I Passed My Princess Certification. What It Means for Booking Your Cruise
I want to tell you I finished my Princess Cruises certification with grace and quiet confidence.
What actually happened is I finished it at 9:47pm on a Thursday, in the same chair I've been in for three straight weeks, muttering itinerary codes like a very tired auctioneer.
But I finished it. And now that I've caught my breath, I actually want to talk about why this matters — not just for me, but for you.
Here's the thing about being a travel advisor nobody tells you: it's not one certification and you're done. It's an ongoing rotation. Train on a vendor, open bookings for that vendor, repeat. Princess was next up. Royal Caribbean's training is the one after that. It never really stops, and honestly? I like it that way. I'd rather know a cruise line inside and out before I hand you a quote for it than fake my way through a brochure.
So what does finishing Princess actually change for you? Now, I'll be able to book individual Princess cruises for you directly, not just our hosted group trips. If a Princess itinerary has been living rent-free in your head (two, in particular, have been living in mine — this is the part where I say: tell me about it.
I won't pretend the studying was glamorous. It was a lot of modules, a lot of coffee, and one memorable moment where I 100% forgot which ship does the Panama Canal and which one doesn't. But it's done, and I'm already looking at my next research project — which, fun fact, isn't even for me this time. A friend asked me to help plan an African safari, which is a completely different kind of trip than anything I've booked before, and I am so here for it. More on that as it develops.
If you've got a Princess cruise you've been quietly Googling at midnight, you're in excellent company. Just wave — I've got tabs open for you too.
And if Alaska has been the one calling your name specifically? Our 2027 hosted group cruise is still open. Come find out what everyone keeps talking about. Send me an email Tracy@harmonyhorizon360.com and we can chat.
Or you can fill out this short form and I will create you a quote—Alaska Qualification Form — Harmony Horizon 360 Travel
Other posts that may interest or inspire you:
What We're Actually Looking For in a Short Caribbean Cruise (Trip Not Booked Yet) — Harmony Horizon 360 Travel
Alaska Cruise vs. Caribbean Cruise: Which One Is Right for You? — Harmony Horizon 360 Travel
I Haven't Even Told You About the Real Wish List Yet. Help Me Pick What's Next.
My browser currently has fewer open tabs than my brain.
Right now, I'm thinking about at least three trips in very different stages of real. The Alaska 2027 group cruise, which is very real and very much happening and just needs a few more cabins. The Caribbean, which is still just a maybe — the kind where I've done the initial digging but haven't committed to a single thing. And the Mediterranean, which isn't even a daydream so much as unfinished business — we've already been once, and it's the kind of trip that keeps quietly tapping me on the shoulder to go back.
(If you're catching up — here's where things stand with We're Choosing Alaska Cruise Excursions (The Great Glacier Nap Debate) — Harmony Horizon 360 Travel and here's What We're Actually Looking For in a Short Caribbean Cruise (Trip Not Booked Yet) — Harmony Horizon 360 Travel.)
And that's not even the full list. That's just the stuff I've actually mentioned to you.
Here's what I haven't told you about yet: the real wish list. The ones further out — the ones I think about at a stop light and then immediately talk myself out of because "not yet." Ireland. An actual, honest-to-goodness world cruise. The Panama Canal. And — because I'm currently knee-deep in Princess certification training — Greenland and New England have both recently shown up uninvited and made themselves at home.
None of these are close to being planned. Some of them might not happen for years. But I'd rather tell you about the whole pile than pretend I only think about the three trips I've already written blog posts on.
So here's my actual question, and it's not rhetorical: of that wish list — Ireland, a world cruise, the Panama Canal, Greenland, or New England — which one do you want me to actually start seriously researching first? Not just daydreaming about. Actually digging into: itineraries, timing, whether it works as a group trip.
Comment below and tell me which one you'd pick. And if you'd rather get this kind of behind-the-scenes planning before it ever makes it to the blog, join the newsletter — that's where the real-time version happens.
CTA: Join the Roam Newsletter →Join the Journey
More soon. Possibly at a stop light, still deciding.
