Planning a Disney Cruise

If you have children and love to cruise, then this is the cruise line for you!  We've only been once, but we loved it so much that we booked another cruise before we stepped off the ship (and got 20% off the next cruise).

We booked our cruise only 2 months away from our sailing date.  This is considered really last minute in the cruising world.  While it was absolutely wonderful, I did take lots of notes on how to improve our next cruise.  If you have more tips, please share them in the comment section!

Pre-Booking

• Ensure everyone has a current passport.  You will need this information to complete your pre-boarding paperwork, which is a prerequisite for selecting other items.
• Select an early boarding time. Maximize your time on the ship.
• Booking way in advance and completing your pre-boarding paperwork will help you achieve the dining schedule you prefer.
• As soon as you book, check into the cabanas for Castaway Cay.

Things to Pack (other than the normal clothes, sunscreen, camera)

• A signature book. We bought one during our last visit to Disneyland and I cannot believe that I forgot it!  We saw SO MANY characters and had plenty of time to get a signature from all of them.
• Rather than spend money on disposable water bottles, pack re-usable water bottles for the entire family.  The cruise ship has free filtered water/ice available 24/7 on the pool deck. You can keep hydrated, be green and save money! A total win-win-win.  Note:  Sodas are also free and available at the drink station. Click here for water bottle ideas.
• To stay on track of all the fun activities, bring a highlighter! Use it to highlight the activities in the daily Navigator, so you can quickly glance to see whats up next.
• Pirate gear. Seriously. Everyone gets into Pirate Night. You can go simple with a bandana (provided by Disney Cruise Line) or elaborate with a full Captain Hook costume. Regardless of how you dress, be sure the kiddos have something fun to wear or accessorize with on Pirate Night.  Click here for costume ideas.
• Casual clothing is key. For dinners, the guys wore a nice shirt and cargo shorts, while the gals wore sundresses. Keep it classy, but comfortable.
• Something magnetic to decorate your stateroom door.  It's just fun and it helps the adults kiddos find the room easier. Click here for ideas.

Onboard the Ship

• On day one, the pool deck is CRAZY. The pool is like human soup. If you have small kids, this is quite intimidating. Once the pool gets too busy, head indoors to discover the ship. Playing the detective scavenger hunt is a fun way to see lots of the ship and keep the kids entertained.
• Bring lunch (from the buffet) to the Buena Vista Theater to watch a movie. You gotta eat anyway, so you might as well beat the heat and catch a Disney movie.
• Get to Castaway Cay no later than 10AM and grab extra towels when you get off the ship. Here is a picture showing the difference between 10AM and 12PM.

• On Pirate Night, make a point to visit the lobby. Fun stuff.
• The production shows are totally worth it.  The best seats are in the middle front section. Confetti, snow, streamers will fall from the ceiling in this section and you can see the characters up close. Doors open 30 minutes prior to the show and people start lining up an hour before the show starts. The theater has tons of seats, so if you don't care about prime seating, then you can just show up a few minutes before the show starts.
• The kids club is amazing. Amazing. Visit it during the open house times - even if your kids aren't going to go.
• Plan on lots of stair climbing (or being very patient for elevators). We discovered lots of people take the elevator to go up just one floor (when they appeared able bodied to take the stairs).

I hope these tips help make your next Disney Cruise fantastic!  And I really, really hope you share some tips with me!

Money Making Apps {Personally Used By Me}

If you are looking for an easy way to make a little extra cash, then check out these two money making apps that I personally use.  Now, you aren't going to ever become rich off stuff life this, but you can make enough for a fun night out, a new pair of shoes, or even enough to help get ahead with monthly bills.  I am not a faithful user of these apps, so it took me approximately two months to earn enough to cash out.  I am confident that if you used these apps faithfully, then you could easily earn an extra $20 per month. That's an extra $240 per year!  Yes, I know these apps aren't making it "rain" cash, but every single dollar counts.

Ibotta:  This is my all-time favorite way to get money back on my purchases!! The app will promote certain grocery, household, electronic, etc. items and if you purchase the item, then you get a rebate.  The BEST part about this app is that they actually have items I purchase on a regular basis.  They have tons of organic items.  And then lots of "generic" items, such as eggs, where regardless of brand or type, you can get a rebate.  Note:  You can also use a coupon and still cash in the rebate.

Besides groceries, which is mostly what I use on the app, they have rebates for clothing items, etc.  I recently purchased a new pair of boots from Clarks and got a $10 rebate back.  It is worth your time and effort to scroll through this app before you go shopping.  You must earn $10 in rebates before you cash out.  Another perk of this app is that you can cash out via PayPay.  Hello Cash!!

Download the app and then check back here for some high-level instructions {because this part took me a while to figure out}.

Click on the pink bar to unlock the rebate.

