So here we are, back home again after another fun adventure. God's grace was once again all over us, as everyone was healthy and the weather was absolutely perfect. We had a lot of exploring time, and a lot of fun time, and a lot of relaxing time too. But best of all, there was a lot of family time.
DAY ONE
We left early to make the drive to Port Canaveral, this time in two cars. The reason for this is that on Sunday, we'll be traveling in two different directions to go home. We made it without much incident, Madison looking out the windows as we got closer, just so she could see the ocean again, and the Disney Dream.
Boarding was no problem, as always. We had no wait in the big lobby, other than the check-in line. We didn't have much time there, really, because soon we were ushered through the magical mouse ears and onto the Disney Dream.
As always, our names were called out as we entered. As we were announced, we took in the lobby once again - this was our second time on the Dream, but this time it was decorated for Halloween on the High Seas. Pumpkins and decorative bunting hung from the balconies, and in the corner of the lobby stood a tall tree, barren and waiting to bloom. That would come later, of course.
When you get on the boat, most of the time, the rooms are not ready yet. And most of the time, the luggage finds its way to the rooms even later. We plan for this well, carrying on swimsuits and other essentials in a carry-on bag.
The first thing you do on a cruise is the thing we do a lot of on a cruise: eat. Eat, eat and eat. Our first destination was the Enchanted Garden, where the grandparents were introduced to the incredible buffets that would be a theme of the cruise. Mommy's special dietary needs were met to the letter - in fact, for the rest of this cruise, orders were taken in advance: Mommy placed orders for all of her food one day earlier, and everything was ready for the most part on the next day. It had to be specially prepared, and always was - Mommy never had any problems whatsoever on this entire cruise. What a blessing that was!
Already we were noticing decorations onboard, carved pumpkins and displays. The large round windows had stickers on them, making each window a happy jack-o-lantern. Madison loves those round windows - each one had a place to sit or even lay down in if you are small enough. Madison is small enough, so she curls up right in the window. It is honestly her favorite spot in the whole boat - just pick a window and she's there!
We did a bit of exploring before we could get to our rooms - we took advantage of this time to look at the Oceaneer Club. Parents (and grandparents) were allowed in, so we explored the different rooms there as well. It was here that we noticed something missing though: it was Madison's new stuffed animal. Nana got her a lamb yesterday - and somewhere on this boat, Madison left it behind. Was it on a window? Was it in the restaurant? We went back and looked, but could not find it. This was just one of our themes of the trip - it was on the boat, and by gum, it would turn up in Lost and Found, wouldn't it? Daddy and Nana visited there several times throughout the cruise just to check, and if you want to know if we got it, you'll have to keep reading!
The rooms became available, and we were quite pleased with them. Our room connected with Nana and Baba's room, and both had a veranda that overlooked the harbor. Across the way, we could see the Carnival cruise ship, who we would be "racing" back and forth across the Caribbean. Of course, we won each race!
We had enough time before the mandatory life boat drill, so we got changed into our bathing suits, and yep, we hit the pool. We were in the deeper pool to begin with, but Madison also was thrilled to run around in Nemo's Reef, a children's play area with lots of interactive things to get you wet. You can slide down a manta ray's back, go through a rain curtain or point a sea horse at someone and watch it squirt water. The line for the Aqua Duck was already pretty huge, so we avoided that - besides, we didn't have that much time. And Madison was having a great time anyway, so we just let her run around.
The life boat drill was what it always is, but Madison was behaving well here. Iceberg jokes were made here and there - Nana mentioned that she didn't see any. Daddy reminded her that the crew on the Titanic didn't see them coming either. Madison has no fear of boats. Actually, none of us really do.
After the life boat drill, it was time to sail away and out of the harbor. As always, there's a Sailing Away party on the deck, one that we watched. The big Disney horn tooted "A Dream is a Wish Your Heart Makes," and confetti shot everywhere. This is another theme of the cruise: confetti. So much of it!
We sat along the rail of the ship, in the shadow of the towering smoke stacks. We looked down twelve stories and saw people waving, pelicans dive bombing - and even flying fish trying to avoid those pesky seagulls (rats with wings - mine, mine!).
Soon, it was time for our first meal. We went back to the Enchanted Garden, where Nana and Ba-Ba were introduced to the first dinner course of the cruise. It was incredible. Daddy goes crazy over all the seafood there, while Mommy ate in comfort all sorts of food that was safe for her to eat, and delicious as well. Madison meanwhile ate her usual fare, although the staff was sure to give her lots of ketchup. A special touch: each time, they were required to make the shape of a Mickey as they poured their ketchup out. Just perfect!
The meal was fantastic, as was the dessert. After we ate, we walked down the hall to the lobby once again, where a rather dramatic woman was telling a story under the pumpkin tree. There was no pumpkin on the tree though - right now it seemed like a dead old tree with a big face on it. The woman told stories of the Headless Horseman, someone Madison saw just a few nights ago at home. She also told stories about carving pumpkins and about a seed that each of us could put in her special cauldron. Once planted, these seeds would blossom on the tree before us - each one into a large, already carved pumpkin!
The story over, it was time for many of us to go to the Walt Disney Theater. There, we were treated to the first of three huge productions, "The Golden Mickeys." This show we saw last year on the Dream. In fact, we saw all three of these shows before. But the thing about this one is that we saw it first in Hong Kong when we were at Disneyland for the first time with Madison. This seems so long ago! But there we were again, seeing it for the third time, and enjoying it quite a bit. For all the shows we got seats about four or five rows back, and in the center - perfect viewing!
Once the show was over with, we looked around the onboard shops a bit, although we didn't see much this time. We did get a few pins, including a "Halloween on the High Seas 2013" pin. There is only one this year, so we snatched it up to put in our book at home. Our pin collection is growing quite a bit!
