Thank God For Trip Insurance; Our Merry Land/Sea! (Two new updates October 3)

[Cheryl726]

Looking forward to hearing about Nassua, it's nice to hear someone say they enjoyed a Nassau day.

 

[burly]

i have been following along....
When did i miss the explanation of the "fish extender"?
As usual, nice update. The braids are so cute. I like that there are only a few in front.



KIM

 

[kaysmommie]

Love the update and the girls braids look great. Braids make moms life easy on vacation, one less head of hair to do . Looking forward to hearing about Nassau. Good idea to leave the girls in kids club.

 

[miprender]

Great update. I like those braids. They look so cute.

DS4 saw the Mickey slide and wanted to know where that was. I told him on the Disney boat. Someday I we might go on a cruise, but for now I will have to live through you.

PS... we live in less than 5 days

 

[smithpack]

Can't wait to hear what your kids thought about the cooking school. It looks like they had a lot of fun in the pool, even though it was cold!

 

[hlrababy]

Love the update!!!

The girls looked super cool in their braids!!!!

 

[OneTreeHillAddict]

I have to go get our passports THIS WEEK! We haven't cruised since Christian was little and we are long overdue! Never been on DCL but I can for sure say RCCL is much better than Carnival any day of the week. This ship you guys went on for Spring Break looks like a lot of fun! I also agree that the longer the cruise the better! I say this about any vacation, except those where we visit the in-laws. Of course that isn't really considered "vacation".

Looking forward to the rest...

 

[jenseib]

I have to go get our passports THIS WEEK! We haven't cruised since Christian was little and we are long overdue! Never been on DCL but I can for sure say RCCL is much better than Carnival any day of the week. This ship you guys went on for Spring Break looks like a lot of fun! I also agree that the longer the cruise the better! I say this about any vacation, except those where we visit the in-laws. Of course that isn't really considered "vacation".

Looking forward to the rest...

Tammy are you going on a cruise?

 

[praisehisname]

Gotta love those relaxing days onboard, especially when most other passengers have gone ashore and the pool isn't as crowded!

 

[onelilspark]

Loved your first TR & your DLR one really helped me plan my trip!

Just wanted to through out my 2 cents about Carnival...we were on the Legend out of Tampa the first week in February (Western Cruise.) I was concerned because of the "party" reputation they had, but my fears were totally unfounded. Of course we didn't go during a school break, which probably helped, but I didn't see ANY of the "partying." Now, I should say that I haven't cruised any other line, but considering how cheap Carnival is, I'd totally go back! Actually thinking about another cruise next year, my boyfriend wants to try RCL or Princess, but I'm having a hard time justifying the cost! I mean, I liked Carnival, why would I spend more?! So in any case, if you find a cheap Carnival cruise for a quick getaway, don't hesitate!

 

[Tinker_Tam]

DH and I did 3 Carnival cruises in 53 weeks before we had the kids. We didn't run into any of the partying that you hear about...and the first and the last were actually during spring break season. I think it might have been that way once, but I think things have really changed. Things were really nice. The "spring breakers" that were on board were actually very respectful of the other passengers. The only group that we ran into that was a little "wild" were the parrot heads (Jimmy Buffet) fans headed to a concert on one of the islands. They were a little louder and more into the whole party scene...but most of them were 50+. And even then they tended to gather at one part of the boat where others were not using. Keeping things to themselves.

 

[ladybugmom]

Hi Brooke!! Just checking in since I've been MIA for about a month now! I'm all caught up on your TR and can't wait to read more!!

 

[OneTreeHillAddict]

Tammy are you going on a cruise?

Considering one in October.

 

[PixieDustandEeyore]

loving your TR as much as the last

 

[jenseib]

 

[pmama]

Wow, my last update was early April. Guess I became a little preoccupied with the end of the school year. Good news is . . . . . I've finally been cured of my (at times unhealthy) addiction to the DIS. I still pop by but don't spend hours here like I did.

Bad news . . . . I've left my TR unfinished. I'm so sorry to those of you who were following along. It WILL be finished within the next month. I will not leave a TR unfinished. I just love to look back at them and relive the magic.

A few updates of changes in my personal life:

Since Faith will be in school all day next year I will move to an all day teaching position in the Fall.

I've started graduate school this summer to get my masters in Education. (Way more work than I remembered.)

Faith and Hope are busy with summer swim team. We LOVE summer.

And, DH and I have made some serious changes to our financial future! With my income increasing in the Fall we sat down and seriously discussed our finances. It's sooo tempting to go buy a bigger house or plan more vacations. Instead we've buckled down and are on a mission to become debt free! We've refinanced our home on a 15 year mortgage at a ridiculously low interest rate with plans to actually pay it off in 9 years. So, while we still love Disney and can't wait for our next trip we decided that 4 disney trips plus a cruise in under 3 years was enough. The tickers on my signature are no longer correct because we've decided not to take a huge trip this coming school year and instead focus on building our wealth! I couldn't be happier! We now have a very realistic goal to live in both Florida and Colorado once the girls are in college. (Just 12 years). If all goes well we'll probably be heading to a 7 night Disney cruise (paid for upfront in cash) spring 2012.

For now we are very blessed in that my (still living) Grandma has left her beautiful Colorado cabin to my siblings and I. DH, the girls, and I spent last weekend up there and had fabulous family bonding. (Even without Mickey) Life is good.

I have a couple big tests to prepare for in the coming week but after that I'll be by to wrap things up on this TR and finally answer the question, why did we need trip insurance?

Hope everyone's having a fabulous summer.

 

[RinkyTinkyTinky]

We are in the exact same boat as you right now. We have been very focused on getting out of debt ever since the new year rang in. We have been doing the Dave Ramsey plan which is a very good financial strategy for life. I started keeping kids after school to make extra money and we have been VERY thrifty latley. It is amazing though what changes you can make if you put your mind to it. We are now debt free except for our mortgage (that is going to take some time)and it feels so good!!!!! My DD also starts school full time this fall and I am planning to go back to work part time at her school. So I can totally relate to the decisions you have been wrestling with lately. Congratulations on setting your goal and going for it despite the temptations that the world lays before us. It is sometimes hard to stick to your financial plans when there is such strong temptation at every turn to buy, buy, buy. But once you realize that the things of the world can't bring you true happiness, it gets easier.

I hope everything works out well for you and your family. Best wishes on reaching your goal and sticking with that mentality for the rest of your lives. Peace of mind is greater than worldy riches ANY DAY!

Can't wait to hear the rest of the story about your trip too!

 

[Mich123]

So glad you're back and that everything is ok! Look forward to the rest of your TR!

 

[lmillercrew]

I know how you feel about not being on the DIS. I haven't been on here for like, 3 weeks, and haven't gone through too bad of withdrawls. My DH is amazed that I haven't been on here either.
Congrats on being debt free. It's going to be a while until we are. DH lost his job in Dec, and is still looking for full time employment.

 

[SOUTHERNtinkerBELLE]

Glad to see you back! I'm still dying to know about the need for the insurance!

It sounds like you're experiencing some exciting changes! Congrats on the increased income and grad school - I too just started working on my masters and it's been brutal so far! But I know it will all pay off in the end (for both of us)

Can't wait for the next update!