After a few delays (including COVID) we are booked on my birthday,  graduation (and anniversary) present of a 12 NIght Hong Kong, Japan & Vietnam cruise!

We (rebooked) in 2022 & retain all the benefits of The Retreat before the 2024 changes.

Since booking, the cruise has undergone some changes, including an itinerary name change from "12 Night Northeast Asia Cruise."

, one of two with larger bathrooms (separate tub & shower) connected to the Penthouse Suite.

Since most of the cruise amenities were covered in our booking we decided to use the onboard credit towards the following excursions:

Day 1: Back Home Laundry Bag ($119.99 pp)

Day 2: Rabbit Hole Bourbon Tasting ($36.99 pp) -> 

Celebrity canceled on embarkment day. We were given 30% off if we booked another ship excursion.

Day 3: Independent Exploration: Saigon On Your Own ($53.99 pp)

Day 4: Destination Highlight: Nha Trang Countryside Biking ($203.99 pp) -> 

Celebrity canceled this in November 2024.

Day 6: Destination Highlight: Walking Tour of Old Hong Kong ($58.99 pp) - >

 rebooked price dropped to $52.99 December 25, 2024

price dropped to $36.99 December 2024 | Rebooked & moved to Day 2 from Day 10. Price dropped 5 days out to $26.99, rebooked, and moved to Day 8.

Day 9: Small Group: Taipei Lifestyle ($150.99 pp) -> 

price increased to $168.99 December 25, 2024

Day 11: Small Group: Shochu Brewery & Tour ($151.99 pp) --> 

rebooked as the price dropped to $135.99 February 2025. Celebrity canceled on embarkment day. We were given 20% off if we booked another excursion.

We currently have a balance of $148.12 and I am unsure how to allocate it. Current options are:

Celebrity Retreat: 12 Night Hong Kong, Japan & Vietnam Pre-Cruise Story

Day trips are a great way to explore, without tapping into resources, such as time off from work [PTO], or money [hotels are expensive], while still exploring new places.

Day trips are as they sound: a one-day trip. Catch the first flight out (usually around 6 am) to reach the city by 10 am. Once you land, hit the ground running & explore all the sights & sounds, then grab a flight home that night (around 8 pm) & sleep in your own bed.

, and New York. We are currently planning day trips to Atlanta, Denver, Savannah, and Nashville. Stay tuned for details.

When planning a day trip, it is best NOT to have a specific destination or date of travel. The point of a day trip is to visit a different city, does it matter which city? Make a list of your five top places to visit & search Saturday flights over the course of three months. Also, create a list of cities in your home state that you want to visit.

Obviously, you can travel anywhere with enough money. The point of a day trip is to SAVE money. Our budget for day trips is $500, which includes flights, transportation, meals, and entertainment. For road trips, our budget is $250, which includes gas, meals, and entertainment.

When it comes to flights, make sure to search for one-way tickets. Sometimes you can find better deals by booking tickets on different airlines.

Here are some of my favorite websites to search for cheap flights:

Parking at Fort Lauderdale and Miami International Airport is $15 a day. For day trips, we normally skip the park & ride and take a Lyft to/from the airport. This way, if tickets are cheaper from Fort Lauderdale, but return to Miami, we do not have to worry about our car.

Since you have limited time in the city, it is best to plan activities prior to arrival. For day trips, decide on five things to see, and three places to eat. Identify all the stops, to map out the best route. It is better to have more activities planned and run out of time than scrambling to fill the last 2 hours.

Here was our itinerary for our day trip to Chicago.

Vacations are not limited to two one-week trips per year. Every weekend is an opportunity to explore new cities & immerse yourself in new cultures. Where will you travel this month?

Day Trip Tips: How to Travel More Without Breaking the Bank  ( new)

One tip I use to save money for travel plans is to continuously check my bookings prior to the travel date to see if the rate changes & rebook where possible. I have been able to save $200 per night on a hotel stay by taking a few moments to check hotel rates weeks leading up to the stay. 

