Here's to 34!

December 11, 2022

This is a belated birthday post that I originally had drafted together but then life happened and October was a busy month and then November was a whirlwind so here we are.

I wish I could say that I have it all together, that I knew what I was doing, that I’m very happy and know where I’m going. But the truth is, some days I just don’t. I wonder if it’s because I overwhelmed myself that I now have that feeling of uncertainty after finishing a lot of crazy goals this year. After coming off my Dopey high this January, I felt guilty that I couldn’t just be happy with my achievement, despite feeling good about it. I felt compelled to look for the next mountain to climb, but I also struggle with forcing myself to slow down. I really don’t want to do more.

Is it also weird that I feel like I didn’t do much of anything this year? I know I did a lot but sometimes it feels like such a whirlwind you forget it all. I feel like I should’ve done more but I also spent part of the year slowing down and trying to recover from going hard.

I feel like a lot of my life is like that. I feel expected to do more but I really just want to just be sometimes. And unfortunately we live in a world that doesn’t allow us to just be. You’re not allowed to just be happy, just be content, with what you have. Society wants us to yearn for more. Why?

I don’t want to keep up with the Joneses. I just want to be able to keep up with myself. That alone is hard enough because that bitch be doing too much sometimes. I’ve done a lot since 2018 when I started to finally get my shit together but now I have that “now what?” problem since completing a lot of what I wanted to do. And I’m also scared of that because truth be told, I told myself I’d finally settle down and have kids once I’m done with all my shenanigans, but I still don’t know if I’m ready or wanting to have kids. And I feel so weird for it because everyone else around me is in their baby fever-developing families mode. I also feel like I subconsciously keep adding things to my to-do/accomplish list purposely to delay the inevitable.

Sometimes I wish me from the future could call me and tell me it’s going to be okay. You’re where you need to be and it’s all going to work out. Just live and be happy.

I don’t know what I want but I know what I don’t want.

I read earlier this year that it’s so ingrained in us that “making it” and “becoming successful” is rooted in gaining power over others. This doesn't excite, motivate or interest me. I don’t want to climb any more ladders. I don’t want to be anyone’s boss. I don’t care to tell anyone what to do with their life or how to live it. This doesn’t feed my soul. This is not success to me. I’m too far burnt out for that shit.

I've been learning patience with others and learning to be happy for other people for what THEY want, and not how I expect it to play out. As I grow older, I've learned that my idealized version of their happily ever after is not necessarily what they want. Ultimately I want happiness for them. And happiness, as cliché as it sounds, looks different on everyone. I'm learning to be ok with that. There are so many different endings to a happily ever after.

Actually, I lie. I do know some things I want.

I want to love my life. I want to take pictures of everything and everywhere I go. I want to tell the people I love how much I love them all the time. I want to have more courage to take the leaps that help me grow even if it makes me feel uncomfortable in the moment. So many of us live our lives regretting never taking that step. Why should I live my life in fear? So many of us die and no one remembers a thing we did so we might as well take our lives and make it the best story we can write.

Don’t waste that shit.

Disney Magic

November 29, 2019

There’s so much we have to talk about! Halloween on the High Seas was the theme of my Disney cruise and it was a interesting new way to celebrate and experience my favorite holiday, birthday and anniversary! Where do we begin? I want to be as thorough as possible with details so I’m going to try and go over whatever I can think of as I sift through my photos.

We chose a cruise leaving out of New York to avoid the inconvenience of having to fly out before boarding our boat. We simply drove to the cruise terminal and parked our car there for the week. The cruise parking structure unfortunately was not immediately adjacent to our cruise, but it wasn’t too far from it either. We walked two blocks over to get to our boat as there was another cruise docked there also departing that same evening. Check-in was very smooth and easy, and we were on board within 30 minutes after going through security, checking our bags and signing in to get our room keys. We didn’t have to wait at all after getting our card even though there was a “boarding area” for you to sit and wait to be called. We just walked on. Not that I have ever had any issues with previous cruises, but I can definitely sense the “Disney” atmosphere and friendly vibe as they made you feel welcome and top priority. I felt like getting on our Disney cruise was faster than any cruise I’ve ever had in the past. They worked fast, efficient and very friendly, making you feel like a VIP.

The crew on board was also very friendly and welcoming upon entering the atrium, and we learned that every family gets formally announced and applauded for joining the sailing. We proceeded to our staterooms first to check out the accomodations.

