The Weekly Write-Up #17

In this newsletter…

• An out-of-this-world series!

• These movies are treasure, literally!

• Does this camera deserve the name ‘pro?’

• Aboard the brand-new Disney Wish!

Something I Read

THE DAYSTAR VOYAGES

I read this book series a few years ago, but it is one of my long-time favorites. Daystar Voyages is about a space crew who goes on missions in space and seeks to defeat their enemies and keep the common people, both on Earth and on other planets, from being harmed by these evil villains. This 10 book series is superb! All the books were published between 1998 and 2000. I enjoyed reading every book from start to finish. They are fascinating and keep you on your toes. I especially enjoyed them because I was (and still am) fascinated with both space and technology, and these books include both! I really came to love the characters and the universe that Morris builds throughout each of these books. Below is the list of each of the books:

• Secret of the Planet Mason

• Wizards of the Galaxy

• Escape from the Red Comet

• Dark Spell over Morlandria

• Revenge of the Space Pirate

• Invasion of the Killer Locusts

• Dangers of the Rainbow Nebula

• The Frozen Space Pilot

• The White Dragon of Sharnu

• Attack of the Denebian Starship

The author, Gilbert Morris, did a fantastic job with these books. This was definitely one of my favorite series as a kid, and one that I would even read again now! I would recommend this series to kids ages 8-12. It is a really great series that you should absolutely check out.

Note: I’m pretty certain that these books are out of print, so you will have to buy them used or check your nearest library.

Something I Watched

NATIONAL TREASURE 1 AND 2

The National Treasure movies are two of my favorite movies of all time for multiple reasons. Both the first and second movies are spectacular movies that are very well done! I have seen these movies countless time, and I still enjoy watching them. Why is National Treasure so good, though? What makes it so interesting and enjoyable? I think that the answer belongs to the constantly unfolding plot and the action.

The National Treasure movies follow Benjamin Gates, Riley Poole, and Abigail Chase as they seek to solve mysteries that unlock treasure. There are also greedy villains following them, trying to do the same thing! Since they are trying to solve these mysteries, there are countless plot twists and changes in the mystery. You are constantly surprised when a clue doesn’t turn out like you think or when a character is double-crossed.

The action this movie presents is very intense! The characters are constantly being chased by someone who they need to evade and stay away from. They are always racing from their enemies, fighting the clock, and hurrying to solve the mystery. There isn’t a single part of the movie that is boring! There are also action fight scenes which are pretty great in their own unique way. The clock is ticking, and they must solve the mystery fast without getting caught!

The National Treasure movies are easily some of my favorite movies of ALL TIME! They are fast-paced, funny, and keep me on the edge of my seat. These movies are seriously spectacular! They can be found on Disney+ for your streaming pleasure. There is also a new National Treasure show titled National Treasure: Edge of History. I plan to do a review on this show once I get around to watching it. I can’t wait to watch this show if it is anything like the original movies.

Tech Thoughts

GOPRO HERO 8

Recently, my family purchased the GoPro Hero 8. This camera is astonishing! We used it on our cruise onboard the Disney Wish and our trip to the Bahamas last weekend. Does this camera deserve the title ‘Pro’ is the question I want to answer here. What comes to my mind when I think about this camera is how versatile it is. The GoPro is also powerful and customizable.

First, the GoPro is versatile, meaning it can be used in so many scenarios. The GoPro is waterproof and very tough. I’ve used it while parasailing, snorkeling, and on water slides. It can also be attached to accessories to make it even more versatile. For example, I used thisholding stick which tied around my wrist while I did all the aforementioned activities. Something else that makes the GoPro so convenient is the fact that you can easily switch out its batteries, which charge in a separate charging station. This means that you could charge a few batteries and bring them all with you as you do your daily activities, always providing the GoPro with loads of juice. Finally, the GoPro is petite, meaning that you can easily carry it with you everywhere.

Next, the GoPro is powerful! It takes really nice pictures and videos. It can even shoot in HDR and 4K, turning out some very impressive photos and videos. Something else amazing about the GoPro Hero 8 is the screen on the front of the GoPro which allows you to see how long the video has been running, the picture countdown, the battery level, the SD card capacity, or the photo/video quality! This screen is very useful as well as powerful. One final feature that is powerful is the video stabilization. This makes videos SO smooth! You can also turn on voice commands and use your voice to take pics and videos. The GoPro is definitely a powerful device and more than just a camera!

Finally, the GoPro is customizable to an insane level. You can change video and photo settings like quality and angle (linear, wide, superview, etc.). You can also customize where all the buttons on the screen are located and what they do. There are numerous settings and features, allowing you to create the video or photo that you want! You can also choose from some presets to quickly start filming. Finally, if you need to start recording immediately, just hit the top button while the camera is off, and it will start a video! This is very useful if something cool comes up quickly.

YES, the GoPro is undoubtedly a ‘pro’ device! Its versatility, power, and customizable interface make it a powerful and capable device for any circumstance or adventure that you may encounter. See the GoPro Hero 8 on Amazon or any of the other GoPros on the official site.

Wild Card

THE DISNEY WISH

Photo of the Disney Wish at Castaway Cay taken by my dad

Last week, I got to go on a cruise on the new Disney Wish cruise ship! This ship first set sail in summer of 2022 and is still on its inaugural sailings! I got to experience this wonderful cruise ship and would like to share that experience with my readers. Three categories come to mind when thinking about this ship: entertainment, dining, and staterooms. In general, this ship is beautiful! There is so much work and design put into this breathtaking piece of art. Disney has really achieved fantastic results with this cruise ship!

When it comes to entertainment, the Wish doesn’t struggle in the least. There is literally so much to do on this boat. Since our cruise was 3 days long, we had no days completely at sea, meaning no days to explore the boat all day long. We got to do a lot of the activities on the boat, but far from all of them! The Wish features a few theaters for live entertainment and movies, multiple areas for kids to play, six separate pools, an area including activities such as basketball and ping-pong, the Aquamouse onboard water coaster, and so much more! This boat is seriously just packed with entertainment!

Food is quite possibly the best part of an all-inclusive Disney cruise! The Disney Wish includes 3 main themed restaurants, as well as other bars, buffets, and counter service restaurants. The three main restaurants are Worlds of Marvel (based off movies from the Marvel Cinematic Universe), Arendelle (based off the Disney motion picture, Frozen), and 1923 (based off when Disney animation began). All of these restaurants serve delicious food! As for theming, I would personally say that Arendelle was the best themed restaurant out of the three, but the other two were stunning as well! Marceline Market is a buffet onboard where you can eat breakfast and lunch. The food here is delicious, and the theming is quite enjoyable as well.

The final category of the Wish is the staterooms. While it is a cruise ship, I didn’t feel like the rooms on the Wish were tiny. They weren’t huge, but they were a decent size. The room that I stayed in had a nice-sized balcony, which was really cool! It was nice to be able to watch the ocean go by and stand out in the breeze. Most rooms can sleep up to 5 people, but that would make the room very cramped. The rooms were very pleasant and, of course, wonderfully themed.

Overall, I was very impressed with the Disney Wish cruise ship. While I haven’t been on any other cruise ships, I would say that this is a really great cruise ship! The food is outstanding, the rooms are comfortable, and the activities are endless! Finally, the crew on the ship is wonderful, and each of them was amazing and very kind! All of this makes for a fantastic cruise! Click here if you would like to learn more or book a cruise on the Disney Wish or another Disney Cruise Line ship.