Trip of the Year: Disney Cruise / World

At long last day 0 came on the countdown calendar. The same calendar that started on day 224. I am not sure what to think, be super excited that the day is finally here, or super sad that it came so fast. But here was Halloween, the day before the big trip. We had everything planned out and mostly packed (been doing that for a month). Daddy started his vacation on Halloween so he could enjoy the parties and parades and help with last minute preparation. We went strong all day long right until 8pm. Candy in hand, kids spun up, we sent them to bed and packed the rest. Tons of pictures right here (click) with several below to help the story along.

4am Friday (Nov. 1) we wake up the kids. For those of you who think these early morning wake ups for trips are insane, I really recommend it. Everyone is on their game and super excited to get going. So we got up to the sounds of “Under the Sea” from the LIttle Mermaid and loaded the car with 2 large suit-cases, 3 medium carry-ons, two carseats, one stroller and a back-pack. Fairly light for us. Grandma, bless her heart drove us to the airport and wished us luck. We stumbled into the airport and checked-in, train wrecked through security and had some breakfast. Our somewhat relaxed nature nearly caused us to miss our flight this time. Showed up at the gate with no one else around and our name being called. But we got on and on our way.

This was a long flight to Orlando, but the kids did fine as always. WIth iPads and LeapPads in hand, we made our way across the country. The plan was to stay in the Orlando Airport Hyatt the first night as to not be rushed to the port or risk any delays. This was a fun treat. The hotel was actually part of the terminal, nice room with views of the runways to keep us entertained. We settled ourselves in the room with our massive amount of bags (we simply did not have enough hands to move everything around) and explored. Lunch in the terminal, swimming in the roof-top pool and general slacking off.

We slept well with the kids in their own bed and us in our own...then some switching in the middle since that was a silly idea to begin with. First piece of good news this morning and first sign that this cruise was worth it was that we got to leave all our bags in our room. With specially provided tags, the next time we would see these bags would be in our stateroom on the cruise ship. We left with a backpack and a small carry-on with the essentials. Had a lovely breakfast (free breakfast), and headed to the first big excitement of the trip; the Disney Cruise Line Bus. Caden of course loves any form of transportation, but this was made special (duh). The bus was boat like with big round windows and a sort of classic look to it. We loaded up and enjoyed Disney cartoons and trivia on the 50 minute drive to Port Canaveral.

Maybe only interesting to me, but on the way we pass south of Cape Canaveral / Kennedy Space Center. You can see several launch stands and the VAB (shuttle assembly area). I am never going to live in Florida, but it does seem like a playground for all. On our way, the bus driver promised to call out the first sighting of the Disney Fantasy, our ship. I won’t lie, including both mommy and daddy, the whole bus was gitty with excitement. We (daddy) had been hyping up this ship for months with the kids. How big it would be, how if set in our neighborhood, it would reach from our house to Anne’s house and be over 14 stories tall. There was no disappointment. First sighting was the stacks from a good 10 miles away, then the side of the ship from maybe 3 miles...then we were there. We pulled-up to the terminal with the whole bus cheering and that beautiful boat loomed way above us. The boarding process was refined and smooth of course. We got our Key to the World cards and boarding number and waited in this large hallway with all sorts of trepidation about what to expect. With our boarding number called we loaded through the “MIckey Jetway” and on to the boat. They called out the “Chapman Family” as we entered the Grand Vestibule with clapping from the crew. We had arrived.

