Disney Wish Day One

This morning Nana was laid to rest, finally joining her husband George at Cape Canaveral National Cemetery.  The interment was fairly short ceremony.  The five of us met at the visitor center and followed a few representatives up to the site itself, where two gentlemen stood waiting, ready to place the cremains into the spot where Ba-Ba has been since 2020.

Earlier in the morning, we went to the nearby Publix in Titusville and picked up some flowers.  Mom went through all the flower arrangements there and put a lot of thought into these, which they placed at the foot of the gravesite.  The representatives there were very kind, providing a small stand and water so that the flowers can remain.

Again, as before, we noted how peaceful this location is.  There is no noise of traffic and there's a sense of tranquility walking or driving about the grounds.  

Ba-Ba and Nana - and Shadow - are located at B10, and are at the very top of their column.  

Mom and Uncle George shared a few stories there while Maddie and I were snapping pictures and looking around.  The cemetery representatives had left by this point, so we had the place to ourselves.  The grounds are open from sunup to sundown.  I know we'll be back again.

We discussed what to do next - we still had some time to go before boarding the Disney Wish.  This morning we ate at the hotel there, which was a mediocre meal.  I mean, I'm grateful for it and all, but it was actually a bit extra on the bill, and it was built up like it was something extra when it fact it was exactly what we get every time we go up to Tennessee at any of those hotels, and on top of that of course there were no options whatsoever for Mom.  But the rest of us were able to eat some, and we knew we'd be eating on the boat soon enough.  So what to do?  

How about some mini-golf!?

Ah, a bicycle tree.  You can see this tree in the parking lot here at Golf N Gator, where we've been a few times in the past.  This mini-golf course is notable for having live gators here and there all amongst the various holes.  You can actually get fishing poles with meat on one end, and dangle them down as offerings to the slithering reptiles.

Oh, Joey is here with us.  You'll see him a lot over the next few days.  I didn't have my camera with me here, and several other times too, so a lot of these pictures are actually taken by Maddie.  And yes, she took a lot of pictures with Joey the Porg in them.

Taking a rest from all the aggressive golf!  Uncle George was definitely winning by the end, although I got a few holes in one.  Maddie did really well too!

Joey didn't play, but he was admiring this airplane flown by Mario amidst the gators.

We wrapped up the game just about the time it was to board the ship, and so that was our next destination, which was about ten minutes away or so.  We waited in a pretty big car line, and parked in the garage there for a mere $75-80 or something.  But we walked across the pedestrian bridge towards the boat towards the familiar terminal, quite happy and optimistic about a wonderful cruise to come.

A familiar landmark within the terminal!  We were anxious to get on board!

After checking in, we got on the gang-plank.  Joey seems enthused!

We purchased this picture taken by the photographer, just before boarding.

Entering the ship for the first time, they always announce the family's name.

Ah!  Belle is there to greet us from the balcony.

A Cinderella statue greets us too, as does Lucifer the cat.

Joey hides from Lucifer, along with two mice.

Jaq and Gus, plus Joey too!

Selfie in the Grand Hall.

Inside the elevator.  We'd be here a lot.  Thirteen floors!

A special message on the television inside the stateroom.  Or cabin, if you'd like.

Uncle George and Thip arrive later on.

Another selfie nearby the Grand Hall.

Thip and George.

The family together again on a couch in the Grand Hall.

Maddie and Mom at an upper floor overlooking the Grand Hall.

The chandelier and Belle, still greeting new visitors.

Belle spots Maddie and greets her kindly!

Speaking of nice greetings, for Valentine's Day, I had gotten Mom some things for the stateroom, starting with a dozen roses.  These would add fragrance to the room the entire journey.  Additionally, you can see the three plastic wands we were given as we entered our room for the first time.  Another thing I pre-order was a blanket and pillow with the Disney Cruise theme.  These would come home with us afterwards, and were actually pretty useful when sitting outside at one point when it was chilly on the veranda.

Mom liked her gifts very much and was happy to get them.  It was a little pricy, but given that I didn't get her anything much (outside of a card) for Valentine's Day, this is where that budget went instead, which I hoped would be more memorable and surprising.

Okay, I was super happy with the paintings in the room.  The different cabins have different pictures from different movies, but we had a Cinderella theme to our room, and that matched the theme of the boat, of course.  Cinderella is the princess of this boat, the Wish.

We got our decorations on the door right away.  These have to be magnetized and not glued or taped to the door.  We made these a few weeks ago, and it made for a fun theme with Lilo, Stitch, and Angel.  

We even made some decorations for George and Thip, who were happily surprised to see their door.  Here's another shot of our door below, which of course is right next door.  The rooms 

The rooms are connected on the inside, with a door that connects the two.  Periodically, we'd open that door to come over and visit or visa versa, although there isn't much room for maneuvering.

We explored the room for a little bit, our home for the next few days. It's nice.  One wonderful thing is how comfortable the bed is at night to sleep in - we had no trouble at all sleeping.  Maddie certainly didn't.  The view from the balcony would be everything you want it to be, although in Port Canaveral that can be rather dull at the onset.  But the side of the boat we were on afforded us a nice view of Castaway Cay later on, and that was great.  

So one of the first places we explored on the boat was the Oceaneer Lab, a place to leave your younger children for the day.  Maddie enjoyed that in the past, but this trip she's a bit older.  Still, the location is open for the first few hours of embarkation day, allowing everyone to go there for a bit.  You can either walk in on the floor of the Oceaneer Lab, or you can enter from above, using this amazing slide!  

Even Mom was all smiles after slide down to the entrance!  And once we were in, we took a look around the different rooms, starting of course with the Star Wars themed room.