The Staterooms

Compared to Norwegian and Royal, Disney is very spacious! We got a balcony room but I did get a peek at the interior cabins and those were roomy too. There was plenty of room to move around, and plenty of storage space provided. The closets were spacious and we each got a nice set of drawers to stow away all our clothes for the week. The vanity space is also very nice, with plenty of cabinets, lights and outlets. The outlets were also in working condition and were not loose at all when plugging all our electronics in.

We had a queen size bed and a couch which also converts to bunk beds that drop down from the ceiling at night. My hubby wanted to see this feature but since it was just the two of us, I didn’t want to bother housekeeping and make her take it down just for us to see it. In retrospect, I probably should have for research and photo purposes. There was a lamp on each side of our bed which I noticed had lampshades with a map on it. The maps were so cute, with a Mickey in place of almost each country that had a park in the world: Florida, California, Tokyo and Hong Kong. Shanghai is not depicted since its the latest and newest park and the Disney Magic’s inauguration was long before Shanghai was built.

I noticed the bathrooms were divided into two rooms. One for the toilet and one for the shower/bath. Both had its own sink. I thought this was pretty convenient, especially since this is a family oriented cruise. It saves you time waiting for someone else to be done with the bathroom if all you need is to brush your teeth or whatever. In previous cruises I’ve sailed, the bathroom was all one room. It’s a small detail but I thought this was definitely a notable detail. And also that it wasn’t just a shower! The bathtub provided is a decent size too. And omg, I am a weirdo but I always notice the water pressure wherever I go and Disney did not disappoint. Usually in my experience with cruises, the water pressure when showering is pretty low because let’s face it, you’re on a boat and sharing water with 93721 other people so you can’t expect much but Disney has it on full blast at all times of day. I would probably rebook Disney based off of water pressure alone. It’s a great thing to have after a long hot day in the Bahamas and all you want is a nice shower to feel fully clean.

Inside the closet, there is a safe for you to stow away your valuables and laundry bags provided in case you should need anything laundered. But if you want to do your laundry yourself because families do tend to pile up quicker and of course that gets to be expensive, there are laundry rooms provided on 3 different floors of the ship, which also provides an ironing board, should you need to iron out anything you bring along for formal night or whatever. I found this convenient as I dewrinkled several of my dresses I brought along that were creased in my luggage.

Oh yes, walking around the ship, I noticed a lot of doors were decorated. I’ve seen this on previous cruises before but Disney lovers definitely do it up! I was not prepared for this and didn’t think it was a big deal if I didn’t dress up my door but I guess for next trip, I know better. I DID know about it reading up on Disney cruises before this trip but I didn’t take it seriously enough. For those who want to be more prepared, there are Disney groups on Facebook and such you can join where you can find out who’s sailing on your date/cruise and join in a “Fish Extender” gift exchange. You simply decorate your door, place a hanging fabric mailbox outside your door on the ‘fish’ outside your stateroom that designates your room number and sit back and watch the exchanging begin. You also are expected to buy little gifts for the other guests on board participating in the exchange with you. This exchange isn’t Disney sponsored or anything, but organized and run solely by passengers.

I did also notice that compared to other ships I’ve been on, the Disney Magic is quite small in size. At first I was a little disappointed as I was used to grander ships, but towards the end of the cruise, the smaller size grew on me and I realized I actually prefer smaller cruises. Why? The quality and service. A bigger cruise might look grander and more impressive but in the end, with a smaller attendance, you can pay more attention to detail and to your guests. Everything was always clean and well maintained or rotated out.

I also didn’t have to climb too too many stairs since it had less floors than a grander ship. The Disney Magic had ample elevators all around the ship, but the elevators were smaller in size for some reason compared to Royal and Norwegian. I thought this was funny because the size of the other guests were…for lack of a better term, very Wall-E sized if you ever saw the movie. If you’ve ever been to any of the Disney parks, you know what I’m talking about. I’m not trying to be mean, I just think that Disney should have bigger sized elevators considering the range of sizes of its clientele. Most elevators on the ship would fit no more than 4-6 people, and that’s if you’re squeezing, not standing comfortably. There were also a lot of guests in scooters which meant they could be the only one in the elevator. So I opted to take the stairs as often as possible to free up elevators for those that needed it, as well as use it as an excuse to get my steps in and walk off my Mickey waffles. I didn’t find it challenging at all when I had to navigate from one area of the ship to the other. I got to wherever I needed to go pretty quickly and in decent time. Because it is a smaller ship, there is obviously smaller attendance and it didn’t take as long when debarking and re-embarking the ship for port stops/excursions. I didn’t have to wait on a long line at any point on the cruise. There was always plenty of room to walk and plenty of lounge chairs if you wanted to sit by the pool. No one area ever felt too crowded.