— Tracy
Should We Plan a Mediterranean Cruise? (Asking For Myself, At 11pm, With Seventeen Tabs Open)
It's 11:14pm. Jamie is asleep. I am not asleep. I am doing the thing where I open one cruise line's website "just to look," and ninety minutes later I have seventeen tabs open, a spreadsheet I didn't mean to make, and a very strong opinion about balcony cabins on the port side.
This is how it always starts. Not with a decision. With a spiral.
Here's the thing — we've actually done the Mediterranean before. A cruise with friends, years ago, before Reset & Roam was even a phrase I said out loud. We ate our body weight in bread. We got lost in a way that was charming for the first hour and character-building for the second. We came home different, in that quiet way good trips do that to you.
So you'd think going back — again by ship — would be the easy part. It is not the easy part.
Because now I'm the person who plans other people's dream trips for a living, which means I am incapable of just looking at a cruise itinerary and going "sure, that looks nice." I am looking at port days and mentally scoring them for pace. I am asking whether seven ports in seven days is a vacation or an endurance event. I am doing this at 11pm on a Tuesday for a trip that is not booked, not planned, and not even fully agreed upon.
Jamie's official position, when I bring it up over dinner, is "sure, let's do it," delivered with the same enthusiasm he'd use to agree we should probably clean the garage eventually. Supportive. Vague. Not actually helpful.
So here's where we actually are, honestly:
• We know we want to go back.
• We do not know if it should be a cruise or a slower land trip, round two.
• We do not know when — 2027 is spoken for with Alaska, so realistically we're talking 2028.
• We are considering if we do cruise it, wanting fewer ports with more hours in each one, not the itinerary that brags about hitting five countries before breakfast.
That last one is the part that actually matters. Because the question underneath "should we plan a Mediterranean cruise" isn't really about the Mediterranean. It's the same question that's underneath every trip I help plan: are we building a trip that fits how we actually like to travel, or are we building a trip that looks good on paper?
Gentle pace and an exciting trip aren't opposites. Tonight I'm saying it to myself, with seventeen tabs open, trying to believe it applies to my own vacation and not just everyone else's.
I don't have an answer yet. I have a spreadsheet, a sleeping husband, and a trip that's still just an idea we keep circling back to. That's honestly where most good trips start — not with a booking, but with somebody staying up too late, still curious.
If you want to follow along as we actually figure this out — cruise or no cruise, 2028 or someday — that's exactly what the Roam newsletter is for. I'll show my work, tabs and all.
Join the Newsletter if you want to stay informed on our travels, both past and upcoming.
I Don’t Plan Trips to Get Away… I Plan Them So Life Feels Better When I Come Back
It Didn’t Start the Way I Thought It Would
I used to think travel was about getting away.
From the stress.
From the noise.
From everything waiting for me at home.
But the truth is…
the best trips I’ve ever taken didn’t help me escape my life.
They helped me come back to it differently.
This Trip Was Different
We just got back from a two-week cruise with friends and family.
And if I’m being honest… I needed it more than I realized.
Life at home had been stacking up.
Work felt heavy.
The house felt loud.
My brain felt full.
So instead of planning something packed and busy,
we did the opposite.
We chose a longer cruise.
More time.
More space.
More room to breathe.
And yes… maybe a few too many port days (lesson learned),
but in between those, there was something I hadn’t had in a while.
Time to just be.
Time to sit with Jamie without rushing off to the next thing.
Time to talk, laugh, wander, or do absolutely nothing.
Time to think without immediately needing to solve anything.
And somewhere in all of that…
I reset.
Just enough to feel like myself again.
How I Plan Now
When I plan trips now, I think about them differently.
Not:
“How much can we fit in?”
But:
“How do I want to feel while I’m there… and when I come back?”
That changes everything.
It means:
Leaving space in the schedule
Choosing walkable, easy locations
Not overloading every single day
Building in time to sit, reflect, and connect
Because the goal isn’t to come home exhausted with great pictures.
It’s to come home lighter.
Finding Our Spot
This might sound simple… but it matters.
We always find “our spot.”
On this cruise, it was a quiet area where we could sit with a drink,
watch the ocean, and just exist for a minute.