We were pretty ready for bed after this, believe it or not. It was quite a day, and we knew the next few days would be long as well. So we went back to our rooms, retiring for the night. As usual, the rooms were prepared for us, with towel animals and chocolate. There was a full moon over the veranda, and we all sat there for some time, watching out over the vast expanse of deep blue ocean water, feeling the sea breeze wash over us. It is quite an invigorating thing to do - rest for your body and spirit.
Daddy made his traditional trip up to the deck to get Mommy tea, of course. People were swimming, eating, partying all over - but we were ready to turn in. We'd be up before many of them, no doubt. And this was true!
DAY TWO
We woke up early - really early. Daddy actually got up around 5:50 am, which is only about ten minutes before we usually wake up at home. The difference is that we were on a cruise, and supposed to sleep in. However, Daddy was up - and so was Mommy after a little bit. Madison was snoozing quite peacefully in her converted bed. It's a couch that they prepare into a bed each night. She was sleeping beside Alice, so Daddy and Mommy snuck by her to sit out on the balcony. Ah, it was dark, but you could see a bit of light beginning to rise. We were actually facing the east, so we'd get to see the sun rise. Daddy went upstairs to get tea for us, and we sat there, taking in the show. Slowly, very slowly, the sun rose over the water, beautifully as it always is. We did not, I must note, see any green flash. This may or may not be a good thing, as we were not interested in any encounters with Davy Jones.
Madison woke up when the sun was still rising, so she got to see it for herself as well - such a beautiful sight. In fact, Nana and Ba-Ba stirred next door, and we heard their veranda door open. Everyone was watching from their viewpoints quietly as we sailed south, south, south to Nassau.
After getting ready, Madison and Daddy escaped the room to go play a bit while the others got ready themselves. We did something you simply have to do on a cruise ship: shuffleboard!
Madison got very good at it towards the end. She finally figured out the "sliding" part of it, rather than sitting there and trying to hit it. In fact, she landed on a perfect ten at the end, beating Daddy one round. You go, girl!
We were stalling a bit out on the deck, because just inside, people were assembling and getting in line to meet the princesses. We joined in on the line, about in tenth place or so. This is worth mentioning because by the time the princesses came into the lobby, the line to meet them stretched around the lobby and down the hall towards the front of the boat. Quite a line! The attraction is simple: where else can you get your kids to meet five princesses in one swoop?
Madison met each one, and spent a lot more time talking with them this time. That's the great thing about these character meet and greets: it's not just, "Stand here, pose for a picture, and I'll sign your autograph book, kid." It's some brief quality time together - Madison was talking about her dress with Ariel (it was a homemade dress that was donated to us). She was talking with Aurora about curtseying, and talking with Belle about having a nightgown that looked just like Belle's dress. Cinderella learned about Madison's wiggly tooth, and that she had a blue dress just like hers as well. Nana, Ba-Ba and Mommy didn't miss the show: from above, they got to see Madison interact with each princess, and were quite happy to see her have such a good time.
We ate afterwards, back at the Enchanted Garden once more. This time, they were ready with Mommy's order, and the rest of us were ready to chow down! I must note here how delicious the fruit was - it was like candy! Daddy got salmon and fish, and of course a Mickey Waffle. You have to get one of those. It's perfect for syrup.
Today was ironic. Ironic, because we were at Nassau. Daddy took pictures of the lighthouse as we passed by, and backed into the harbor. It's a nice place, but the irony is this: we never got off the boat today. That's right. We went to Nassau, and never got off the boat. There are a few explanations for this: one is that we've been to Nassau at least five times. Once you've seen the straw market, shopped downtown, climbed Victoria's steps and walked around Ardastra Gardens, you've sort of seen the local "atmosphere." We've done that quite a few times now, and we didn't think that Madison would enjoy it as much as the pool on the Dream. In fact, we asked her, already knowing the answer. "Pool or Nassau?" Her answer, without flinching: "Pool!"
And we know the Atlantis resort nearby has aquariums, a beach and a water slide. Atlantis trips are quite a bit of an investment, and the thing is, we have aquariums at home, we have a beach day tomorrow, and we have the Aquaduck just upstairs, on this boat!
So our decision was made final over breakfast. Rather than hit the pools right away, we did something we've done a lot of this year: mini-golf. We did this on the boat, of course. Goofy's mini-golf upstairs is designed really well, considering it is on a boat. It has a funny sense of humor too, an instructional guide to playing golf, all with that Goofy sense of humor. Resting in the harbor, we took turns putting the course - Daddy isn't quite sure who won, but he had a great blind shot that went in. Completely behind a bucket of golf balls, he rebounded it in, and the crowd went wild!
After golf, it was time for some pool fun. Madison, Daddy and Mommy were in the Mickey Pool a bit, while they played some movies on the Funnel vision. Mommy eventually joined Nana and Ba-Ba on some deck chairs in the shade, and having a nice relaxing vacation.
Next came a great moment in the vacation: Mommy, Madison, Nana and Ba-Ba all got to ride on the Aquaduck!
It was a first for Mommy, which made Daddy pretty excited. He took lots of pictures!
But then Nana and Ba-Ba also rode it too! All of them got really wet, but they had a great time, and now they can say they did it! They rode the Aquaduck!
We were at the pool a little longer here - in fact, we didn't keep an eye on the clock, because we had an appointment at the Disney Theater again. And there was lunch to consider too! We got changed back at our rooms - we now had neighbors outside: the Carnival ships were just pulling in. While playing golf, we could see them on the horizon, slowly coming in. As soon as we were changed, we went upstairs once more, this time to a new place for lunch: Cabanas. This restaurant has windows that overlook pretty much everything. And it has a ton of food and fruit and seafood and... well, you get the drift. We ate more than we ever would anywhere else on this cruise, but it was all just so good. Daddy got a piece of pumpkin pie, just because it was that time of year. But we all got ice cream too. Ba-Ba was sampling different cakes - but the main courses were delicious too.
