I love credit cards so much! v2.0 (see first page for add'l details)

[havaneselover]

Am I the only one completed disgusted by chunks in my yogurt? It makes me gag

I’m complete disgusted by yogurt in general.

 

[havaneselover]

Agree with you on the 40k car...my kids each drove our used car until they could afford to buy one....
My brother on the other hand just leased a Mercedes sports car for his 20 year old son who just got his license....and the kid isn’t going to college or working

My brother gave his 19 year old his Mercedes convertible for college because my nephew’s Jeep wasn’t safe enough??? And my brother is not rolling in dough. Spends a ridiculous share of his income on car payments.

 

[Haley R]

Tree Limin’ zipline is awesome. In Tortola we went to the Baths. My son hated it but most people love it.

Thanks for your response. I'll look at the Baths. I think I saw them on the list. Did you book it through Disney? What did your son not like about it? Unfortunately, I can't do the zip line

 

[havaneselover]

Thanks for your response. I'll look at the Baths. I think I saw them on the list. Did you book it through Disney? What did your son not like about it? Unfortunately, I can't do the zip line

He was only 11 and was a little claustrophobic. It was also August and super hot. It’s super neat though but virgin gorda is pretty undeveloped.

And yes we went through Disney.

 

[brownhaired_girl]

On the other hand, it's amazing to me today how many teenagers delay getting their license. My nephew was almost 18 when he got his, and my BIL was almost 19. My MIL finally had to tell my BIL she would not be driving him to community college everyday and he needed to get a license. I'm pretty sure if I hadn't gotten my license the day I could, my mom would have been like "well... guess you're not going anywhere anymore"

In MN the legal driving age is 16. DD was able to get her “farm” license at 15. This was for “farm” needs within 10 miles from home. I’m not quite sure 20 miles for ski practice counted

 

[Haley R]

He was only 11 and was a little claustrophobic. It was also August and super hot. It’s super neat though but virgin gorda is pretty undeveloped.

And yes we went through Disney.

I haven't looked into it at all. What was he claustrophobic about? I don't get claustrophobic so it shouldn't be a problem. Did you go to St. Thomas, too? I'm thinking about doing the package at CC that includes the snorkeling gear, 1 hr bike rental, and tubes

 

[kidsfirsttrip]

View attachment 436495

Oooooh they know I've been looking! This one doesn't have all the Diamond goodies though!

I really have a feeling AMEX is going to eventually get me.

How long have you had the no fee Hilton for?

I'm not sure the TKTS booth is what it used to be. In recent years, I've done a lot better by using broadway box or playbill discount codes, easily found using google. TKTS might have saved me an extra $10 per ticket, but they were invariably worse seats, and the time investment just isn't worth it.

I've also used Chase UR to purchase broadway tix from their travel portal at 1.5 cents/point with CSR, but only for shows that don't have discounts available online. Got great seats for Hadestown and Dear Evan Hansen this way.

I agree I got a great deal on Lion King tix and the seats and prices were great via the UR portal. TKTS now has an app so I think it may be easier to know what’s available, etc

Any suggestions for Boston hotels? Hoping to do touristy things and Gillette Stadium. The stadium is so far out of town, would love to hear suggestions!

Gillette is a good 45min from the city. I’d plan to rent a car for the day and drive out there. Be wary that rush hour traffic is a nightmare so don’t go between 6-9am or return between 4-7pm. There are tons of restaurants and activities to keep you busy there at dinner time. There is also outlets in Wrentham right near Gillette you could check out if that’s your thing.
Not sure what you have for points but I’ve stayed in a lot of different hotels in the city. If you want to be close (walking distance) to most attractions I really like the Hilton Boston downtown/Faneuil hall. You can walk to the North End, Faneuil Hall and do a lot of the touristy stuff easily. Boston is so small and parkings a fortune id just Uber everywhere that’s further or take the T. There is a Hyatt I’ve stayed at close to the Hilton that was really nice too and good location but a little bit seedier as it touches Chinatown but i felt safe and it was nice and clean.
I also love The seaport district - close to the airport and lots to see and do right there but a bit further from some other parts of the city but again a quick Uber ride at the right times. The Seaport Hotel (on UR portal)i just stayed at is so nice and tons of great restaurants. There is a Residence Inn in seaport district with not bad redemption rates and free breakfast. Might want to check that out i think @GZanta77 just did a week there.
I just stayed at the Fenway Residence Inn but I think the point value went up. In another part of the city, but again not to far from all that you’d want to do and see

 

[palhockeymomof2]

My brother gave his 19 year old his Mercedes convertible for college because my nephew’s Jeep wasn’t safe enough??? And my brother is not rolling in dough. Spends a ridiculous share of his income on car payments.

I think my brother is crazy...they do have a lot of money but he’s not teaching his 2 boys anything by giving them a credit card at 13 and letting them buy expensive stuff Burberry, Louis Vuitton etc .... why would the kid get a job when he can buy whatever he wants without paying for it
They “joke” that’s he’s never moving out...

 

[kidsfirsttrip]

@Haley R we did St Thomas on our cruise. The island still has a ton of damage from hurricane matthew. We went to Maegans bay and it was crowded and kind of a rip off. I’d look for a different excursion than that. I really wanted to find a hotel we could use for the day the beaches and facilities- we did that in St Maartin and it was awesome. A lot of hotels hadn’t reopened yet in St. Thomas but maybe by now you’ll have better luck

 

[afan]

Just got $2.38 via Paypal for the StarKist Tuna settlement. Guess I must have filed a claim some years ago. Whohoo, lol.

I hope that means my free product coupons should be coming because that's what I opted for. We eat a lot of tuna and I figured I'd come out better with them than the cash.