So the way this works is that this boat is in constant rotation. It just got back from a cruise and unloaded everyone a few hours ago and was now loading up its next 4,000 people. So our room was not ready. We wandered aimlessly throughout this massive vessel with a back-pack and a roller bag. I think we looked like rookies. Lunch was available to us, pools were open, everything was there for us to use, but we were sort of in a stunned silence. The ship was so pretty. Every refinement, every trim was so fancy. Detailed tile work, hugh chandeliers, unbelievably clean. It could have easily been any 5-star resort. We finally snapped out of it and found a place to get into swimsuits and hit the top deck for swimming and water-sliding. First memorable moment came seconds later when we started walking to the Mickey pool. It is a two level pool shaped like Mickey. The outer part is several inches deep, sort of a wadding area. But the ears and face is a couple feet deep, but since it is colored differently, you can’t see it. So Caden walked straight out there ready to get swimming. He walked right off the edge into the deep section without knowing it and disappeared under the water. It was hysterical. We didn’t of course make a move to help him and he thought it was a great start. This was a good start since no one else was really doing this. We swam and watched Disney stuff on the 70 foot outdoor screen. And then there was the Aqua Duck. A clear tube water slide that two people ride at once on a raft. It starts a the top of the aft stack and goes immediately off the edge of the boat with the water 15 stories below. Then shoots around the deck and through the forward stack and back around. Caden loved this as you will see later. We enjoyed our first of many, MANY, many meals. The Cabana restaurant on the top deck is open to all for all meals and offers everything and as much of it as you want. Everything, seriously, try me...name something you think they didn’t serve. And not just quantity and selection; quality too. From salmon and sword fish, sushi, stews, vegetables, soups, sandwiches, steaks, etc.3. We ate well. Caden did his usual.

And now our room was ready! Very excited about this part since we heard so many good things. Caden was amped about the bunk-bed and mommy and daddy were excited about the verandah. Our room with a view. First observation, the door was half the size of a normal door. Room 6040: Home Base. It was SMALL. But brilliantly small. Walk into a narrow hallway with lots of closets on our right and two bathrooms on the left (potty separated from the shower/bath). Mommy and daddy’s bed next, then curtain dividers than a couch, desk and the DECK. At this time our bags, as promised, starting showing up...all of them...that needed to fit in here with us. But it worked out. Unpacked everything into drawers and hangers and the bags all fit under the master bed (as if that was what it was designed to do). No bunk bed yet, but that would appear magically later. Only thing that didn’t fit was one car-seat which they made disappear for us for the duration of the trip. The first and only thing we had to do was the emergency drill at 4pm. Alarms sound and we gather in our meeting area and received general “abandon ship” information. The general impression was that no matter what terrible thing could happen, the chance of this boat sinking was far from likely. And by now, the boat was pulling away from the dock and heading out to sea. It felt so luxurious passing these other “lesser cruise ships” and seeing all these people gather on the shore to wave. And the best part was when the ship blew its horn to mark its departure. What do you think the horn on a Disney boat sounded like? (Click here). No joke, this was the horn the boat used for hailing (or harassing) other ships or coming into or leaving port. I wonder if it would have been as charming if the ship was sinking and this was the call for help. So yes, after the official blowing of the horn and with Port Canaveral falling farther off our bow, we started to explore some more. Totally overwhelmed. There was so much to do on this ship. It would take us 5 days until we saw all the major attractions. Just saw. Not do. We never actually did everything.

Our next experience was to go to dinner. This was the only thing that we had to do at a certain time everyday. Well if we wanted to sit for dinner, we could have ordered room service at any time. So we had the second seating, at 8:15. At first, this seem perfectly absurd that we with our small kids would have to wait to have dinner until 8:15 (instead of first seating at 6:15). But upon review, this is the way to do it. Gives you more time in the day to see things and less time worrying about getting to dinner. And besides, the kids wouldn’t be going to bed until midnight most nights. There were three main restaurants (for dinner) on the boat, our first night was at the Royal Court. It was indeed a very elegant setting with chandeliers and large tables. Added to it, the first night was a semi-formal dress code. Our table was 66, this would be with us through the cruise. Turns out, we got to sit with another family. Gary and Jennifer and there twin children, 5 year olds Margo and Landon. from Colorado Springs. Hmm, coincidence that we would be sitting with a family of about our same age and from about our same area? A family who has done this cruise a few times and could show us the ropes? Maybe not.

We met our wait staff; Drink Waiter Yuni from Japan, Main Waiter Kabello from South Africa, and Head Waiter Ivo from Kroatia. These fine folks would be with us for the duration of the cruise as well. They would get to know us by name, know our room, know our food preference, our allergies, our pickiness and anything else they needed to know to make our experience unforgettable. And most amazing, they would learn this in under 24 hours. The kids would get their fun menus and us adults would go through and select our appetizer, soup or salad, entree and dessert. A good time to step aside and describe the “normal” food on this boat. It was amazing. Crab, lobster, fish, steak, you name it. The selection was great, the food was prepared perfectly and it came in no small quantities. I could never find room to complain. Now wait until I tell you about the non-normal dinning later. The kids got a fun plate with the stuff kids like followed by a dessert and anything else to make dinning fun. Which was important cause as the nights went on, the kids had a harder and harder time staying awake at this hour.