Click on the circle to perform an action (view video, take survey, view recipe, etc.).

In this case, click "Learn to Unlock." 

This is what my cash out screen looked like.  It processed to PayPal immediately.

OnGo Surveys:  This app is my favorite survey app.  It displays nicely on the phone screen and the surveys all seem legit.  Be sure to turn your location services on for this app so it can recognize which stores you shop.  Having your location services turned on will increase your survey opportunities.  On average, the survey amounts range from a few cents to $10.  With this app you need to accumulate $10 and can also cash out via PayPal.

Here is a listing of some of the surveys I took.

Here is an example of a higher dollar survey. Totally worth it if you were going to the movie anyway.

What are you waiting for? This is FREE money!! Go now and download these two apps! 

Goal Planning 101

Everyone needs a goal.  Everyone.  It gives you something to strive towards.  And once you achieve your goal, your life is improved somehow - happier, healthier, more balanced. Without goals, you are just going through the motions of life.  Goals don't always have to be elaborate - they can range from tiny to extravagant.  It all depends on where you are in life and your personal appetite for effort and change.

Why am I talking about goal setting during the last quarter of the year?  Because true, quality goal setting takes time.  For a goal to be successful, it must follow this formula:

Write it Down + Develop Action Plans + Share it = Success!

With a little over two months in the year, you have plenty of time to develop exactly what you want to accomplish next year.  When January 1st rolls around, you will be way ahead of the game and you can kick-off your 2016 goals immediately.  Your momentum will become unstoppable.


Here is a step-by-step guide to achieving your goals:

Step 1:

Write down some general goals. Remember, they don't have to be huge goals!  Sometimes a goal is to just keep doing what you've been doing!  So think about it - what do you need to do next year to become happier? Healthier? More Balanced?  

Examples:

Correspond more with loved ones

Criticize / Complain Less

Do Morning Stretches

Perform Weekly Meal Planning

Lose Weight

Read Newspaper / Headlines

Start a Blog

Step 2:

Now, get REAL with yourself.  Ask yourself these question for each goal.

1. How many years has this been a goal of mine?  Why haven't I accomplished it in the past?  What makes this year any different?
2. Are you really willing to put forth the effort required to accomplish this goal?  Do you realize that you must change?  This will potentially mean becoming more vulnerable, waking up earlier, giving up your favorite foods, etc.

I am not trying to discourage anyone from attempting goals, but we need to be realistic with ourselves.  I hear people all the time say they wished they could lose weight or wished they could save more money or wished they could become more organized.  But rarely do I see people actually making the necessary changes to achieve these goals.  If you aren't ready to make changes, then spend 2016 trying to figure out why you aren't ready to let go and improve your life.

Still with me?

Great!! On to the next step.

Step 3:

Create an action plan for each goal.  This should establish exactly how you are going to accomplish the goal.

Example:

Goal: Lose Weight

• Explain to significant other the importance of this goal and describe the exact support needed
• Throw out all junk food / soda
• Get portion controlled containers for meals
• Prepare lunches the night before
• Share goal with co-workers - offer walking as a means to catch-up rather than lunches or drinks
• Walk / ride bike each evening after dinner

By listing out these action items, I now have a plan to implement in order to help achieve my goal.

Step 4:

This step is really important!!  Find an authentic friend who is willing to talk about your goals and progress with you.  Share your written goals with this friend.  Ideally, this friend should also share their goals with you.  Having both people with skin in the game will increase accountability.  Be open and honest with this person.  Be vulnerable about your goals.  Ask them to help keep you on track.  Do the same for them.  If you/they begin to lose traction, ask them questions to help understand the loss of focus.  Schedule weekly touch points with this person and make sure you never miss a meeting.  If you don't have someone to help you stay on track, email me.  But be warned, I will follow up with you!!!

Now for the pep talk.

NOBODY on earth is going to accomplish your goals for you.  I know this is a hard pill to swallow for some, but seriously, it isn't going to happen.  How do you expect to lose weight if you don't change anything?  How do you expect to get a better job if you aren't looking for one?  How do you expect to achieve more happiness and balance without a lot of effort?

YOU control your life.

YOU control your happiness.

YOU can and will accomplish your goals.

YOU CAN DO THIS!

Before This And After This

Starting off with a quote that speaks to my heart....

Welcome to My Blog!

Truth be told, I have no idea what this blog will grow-up to be. I have aspirations, though. And I plan on working towards achieving those goals with each and every blog post. My goal is for this site to become a point of reference for individuals and families trying to achieve more balance and happiness in their lives. I hope to accomplish this by providing a current listing of local family friendly events, sharing experiences (both good and bad), providing meal ideas, health concepts, goals/planning guidance, etc., etc., etc. More than anything, I hope any audience that stumbles across my blog will actively participate in sharing similar information. We are a community. All of us. And it is time we started to act like it.