Activities/Entertainment/Shows

Disney Theaters

The Disney Magic has 2 theaters on board; The Walt Disney Theater and The Buena Vista Theater. The Walt Disney Theater hosted both movies and live shows, while the Buena Vista Theater showed recent movies rotating throughout the week. Maleficent 2 had just been released a few days before my sailing so I thought it was pretty awesome they were showing such a recent release so soon on the cruise complimentary but hey, it’s Disney. You’re in the best hands here. The Walt Disney Theater had different live shows every night and each show plays twice since there are two different times for dinner seatings so you can conveniently catch it before or after your dinner slot. The live shows are really cute to watch, as a few of them were a medley of Disney stories, one was Tangled, and one was the Nightmare Before Christmas sing-along with Jack and Sally surprising the audience with an appearance at the end, and then staying around for photos.

Character Photos

Speaking of photos, the amount of character appearances for photos are amazing on the cruise. The wait times were never more than 15-20 minutes at a time and from 9 in the morning till 8-9 at night, there was always a character nearly every half hour to meet. I believe you have to sign up to meet certain characters like the princesses but this is easily attainable by simply going to the front desk on the first day of the cruise. But all other characters, you simply just had to show up during their time slot. As long as you were in line, you were guaranteed to meet them. They close lines off 15 minutes after each slot to prepare for the next character. The rotation was very efficient and worked well. I’ve never been able to see so many characters so quickly with such little wait, unless it was a character dining experience. But it’s a Disney cruise! You get what you pay for and the sticker price of this cruise alone warranted unlimited character experiences. They also have a great variety of characters and costumes every day of the cruise so they’re not like the regular characters you already see in the parks. They have their cruise outfits on or their Halloween costumes on depending on the night you see them. Captain Jack Sparrow even shows up on pirate night! Some characters I saw available were Mickey, Minnie, Goofy, Pluto, Chip & Dale, Daisy, Donald, Stitch, Cinderella, Tiana, Rapunzel, Captain Hook & Smee, Jack & Sally, Captain Jack Sparrow, Captain Marvel, and Captain America (a lot of captains with this sea theme, I see what you did there, Disney). You can catch Mickey in various costumes as well if you’re trying to see him in every costume. He has an island vacation Mickey look, a captain look, a pirate look, Sorcerer Mickey look and a Halloween look. This gives you ample opportunity and chances all throughout the cruise to not only meet your favorite character but in different outfits if you want to match them and coordinate your outfits so pack accordingly.

Themed Nights

There are also a few different themed nights on the cruise. There’s formal night, pirate night and Halloween night. You bet your bottom dollar I coordinated outfits for each and every day/night on the cruise.

Formal night, you can find all the characters in their formal wear during dinner hours with ample photography opportunities and professional sessions for the family. You can sign up in advance or wait on line with everyone else but lines moved fairly quick. Every cruise I’ve been on, regardless of Disney always holds one formal night which is a really cute and fun excuse to dress up, but is also optional for those who don’t care for it much, like my husband. You can dress to the nines or just go cruise casual if that’s more your boat.

Pirate night was also a lot of fun. They provide each guest with a cute Mickey bandana if you didn’t bring anything to dress up, but there is also some merch to buy in the shops on board if you want to get decked out. I decided to dress up as Tinkerbell that night, which ended up being a big hit since no one else really thought to dress as her. I would have thought it was the easiest answer since Hook and Smee but everyone I met said it slipped their minds when they thought of pirates. I’m the only weirdo who remembers this detail and her association with pirates. After dinner, on the top deck, they hold a pirate dance party, with Mickey ziplining across the boat before surprising us with a firework show! I was so entranced. I never thought about fireworks on a cruise, haha. And right after, they hold a nice food party back in the buffet area with tons of food. There were even turkey legs available during this time which I thought was pretty awesome. I believe the pirate themed nights are available on Disney cruises sailing to the Caribbean.