And that concludes our first day on the boat. We got back to our room around 10pm and the beds were made, the bunk was out, the towels were made into animals and chocolates were waiting. Good night.

The next morning, after a fairly lovely night of sleep in comfortable beds with the sea to rock us to sleep, we woke up to what would define the real reason for the cruise. We poked our heads out the window and saw nothing but open sea whipping by us. It was a stunning sight. Nothing but the beautiful turquoise ocean and blue skies in every direction. Caden had the best response after I woke him up and had him look out the window from his bed. He simply said, “Wow”. After taking our sweet time to organize ourselves and taking even more sweet time on our veranda enjoying that view, we headed off to breakfast. Wait, back to that view. For me (Jon), I could have spent easily a whole day just sitting on the deck watching that ocean go by. The view never changes and there is nothing but blue on blue, but it is mesmerizing.

So breakfast. For the one and only time we went to one of the main restaurants (our assigned one) for a buffet. The Enchanted Garden looks like a garden complete with fountains, flowers, lights that open and close like blossoms and an ever changing skyline. This was where we learned about the intensity at which Disney takes food and allergies. Molly was already flagged as having a dairy allergy and dinner for tonight was prearranged by our wait staff, but we didn’t realize they watch it at every second. We went through the buffet line and got stuff we knew would be okay for Molly, then ordered eggs special for her so we could make sure there was no milk. The waiter (not our dinner staff), nearly lost his mind. He was shocked we went to the buffet at all and said they cannot promise anything about the food on the line and that if Molly got sick on his watch he would get fired,...left t the next port as he put it. And I believe it. I think if someone miffed an allergy, they might get tossed off the boat right there. They are amazing with allergies. Whatever you or your loved ones have, they will take care of you. All we had to do was to order Molly’s meal one meal ahead of time and no matter where we were, they would have something waiting for her. Anything she wanted. Anytime.

Time for our first scheduled activity of the trip. The Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique. Some of you know what this is, well they have a salon on the boat. The kids got to go for a princess/knight make over. They sit in a totally decked out hall with gold trimmings, mirrors, lights and anything you else you might imagine are in a Princesses dressing room and get a full on make-over. Molly got her hair done, nails, make-up and a mermaid costume to fit the part of Arial. Caden got spiked hair, glitter, and a sword and a shield to be the fearless night. Pretty fun activity for them, one I think Molly will like even more when she is older.

So after our that we, of course, hit the pools. After many hours of that, Molly passed out in the room and would not wake up for an iceberg. So Caden and daddy set out to solve a mystery! Another brilliant Disney idea. What we had to do was to pick up a paper badge and a case file from one of two Detective offices on the boat. We would listen to a clue there and then be on our way. The case file included a map of the boat highlighting various special art across all of the decks from bow to stern. Once we found these art pieces, Caden would hold up the badge in front of the picture and the art would turn into a video describing another clue for the particular caper we were solving. We would then have to head off to find another picture and so on and so forth. It takes about 45 minutes of walking around this not so small boat to solve the case. Great exercise and totally engrossing for Caden. He must have done it 5 times during our week there.

After that, we all went to go see another show in the theater. Not a movie of course, an actual Broadway style show. This one was Aladdin. Super funny with another Robin Williams like Genie. The stage is amazing, complete wit special effects, explosions, trap doors, in audience involvement and everything you would expect from a major production. Even better, you can get drinks and food and kick back and enjoy. We would be in this theater many times this trip.

