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The Boys are Back in School

  • Writer: ashleynritchie
    ashleynritchie
  • Aug 8, 2019
  • 1 min read

It’s time to get in the back-to-school spirit! On Monday, the boys hopped on the bus for the first time ever and headed to their new classrooms at Trickum Middle School. Maddox returns to middle school as an eighth grader and Alex starts his first year as a sixth grader.



Maddox Andreen

Grade: 8th School: Trickum Middle School Teacher: Ms. Guyre Favorite subject: Math Thoughts about being a 8th grader: "I think with the high school credit classes I’m taking, it’s practically like I’m in high school.” I'm most excited about: “Algebra I” When I grow up I want to be a: Video Game Developer


Alex Andreen

Grade: 6th School: Trickum Middle School Teacher: Ms. McCree  Favorite subject: History Thoughts about being a 6th grader: "Eh, it’s okay I guess.” I'm most excited about: “When I get to 7th grade and get to do advanced PE. It’s like advanced math, but for PE.” When I grow up I want to be a: Police Officer or a Physician's Assistant



Here’s to an EPIC year!

Things to do Aboard a Disney Cruise

  • Writer: ashleynritchie
    ashleynritchie
  • Jul 28, 2019
  • 7 min read

Ever wanted to set sail on the happiest cruise on Earth? In January we boarded the Disney Dream for four magical nights, sailing from Port Canaveral to the Bahamas. Below, get an inside look at some of our favorite things to do aboard a Disney Cruise!


Attend the Sail-Away Celebration

The Disney Cruise Line’s Sail-Away Celebration marks the start of your adventure! The magic happens on Deck 11 by the pool and features Disney characters, singing and dancing as the ship leaves the dock – fun for everyone!

Take a ride on the AquaDuck water slide

The AquaDuck is the 765-foot long water slide that goes around the Disney Dream. The ride is about a minute long and the tube is clear, making it possible for you to see the ship's top deck and out over the ocean. The boys rode multiple times and they convinced Scott and me to ride once. I was surprised at how fast our raft went and that the slide had several small drops – it actually felt like we were on a kid’s roller coaster. My favorite part was when the slide briefly went out over the edge of the ship because we were right above the ocean. Side note: Before our ride, the attendant told us that if our raft came to a complete stop to just wait for help – cue the anxiety right before being pushed down a tiny, enclosed space. Lucky for us, it was a smooth ride!

Eat unlimited eye scream by the pool

You scream, I scream, we all scream for eye scream! You can get unlimited soft-serve ice scream on Deck 11 at any time, so we took full advantage and had a few – or 10 – ice cream cones each day. The Monsters Inc. themed eye scream machines offer different types of soft-serve such as vanilla, chocolate, swirl, banana and strawberry – so many flavors it’s scary!

Hang out at Edge

Located on Deck 13, Edge is a club where kids ages 11-14 can watch movies, play games, enjoy arts and crafts and more. The Disney Dream has clubs for all ages that are run by counselors, but in Edge you don’t have to sign in or out. Maddox and Alex were able to come and go as they pleased. This was a big deal as it was their first real experience with freedom. They loved it, of course! They played video games and dodgeball, made Flubber, competed in foosball competitions and attended a silent DJ party where they put on headphones and danced around with other kids (hilarious, right?). They wanted to spend almost every second at Edge (aside from standing in line at the unlimited eye scream machine), leaving Scott and me all alone – sniff, sniff. We did make them check in every couple hours. On our final night they even attended a final farewell dance party. They grow up so fast, don’t they?

Catch a family flick or live stage show

The Disney Dream presents award winning musicals every night including Disney's Believe, The Golden Mickeys: A Timeless Tribute and Beauty and the Beast. Scott and I went to see Beauty and the Beast while the kids were at Edge – #datenight.


The Disney Dream also shows movies that are currently playing in theaters inside their Buena Vista Theatre. We watched The Nutcracker and the Four Realms and Mary Poppins Returns and bought some popcorn from the concession stand to snack on during each movie. In addition, you can grab a float and catch a Disney classic movie on the big screen in front of the pool almost anytime. *Note that the concession stand food and drinks are an additional cost, but you can bring your own snacks inside the theater.

Party like a pirate

Shiver me timbers! Disney Cruise Line dedicates one night on each cruise as “Pirate Night.” You are encouraged to dress up as pirates and attend the Pirates of the Caribbean Deck Party, but only after ordering a pirate-themed dinner off of a treasure map menu. The deck party includes a show and fireworks, followed by a late-night pirate-themed buffet (yes, more food) and a dance party.