Note: this only works for trips booked directly with the hotel/airline. 

Prior to COVID airlines charged a $200 change fee, plus the fare difference to make changes to non-refundable flight reservations. However, in 2020 airlines removed the $200 change fee and fingers crossed it stays removed. (Note: many airlines have stated they have permanently done away with the change fee, however, I personally raise an eyebrow in disbelief at the in-perpetuity element).

. I will enter the hotel name and the dates of my stay and search to see if the published rate is lower than the booked rate. 

Google.com/hotels's lowest rate may not be the direct hotel rate 

(sometimes the lowest rate is if you book through third parties like TripAdvisor or Hotels.com). When this happens, where possible search on the hotel's website instead.

Some hotels offer a calendar showing the cash rate, where possible I will use this over Googling.

For hotel award rates, I normally search the hotel's website. Marriott and Hilton have an accurate calendar feature, while Hyatt's calendar feature is just an award estimate. A few times the Hyatt award rate reflected is less than the actual, so I tend not to rely on this too much.

Here's an example of Marriott's calendar for JW Marriott Miami for stays in June 2022.

I needed to book a two-night stay, using a 35k certificate (from my Marriott credit card) and points. When I originally booked, rates were 37,000 for the points night. Several weeks after booking, I logged into Marriott to check the points rate and noticed the night we booked was now 30,000. I went ahead and rebooked the stay (steps below) and received 7,000 points credited to my account. 

To rebook, you go to the "My Trips" tab in your Marriott account and select "View/Modify" for the reservation. Then select "Edit Room" which brings up "Your current booking" along with available rooms/rates. Once you find the room/rate you want, select "update" and then "confirm". The next screen will show you the amount (cash/points) to be refunded to your account.

Below are screenshots of our JW Marriott Miami reservation. You can see I saved 7,000 points simply by checking the hotel rates several weeks before our stay.

Some hotels do not allow rebooking reservations. Where rebooking is unavailable, I cancel the reservation 

 I book the new reservation at the lower rate. 

Also, Marriott (as well as other chains) has a 

Our Best Rate Guarantee states we will always have the lowest rates through official Marriott Reservation Channels (Marriott Website, Marriott App, Customer Engagement Centers, or directly with a Hotel):

If you find a lower rate for the same room, let us know by submitting a 

If the lower rate qualifies, we'll match the lower rate and give you an additional 25% discount on the Room < (20% for Design Hotels branded properties) or 5,000 Marriott Bonvoy® Points

I've used this guarantee once when in Seattle and it was a HASSLE, at check-in, to get the front desk agent to honor the lower rate. I had printed the rate to show them and showed them the rate in the app & it was still a 15-minute exchange.

I have found it is easier, to check the hotels frequently before check-in and rebook when the rate drops than to argue a hotel's policy with a front desk agent.

For airline cash rates, I normally search 

TIP: I always search for flights in Incognito.

 I've read that airlines use the search history to incrementally increase the prices of the needed flight. Have I confirmed this? Not really. However, I'd rather not discover the validity through my wallet. 

I will enter the airport/city to and from the information along with the dates needed and then search to see if the published rate is lower than the booked rate. In a similar process, if I find a lower rate for a booked reservation, I will then go to the airline website and rebook the flight. 

Note: Southwest rates are not listed on Google.com/flights. Nevertheless, it is one of the easiest airlines to check if a flight price has changed. 

To check Southwest flights, log in and select "My Account" in the upper right-hand corner. Select "Change Flight" for the flight you wish to check; you can go through the process and exit prior to confirmation. Select the checkbox for the flight(s) under your reservation you wish to change. Then you can change the departing/arriving airport and dates (or not, if you want to maintain the reservation information) and click "Explore Options". A table will populate that will show the +/- cost associated with the change. 

Below is an example of the price table with the possible flight changes and their associated cost.

Hotel and flight prices fluctuate over time. Weeks leading up to your trip, check your flight and hotel reservations to see if the price has decreased, to try and save some money. Who knows, a quick 5-minute search might save you up to $100.

