Disney Cruise, part 1

We did it. And it was amazing. I did not think there was any possibility that anything could possible live up to the hype that Disney Cruises seem to carry with them. But. It. Did.

The first night, in the middle of the night, we all awoke to the sounds of Ethan being sick. We got all the kids in our bed, while someone came to clean it up. He also had a fever, and since I had had similar symptoms earlier in the week, I just knew it right there that we were going to take turns in bed for the rest of the week. 

THANKFULLY, I was dead wrong. He was a little under the weather the next day, but no more getting sick and by the evening of the first full day, everyone was 100%!!

One of the nights, we got all gussied up (translation= the boys didn't wear flip flops) for the "formal night."

We had the nicest family as our "table-mates." Some nights, it certainly would have been nicer to just be our family, but this family was so so nice and they were on their 8th or something cruise, so each night, Greg and I came packed with an arsenal of cruise-related questions. They came with just their youngest daughter, Sofia, who is a sweetheart. She isn't a dessert fan, so on the last night, when she finally ordered ice cream, the whole table and waiting staff applauded her decision. It was a fun table. 

Before we went on the cruise, we watched a few YouTube videos that other families had made of their trip. The ONE THING that stuck out to each of the kids as something they HAD to do was something called Diaper Dash, where crawling-aged babies craw raced. When I saw that it was on the schedule for the first morning, you better believe we had front row seats. It didn't disappoint. It was really cute (and may or may not cause a tear to sneak out of my eye, missing Benny at home).

 One of our port stops was Castaway Cay, the Disney Island.

 I had read on some blogs that there was a 5K in the morning and that participants and their families are the first on the island. I was willing to take one for the team. I got a little sweaty, and the family got some prime real estate.

Bike rides, water slides, ice cream machines, naps, snorkeling to see buried Mickeys. Disney + remote islands = win.

Every morning, the kids would watch Disney movies in bed, and then we'd have breakfast on the back of the ship.

And some mornings, we'd go shoot hoops and play foosball.

Another port stop was Key West (the first stop, actually).

Man, that is a cute little town. We did a bus tour of the island. Then a pirate museum, which was in my option a snoozefest.

But then we happened upon the aquarium. Our kids never turn down a good aquarium. And their definition of a good aquarium is one where you can hold scary looking spiky, slimy water animals.

Of course key lime pie was involved.