night. The next morning we flew back to the United States. It was the trip of a lifetime and we hope to return soon!

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London Day 3 Warner Brothers Studio Tour

Welcome to Hogwarts

Day three was devoted almost exclusively to the Warner Brothers Studio Tour - The Making of Harry Potter. Karli and I as huge Harry Potter fans have been wanting to come here since it opened in 2011. The Warner Brothers Studio Tour is located on the actual set where the movies were filmed and has the sets, thousands of prompts, costumes, and background information from all eight of the Harry Potter films. With the trip being last minute when I went to the site to purchase tickets they were already sold out for the dates we would be in town. Panicked I kept looking and discovered that there was a deluxe ticket option available. It was a bit pricey, but our only option if we wanted to attend. I could not see going all the way to London without taking this tour, so I got the tickets and I am so glad I did.

Our tour time was scheduled for 10:00 am. The problem we ran into was that it took us longer to get to Watford Junction than I had planned. Luckily, I was able to change our time to noon. The tour is about 45 minutes outside of central London. After the train reaches Watford Junction then you take a special bus to the studio. The bus cost cost five pounds for both of us round trip and only accepts cash. Once you board it is another ten minute or so ride.

Warner Brothers Bus

We were so excited to arrive. We picked up our tickets at will call and were immediately escorted in. One perk of the deluxe tickets was avoiding the outside line to enter. Once inside we visited the amazing gift shop. This place was huge and housed any Harry Potter merchandise you could possibly want. We purchased several items and luckily they have a cloakroom and will hold your coats or bags for you so you don't have to drag them around with you. Free of charge!

Gift Shop

The deluxe tour includes a two hour "private" tour. By private it means you have a dedicated tour guide, but there will be other people in the studios. After your guided tour you are allowed to go back and stay as long as you wish. Our tour guide, Jack, met our group in the lobby and we went in the video room to start the tour. After a brief video, the screen lifts to reveal the ginormous Hogwarts Castle doors. the doors open to reveal the great hall. Everything in the tour is authentic and it is incredible to see the sets you have seen in the films come to life.

The Great Hall

The tour includes so many sets, costumes, and props that it impossible to list them all. Some of the highlights of the tour included; sets and costumes from the Yule Ball, the Fat Lady Portrait, Dumbledore's Office, Potions Room, Ministry of Magic set, Chamber of Secrets door,The Burrow, Hogwart's Express, Knight Bus, 4 Privet Drive, Diagon Alley, and the Hogwart's Castle Model.

Ministry Clock

Potions Classroom

Yule Ball Costumes

Chamber of Secrets door

"A wand? Well you want Ollivanders. There ain't no place better." Hagrid 

The tour was the absolute highlight of the trip for me. It was mind blowing to see the details that went into all of the sets and props. We learned that The Hogwarts Express was a real train that was in service during World War II and was refurbished. The Knight bus really drives but only about 40 miles per hour. The Hogwarts bridge is really pretty short and the actors had to run back and forth to make the appearance of a longer bridge. It was informative and so much fun.

Hogwarts Express

"The car?"

This is my favorite

Knight Bus for the stranded witch or wizard

Hogwarts model

Diagon Alley

No visit would be complete without Butterbeer

Our tour package also came with lunch and a photo package. Karli and I both had gourmet pizza for our lunch choice and it was delicious. The photos taken there include flying on a broomstick, Platform 9 3/4, and riding Hogwarts Express. We stayed about five hours and could have stayed longer. This is a "must do" for Harry potter fans who visit London, but very interesting for anyone who just loves films. The behind the scenes information was so interesting and informative. On a different lot of the same studio they filmed Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them last year and are now in pre-production for the sequel. Less than two weeks after we visited an expansion, the "Forbidden Forest" opened. All the more reason to plan another visit!

After we left Warner Brothers we had one more stop to make. We headed to Heddon Street to the Ice Bar! The Ice Bar is kept at -5 Celsius at all times. The bar is quite small but filled with ice sculptures. The actual bar is made of ice as are the tables and your glass. You are given a special coat and gloves when you enter and your session last 30-45 minutes. It was quite an experience. 

London Ice Bar

London Ice Bar

After the ice bar we took the train back to our hotel and called it a night. The next day would be the entire reason for our trip Harry Potter and The Cursed Child. 



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