We're back and we had a fantastic time hanging with Mickey and crew in the tropical sun! I wondered how Graham and Amelia would do on the ship-would it be too overstimulating, would they sleep ok, would they become sick from the slight motion of the boat, and my list went on from there. I'm pleased to say though, that they did a great job! As long as they snuck in a nap before dinner, life was good! They slept great every night, took afternoon naps, and were generally happy campers the entire time!
Don't get me wrong, they're still toddlers....my "favorite" toddler memory of Graham on the trip is of him being so exhausted on a walk back to the ship that he sat down in the street and refused to move. When I encouraged him to keep going, he grabbed onto my leg like a koala bear and demanded that I continue walking. So, I limped down the road with a 4 year old hanging off my leg only to turn around and see my family laughing at me. Thankfully, Grandpa came to the rescue and Graham finally got what he wanted...to be carried. Amelia was actually pretty easy going the entire time. She thoroughly enjoyed choosing her food off the menu each day and each morning chose a mickey mouse pancake and for every other meal (I'm not joking...every.single.meal) she chose mac and cheese. What can I say, when my girl finds something she likes, she sticks with it!
Being on a Disney ship was a good experience for families with small children. If you don't have kids, I'm not sure why you'd want to be on the boat. We sailed around with 1,100 children on board so there were kids EVERYWHERE and quiet was hard to find. After hanging out with us for a week on a ship filled with kids, I'm surprised my parents haven't gone into hiding!
I've included a TON of pictures....enjoy!
Miles, Graham and Amelia on the main deck of the ship at the "Sail Away Party". The Disney characters sang and danced as we left port and headed out to sea.
Miles with Uncle Peter, Amelia, and Graham with Daddy Jeff at the party. The clear tube in the background is an adult water slide that ran the length of the ship more than 13 stories above the ocean . It was amazing!
Amelia loves to play in the waves! She'd get pushed off her tube, swallow water, and have her face pushed into the sand but she'd get right back up and do it all over again!
Playing
Very proud of the hole
Hanging out on our balcony with Grandpa before dinner
Graham trying out pirate gear in one of the shops. Check out his serious pirate expression!
Amelia and Pluto
Graham and Daddy on a catamaran ride out to an small island
Pep-talk on the slide
Amelia debating what to do...
On the catamaran ride back to the ship. Two minutes after I snapped this photo, Amelia began to hang her head out the window. We thought she was watching the water but she actually fell asleep standing up with her head hanging down! Clearly, she needed a nap!
All dressed up with "spikey hair just like Daddy!"
Daddy and his girl
We had the same serving staff for our meals each night and I can't say enough good things about them! They weren't afraid of tired toddlers and got right in to help how ever and when ever they could. Graham, Amelia, and especially Miles LOVED this particular server. As a joke, he started feeding Graham his ice cream one night and before we knew it, he fed Graham the entire dish! We are certainly going to miss her good friend 'Pla' from Thailand at our family meals!
We had lots of laughs!
I could eat these two up!
Graham and Amelia loved to stand in the giant port holes that lined the hallways
Happy Girl!
Playing with Daddy
Amelia and I have many beach vacations in our future...I just know it. As happy as Amelia is to play in the waves, she's equally happy to just sit in the water and relax. I think she would have stayed on my lap all day like this had I let her!
Hard at work!
All dressed up for Pirate Night! Too bad Daddy Jeff was taking the picture because he was a pretty good looking pirate complete with wig and earring!
My Pirates with Minnie
Pirate Graham relaxing in the port hole while the sun was setting
Amelia's favorite princess has always been Ariel. She was absolutely beside herself to have the opportunity to meet her. They had a conversation about pancakes....it was so cute! Amelia did ask me if she could live with Ariel and when I told her no, that Ariel is a mermaid, Amelia's response was "Well, I can swim!".
Amelia's second favorite princess is Snow White. Again, she's in awe here!
The Disney ships are known for having fantastic kids camps that parents can use anytime they want. Finally, on the last day, we decided to drop the kids off for an hour so we could sit by the pool. When we went to pick them up, this is what we found...Graham was dressed as Buzz Lightyear and the kids were hanging out with green Army guys from Toy Story. Both kids looked slightly annoyed to see us and wondered why they had to leave. So, a reminder to myself, or to anyone else who might take such a cruise, is to use the kids camps!!
There was a water slide for children that Graham was JUST tall enough to ride on. He'd been wanting to try it for days but then he'd change his mind at the last minute. I'd walk him to the top, he'd sit down, change his mind, and we'd walk back down the stairs only for him to see the kids coming down with smiles on their faces. Then we'd start the entire process over again. I KNEW that if he'd go down he'd love it so I bribed him! :) I knew he wanted a certain toy in the store and I told him he could have it if he was brave on the slide. Sure enough, he made himself go down and of course he loved it and I lost track of how many times he went down that afternoon. Here he is on his first trip down the slide. Daddy Jeff was prepared with the camera and I'm cheering him on!
Graham eating escargot! While Amelia eats the same exact comfort food at every meal, Graham will try anything we give him!
Our Crew