We purchased our pirate gear at the Dollar Tree before the cruise. No costume? No problem! Prior to dinner each passenger receives a Mickey Mouse bandana and some chocolate gold coins. You can also make appointments at the Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique to be transformed into pirates – black eyes and beards included. Appointments start at $44.95.

Yo ho, yo ho, a pirate’s life for me!

Play a round of mini-golf

Go for a hole-in-one at the Goofy Golf miniature golf course, located on Goofy’s Sports Deck. It’s a 9-hole course and you can play for free any time (8:00 a.m - 10:00 p.m.) – no reservations needed. I don’t remember who won this friendly family competition, but it was probably me.

Be a castaway for a day

On a four-night Disney Cruise from Port Canaveral to the Bahamas you will make one stop at Disney’s private island – Castaway Cay. Castaway Cay is reserved for guests sailing on the Disney Cruise Line so the island is secluded.

The day we stopped at Castaway Cay was by far my favorite part of the cruise. We were one of the first one’s off the boat because we ran the Castaway Cay 5K, which allowed us to snag front row beach chairs. After the race, we enjoyed a lunch at Cookie’s BBQ buffet where I think we set a record for most food eaten by a family of four. If I remember correctly, Maddox ate chicken, a hamburger, ribs, coleslaw, beans, bread, chips and multiple desserts. Tip: Don’t let your kids go through a buffet line alone, ha!

After lunch we did the Conga at the Castaway Cay character dance party and checked out Pelican Plunge – the floating water slide and play area. The boys swam with stingrays and tropical fish and we also made time to just relax on the beach.

Enjoy a sugar rush at Vanellope’s Sweets & Treats

Inspired by Wreck-It-Ralph, Vanellope’s Sweets & Treats is a one-stop shop for tasty treats like hand-scooped gelato, fresh waffle cones, baked goods and candy. Maddox and Alex both devoured their own Race Kart Sundae which included three scoops of ice cream, five toppings, whipped cream and a cherry. The sundaes were served inside plastic mini race karts that we got to keep as souvenirs! *Note that Vanellope’s Sweets & Treats is an additional cost.

Take a selfie with your favorite characters

Meet all of your favorite Disney characters aboard the cruise ship! Different characters are scheduled to appear in various spots around the ship each day. Your daily navigator will tell you the times and locations of all the character meet and greets. Some characters also walk around by the pool so make sure you have your camera and autograph book close by. During the cruise we met Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck, Goofy and Captain Hook.

Run a 5K on Castaway Cay

On your mark, get set, go! A popular port adventure on Disney’s private island is the Castaway Cay 5K. It’s free and open to passengers 10+ (Alex was lucky enough to just make the cut). To participate, sign-up at Guest Services when you board the ship as spots fill up fast. The day of the race, passengers meet at a designated location around 8:00 a.m. The race is 3.1 miles long and there are water stops along the way.

This was my first 5K and I seriously felt like I could conquer the world after I crossed the finish line. Maybe it was because I received a keepsake medal for participating or maybe because among the four of us, I finished first! Scott and I were proud of the boys for finishing the race and we all agreed that what seemed like a 1-mile walk to the start should be included in the course. Side note: I may have crossed the finish line, but I couldn’t walk the next day – this is 30, ha!

Feast on all the food

Dining on the Disney Dream is an experience like no other! There are endless amounts of food and it’s all covered in the cost of the cruise (with the exception of alcohol, Vanellope’s Sweets & Treats and adult-only dining) – and did I mention there is unlimited ice cream and soda?

For breakfast and lunch, you can eat at Cabanas, a buffet with over 10 different food stations. Flo’s Café (home to Luigi's Pizza, Tow Mater's Grill and Fillmore's Favorites) is also open for lunch, serving burgers, chicken, pizza, salad and more. For dinner each night, you rotate to one of three main dining sit-down restaurants: Animator’s Palate, Enchanted Garden and Royal Palace. The same servers accompany you each night, allowing them to get to know you and your family and making the experience more friendly and personal. Our servers went out of their way to make our experience magical. They gave us tips on what to do on the cruise and even made origami animals with the boys each night. Adult-exclusive dining is also available at Palo and Remy for an additional cost.

Relax in your stateroom or on the ship

What’s a vacation without some relaxation? There may be a lot to do aboard a Disney Cruise, but it can get exhausting so make sure to sneak in some time to just relax in your stateroom or on the ship.

I did my research before booking a stateroom and we chose room 6510 because of its size. The room was a Category 08A Deluxe Family Oceanview Stateroom with a queen-size bed, large living space, a convertible sofa bed and an upper Pullman style bunk bed. My favorite part of the room was the two large porthole windows – talk about a view!

