In addition to signing up for 5% cashback on restaurants and movies in the first quarter of 2013, you can also register your Discover Card double cashback or miles on ALL purchases made between January 1 and 15, 2013. Unfortunately, the promotion is only limited to $250 in spend.
*Sign up to earn 2% Cashback Bonus on up to $250 in purchases from January 1 or the date on which you sign up (whichever is later) through January 15, 2013. These purchases do not count towards annual purchases eligible to earn 1% Cashback Bonus. Allow up to 2 billing periods for this reward to be added to your Cashback Bonus account. See Cashback Bonus Program Terms and Conditions for further details about your rewards program.
*Sign up to earn Double Miles on up to $250 in purchases from January 1 or the date on which you sign up (whichever is later) through January 15, 2013. These purchases do not count towards annual purchases to determine your tier level. Allow up to 2 billing periods for this reward to be added to your Miles account. See Miles Program Terms and Conditions for further details about your rewards program.
Here we are at the end of 2012, and we are well into the planning stages of 2013. While you are busy getting ready for the big celebration tonight, take a quick moment to log into your Discover card account and activate your 5% cashback bonus categories for the first quarter of 2013.
Starting January 1, 2013 and going through the end of March 2013, earn 5% cashback on up to $1,500 in purchases at restaurants and movies.
Surprisingly, the Discover Miles card has not released any bonus categories yet for 2013. This could be that the first portion of the new year Discover will be focusing on the new IT card (more info to come later).
I was curious how I did in 2013 with my Discover card cashback earning potential, so I quickly pulled it up in my account.
Looking at my cashback profile, you can see where we had some spending to meet the associated categories. In reality, I do not use my Discover More card all that much (only spending $1,590.02 in 2012), unless I know we will be earning a 5% bonus or via the Shop Discover portal.
A couple things to additionally note is that I moved a lot of spend this year onto several new cards we opened, including the US Bank FlexPerks cards, Hilton HHonors AMEX, and US Airways Dividend cards. I also tend to use my Discover Miles card more often that the Discover More card, especially at one of our local grocers, that ONLY takes Discover.
One other thing to note is that the majority of my cashback actually came via Shop Discover. For Groupon, in particular, it is hard to beat the 15% cashback every time I use it. In addition, that Sears purchase was from when I bought a new camera, racking up a nice $60 discount just by clicking through their portal.
After a nice morning around the Disney’s California Adventure boardwalk area, we made our way to the long-awaited Little Mermaid, Ariel’s Undersea Adventure ride. When we visited the park in 2010, the ride was still under construction, so we missed out on getting to see it. Little did we know just how great of a ride it really was once we got to spend some time under the sea.
Surprisingly, there was never much of a wait to get on the ride throughout the day, which made riding it multiple times to waste some time all the more easier.
Ariel’s Undersea Adventure takes you through a re-creation of the movie, with lively scenes of what really goes on below the waves. Riding in a clamshell, you start your adventure being narrated by Ariel’s seagull friend, Scuttle. Following you dive into the depths of the ocean, and begin my meeting Ariel and Flounder looking up at the surface of the water. From there, you get to see Ariel’s collection of whosits and whatsits galore, before immediately being cast into a rambunctious scene with Sebastian and all their friends singing “Under the Sea.”
I was rather disappointed to hear that the new Fantasyland expansion at the Magic Kingdom (Walt Disney World) has the same exact version of Ariel’s Undersea Adventure from DCA. One of our favorite aspects of visiting both parks is the differences in not only the parks, but also the versions of the attractions.
Journey with us on our adventure under the sea.
(For those reading this post via email, click here to watch the video over on my site.)
Following our ride on Ariel’s Undersea Adventure, we had early reservations for dining with the princesses at Ariel’s Grotto. The building is located along the entrance to the boardwalk with a nice view out onto the park and water feature where the nightly World of Color show is presented.
After a short wait, we were on our way down into the restaurant and to meet Ariel, in all her legged version splendor. Bug, despite having a slight cold, had no problem approaching Ariel, although, just like their dad, they tend to stumble upon their words when in the presence of a princess. Lan-Shark (1), however, refused to go anywhere near the lovely former mermaid.
Shortly after being seated, we were offered our beverages, and the Antipasti Tower was waiting for our enjoyment, as well as a sourdough pull-apart flower and butter.
The Antipasti Tower included a mixed greens salad served with Ariel’s Grotto House Vinaigrette.
In addition was a plate of salami, marinated mozzarella, tomatoes, gherkins, olives, red pepper bracelets, chilled vegetables with pesto, and ranch dips.
The last platter was a fruit gelatin called “Jewels of the Sea”, served with string cheese and seasonal fruit.
For the main dish, I selected the day’s sustainable fish, served over rice pilaf and topped with a sweet-and-spicy pineapple chutney with a side medley of seasonal vegetables.
The boys had orders of mac-n-cheese, which were topped with Goldfish crackers, served with a side of fresh fruit.
Mrs. InACents ordered the Santa Maria-style Tri-tip, which was slow roasted and smoked over red oak wood served with cheddar-herb mashed potatoes and a medley of seasonal vegetables.
During the meal, the princesses start to come out and visit each of the tables. We were honored to be in the presence of Snow White, Aurora (Sleeping Beauty), Cinderella, and Belle (Beauty of the Beast) and the boys were genuinely stunned with their beauty. In addition to getting some good pictures of the boys with each of the princesses, I also captured some great photos of myself that were enlarged and now sit atop of our fireplace at home. Such a beautiful scene, it almost brings me to tears of happiness.
Following our meal and meet-and-greets, we were free to take our time and enjoy the beautiful decor of Ariel’s Grotto, as well as a wonderful assortment of desserts.
Dining at Ariel’s Grotto was approximately $50 per person, and our boys were free. Considering we were pre-paid, it was rather nice to know we could order whatever we choose off the menu, and tax, gratuity, and the characters were all included in the price.
