Welcome back to another monthly update from Root of Good! We spent half the month of May in the British Isles cruising around Scotland, Ireland, and England. After a pit stop in Raleigh for a few weeks, we’re back on the road again in June for another European cruise.
While in Raleigh, we enjoyed the warm springtime weather and beauty of the outdoors. Our two adult kids are busy with their first post-college jobs. Our son is wrapping up his middle school career, with graduation in another couple of days.
School is almost out which means summertime is right around the corner! We’ll be gone for most of the remainder of June but we plan to spend the entire month of July at home. After that, we have a short family trip to California planned in August before the back to school events start in mid-August for our son.
Let’s jump into the recap of last month!
Financial Update
On the income side May was a very light month of investment income, with just a few hundred dollars in dividends. June should be much better for investment income since dividends get paid at the end of each quarter typically.
On the spending side, May was a bit higher than normal. We paid the annual home insurance premium and the six-month auto insurance bill. I “charged” each kid $250 to cover their portion of the auto insurance bill, so the part of the bill that I paid wasn’t that big.
The spending on our cruise was pretty low. I booked several Ubers and a rental car, plus a dozen bus/train/metro tickets. Other than that we didn’t spend too much out of pocket on this last cruise.
On the net worth side, we are still above $4 million at the end of May. The net worth continues to hold steady. The trendline for 2026 is definitely upwards so far.
May Recap
We flew to London and hopped aboard the Majestic Princess for a 12 night cruise around the British Isles with a quick stopover in France. Many of these ports were repeats from previous cruises but we also hit a few new spots too.
12 night cruise around the British Isles
We have a very convenient nonstop flight from Raleigh to London. So we hop on the plane in the evening, get a few hours sleep (maybe!), walk out of the airport after a seven hour flight, and end up on our cruise around noon on the following day.
Coming home from London is even easier since it’s a daytime flight. We landed in Raleigh around 5:00 pm local time.
Our daily cruise itinerary:
- Southampton, UK (departure)
- Falmouth, England (cancelled due to 30 mph winds!)
- Cobh, Ireland (horrible rain; didn’t get off ship)
- Liverpool, England (visited nearby city of Chester)
- Belfast, Northern Ireland
- Glasgow (Greenock), Scotland
- Orkney Islands (Kirkwall), Scotland
- Invergordon, Scotland
- Edinburgh (via South Queensferry)
- Le Havre, France
- Return to Southampton
The cruise started out with pretty nice weather. Sometime after we left Southampton, a storm kicked up in the English Channel and we missed our first port of call in Falmouth, England due to high winds.
The next day we were in Cobh, Ireland with heavy rains continuing. We just visited Cobh twice last year and didn’t want to brave the cold rain and wind this time around. I spent the afternoon in the hot tub instead of getting off the ship.
Chester, England
Since we visited Liverpool last year, I searched for another city to visit while docked in Liverpool. The nearby city of Chester was a short 45 minute ride away by metro (really more of a train). We walked about 10 minutes to the metro station from the ship, hopped on, and quickly reached the city of Chester for a day of exploration.
Chester dates back to at least the Roman era, almost 2,000 years ago. We enjoyed strolling around the old city walls and among the tudor-style houses lining the streets of the historic center of town. They also have a nice assortment of churches, parks, and bridges.
I had never heard of Chester before so it was a great surprise to find such an interesting city in close proximity to our cruise port of call.
Several years ago we watched a documentary series called “Cruising the Cut” that followed a guy that lived in a canal boat while motoring around the canals of England. We managed to catch a quick glimpse of the canals in London on a previous trip but didn’t have much time to take a good look.
In Chester, a major canal runs through the city so we got to see the canal boats and locks up close while exploring the city. The small canal boats look cool but I think I’ll keep sailing on the giant cruise ships for now.
Giant’s Causeway outside Belfast, Northern Ireland
We docked in Belfast, Northern Ireland the next day. Since we had a long day in port, with a late departure of 8:00 pm, we decided to rent a car and visit the Giant’s Causeway about 1.5 hours from Belfast.
It was my first time driving in the UK. I was surprised at how challenging it was!
Almost a decade ago I drove on the left in the Bahamas, a former British colony. And it was not that challenging. However, the Bahamas rental car had the steering wheel on the left, so driving the car felt familiar. In Belfast and the rest of the UK, the steering wheels are on the right, so I felt out of place and struggled to center the car in the road.
Eventually we made our way to the northern shore of Ireland where we visited the Giant’s Causeway. An amazing spectacle.
On the drive back to the port, we took the scenic route for a while. Eventually I gave up and headed toward the freeway to speed up our return to the ship. We were running out of time and the narrow backcountry roads proved intimidating in the giant SUV the rental car gave me for the day. Still a blast, however!