Halloween night was similar to trick or treating at Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party, but a condensed version on the ship. They hold a dance party in the atrium for everyone at two different intervals (due to accommodate the two different dinner seatings) where the entire ship is invited to come out in their Halloween wear and trick or treat and meet all their favorite characters in Halloween costume! I didn’t notice til the end that the bag they give you to trick or treat is slightly different from the park one, with Halloween on the High Seas detailed on it instead of MNSSHP. Haha, it’s the little things but I appreciate how they even make the bags exclusive to the sailings. My only qualm with the Halloween night is that it only lasted one night. I understand the actual Halloween holiday is one night, but to make the cruise Halloween themed, I expected a little more activity wise than just one night. The opportunity was definitely there being a 7 day cruise. Maybe I’m just a weirdo who can’t get enough of Halloween, lol. The one thing that was nice was that they did not hold their Halloween night on actual Halloween day, which happened to be the day we were docked at Port Canaveral and in the parks for Halloween. This meant that you would not have to miss the cruise’s Halloween celebration if you were celebrating Halloween in the parks.

Kids Clubs / Kid Services / Babysitting
I found there were a few different venues for kids on board, based on age. They had everything from nurseries to teen clubs. I found the toddler aged club to be the cutest and most instagrammable with Andy’s room and the Marvel lounge.They held an open house on the first night of the cruise which I stumbled upon while exploring the ship, which was great because I probably would have never otherwise saw it since we don’t have kids so I wouldn’t have had access to it any other way. I don’t know much about kids services since I didn’t have a need for it but I can tell you about what I saw. In a nutshell, it’s unlimited babysitting provided by Disney starting at 9am every morning til midnight. A Disney cruise can be as family friendly quality time as you want, or as anti-family as you want if you’re looking for some time off to relax to yourself. For example, I witnessed a child throw a temper tantrum at dinner. Dad picked up his phone, called the Disney babysitting team and they picked up his child and dad walked away sipping his cocktail. It was the funniest thing I saw. A Disney SWAT team. The children are all registered and tracked via special magicbands on the ship. If you want to enjoy a dinner alone with your significant other, child-free, that can be arranged too. Disney will feed your children for you while you enjoy a nice adults-only dinner. If you’re worried about kids not wanting to stay in the kids club, worry not, they don’t seem to ever want to leave anyway from what I saw, but if they want to leave, a Disney member will contact you via the little phones they provide to each stateroom on the ship to let you know your child is ready to picked up. But from what I saw, the cast members have plenty of activities to keep them busy and engaged all day. This is probably why Disney costs so much. The unlimited babysitting so that mom and dad can really enjoy themselves and relax on a real vacation.
Shops
I found a few shops on board the ship. There are shops with Disney merchandise, like a condensed version of the Disney Store in malls, but selling specially-designed exclusive Disney Cruise Line merchandise, costumes and accessories, and even the painter’s brush butter knife from Animator’s Palate. There are also fine jewelry shops, art galleries, as well as the photo gallery where you can view any photos that were taken by Disney photo passes on the ship and a professional photo studio if you’re interested in private sessions instead of the quick ones during dinner time in the atrium.

Dining/Food

My favorite topic! So Disney dining is very interesting.

Generally for breakfast, I learned you can have table service in the restaurant in which you had dinner the night before, or you can head up to Cabanas, the buffet style food court. You can also order breakfast to be delivered to your room, as room service is free and available 24/7. There are breakfast order forms in your vanity desk drawer that just have to be filled out and placed outside your door by 3am. We found Cabanas to our liking so we headed up there every morning for unlimited Mickey waffles. They do a nice breakfast spread as you can get anything from regular breakfast foods like waffles, pancakes, french toast, eggs, sausage, and bacon to congee which I loved, steak, and a grand assortment of pastries, cereal and fresh fruit. Everything is rotated out pretty frequently but if you’re looking for anything in particular, they’ll make it for you fresh on the spot and bring it to where you’re sitting. Cabanas is also open for lunch and switches over to that menu around 11am til around 3pm. Although honestly, I can’t attest to the table service restaurants because I didn’t know about it til later on, but even more quite honestly, I don’t think we ever would have made it because we always strolled into breakfast pretty late. The only days we went in early were Castaway Cay and Disney World days, which we wouldn’t have been able to anyway since those days were quick grab and go days.

There are also 3 quick service stations that are open for lunch hours; Daisy De-lites, Pinocchio’s Pizza and Duck-In Diner. Daisy De-lites serves up fresh salads, soups, fruit and cookies. Pinocchio’s Pizza is self explanatory but I loved that you can order a whole pie for yourself instead of just slices if you want a fresh pie to just bring back to your room for yourself. Duck-In Diner was one of my favorites as they had burgers, chicken, schwarma and fries available at any second. I loved the fixings bar so you could build your burger any way you want.