But here's a special moment. Madison bit into an apple, and finally lost one of her teeth. She lost her tooth on the Disney Cruise. We've been waiting and waiting for these wiggly teeth to come out, and finally one comes out, on the Disney Cruise. The odds of this happening are fantastic. But there's more to this part of the story of course, as she has yet to put the tooth under her pillow. That comes later tonight.
After eating, we went back downstairs to the Walt Disney Theater, where we found some great seats once more - this time for a special viewing of "The Nightmare Before Christmas." This was a "4-D" event, where there was special lighting, poofs of smoke, bubbles, and even snow falling at all the right moments in the movie. Best of all, as Jack and Sally were embracing at the end, up from a lift in the stage rose Jack and Sally, two costumed characters who were ready to meet and greet everyone in the theater.
Madison spent some time talking to Jack and Sally about her tooth. It was an apple, she said. Sally asked, "Was it a poison apple?" "No!" Madison laughed. Then she pointed to her tooth and started to talk about the blood and bone and so forth, which was so appropriate for these two characters when you think about it. They even all posed together for a photo, with Jack and Sally pointing at Madison's missing tooth. This was such a cool moment.
As soon as the movie was over, we went back to our rooms for a tiny bit. As mentioned earlier, we had been dropping by guest services to see if anyone had found Madison's missing lamb. There was no manner of luck in that, but there was a special item in her room: Lotso the Bear. I'm not making that up. They left a note to say they were still searching, and asked if Madison could watch over Lotso now as well. He really smells like strawberries too, Madison said. They actually gave her a replacement plush animal! But that story isn't over with yet either.
So the next thing on the schedule was the Mickey's Mouse-querade party. This was a chance to do a little trick-or-treating on the boat. Madison dressed as Elizabeth Swan in her Chinese pirate queen costume, as Mommy and Daddy dressed as pirates as well. All five of us went to the lobby, where all the characters were dressed up in a dance party of sorts. There were games there for the kids, and everyone was dressed up in a costume. There was an Asian family dressed as the Addams Family, which was perfect. There was another family dressed as characters from the movie "Up." The mom was dressed as the house, complete with balloons, and the older sister was Kevin the bird. Of course, the Dad was Carl, and the son was Russell. The tree bloomed, by the way. Last night, pumpkins magically appeared on the old dead tree, each one carved with a silly face.
Madison loaded up on more candy. Her thing is inventorying it all when she gets back to the room, lining up and organizing her loot. She did get a lot, although you really have to fight your way through the crowds to find these trick-or-treat locations. Still, free candy is free candy, and the whole idea of actually going trick-or-treating on a boat was pretty cool!
So here we were at dinner again. It was just down the hall. We were dressed as pirates, and in we stomped right into the Royal Palace. That's the restaurant of the night. We wandered all over the place before finally finding our table, and that was because the server that we were following couldn't find it! But eventually he did, as our little pirate parade gave the whole restaurant a show. Food was very good, of course. We ate a lot of it, of course. Daddy had chateaubriand, which was good - although not as good as the one special night he had it with Mommy some time ago. But this was the first time he had eaten some of it since that special day, which brought back sweet memories. It was Valentine's Day, and we weren't even married yet. Daddy took Mommy to the Sundial, a restaurant in Atlanta that is at the top of a building there. The restaurant rotates so that you can see the whole of Atlanta as you eat.
See how one piece of food can bring back memories? Anyway, presently, everyone else was eating too - and eating well. Madison was having a good time with her new friend sitting beside her, another young girl who was also having the time of her life. Madison makes new friends easily, doing this over and over again throughout the cruise. Whoever she sits next to, she has a good time with!
Daddy left with her a little early, before dessert in fact. But we were on a mission: to see Jack Sparrow. Nana, Ba-Ba and Mommy joined us down there just in time - Madison met with Captain Jack once again, having him sign her autograph book. That he did, and he was quick to notice how familiar that pirate costume she was wearing was. Was Madison dressed as Elizabeth Swan? Ah, indeed she was!
We were moving along a lot tonight - so much to do on these boats. While Nana and Ba-Ba were getting back to the rooms for a bit, Mommy, Daddy and Madison went up to the top deck for the pirate party. Yes, back again to see Mickey and friends teach us all how to be good pirates. Of course, when Captain Hook shows up, he's in big trouble, because he has no idea how good of a pirate we all can be. Madison was later heard chanting out, "Captain Hook is a codfish! Captain Hook is a codfish!"
When that ended we went back downstairs to the Walt Disney Theater, there to see the second big production, "Villains Tonight." This was another great production, one we saw last year. It is often hilarious, and filled with great Disney villain characters. It has Kronk in it as well, which goes to show you the depth of the casting. Everyone loved this show - each one is spectacular.
But this time around, everyone was pretty zonked afterwards. We went back to the room earlier tonight, just for our own sanity. It was such a busy, full day - and again: we never left the boat! We were out on the open water again tonight, this time heading north towards Castaway Cay. We waved goodbye in the general direction of Nassau, and put our heads down on our pillows.
Of course, one of us put something special under her pillow first!
DAY THREE
Once again we were all up early, this time watching the sun rise over Castaway Cay. Madison woke up with a surprise: Not only had the Tooth Fairy come, but Tinkerbell had come too! Amazingly, she had a bag with sparkles in it, with a Cheshire Cat pin that said "I lost a tooth!" Also, chocolate gold coins, and another special surprise: "Hotel Transylvania" and some vampire teeth to replace her temporary missing one. The Tooth Fairy has been holding on to those since FEBRUARY, just waiting for her to lose one of those wiggly teeth, and hoping it would happen in October. And boy, did it happen in October. Not only just in time before Halloween, but actually on board the Disney Dream!
We woke up watching the sun rise, and went to our restaurant of choice early: the Enchanted Garden. We had breakfast again there, and were actually wearing our swimsuits underneath. The mission: get to Castaway Cay earlier. Everyone else stayed up late last night, so get there early we did.