Next on the list, it was time to try the Oceaneering Club and Lab. This was the kids club that took up the majority of deck 5. Kids are left here and have a million activities to do on there own or with groups or with the characters themselves. Anything from making flubber, to baking cookies, dancing, driving the boat (for pretend...I think) or just watching a movie. Most kids would stay there for hours and have to have their parents drag them out to spend family time. Our kids were not quite there. They did spend a lot of time there, but they were not big fans of being separated from us. We are told it will be better next time, and they did enjoy themselves while there. I just think they were worried that they were missing out on what Mommy and Daddy might be doing. So what did we do the first time we dropped them off? We explored and drank of course. You might think cause it is a Disney cruise, adult beverages are not easy to get to. Not so, there are many, many bars with many, many a lovely drink. Yes, we did have to pay extra for the drinks, BUT, they were not over-priced and they were generously poured. No complaints. Mom and Dad got a whole hour to sit out on a quiet adults only section with a tropical drink and a beautiful view. We will need more of these moments next time.

For dinner tonight, we ate at Animators Palette. This is by far the best restaurant. The food is wonderful everywhere, but what made this place great was the decor. Surrounding us were all the animations of Disney in different stages of production. Some were pictures, but most were screens that changed and animated and came to life throughout dinner. The coolest thing happen this first night. About half-way through, Crush from Finding Nemo came on to one of the big screens and began to talk to the crowd. And first this was amusing, but then it got way cooler when Crush actually started interacting with the crowd. He would call out certain people and talk with them. And the best part was when he saw Molly and started talking to her. Now of course there is someone not too far away who can listen to the responses and talk back, but the real magic was that Crush would move to talk to the person and his voice was Crush’s voice, and his expressions and actions and lip-sync were all perfect. Like he was animated for the conversation he was having. Molly just lit up when he found her. Watch this video (didn’t get the whole thing, but you get the idea):

After this truly memorable dinner, another amazing thing happen which we didn’t fully take advantage of but will next time. The kids club folks came to the restaurant and took the kids to the club (if they were willing) and let the adults enjoy the rest of the evening with wine and small talk! Caden and Molly went off with Margo and Landon (these were the kids that never wanted to leave the club) and mommy and daddy got to hang with the other mommy and daddy and enjoy ourselves! Yeah!! After that, we picked up the kids who did in-fact have a very good time and headed to bed. Another fun note here, our room was equipped with a TV that had free access to every single Disney show, cartoon, movie (live or animated) ever made. And for vacation only, we let our kids watch TV while going to sleep. With all that selection, do you know what they chose to watch every single night? Old school Mickey, Goofy and Donald cartoons. Like the first cartoons with sound--old school. The same cartoons I loved growing up (that their grand-parents loved). Awesome.

Today we woke up and actually made an attempt to get out the door at a certain times so the kids could see Jake (from Jake and the Never Land Pirates) at the D-Lounge (the all purpose club for families). After that and some breakfast, Mommy and Daddy made another attempt at alone time. We dropped the kids off at the club and we got a couples massage! So of course there is a big amazing spa on the ship, and we decided we had to do something. Honestly, the massage was not that great and it was pretty expensive, BUT, the view from our private room was stunning. It was actually at the front of the boat just on top of the bridge, so nearly a 270 deg view of the sea. It was very relaxing. Next time however, I think we will take advantage of the Rain Forest where you get the views, hot-tubs, saunas, and other relaxing things.

After the mini-escape, we picked up the kids and went swimming again, duh. RIght after we headed to another show, “Wishes”, a feel-good all DIsney character thing. And then Molly fell asleep again. So back to the room then Caden and Daddy headed out for more mysteries and the girls kicked back. I am not sure how we got lunch this day, but it was likely grabbing something from the upper decks and bringing it down to the room. But then came dinner tonight....

Tonight was Mom and Dad’s night for dinner alone at Remy. There are two adult only restaurants on the ship for an extra cost. Palo and Remy. We booked both, but only ended up going to Remy (the high end one) cause it simply would not get better than this. The kids helped Mommy and Daddy get ready. Dad had a new suit, and Mom and a borrowed, fancy dress for the occasion (there was a strict dress code). We fed the kids in the room and sent them to the kids club for the next 3 hours.