The soda/drink station is available 24/7 along with room service like I said before, with a pretty nice menu selection of goodies should you not feel like leaving your room.

Dinner, however, is a different topic all it’s own. Where do I begin? On the Disney Magic, there are 4 different restaurants, but 3 main ones that you rotate through. You rotate through Lumiere’s, Rapunzel’s Royal Table and Animator’s Palate. The fourth is Palo, the adults-only restaurant serving Northern Italian cuisine which is an additional charge, requires reservations ahead of time and is also hard to book if you don’t snag them the day your cruise reservations open up (which depends on if you’re a first time sailor or how many times you’ve sailed with them in the past.) Thankfully I stalked enough Disney IG accounts to know this and was able to snag at least a dinner reservation although I would love to try their brunch hour next time as its widely raved about. Dinner was truly a treat but I’ll get to that in a minute.

Lumiere’s was the first restaurant we dined at for dinner. Sadly I forgot to take photos of the interior since we were seated towards the back so I kept forgetting to get up later to take photos. The food was absolutely delicious and my favorite dish was the lobster. In retrospect I should have asked for two orders but I already ordered two appetizers and a steak entree as well as the lobster. But hey, remember it’s a cruise. You can do whatever you want and order as much as you want. Go crazy! I loved the little details in this restaurant, from the rose and waiter’s vest folded napkin art, to the Lumiere silhouette on our table number placard. This was at every restaurant, but I also appreciated that every bread basket was full of fresh, HOT bread like it was just out of the oven. I hate when the bread baskets are cold. It made me breaking my carb fast worth it to have such warm, delicious fluffy bread. Let me tell you, the chocolate croissants every morning were to die for.

Animator’s Palate was the second restaurant we rotated through and we got to eat here twice! Both nights were completely different and a totally magical experience. The first night we walked in, the entire restaurant was in black and white, even the wait staff's vests. Throughout dinner, they played different clips of Disney animation on the walls and their evolution until we got to present day. At the end of dinner they played a really cute nostalgic medley of all the Disney movies throughout the years and then Sorcerer Mickey came out and the whole restaurant was transformed into color! Even the wait staff's vests got a makeover! The second night we were here, we were given a task of drawing a character. At the end of dinner, they take our character and animate it into various Disney movies for a fun video. We also got certified as official Disney animators, which the husband has now added onto his resume, lol.
The food here was delicious! With fresh tuna tartare, perfectly cooked steak, creamy butternut squash soup, truffle pasta and a cute Mickey in my cappuccino. I couldn't get over the paintbrush butter knife and all the little details on the table. The butter knife is actually available for purchase in one of the shops on board but I forgot all about it. Next time! I've heard about Animator's Palate before my trip but experiencing it for yourself is a totally different story. Good news is this restaurant is available on every Disney cruise and not exclusive to any one ship.

The third restaurant we rotated through is actually one of the reasons I picked the Disney Magic cruise, Rapunzel's Royal Restaurant. It’s no secret she’s my favorite princess with Tangled being my favorite movie. Our first dance at the wedding was to “I See The Light.” Well, Rapunzel’s was an amazing dining experience and it TRULY is beautiful inside. Photos don’t do it justice. I wish they had it in the parks because I want to visit again and again. The ruffians were the cutest and so in character with all their details. Attila's cupcakes are truly sublime and on the dessert menu and Vladimir has his ceramic unicorns at the ready if you ask him about them! They come out to visit you at dinner as well as perform two songs during your seating. They’re very interactive and in character the entire time. At the end of dinner, a cute cake cart is wheeled out for photo ops as you exit. The only unfortunate thing is I only got to dine here once. Our second opportunity was on the same night as our Palo dinner and I would have done both, but I had underestimated how much Palo tries to fill you up. Foodwise, I can’t hate on the restaurant because they had a THANKSGIVING entree with turkey, sweet potatoes, stuffing and cranberry sauce. And of course, Attila’s sublime cupcake. I also went crazy here and ordered a second entree just because I can. Well, because that second entree was steak with a butternut squash sauce and I just am in love with everything butternut squash lately. Speaking of which, there was an amazing butternut squash soup at Animator’s Palate that I wish I had more of now that I think about it. Mmmmmmm.