We had a prime spot on the beach, and the weather had yet to reach that unbearably hot stage. Mommy can't take much sun, but then again neither can many of us (except for Madison, it seems!). But we were out there this morning in the water, watching for fish and building sand castles too. Mommy got some implements to dig and sculpt, as Daddy and Madison built and built their monuments of sand. It started out as if we were building a beach resort/castle - but in the end, it was looked less resort-like, and resembled Helm's Deep. So that's what we made it, and left it as, defending the vacationing travelers from sand orcs.
We did a lot of splashing and swimming and enjoying the beach in the morning, and after that what do you think we did? That's right, we ate. Yep, we ate at the Bar-B-Que place, and ate well there also. They actually had food ready for Mommy there, even a cheeseburger with a gluten-free bun. We all had burgers or barbecue, corn and spicy mahi-mahi. And the fruit again. It's so delicious! And nearly all of us ate ice cream after that - you just can't help yourself!
We had spent a lot of time at the beach - but the weather was getting warmer, and it was a wise decision to get all of our party back on the boat. Daddy and Madison went straight to the upper deck to swim some more (this is where Daddy should have put on more sunscreen). Mommy spent some time packing, while Nana and Ba-Ba did some resting as well. Daddy and Madison walked right on the Aquaduck two times in a row, swam in the Mickey pool, played around in Nemo's Reef, shared an ice cream in deck chairs, and even got in the jacuzzi. Can you believe this jacuzzi has a glass bottom that lets you looks down eleven stories to the surface of the ocean down there? Madison had never been in a jacuzzi before - she just treated it like a hot bath. We could look over the side of the boat, overlooking Castaway Cay, and guess what we saw in the water below? A sea turtle, mate! It sat there taking in air at the surface, just floating there for a while.
We got back to the room, and Mommy was mostly packed. You see, we have to have our luggage out of the room tonight (except for carry-on baggage).
After drying off and getting changed, we went back to the lobby once more, this time to meet Mickey, Donald, Goofy and Pluto. Daddy was actually second in line, so we were in pretty quickly there. Madison was very playful with all of them, wanting to tickle each one's nose. These pictures of her turned out so great, because she was smiling so big. Extra cool is that these characters were dressed up in costumes for the entire cruise: Mickey was a vampire, Pluto a candy corn, Goofy was a mummy and Donald was a superhero. The others were in costumes as well - it's been such a great cruise!
So next we were bound for our final big meal of the cruise: the Animator's Palate. This was simply the best meal Daddy's ever eaten in his life: red snapper, salmon tartar, butternut squash soup, and this rich dark chocolate walnut cake - it was all so good. The staff came out to sing Happy Birthday to Daddy and Nana, and Crush the Turtle came by to visit everyone seated alongside the walls of the restaurant. It was a spectacular meal to end the cruise on - we feel like anything else we eat from now on is just merely there to fill our stomachs, whereas this... this is real food!
We hustled to the Pumpkin Tree once more, where our old friend was telling more spooky stories. The ghost tree gave a startling "moo-ah-ah-ah" and the kids were delighted to see a poof of more confetti shoot out from the tree and rain down upon them. This was the fourth confetti down pouring so far, and not the final one. During "The Nightmare Before Christmas," small white discs rained down with Jack Skellington's face on them. Each production had a confetti cannon shooting out Golden Mickeys, or colorful tissue paper - and Madison had to have a collection of each before she left the theater.
That's where we went next: the last production of the night. It was a show called "Believe," and it's pretty much the best one of the cruise. The others are spectacular too - it's just that this one might be our favorite. Madison was tired, but kept awake as all kinds of characters came to visit, from Merlin to Mary Poppins to Peter Pan to Princess Tiana. There were a lot more characters, of course. Over the course of these three nights, there have been many, many, many characters - too many to list here. She's seen just about everyone on this trip - it's been so much fun.
But the next thing we saw was our rooms. We were at the end of a marathon, but a thrilling one at that. Daddy went upstairs to get tea and drinks, and we all sat on our verandas one last time to take in the wonderful view of the sea. Everything packed, Mommy put the bags outside the staterooms, and we said our prayers as always, thanking God for a wonderful trip.
DAY FOUR
We woke up extremely early this morning - already in Port Canaveral. Daddy and Mommy watched out the veranda, as did Madison - we saw the Carnival cruise ships coming in. Yep, we beat 'em again! Of course, Daddy didn't explain that these were all scheduled to arrive at these times - to Madison, is was a bit of a race!
We said goodbye to our rooms, and went to the Animator's Palate once more for breakfast. Mommy had gluten-free pancakes, but there was no way she could eat them all! That's a theme of the quantities they give you here: you just can't eat it all!
After saying our goodbyes to the waiting staff, we wandered down the hall once more. Sort of like zombies, as everyone was pretty tired. We filled out our paperwork, and took a last look around the lobby. It was a great cruise, wasn't it? So full of favor and blessing. Two and a half years ago, we watched as it was christened. And here we were, about to exit once again. We'll be back, I'm sure. We were already discussing where we would cruise next time. Maybe Alaska? That would be a dream come true for Daddy. But I know the whole family would enjoy that. We'll see where the future takes us, but for now, we're all quite rested, rejuvenated and simultaneously worn out!
We stepped off the boat and found our luggage quite easily. Customs was a breeze, and in the parking garage, we said our goodbyes to Nana and Ba-Ba. It's been a lovely cruise! Madison was ready for a nap in the car - she would sleep until around 10:30 or so. Mommy slept on and off all day. We said goodbye, and were so incredibly thankful and blessed.
Daddy needed a little caffeine for the trip home, but we made it without incident. We stopped frequently at rest areas, or to pick something up at Wendy's for Madison. But it was a fast trip home - we made it in around eight hours or so.
Tonight, we did piano practice - yes, back to the "old grind." We skyped Nana and Ba-Ba - can you believe we were in the Animator's Palate this morning? We unpacked and watched a bit of television, although not much. Everyone was worn out, and ready for bed. But with big, grateful smiles on their faces. It was another Dream come true - a magical vacation and a Halloween on the High Seas.
