Travel has always been something I love, but for the longest time, I thought our yearly family vacation would always be Disney World. It was our thing.
Disney was part of my childhood, and Shawn's too. Getting to experience it all over again with him and our kids — twin boys Luca and Liam, and our daughter Thea — made me love it in a completely different way. There's just something about walking into Disney and leaving the real world behind for a few days that never gets old.
Then one year, we were working with a tighter vacation budget and decided to take a chance on a cruise instead.
And it completely changed the game for us.
We went into it thinking it would just be a fun, more affordable way to get away that year. Instead, we found a whole new way our family loved to vacation.
I think it's because a cruise gives us a little bit of everything we love about vacation without everyone having to enjoy vacation the exact same way. The kids can find a million things to do, Shawn and I can actually relax, there's always somewhere new to explore, and nobody has to agree on what restaurant to go to or what we're doing every second of the day. We can have completely different days and still come back together for dinner, a show, or whatever ridiculous thing we end up doing that night.
And then you wake up the next morning, open your eyes, and you're somewhere completely different.
That part never gets old.
We still love Disney. EPCOT will always have my heart, and no matter how many times I see it, nothing beats that first look at Cinderella Castle when you walk down Main Street. One of my bucket-list goals is actually to visit every Disney theme park in the world. And I'm still looking forward to the day we can take our boys back when they're 21 and do drinks around World Showcase together. 😂
But taking that first cruise taught me something I didn't expect: loving one way of traveling doesn't mean you have to choose it every single time. Our family's yearly vacation suddenly had a lot more possibilities.
Our most recent cruise was Carnival Mardi Gras, and we had an amazing time. Celebration Key was an easy beach day with plenty to do, and a stop at Big French Key in Honduras meant snorkeling, monkeys and parrots, and getting out on the water with paddleboards and kayaks — the kids doing their thing while Shawn and I actually got a minute.
And that's a huge part of why I started All Aboard with Ashley.
I don't just love going on vacation. I genuinely love everything that comes before it, too. I love looking at ships, comparing itineraries, finding excursions, researching resorts and destinations, figuring out which option actually makes sense for a family, and finding the little details that can turn a good trip into one everyone talks about for years.
I also know what traveling as a real family looks like.
Our three kids — twin boys Luca and Liam, and our daughter Thea — have different personalities and interests. We have two dogs and five cats waiting for us at home. 😂 Life is busy, schedules are crazy, budgets are real, and family vacations are a big investment. When you're spending that kind of money and using precious time away from work and school, you want to feel like you chose the right vacation—not just the first one that showed up in a search.
That's where I come in.
I want you to be able to tell me what your family loves, what they absolutely don't love, what you're hoping to spend, and what you picture when you think about the perfect vacation. Then I'll help you sort through the overwhelming number of choices and find something that actually fits you.
Cruising may have stolen my heart, but I'm not only here for cruises. Maybe your perfect trip is a week at sea. Maybe it's walking down Main Street toward Cinderella Castle. Maybe it's finally seeing Epic Universe, spending a week at an all-inclusive resort, exploring somewhere you've never been, or sitting on a beach doing absolutely nothing.
There's no one right way to vacation. There's just the right vacation for you.
I want All Aboard with Ashley to feel different from clicking a giant booking website and hoping you made the right choice. When you reach out, you're talking to me. A real mom, a real traveler, and someone who gets genuinely excited about helping another family make memories together.
Because at the end of the day, that's the part of travel I love most.
The ship eventually docks. The Disney fireworks end. The suitcases get unpacked.
But you'll be talking about the memories for years.
And I'd absolutely love to help you plan them.
Ashley
