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Our Disney Dream Transatlantic Cruise Plans: Ports, Excursions and Sea Days

I leave for my next Disney Cruise Line adventure in just a few days, and this one feels especially exciting. Mom, my bestie, her parents, and I are sailing on the Disney Dream’s 13-night westbound transatlantic cruise from Southampton to Fort Lauderdale beginning September 14, 2026. There are new ports, nine glorious sea days, time in London before we sail, and—maybe best of all—a reunion with friends we met on last year’s South Pacific cruise. Here is what we have planned so far. The itinerary at a glance The Disney Dream leaves Southampton on September 14 and arrives in Fort Lauderdale on September 27. Along the way, we will visit: Vigo, Spain Lisbon, Portugal Funchal, Madeira Nine days at sea That balance is one of the biggest reasons I am excited about this itinerary. We get three very different ports, but we also have plenty of time to settle into the ship and enjoy the crossing. I genuinely love a sea day, so nine of them sounds wonderful to me. Two days in London bef...
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Disney Cruise Line Concierge: Who Should Pay for It—and Who Should Skip It?

I have sailed more than 130 nights with Disney Cruise Line, staying everywhere from a Deck 2 oceanview stateroom to Concierge. And while I genuinely love sailing Concierge, I do not think everyone needs to pay for it on every cruise. The simplest answer is this: Disney Cruise Line Concierge is worth considering when the extra convenience, personalized service, lounge access, and help securing special experiences will meaningfully improve your vacation—and when the upgrade fits comfortably within your budget. It is easier to skip when paying for Concierge would mean cruising less often, when you will not spend much time in the lounge, or when the people you are traveling with are staying outside Concierge. The standard Disney Cruise experience is still wonderful. Concierge does not unlock the “real” magic of a Disney cruise. It creates a more relaxed, indulgent version of the trip for the people who will use what it offers. If you want a complete tour of the benefits, start with my...
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My Midi Health Review After Three Years: Perimenopause, HRT and GLP-1 Care

This post shares my personal experience and is not medical advice. I am not a medical professional—just a woman dealing with perimenopause and sharing what the process has looked like for me. Every person’s health history, risks, symptoms and treatment needs are different. Please reach out to your own medical provider or a menopause-focused provider such as Midi Health for support tailored to you. This post contains affiliate links. If you purchase through one of these links, I may earn a small commission at no additional cost to you. Three years ago this September, I booked my first appointment with Midi Health. I had spent several years dealing with symptoms I did not understand, and a friend finally asked me over breakfast if it was possible I was in perimenopause. I started researching and quickly realized that she was probably right. At the same time, I kept seeing women share stories online about feeling dismissed or not heard by their doctors. Then I found Midi: a virtua...
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Five Small Home Upgrades That Feel Disproportionately Good

Apparently my version of home improvement involves no contractors, but does involve an unreasonable number of soft surfaces. These five upgrades are not all inexpensive, and none of them are dramatic renovations. They are simply things that make my home more comfortable, functional, or easier to keep clean every single day. That is what I mean by “small”: small in effort, disproportionately good in payoff. Affiliate disclosure: This post contains affiliate links. If you purchase through one of these links, I may earn a small commission at no additional cost to you. I only share products I use, love, or am genuinely considering for my own home. 1. The UnHide blankets everyone steals I have a large UnHide Marshmallow blanket on my couch and another on my bed. Depending on the size, they run roughly $189 to $518, so yes, they are a splurge. They are also wonderfully soft, cozy, warm, and satisfyingly heavy. Mine get used extensively. The dogs and my petsitters take them over, an...
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What I Actually Use in the Oura App After Nearly Three Years

  This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase through one of these links, I may earn a commission at no additional cost to you. After wearing an Oura Ring for nearly three years , I still open the app several times a day. I’ve already shared my full Oura Ring review after two years , but this isn’t another general review. This is a look at which parts of the app survived the novelty phase and became genuinely useful in my daily life. I love data. Give me a score, a graph, and a trend line, and I will happily investigate all of them. But that doesn’t mean I give every number in the Oura app equal attention—or allow a less-than-perfect score to ruin my day. Some features have become genuinely useful parts of my routine. Others I barely glance at. And a few only matter to me under very specific circumstances. If you’re still deciding whether the ring is right for you, start with what I wish I’d known before buying an Oura Ring . This article assumes you already und...
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My Unpopular Disney Cruise Line Opinions After 21 Cruises

After 21 Disney cruises, I have opinions. Some may be unpopular. Some may have you nodding along. A few might make devoted Disney cruisers question all of my life choices. I’ve sailed on the Disney Magic, Wonder, Dream, Fantasy, and Wish. I’ve stayed in everything from a Deck 2 oceanview stateroom to Concierge, cruised with and without children, crossed the Panama Canal, sailed the South Pacific, and played more rounds of trivia than I could possibly count. I genuinely love Disney Cruise Line—but loving something doesn’t mean believing everything about it is perfect. These are my personal Disney Cruise Line hot takes, based entirely on how I like to cruise. Disney cruises are fantastic for adults without children Let’s start with what may be my most controversial opinion: Disney Cruise Line is a great option for adults traveling without kids. Most of my Disney cruises have been without children, and many of my friends sail Disney without children too. Strangely, Disney cruises ...
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My First D23: What We Actually Did—and What I’d Change Next Time

After months of planning, virtual queue strategies, panel requests, and trying to fit D23 and Disneyland into one long weekend, I’m finally home from my first D23 Ultimate Fan Event. I’m also congested, exhausted, and recovering from the terrible cold that hit me at Disneyland after the Disney Legends ceremony. Apparently my body waited until the final night to admit what I had put it through. Even so, it was an incredible weekend. We saw Disney legends, bought far too many soft and cozy sweatshirts, packed an absurd number of attractions into a two-hour California Adventure sprint, and experienced all three Honda Center presentations. But would I plan the trip the same way again? Absolutely not. Arrival Day: Starting With Disneyland We arrived Thursday and made it to Disneyland around 3:00 p.m. We were starving, so our first priority wasn’t a ride—it was food. I found a walk-up opening at Café Orleans, and we only waited about 15 minutes. I had purchased both Lightning Lane Mul...
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