Disney Cruise--Part 4

Thursday:

After our great, but tiring day in Jamaica, we all needed some down time so the day at sea on Thursday was perfect. Like usual, we had an early wake-up call from the kids.

(These pics show the kids' sleeping arrangements. Deacon was in a pack-n-play by the balcony door, while P&F alternated with who was on the top and bottom of the bunk beds.)

We started the day like our previous day at sea--Cabanas for breakfast and then hit the pool, splash pad, and water slides right when they opened. We had everything to ourselves. Eric took P&F on the Aquaduck several times in a row with no wait, Deke and I hung out in the splash pad (kids in swim diapers aren't allowed in the pools), and then we all hung out and watched Toy Story 2 on the large screen in front of the pools.

By 11am, we were pretty tired and it was getting hot. We checked Deke into the nursery so he could have lunch and nap, and P&F went to the kids club for lunch and play time. That gave Eric and I some time to relax, so we spent several hours on the adult deck, just reading, talking, etc. So nice.

Around 2pm, I got P&F from the kids club and took them for another swim. We then picked up Deacon from the nursery, and got ready for dinner. It was another night at Animator's Palate, but this time, they let you draw pictures, and then they animate them for you on the screen. It was one of the coolest things that I've ever seen, and we had a great time.

Piper loved seeing her picture up there. Unfortunately, it was tough wrangling three kids, food, drinks, etc., so we don't have any photos from the rest of the day or night.

That was it for Thursday. It was a fantastic, relaxing day.

Friday:
Our last day on the cruise--we were all pretty sad about it, but determined to make the best of it because it was our stop at Castaway Cay, Disney's private island. To say this island is impressive is an understatement. It's everything you'd imagine from an island made by Disney--perfect logistics, no clouds in the sky, the most beautiful water that I've ever seen, just the right number of umbrellas, stuff for grown-ups and kids, yummy food, etc. We LOVED it.

We started by taking the tram to the family beach, near the snorkeling lagoon. P&F said they wanted to try snorkeling first, so we suited up in the life jackets that they make you wear.

Eric took P&F out pretty far, until Fletch freaked out because, ever the extrovert, he wanted to play with other kids, and decided to come back to shore. Fletch, Deacon, and I played in the surf for a long time, while Piper and Eric enjoyed some time together, where Piper was a superstar snorkeler---going our farther and longer than I probably even would have.

When Eric and Piper were done, he took them on the huge water slides that splash down in the ocean. Deacon and I played in the water, which was clear, calm, and warm like a bathtub. Deacon loved finding the shells on the bottom and throwing them back in the This isn't my picture below, but it gives you an idea of what the water looked like. It was just like this.

Not my picture, stolen from another blog.

After the slides, we tried out the kids' splash pad, which everyone loved. Deacon made the best faces as he ran through the various sprinklers. Piper and Fletch immediately made some friends with a family from London. It was a blast. By that time, we were getting hungry, so we made our way to Cookies Too BBQ. The food was so yummy--hot dogs, ribs, burgers, chicken, potato salad, cookies, fruit. All of it was delicious.

All that eating wore Deacon out, so he napped while Piper, Fletch, and I swam some more after lunch. 

And then all that swimming wore out Fletch and me, so we took a little rest while Piper played in the sand.

By that point, we had spent several hours in the sun, so we started the walk back to the boat to cool off. The tram was available, but we wanted to get some ice cream and check out the shops, so we walked back. It is such a beautiful island, and the walk back was the perfect way to end our day there.

Back on the ship, everyone got baths and showers to wash away the sand and salt. We still had a few hours until dinner, so the kids went to their club/nursery, which gave me a chance to pack up our room. We had to leave our luggage out in the hall by 10:30pm, so it could be taken down to the debarkation area. So sad packing up. 

After that, we had our last dinner in the Enchanted Garden, and P&F had their last post-dinner trip to the kids club. We let them stay extra late, and on the way out, Piper hugged some of the youth counselors that she got to know. It was really sweet. When we got back to our room, we also had this waiting for us from the nursery. 

Like I think I said before, I can't say enough good things about the kids club and nursery. They go out of their way to get to know the kids, do great activities, deal with separation anxiety, and just make it a wonderful experience. Characters even visit the kids club, so P&F got to see Peter Pan, Stitch, Pluto (at Pluto's Pajama Party), Crush, Goofy, and a few others. It's so much more than just a play space to drop your kids.

We went to sleep that night, dreading waking up the next day to depart the ship.

Saturday:

Our debarkation day--the saddest day of the trip. Of course, the kids took the opportunity to sleep in that day--the one day that we had to be up and out of the room by 6:45am. We actually had to wake them, and we were late to breakfast because they took so long to get going. I guess we now know it takes 7 days at sea on a Disney cruise to get them to sleep. Duly noted, my children.

Debarkation was relatively painless thanks to the porter who helped us get our luggage out. We were at the airport by 10:30am for our 12pm flight, and had a quick snack break before boarding the plane.

We were back at home in Alexandria by 3pm. Since then, we've spent the past few days recounting our adventures and reassuring the kids that there are lots more to come, including another Disney cruise someday when Deacon is older. I can't wait!