First off, I need to preface this with saying that my goal is to get back into the blogging world this year. Let’s see how it goes!
Last February we spent 7 days in Disney World, 2 days in Universal & 4 days on the Disney Dream cruise ship. We loved it so much that we decided to go back! This year we decided to do 2 days in Sea World, 1 day in Discovery Cove & 7 glorious days on the Disney Fantasy. To make our trip even more fun we also decided to bring my mom & in laws along for the ride. Some people would think we’re nuts & I would have to agree. It was not as great as I had pictured it but that’s my own fault for creating such high expectations. I really need to stop watching commercials that fill my head with thoughts of families running through the sand laughing. It doesn’t necessarily happen that way. Lesson learned BUT I will choose to focus on the good parts.
We started the trip with Sea World. Everyone minus my in-laws. I absolutely love this place! Love all the shows & the rides. “Manta” is awesome! Note to self: stay away from the pizza buffet, yuck!
We were so excited to be out of the cold but of course the weather didn’t want to cooperate for our trip to Discovery Cove. We woke up to rain & a cool 65 degrees. Of course, the tickets were crazy expensive & there’s no way we were getting our money back so we decided to suck it up & go. Silver lining: the cold weather made the water feel warm.
We were all able to swim with dolphins except for Culley who had a broken arm. This place is seriously amazing! I’m so grateful that we had the opportunity to go there.
We surprised the boys & our parents by renting a limo to take us to the port.
Day 1:
We were able to get on board early to enjoy the ship. (Staterooms: 8004, 6004, 6502)
Getting ready to board the Disney Fantasy. So exciting!
One of the things the kids love besides ordering 2 entrees is the Kids Club dinner service. They are served first & then the “yellow shirts” pick them up & take them to the Kids Club. Score. Of course, after a couple of days they realized they didn’t have to wait for them since they are old enough to check themselves in. Double score.
Eating dinner @ Animator’s Palate. The start of my 5lb weight gain.
Day 2: (At sea)
It’s too bad the pools are so crowded because they could swim all day!
Our only pic with a character. It’s not what you would imagine. They’re not all over the ship. You actually have to go to them.
They absolutely love getting food whenever they want. They may not eat it but they can still go get it! My weakness: ice cream cones. I ate more as the week went on.
This was our formal night @ Enchanted Garden. This is as formal as things get on a Disney ship. Nice.
Day 3:
We were supposed to go to the Cayman Islands today but unfortunately someone fell seriously ill & had to be taken off the ship. This caused us to have another day at sea & cancel our visit to Costa Maya.
We spent the day eating ice cream, swimming & playing the Detective Agency game.
Heading to dinner at the Royal Court.
Day 4:
Today we headed off the ship to the Cayman Islands!! We had an excursion scheduled to go on a Semi-Submarine but canceled that & decided to go to the beach instead. We weren’t able to do the beach excursion so we hopped in a cab & went to the beach at the Royal Palms Resort.
Brain corral, yuck! He also found a conch shell.
Playing with a lizard.
Mermaid man.
This was the best day ever! We LOVED this beach! The water was clear, the sand was white, the sun was hot! This is when I decided I could live on an island forever. No technology, no sports. Just us & the beach. I laid on the sand & just enjoyed the moment.
Tonight they did the neatest thing at Animator’s Palate. They had everyone draw a picture & then they brought it to life! It’s hard to see but the middle one is Chris’.
Day 5:
Today we headed to Cozumel, Mexico. We spent the day seeing the Mayan Ruins & then we were taken to a Mexico History Museum. We ended the excursion with authentic Mexican food (yummm!!!) & a pinata for the kids.
Christopher was so excited for this excursion since he had just learned about the Mayans earlier this school year.
Notice how the tree goes through the roof.
Some of the fabulous Mexican art that we saw.
Sporting their Mexican wrestler masks.
Celebrating my mom’s 69th birthday.
Dancing at the Pirate Party!
Day 6: Another day at sea. The kids surprisingly spent more time at the kids club this time. This was a nice low key day. The kids were off playing, everyone else went to a movie & I spent time with myself.
Learning some magic tricks with “Magic Dave”. He was awesome!
We love the AquaDuck!
Enjoying their lobster.
Day 7:
A Visit to Castaway Cay! Disney’s private island. It was overcast & rainy but that didn’t spoil our fun!
Cade picked up a shell & had a nice surprise! A hermit crab!
Playing at Pelican Plunge
A view of the boat from the beach.
This island is so amazing! Disney thinks of everything! They have a tram from the ship to the beach for those who don’t like to walk. They also provide a bbq lunch. I think I had 4 ice cream cones here, yikes! They also have a teen beach, an adult beach & a beach kids club! They’re the best!
Day 8:
Breakfast & the Royal Court & then we’re off the boat. This is always a sad moment. It’s actually worse when you get home & you have to tuck down your own bed & no one is feeding you all day. Reality sucks. The good news is that we are going back next February! Hooray!