DAY ONE
We left early to make the drive to Port Canaveral, this time in two cars. The reason for this is that on Sunday, we'll be traveling in two different directions to go home. We made it without much incident, Madison looking out the windows as we got closer, just so she could see the ocean again, and the Disney Dream.
Boarding was no problem, as always. We had no wait in the big lobby, other than the check-in line. We didn't have much time there, really, because soon we were ushered through the magical mouse ears and onto the Disney Dream.
As always, our names were called out as we entered. As we were announced, we took in the lobby once again - this was our second time on the Dream, but this time it was decorated for Halloween on the High Seas. Pumpkins and decorative bunting hung from the balconies, and in the corner of the lobby stood a tall tree, barren and waiting to bloom. That would come later, of course.
When you get on the boat, most of the time, the rooms are not ready yet. And most of the time, the luggage finds its way to the rooms even later. We plan for this well, carrying on swimsuits and other essentials in a carry-on bag.
The first thing you do on a cruise is the thing we do a lot of on a cruise: eat. Eat, eat and eat. Our first destination was the Enchanted Garden, where the grandparents were introduced to the incredible buffets that would be a theme of the cruise. Mommy's special dietary needs were met to the letter - in fact, for the rest of this cruise, orders were taken in advance: Mommy placed orders for all of her food one day earlier, and everything was ready for the most part on the next day. It had to be specially prepared, and always was - Mommy never had any problems whatsoever on this entire cruise. What a blessing that was!
Already we were noticing decorations onboard, carved pumpkins and displays. The large round windows had stickers on them, making each window a happy jack-o-lantern. Madison loves those round windows - each one had a place to sit or even lay down in if you are small enough. Madison is small enough, so she curls up right in the window. It is honestly her favorite spot in the whole boat - just pick a window and she's there!
We did a bit of exploring before we could get to our rooms - we took advantage of this time to look at the Oceaneer Club. Parents (and grandparents) were allowed in, so we explored the different rooms there as well. It was here that we noticed something missing though: it was Madison's new stuffed animal. Nana got her a lamb yesterday - and somewhere on this boat, Madison left it behind. Was it on a window? Was it in the restaurant? We went back and looked, but could not find it. This was just one of our themes of the trip - it was on the boat, and by gum, it would turn up in Lost and Found, wouldn't it? Daddy and Nana visited there several times throughout the cruise just to check, and if you want to know if we got it, you'll have to keep reading!
The rooms became available, and we were quite pleased with them. Our room connected with Nana and Baba's room, and both had a veranda that overlooked the harbor. Across the way, we could see the Carnival cruise ship, who we would be "racing" back and forth across the Caribbean. Of course, we won each race!
We had enough time before the mandatory life boat drill, so we got changed into our bathing suits, and yep, we hit the pool. We were in the deeper pool to begin with, but Madison also was thrilled to run around in Nemo's Reef, a children's play area with lots of interactive things to get you wet. You can slide down a manta ray's back, go through a rain curtain or point a sea horse at someone and watch it squirt water. The line for the Aqua Duck was already pretty huge, so we avoided that - besides, we didn't have that much time. And Madison was having a great time anyway, so we just let her run around.
The life boat drill was what it always is, but Madison was behaving well here. Iceberg jokes were made here and there - Nana mentioned that she didn't see any. Daddy reminded her that the crew on the Titanic didn't see them coming either. Madison has no fear of boats. Actually, none of us really do.
After the life boat drill, it was time to sail away and out of the harbor. As always, there's a Sailing Away party on the deck, one that we watched. The big Disney horn tooted "A Dream is a Wish Your Heart Makes," and confetti shot everywhere. This is another theme of the cruise: confetti. So much of it!
We sat along the rail of the ship, in the shadow of the towering smoke stacks. We looked down twelve stories and saw people waving, pelicans dive bombing - and even flying fish trying to avoid those pesky seagulls (rats with wings - mine, mine!).
Soon, it was time for our first meal. We went back to the Enchanted Garden, where Nana and Ba-Ba were introduced to the first dinner course of the cruise. It was incredible. Daddy goes crazy over all the seafood there, while Mommy ate in comfort all sorts of food that was safe for her to eat, and delicious as well. Madison meanwhile ate her usual fare, although the staff was sure to give her lots of ketchup. A special touch: each time, they were required to make the shape of a Mickey as they poured their ketchup out. Just perfect!
The meal was fantastic, as was the dessert. After we ate, we walked down the hall to the lobby once again, where a rather dramatic woman was telling a story under the pumpkin tree. There was no pumpkin on the tree though - right now it seemed like a dead old tree with a big face on it. The woman told stories of the Headless Horseman, someone Madison saw just a few nights ago at home. She also told stories about carving pumpkins and about a seed that each of us could put in her special cauldron. Once planted, these seeds would blossom on the tree before us - each one into a large, already carved pumpkin!
The story over, it was time for many of us to go to the Walt Disney Theater. There, we were treated to the first of three huge productions, "The Golden Mickeys." This show we saw last year on the Dream. In fact, we saw all three of these shows before. But the thing about this one is that we saw it first in Hong Kong when we were at Disneyland for the first time with Madison. This seems so long ago! But there we were again, seeing it for the third time, and enjoying it quite a bit. For all the shows we got seats about four or five rows back, and in the center - perfect viewing!
Once the show was over with, we looked around the onboard shops a bit, although we didn't see much this time. We did get a few pins, including a "Halloween on the High Seas 2013" pin. There is only one this year, so we snatched it up to put in our book at home. Our pin collection is growing quite a bit!
We were pretty ready for bed after this, believe it or not. It was quite a day, and we knew the next few days would be long as well. So we went back to our rooms, retiring for the night. As usual, the rooms were prepared for us, with towel animals and chocolate. There was a full moon over the veranda, and we all sat there for some time, watching out over the vast expanse of deep blue ocean water, feeling the sea breeze wash over us. It is quite an invigorating thing to do - rest for your body and spirit.