So Remy is themed from the movie Ratatouille where the main character, a rat, is named Remy. The movie is about food and Remy was a rat with sophisticated taste. So I can spend the next 100,000 characters describing this place, but it won’t do it justice. Best food we have ever had (and Katy and I have had a lot of great food). The menu comes from a French and American chef working to create two different cuisines. A total of 10 course were available, so we chose the, “give-me-them-all-and-surprise-us” menu. The wait staff here is not like the rest of the crew where they do multiple jobs. They only work this restaurant. To get this job, they must have gone to one of the few schools that offer a professional degree in service. And they must have served some years in a Michelin Star restaurant already. Our waiter was amazing, attentive and knowledgable. Some of the food we enjoyed: Champagne with pear vodka, mint, raspberry, and dried apricot. Ratatouille with olive ice-cream, parmesan vegetable juice thing, Caviar with king crab served with a mother-of-pearl spoon, muscles with shellfish foam and blackened sea bass, smoked salmon sashimi, Chilean sea-bass, Quail and quail egg (Katy nearly died on this one as it was so good), a deconstructed taco, veal, cheese course, chocolate with 24K gold shavings, and take home truffles. Stunning.

After this, we picked up the kids, and, at 10pm, you guessed it, we went swimming. It was a great time with the kids and rounded out a perfect day. Oh, and they had Monday Night Football on the big screen.

We woke up feeling like many small kids might feel after falling asleep in one place and waking up in another, disorientated. The ship was docked at St. Maarten (Saint Martin) and out our window was another, bigger cruise ship, the Norwegian Epic, the same ship Katy’s parents took on a transatlantic tour this past spring. On the other side of the boat were two Royal Caribbean ships, it was going to be a busy place.

We took our time getting off the boat, we had no big plans or reservations here. Just wanted to check it out and play on the beach. Saint Martin is the smallest land governed by two countries; France and the Netherlands. We headed off from deck 1 into what looked like a city sidewalk surrounded by sky-scrapers. Being rookies, we didn’t pack enough cash. By the time we got to the beach we were broke. The whole place is designed for the cruise ships and milking the tourist dry. But after a short water taxi ride and a bit of negotiating, we found some chairs two feet form the water and the kids were thrilled to have the ocean to play in for the next several hours. We had snacks, hot weather and beautiful views. After several hours of that,we walked around the town, took in the sights, bought some duty-free rum, pondered why there was so much jewelry for sale, then headed back to the boat.

Getting back on the boat was even a little special. They had fruit infused water waiting for us and hand sanitizer before we were allowed to board. After the long day of being sold, a little lost and full of sand, getting back to our room was like being home. It was so cozy, clean and welcoming. We de-sanded in the showers, got some food for our room, watched TV and enjoyed the views as the other boats left. We backed out after dark, then got ready for Pirate Night!

Pirate NIght is a standard offering on Disney ships. We all got in our pirate costumes (bought in anticipation of this day), and headed out. It was a cool party, all the characters dancing on the deck, a whole show put on, everyone participating and anticipating the coming fireworks! Fun fact, the Disney Fantasy is the only boat in the world allowed to launch fireworks at sea. Fireworks, of course are not so good for the environment; not the air and certainly not the sea. But Disney went back and redesigned fireworks to be perfectly safe for the sea and the life in it. How they found flammable fish food, I don’t know. After the day on the island and all the partying, the kids very nearly did not make it to the fireworks show. Caden begged to go, but kept falling asleep waiting for them. Molly just wanted to go to bed. We forced them through it, tossed them into bed and they were asleep before their heads hit the pillow. Tomorrow is Caden’s big day.

Another day, another morning waking up in a strange foreign country surrounded by water. Today, St. Thomas. Fitting since today is November 6th, Mr. Caden Thomas Chapman’s 6th Birthday. Today we planned an actual port adventure for the big day. We would spend half the day on the “Legendary Kon Tiki Tour Boat”. A glass bottom party boat with steal drums, dancing and a few hours on a nice white sand beach. We barely made it out the door in time, but we got to the tour and enjoyed the beautiful sights of St. Thomas during the bay tour. It is worth noting that St. Thomas, and even more so St. John right next door are suppose to be the most beautiful beaches around. Down side of a cruise, it is hard to properly enjoy these destinations, it is sort of a “Cliff Notes” viewing of these paradises. But enough of that, it was a plenty nice tour.

