Travel Time

Our 2nd port on our Eastern Caribbean Disney Cruise was St. Thomas, US Virgin Islands.   We split up at this port with my husband and son going snorkeling on a catamaran to see turtles and tropical fish while I went on the "St Johns - On your own" excursion so that I could explore Virgin Islands National Park.  

Join us as we visit the Top of the Baths National Park on Virgin Gorda during our port stop in Tortola, British Virgin Islands.  We explored via Disney Cruise Excursion: Tour The Baths at Virgin Gorda – With Lunch", (TT04)

Join us as we set sail on Embarkation Day on our first Halloween on the High Seas onboard the Disney Fantasy! 

A long weekend exploring the area around Monterey to find birds and just enjoy hikes in nature! Hampton Inn San Jose AirportHilton Santa Cruz/Scotts ValleyMonterey Birding TripsElkhorn SloughSeacliff State BeachNatural Bridges State Beach

We end our Southwest Adventure with stops at Guadalupe Mountains National Park and Franklin Mountains State Park. 

Exploring Carlsbad Caverns National Park including the Bat Flight program

We explore White Sands National park and Alamogordo, New Mexico! Links:White Sands National ParkInfo on sledding at White Sands

2 days of fun in Santa Fe! Links to places mentioned:New Mexico River AdventuresOldest House San Miguel Chapel (Oldest Chapel)Loretto ChapelSpiral Staircase storyLa Casa Sena (appears to now be closed)

A couple of days in Albuquerque exploring.  Key links to things we visited. Embassy Suites AlbuquerqueLa Luz TrailSandia Peak TramwayRoute 66 DinerChurch Street CafeHistory and Ghost Tours of Old TownMuseum of Nuclear Science HistoryNexus BreweryPetroglyph National Monument

Highlights from our visit to Petrified Forest National Park - Links:Petrified Forest NPPainted Desert DinerPainted Desert InnPark Route 66 Information and PicturesNewspaper RockTrail Info - I highly recommend downloading the trail maps in an app like All Trails before you get to the park so you have a map.  Most of the park has minimal cell coverage. LaQuinta HolbrookBienvenidos Restaurant 

Our biggest highlight in Sedona was the Outlaw Trail Jeep Tour with Arizona Safari Jeep Tours - great experience for us! Links:Arizona Safari Jeep Tours - viator link Outlaw Grille Tortas del Fuego Hampton Inn SedonaAll Trails

A short episode about our long weekend trip to Golden, Denver and Boulder while on college visits.  

A short weekend visit for a race means a trip in our down time to the local National Monument - the Birmingham Civil Rights Museum.  Our thoughts around our visit.   If you decide to go, book your advanced timed entry tickets to the Civil Rights Institute here: https://www.bcri.org/

Visit Denmark!  We loved our trips to Denmark and share some of our favorite places we have visited. Links to sites we talked aboutRound Tower Christiansborg Castle Frederiksborg CastleTivoli GardensRoskilde DomkirkeVikingskibs museet (Viking Ship Museum)Kronborg Castle

Sharing our favorite spots from our trip to London as a family, plus two spots I visited solo on prior trips but really enjoyed! LinksTower of LondonWestminster AbbeyChurchill War RoomsLondon Walks Hampton Court Palace 

When our Blue Lagoon port adventure got cancelled, we shifted gears and visited Ardastra Gardens in Nassau, Bahamas on our own.  While Disney normally offers this as an excursion, it was also cancelled on this Disney Wish stop, so we did it on our own and saved a considerable amount of money doing it that way as well! How we did it and our tips for you in this episode! If you decide to do this one on YOUR own, you can get advance tickets and find out more about the park here. 

In town for some college visits, we took in the sites on the Freedom Trail and then had some great food in the North End! Freedom Trail map

Tips and Tricks for DIsney's Castaway Cay Island - Port Adventures, Cookies Too,  Beaches, 5K, and more! 

Nassau Excursions through Disney Cruise Line - Explore Nassau Sightseeing and Beach tour and our own visit to the Ardastra Zoo. 

Our first trip on the Wish, our thoughts about the Wish plus New Years Eve! 

Visiting the Rio Grande Valley Birding Festival for some eco-tourism! Some of the places mentioned in the episode and a link to the festival! Resaca De la Palma State Park - https://tpwd.texas.gov/state-parks/resaca-de-la-palmaBentsen RGV State Park - https://tpwd.texas.gov/state-parks/bentsen-rio-grande-valleySalineno Wildlife Preserve - https://valleylandfund.com/salineno/Falcon State Park - https://tpwd.texas.gov/state-parks/falconRio Grande Valley Birding Festival -https://www.rgvbf.org/

Our last port was Naples and we spent the day in Pompeii!

A stop during our Mediterranean and Aegean cruise on the Disney Magic in Athens.  One excursion to the Panathenaic Stadium and one to the Acropolis and Plaka both great excursion options.   Welcome PickupsOlympic Games Small-Group Workout and Race in AthensBest of Athens, Acropolis and the Archaeological Museum with Lunch (PI33)

Next Stop on the Mediterranean and Aegean Cruise was beautiful Santorini Greece!  Cliff Diving, Amoudi Bay, Oia, Fira, Baklava, and tips for getting around in port! 

We started our visit to Mykonos with a trip to the island of Delos, and a visit to the ruins of the ancient Sacred City rumored to be the site of Artemis and Apollo's birth.  We continued on to Old Town, had an amazing lunch before heading back to the ship and savored an amazing sunset on the way out of the port! 

