This post starts goes all the way back to Christmas. What do you get kids that don't need a single thing for Christmas (and parents that need a vacation)??? A Disney Cruise!!!!
Because of schedules, destination, and boat choice, we didn't make good on our Christmas present until a few weeks ago, we left for Orlando on April 26th, and set sail on April 27th.
{1st stop before even getting on the boat - pictures!}
Jyllian was mesmerized by the princesses! We saw nearly all 6 princesses on board at least 2 or 3 times! They would talk to her, she would nod her head and what ever they said and then they would ask if she would like a hug, all she would ever give them was a lean in... She learned how to be a princess quickly on the ship! It got a little out of control by the end of 7 days!!! Unfortunately, her favorite princess, Rapunzel, was not on the ship, but she fell in love with Tiana - so all was well!
The boys' spent most of their evenings in the kids club after dinner, and during the day we were either at the pool, walking around the ship, or in port, so their character pictures were fewer, AND they usually didn't want to wait in line for a picture - there were too many other fun things going on!
The first full day of the cruise was a sea day, and that evening was formal night. We spent the day being lazy and playing in the water. The boys went on the AquaDuck water coaster, and Jyllian even went down a water slide!
First port was Grand Cayman. This was also the day Denin and Jyllian came down with a GI bug. I sent them down to the ship medic (being the responsible traveler that I am), which won them 24 hours of quarantine to their room and a refund of their excursion on the Island of Grand Cayman. Unless you deathly ill or have lost a limb, don't see a ship medic, unless you really don't want to leave your room.... So, the boys and I got off the ship, and went about our planned day. I admit, I was a little uncomfortable walking around with 2 kids without Denin, shopping, which is normally the highlight of my port stop, wasn't so fun without him (jewelry shopping is my favorite in port, the boys weren't interested in jewelry at all), and of course one of them had to use the restroom once we had gotten away from the pier, why wouldn't they, right?! I called it quits on shopping, we had a very expensive lunch at Margaritaville, and then went on our excursion. Our excursion took us on a tour of the island, we stopped at the turtle farm - saw some HUGE turtles, got to hold a baby turtle (Kamden refused to hold the turtle) and then went to Hell. You would have thought Hell would have had some cool souvenir shops, not so much, 3 crap stores and a post office. I guess that would be my hell! Denin and Jyllian spent the day and the night in the room, but she was happy when we brought her back a Rapunzel tiara from Del Sol!
Stop 2, was Costa Maya, Mexico. We didn't venture outside of the port, we expected this to be a port where we didn't do much. We looked around the shops and ate lunch at Señor Frogs (yes, we could have "free" lunch on the boat, but, being the picky eaters we are, "real" food is a welcome change). Unlike the last Señor Frogs stop in Puerto Rico (when I was pregnant with Jyllian), this time I was able to partake in the yard of Strawberry Daiquiri! Kamden and Kole thought the "butt" chairs were hilarious, they snickered at them, but refused to sit in one! Jyllian did not enjoy it all, it was too loud, but eventually fell asleep in my arms. After my drink, I thought it was acceptable for the boys to purchase ukuleles - they were fine until the alcohol wore off!!!! The top picture below pretty much sums up daily family life, no one listening, some one always wants something, one person is clueless, and all you can do is just go with it!
Next stop Cozumel. Cozumel was our first beach excursion, and was the kids' first ocean experience. Guess what? Kamden was TERRIFIED of the ocean. The waves scared him and he hated the taste of the water. He saw the resort that we were at had a pool - he wanted to go in the regular pool. I was so irritated! I understand his fear - the ocean is huge, an unknown, but we were right there with him, and we weren't in deep water at all....
{My only Cozumel picture - but I do love the picture because it is the sun, sand, and the ocean!}
As a side note, I am so not a fan of Mexico, two stops was enough for me. Maybe I shouldn't judge a whole country on 2 ports, but they were scary, kind of slummy, and I cannot stand the sellers of crap. Future cruises/vacations will be in the land of the Bahama's!
Later that night, was pirate night. The boys got along really well the the other kid at our table. They would always end up at the kids club after dinner - they were quite the trio! Jyllian was is no mood to participate in anything pirate that night... Too many days without a decent nap, was not a good thing, and the further we got into our vacation, the more difficult she became! The coolest thing about pirate night were the fireworks launched off the ship - we could see them off the balcony of our cabin (or apartment, as Kole would call it).
The second to the last day was another day at sea. It was windy! A storm blew in later in the day and it poured that evening, but the kids were able to play in the pool during the day, so they were happy little fishes, and then it was make over time....
Disney thinks of it all, if there is a princess makeover for a girl, there must be something for the boys out there. Knights or Pirates for the boys. Kole and Kamden had an obscene about of gel (or Dragon Spit and Troll Boogers as it was called), glitter, and Mickey Mouse confetti added to their hair and were given foam shields and swords to become knights. Jyllian had her princess dreams come true, since she wasn't over 3 years old, she couldn't become of victim of glitter and other hair products, but they were kind enough to twist her hair, secure her her tiara, and transform her into Tiana. She was mesmerized by herself! You can see, she has learned from the other princesses the art of taking pictures as a princess! Did I mention, she refers to herself as Tiana or Princess Tiana? Jyllian got on the ship, but hasn't been seen since!!!! (Denin and I can't remember the last time she called Denin dad or daddy, he is known to her as Aladdin or Flynn Rider!)
The last day of the cruise was the best port, Disney's own island, Castaway Cay. The water was clear and much calmer. Kamden and I had a discussion as we looked at the island and ocean from our cabin - my goal was to get him into the water, and to enjoy it. Being able to see the bottom of the ocean helped, until the fish swam by.... Fine, off to buy a bucket to make sand castles.
By some miracle, while trying to get the sand off of him, Kam went into the ocean, and he started to have fun. Soon he was jumping over waves, running into the ocean, splashing and smiling. All three kids were having fun in the ocean, finally...the vacation I had hoped for!
I think everyone had a great time! I admit, I did miss getting to have an "adult" vacation and spending some alone time Denin, and I kind of felt like I needed a vacation from my vacation, but it was amazing getting to watch their reactions to all of the things and places they experienced. I also decided, I was going to quit my job and become a princess - they had the best job in the world, to make a little girl happy!
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