First thing we saw parked right next to our ship was a private yacht that was more than half the length of our cruise ship...this is a private boat. The Rising Sun it was called, originally owned by the CEO of Oracle. Anyway, that was cool. After that, we saw the bay area and learned of the history of region. After a little bit, they opened the glass viewing area and we saw fish and other lovely tropical things, including a feeding frenzy of a school of fish by our boat.

We stopped at a semi secluded beach were we got to jump off and spend a couple hours snorkeling and wadding and rope swinging of all things. Caden was a pro snorkeler of course, going all the way in the bay and seeing a bunch of wildlife on the way. Up until he dropped the mask and snorkel to the bottom of the sea floor (fortunately a nice teenager who despite his broken arm dove down and got it for him).That was very nice. After that we got back to the boat, did some Macarena, Limbo and other fun dancing (and I got a free bottle of rum!). We got back to the docks with plenty of time to explore the town....but we didn’t do that, instead we went back to the boat and enjoyed the afternoon in the pools of course without crowds.

We did some resting, some swimming, eating then saw another show. This one was a little different. It was called Buckets and Boards. A couple of guys doing stand-up comedy and percussion acrobatics. We all really enjoyed it, especially Caden who was laughing his tush off.

The boat got going after this and we stood on our balcony watching the sunset and sea go by. And noticed there seemed to be a significant swell (even though there was no storm). Uh-oh, this would be a problem. Up until this point, no one has had any sea-sickness issues, even Katy (who was wearing a patch) was doing well. But tonight would test us.

Caden had been wearing “Birthday” buttons all day and had been getting a fair amount of attention for his big day. Tonight at dinner was even better. Another night at Animators Pallet. Especially cool night cause the first thing we did was to draw out characters on these special place mats for a surprise later in the evening. The wait staff collected all these drawings (all several hundred of them) and we went on with our dinner. Lovely meal of course. Just before dessert, the show began. All the screens came to life with Disney cartoons dancing and singing. But, as an added amazing bonus, the characters were accompanied by the characters we all drew...all dancing and moving along with the cartoons! A great trick only Disney could do I bet.

And then dessert came, and Caden got his own cake and everyone sang Happy Birthday to him, and then, he threw up all over his cake, himself & Daddy. The poor kid was suffering through the night with the bigger than average swell of the seas. He was so unhappy. We got him some seas sickness meds and brought him to bed. He felt better and slept well. Not an ideal birthday, but he still remembers that day as one of his favorites.

So it was just after this second port that we realized how much we value the days at sea. The first few days we were overwhelmed with trying to see and do as much as possible. Then with the ports of call we of course felt obligated to see all we could see. But on Thursday, a whole day at sea, we finally realized that we could relax and not plan or do anything. It was spectacular. We got up at our own pace, took our time in our room, don’t even remember how we had breakfast, then slowly made our way out to see what there was to see.

We of corse did more swimming and aqua ducking playing in the splash parks and wandering the decks. Mommy and Daddy got an extra few hours alone cause the kids wanted (okay, were willing) to do the kids club. We found a quiet spot with some chase lounges, got some tropical drinks and soaked in the sun. We picked up the kids after that and headed back to the room. I decided the kids were old enough to see Pirates of the Caribbean, so I turned it on and got them set up on the couch...they were asleep before the opening credits.

We saw another show, this one called Magic. These shows were getting a little boring (WIshes, Magic, Dreams...all sort of the same). What I (Dad) wanted to do was to go see the midnight premier of Thor! Name me another boat that can show a big box-office movie the same time it is released on land (and then name another boat that is owned by the same company that owns that movie)! I didn’t see it of course...we didn’t see any movies, but next time I intend to fix that.

Another swimming session on the decks late at night finished our day. It was particularly fun because the swell of the water was creating our very own wave machine in the pools. The pools are designed to handle the sloshing water, but it sure didn’t stop the kids from washing back and forth...they loved it.

