Meet Your Hosts

Ready to Board the Disney Fantasy for our Very Merrytime Cruise!

We are both Platinum Castaway Club, reside in Indiana (USA), and each work in the higher education field, although Kara has recently branched out on her own and launched her own consulting company.

Our Disney Cruise Line experiences include the Bahamas, Caribbean (Western & Eastern), California Coast, Mexico, West Coast Repo, Alaska (only Kara), Northern Europe, and Mediterranean. 

Our favorite cruises have been when 1) we got “stuck” at Disney Castaway Cay for an extra 24 hrs(!), 2) the inaugural Pixar cruise with John Lasseter, and 3) a 25% capacity on our Disney Fantasy “Return to Sailing”. Kara also loved Alaska, which she did with her parents.

If you happen to want to see some our previous Trip Blogs:

• 2006 Land & Sea (our first DCL - 4 night Bahamas)

• 2010 “Shipwrecked” 7-turned-8 night cruise!

• 2012 California Coast Inaugural Pixar

• 2013 Gayle’s B-Day Cruise (Eastern Caribbean)

• 2018 West Coast Repositioning (Vancouver to San Diego)

• 2019 Mediterranean

• 2021 Return to Sailing (COVID 8 night Eastern-turned-Western)

  • Top 8 Must Dos on a Longer Disney Cruise [Podcast]

• 2022 Marvel Day at Sea

  • We Can Do This All Day Long [Podcast]

• 2022 "Sweet #16" on Disney Fantasy

  • Your Moment of Zen: How to Relax & Recharge on a Disney Cruise [Podcast]

  • Mickey Pretzel or Mickey Bar? Savory vs Sweet Throwdown [Podcast]

• 2022 Disney Wish Inaugural Season

  • Sailing in a Storm = 2 Extra Days! [Podcast]

• 2023 Northern Europe Cruise

There are more - we just haven’t gotten them posted with photos!

Things to know about us before diving into this Trip Blog are that I (Gayle) am the Type A “planner”, while Kara is much more appreciative of the broader experience, more able to appreciate new discovery and finding “joy”! Once the trip gets started, hopefully we will be tag-teaming our narrative of the cruise!

Kara: Gayle’s being really kind. I am a total Type A planner in my professional life. I love my calendar, my to do list, and my digital notebook. That said, when I’m traveling, I prefer to try to relax. And, because I’m lucky to have a best friend who also happens to be an exceptional travel agent I am more than happy to leave the details to her when we travel. I am incredibly appreciative of all the work she’s put into this trip and every trip we’ve ever taken.

Next up: Origin Story of this trip!

On that note… Disclaimer: I (Gayle) am a travel agent with Authorized Disney Travel Planner agency - Off to Neverland Travel. Contact me today for a no-obligation quote!

As to Disney artwork, logos, and properties: ©Disney | Ship Registry: The Bahamas | CST# 2090317-40 / Fla. Seller of Travel Ref. No. ST37203