Here's Andrew on the plane--it was actually his second plane ride but he insisted that it was his first. Both boys did really well on the plane. I, on the other hand, did not fare so well when the pilot came over the intercom and informed us that he was Captain "Mad Dog" Jim and proceeded to play his harmonica for us. "Mad Dog", really??? You want a frat brother named "Mad Dog," not your pilot. As a friend pointed out, you want your pilot to be named Sully!
After an overnight stay at an Orlando airport hotel (where they insisted they were having a cold snap when the temp was 55 degrees!), we boarded the Magical Express (Disney language for the bus that takes you to Port Canaveral). Here's the picture they take of you just as you board the ship...
A few hours after you get on board the BEAUTIFUL ship, you have a mandatory emergency drill, complete with lovely orange life vests and a deck muster point that is reminicent of Titanic. Here are Nick and I in our emergency gear--we look pretty happy for people who are supposed to be mustering for the sinking of the ship!
And if anyone can look adorable in a lifevest, it's our Andrew!
In true Disney style, they throw a party right after the scary drill to distract the kids. This one is called the "Sail Away Party" complete with fun, sparkly things to wave around. Note the jacket on Alex and everyone, for that matter. With the wind, it was really chilly up on deck--still not Indiana-in-January cold but certainly not Carribean comfortable, either!
The Sail Away Party was complete with all the characters decked out (pun intended!) in their sailing gear. We had front row seats and got a handshake from Chip. Or Dale, don't know which is which...
Here's the Main Mouse looking dapper in his captain's uniform...
That night was our first night at sea. None of us had been on a cruise before so it was an experience to feel that massive boat rocking. I got mildly motion sick but nothing that a good night sleep couldn't cure. Especially when you wake up in the Bahamas, baby! We awoke to the ship's horn (which plays the first few notes of "When You Wish Upon a Star"--adorable!) letting us know that we had docked in Nassau. Here is the light house in the opening of one of Nassau's ports. Check out that water!
That morning, Alex and I headed out for a Stingray Adventure where you get to swim with, feed and pet stingrays on this little island called "Blackbeard's Cay." I don't have the pictures back from this since I had to use a disposable underwater camera but I'll get them up as soon as I get them back. Nick and Andrew headed out to a submarine ride where you get to see all sorts of beautiful fish. Nick even saw a sea turtle! Here's Andrew on the sub showing us some of the fishies...
Each night you have to dress up a bit ("cruise casual" they call it) for dinner and get to dine in a different restaurant each night. Here are the boys posed in front of the statue of Ariel the Little Mermaid in the main lobby...
After dinner we went to "Toy Story, the Musical" in the enormous Walt Disney Theater they have on board. This theater is huge and makes you forget you are actually on a ship! Here are Nick and Alex waiting for the show to begin.
I've seen quite a few live performances but I have to say that this was one of the best I've ever seen! For those of you who are familiar with the original movie, it follows that plot pretty faithfully but adds some original songs throughout the story. The sets and costumes were AMAZING! They really looked just like the movie!
Here was one of my favorite scenes--it's when Buzz is stuck in one of those claw machines with the little green aliens. "The Claw has chosen!" That huge claw actually picked up Buzz, who you can see toward the left of the sea of aliens in the picture.
And, of course, each night you returned to your stateroom to a different towel animal. That night it was a pig. We also got a swan and rabbit on other nights. The animals are even complete with little chocolates that have a picture of Sleepy, one of the dwarves from Snow White. All the little details were amazing!
The next morning we woke up to the sunrise off our verandah. I have to say that this was one of our better decisions--having your own deck really enhances the trip. It was really neat to sit out there while the boys were napping and read or just watch the world sail by. I highly recommend!
Disney Cruise Lines has their own private island called Castaway Cay (pronounced "key" for those who are unfamiliar with Carribean jargon!) It is quite simply the most awesome place ever! In Disney tradition, everything is perfectly themed and wonderful. I've been on a lot of beaches but this one topped them all. Here is a view of the port at Castaway Cay as we docked, which is a really interesting experience, by the way!
Eager to get to our own private paradise, we headed down to breakfast on the deck. It doesn't get much better than enjoying breakfast with your boys as you look over a gorgeous island. All while eating breakfast, which as most of you know, is my favorite meal of the day. Ah, breakfast, how I love thee...
Here is an overview of the island from the back of the ship. Check out that beautiful water! Complete with pirate ships! Yay Castaway Cay!
As soon as we got off the ship, Mickey was there to greet us decked out in his island garb...
While we were on our way to the beach, I saw this intentionally rusted thermometer (Disney!) and had to take a picture to prove how warm it was. If you can't quite make it out, it says 75 degrees. And that was at 9:00 in the morning! On February 1st!
This was the boys first exposure to a real beach and they were thrilled! The water was great. The sand was perfect. Can you feel the warmth as you read this??!
So while the boys played, I lounged in my beach chair (thoughtfully provided by Disney, again). Here are my sandy toes. Can you feel the warmth now??!
And a little while later I ordered a Bahama Mama, which was brought to me by a lovely man in a tropical looking shirt. If you drink enough of these you WILL be warm, I promise!
While I was in heaven and the boys played on the beach, Nick was parasailing. I'm not positive this is him but you get the idea!
And when he got back, they boys set about building a fabulous sand castle, complete with moat and skylights! While they were doing that, I headed out to snorkle in their lovely lagoon and it was just like swimming in an aquarium! I saw all sorts of beautiful and colorful fish and even found a submerged Hidden Mickey, for those who are familiar with that sort of thing! Again, the pictures of that are on my water camera, which I'll post soon.
After a GREAT lunch on the island we picked up some bikes and took a ride around the the bike trail that takes you to the other side of the island, including a ride down the abandoned runway.
Here's a picture I snapped of the back of the ship while we were on our way back on board. In case you can't see it very well, it has a statue of Donald Duck with Huey Duck.
After seeing the movie The Princess and the Frog in the theater that night, we returned to our room to my favorite towel animal hanging from one of our hangers--a monkey! Too cute!
Our last day was at sea so we spent the day swimming in the Mickey pool and exploring the ship.
Here's Alex coming down the water slide!
Here's a final picture I took of one of the ship's funnels. Overall, it really was a fantastic trip and I would like to go back in a heartbeat. On the flight home I asked Alex where he thought we should go on our next vacation and he said "I want to go on a Disney Cruise for at least a million years next time!" Me too!
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