Happy Wednesday everyone! It's a snowy day today and a good day not to have to travel the roads! It's days like this that I am so glad I don't have to travel to the city everyday for work!
I wanted to FINALLY finish our Disney cruise vacation recap!
There were so many fun things to see and do on the ship but there were special themed days as well! Before you leave on your trip, you get a detailed itinerary of the fun activities on the ship so you can pack accordingly.
One of the first themed nights was formal night. Everyone was to wear their best out for supper. We were more semi-formal then most. There were some people in ballgowns and tuxedo's! But we wanted to be comfortable.
The next themed night was Pirate night! Everyone got Mickey bandanna's in their rooms to wear that night! I had made everyone in my family Pirate costumes for Christmas. It was super easy! A few thrift store t-shirts, a pair of scissors and a dollar store pirate set!
Mickey got a pirate costume too! Sam would not go anywhere without his Mickey during this trip!
Before supper that night we attended the "Pirate and Princess" party featuring Jake and Sophia The First! Sam was surprisingly really into it! We just sat on the side of watching the whole show! After supper that night, there was a pirate party on the deck! It was full broadway show and dance party!
We got off the boat at every stop that the ship made. One of my favorite stops, even though we were there the shortest amount of time, was Grand Cayman. It was so beautiful there. A very vibrant place with so much history! While we were walking around doing our own self-guided tour of the town, we stopped in at a United Church that was open for viewing. It was beautiful with all the wood work! The church was actually built in the early 1800's and still has regular service.
We had two ports of call (stops) on our cruise. They were Mexico, Grand Cayman and Castway Cay.
Star Wars day at sea was an all day themed day in honor of the latest Star Wars movie being released.
While we aren't the biggest Star Wars fans, it was still fun to get in on the hype that day. There were so many people who went ALL out on their costumes. Again, for Christmas I made everyone their star wars costumes. Dad was Luke Skywalker, Mom was Princess Leia, Ryan was a Jedi and Sam was Yoda! I also purchased them all light sabers with their costumes! I purchased a Star Wars shirt on the boat and just wore that.
All day there were storm troopers and other characters walking around interacting with the guests! It was so neat! You couldn't help but join in on the fun! For supper it was a Star Wars themed menu! That night there was a Star Wars party on the deck with a HUGE firework show. We didn't end up going to the party and were able to watch the fireworks right from our room! It was awesome!
That night my parents stayed with Sam's monitor and Ryan and I went off to the movie theater. All day they were showing the newest Star Wars movie so we went on a little on-ship date to go see it!
All week there were CONSTANTLY characters walking around! Sam would get so excited when he would see one. It made the trip really magical having the characters always around like they were guests themselves!
The last day of the cruise was a stop at Castaway Cay which is Disney's private island. It was a little windy and the ship had some difficulty getting to port but they made it. We wouldn't be able to stay long because Sam was getting tired and needed a sleep. But we got off and walked straight to the beach to enjoy some time in the sand!
It was pretty cold and windy but us crazy Canadians still had no problem getting into the water!
Sam loved the beach but his lips were turning blue from it being so cold so after about an hour Sam, Ryan and I went back to the ship and Sam went down for a nap.
I can't say we were really ready for our trip to end! We were in a good routine and were having a blast that it was sad for it be over! It was an amazing family vacation and while we know Sam won't have any memory of this trip, Ryan and I will always cherish the ones that we made and will remember!
I wouldn't hesitate in recommending a Disney Cruise to anyone with small children. They honestly make it so easy for parents! The staff go out of their way to not only make the stay comfortable but memorable and magical.
Here are my top 6 tips when planning a Disney Cruise:
1. Get a room with a veranda! It's a little bit more money but if little ones go down for a nap, it's nice to sit out in the sun reading. If you want to save some money however, every stateroom has a divider where the kid sleeping area is and the parents bed is. The TV can swivel to be on on side or the other.
2. Get the early dining time! You can either eat at 6 PM or 8 PM. When you book your cruise you book a seating time and you ALWAYS go to dinner at that time. I couldn't imagine going to supper at 8 with Sam. That would be a disaster.
3. Go along with the themes. I know it may seem a little dorky but it's fun to get involved and play along with the themes. It adds to the magic!
4. Pack light! You don't have a lot of space in your room. You need a few nicer outfits for dinners but for the most part you are in a bathing suit and comfy clothes and sandals! Also, pack your own lanyard to carry around your "key to the world" card. You don't want to lose this card and a lanyard helps. It's your room key and what you use to buy things with.
5. You all know how cheap I am and this may only be a tip for some. On the ship, there are some "fancy" adult only restaurants. Basically, it you wanted a fancy date night you could go. But the meals were EXPENSIVE! It was very VERY fancy food as well. You're regular meal at supper you would get a 4 course meal with many options to choose from. These were always pretty nice options in my opinion. Ryan could get a "normal" steak meal and I could get something fancier. The best part, this meal was already paid for, included in our trip price. I don't feel it is necessary to go to an expensive fancy restaurant when the regular dining that was included was SO good!
6. Download the on ship APP! You can buy WIFI on the ship but it is VERY expensive! You can use the app to see the events for the day, see the new menu for supper (which changed everyday) and actually chat with other guests in your party. It would be how we can communicate with my parents throughout the ship. Best part, the app is free!
xo
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