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

[havaneselover]

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.

I think it's a bit less crowded and calmer. Also maybe more/fancier food options (like steak) served for lunch. The regular lunch on CC is excellent IMO though.

 

[mmmears]

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.

It really is. And uncrowded, too (or at least it was when I spent the day there). Plus the lunch place there is also much quieter.

 

[kidsfirsttrip]

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.

We were in RCCL so I think it’s all the same. The problem with Magen’s bay is now that the island had so much hurricane damage there aren’t as many places for the cruise ships to go to so it’s overcrowded and then the charge a fortune for the umbrellas, chairs,etc. if you did the excursion via the cruise ship they pick you up right at the port. In St Thomas we just paid for a taxi and it was like $10 each (so $40 for all of us), plus you have to pay to get on the beach, and then for the chairs, etc. then a ride back. But it still came out less than booking through the ship! And we didn’t have a ton of time at st Thomas so look to see how long you’d be there. Look at the UR portal and see if something works with your times. I know RCLL stays on “ship” time and the excursions on the portal are island time so keep that in mind not sure what Disney does

 

[LuckyMamaInDE]

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.

Same here---youngest dd (19) didn't get her license at all (she says she'll likely be living/working in cities with transit or will use ride share). My niece (21) hasn't really driven since she got her license because she doesn't want the responsibility nor does she want to pay the cost of maintaining a car. We do live in a small city/large university town that is walkable, bike-able, has transit, and has Lyft/Uber in abundance. My nephew (19) only drove to get to/from his internship this summer and doesn't drive at all otherwise.

 

[Limes96]

We’re buying a car tomorrow for DD16 to drive. Since she got her license a little over a month ago she’s been driving an ancient little Honda CR-V. We found her a 2010 Accord in really good shape. It will be much safer and more reliable. We’re rural, so not many options for getting around without a drivers license. Most of the kids in her class are getting their license ASAP. Permit at 15-1/2, license at 16.

 

[Haley R]

I think it's a bit less crowded and calmer. Also maybe more/fancier food options (like steak) served for lunch. The regular lunch on CC is excellent IMO though.

Is the regular lunch included?

 

[mmmears]

Same here---youngest dd (19) didn't get her license at all (she says she'll likely be living/working in cities with transit or will use ride share). My niece (21) hasn't really driven since she got her license because she doesn't want the responsibility nor does she want to pay the cost of maintaining a car. We do live in a small city/large university town that is walkable, bike-able, has transit, and has Lyft/Uber in abundance. My nephew (19) only drove to get to/from his internship this summer and doesn't drive at all otherwise.

Yep. DD and her friends figured if they couldn't get there by train, it wasn't worth getting there. And then her college was just outside a large city, with great transportation to/from it. And now, in Norway, the transportation is fantastic and I actually saw very few private cars in the city center. DD hopes she doesn't need to buy a car until she's 30.

 

[wanderlust7]

What did the chicken of the seaever do to you? [Did not realize that was an actual different brand of canned tuna!]

You just reminded me I need to make a claim in the Yahoo breach settlement!

Apparently, they underfilled their cans!

Those of you that have been on a Disney Cruise to Tortola, St. Thomas, and Castaway Cay........what were your favorite excursions and why? We are finally going to start planning a little more for our cruise in November and I was curious. Are Tortola and St. Thomas easy to just walk around on our own or should we stick with excursions?

Another question....when you book excursions do you go through Disney or another company?

We went to St. Thomas and Tortola as a land trip some years ago. Favorite parts were St. John from St. Thomas and the Baths from Tortola. The snorkeling at Norman Island and the Indians (catamaran trip) from Tortola was awesome too.

 

[DisneyMandC]

This is actually a thing. There are lots of reasons, I think, for this. Main reason might be insurance. It’s ridiculous to add teens. Ours doubled when we added our dd19 when she was 17yo. Add a boy at 16yo and you need a second job!

Lol I could totally get this if I didn't know the parents weren't worried about the cost, but it was literally just a matter of the boys not wanting to take the test. Baffling.

 

[CyndiLouWho]

No scotcheroos are rice crispies mixed with peanut butter and you put melted chocolate on top

Ok I don’t get where the “scotch” comes in. I just call them peanut butter crispy treats.

 

[amalone1013]

Is the regular lunch included?

Regular lunch on the island is. It's like burgers, hot dogs, chicken, steak, and mahi mahi (that's adult side only) plus drink station, cookies, soft serve ice cream, chips, and some different cold salads like potato salad.

 

[wanderlust7]

Is the regular lunch included?

Yup! Regular lunch or Serenity Bay lunch, all included. They have soft serve ice cream machines on the island too.