No pressure to be doing something.
No agenda.
Just a place where we knew we could land.
Those little anchor spots become part of the reset.
Things I’ve Learned Along the Way
A few things I’ve learned the hard way:
Not every port needs to be an excursion
You don’t have to say yes to everything
Rest is part of the plan, not a break from it
The best conversations don’t happen when you’re rushing
Sometimes the best part of the trip is the part you didn’t plan.
We’re actually planning our Reds weekends the same way now — less packed, more intentional.
What I’d Go Back For
Not just places… but feelings.
I’d go back for:
Slow mornings with nowhere to be
Laughing at dinner without checking the time
That feeling when your shoulders finally drop
Real conversations that don’t get cut short
That’s the part I want again.
What Travel Really Does for Me
I don’t plan trips to get away from my life anymore.
I plan them so I can come back to it better.
More patient.
More present.
Less overwhelmed.
Because travel, for me, isn’t an escape hatch.
It’s a reset button.
And honestly…
It’s become one of the best ways I’ve found
to take care of the life I’ve already built. 💛
If you’ve been feeling that pull too…
I’ve started putting together a few trips (some simple, some a little bigger)
and you can join the interest list here:👉 Join the Reset and Roam Trip List
No pressure, just a way to see what we’re planning.
Why Midweek Baseball Trips Matter More Than They Should
Some trips look small on paper.
A random Tuesday game.
A couple of hotel nights.
A few hours in a stadium you’ve visited before.
But sometimes those trips end up meaning more than the big ones.
Our midweek baseball trips to Cincinnati have slowly become one of those traditions. Not because they’re elaborate or impressive. In fact, they’re the opposite.
They’re simple.
And somehow that simplicity creates something important.
The Unexpected Power of Shared Interests
Shared interests do something subtle in relationships.
They create a natural place to meet.
Not a heavy conversation.
Not a forced bonding moment.
Just something you both enjoy.
A baseball game.
A walk through a city.
A good meal somewhere new.
Those shared experiences give people room to exist together without pressure.
And sometimes that’s exactly where connection grows.
Why Midweek Trips Work
Weekend trips tend to turn into events.
Crowds.
Packed schedules.
Trying to fit everything in.
Midweek trips feel different.
The pace slows down.
The stadium is calmer.
The city breathes a little.
You notice things you would normally rush past.
A conversation during the drive.
Laughing about a terrible inning.
Talking about things that somehow only come up when you're away from normal routines.
Those small moments are the ones that stay with you.
Shared Experiences Build Independence
Something I’ve noticed over time is that shared experiences don’t just build connection.
They build confidence.
When adults share experiences together, something shifts.
Plans get made.
Decisions get shared.
Everyone learns how to move through the world a little more independently.
It’s not about forcing independence.
It’s about creating space where it can grow naturally.
A trip.
A game.
A few days away from routine.
Sometimes that’s all it takes.
Why Baseball Happens to Be Our Thing
For us, baseball became that shared interest.
The Cincinnati Reds games started as something simple we enjoyed doing together.
Now they’re part of our rhythm.
A reason to get out of town.
A reason to spend time together.
A reason to build memories that don’t require a huge plan.
Just a ticket, a hotel room, and a little space to enjoy the experience.
Travel Doesn’t Have to Be Big to Matter
There’s a lot of pressure in travel culture to make everything bigger.
More destinations.
More activities.
More planning.
But some of the most meaningful trips are the simple ones.
The midweek games.
The easy drives.
The shared interests that quietly become traditions.
Sometimes the trips that matter most are the ones that weren’t trying to be anything special.
They just gave us space to be together.
If you think about the people you love, there’s usually one shared interest that brings you together.
Maybe it’s sports.
Maybe it’s music.
Maybe it’s travel.
The activity itself isn’t the important part.
The connection is.
Sometimes all it takes is choosing to keep showing up for those moments.
💛 If you enjoy thoughtful travel and connection-first trips, join the newsletter here.
Travel Isn’t Our Escape — It’s How We Maintain Our Marriage
There was a time when we thought travel was an escape.
A reward after a busy season. Something fun to look forward to when life slowed down.