Palo was the 4th and last restaurant we got to try, and it was seriously the cheapest I’ve ever spent on such amazing fine dining. This is probably the one thing I think Disney absolutely undercharges for, for the amount of food you get to try and the quality of food served. The service is absolute divine as they pay attention to every detail and make you feel like a million bucks. When I was selecting what I wanted to try from the menu, my waitress noticed my indecisiveness and even after I finally decided, she took it upon herself to bring out small plates for me to try of the dishes I was on the fence about. The only thing I would have to say that disappointed me was that they gave me so much food I couldn’t finish it all and unfortunately, you can’t bring any of it back to your room for later, which I felt was such a waste. I do have to note though for first time cruisers, this restaurant has a strict dress code policy to make sure to pack something you would “dress to impress” someone. Palo does have a brunch option too which I’ve read so many rave reviews about but unfortunately was not able to snag a reservation for so I can’t report back on the fantabulousness of that. Next time! At the end of dinner, our waitress was so adorable, she brought out a plate marking our anniversary. She said we were free to just take pictures of it or take it back to our room or whatever. I didn’t really know what she meant by this as I felt awkward walking out of a restaurant with a plate but then the next morning I saw another woman walk off the cruise with her own plate and learned that you can keep it to bring home as a souvenir. The things you learn.

Excursions / Ports of Call

My cruise had two stops: Castaway Cay and Port Canaveral. Most of the other days were at sea, so most of this vacation was more relaxing than exploring. But the two days we had on land, were absolutely perfect. It’s like Disney is in this perfect bubble somehow. The last few cruises I was on, had a run in with bad weather and we weren’t able to tender to the private islands. And then before we left, my husband had checked the weather and it was initially reported to rain on the day we were at Port Canaveral but then the day we got there, it was all sun and blue skies…albeit hot.

Castaway Cay

Disney does the private island experience right. I felt like a VIP being able to step right off the boat onto the private island without need of tendering boats like other cruises. It makes a BIG difference in managing time between activities to make sure you can do everything you want to do before having to get back on the boat. Since you walk right back on, you don’t have to stand around and wait 20-30 minutes for the next ferry back. I saw the ads for this view everyday before my vacation and let me tell you, they don't do this view justice, for once it's something that exceeds expectations when it comes to that IG vs reality life. You just gotta be there to see it in person how beautiful it really is. We were so lucky to have beautiful blue skies every day. It really is exclusive and private and never feels overcrowded like you have to fight for a chair or float. There’s also plenty of activities to do and sign up for and the island is small but still big enough to explore with plenty of space for everyone. There’s 3 different beaches to choose from, if one happens to feel more crowded than the other to you (with one being an exclusive adults-only beach for that extra secluded and peaceful atmosphere. There’s even a kids club on the private island you can dump your kids at if you want to head to the adults only beach on your own.) There’s bike rentals, snorkeling, floaties galore and food everywhere.

They even have a Castaway Cay 5k challenge for avid runners, which is free to sign up for and do, and even comes with a cute medal to take home upon completion. The only thing is, it’s not advertised anywhere for you to know about it other than ask at the front desk. I only knew to ask because I remembered seeing something on RunDisney’s Instagram about it and I’m so glad I did. I’m a sucker for the medals even if it’s a dinky rubber one but now I have another Disney medal to add to my belt. You have to run first thing in the morning though so if you’re interested in doing this, get up early, eat breakfast and make your way off the boat as soon as they give you permission to go ashore.

I signed us up for a stingray adventure and we had a blast! We got to feed them and swim and snorkel with them. I always forget how much I do enjoy tropical vacations with my hubs. This trip was really romantic despite how it looks like I'm on a trip by myself because my hubby hates being in pics but I promise you he's here.

Disney World

Port Canaveral was one of my port calls. And so, Disney World is the destination of choice for a Disney cruise sailing near the Caribbean. At some point I’m going to run out of things to say about Disney World but alas! The Disney Cruise does not disappoint. There are tricks of the trade that I learned about booking a cruise that goes to the happiest place in the world as one of its stops.

Buses are provided, complimentary, to shuttle you to the parks, as well as a complimentary park hopper admission along with 3 pre-loaded fast passes with no reservation required! You simply walk up to the ride of your choice and tap your card at the fast pass station. After all 3 are used up, then you can simply book more throughout the day. This was especially helpful for those hard to snag fast pass rides, no matter how early you wake up on the day your fast pass window opens up.So say you’ve never had a chance to ride Avatar’s Flight of Passage, one of the famed and hard to snag fast pass rides. Well this is where you can use your pass go, collect $200 fast pass to jump right on it without needing an actual reservation. This is amazing since you only have one day in the parks and Disney tries to help you maximize as much of the time you have there as possible.