Daddy made his traditional trip up to the deck to get Mommy tea, of course. People were swimming, eating, partying all over - but we were ready to turn in. We'd be up before many of them, no doubt. And this was true!
DAY TWO
We woke up early - really early. Daddy actually got up around 5:50 am, which is only about ten minutes before we usually wake up at home. The difference is that we were on a cruise, and supposed to sleep in. However, Daddy was up - and so was Mommy after a little bit. Madison was snoozing quite peacefully in her converted bed. It's a couch that they prepare into a bed each night. She was sleeping beside Alice, so Daddy and Mommy snuck by her to sit out on the balcony. Ah, it was dark, but you could see a bit of light beginning to rise. We were actually facing the east, so we'd get to see the sun rise. Daddy went upstairs to get tea for us, and we sat there, taking in the show. Slowly, very slowly, the sun rose over the water, beautifully as it always is. We did not, I must note, see any green flash. This may or may not be a good thing, as we were not interested in any encounters with Davy Jones.
Madison woke up when the sun was still rising, so she got to see it for herself as well - such a beautiful sight. In fact, Nana and Ba-Ba stirred next door, and we heard their veranda door open. Everyone was watching from their viewpoints quietly as we sailed south, south, south to Nassau.
After getting ready, Madison and Daddy escaped the room to go play a bit while the others got ready themselves. We did something you simply have to do on a cruise ship: shuffleboard!
Madison got very good at it towards the end. She finally figured out the "sliding" part of it, rather than sitting there and trying to hit it. In fact, she landed on a perfect ten at the end, beating Daddy one round. You go, girl!
We were stalling a bit out on the deck, because just inside, people were assembling and getting in line to meet the princesses. We joined in on the line, about in tenth place or so. This is worth mentioning because by the time the princesses came into the lobby, the line to meet them stretched around the lobby and down the hall towards the front of the boat. Quite a line! The attraction is simple: where else can you get your kids to meet five princesses in one swoop?
Madison met each one, and spent a lot more time talking with them this time. That's the great thing about these character meet and greets: it's not just, "Stand here, pose for a picture, and I'll sign your autograph book, kid." It's some brief quality time together - Madison was talking about her dress with Ariel (it was a homemade dress that was donated to us). She was talking with Aurora about curtseying, and talking with Belle about having a nightgown that looked just like Belle's dress. Cinderella learned about Madison's wiggly tooth, and that she had a blue dress just like hers as well. Nana, Ba-Ba and Mommy didn't miss the show: from above, they got to see Madison interact with each princess, and were quite happy to see her have such a good time.
We ate afterwards, back at the Enchanted Garden once more. This time, they were ready with Mommy's order, and the rest of us were ready to chow down! I must note here how delicious the fruit was - it was like candy! Daddy got salmon and fish, and of course a Mickey Waffle. You have to get one of those. It's perfect for syrup.
Today was ironic. Ironic, because we were at Nassau. Daddy took pictures of the lighthouse as we passed by, and backed into the harbor. It's a nice place, but the irony is this: we never got off the boat today. That's right. We went to Nassau, and never got off the boat. There are a few explanations for this: one is that we've been to Nassau at least five times. Once you've seen the straw market, shopped downtown, climbed Victoria's steps and walked around Ardastra Gardens, you've sort of seen the local "atmosphere." We've done that quite a few times now, and we didn't think that Madison would enjoy it as much as the pool on the Dream. In fact, we asked her, already knowing the answer. "Pool or Nassau?" Her answer, without flinching: "Pool!"
And we know the Atlantis resort nearby has aquariums, a beach and a water slide. Atlantis trips are quite a bit of an investment, and the thing is, we have aquariums at home, we have a beach day tomorrow, and we have the Aquaduck just upstairs, on this boat!
So our decision was made final over breakfast. Rather than hit the pools right away, we did something we've done a lot of this year: mini-golf. We did this on the boat, of course. Goofy's mini-golf upstairs is designed really well, considering it is on a boat. It has a funny sense of humor too, an instructional guide to playing golf, all with that Goofy sense of humor. Resting in the harbor, we took turns putting the course - Daddy isn't quite sure who won, but he had a great blind shot that went in. Completely behind a bucket of golf balls, he rebounded it in, and the crowd went wild!
After golf, it was time for some pool fun. Madison, Daddy and Mommy were in the Mickey Pool a bit, while they played some movies on the Funnel vision. Mommy eventually joined Nana and Ba-Ba on some deck chairs in the shade, and having a nice relaxing vacation.
Next came a great moment in the vacation: Mommy, Madison, Nana and Ba-Ba all got to ride on the Aquaduck!
It was a first for Mommy, which made Daddy pretty excited. He took lots of pictures!
But then Nana and Ba-Ba also rode it too! All of them got really wet, but they had a great time, and now they can say they did it! They rode the Aquaduck!
We were at the pool a little longer here - in fact, we didn't keep an eye on the clock, because we had an appointment at the Disney Theater again. And there was lunch to consider too! We got changed back at our rooms - we now had neighbors outside: the Carnival ships were just pulling in. While playing golf, we could see them on the horizon, slowly coming in. As soon as we were changed, we went upstairs once more, this time to a new place for lunch: Cabanas. This restaurant has windows that overlook pretty much everything. And it has a ton of food and fruit and seafood and... well, you get the drift. We ate more than we ever would anywhere else on this cruise, but it was all just so good. Daddy got a piece of pumpkin pie, just because it was that time of year. But we all got ice cream too. Ba-Ba was sampling different cakes - but the main courses were delicious too.
But here's a special moment. Madison bit into an apple, and finally lost one of her teeth. She lost her tooth on the Disney Cruise. We've been waiting and waiting for these wiggly teeth to come out, and finally one comes out, on the Disney Cruise. The odds of this happening are fantastic. But there's more to this part of the story of course, as she has yet to put the tooth under her pillow. That comes later tonight.