We explore Messina via the "Scenic Messina City Tour" as well as on our own - includes the Cathedral of Messina and a tour of the city on foot.  Plus we sample some Sicilian snacks, Cannoli, beer and Granitas while in port on our our Mediterranean and Aegean Cruise. 

Sharing some tips from our 8 night Mediterranean and Aegean Cruise on the Disney Magic, some of what we did on At Sea days and our thoughts on embarkation, disembarkation, etc.  The port adventures will follow in upcoming episodes so stay tuned! 

And our trip to Europe to visit Italy and Greece by way of a Mediterranean and Aegean Cruise on the Disney Magic kicks off with our trip to Italy and a busy day in Rome!  We went on a tour with The Tour Guy for "Rome in a Day with Vatican and Colissuem" and topped it off with a great dinner at Hostaria al Gladiatore.

Exploring some of the National Wildlife Refuges, State Parks and National Seashores of Central Florida. Merritt Island NWRPelican Island St. Sebastian River State ParkSt. Johns NWRCaptain Duke's Airboat Rides

One of the newest National Park and a longtime State Park.  Great birding and lots of other options for exploring.  Hike Sand Dunes, Wooded marshland, woodland forests, and open marshes.  Visit beaches with a view of Chicago.  A great affordable getaway!  

Touring tips and Info on Holiday World

Our next stop on the Mother/Son road trip was Hershey, Pennsylvania for some fun at Chocolate World and HersheyPark.  Includes sharing info on the shows at Chocolate world, and the make your own candy bar. 

We continue on the Mother/Son Road Trip with a stop in Gettysburg.  We touch on Audio tours vs. Private tours from Gettysburg Battlefield Guides, Eisenhower House, The Visitor Center options, how much time to spend and more! 

Exploring Harper's Ferry and Monocacy  National Battlefield on our way to Gettysburg from Antietam

A visit to Antietam National Battlefield with a private guide from Antietam Battlefield Guides.  We spent several hours at the Battleground going through the site in the order of the events of the battle.  We followed our tour with ice cream at Nutter's Ice Cream Shop in Sharpsburg and then lunch at Blue Moon Cafe in Shepardstown, WV.

My youngest and I set out on a road trip - first stop Fort Necessity - George Washington's First battle and only surrender and the start of the French and Indian War.  I share some of the history and context of the battle and our stop there on the way to Antietam.

I've been to the South Rim and the North Rim, and The North Rim wins hands down.  We stayed at the Grand Canyon Lodge. 

Our stay in Cortez Colorado to visit nearby Mesa Verde National Park.  We stayed at the Hampton Inn in Cortez. 

A mother/son visit to the Flight 93 Memorial in Pennsylvania - Tower of Voices, Memorial Walkway and Visitor Center, as well as the Memorial Groves.  A quiet walk and a chance to share a pivotal event with my son and share my memories. 

Stop 4 of our Grand Circle trip was a 2-night stop in Moab to see Canyonlands Islands in the Sky district and Arches. In spite of a delay getting into Arches, we had 2 great days and a Nighttime boat tour!  I'll also share tips for how to know if Arches is closed to capacity and know when you can go in. 

Stop 3 on our Grand Circle Road Trip was at Torrey Utah for a stay at the Capitol Reef Resort, a morning Llama Hike and trail lunch, and visiting Capitol Reef National Park.Capitol Reef Resort

Our second National Park of the Grand Circle road trip was at Bryce Canyon National Park. The coolest day of our entire trip at 77 degrees, it was very welcome after the hottest day of the trip at Zion! We kicked off our day with the Bristlecone Loop and worked our way north from there. 

We kicked off our tour of the Grand Circle with a visit to Zion National Park.  We stayed at the Hampton in Springdale and visited both Zion Canyon and the Kolob Canyons portions of the park.   We used a private shuttle on this visit due to COVID capacity issues and had to make some on the fly adjustments to plans due to some Search and Rescue activity in the canyon while we were there. 

We visit Hilton Head every spring to enjoy a relaxing week in the sun, sand and water.  Today I share some of our favorite activities, restaurants, and some information about Barony Beach Club where we stay. 

The Disney Magic is one of our favorite cruise ships - so much that we've done 2 sailings on it so far with another longer one planned for 2022!  On this episode, I share some of the reasons why, thoughts on our cabin location and restaurants and overall reasons we like the Magic/Wonder ships more than Dream/Fantasy (although we love them all!)

A winter break getaway to Mammoth Cave where its always 54 degrees!  We enjoyed the Frozen Niagra and Historic Tours on our trip and stayed in nearby Cave City, KY

On board for our first 7 night cruise!  We cruised on the Disney Fantasy and our cruise included a New Year's celebration at sea as well as stops at St. Martin/Sint Maarten, St. Thomas and Castaway Cay.  

My son joins me to talk about our mother-son trip to Albuquerque for USATF Cross Country Nationals.  We discuss the event, Church St. Cafe and 66 Diner, Petroglyph National Monument, Old Town and the Pueblo Cultural Center among other fun!  

Sharing some tips from our trip to Disney's California Adventure - including dining at Storyteller's Cafe, Carthay Circle, Paradise Garden Grill and Blue Bayou.   Also includes some tips from one of our visits at Christmastime and staying at Desert Palms (a Good Neighbor Hotel).  Tips on Radiator Springs Racers, Cozy Cone Motel, Redwood Creek Challenge Trail too!