Last full day of the cruise...sniff. But what a way to go. Friday was Castaway Cay day! For those of you who don’t know how all encompassing Disney’s power is, Castaway Cay is Disney’s private island. All theirs, every inch. It is a beautiful little spot of land in the Bahamas that is staffed by 100 folks year round with the sole purpose of tending to the Disney boats which visit a total of 4 times a week. The boat actually brings in the food and the added staff. They throw us a big BBQ on the beach, provide a million toys to play on the sand, land and water (bikes, snorkel, fishing, etc.), and make sure we have 8 hours of pure fun. This is a good time to point out what is unfortunate about the other islands we visited; because cruise ships are such a gold mine of tourist with too much money, you can spend most of the day on the islands being sold all sorts of goods and paying out the nose for anything you might need. That is what made Castaway so neat. It is everything you want in an tropical island without any pressure to buy, of course there are things to buy, but no one is harassing you.

Another shout out to the Disney cruise ship staff, while we were in the buffet line for our food, the head waiter, Ivo, comes up to Molly and tells her to hold on while he goes and gets her special plate of food. Now think about this, this guy sees no less than 1,000 people a day multiple times and to make sure everyone’s meals are to their liking. And here we are on an island, not in the restaurant at our designated time, in the middle of many thousand other folks who are eating, and he sees Molly, knows her name, knows she has the allergy and already has a meal prepared for her. In the same time it took us to get our food, Molly had her own special plate with all her favorites waiting for her. Every cent we paid for this trip (and there were a LOT of cents) was worth the service we got at every turn.

Caden enjoyed the snorkeling again, he went out two different times, once going all the way to the permitter of the lagoon with Mommy, probably nearly a half-mile out. He had a blast...except that he lost his mask and snorkel on the beach at some point never to be found again. Molly enjoyed the time just out in the surf with her floating mat and nothing but sun and water. She was a happy kid. We also got to enjoy a big water-slide that throws right into the bay...Caden could do it all by himself! It was a beautiful day and we played the entire time...very much looking forward to going back here. Katy has already stated she plans to live there one day.

We headed back to the boat, cleaned up and chilled in our room as we watched the island slowly disappear into the horizon. We enjoyed some champagne on the deck with another beautiful sunset. And then we headed out again!

As this was our last night on the boat, there was some jobs to attend to. First, all our bags had to be packed and outside our door by 8:30. They would be taken away and given to us again at our final port. I won’t get into the hours spent packing, next time, we will do much less. We also had to attend to the gratuity for our host and wait staff. Envelopes and recommended tips were provided, we did more for all cause they were all great. We provided some rave reviews of our experience and headed out for a bit more fun.

On this last night, we decided to forgo the grand finale farewell show and swim (duh). Excellent plan to cause there was no one else there. Caden was able to do the Aqua Duck 12 times in the span of a half-hour. It was totally fun. It was a great last push to enjoy all the things we had come to love about the trip. Back to the room to get ready for dinner. We had a pleasant evening with our new found friends at the table and said our good-byes.

Oh yeah, after dinner we went upstairs and booked another cruise. Great deals if you do it on the boat. Plan is same boat same time, slightly different itinerary...but that may change.

Tomorrow is a short day (had to be off by 9am), so we took our time wandering around again and then to bed.

It is over. We woke up and we were exactly in the same spot we were the day we boarded. The real sad part, for me at least was it was this morning that I realized how amazing this trip was and how much I enjoyed this boat. The next time around we are going to be much better at this.

We had breakfast back in the Royal Court where we started with our staff. We learned from them that they actually live on the boat for 6 months at a time working two weeks on, one week off to play. Not a bad gig. Our main waiter Kabello has been working on Disney boats for 10 years straight! After we get off, the boat would be refilled with 4,000 new people in less than 2 hours and the staff would have to learn everyone’s name again.

We headed out, got our bags and got a rental car (which barely fit our bags) and headed to the Big D-World

Okay so I am going to quickly go through the next four days at DisneyWorld. Now I don’t want you to get the idea that we didn’t enjoy the parks, but I want to be very clear; there is no way we are doing DisneyWorld and DisneyCruise back to back again. And I think it is safe to say we are likely to stick to Disneyland over DIsney World. The parks were so dirty, the staff was so unfriendly and it was a constant cattle call it seemed. In Disneyland, the staff did anything to be sure we were happy and that, say, Molly didn’t get sick from the food. In Disney World, they could care less it seemed. And maybe it was our bad doing the cruise then the park getting our expectation so high (we were spoiled). But, we did have a good time, it was just overly exhausting. Next time, airport to cruise, cruise to airport and done.

