(Disclaimer: I'd first like to apologize for the anticipated length of this blogpost. Mostly it's for me so that when I try to scrapbook this event in "several" months I will be able remember what happened)
We've been anticipating this vacation for a long time now. We've had some short trips to the beach but no big vacation since March 2009 when we went to Disney. I was ready for a vacation to say the least. We left last Saturday morning on the first leg of the trip. On the itinerary a stop in Jacksonville, FL to stay with Paul's cousin on the way to our destination: Port Canaveral and the Disney Wonder. The trip down was uneventful though we realized that 6 hours is about as long as my kids last in the car before it all starts going downhill. Have I mentioned that none of the sleep on car trips? Fun. We had a great time with Paul's cousin and got up super early Sunday morning to head to Port Canaveral (The couple weeks before the cruise I obsessively read message boards about cruising and had read it was good to get to the terminal early).
Embarkation Day: We arrived at Port Canaveral about 9:45 Sunday morning. We got a great parking spot right across the street from the terminal which was great since we had 4 kids, 3 suitcases, 2 tote bags and 1 stroller to get from the car over to the terminal. Turns out as soon as you cross the street you give your bags to the porter - easy peasy! We got in line and waited for just a few minutes to actually get into the terminal. Once we got in we walked right up to the check in counter and got our keys and boarding card (Group 2! Woot!). We then got in line to get the kids registered for the Oceaneer Club (Disney's on board kids club). Once we got all the details completed we waited in the waiting area watching Disney movies. Not too much after that Mickey Mouse came out! Then Minnie! Excitement! Pictures! Autographs! Shortly after noon they started boarding and since we were in group 2 we got to get on the ship really early. Once you walk on the ship they have staff waiting to announce your family and greet you...so cute! We went straight to eat since we were starving. Of course the buffet was full of great food and while we were eating Goofy and Pluto came around! After lunch we explored the ship while we waited for our rooms to be ready (big family = 2 rooms..unfortunately not adjoining). Once the rooms were done we ditched our day bags and headed for the Mickey pool! Our luggage arrived in our rooms pretty quickly and before we knew it it was time for the muster drill. After that we went straight to the Sail Away Party. And we were off!! Dinner was next and we got to meet our awesome servers: Ralph & Ronald (oh how I miss them...they spoiled us!). After dinner the girls went to the Oceaneer Club and Jacob to the nursery so Paul and I could explore the ship and check out the Bingo. Unfortunately Jacob wasn't a huge fan of the nursery so he only lasted about an hour. We got the girls and headed for the Golden Mickey's. We had been noticing that the boat was rocking a bit and the Captain spoke for a minute before the show - explaining that the hurricane was heading north but creating some swells. Little did we know it would turn out to be one of the worst nights in recent memory on the ship! The show was great but poor Emma started not feeling well and bless her heart, she got sea sick as we left the show. She certainly wasn't the only one - saw lots of "green" people walking around and Paul and I both felt really queasy. We took some dramamine and went straight to bed!
Day 2, Nassau: We arrived in Nassau early Monday morning. Thankfully everyone woke up feeling well and since we were docked all day there was no worries about getting sick! It was beautiful weather and after breakfast we headed off the ship to check out Nassau. We hadn't planned any excursions but enjoyed walking around for a little bit checking out the town and doing a little window shopping. It was hot and the kids got tired of walking so we headed back to the ship for lunch. After lunch the girls all went to the kids club and Paul, Jacob and I explored the ship some. I met up with Lily and Julia for a scrapbooking party in the afternoon and Paul took Jacob to the nursery so he could go to a premiere. We all met up for dinner and after dinner we got to see Toy Story the Musical. The kids loved it, especially Jacob being the huge "Buzz Buzz" fan that he is! After the show the girls got to meet Princess Tiana! Julia was thrilled! When we got to the room we discovered the room host put princess sheets on the girls bunk beds! They loved it!