Joey meets a friend!

Mom, Joey and myself!

Shhhh - a loth cat takes a quiet nap.

I'm not entirely sure what this creature is, but it seems happy!  Anyway, we left there and went over to the Marvel section next, of course, where there were plenty of Wakandan artifacts, plus some Avengers items and some things from the Ant-Man movie.

Such a poser!

We timed this right - Black Panther posed with us just before moving on.

I can't remember which movie these were from!

Ah!  The "World's Greatest Grandma" trophy!  Nice!

The other rooms were nice too, including this one above, and a place below where kids could do crafts, and learn how to draw various characters.

Yzma was on the wall there, alongside many other characters drawn on one wall.  Below was a simulator that let you drive the ship.  You can see Joey at the wheel here.

And of course Maddie had to try it out as well.  It wasn't so crowded yet, because we got an earlier boarding time.  Next cruise, we'll be on even earlier, I think.

Wacky mirrors.  Maddie took several of these pictures on board.  But soon it was time to make our way out and upwards, as we were  bit hungry and wanted to try some of the food at the market.

Exploring the 11th floor, before we got to Marceline Market, we saw the Joyful Sweets ice cream shop, and of course had to stop there to see the characters.

And the sweets too!  We'll be sure to eat there, but for now, it was time to get some good food at the Marceline Market.

There was plenty of gluten-free and delicious options for Mom, and I got the crab legs that I was waiting so long to have.  We were up on the eleventh floor, and the view was pretty big.  It'll be great as we go forward this weekend.

Oooh, some delicious desserts too!

Hexagons!  Not the bees!

We were exploring a good bit, but we knew that soon it would be time for the Sail Away Party, so we got in our spots a little early as the crowds gathered.  The boat was moving, and the music was playing loud.  We were ready to get going!

We had a perfect spot right at a railing so there was no one in front of us.  Smaller people need spots like that so we can see!

All the characters and dancers were out there, and the countdown gets going until the big moment when the Disney Wish lets out the ship's horn that is musical:  "When You Wish Upon a Star."  The crowd cheers, and from there on, we sit alongside the rails of the deck looking way down at the people below, waving goodbye or bon voyage as we move slowly out the port canal. 

We were out into the Atlantic Ocean soon enough, and we could see dolphins swimming and even leaping out, completely leaving the water.

The sun was setting, shafts of light beaming through the clouds as we waved goodbye to Florida, ready to journey outward into the vast ocean before us.  Always one of my favorite parts, seeing so much ocean.

We spent a little time in our room, but then decided to walk about, and randomly we walked into the Hyperspace Lounge, expecting a big crowd... but no!

We managed to find five seats at the bar there, and enjoy the views from space of Tattooine, Mustafar, asteroid belts and other destinations.  Even better, we got to enjoy some pretty amazing non-alcoholic drinks, like the Cloud City that Maddie is really enjoying above.

Here we go!  Of to hyper space!

The bartender would blow these bubbles that would fly through the air and land on your drink.  Each was filled with haze that when popped would dissipate right there on top of your drink with a "pop!"

Mom and I enjoyed a lemon/ginger/kiwi drink with a Yoda shape in it - this was refreshing and delicious!

Mom's caught a bubble from the bar!

Maddie was enjoying it so much we got her this Porg cup as a souvenir!

Maddie and Thip at the Hyperspace Lounge

Maddie and Thip at the Walt Disney Theater

So next we got to the theater, where we had really good seats for the entire cruise.  It was a collection of characters and musical numbers on stage, held together by Goofy at the wheel of the ship, and a really fun production! 

Always end the show with confetti, right?

After the big show, it was nearly time for our dinner.  We had an engagement at an engagement party in Arendelle!

The theme of this restaurant is that Oken, pictured above, has set up this party for everyone, including the entertainment and meals.  The entertainment is made up of singers and musicians who of course are playing some of the classic songs from the "Frozen" movies.  And of course all the characters themselves drop in, so happy to see you at the engagement festivities.

This includes Olaf, who looked amazing.  He was pushed around in a small cart, greeting everyone as he stopped here or there.  

This was a hilarious moment - Kristoff and Oaken singing "Let it Go," instead of Elsa.  The audience helped them out quite a bit, as you can imagine.

And Elsa was doing her magic too, with the lights and atmosphere changing as we sat and ate a five course meal.

Look at this delicious dessert!  Oh, and this one too!

All the food was spectacular.  I had scallops in a pot pie, and Mom was taken care of for this entire cruise, with delicious foods that made me happy to watch her eat so well.  Everyone had a great time, and it was a long time we were there, in fact.  But nobody minded, because it was so enjoyable.

It was a fun night, and actually a pretty long day.  We were tired - the hotel last night wasn't great for sleeping in, so we were kind of zonked and ready to turn in.  We wandered about for a bit, and actually looked in some of the shops.  Mom got a new cruise line jacket and we were looking at ornaments and other items too, including watches and various souvenirs. 

We were even enjoying some of the evening entertainment, a band playing in the Grand Hall.  Actually, there were live musicians everywhere.  We frequently heard them singing here or there, and of course would stop to listen in.  This band above had a great version of "Poor Unfortunate Souls."

But yes soon enough it was time for bed, and here was our towel friend to greet us, a friendly elephant with some chocolates.  We looked out at the ocean, across the waves to the neighboring cruise ships off in the distance, filled with passengers looking across the ocean at us.  And then it was time to turn in.

We read tonight, continuing our Kingdom Keepers book that I brought along.  And we said our prayers.  And yes, we had a really good night's sleep, resting comfortably as the ocean rocked us gently through the evening.