One of our favorite things to do was swing by our stateroom after dinner each night to see the different towel animals and to eat our treats (Disney Cruise Line Godiva chocolates). And if the treats after your unlimited ice cream and dessert at dinner just wasn’t enough, you could order free room service 24-hours a day!

As you can see, we had so much fun in the Bahamian sun! If you’re a die-hard Disney fan, I’d definitely recommend setting sail on a Disney Cruise real soon. You can have some family fun or simply just soak up the sun – whatever floats your boat!

Travel More, Spend Less: Top 5 Credit Cards for a Free Family Vacation

  • Writer: ashleynritchie
    ashleynritchie
  • Jul 24, 2019
  • 7 min read

Attention: this post is long overdue! I’ve been wanting to share some of my travel secrets for quite a while now and since we will be taking a free family vacation to Hawaii in just a few short months, I thought now is the perfect time! Two years ago I decided to open my first travel rewards credit card and it’s the best decision I have ever made – next to marrying my husband, of course – because after taking seven trips (soon-to-be eight) in 24 months, we have not paid for a single hotel or plane ticket.


So, what’s the secret? Travel credit cards have incredible sign up bonuses that can earn you completely free vacations. Although it has taken some planning on my part and required both Scott and I to open several travel rewards credit cards, it has been totally worth it for the number of free flights and hotel stays we’ve earned. Tip: If you do open a credit card, make sure to pay off your balance each month to avoid paying interest.


So, without further ado, here’s a list of my top 5 travel rewards credit cards:

If I had to recommend one card to anyone, this is it – the Chase Sapphire Preferred Credit Card! You can book travel (flights, hotels, rental cars and more) directly through the Chase Ultimate Rewards portal and you can also transfer points to another member in your household – this works well if you and your partner both want to open a card. Chase offers various travel rewards credit cards and they are the hardest to get approved for as Chase has the 5/24 rule. The rule states that you can’t open more than five credit cards in 24 months. You may think five cards in 24 months is a lot, but this also includes being added as an authorized user to another card, such as a partner or family member’s card.


Sign-up Bonus: 60,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months. The 60,000 points is worth $750 toward travel when you redeem through Chase Ultimate Rewards.


Rewards Rate: 2X points on travel and dining at restaurants and 1 point per dollar spent on all other purchases.


Annual Fee: $95


Transfer Partners (1:1): In addition to being able to transfer points among household members, the Chase Sapphire Preferred card allows you to transfer your points (1:1) to hotel and airline partners. I like transferring my Chase Ultimate Rewards Points to my World of Hyatt account because Hyatt’s point redemptions are seriously a steal – you can get a free night for as little as 5,000 points (that’s 12 free nights at certain hotels if you transfer your 60,000 Chase Ultimate Rewards sign-up bonus to your World of Hyatt account).


Airlines

  • Aer Lingus, AerClub

  • British Airways Executive Club

  • Flying Blue AIR FRANCE KLM

  • Iberia Plus

  • JetBlue TrueBlue

  • Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer

  • Southwest Airlines Rapid Rewards®

  • United MileagePlus®

  • Virgin Atlantic Flying Club

Hotels

  • IHG Rewards Club

  • Marriott Bonvoy

  • World of Hyatt

Real-life Rewards

Three nights at Hotel Hive in Washington, D.C.

34,918 points


Three Nights at DoubleTree by Hilton at the Entrance to Universal Orlando

21,194 points


Lexington to San Diego on Delta

32,738 points


Apply here.

Although I don’t actually have the World of Hyatt Credit Card, I hope to add this one to my wallet soon. We almost always book a Hyatt hotel when we travel because we are able to transfer our Chase Ultimate Rewards Points to our World of Hyatt account. And like I said before, you can redeem a free night for as little as 5,000 points – a serious steal!


Sign-up Bonus: 25,000 bonus points after you spend $3,000 on purchases within the first 3 months and an additional 25,000 bonus points after you spend $6,000 total on purchases within the first 6 months. The 50,000 points could earn you up to 10 free nights.


Rewards Rate: 4X points on purchases at all Hyatt hotels; 2X points at restaurants, on airline tickets purchased directly from the airline, local transit and commuting as well as fitness club and gym memberships; and 1 point per dollar spent on all other purchases.


Annual Fee: $95


Other Perks: One free night every year – after your first year, you receive one free night at any Category 1–4 Hyatt hotel or resort every year that you renew your card, making the $95 annual fee worth it.