Glasgow, Scotland
Our next port of call was Greenock, Scotland. On a previous cruise we had explored Greenock extensively. Ready for a change, we took a short train ride to the nearby city of Glasgow about 30 minutes away.
We took the subway a couple miles across town and began our exploration of the city. Along the way we visited the university, the big central park, and a combined history and art museum.
Kirkwall in the Orkney Islands, Scotland
We were scheduled to visit the Orkney Islands on a cruise last year but high winds prevented our ship from docking. This time around we made it!
Kirkwall is a small town in the Orkney Islands. The Orkney islands are situated just off the northern tip of the Scottish mainland. Kirkwall is a pretty town without a lot going on. Even with the cruise ship in town it didn’t feel particularly crowded. We strolled around town and visited the cathedral, the local museum, and did a little window shopping.
Invergordon, Scotland
This was our third visit to Invergordon in the last twelve months. It’s usually a short port call and fairly remote, so we didn’t bother taking the bus or train into the larger nearby towns. Instead, we walked up Castle Street to the castle that hasn’t been there for some time.
We keep going back on the same path over and over because the scenery changes with the seasons. The first time we visited in the spring it was luscious and green with the wheat waving in the wind. Then in summertime after the harvest, it was brown and lifeless and it smelled like they had just plowed chicken manure into the field (yeah, gross!).
This May, the same patch of fields were full of color and vitality. The bright yellow of canola flowers (rapeseed plants) stretching from edge to edge.
Edinburgh, Scotland
We visited Edinburgh again after visiting the city last year. We didn’t get a chance to visit the castle on our last visit since it takes at least half a day to see it in full. This time, we booked advanced entry tickets for the castle and made it the focal point of our Edinburgh trip.
Le Havre, France
Our last port of call was Le Havre, France. We booked round trip train tickets to visit Rouen for the day. It’s only an hour from Le Havre by train. However we quickly realized our day might not turn out as planned when the train’s departure time rolled around and the train didn’t move an inch.
After the French-speaking passengers let out a collective sigh in response to the brief garbled announcement over the train’s intercom, we figured it wasn’t good news in spite of not understanding a bit of the announcement.
I pulled up the train line’s app and saw the delay notifications for our scheduled departure. We were delayed an hour but there was a second delay anticipated to last four more hours due to a downed tree on the tracks.
Station staff were of minimal assistance, possibly due to a language barrier but low quality service seemed to be the expectation amongst the French speaking passengers we talked to.
After waiting a bit over an hour, we eventually decided to give up on our day trip to Rouen and just walk the scenic route back to the ship to burn a couple of hours. Soon after getting off the train, we saw the train pull out of the station. I guess they cleared the downed tree sooner than expected but we missed the train. It’s just as well as we wouldn’t have had much time in Rouen before having to return to Le Havre and get back on our ship.
Thoughts on the British Isles Cruise
Even though this was our third time cruising the British Isles in the last year, I still enjoyed this cruise a lot. Each port had something interesting to see even if it was our second or third time visiting the same place.
We missed one port completely due to weather. At another port it was so rainy we decided to skip venturing into town. And at a third port, a lengthy train delay messed up our plans to visit the old town in Rouen, France.
One thing we’ve learned about cruise travel is to be flexible. Weather interruptions are common and can change your itinerary quite a bit. We had a great time and got to see and do everything we wanted in six out of nine ports on our cruise. And the three days of interrupted plans just meant we had three more days to relax and enjoy the cruise ship.
The Majestic Princess ship itself is pretty nice, which is fortunate since we have three more cruises planned on this ship in the next couple of years. Good food, good music, and entertaining shows. If they turned the hot tub down a few degrees it would be perfect!
The logistics of getting there and back aren’t too bad either. A relatively quick transatlantic flight and we’re in England. It’s actually quicker than some of our flights from Raleigh to the west coast.
As usual, we booked the trip almost exclusively with points and miles and paid relatively little out of pocket.
Get free travel like us
If you are interested in getting free travel from your credit card like I do, consider the Chase Ink business cards (my referral link). Right now, the Chase Ink cards offer an above average $750-1000 worth of Chase Ultimate Rewards points that can be redeemed instantly for $750-1000 in cash (or even more for travel!).
Chase is pretty liberal when it comes to “what is a business”. If you sell stuff on eBay or Craigslist or do some odd jobs occasionally then you have a business and could get a credit card as a “sole proprietor”.
I use the 90,000 Chase Ultimate Rewards points from my recent offer by transferring them to my Chase Sapphire Reserve card (also offering a 150,000 point sign up bonus right now). I can transfer those Ultimate rewards points to over a dozen travel partners’ airline/hotel programs like United, Southwest, or Hyatt. For example, I transferred 6,500 Ultimate Rewards points to Hyatt and used them to book a $300/night room that sleeps five during the peak season in the Virginia mountains.