Book Once, Check Twice | How To Save Money Booking Flights and Hotels

We were flying into Los Angeles Airport (LAX) for Memorial Day weekend and needed a car. On March 31, after making the flight and hotel reservations, I looked to Hertz for a 4-day rental. I booked a cheapish car (Medium Sedan Group C) and kept my fingers crossed that my Hertz Five Star status would provide me a nice upgrade upon arrival.

In all honesty, I had forgotten about Hertz adding 

When we landed at LAX, we hopped on the Hertz shuttle bus and headed for the rental car center. Upon arrival, my name was on the board (as expected), however, I was listed as President's Circle (Hertz's highest tier), rather than my actual Five Star status. I walked up to the woman on the board, Karen, pointing to my name and asking for the President's Circle lot. Karen directed me to stalls to the right noting the "President Circle" signage overhead. 

I walked through the three rows of cars, looking for a hybrid vehicle. This was California, the land where gas prices were exceeding $7. Our plans had us driving 130 miles to our destination in the San Jacinto mountains, and a hybrid car would help us stretch every gas dollar. As I walked I noticed several rows of Tesla Model 3s and Model Ys, which jogged my memory of Hertz electrifying its fleet. After not finding any hybrid vehicles on the lot, Kenny started searching for which car, in the three rows of "Presidential Circle" vehicles had the best gas mileage, while I walked back over to Karen for some help.

I approached Karen and asked if there were any hybrid cars on the lot, not in "President's Circle". She stated they had several yesterday and told me to walk with her while she tried to find us one. After walking the Five Star and Gold member rows, Karen sheepishly stated "There were so many yesterday, we were just giving them away". She started to walk back to the office to check the inventory when I asked "How much to rent the Tesla", to which she responded "$150". Karen did not append the statement with "per day" or "for your total rental period", so I knew more questions were necessary. 

When we arrived at the stand located outside the office, Karen asked Annie "She wants to know how much to rent a Tesla?" to which Annie responded "$40 a day". 

Karen followed up with "any model" to which Annie responded, "for her, yes, any model". 

I quickly called Kenny who was still searching best gas mileage to see if he was ok with the upgrade. Kenny was onboard & we started the process. 

Karen started walking back to the Tesla stalls and I followed closely. She asked, "do you want a Model 3 or a Model Y"?

Karen stated "OK, get the Model Y, it has better range"

Karen inquired "what color do you want, red, blue, white?"

I responded "red" while whipping my hair to show my fire engine red tips.

Karen walked back to Annie and told her "she wants the Red Model Y in 222".

I gave Annie my driver's license and she started typing on the computer. Annie yelled for Karen, who had walked into the office, "Check to make sure 222 is a Model Y". Karen emerged with two bottles of water, handed them to me saying "Take these for the drive" and then walked off to check that stall 222 was indeed a red Model Y. Moments later she returned confirming that 222 was a red Model Y.

I started to pull out my credit card to hand to Annie for the charge. She scoffed and stated, "Don't need it, credit card information is in your account." Moments later I received a text alert from my credit card about the charge and laughed saying to Annie "Ah, yup, the charge just came in."

By this point, I had texted Kenny to come over and he was standing behind me. After Annie handed me the reservation booklet, Karen walked us over to the car.

We drove the car around the mountain town for three days before returning it to LAX, not having to charge it again. Upon return, the car was at 52% state of charge. 

I have been renting from Hertz for several years and this was by far the best experience to date. The staff was phenomenal and the upgrade was unheard of, for $75 a day we were able to rent a Red Tesla Model Y and we enjoyed every moment of it.

Renting a Tesla Model Y From Hertz

Some credit card online portals have an offers page that gives you cash back for specific purchases. I have seen offers on the Capital One site (remember the Samuel L. Jackson liking fondue commercial), Chase Sapphire as well as American Express.

I recently signed up for the American Express Platinum card and have noticed several hotel offers. 