Day 3, Castaway Cay: We left Nassau long after we had gone to sleep and arrived at Castaway Cay as we were getting up so no sickness! Castaway Cay is Disney's own island and it is fabulous! The weather could not have been more perfect! We got off the ship and walked down to the tram. We took the tram over to the family beach and we grabbed a stroller (awesome strollers -made to go in the sand. And free!). We got a great spot on the beach (there are chairs for everyone!) and the kids ran to the water. We played in the water for a bit and Emma decided to go the kids area to play with some of the her new friends. We finally found our way over there and checked her in. On the way back Lily, Julia and I explored the island a bit and ran into Minnie Mouse! Of course Lily wanted to shop and of course Disney has shopping on the island. They also have a couple restaurants, bars, bike rentals, sports courts and a splash park. We played a while and got Emma for lunch (a yummy bbq). After lunch Paul and the girls played on the water playgrounds while I took Jacob for a walk/nap. The girls had been dying to get their hair braided and of course they had that on the island so we got that done. A little more ocean time and sadly it was time to head back to the ship where it was Pirate night. We loved, loved Castaway Cay - it was beautiful, super clean and so much to do. Since it was pirate night there were a ton of character meet and greets on the ship. We saw Pirate Mickey and Minnie, Pirate Stitch and Captain Jack Sparrow! Our dinner was great and for the evening entertainment we say Toy Story 3 in 3-D. I was excited since I am apparently the last person on the planet who hasn't seen the movie! After the movie it was time for the Pirates in the Carribbean party! So. Much. Fun. And...Mickey saves the day. And..Fireworks! Over the ocean! Impressive! Sadly the kids were just too tired to do the late buffet. Jacob actually fell asleep on Paul's shoulder during the party.
Day 4: Day at Sea: Thankfully the day at sea was really beautiful and calm! We had a yummy breakfast on the deck and did some shopping on the boat. The girls and I attended a Princess gathering where we saw Snow White, Tiana, Cinderella and Belle. We played family bingo and then it was time for lunch. After lunch the girls and I met Captain Hook then hit the pool while Jacob and Paul went to a movie. After the pool the kids went to kids club so I could shower and get the room packed up. Late that afternoon the kids club put on a production of "Friendship Rocks" All the kids learned some songs then Mickey and Minnie joined them on stage to sing/dance for all the parents. All 3 of my girls participated and it could not have been cuter! Dinner that night was great though a little sad that it was the last one. The show that night, Dreams was fabulous! The girls absolutely loved it! After the show the characters come out one last time in an informal meet and greet called Till We Meet Again. It was super cute and at the end we were all sprinkled with "pixie dust" (or Mickey confetti). The girls thought it was awesome.
Day 5: Debarkation: Debarkation day begins very early. Very. Like was had to be at breakfast at 6:45. Yikes! It was good but we were all so sad to have to leave the boat. We got to see our servers one last time and some of the friends we made. Then it was time to go. Thankfully getting off the ship was quick and painless. We made it through customs and out to the car very quickly and we were off to the last leg of our trip. Destination: Disney's Hilton Head Island Resort.
Hilton Head: We didn't want to drive the whole way back in one day so we decided to go to Disney's Hilton Head Resort for 2 nights before heading home. We decided to stop in Savannah on the way to HHI and we lucked into some lunch reservations at Paula Deen's Lady and Sons restaurant! We walked around Savannah for a little bit and then enjoyed a super delicious lunch before going to HHI. We arrived late afternoon in HH. The resort is very nice there! We had a very spacious 2 bedroom (of course it felt huge after being on the cruise) with a washer and dryer. I promptly started the cruise laundry and the kids enjoyed having some space to run around! We went to the pool that evening and to the community center for Goofy Bingo. Friday morning we went to the beach for a while, out to a late lunch and enjoyed a campfire at the resort. It was a great way to end such a great vacation. We headed home Saturday morning.
It was an absolutely wonderful vacation. I can't say enough good things about a Disney cruise. It wasn't perfect..we had a few housekeeping issues but the Guest Services staff went over the top to make it right for us (all my kids got a stuffed Minnie and Mickey!). The service was fantastic (please someone come turn down my bed and leave a chocolate mint on the pillow?), the entertainment was spectacular and the food was fabulous. There was definitely something for everyone and we all had a great time! We can't wait to go back!
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