Capital One Venture X card
Another favorite travel card in my wallet is the Capital One Venture X card. The Venture X card is a “keeper” for me. First off, it comes with a $750 sign up bonus after spending $4,000 in the first three months. The bonus is paid in the form of 75,000 bonus points that you can redeem against any travel purchases from anywhere. Then you earn a solid 2 points per dollar spent forever! The other big perk is airport lounge access. You get free entry for yourself into Priority Pass and Capital One airport lounges (guests cost extra since February 1, 2026). Add to this primary rental car insurance coverage and a bunch of other perks.
The Capital One Venture X card does have one catch – a $395 annual fee. But they reward you every year with an easy to use $300 travel discount plus $100 worth of points. Together, that makes $400 they give you annually which completely offsets the annual fee. Since the annual fee is offset in full by travel credits each year, I personally plan on keeping the Venture X card forever since the card benefits are so great.
Closing thoughts
I’ve enjoyed the last few weeks of peace and quiet at home. A vacation from my vacation! We had plenty of time to research our upcoming Norway/Iceland trip and refine the plans for some other future travels as well.
Our portfolio is doing well, although the news remains as scary as ever. It’s best to disregard the news. And let the portfolio do what it will.
As summer rolls around, our oldest daughter is about to hit her one year anniversary at work. Our other daughter is trying to reach a big financial milestone – hitting $100,000 of investments before turning 20! She’s very close but her success is really dependent on how much the stock market goes up between now and the end of summer.
Lastly, we are mere days away from celebrating our son’s graduation from middle school and moving upward to high school in the fall.
Time goes on, and we’re trying to make the most of it!
Okay, that’s it for me this month. See you next month!
Who’s ready for summer??!!
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Was this another casino status match cruise? Interested to hear if you are still able to get those and if any of your upcoming Princess cruises are the same! We had a princess status match cruise earlier this year.
Yes it was a status match cruise (taxes fees + $200 per person refundable as OBC, on Princess). I am using UR Comped to try Celebrity cruises now. Not sure if URComped is still giving status match cruises but I had submitted over a year ago and they still had offers for me so I’m booking them!
Can’t remember if you told me last month you had ever been on Celebrity, but if not you guys will like them. Had our first cruise with them in March after 27 of them with only Carnival and we are hooked, never to return to Carnival. Three more 7 day ones with them later this year and I’m actively looking at the 2027 schedule right now. Their Xcel ships like the Apex we were on are outstanding.
Glad you guys returned how safely and are recharging the batteries before hitting the road again. The summer months are when I get major jobs done before we hit the winter months traveling. Stay safe out there among the English (literally in you guys case!).
Funny enough we did just book a Celebrity cruise! We sailed on them once before, for our honeymoon and it was fantastic. I have high hopes this new cruise will be pretty nice too.
I don’t blame you for making the move away from Carnival. Much nicer alternatives if you can afford it.
Hi Justin. I have sailed Celebrity quite a bit. There’s a huge difference between the Edge class ships (newer ships with the platform on the side with the orange track) and their other ships. It feels like two different brands actually.
Good to know! We are booked on an older but refurbished ship but plan on sailing on some newer ships too. I’ve heard the opposite, that some folks like the older ships better than the newer ships (maybe because they are smaller?).
I’ve “survived” several 5 nt sailings on the Carnival Fantasy class ships, and had a good time overall. So I don’t think Celebrity will disappoint me even if it’s an older ship.
I enjoy every one of your recaps. The lovely photos and travel info and the life updates are exactly the right ratio for me! Good luck to your daughter. I hope the stock market does great stuff for her before her birthday.
Thanks for the well wishes for my daughter!
Hi Justin,
I have been amazed at how your portfolio has grown since you retired. Do you still invest the same way, Paul Merriman-esque? https://rootofgood.com/investment-management-using-asset-allocation/
I think that would be a good article for the future, to explain your current portfolio and the net additions to it since you retired (e.g. blog income, etc).
Yes, same asset allocation for the most part. 10% bond allocation (that’s probably closer to 7-8% today since I haven’t rebalanced more into it over the years)
Get ready for sticker shock when you’re in California. Hubby just went down there and doesn’t want to drive anywhere because of the gas prices. (Southern California). Love watching your portfolio grow.
I’m used to seeing $9/gallon prices in Europe so $6 or whatever in Cali won’t hit too hard 🙂 Prices are starting to drop in NC so hopefully Cali has some lower prices when we’re there. If not we just pay the price I guess!
Phenomenal that you can do this with your family, thank you for sharing with us. I like that your strategy seems to be “best to disregard the news”, this is the greatest investing advice I have ever heard …and hardest to follow.
I try. I mostly just forget to check on the portfolio unless I need to do something specifically like harvest the dividends or transfer cash into or out of the brokerage account’s money market fund. Ignorance is bliss!
