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Mary Gillingham, DS

mary gillingham dssignature travel expert

Interests & Specialties

Mary Gillingham has been with Central Travel for 22 years and has traveled extensively.
 
She is a Destination Specialist for Hawaii and has visited the Islands several times. Mary is also an O'ahu Destination Master Specialist (ODS) and has been involved with the O'ahu Visitors Bureau (OVB) since 2002. 

As a Universal Orlando Specialist, she has visited the parks at least once a year for the last 18 years and has traveled with friends, children, and grandchildren.  She has enjoyed staying at Loews Portofino Bay Hotel, Loews Royal Pacific Resort, and the Hard Rock Hotel over the years. She is looking forward to the opening of the NEW Cabana Bay Beach Resort next year. Each property is unique and has a different atmosphere; ask me which property is best for you. 

Mary is located in the Promenade Shops office on Monroe Street in Sylvania, OH.

I love Universal Orlando because there is something for everyone to enjoy. The Wizarding World of Harry Potter is unique and fun for everyone who would like to visit Hogwarts castle and visit the shops at Hogsmeade.  Suess landing and Woody Woodpecker’s Kidzone are great areas for younger children and young at heart! The Hollywood Rip Ride Rockit is fun for teenagers because they can pick the music they want to listen to as they ride the coaster!

universal orlandoThe Incredible Hulk Coaster is fun for teenagers and adults. I especially enjoy going in October for the Halloween  Horror Nights. I really look forward to this experience every year. It is always different so you never know what to expect as you walk through the parks at night! This is an intense experience and not recommended for children under the age of 13.  I recommend Universal Studios Orlando vacation for people of all ages since they offer something for everyone.

Expert Bio

Mary holds a Destination Specialist designation (DS) for the Caribbean and has experienced the All Inclusive Vacations in Jamaica, Cancun, Riviera Maya, Cabo San Lucas, and the Bahamas. She has completed Disney's College of Knowledge program and loves to help families plan their “Magical Moments” at Disney.

Mary enjoys cruising and holds the Commodore status with Princess Cruise Lines and is a Royal Caribbean WOW expert. She has sailed on the Royal Caribbean ship Adventure of the Seas visiting the islands of Cozumel, Jamaica, and Grand Cayman. She loves to sail with family and friends! She has also experienced traveling through Italy with Crystal Cruises and Northern Europe with Azamara Club Cruises. While sailing on the Crystal Symphony Mary visited Portofino, Monte Carlo, Livorno, and Sorrento. What a Great way to visit Italy! Pompei and the Isle of Capri were her favorites.

Mary also holds a Destination Specialist designation (DS) for Alaska and this is one of her favorite destinations. She loved the Denali adventure, white water rafting, and the wildlife tundra tour! Florida’s Universal Studios is another domestic destination Mary enjoys with family and friends. She has stayed at the Hard Rock Hotel and the Royal Pacific Hotel at Universal.

Other domestic adventures include New York, Las Vegas, Phoenix, Tucson, The Grand Canyon, and Coco Beach. In Canada, Toronto is a favorite and she has visited this fun city several times via rail. She has stayed at the Royal York and the Toronto Sheraton and can recommend the best shopping and dining the city has to offer!

danube river wide 15

amawaterways romanticdanube budapest origI have just returned from a Romantic Danube Sailing with AmaWaterways on board the AmaSerene.  The itinerary included;  Vilshofen Germany, Passau Germany, Linz Austria, Weissenkirchen Austria, Krems Austria, Vienna Austria and Budapest Hungary. 

AmaWaterways is a very active river cruise. At almost every port there was an option of a walking tour or a bicycle tour. The walking tours were also divided into 3 categories, gentle walkers, average walkers, and fast walkers.  Some of the days there was also an option of a hiking tour. Some of the hiking tours were more strenuous than others.

This was a wine cruise itinerary so there were several wine lectures and well as wine tasting on the ship. Also, several tour options with wine tasting included. The food on the cruise was excellent as well as the wine options for lunch and dinner. The crew was wonderful and very attentive to the needs of each passenger.  We were given Quite Voxes in our stateroom and they were very helpful.  We picked up your color for the tour then left the ship. This made the disembarkation process for all the tours very easy. 

I stayed two days in Budapest after the cruise at the Sofitel Chain Bridge Hotel. This hotel was in an excellent location. The room was very spacious and the security at the hotel was great. You needed your room key to access the elevator. The Christmas Market and restaurants were within walking distance.  The bus stop was very close so we were able to travel all over the city.  I felt very safe walking and taking the bus all over Budapest. The people were very friendly and most of them spoke English so there was not a language barrier. 

I would recommend AmaWaterway to everyone.  I believe active people would appreciate the bicycle tours and the hikes offered. The walking tours are great for everyone because of the activity levels offered. I believe the ages of the passengers on the cruise were from 40 to 70. Everyone was enjoying the experience on the cruise!

Client Reviews

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