After eating, we went back downstairs to the Walt Disney Theater, where we found some great seats once more - this time for a special viewing of "The Nightmare Before Christmas." This was a "4-D" event, where there was special lighting, poofs of smoke, bubbles, and even snow falling at all the right moments in the movie. Best of all, as Jack and Sally were embracing at the end, up from a lift in the stage rose Jack and Sally, two costumed characters who were ready to meet and greet everyone in the theater.
Madison spent some time talking to Jack and Sally about her tooth. It was an apple, she said. Sally asked, "Was it a poison apple?" "No!" Madison laughed. Then she pointed to her tooth and started to talk about the blood and bone and so forth, which was so appropriate for these two characters when you think about it. They even all posed together for a photo, with Jack and Sally pointing at Madison's missing tooth. This was such a cool moment.
As soon as the movie was over, we went back to our rooms for a tiny bit. As mentioned earlier, we had been dropping by guest services to see if anyone had found Madison's missing lamb. There was no manner of luck in that, but there was a special item in her room: Lotso the Bear. I'm not making that up. They left a note to say they were still searching, and asked if Madison could watch over Lotso now as well. He really smells like strawberries too, Madison said. They actually gave her a replacement plush animal! But that story isn't over with yet either.
So the next thing on the schedule was the Mickey's Mouse-querade party. This was a chance to do a little trick-or-treating on the boat. Madison dressed as Elizabeth Swan in her Chinese pirate queen costume, as Mommy and Daddy dressed as pirates as well. All five of us went to the lobby, where all the characters were dressed up in a dance party of sorts. There were games there for the kids, and everyone was dressed up in a costume. There was an Asian family dressed as the Addams Family, which was perfect. There was another family dressed as characters from the movie "Up." The mom was dressed as the house, complete with balloons, and the older sister was Kevin the bird. Of course, the Dad was Carl, and the son was Russell. The tree bloomed, by the way. Last night, pumpkins magically appeared on the old dead tree, each one carved with a silly face.
Madison loaded up on more candy. Her thing is inventorying it all when she gets back to the room, lining up and organizing her loot. She did get a lot, although you really have to fight your way through the crowds to find these trick-or-treat locations. Still, free candy is free candy, and the whole idea of actually going trick-or-treating on a boat was pretty cool!
So here we were at dinner again. It was just down the hall. We were dressed as pirates, and in we stomped right into the Royal Palace. That's the restaurant of the night. We wandered all over the place before finally finding our table, and that was because the server that we were following couldn't find it! But eventually he did, as our little pirate parade gave the whole restaurant a show. Food was very good, of course. We ate a lot of it, of course. Daddy had chateaubriand, which was good - although not as good as the one special night he had it with Mommy some time ago. But this was the first time he had eaten some of it since that special day, which brought back sweet memories. It was Valentine's Day, and we weren't even married yet. Daddy took Mommy to the Sundial, a restaurant in Atlanta that is at the top of a building there. The restaurant rotates so that you can see the whole of Atlanta as you eat.
See how one piece of food can bring back memories? Anyway, presently, everyone else was eating too - and eating well. Madison was having a good time with her new friend sitting beside her, another young girl who was also having the time of her life. Madison makes new friends easily, doing this over and over again throughout the cruise. Whoever she sits next to, she has a good time with!
Daddy left with her a little early, before dessert in fact. But we were on a mission: to see Jack Sparrow. Nana, Ba-Ba and Mommy joined us down there just in time - Madison met with Captain Jack once again, having him sign her autograph book. That he did, and he was quick to notice how familiar that pirate costume she was wearing was. Was Madison dressed as Elizabeth Swan? Ah, indeed she was!
We were moving along a lot tonight - so much to do on these boats. While Nana and Ba-Ba were getting back to the rooms for a bit, Mommy, Daddy and Madison went up to the top deck for the pirate party. Yes, back again to see Mickey and friends teach us all how to be good pirates. Of course, when Captain Hook shows up, he's in big trouble, because he has no idea how good of a pirate we all can be. Madison was later heard chanting out, "Captain Hook is a codfish! Captain Hook is a codfish!"
When that ended we went back downstairs to the Walt Disney Theater, there to see the second big production, "Villains Tonight." This was another great production, one we saw last year. It is often hilarious, and filled with great Disney villain characters. It has Kronk in it as well, which goes to show you the depth of the casting. Everyone loved this show - each one is spectacular.
But this time around, everyone was pretty zonked afterwards. We went back to the room earlier tonight, just for our own sanity. It was such a busy, full day - and again: we never left the boat! We were out on the open water again tonight, this time heading north towards Castaway Cay. We waved goodbye in the general direction of Nassau, and put our heads down on our pillows.
Of course, one of us put something special under her pillow first!
DAY THREE
Once again we were all up early, this time watching the sun rise over Castaway Cay. Madison woke up with a surprise: Not only had the Tooth Fairy come, but Tinkerbell had come too! Amazingly, she had a bag with sparkles in it, with a Cheshire Cat pin that said "I lost a tooth!" Also, chocolate gold coins, and another special surprise: "Hotel Transylvania" and some vampire teeth to replace her temporary missing one. The Tooth Fairy has been holding on to those since FEBRUARY, just waiting for her to lose one of those wiggly teeth, and hoping it would happen in October. And boy, did it happen in October. Not only just in time before Halloween, but actually on board the Disney Dream!
We woke up watching the sun rise, and went to our restaurant of choice early: the Enchanted Garden. We had breakfast again there, and were actually wearing our swimsuits underneath. The mission: get to Castaway Cay earlier. Everyone else stayed up late last night, so get there early we did.