Real-life Rewards

Hyatt Centric Fisherman’s Wharf

San Francisco, CA

15,000 points per night


Hyatt Regency St. Louis at The Arch

St. Louis, MO

8,000 points per night


Hyatt House across from Universal Orlando Resort

Orlando, FL

8,000 points per night


Hyatt Centric Waikiki Beach

Honolulu, HI

15,000 points per night


Apply here.

The Gold Delta SkyMiles Credit Card is great option if you want to book free flights but don’t want to pay a fee for a credit card. The card’s sign-up bonus (currently available until July 31) is one of the best because you earn 60,000 miles after you spend only $2,000 in the first three months. You can also receive a $50 statement credit after you make a Delta purchase in the first three months and the $95 annual fee is waived the first year. If you open the card and decide it’s not for you after the first year, or you simply don’t want to pay the annual fee, you can close the card. If you are worried about the account closure impacting your credit score, call and ask to downgrade to the Blue Delta SkyMiles Credit Card (which has no annual fee) and your credit score won’t be affected.


You will get the most out of your airline miles if your travel dates are flexible – I’ve seen flights from Atlanta to New York City, San Antonio, St. Louis and Washington, D.C. for as little as 9,000 miles per person this fall.


Sign-up Bonus: 60,000 bonus miles after you spend $2,000 in purchases within the first 3 months and a $50 statement credit after you make a Delta purchase within the first 3 months.


Rewards Rate: 2X miles on Delta purchases, including flights booked on Delta.com, Sky Club membership or passes, Delta Vacations packages, seat upgrades, or in-flight purchases like food, beverages, and audio headsets and 1 mile per dollar spent on all other purchases.


Annual Fee: $0 intro annual fee for the first year, then $95


Other Perks: First checked bag free – a savings of up to $60 on a round-trip Delta flight.


Real-life Rewards

Atlanta to Honolulu

48,000 miles per person


Lexington to Washington, D.C.

18,000 miles per person


Cincinnati to Orlando

15,500 miles per person


Apply here and select “View all cards with Referral Offer” and choose Gold Delta SkyMiles Credit Card (offer available until July 31).

Scott and I both had the Gold Delta SkyMiles Credit Card but after the first year we each decided to close our accounts and open the Platinum Delta SkyMiles Credit Card instead. Here’s why: We were going to have to pay an annual fee to keep our Gold cards but we knew we wanted a Delta card to earn extra miles. Although the annual fee for the Platinum card is $195, the sign-up bonus offers a $100 statement credit when you make a Delta purchase in the first three months. Since Scott travels frequently with his new job, we knew we could easily meet that requirement on both cards, bringing the fee down to $95 – which is what we would have paid for the Gold card anyway. I think the card is worth it after the first year, especially for families or those who travel frequently, because every year that you renew the card for $195, you receive a companion certificate that is redeemable for one domestic main cabin round-trip flight for a person of your choice.


Sign-up Bonus: 70,000 bonus miles and 10,000 Medallion Qualification Miles (MQMs) after you spend $3,000 in purchases in the first 3 months as well as a $100 statement credit after you make a Delta purchase within the first 3 months.


Rewards Rate: 2X miles on Delta purchases, including flights booked on Delta.com, Sky Club membership or passes, Delta Vacations packages, seat upgrades, or in-flight purchases like food, beverages, and audio headsets and 1 mile per dollar spent on all other purchases.


Annual Fee: $195


Other Perks: Annual Companion Certificate redeemable for one domestic main cabin round-trip flight for a person of your choice and first checked bag free – a savings of up to $60 on a round-trip Delta flight.


Apply here.

My last travel rewards credit card recommendation is the IHG Rewards Club Premier Credit Card. I opened this card simply because I love visiting Wilmington, North Carolina, and I knew we could use the sign-up bonus to redeem five free nights of hotel in my favorite city. There is an $89 annual fee, but after the first year you get an Anniversary Free Night which makes up for the fee.


Sign-up Bonus: 80,000 bonus points after you spend $2,000 in purchases within your first 3 months.


Rewards Rate: 10X points on IHG hotel stays; 2X points on purchases at gas stations, grocery stores, and restaurants; and 1 point per dollar spent on all other purchases.


Annual Fee: $89


Other Perks: Anniversary Free Night at one of the eligible hotels worldwide every year and fourth reward night free when you redeem points for any stay of four or more nights (Tip: you have to have enough points in your account to redeem the fourth night, but they only subtract three nights worth of points).


Real-life Rewards

Holiday Inn Express & Suites Wilmington-University Center 20,000 points per night *Combining the 80,000 sign-up bonus points and the fourth night free perk, we stayed five nights free.


Apply here.

There you have it – my top 5 travel rewards credit cards and the secret to our free family vacations. Where will you travel to next?


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