Many of the offers are 20% off a stay (either $50, $60, or $100 off room rate and room charges). Here are  current (as of June 2022) American Express Membership offers. I thought it would be fun to see how many of the deals I can use before their expiration.

: spend $250 or more, get $50 back. Expires 6/30/2022.

 spend $250 or more, get $50 back. Expires 6/30/2022.

 spend $100 or more, get $20 back. Expires 6/30/2022.

 spend $500 or more, get $100 back. Expires 6/30/2022.

 spend $500 or more, get $100 back. Expires 7/15/2022.

 spend $750 or more, get $150 back. Expires at 7/17/2022.

 spend $300 or more, get $60 back. Expires 7/31/22.

 spend $500 or more, get $100 back. Expires 7/31/2022.

TL:DR: Many hotel chains have offers in the American Express Membership portal. They are listed above and the goal is to see how many of the hotel cashback offers we can earn before their expiration date.

American Express Hotel Membership Rewards Offer Challenge

In December 2021, I used my $200 Fine Hotels + Resorts to book a two-night stay at the Conrad Las Vegas at Resorts World for Memorial Day weekend 2022. At the beginning of May 2022, I started seeing blog posts (by LoyaltyLobby, OneMileAtATime & others) noting that Delano & Conrad hotels were both removed from FHR. 

   Based on this change, I started checking my Amex account

and email for a notification about a change in our reservation. Today I received an email about our upcoming stay and I noticed the $125 experience credit originally listed was now listed as $100.

I reached out to Amex via chat to confirm the change. The agent confirmed the experience credit was listed as $100 on their side. They also noted some restrictions on where the credit could be used:

As per checking, it is a $100 Property Credit. Inclusions: $100 F&B credit applicable at Famous Foods street eats, Kusa Nori, Genting Palace, Alle Lounge on 66, Wally's, Craig's vegan, Redtail, Fuhu, Dawg House, Starbucks, Mulberry Pizza, The Kitchen, Sun's Out Bun's Out. Restrictions: The Resort Experience Credit is not eligible for use at on-the-fly room service, Eight Lounge, Carversteak, Caviar Bar, Tacos El Cabron, Brezza Restaurant, Bar Zazu & Tiger Sugar.

We will see what happens when we check-in. More to come.

We've returned from our stay at Resorts World. 

Daily breakfast for two ($33 per person in the Kitchen)

Guaranteed 4 pm Late Check-out: 4 pm check-out. $80 for 6 pm check-out

We spent the night prior at the Hilton. At 6 am on the morning of check-in, we inquired about an early check-in. Devin, the front desk agent, was very helpful with getting everything booked under FHR applied to our reservation. I asked Devin if the experience credit was $100 or $125, and he said the paper stated it was $125 so to go with $125. In the end, our experience credit totaled $110. Here are the charges for our two-night stay: 

We missed out on a $66 credit at the Kitchen as it closed early (12 pm vs 3 pm) on May 31.

Overall, it was definitely a good credit stay.

Conrad Las Vegas at Resorts World | Amex Fine Hotels & Resorts

In the past, my travel was determined by the lowest price on any airline as well as the cheapest 4-star hotel on Hotel.com. Over the years I have slowly started to see the benefit of travel "loyalty" which has led me to a few elite statuses.

Before the pandemic, I would travel for work and mainly flew American Airlines and stayed in Marriott hotels. In 2018 I attained Marriott Silver through hotel stays before opening the SPG Credit Card from American Express Card/Marriott Amex Bonvoy credit card (no longer available). The card came with 15 elite nights, which coupled with my 12 stays in 2019, pushed me into Gold status (25-night stay requirement). 

When the pandemic began in March 2020, Marriott extended members' statuses until 2022, along with awarding them half the nights necessary to maintain the status they held in 2019. With my credit card's 15 elite nights, along with the 13 promotional bonus nights, I met the requirement to maintain Gold for 2021 without having to spend 1 night in a hotel. Marriott has subsequently extended member statuses (again) to February 2023.

