Oh The Places I've Been...A Travel Review of 2014

So, 2015 is officially upon us. The holiday season has come and gone, and I'm newly back from a quick Disney World trip and a 3 night cruise on the Disney Dream. With my birthday cruise just a mere month away, it won't be long before I'm back amongst Disney Magic! (Which, incidentally, is also the cruise ship I'll be sailing on!)

2014 was a big year for me, travel-wise. I took more trips this year than I have in any 12-month period, so it was a pretty fun and eventful year.

Let's take a walk down vacation memory lane, shall we?

December 2013/January 2014 - WDW and DCL: My brother and I went to Disney World for a few days, rang in the New Year with my friend Katie and her family, and then joined our cousins on an awesome 3 day cruise out of Miami, on the Disney Dream.

January/February 2014 - DCL: Alice and I have been friends for nearly 20 years (holy crap!!) and went away at the end of January for our first "friend-cation". To say it was a success is an understatement. Four days of eating, cocktails, good conversation, and hanging out with my best buddy. What's not to love?!

And yes....we WERE coloring before our meal at Olivia's, at Disney's Old Key West Resort. You mean you DON'T color? :)

March 2014 - WDW: In March, I flew again to Orlando to attend an Agent Education Program. For 4 days, we learned all about Disney World, went on resort look-sees, toured the Disney Dream, and made some great friends. (Hi, ladies! Can't wait to see each other again!)

May 2014 - WDW: May had me crossing off a bucket-list item, as my aunt and I did the runDisney Expedition Everest 5K. Wendy's a runDisney veteran but it was my first race, and hopefully not my last! Super fun time!

August/September 2014 - WDW and DCL: I'd been contemplating a solo Labor Day trip for a few years, and 2014 was the year I was able to do it. I went to the Disney World parks for 5 days, hung out, relaxed, saw my cousins and about passed out from the heat (that last one was the only slight blip in an otherwise great week!). I then went on a 3 day cruise on the Disney Dream, where I met some great new friends and had my first experience with the HUGE balcony 5E staterooms. Swoon!

December 2014/January 2015 - WDW and DCL: I was once again able to ring in the New Year at Disney World. And by "ringing it in", I mean I was of course asleep by about 10PM. Ahem. But those 6 days were filled with resort hopping with a friend, a great New Years Eve breakfast at the Grand Floridian, a few days hanging out at Saratoga Springs, and another great 3 night cruise on the Disney Dream with family and friends. What a way to start 2015!

I'm just as pumped for 2015, and what fun it will bring. This year will include a cruise with my parents over my birthday in February, a trip to Disneyland (my first!! YAHOO!) in June with my cousin and her family, and possibly a Food and Wine vacation in the fall.

So, on with the show! I'm ready for ya, 2015!

Have a magical day!

Cruising Solo on the Disney Cruise Line - My Top 5 Tips

In early September, I embarked on my first truly solo cruise on Disney Cruise Line.  I say "truly solo" because even though I have stayed in a room by myself before, I booked the trip myself, and didn't have any friends or family book the cruise along with me.

I was honestly a bit anxious as the cruise date was nearing.  Don't get me wrong - I KNEW I would have a great time, and that it would be the same uber-relaxing, fabulous DCL vacation, with or without family and friends. But I would be lying if I said I wasn't a bit nervous about being solo on the ship.  I don't know why I felt differently about that vs Disney World, but there you go.

However, I had a WONDERFUL time (more details to come on the Trip Report!) and wanted to share some ideas / tips that made cruising solo really special.

1) Connect with a cruise meet and/or Facebook group before you leave.
I was privileged to meet a FABULOUS group of ladies before our cruise, on a Facebook group we set up. It was wonderful talking to each other and getting excited in the months and weeks before the cruise.  I was also able to meet my new friend, Caletta, and we ate together each night which was a lot of fun. It was nice to have solo time, but then also know I was meeting a friend for dinner at night. We also had a quick meet-up on embarkation day, so we could put names and faces together.  This was super fun because not only did I get to meet these great ladies and their families, but it was nice to run into people on those 3 days that I knew and have someone to say hi to, chat with, etc.

2) Take some time to do "special" experiences.
Visit the spa.  Heck, LIVE in the spa. You're on your own schedule, so there's no one to give you grief if you spend 4-5 hours a day in the Rainforest Room. Or take a ship tour, or a beverage tasting, or any of the myriad of things available for adults on the cruise. If you're bored, it's your own fault!

3) Speaking of experiences...sign up for a Mixology or Wine / Beer tasting class.
If you like a cocktail or glass of beer, be sure and sign up for one of the many mixology / tasting classes they have on the ship during your cruise.  Your daily Navigator will have more information about where to sign up - make sure to check it out the first day, as space is limited!  I've done both the mixology and wine tastings and both were a lot of fun.  There's also usually a fun group of people at these classes, too, and the nature of the class often leads to conversations and interactions with your fellow passengers.

4) Relax like it's your job.
Let's be honest - one of the primary joys of cruising is doing NOTHING. As in, grabbing your book, an umbrella beverage and taking up residence on a deck chair.  Or falling asleep on said deck chair.  Ahem. Not that I did any such thing, of course.  But seriously - RELAX!  Enjoy it.  Kick back.  Have NO schedule. Sleep until noon if you want.  Live a life of a lady (or gentleman) of leisure, even for a few days. 

5) Chat with the cast members.
One of my favorite memories of this cruise is sitting at Pink (one of the cocktail lounges on the Dream) after dinner one night, and having a fun hour+ chat with Ricardo, the bartender.  Assuming your chatting with them isn't taking them away from their job duties, most cast members are more than willing to stop and speak with you for at least a few minutes.  Not only did I have a fun night, I now have a DCL friend who I will hopefully see again in January.

If you've cruised solo, what are your favorite things about cruising by yourself?

Have a magical day!