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 Airport Hilton Santa Cruz/Scotts Valley Monterey Birding Trips Elkhorn Slough Seacliff State Beach Natural 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 Park Info on sledding at White Sands

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

A couple of days in Albuquerque exploring.  Key links to things we visited.  Embassy Suites Albuquerque La Luz Trail Sandia Peak Tramway Route 66 Diner Church Street Cafe History and Ghost Tours of Old Town Museum of Nuclear Science History Nexus Brewery Petroglyph National Monument

Highlights from our visit to Petrified Forest National Park -  Links: Petrified Forest NP Painted Desert Diner Painted Desert Inn Park Route 66 Information and Pictures Newspaper Rock Trail 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 Holbrook Bienvenidos Restauran...

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 Sedona All 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 about Round Tower Christiansborg Castle Frederiksborg Castle Tivoli Gardens Roskilde Domkirke Vikingskibs 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! Links Tower of London Westminster Abbey Churchill War Rooms London 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...

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-palma Bentsen RGV State Park - https://tpwd.texas.gov/state-parks/bentsen-rio-grande-valley Salineno Wildlife Preserve - https://valleylandfund.com/salineno/ Falcon State Park...

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 Pickups Olympic Games Small-Group Workout and Race in Athens Best 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!