How did I do it? A bit of promotion double dipping of airline and hotel promotions. Here how's I earned Hyatt Globalist & AA Platinum Pro.

In 2020 I was interested in trying out Hyatt's "Work From Hyatt" program, which at their all-inclusive Ziva/Zilara's came with an extensive list of extras for around $300 per room per night. Unbeknownst to me, our 18-night stay at the 

 would put me over halfway towards earning Hyatt Globalist in 2021 under the reduced 30-night stay requirement. 

Promotion 1: Hyatt reduced the requirement to earn status by 50% (30 nights for Globalist)

Promotion 2: Jan - Feb 28, 2021, Bonus Journeys resulting in double elite nights.

Feb 2021: 6 nights (counted as 12 nights)

By late February 2021, I was a Hyatt Globalist! With my new elite status, I started planning future 2021 Hyatt stays.

In August 2021, after linking my Hyatt and American Airlines accounts, an offer to fast-track Platinum Pro (for Hyatt Globalists) was in my account. This 90-day promotion required 2k spend (EQD) & 40k miles (EQM). I started looking for transcontinental flights & booked two roundtrip flights to Miami (from LAX). Several other last-minute flights pushed me over the threshold, 60 days into the 90-day challenge.

Excited to head into 2022 & see what other promotions await for elite status.

How I Earned  Elite Status in 2021

For our 6 am flight, after clearing TSA, we walked to the Escape Lounge, an American Express Centurion Studio Partner located in the Reno-Tahoe International Airport.

Description from the website notes "Escape Lounges - The Centurion® Studio Partner at Reno-Tahoe International Airport offers fresh dining and friendly bar vibes for all sorts of travelers. Whether you’re on the go with your family or visiting solo, our lounge is here to help you relax and unwind away from the hustle and bustle of the busy terminals. Grab a magazine or a book, a bite to eat, and a beverage, and let our friendly staff welcome you to Reno." Access is free for Amex Platinum & Delta Skymiles Reserve card members or $45 as a walk-up.

Upon entering the attendant checked my Amex Platinum Card & then asked which flight I was on. She stated the buffet was open & welcomed us in.

The buffet was small, filled with an assortment of fruit, boiled eggs, oatmeal, quiche, french toast, prepackaged muffins, cereals & cookies.

There's an espresso machine, along with an assortment of sodas in the fridge & orange juice in a glass container next to the tea satchels.

We grabbed a smoothie, boiled egg, oatmeal & a bowl of fruit then settled into a pair of oversized purple chairs close to the bar.

The bartender, during the early AM, doubles as the lounge busser, collecting dishes from patrons & regularly sanitizing the tables.

The lounge has two televisions, along with multiple power outlets.

The Escape Lounge in the Reno-Tahoe International Airport is a great place to grab a bite to eat before your flight. While the lounge is small, the staff is friendly & the space is clean.

Escape Lounge - The Century Studio Partner | Reno-Tahoe Int'l Airport

August in South Florida means it is time for 

. During Miami Spice, high-end restaurants offer a prix fixe brunch, lunch, and/or dinner menu. There are over 200 restaurants participating, and on Saturday I went to 

I made a reservation for 630pm EST and upon arrival, to an almost empty restaurant, was promptly seated. My waiter, Alex, came by & provided the menu & then the specials. I asked for the Miami Spice Menu, which he left to retrieve.

For $39 you choose one appetizer (normally soup or salad), one entree with a side, and one dessert. I chose the Caesar salad, the 6oz filet (medium) with Lyonnaise potatoes, and the Morton’s Hot Chocolate Cake, which is a $6 upcharge.

Reading the reviews, the downfall of this restaurant is in the price. For Miami Spice, the price point is right, as it cost $50 (food + tax) for my Miami Spice meal. In comparison, without Miami Spice, the total cost would have been $52 for the salad and steak, $2 more without a dessert.

