Pre-Trip Report: It’s a WONDERful Life Cruising the Panama Canal! Pt. 4 We’re Not Gonna Make It!

By: Sarah

December 24^th…December 24^th…December 24^th…I just couldn’t get that date out of my head! No, not because it was Christmas Eve – because it was the 2017 West Bound Panama Canal Cruise PAID-IN-FULL date and I still didn’t know if we were gonna make it! (We’re not gonna make it…we’re not gonna….*cue lightyear music from the DINOSAUR ride in Animal Kingdom!)

Yes, that is Mommy Mousewife in the front row!

During the first week of October I was sitting outside having lunch with one of my fantastic new co-workers! We were discussing some of our travels (she already could tell I was a crazy Disney lover!) and she mentioned that she had been on an Alaskan cruise (*You might want to remember this for future blog post reference…) After hearing about her absolutely fantastic Alaskan cruise (even though it wasn’t on a Disney ship!) I couldn’t help but mention that we had a cruise scheduled but weren’t sure we would be able to keep it. Once I told her about our bucket list Panama Canal cruise she said I absolutely must not cancel and that it would fall JUST after our busiest time! I was in awe! Would I really be able to keep this cruise that I’ve been unable bring myself to part with? YES! WOOHOO!

WE ARE GOING ON OUR BUCKET LIST PANAMA CANAL CRUISE!

So, now came the reality of having to pay for this cruise before the December 24^th Paid In Full date. Even though we barely eat out anyway and hardly ever spend “extra” money, we really tightened our wallets and put every extra cent into our Disney Cruise fund. We knew we needed the cost of the cruise by December 24^th, but we also would need flights to Orlando and home from San Diego. I also am a stickler for arriving at least a day earlier than the cruise (I don’t want to miss the boat…literally!) so we would also need a hotel for one night. Plus, we knew that having only four port days we would probably want to step foot onto dry land those days. Having never traveled to these ports I knew I wouldn’t be comfortable booking a private excursion on my own– so I needed to factor in the premium pricing of Disney excursion’s. Plus tips, Palo brunch, and of course some souvenirs! Whooo…this was going to be an expensive endeavor.

This is my philosophy on spending money…

Stay tuned for our next installment…”How to make Ramen Noodles and Chicken Nuggets 127 Different ways!”