Which brings me to my next point. When I was on Norwegian, they did offer excursions to the park, but of course you had to pay for both the park ticket and bus service separately and unfortunately, they only provide you a few hours in the park. No more than 6-7 hours, honestly. The bus gets you there around 12 and you have to get back on around 6. Which leaves you not much time to do anything at all, especially if the day happens to be a busy day in the parks. The bus also drops you off far from the park and you still have to take Disney’s TTC to get to Magic Kingdom.

With Disney Cruise Line, this is not the case. The buses are very efficient in getting you to the front of the parks, you step off and you’re at the front gates, ready to go through security and walk in. You also get a LOT of time. The first bus is available around 7am so you can get to the parks even before opening time and you’re required to be back on the ship by midnight, originally. You get a Cinderella deal, essentially. BUT! On my particular cruise, the day we were docked in Port Canaveral happened to be Halloween of all days, which meant the Halloween party would be running that night and these parties run til midnight. I had my travel agent call to check before I booked my Halloween party tickets what time the last bus would leave and originally she told me I had to be on the 10pm bus back to the cruise. The night before we were to arrive in Disney World, the cruise sent out a letter to all guests that they were extending our time to 2am! We had til 2am to be back on the cruise so we could enjoy ALL of Halloween at the parks. This was absolutely amazing news to me. It gave me a better bang for my buck, since you have to purchase the Halloween party tickets separately (the cruise only provides park admission, not party admission so if you didn’t have a party ticket, you have to leave Magic Kingdom by 6pm and either head back to the cruise or choose a different park to remain in for the rest of the night) and the party itself did not start til 7pm. Originally I was worried I wouldn’t have enough time to do everything I wanted with a window of 7pm-10pm for the Halloween party but with the time extension, I ended up doing EVERYTHING and then being too tired to continue and actually ended up on the 11pm bus back because we were just that exhausted since being up since 5am to get ready that morning.

I also maximized my day by starting the morning in Hollywood Studios, having lunch at Port Orleans and then heading to Magic Kingdom around 3pm to ride rides and take all my photos before the party started. I changed outfits 3 times throughout the day to make use of the time I had in the parks for one day. So there’s my secret to all of you wondering why my Instagram feed looks like I’m still at Disney, hahaha. I simply plan all my outfits in advance, organize it into smaller bags with accessories, shoes, ears and all, and then throw it into one big tote bag. I rent out a locker for the day so I don’t have to carry the bag around with me, and I simply go back to the locker when I want to change out. Best $12 I ever invested at Disney, lol. Trust me, if you’re extra like me and want to shoot different cute outfits at the park, it’s the best thing ever. It’s also great for if the parks are hot and you want a fresh change of clothes. Although, my husband is spoiled after staying at the Contemporary last year so the other strategy is also just staying at a hotel right next door to Magic Kingdom so I can go back and change, as well as take a break and nap if needed, so that’s another alternative to the locker hack.

The buses back to the cruise are also waiting for you outside of the gates to the park so that’s another plus. You don’t have to worry about waiting for a monorail or whatever back to your bus, and thus, no worrying about factoring in travel time when leaving the park to get to your bus.

In conclusion!

So there you have it! Almost a month later but I’m finally done with it. Hopefully I covered everything but if you have any further questions, feel free to ask!

Lastly, would I book this again? Originally when I got home, I said no because of the price and I did feel that this is more geared to families and what value they gain out of it, but honestly now, Disney is a jerk at what they instill in you subliminally. I miss the “when you wish upon a star” blowhorn every morning and during captain announcements. I miss having unlimited Mickey waffles and being able to ask for Mickey bars at my beck and call. I miss walking out my door and waiting no more than 15 minutes to see any given character. I miss the blue Bahamian waters, blue skies and warm sun. I miss all the Mickey decor and Disney theming of the cruise and the restaurants and the magic. The service. The music. The damn unparalleled water pressure. Disney is pure magic.

So yes. Unfortunately for my wallet, Disney has done it again. I would like to try the other cruise ships, especially the new one currently being built right now. One of the current boats sailing also has Tiana’s restaurant on board so that would be another bucket list item to check off and try.

I swear though, in 3 years time when my student loans are finally done with. It’s over for you guys. My full potential will be unleashed and more recklessness will ensue.

Long Live The Queen

October 31, 2019

When I was 16, I had a very different picture painted in my head of what I expected my life was going to look like at 30.

Back then, I was still teetering between being a doctor (what my parents wanted) and fashion design (what I wanted). I thought I was going to attend an Ivy League. I wanted to be married by 30, live in a big house with a balcony, white picket fence and swing in my yard.