Another downfall is the 3% mandatory surcharge. On my check, I noticed it said “

Due to the rising cost of doing business in this location, including the cost associated with higher minimum wage rates, a 3% surcharge has been added to your bill

“. This was not listed in the menu nor explained by the staff, so it came as an unpleasant surprise. While not a deal breaker on a $50 Miami Spice meal, at regular prices, the 3% could leave a bad taste.

Overall, it was a great experience. While I was hesitant to come based on their 2.5 Yelp rating, I had a 4-star experience. The staff was very attentive, always filling water glasses & clearing plates of the finished food. The food was delicious: the salad was crisp, the steak was tender & the cake was warm & crunchy. However, knowing their price structure, I would not come back.

Have you been to Morton’s? Have you tried Miami Spice? Did you have a good experience?

I will be eating my way through Miami Spice 2017, so there will be a new post each week. Sign up for our newsletter to get notifications.

Morton’s North Miami Beach Steakhouse – Miami Spice 2017 Review

One of the best ways to see a city, on a budget, is to do a day trip. A day trip is when you fly in & fly out on the same day, so you don’t have to get a hotel room. Day trips are also a great way to travel, without having to use your vacation time at work. I love day trips, although I hate the necessary evil of early morning flights. 

I’ve always wanted to go to Chicago, it’s one of the cities I check (daily) on my Google Flights search. One morning, while browsing, I noticed $58 one-way tickets for several days in June, including Saturday. I quickly bought the tickets & started planning. One thing I have learned is that in order to maximize your time, it is best to plan your day. Make sure to itemize your time, including how will you get from Point A to B. You don’t want to over-plan your day or miss your flight because you didn’t plan properly.

Let’s see how we spent 11 hours in Chicago:

Our flight left on time & arrived 30 minutes early. However, the gate was occupied & 30 minutes were spent on the tarmac waiting for a new gate. Cost: $117

Whenever we go to cities, we try to take public transportation. It’s a cheap way to get around & it quickly immerses you in the local life. After we landed, we followed the airport signs for Chicago Transit Authority (CTA). It was about a 5-minute walk from Terminal 3 to the train.

We purchased two all-day passes ($10 each) from the kiosk & headed downstairs. There were three trains on the platform, we saw the “Board Here” sign next to the middle train, so we started to walk over & the doors closed! Drats, we thought we missed the train. The doors swung up quickly & without hesitation, we hopped on. Hooray! I was glad we got on since the next train from O’Hare was not leaving for 15 minutes. It was about 45 minutes from O’Hare to our Clark/Lake stop. Cost: $20

: O’Hare is the first stop, go to the middle of the train to find a seat. If you must stand, make sure you stand in the middle of the train, rather than near the doors, as the train fills up quickly.

Once we got off the train, we walked about 1/2 mile to the restaurant. This was a beautiful walk across the river.

Lunch at 3 Greens Market: We arrived at the restaurant minutes before 11. We proceeded to the coffee bar (to the right of the entrance) to grab a 12 oz almond milk latte & Doughnut Vault Pistachio Muffin. The latte was delicious, not too sweet or bitter, with just enough foam. The pistachio muffin was a sourdough donut of yumminess, sprinkled with coconut. I am upset, I only purchased one. Cost: $8

We placed our coffee bar items at a table in the cafe & then went to the salad bar. Food is by the pound, similar to Whole Foods. We went to the hot brunch bar & grabbed a bit of everything. Their Maple & Black Pepper Bacon was the best bacon I have ever had. I honestly contemplated getting a to-go box of their bacon, it was that good. Cost: $28

We left lunch around noon, & called a Lyft to take us to Adler Planetarium. We could have also taken CTA (Green/Orange from Clarke to Roosevelt, then taken 146 Museum Campus bus). Cost: $13

We purchased tickets through TravelZoo for $16 off their All-Access Pass (Admission + Unlimited Shows). We were planning on buying the Basic Pass (Admission + 1 Show) because we wanted to see “Planet Nine”. With the deal, we saw two shows (Planet Nine & Cosmic Wonder). The shows are around 30 minutes each. Both shows were amazing, and visually stimulating with tons of information. They were well worth the time. Make sure you get there 15 minutes early to get a good seat. For both shows, pick a seat in the middle & furthest back. Cost: $38

: The TravelZoo is valid for visits until June 15th. If you are an IL resident, Adler has Free admission from June 5-9, 2017.