Love these updates! Yours is a site I browse and rebrowse articles when seeking inspiration!
I have noticed sometimes recently the site has trouble loading for me? Fyi.
Also, questions I keep meaning to ask, and perhaps others have similar.
If you are keen, either in comment or longer post version, I would love to know YOUR system for keeping track of what cc rewards offers you have signed up for, when you’ve canceled X card, etc. I have a system, but always looking to improve and see what others are doing.
And, Empower. Love it. Except for – gah! Have to reconnect sites all the time. Have you found a way around that? Do you just deal and do it? I reconnect every so often, but it’s like golly, could you just keep it accurate. Curious your experience with that.
Thank you for all you share and in whatever way you are willing to give of your time.
Thank you!
I had some troubles last week with outages and my host put a temporary fix in place. A better fix is in the works when I get back but hopefully it’s stable enough for now.
For managing credit cards – I have a spreadsheet (of course!). Any card I apply for, approved or denied, gets an entry with relevant data including approval/denial process. Then I have another tab where I have current bonus offers I’m working toward at the moment (there are 2 cards in that tab right now). Another tab for all these “credit card coupons” such as Instacart/Doordash credits and rideshare credits, from Chase Sapphire, United Cards, etc. Just a simple spreadsheet and it keeps me on track pretty well. Also answers those questions like “when did I cancel XYZ card back in 2024?”.
As for Empower – it’s a struggle sometimes. I think just reconnecting accounts is the only way. The various websites are always updating their security and login process which breaks things for linked accounts eventually.
Ok, so excel spread sheet. Yep. Simple. Does the job. Great. Same. Thank you.
Empower – yes, ok, you/we all have to reconnect… which is fine… I still love the one hit wonder for everything. I go in about every three months for a real good look at it all… simply because it does take a while to reconnect everything. Glad to know I am not the only one.
Thank you so much for your time to respond!
Nice photos from the British Isles cruise .
Thanks! We enjoyed the beautiful scenery over there
Have you ever missed getting back on the ship after a port of call and if so, how did it work out?
I’ve never missed the ship (so far) and I try very hard not to! Which means skipping cool adventures in some ports where the risk (or hassle) just isn’t worth it.
As far as how I’d handle it, I guess walk up to the pier and find the Princess agent and figure out next steps. Some places it’s just a few hrs bus or train ride to get to the next port, or hop on a ferry later that day or the next morning. Or in the Caribbean, a puddle jumper flight to the next island. Just depends. We’d eat the possibly substantial cost ($100+ for last minute travel arrangements, $100-200 for a last minute hotel, whatever for meals), and hopefully still make the ship in the next port.
Hello. Nice pictures and description of your cruise!
Wondering how you cover yourself and family for health insurance… coverage when in USA, coverage when traveling?
Thank you
In the USA, we have an ACA plan. When traveling we do not buy travel insurance. We self insure and sometimes may have coverage from our credit cards.
Justin,
I am fascinated by your posts and lifestyle. At 40 I decided to spend a chunk of my retirement to buy an accounting firm. I thought that I wanted to retire early, but what I really wanted was financial independence. My HS football coach, is the one that made me realize that one night, as he laughed at my dreams as he said, “Bud I have known you since you were a cub, and you will do something for a month, whatever that is, golf, boating, booze, women whatever and you will get bored and go find something new to do as a career. You are a workaholic and you are always striving and challenging yourself. You don’t want to retire, you just want to be able to retire….” He was not wrong. Now here is my real question, my work neighbor is a financial advisor and he has money, you have money, and both of you are scheming and gaming to get travel perks. He schemes to get free or discount business flights. You are doing all the travel. That just seems exhausting to me. Is it the thrill of the chase? Because I think I could get that. I have never felt more alive smuggling booze on a cruise, I had a drink package mind you, but just the thrill of it was exhilirating. I just pay for the business class tickets, I pay for the cruise and I enjoy myself. I have done without for so long, now I kind of do what I want. Not saying any specific way is right or wrong. I admire you for living this lifestyle for so long. I just think it is not for me.
“Thrill of the chase” – that’s a part of it. It’s nice to get something for (almost) nothing. Unlimited nearly free travel, in sometimes very nice accommodations. It’s also pretty easy work for outsized rewards. We’re getting many many tens of thousands or possibly six figures of free travel annually just for clipping some coupons and clicking some buttons.
Good to see you doing what you really enjoy and are very good at. Like you, we spend our money on what is important to us and save on things that are not. We owe our early retirement to you and the knowledge that you have shared here on rootofgood!
Well, that makes sense. If you enjoy it, that is all that matters. I think it would be interesting if you started a post on cruise lines, which ones you like and or do not like. I feel like you would have been on many different lines.