We just got back last week from a great family vacation and I need write down every detail before I forget. May I begin with…it was great. Amazing. Fun. Great. Wait, I already said that.
We landed in Orlando and spent the night a hotel nearby and then went back to the airport in the morning to catch one of the Disney Cruise Shuttles. It was so nice and convenient. We gave them our luggage and we didn't see them again until they showed up at our room on the ship. The bus showed a fun video about the ship and the ports we were going to be visiting.
We got to the port and we checked in. It was quick and easy….let me tell you….Disney has it all figured out. When we boarded the ship, a worker was there to greet us to let us know what was open at that time and when we could enter our rooms and then she announced our name and they clapped for us as we walked into the main atrium. Very cool.
We went around exploring the ship. It was cool to find a lot of different interactive maps and nooks where one could sit and enjoy the view.
We then went to check out the Oceaneer Club and Lab. This is where you can drop your kids off and let them play and hang out. It was very very cool. They have a TON of different activities planned from games, movies, crafts, science experiments, cooking classes, and on and on throughout the day and night. You can basically drop them off when they open and pick them up when they close at midnight. They will even feed them!
Self Serve Ice Cream Machines!!!
My view during my pedicure at the spa.
Our first stop was in Nassau, Bahamas. Very beautiful, but VERY BUSY! There were 4 other cruise ships docked and it was crazy. We found a close beach to hang out but the spring break college crowd was pretty rowdy. We left after awhile and went back to the ship.
We rode the Aquaduck (that tube slide that goes around the deck).
Dinner was awesome every night. We have the same waiters every night and we ate at a different restaurant each night. They let the kids draw on the tablecloths and they did little magic tricks for the girls. It was just so fun and laid back and LOUD…but who cares? It was just really nice to not stress about how my girls were behaving or how the kids at the other table were behaving. We were all having a good time. Food was good too and there were many options!
It was pirate night the 2nd day we were on board so that morning we got pirate hankies on our bed to wear that night for the party.
Every night there was a show in the big theatre and the kids loved it because it always included characters and songs they were familiar with.
Pirate Party on deck with a fireworks show set to music from the Pirates of the Caribbean. Awesome!
Our other stop was at Castaway Cay, Disney's private island. It was amazing! We were the only ship docked so it didn't feel so crowded. Plenty of lounge chairs and space. There are two places to eat lunch on the island for free and the ice cream machines were there too! Here we rented snorkel gear and we went snorkeling. Chris has a BUNCH of pictures and videos he took on the Go-Pro but I don't know where those are. I will add later I guess. We did a Sting Ray adventure where we could pet and feed the sting ray. It was cool….but the girls cried the whole time. Oh well.
We also rented bikes and took a really cool bike ride around the island to an observation deck.
They have some water slides and a jungle gym and they even have a place where you can drop your kids off to play and you can go hang out at the Adult only beach for a couple of hours. Very cool.
One of the restaurants on the ship.
Our wait staff
Reagan overseeing the disbursement of luggage.
It was just the perfect family vacation. Everyone there is with their families, so it just was a great time. Disney really has it all figured out. We love Disney so being on a ship where the attention bell was to the tune of "when you wish upon a star" or the LOUD horn on the ship does a bunch of different tunes from Disney Movies, and when we were docked in Nassau, there was another Disney ship docked too and they start "talking" to each other by answering their horns, and when you're walking down hallways, you hear music like you're on Main Street at Disneyland…..it's just great great great. There are cell phones in each room so that you can communicate with one another while you're on the ship or at the beach and the Oceaneer Lab uses those to text you or call you if there is an issue with your child while they're there. We got towel animals every night on our beds. The workers were all friendly and called my girls Princesses. There was a movie theatre that showed a movie that's at normal theaters now and they had a bunch of other movies like the Frozen Sing-a-long. Ugh….just awesome. 3 days was too short. One more day would've been perfect. But I was unsure on how the girls would handle a cruise. Ryan can get motion sick pretty easily. The weather was good but the rocking of the boat was minimal. The first night was the worst, but they did well! Water was chilly but even I got used to it…but that made laying out on the beach nice because it wasn't hot.
Again…it was great. I am ready to do another one.