Called a Lyft to take us to the New Nutella Store. I Googled ‘Chicago Nutella Cafe’ for the address & we took the Lyft to Eataly at 43 E Ohio St. However, this was not the correct address, as the Nutella Store is located at 189 N Michigan Ave. Cost: $10

 Nutella cafe, so we grabbed a small Pistachio & a small Lemon to ease our pain. Cost: $10

We walked the 1/2 mile to Lou Malnati’s. No way I come to Chicago & not have a deep-dish pizza.

When we arrived, the tables outside were full, but there were several two-seaters inside. We were promptly seated & looked over the menu. We ordered two personal pans: the “Lou” (add sausage) & Pepperoni. We arrived at a good time, as soon after we ordered, the lobby started to fill up. The pizzas came out in 30 minutes (our server quoted us 45 minutes before we ordered). The pepperoni was nice & smoky with a hint of spice. The Lou (

spinach mix, mushrooms, and sliced Roma tomatoes covered with a blend of mozzarella, romano, and cheddar cheese

) was also very good. The cheese blend was a great compliment to the spinach; the sausage was top-notch. Cost: $28 (food, tax + tip)

 We walked back over the River, to Clark/Lake CTA & grabbed the Blue Line back to O’Hare. Cost: $0 (s

: The forecast was overcast & rainy, but it was a perfect day. Ironically, the rain started, once we were on the plane headed home. Our flight left O’Hare at 830p & we landed in Miami 15 after midnight. Cost: $117

I am glad we finally visited Chicago! We did not do the River cruise or visit the observation deck, but it was a perfect day. Can’t wait for our next trip to Chicago.

Chicago, Illinois Day Trip | Budget Travel

Southwest was having a sale, a common theme here, so we bought two airplane tickets ($255.92) for a 7-hour Baltimore, Maryland Day Trip. We’ve never been to Baltimore Maryland, so I was pretty excited when I found the tickets.

As it was our first time flying Southwest, I needed to do some research about their boarding style, so I would be prepared for our Baltimore Maryland (BWI) day trip. If you don’t know, Southwest does not assign seatings for flights (aka “open seating”). When you check in, “you will be assigned a boarding group (A, B, or C) and position (1-60+) .” When you arrive at the gate, you line up by group & numbers position (there are signs) & wait to board. In contrast to other airlines, where everyone crowds the counter waiting for their group to be called, everyone is in an orderly line, which I prefer.

Similar to other airlines, you are able to check in 24 hours before the flight, & the closer to departure time you check-in, the higher the probability you will be in the last boarding group. On other airlines, that doesn’t really matter, since we don’t have luggage to put in the overhead bin & we have assigned seating. Even when we do get assigned the first boarding group, we don’t board with them. Why board the plane early to spend more time sitting on an airplane? We prefer to roam the terminal until the last possible moment.

For this flight, however, 24 hours and 1 minute to check in, I was in the Southwest app, my finger hovering over the “check-in” button. 24 hours & 0 seconds, I checked. We were assigned Group A, positions 10 and 11. The 9 people ahead of us probably paid ($15 each way) for “Early Bird Check-in. ” Both flights were pretty empty so we had the whole row to ourselves. It was so empty, the flight crew asked people to sit in the back of the plane to even out the weight distribution!

We landed around 10 am and hailed a Lyft ($5.26) to take us to brunch at Miss Shirley’s (Inner Harbor location). We had planned on getting pancakes and omelets, but the wait was so long (almost 2 hours!) by the time we were seated it was lunchtime.

