Our Disney Cruise - Day Three

I've started writing this so many times, the first draft pecked out on my phone while the kiddos splashed away during a swim lesson.  A month has passed since my last publication, and while I've filled my time with useful things like taking care of sick kids, a trip to the beach, and teaching a home-based summer preschool program, I’m wondering why I felt like a blog was a good idea in the first place. Surely we've all lost interest, right? (Audible sigh.)

But I’m not a quitter, at least not today, and I do want to chronicle the rest of our cruise before it's forever lost in the mommy fog. I need to check it off my list, close the Sticky Note list of pictures that has been driving me crazy, and make space in my brain for new concerns, like lesson plans for the homeschooling that starts in LESS THAN TWO WEEKS.

I know you've been waiting with bated breath to see more pictures from our trip, so without further ado…

Our third and final day on the cruise was our last chance for tropical relaxation before returning to regularly scheduled life. The ship was full of activities, but my main goal was to play in the white sands and sparkling blue waters of Disney's island, Castaway Cay. (FYI, Cay is pronounced like "key" of course.) But we had to begin the day with food. We enjoyed the breakfast buffet at the Royal Palace dining room since the kids missed it for dinner. There weren't as many options as in Cabanas, but it was significantly less crowded too. Also, in the dining rooms servers bring drinks to your table which makes managing buffet plate logistics significantly easier when you're also making selections (read: choosing doughnuts) for two kids.

Breakfast selfie!

After breakfast we returned to our room to change into our swimsuits and grab water bottles, snorkeling equipment, and sunscreen. This is where packing a beach bag comes in handy. There is water readily available on the island, but it's a great idea to bring something (insulated and portable) to keep water by your beach chairs. According to our Navigator, we could meet characters on the gangway so we book-ended our beach day by meeting Captain Hook and Mr. Smee on the way out and Stitch on the way back. Captain Hook, though a man of few words, indicated that through some unspeakable act of mutiny he was now our captain. The Bug loves the idea of mutiny.

Our new captain.

Be patient! That's not sand!

In true Disney fashion, you take a short tram ride to the various beaches. We stopped at the first, and probably most crowded, family beach, but managed to find two unoccupied lounge chairs and an umbrella with no trouble. We rented a tube for floating and dragged our chairs down to the edge of the water. The water was so clean and calm that even The Bug, who is normally terrified of the ocean, was waking around chest deep. We built sandcastles and tried to catch fish with our dollar store buckets while Matthew took some time for snorkeling in the artificial reefs. When he returned, The Bean and I relaxed in the tube while The Bug explored the big kids water playground. The warm sun, cool water, and gentle rocking actually put The Bean to sleep and we transferred him to a chair under the umbrella, proving that vacation miracles do exist. If there is anything more relaxing than a two hour nap in the shade of an umbrella on a beach in the Bahamas, I don't know what it is. We ate in shifts at Cookie's BBQ while The Bean napped before heading back to the ship to meet Stitch.

Best nap ever.

Love this beach beauty.

I let The Bug try the camera. Not too bad!

The Bug was SO excited to meet Stitch.  Incidentally, I finally saw Lilo and Stitch for the first time right before our cruise.  I love it! Also, why do I look so freakishly tall?

We decided to make one last stop at the Mickey Mouse pool before our swimsuits dried out completely, enjoying a smaller crowd due to so many beach goers so off the ship. We also picked up more food at Flo’s V8 café since The Bean slept through lunch on the island. 

After we cleaned up and changed into regular clothes, I took The Bug for some one-on-one time decorating cupcakes with a genuine French pastry chef in the kids club. Again the Disney memory making magic was in full swing as we donned matching aprons and hats, and attempted to use a plastic knife and spoon to craft Disney inspired cupcakes. Given the lack of proper tools, I think we did a great job! On the way back to the room we ran into Pluto and Daisy for autographs and Pluto was even kind enough to sign the pillowcase she made during the pajama party.

So artistic!

My Belle inspired cupcake.  Would have been nice to have a piping bag.

Priceless! 

The parenting relay continued, and we switched off so I could get my shop on with The Bean while Matthew and The Bug played mini golf on the top deck. (Apparently she's very good!) They found us back in the stateroom watching Toy Story 2 and playing with his new set of toys before dinner at the Animator's Palate.

The Animator's Palate is a real treat, both in terms of the food and the atmosphere. Matthew looked up the menus because I had forgotten what I ordered, (I remember now: Black Truffle Pasta Purseittes, YUM) and I realized my dinner game has a long way to go. The restaurant is full of Disney memorabilia and there is a fun interactive show featuring Crush from Finding Nemo. The Bug joined the clean plate club and was rewarded by our servers with two desserts. You get the feeling that the cruise ship is staffed by young, single people who are completely unaware of the ramifications of two desserts at 10pm, but they do know how to make kids happy.

After dinner, we went back to the room and finished packing our large suitcases to be picked up for the morning. My last surprise for the kids had been delivered to our stateroom: two Disney storybooks autographed by Mickey and his friends and all the princesses.  Even though they were a really cool souvenir, they went hastily into the suitcases and into the hallway because no one wants to carry to heavy books through customs. We collapsed into bed (seriously, where do people find the energy for week long cruises?) because we had to wake up early for breakfast the next morning.

I was pleasantly surprised though to learn that the late dinner seating means you also have a "late" breakfast seating. We had one last meal with our much-loved servers, gathered our carry-ons and made our way through customs and back to the car.

Did we have fun? Yes. Was it worth the money? Yes. Would I do it again? In a heartbeat. On the ship, it felt perfect. On the drive home, it felt perfect. Two months later, it feels perfect. We don’t take fancy vacations. We work hard, we find fun in the little things. But, boy, was it nice to spend time as a family enjoying new experiences, eating lots of new food, and making very special memories.