We had a prime spot on the beach, and the weather had yet to reach that unbearably hot stage. Mommy can't take much sun, but then again neither can many of us (except for Madison, it seems!). But we were out there this morning in the water, watching for fish and building sand castles too. Mommy got some implements to dig and sculpt, as Daddy and Madison built and built their monuments of sand. It started out as if we were building a beach resort/castle - but in the end, it was looked less resort-like, and resembled Helm's Deep. So that's what we made it, and left it as, defending the vacationing travelers from sand orcs.
We did a lot of splashing and swimming and enjoying the beach in the morning, and after that what do you think we did? That's right, we ate. Yep, we ate at the Bar-B-Que place, and ate well there also. They actually had food ready for Mommy there, even a cheeseburger with a gluten-free bun. We all had burgers or barbecue, corn and spicy mahi-mahi. And the fruit again. It's so delicious! And nearly all of us ate ice cream after that - you just can't help yourself!
We had spent a lot of time at the beach - but the weather was getting warmer, and it was a wise decision to get all of our party back on the boat. Daddy and Madison went straight to the upper deck to swim some more (this is where Daddy should have put on more sunscreen). Mommy spent some time packing, while Nana and Ba-Ba did some resting as well. Daddy and Madison walked right on the Aquaduck two times in a row, swam in the Mickey pool, played around in Nemo's Reef, shared an ice cream in deck chairs, and even got in the jacuzzi. Can you believe this jacuzzi has a glass bottom that lets you looks down eleven stories to the surface of the ocean down there? Madison had never been in a jacuzzi before - she just treated it like a hot bath. We could look over the side of the boat, overlooking Castaway Cay, and guess what we saw in the water below? A sea turtle, mate! It sat there taking in air at the surface, just floating there for a while.
We got back to the room, and Mommy was mostly packed. You see, we have to have our luggage out of the room tonight (except for carry-on baggage).
After drying off and getting changed, we went back to the lobby once more, this time to meet Mickey, Donald, Goofy and Pluto. Daddy was actually second in line, so we were in pretty quickly there. Madison was very playful with all of them, wanting to tickle each one's nose. These pictures of her turned out so great, because she was smiling so big. Extra cool is that these characters were dressed up in costumes for the entire cruise: Mickey was a vampire, Pluto a candy corn, Goofy was a mummy and Donald was a superhero. The others were in costumes as well - it's been such a great cruise!
So next we were bound for our final big meal of the cruise: the Animator's Palate. This was simply the best meal Daddy's ever eaten in his life: red snapper, salmon tartar, butternut squash soup, and this rich dark chocolate walnut cake - it was all so good. The staff came out to sing Happy Birthday to Daddy and Nana, and Crush the Turtle came by to visit everyone seated alongside the walls of the restaurant. It was a spectacular meal to end the cruise on - we feel like anything else we eat from now on is just merely there to fill our stomachs, whereas this... this is real food!
We hustled to the Pumpkin Tree once more, where our old friend was telling more spooky stories. The ghost tree gave a startling "moo-ah-ah-ah" and the kids were delighted to see a poof of more confetti shoot out from the tree and rain down upon them. This was the fourth confetti down pouring so far, and not the final one. During "The Nightmare Before Christmas," small white discs rained down with Jack Skellington's face on them. Each production had a confetti cannon shooting out Golden Mickeys, or colorful tissue paper - and Madison had to have a collection of each before she left the theater.
That's where we went next: the last production of the night. It was a show called "Believe," and it's pretty much the best one of the cruise. The others are spectacular too - it's just that this one might be our favorite. Madison was tired, but kept awake as all kinds of characters came to visit, from Merlin to Mary Poppins to Peter Pan to Princess Tiana. There were a lot more characters, of course. Over the course of these three nights, there have been many, many, many characters - too many to list here. She's seen just about everyone on this trip - it's been so much fun.
But the next thing we saw was our rooms. We were at the end of a marathon, but a thrilling one at that. Daddy went upstairs to get tea and drinks, and we all sat on our verandas one last time to take in the wonderful view of the sea. Everything packed, Mommy put the bags outside the staterooms, and we said our prayers as always, thanking God for a wonderful trip.
DAY FOUR
We woke up extremely early this morning - already in Port Canaveral. Daddy and Mommy watched out the veranda, as did Madison - we saw the Carnival cruise ships coming in. Yep, we beat 'em again! Of course, Daddy didn't explain that these were all scheduled to arrive at these times - to Madison, is was a bit of a race!
We said goodbye to our rooms, and went to the Animator's Palate once more for breakfast. Mommy had gluten-free pancakes, but there was no way she could eat them all! That's a theme of the quantities they give you here: you just can't eat it all!
After saying our goodbyes to the waiting staff, we wandered down the hall once more. Sort of like zombies, as everyone was pretty tired. We filled out our paperwork, and took a last look around the lobby. It was a great cruise, wasn't it? So full of favor and blessing. Two and a half years ago, we watched as it was christened. And here we were, about to exit once again. We'll be back, I'm sure. We were already discussing where we would cruise next time. Maybe Alaska? That would be a dream come true for Daddy. But I know the whole family would enjoy that. We'll see where the future takes us, but for now, we're all quite rested, rejuvenated and simultaneously worn out!
We stepped off the boat and found our luggage quite easily. Customs was a breeze, and in the parking garage, we said our goodbyes to Nana and Ba-Ba. It's been a lovely cruise! Madison was ready for a nap in the car - she would sleep until around 10:30 or so. Mommy slept on and off all day. We said goodbye, and were so incredibly thankful and blessed.
Daddy needed a little caffeine for the trip home, but we made it without incident. We stopped frequently at rest areas, or to pick something up at Wendy's for Madison. But it was a fast trip home - we made it in around eight hours or so.
Tonight, we did piano practice - yes, back to the "old grind." We skyped Nana and Ba-Ba - can you believe we were in the Animator's Palate this morning? We unpacked and watched a bit of television, although not much. Everyone was worn out, and ready for bed. But with big, grateful smiles on their faces. It was another Dream come true - a magical vacation and a Halloween on the High Seas.
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