We ordered a “Grandpa’s Pulled BBQ Pork Grilled Cheese” ($12.99),“

Pratt Street Cheeseburger” ($12.99) with an egg ($1.99) & a cone of sweet potato fries ($6.99).

After lunch, we had planned to go to the aquarium but the $40 per person ticket price was too much. We did a quick Yelp/TripAdvisor search & based on the museum's stellar ratings (and the free admission) we changed course to Walter’s Art Museum. The free admission (they accept donations & we left $5), made us skeptical of the collection quality, but this museum was top-notch. If you are in Baltimore Maryland, you must go to the Walter’s Art Museum.

After almost 4 hours at the museum, we left and took the Charm City Circulator (free bus) back to Inner Harbor, for a walk around the water.

We were going to walk the mile to Charm City Wings and Waffles, for dinner, but it got cold, fast. So we decided to call an Uber ($5.50).

We ordered the “5 piece Chicken & [Red Velvet] Waffles” ($9.99) which were divine! The chicken was boneless & well-seasoned. The waffle was still warm & just melted in our mouths.

After dinner, we grabbed another Uber ($13.40) to the airport to catch our 730 flight home.

A bit colder than we planned, and $100 more than last month’s day trip to Jacksonville, but all in all a great trip!

Baltimore, Maryland Day Trip | Budget Travel

If you don't know by now, I am a planner. So when Mr and I decided that we would take a Thanksgiving cruise, the search was on! I wanted the perfect, cruise experience.

I thought it would be a quick "Thanksgiving cruise" search, pay & move on. Ummm..not even. Who knew there were so many options?
Which cruise line? Which ship? How many days? What kind of stateroom? So many questions to answer before the search got underway. Thankfully, there is 

, a wonderful forum-like website that offered answers to all of my questions. And 

, is a cruise search engine that shows the total price, which I used to stalk cruise prices because I am all about a deal.

: why do cruise websites only show you the base price and not the total price? I think this needs to be updated to match flight searches, so the price I see is the total price [base + tax + gratuities].

I'll spare you the details, but after weeks of searching, we decided on a Promenade [Interior] Stateroom on Royal Caribbean's Independence of the Seas aka 'Indy'. This is an interior room, with a window that overlooks the 'Royal Promenade', the hub of action on the ship. It is listed as 160 sq feet, which seemed small on paper, but was a great size. That closet was huge, that was where I was hiding when Mr took these photos:

We arrived at Port Everglades [minutes from FLL airport] around 1 pm, and were in our stateroom by 2 pm. We dropped off our bags and started walking around since Muster was at 3:45 pm.

I read online that since the ship was all metal, it was perfect for magnets. So we grabbed some of our magnets and used them to hold up the Daily Compass:

There were maps everywhere, so if you got lost, you only had yourself to blame:

There are three main dining rooms: Romeo & Juliet, Macbeth & King Lear (get it?). We signed up for My Time Dining at 6 pm for a table for two and were assigned Macbeth but were asked to move to King Lear after the first night, which was fine as the new seating was near a window.

There are three specialties ($) dining options: Chops (steak), Giovanni's (Italian), and Johnny Rocket's, which based on reviews, we decided not to pay for.

We ate at the Windjammer (Buffet) for breakfast & lunch & after-dinner snacks and had dinner in the Main Dining Room. The food is the same as the Windjammer, but it's a sit-down service. We always ordered a soup, salad, entree & dessert:

We visited one port, Cozumel, on day 3. Mr & I got off, roamed the streets, ate some tacos & came back on the ship. We purposely did not plan any shore excursions. One thing I notice about cruises is that the ports are 'touristy' areas. I was very disappointed that the shops were not playing local music, nor offering any local flair. I went to Mexico, to see Mexico, not to see America in Mexico. I get why they do it, but personally, I want to see the nitty-gritty. This just means I need to travel to Mexico on my own and venture out.

Once you get past the 'If I fall off the ship, I will drown/die of hypothermia before any finds me', it was a great experience, and we have become cruise converts!

Have you been on a cruise? What's your favorite ship?

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