Our resort for the next four days was the Pop Century; insane place where each section is every decade from the 50’s-90’s over emphasized. We went to MGM Hollywood Studios first since we knew we were going to have the whole day (it was already noon). We saw a few shows, did lots of rides and had a good time. Caden did the Tower of Terror twice! Amazing since it is a scary ride along with a terrifying free fall.

We finished this night with a viewing of Fantasmic which was awesome! One of what would be many fireworks shows. Back on the bus to the hotel and seconds until the kids were asleep.

The next day was Magic Kingdom day part 1. We were there for 13 hours doing all manner of rides and shows. Caden did them all including Space Mountain a couple of times. We stayed late for the massive fireworks show (how they re-arm every night is amazing) and the electric light parade. They did a cool pre-show using the castle. They projected entire shows on the building...it was pretty cool. Once again, the kids were dead tired and fell asleep on the bus. I had to carry Caden the whole time...at this point, both Mommy and Daddy were seriously sore.

Next day was Animal Kingdom. A nice place, much more laid back. But it isn’t any better than some of the zoos we have been to, save for a couple cool rides. There was one roller coaster (Expedition Everest) that I think is the newer better Matterhorn...it actually went backwards at times. Caden...actually all of us loved that one.

After that, we manned up and actually headed to Epcot (and it was already 8pm!). For me, I liked Epcot a lot. It was very clean, not crowded, and education focused. The Disney theme does not hold too strong here. We did a couple of cool rides, saw neat aquariums where the highlight was the manatees!, did the Mission Earth ride and saw an incredible night show. Epcot has what they call the Reflections of the World lake. A big body of water surrounded by iconic structures form around the world. You can see Big Ben and the Eiffel tower...and they look so real. Even cooler, all around the lake are a bunch of food stand serving drinks and food from those regions. We could definitely enjoy this (just as adults) some other time.

Last full day of the trip, one more trek to the Magic Kingdom. At this point, we were pushing it. Most of us, except Caden, were ready to head home and the thought of another day at the park almost hurt. We started a little late due in part to Caden’s loose tooth and his decision to have me rip it out. This was his second tooth and he really wanted to lose it on the boat, but was sure not going to wait until he got home. So after some screaming and blood, we got the tooth out and headed to the park. This time we drove. We had some simple, easy, cheap fast food before getting into the park (do you know we only spent $180 bucks at the parks these four days?! Yeah snacks from home!)

It was a good day at the park with lots more shows and rides. The big success was Story time with Bell. A “ride” where the audience participates with the cast in telling the story of Beauty and the Beast. Molly LOVED it and did it twice in a row. The first time around she was a Pepper Shaker and the next time she was Chip (a small tea cup)....and Belle remembered her by name?!?!?!?!?!

We skipped the night shows for a few more rides, squeezed in our final shopping and dragged our very tired and cranky selves to the monorail for the long trek to our car. We made it back to the room with sleeping kids and broken backs and packed it all in. The next morning we crow-bared the last few items into the bags and jetted to the airport.

We were a hot mess at the airport. Bags everywhere, all too big or heavy, dropping them numerous times and damaging airport property. Make sure you ask Katy about this next story, she can’t tell it without laughing her butt off. So after dropping everything and making a spectacle of ourselves, we had to show that our three carry-ons fit into the size check thing. I shoved one of the bags in there barely, and when trying to pull it out, picked up the whole metal apparatus with it. Doesn’t sound as funny as it was, and it isn’t nearly as funny as when Katy tries to tell it.

Thank goodness for Frontier Airlines being nice. Yes the charge for everything, but they didn’t give us a hard time about our bags. They let them be too big and heavy and looked the other way. They also let us board first so we could settle ourselves before hurting anyone else. And lift-off and home. Yea us! I slapped together a little compilation of all of the movies we made on the trip after the pictures below...enjoy!

A quick shot of our home away from home away from everything.