Ok, well I think thats enough of a reason right there, but dont worry I have plenty more! As I kid, I cruised a lot. My mom, brother and I had a yearly ritual of going over Thanksgiving break, that continued well into college. I did not know it then, but I think it was my moms way of getting out of the “Oh so exhausting” holiday cooking. Now that its my job to do the cooking, I totally get it! So let me say to start this, I did not plan any of it- not one bit- Mark booked it, planned it, researched it, and overall made sure we had an awesome time! And because of him we totally did!
The girls {and Mark} had been clamoring for a Disney Cruise for years, but lets be honest, you can buy a small car for what some of them cost. But I learned a little secret- Not in February, and not if you do a 4 day cruise. Yes, we pulled the kids out of school {yikes} and we went during a kind of iffy month, but the payoff was AMAZING, no, OFF THE CHARTS! It had been so cold {yes, even in North Florida} but waking up in the sunny Bahamas was the cure for it all. March starts my busy season, and having some time with the family before all that, and leaving the dreary, rainy cold, was just a plus.
Now, anyone who knows me, knows I dont take my kiddos on vacation, unless its more geared towards them. I still have nightmares of the 2009 trip to Washington DC {yes, it was BAD}. So, this seemed like the perfect getaway for them…but I did not know how good it was for us to! First off, their is baby sitting, and so much {supervised} stuff for your kids to do you get…hold on now…ALONE TIME! The ports of call we had {Nassau and Disneys Island} were perfect for family friendly activities {But, just wait} and activities for adults only!
In Nassau, we went to the Blue Dolphin Excursion and it was INCREDIBLE! We opted not to do Atlantis {I think the water park is a tad fast for the girls} and could not have been happier with the choice! I did not think Haylee was quite old enough to swim with the dolphins {ended up to be a good call, she would have freaked} but walking around this sanctuary was worth the trip alone. Plenty of sans kid couples{that would be without en francais} did this excursion and loved the dolphins. The beach was beautiful, and there was so much to do. Yes, you had to pay extra for some if it, but when you see the slides, I think you will agree it was a good investment. And the food, it was fabulous! If you get a chance to do the conch fritters, dont skip it!
Disney’s island was also perfection, and for this one we rented tubes, masks and snorkels. Ash and I loved the snorkel part, and they loved the slides on the island, and the hair braiding. Of course Disney brings a slew of food to this island, and you can eat till your heart is content! It was a such a relaxing day! But even better, is to watch how they maintain this place! Dont forget, I have post grad work in tourism and the inner working of the place is divine, Yes, there are a few people who live there, and people who come over each day from The Abaco’s to take care of it- but supplies come by way of Boat, and not just any Boat, the cruiseship you come in on! And when it leaves, it takes its trash and all the old stuff, and brings all new! Holy amazing!
As with any cruise, the food is good, and I would say, as a sans kid person, I may step it up to Norwegian if you really want for the food experience and you have the budget. But Disney did a great job, and if you have kids, the restaurants are fabulous! My favorite was animators palatte and yes, the turtle talks to you. The food was the best, the kids {and the adults} loved it, and it was the best decorated! But the best part??? When the kids are done, they can go to their “hang out” spot, and you get to finish dinner {and maybe head to one of the night spots} sans kids! It is AWESOME!! There is so much to see and do on this boat, I cant even stress it! We did the Fantasy four day, and LOVED.EVERY.MINUTE.OF. IT!
So, now my top 5 if you have kids
1) The rooms- mostly suites, they are large and pretty, and perfect for a family of 4 {or even 5}
2) The boat- it was GORGEOUS and BEAUTIFUL but beyond that it was CLEAN! Like crazy amazing CLEAN! as a note, if your kids are not potty trained they cant go in the pool, but there is a splash park.
3) the Duck Slide- its BIG, its FUN, and I loved it as much as the kids!
4) The Excurions- leave the BOAT! You have a day at sea, take yourselves off and go do it! We had a blast!
5) The places and activities for the kids {and even the adult kids} it was amazing and gave Mark and I some alone time and the kids had a blast!
5 Things to look out for
1) the hidden mickeys! get the book as soon as you are on the ship, or in advance if you can find it
2) Fun things for the kids to do in Lab and The playrooms- my girls got too much outside time during the day and were exhausted at night!
3) Pirate night!
4) fireworks {and they are eco-friendly!!}. We missed this 🙁 see not #1
5) The Disney Mystery- your kids will love it! and if they are old enough, you can send them on this adventure during your day at sea!
and last but not least
The top 5 things IF YOU DONT have kids
1) The cleanliness of this cruise- I cant stress it enough
2) its Disney, and who does not love Disney! If you are older and have Grandkids, holy moly, by all means take the family! You wont be the ones watching the kids, but seeing the joy in their eyes is amazing. If you are pre-kids or just dont have those pesky little buggers, well again, its disney- its magic, and pretty and so so fun!
3) there is a whole pool area just for you- those with no kids, and since so much of the boat has kids, its virtually empty…and has its own bar….and the seating area there, well its the best I have seen on a ship!
4) The nightlife- again, you dont have kids, sleep in, relax, and stay out late, and discover why you two fell in love…or who you are! OMG! you are in the Islands, on a boat, what more can you ask for!
5) The Excursions- again, there are so many you can do that would be perfect if you did {or did not} bring the kids! you cant go wrong!
6) and one more- WIFI is expensive, which means YOU CANT WORK! no one can find you, you are off the grid…UMM PRICELESS!
OK, so I did not take as many images as I would like {i tried to enjoy my time OFF} and I used a point and shoot {eek} but here is a snipit…
This is the ship, its MASSIVE, ENORMOUS, AMAZING! It is the biggest in their Fleet.
My kiddos, I loved spending time with them! wifi did not work most of the trip {and was crazy priced} so I literally VACATIONED!
The room! notice it even has a divider. We did a balcony- I highly recommend!
At dolphin excursion- $15 extra, girls loved it. I wish I had done it! Mark and I snorkled around while they did that.
Yeah, its called vacation, try it!
Selfies! Its the only pics I ever get of myself and Mark together…
yeah, we got one with nature {not Tv’s}
Disneys Island and me and my cutie pie!
Hair Braids {yes they are still in}
Um, best pic ever, and yes, she made it without falling!
A corona for you! Ugh, a cocktail, mid afternoon, on an island…is there anything better??
Having time with the people you love…PRICELESS!
Whew! Longest blog post ever! But I hope it helps someone out there debating! We have actually postponed going back to Paris to do a 7 day in the Fall, yeah, it was that relaxing {and I have a feeling after spring and fall season, I am going to need it!}
Happy Travels!
