Salty Zebra

      After our cruise this fall, my husband encouraged me to try out solo cruising.  The reasoning was that I would like to travel more than he is available and cruising is a cost-effective and accessible form of travel.  So I booked my first solo cruise for April of 2023 on Norwegian Cruise Line (NCL).  You see, I had only ever cruised on NCL and I thought that I always would.  The logic is sound. When you sail consistently with one cruise line you earn loyalty points that equate to bonuses and potential savings. As I began to look into my dreams of travelling every month in 2023 on the $7,500 budget that my husband had given me though, I quickly realized that cruising on Norwegian wouldn't get me very far.  Between the one I had booked in April and the one I had committed to with my son in the fall I was down nearly half of my travel budget for the whole year.  I didn't need to budget for our travel in February because that was for our ann...

      I've spent decades trying to develop a healthy sleep cycle.  It sounds deceptively easy to just go to bed and fall asleep.  In fact, it's something my husband does quite well.  It's happened multiple times that when I spoke to him just a few seconds after he laid down, I woke him up!  On the other side of things, I've spent so very many nights staring at the ceiling longing for rest either when I've gone to bed or when I've woken in the middle of the night.  Part of this is fueled by me being an incredibly light sleeper.  When my kids were younger, I could be in deep sleep but if they woke up and went into the kitchen, several rooms away from me, I would be fully awake and aware of what was happening in the house.  I also struggle with anxiety and when I'm home alone  at night, or the only adult at home, it tends to be the worst.      These days I've found a much better rhythm for the most pa...

      Beyond trying out a different cruise line, the other two major trials of this weekend cruise were an inside cabin and cruising alone.  I had avoided both in the past because I was nervous about how I would do with them, but I knew that if I was going to do as much travel as possible in 2023 these were the best options. I didn't want to start booking solo inside cruises for next year though without first finding out if I could handle it.       While I'm not claustrophobic, I have definitely experienced some discomfort with enclosed spaces.  I also have an irrational fear of being crushed under rubble.  This comes into play in parking garages and under bridges so I was concerned that it would be a factor in being in an inside cabin with many decks above me.  When booking my first cruise, my mother, who was traveling with me, wanted to book an inside cabin because it was cheapest, but I was uncomfortable with it and requeste...

There's nothing that quite makes my heart go pity pat like the sound of Disney music piped through the speakers at the entrance to a Disney park. The anticipation and joy almost move me to tears. I've spent many vacations at Disneyland in California, including my honeymoon and 10th anniversary. I know those Parks like the back of my hand, and you could drop me in the middle of them any day and I'd be able to find my way around without trying. For our 25th anniversary next February, however, we decided to go big and visit Disney World. I really had no idea what I was signing up for when we chose this. I found out later that all of Disneyland, California Adventure, and the Downtown Disney District can fit into the Magic Kingdom at Disney World, and the Magic Kingdom is the smallest of the four theme parks! The entire Walt Disney World resort area is 43 square miles, the size of San Francisco or double the size of the island of Manhattan. When I learned this, I kne...

   When I was a young mom of 1, then 2, then 3, then FOUR kids, quiet time and personal space was non-existent. That didn't change my nature as an introvert and my need to be renewed and replenished through time alone. My incredible husband recognized this and, after my last baby was weened, sent me on my first solo trip. It was just a weekend at a local bed and breakfast, but oh how it replenished my soul! I had gone on a women's retreat the year before that was intended to do the same thing, but although I was surrounded by loving people whom I genuinely liked, I was still surrounded with people! I hadn't yet gotten to know myself, what worked and what didn't, what I truly needed.   A year after that I went on another trip, a soul-searching one. I have dozens of journals from my youth and young-adulthood and I brought them all with me to reflect on who I was, how God had made me, and what He was wanting me to focus on in life. This was all in anticipation of bringi...

I arrived at my Resort after the delivery hours of Randy's Mobility, the company I chose to rent my power wheelchair from. They were kind enough to drop it at my Resort so it would be ready when I arrived. What I did not anticipate was how difficult it would be to figure out on my own. I had to make two phone calls to their incredibly helpful staff, the first one to locate the chair, and the second one to figure out how to turn it on. When I located my chair, it was plugged in and charging outside of the arcade. The seat back was folded down, presumably for transport, and it took me longer than it probably should have to figure out how to flip the seat up using a lever very similar to one on a car seat. Once I had that up, I unplugged the charger and turned on the chair, but when I moved the joystick nothing happened! I tried everything I could think of, but probably because I was unfamiliar with this chair, and power chairs in general, I didn't realize that the cha...

So what was it like using Disney Resort transportation with a wheelchair? There were a lot of positive experiences, and a few negative ones. Firstly, I was pleased to discover that there is a separate wheelchair queue for the buses. It's right up front, and allows the driver to see that you will need assistance when they pull up. After the bus has unloaded, the driver closes the front door and opens the doors in the middle of the bus. They cause the bus to dip towards the curb and then extend a ramp. I had to line up the wheelchair with the somewhat narrow ramp, then maneuver up the ramp and pivot sharply into the wheelchair securing spot. Thanks to the maneuverability of this chair, I never had any trouble with this process. Then the driver secures the front and back of the chair to the bus with ratcheting straps and helps you put on a seat belt. They will repeat that process with another wheelchair or scooter if there are more waiting, but they can only take two mobil...

As a disabled traveler, what have I learned about flight travel? First, research is your friend! It's really important to know both the airport that you are leaving from and the airport you are arriving to. Know the best place to be dropped off at to minimize your steps to security, and the gate. Know what accessibility amenities are available to you. For example, most airlines will have a service where they have someone push you to your gate in a wheelchair, yours or theirs. If you can walk, but have trouble with distances, this can be a game changer as far as airport travel goes. You do have to allow for extra time because you will often have a wait for this service as many people use it. Figure out what you're planning to do while at the airport and know where to go for those things. For example, I usually use the restroom, fill up my water bottle, and grab a cup of coffee before heading to the gate. If I'm going to be on a longer flight, I also pick up some ...

      After a brief but busy visit to the Disney World Resort area, I thought it would be best to take a break day before heading out on a cruise.  Turns out I would need it more than I realized!     Tuesday evening I dropped the power wheelchair off at the Disney resort I had stayed at and took a Lyft to WorldMark Kingstown Reef about 20 minutes away in Orlando.  I've never been to this resort, but it was opposite to everything I had experience the last two nights.       Physically, I was done on arrival.  It took everything I had to make it to my room, which of course was in the back of the resort furthest from the lobby.  I wonder if that's just a default that computers like to fill rooms in from the back to the front?  There was also bricked sidewalk for half of it. I had never noticed what a popular aesthetic feature brick sidewalk is before I struggled with navigating them.       My room was ...

 I shared with you a while back about the fabulous Travel Insurance offered on purchases made with the Chase Sapphire Preferred * card. Since then I've had not one, but TWO exciting rewards events I want to tell you about!  First, as you may know, at the beginning of January I set off on a fabulous transatlantic cruise aboard the Norwegian Bliss. This was a solo cruise, and I had intended to try out flying standby on other airlines for the first time on my way home. After reading through the non-rev reddit forum , I decided to buy three tickets, with the intention of refunding whichever ones I didn't use. These cost between $280-$315 each. When you fly with other airlines you incur a small cost, and when you fly internationally you must pay the taxes and fees accordingly as well. I didn't mind though since this ticket cost about $2,600 to buy outright!   Late one night when I was up because I was in too much pain to sleep, I was listening to a podcast to distract me...