 

[tink1970]

Speaking of Boston, when I was trying to get DD to commit to when she was coming home for Christmas (flying out of BOS) she tried to convince me it would be cheaper for her to fly home on a Sat or Sun because the train tickets are only $5 from Worcester. Since her dorm closes on Wednesday, I had a hard time believing weekday train tickets cost more than 3 nights worth of a hotel...but a good try, my dear. It's amazing how frugal she is when it's "her" money she's spending versus mine.

 

[vanjust14]

Agree with you on the 40k car...my kids each drove our used car until they could afford to buy one....
My brother on the other hand just leased a Mercedes sports car for his 20 year old son who just got his license....and the kid isn’t going to college or working

My almost 21 DS bought his first car, a 77 Corvette, with his own money. Now he wants a 2020 Corvette or a 2020 Camaro! It is his own money but I blame myself because I pay for all food, charge no rent, buy his clothes, etc. Now I'm like, ummm, if you can afford a car like that then you should be helping your mom out!

 

[Haley R]

@Haley R we did St Thomas on our cruise. The island still has a ton of damage from hurricane matthew. We went to Maegans bay and it was crowded and kind of a rip off. I’d look for a different excursion than that. I really wanted to find a hotel we could use for the day the beaches and facilities- we did that in St Maartin and it was awesome. A lot of hotels hadn’t reopened yet in St. Thomas but maybe by now you’ll have better luck

Thanks for telling me about Magens Bay. That was actually one of the excursions on my list. I added a note that it might not be one we want to do. When you do an excursion through Disney do you usually get picked up right from where you get off the ship? A lot of them have "open air safaris" and I'm wondering if we need our own transportation to get there.

 

[mmmears]

On the other hand, it's amazing to me today how many teenagers delay getting their license. My nephew was almost 18 when he got his, and my BIL was almost 19. My MIL finally had to tell my BIL she would not be driving him to community college everyday and he needed to get a license. I'm pretty sure if I hadn't gotten my license the day I could, my mom would have been like "well... guess you're not going anywhere anymore"

It's real. DD got her license (because DH made her LOL) but didn't want to drive alone. About half of her friends didn't get theirs until after they graduated from HS. One still doesn't have hers. Most of these kids were very accomplished students with lots of extra-curricular activities and they had no time or inclination to learn to drive. DD was happy having one of us chauffeur her around for years. It's not uncommon, and in our area, it has nothing to do with the insurance or availability of cars. They just aren't interested. DH kept talking about how everyone went to the DMV on their 16th birthday so they could get their licenses as soon as possible, and most of the kids he told this to just couldn't understand it.

 

[snugglebug]

My favorite activity of the fall used to be colorcoding my calendar. Each kid (and adult) got a different color. I miss my crazy colorful calendar days.

Color coding saved me! That one year all four were in sports, luckily DD was driving and we had a car for her, I created a car schedule so the three drivers knew where they were going and who they were taking each day.

 

[Judique]

Filled my gas tank with my $1 off fuel today at the Safeway gas bar. Bought a couple of gift cards yesterday and only 1200 points credited. Called the number on the receipt and they fixed it to the 1600 instantly. Got to the gas bar and it said 2.34.9. Filled up my tank and had to put a couple gallons in my can for my lawn mower, as I was out of lawn mower gas. At some point while I was pumping I noticed that it said 1.41.9 on the gas pump. Went inside and asked for a refund of 1.75. The young man said he had already had about six complaints. He refunded me after a little help with the math - the fraction was throwing him. And Costco was 2.25 so not sure why the big difference as it is usually very close in price.

 

[havaneselover]

I haven't looked into it at all. What was he claustrophobic about? I don't get claustrophobic so it shouldn't be a problem. Did you go to St. Thomas, too? I'm thinking about doing the package at CC that includes the snorkeling gear, 1 hr bike rental, and tubes

You're sort of walking through caves.

We may have wondered around last time. The previous time we went to Magens Bay. Completely serene. Highly recommend it. I'm sort of in the camp of once you wonder around one cruise port you've seen them all.
ETA--I see kidsfirsttrip didn't love it. I will say this was 10 years ago. But seriously it was gorgeous and so calm.

And I hope you enjoy Serenity Bay at CC. I've never been since I'm always with my kids but I've heard it is great. We always do tubes. I'd love to do bikes. I have heard the water tricycles are less fun than they look.

 

[Haley R]

We may have wondered around last time. The previous time we went to Magens Bay. Completely serene. Highly recommend it. I'm sort of in the camp of once you wonder around one cruise port you've seen them all.

And I hope you enjoy Serenity Bay at CC. I've never been since I'm always with my kids but I've heard it is great. We always do tubes. I'd love to do bikes. I have heard the water tricycles are less fun than they look.

I typed up a bunch of our options and when Dh has time we will probably look through them together. Thanks for you help and suggestions! This is our first cruise ever so it'll be a fun new experience.

Is Serenity Bay really that much quieter? I really won't care either way if we use the main beach or not. I'm sure we'll wander over to the adult only just to see it anyway. I'm pretty excited to rent bikes. I love bike riding! I will pass on the water tricycles. Dh would think it's stupid lol. I think the snorkeling should be fun, too.

 

[amalone1013]

Is Serenity Bay really that much quieter? I really won't care either way if we use the main beach or not. I'm sure we'll wander over to the adult only just to see it anyway.

Oh, yes, it is It's our preference!

 

[havaneselover]

Thanks for telling me about Magens Bay. That was actually one of the excursions on my list. I added a note that it might not be one we want to do. When you do an excursion through Disney do you usually get picked up right from where you get off the ship? A lot of them have "open air safaris" and I'm wondering if we need our own transportation to get there.

Disney has you meet somewhere on the ship then a CM hands you off generally (I'm not sure if they ever go with you). Anyway, transportation will be provided from the port.