 

[wendow]

Lol I could totally get this if I didn't know the parents weren't worried about the cost, but it was literally just a matter of the boys not wanting to take the test. Baffling.

We’ve seen those teens too. Who are just really comfy having mom drive them around and are in no hurry to get their license.

 

[havaneselover]

Is the regular lunch included?

Yes!

 

[havaneselover]

We’ve seen those teens too. Who are just really comfy having mom drive them around and are in no hurry to get their license.

I’m glad neither of my kids likes me this much!

 

[wendow]

I’m glad neither of my kids likes me this much!

I can see my ds11 being this way. He’s my most clingy and a bit on the lazy side. Tells me often he isn’t interested in growing up

 

[CyndiLouWho]

I think our scotcheroos here in WI are a peanut butter/Rice Krispies/corn syrup with melted chocolate on top, and pickle roll ups are big here too. Always one of the first things gone at a party. Both so good!

A quick perusal of Pinterest shows scotcheroos and pb krispy treats to be pretty much the same although some recipes for scotcheroos have butterscotch chips and some recipes for PB krispies use marshmallow instead of corn syrup. I’ve never heard them called scotcheroos and I’ve lived in the Midwest my whole life. Who knew? Gotta say I’m not a huge fan of the fake butterscotch chips.

This will be me too! My kids better like me in my old age cause I'll be around My mom lived close to us for 12 years and didn't go to her grandkids performances or games either. Now she lives back in TX. She did go to stuff when she was visiting last week but that is cause she had no choice. Either tag along or be left at home alone lol....My dh's parents live in TX and have only visited a handful of times in the 20 years we've lived in CO. And they've really only come out at Christmas, when there is nothing like that going on so they've never seen anything. It's sad for my kids to have friends whose grandparents travel from out-of-state for their big performances and yet neither of their grandparents really care. It is what it is though. I will not be that type of grandparent!!

My sister rarely invites anyone to her kids performances/sporting events so no one has a chance. I’ve only seen older niece diving because she needed a ride. She’s quite good and took 1st at the meet I saw. We were all invited to younger niece’s Little Mermaid performances last weekend. My sister bought tickets for our whole family, but that’s gonna get ugly quick when family is invited to one kid’s performances but not the other kids’

How do you make your walking tacos? I'm all about making healthier versions of yummy foods!

I use ground turkey, usually sneak in some veg (like finely chopped peppers and zucchini or shredded carrots because DS hates veggies) and add black beans for fiber. If I’m splurging, I go with Fritos, but for healthy I use baked Baked Tostitos Scoops. We skip most of the toppings except veggies (for everyone but DS, lol) and cheese (DSs favorite). I like chopped tomatoes, onions and jalapeños. DS is cheese only. He’s killin’ me.

 

[CyndiLouWho]

My Serve transfer posted officially finally! I can see it both places now (Serve and bank) instead of neither. I was fine until it dropped off the Serve ledger yesterday

My serve transfer posted this morning as well

My first few lagged a bit and at least once disappeared completely before appearing in my checking account. I did a transfer last night and it is in my checking account already. Crazy inconsistent

 

[wendow]

My sister rarely invites anyone to her kids performances/sporting events so no one has a chance. I’ve only seen older niece diving because she needed a ride. She’s quite good and took 1st at the meet I saw. We were all invited to younger niece’s Little Mermaid performances last weekend. My sister bought tickets for our whole family, but that’s gonna get ugly quick when family is invited to one kid’s performances but not the other kids’

I use ground turkey, usually sneak in some veg (like finely chopped peppers and zucchini or shredded carrots because DS hates veggies) and add black beans for fiber. If I’m splurging, I go with Fritos, but for healthy I use baked Baked Tostitos Scoops. We skip most of the toppings except veggies (for everyone but DS, lol) and cheese (DSs favorite). I like chopped tomatoes, onions and jalapeños. DS is cheese only. He’s killin’ me.

That’s really sad about your sis not inviting others!
I make my walking tacos similar except I don’t use ground turkey. It wigs me out But I use black beans and lots veggies. We don’t use much dairy either.

 

[WVMomof3]

Lol I could totally get this if I didn't know the parents weren't worried about the cost, but it was literally just a matter of the boys not wanting to take the test. Baffling.

I also know a lot of kids that just didn't want them or waited a long time. It does seem weird. Where I grew up, we could get our driver's license at 15!! Which seems bonkers to me now! I don't think I knew anyone that did not get their licence the day they turned 15. We did have a lot of teen car fatalities. But I think the reason a lot of them don't want them now is because they don't need to leave the house to hang with friends. They have their phones/computers/xboxes etc and their friends can play games with them, have group talks, etc all without ever leaving the house. Even if they are active in things, who doesn't loved to get chauffeured around. Extra time on their phone if they are in the passenger seat. lol