But somewhere along the way, Jamie and I realized something different.
Travel isn’t our escape anymore.
It’s our maintenance plan.
Life has been busy lately. Really busy.
Work has been intense. Our house has been full. There are schedules, responsibilities, family things, and the quiet emotional weight that comes with trying to support the people you love.
None of those things are bad. In fact, many of them are the things we care about most.
But when life gets full like that, something subtle can happen in a relationship.
You start running side by side instead of actually being together.
You pass each other in the hallway.
You talk about logistics.
You solve problems.
But the space for long conversations, laughter, and noticing each other gets smaller.
That’s where travel comes in for us.
Not as an escape.
As maintenance.
When we travel, the noise of everyday life gets quieter.
There are no laundry baskets waiting.
No dishes in the sink.
No reminders popping up on our phones.
Just time.
Time to talk.
Time to wander.
Time to sit somewhere with coffee and ask each other the kinds of questions we don’t always ask at home.
Sometimes those conversations are light.
Sometimes they’re bigger ones.
Questions like:
Are we doing too much right now?
Is this pace sustainable?
What actually matters most in this season of life?
Travel creates the space for those conversations.
And honestly, those conversations are one of the most valuable parts of the trip.
Right now we’re getting excited for our upcoming cruise.
It’s not about checking destinations off a list. It’s about something much simpler.
A few days to reset.
A few days to remember what it feels like to slow down together.
A few days where we can reconnect without the constant pull of everyday responsibilities.
Over the years we’ve learned something important.
Connection doesn’t maintain itself automatically.
You have to protect it.
For us, travel is one of the ways we do that.
It’s not an escape plan.
It’s our maintenance plan.
And honestly, that realization is part of what has made us start thinking differently about the kinds of trips we want to plan in the future.
Trips that make space for connection.
Trips where people can slow down, laugh together, and remember why they like each other in the first place.
We’re even starting to explore a few ideas like that this year, including a small Reds baseball weekend in Cincinnati.
Nothing complicated. Just a fun, relaxed trip with good people.
If that kind of travel sounds like something you’d enjoy, you can join the newsletter and I’ll share details when they come together.
But whether you ever travel with us or not, I’ll leave you with the question Jamie and I ask ourselves often.
What protects connection in your busiest season?
Because whatever that thing is for you…
It’s probably worth protecting.
💛 If you enjoy thoughtful travel and connection-first trips, join the newsletter here.
Why We Keep Traveling Together
There was a time when travel felt like a reward.
Something earned after a busy season. Something impressive. Something to “do right.”
That’s not why we keep traveling now.
We keep traveling because it’s one of the few spaces left where we can really be together without distraction. No half-listening. No multitasking. No rushing to the next obligation. Just shared time, shared moments, shared stories that don’t need to be documented to matter.
One of the strongest reminders of this came on a simple trip, not a big one. We didn’t go far. There was no packed itinerary. But something shifted. We talked more. We noticed things about each other that had been buried under routine. We laughed at things that wouldn’t have surfaced at home. The trip didn’t change our relationship because of where we went. It changed it because we were finally in the same place, mentally and emotionally, at the same time.
Travel has changed for us as life has changed.
It used to be about squeezing everything in. Early mornings. Late nights. Checking boxes. Now it’s slower. More intentional. Built around energy, not ambition. Around presence, not performance. We leave space. We choose comfort sometimes over novelty. We plan knowing that people bring their whole selves with them, not just their excitement.
And that’s exactly why it works.
Showing up together matters more than the destination ever could. Because trips are rarely just about the trip. They’re about what happens when you step outside your usual patterns and see each other more clearly. They’re about remembering how to be teammates. About learning how someone rests. What they need. What they enjoy when nothing else is competing for their attention.
You don’t need a bucket-list destination for that.
You don’t need a perfect plan.
You just need the choice.
Travel is just another way of choosing each other.
Not rushed or overstuffed.
Not built around proving we did everything.
Built around connection first.
Energy that fits.
Space to experience a place without losing each other in it.
💛 If you enjoy thoughtful travel and connection-first trips, join the newsletter here.