Fast forward to the real world today and I am a doctor, but not that kind of doctor. My parents wanted me to be bác sĩ but I ended up being a doctor of pharmacy instead. They still can’t figure out the difference no matter how many times I explain to them I can’t diagnose. But they’re accepting of my profession regardless which is enough for me. I’m not a [total] failure in their eyes.

I ended up backing out of wanting to go to Ivy League because (a) I didn’t want to pay for it and (b) I didn’t want that pressure. It’s a good thing I didn’t because it would’ve been a waste of money in my early years.

I did end up married and I have my own house but it definitely looks different from what I envisioned. You learn to compromise when house hunting because budget and damnit, buying a house is damn hard. Owning is another battle all its own once you’re in.

But what is all of this digression getting at?

Your life won’t always turn out the way you originally wanted. Sometimes it turns out better. It doesn’t happen without a few struggles and falters and tumbles, of course.

My mom still wants me on a certain path though as she continually reminds me that my “eggs are dying.” She’s not the only one pressuring me either. It seems the whole world is watching sometimes and nagging me as to when I’ll have kids. But the question isn’t when, but rather for me, it’s if. I know I shouldn’t say that out loud and give my mom a heart attack but again, at this current stage in my life, I don’t see it in the cards. Check with me in the next 5-10 years. It's also probably because I am the oldest in my family and since I have no kids yet, my mom feels like I'm delaying the rest of my siblings from starting families. Talk about pressure.

It’s funny because my family is very different from my husband’s. Everyone on his side has started having children already, his siblings and his cousins. I see them all and despite their happiness and feelings of fulfillment, it doesn’t spark any of that for me. All I see are another pair of shackles similar to my mortgage and student loans. I just see a money sink holding me back from my full potential if money were not an object. Do I feel like I’m falling behind? Absolutely not. As much as my mother stares at all these people around me having children and building families while I am not, it doesn’t fester any envy inside me. It does the total opposite, lol.

I’m not ready because I’m still working on my empire.

The funny thing is there’s so much I still want to do. And so much I still have yet to figure out. I just turned 31 and I still have no idea what I really want out of life when it comes down to it. I don’t know where I’m going or what I really want my endgame to be. Ideally I want to not live in NY the rest of my life. But I’m also scared to take the risk and jump. Pharmacy is practical but it’s not something I really envision doing for the rest of my life. I just know that I can do it.

But I also know that I am capable of more. I just don’t know what that ‘more’ is, exactly. And the particular more that certain people want me to do, I actually don’t want to do, as ironic as that sounds.

Sometimes I wish I had jumped on the influencer train sooner to monetize what I was already doing before IG hoes made it a career. But that’s a different topic altogether. Truth is, if there was no Instagram or huge social media platform, I’d still be running around planning and doing all these photo shoots and capturing moments of my life. I was doing it before social media took off, regardless of who saw and liked my photos. I do this because I love it. I’ve never “done it for the gram,” I’ve always done it for the shot. Because this is my art and what makes me feel alive. Even if I was the only one who saw the photo, I still wanted to capture the moment. Which is what started this blog, ironically. For years before Instagram was a thing, I’ve been dabbling in photoshoots with nowhere to really display all the photos I took. It all sat on my hard drive. I share a few here and there on IG, but here on my blog I can post full galleries of the entire shoot instead of just 1-3 shots. I finally have a nice way of cataloging my work and sharing it with those who want to view more.

I don’t really know where I’m going with this blog post, honestly. I’m just reflecting on life stuff as I turn 31. There’s also still so much I have to learn and un-learn. I’m still growing and still figuring out ways to challenge myself. It’s hard because growth requires a level of uncomfortability and that takes patience and time. Of which I’m not always willing to partake in, because I don’t like being uncomfortable. I know the end result is worth it but the struggle part is what scares me. I will get there in my time. I’m in no rush.

Remember your journey is your own, and that just because you haven’t checked off a certain number of boxes by the time you turn X age, it does NOT mean you are “unsuccessful” by any means. Timelines are unrealistic and sometimes boring. You need to rewire your brain and unlearn all of the societal and parental pressures looming over you. Write your own story and do things in your own time and pace.

In the meantime, I’m not allowing my age to stop me from being extra and dressing up fancy on a regular day for no reason. I hate when people ask me where I’m going like I need a reason to look nice. I always want to ask back, well why are you so poorly underdressed? I always found the following lyric to be a great life mantra for me.