3-Night Wonder (4/30-5/2) Traveling with young children report :)- *Completed*

[suzyqn]

I took the time to write this out mostly so I would remember the little details that I too easily forget now that I am approaching 40 and have young children. However, I also wrote it keeping in mind what I would want to share with other families traveling with little ones. In the end the report got REALLY long. My writing is not witty and probably not even grammatically correct, but I enjoyed documenting our trip.

Our crew consists of myself (the mommy), my dh, and two daughters – Bella (3.5 years old) and Lydia (19 months old).

Thursday, April 30, 2009 – Day 1 Port Canaveral, Florida

This is the day that I had been waiting for what seemed like forever. In reality we had a really short wait for this cruise since we booked it in December. I have seen some people’s count down ticker read something like 367 days until their cruise. Now that is a long wait! I really enjoyed preparing for this trip. Once I found the DISboards I really got into it. I learned so much from reading other people’s trip reports and all the various questions and answers people post. I know I could never write a trip report like some that I read but I thought that I would try to write down my thoughts about each day. Shopping was also another highlight in preparing for this trip. The girls needed new clothes anyway so it was a great time to buy some matching outfits. I enjoyed every part of the preparations from shopping, packing, completing the online forms, to making sure that our outfits didn’t clash too badly. One of the things I spent a lot of time on was preparing the girls for this trip. At the ages of 19 months and 3.5 years, they are not big with surprises. They need to know what is going on and what to expect. The Internet was a huge help in this area. We watched countless clips from youtube as well as videos from the Disney site. My girls knew what the ship’s horn sounded like and would squeal with delight every time dh would hum it. We watched the Wonder pull out of the port on the webcam a few weeks before the trip and knew which foods we were most excited to eat. This all may sound silly to some but when you are only taking a 3-day cruise you need to make the most of it. We just happen to start our fun a few months before actually leaving port.

 

[suzyqn]

Being that we live only 1 hour from Port Canaveral, we really had a stress-free morning. I thought of all of the passengers who probably started their day at 3 or 4 in the morning to catch flights to Orlando. We rolled out of bed at normal time, had a nice breakfast, and hopped in the car at 9:00am. Thanks to Aunt D, the girls had two great Disney Sing-Along DVD’s to watch on the way to get them in the Disney mood. I was actually worried that we were going to be too early but everything fell into place perfectly.

When we arrived at the port, the girls and myself got out with our luggage and Daddy parked the car. The porters took our luggage on a cart and we waited for dh before showing our driver’s license to the nice lady at the entrance. This drop off was different then our luggage drop offs in 2000 and 2003 but was just as easy. DH got a great parking spot for Blue Rocket (Bella’s name for our minivan.). Security was very easy. I did have to take Lydia out of her stroller and carry her but it was all very quick. I found it funny when Bella asked if she had to take off her shoes. I was amazed that she remember that from a year ago when she last flew. (At age 2 she didn’t have any problems taking off her shoes at airport security but she refused to give them her little white Stride-Rites. It was quite a power struggle.)

After going up the elevator (since we had the stroller) we entered the main floor. The girls were really excited to see the Mickey ear entrance since they both recognized that from the various videos we watched. We waited in line for about 20+ minutes until the check-in desks opened up. Before that we were handed a boarding pass number by one of the Cast Members. We were given boarding pass #2. I was quite pleased with this only because I remember reading someone’s trip report that coveted that #2 pass. I probably would have been there an hour or so later if I had never read a trip report before. After check-in, we had our security pictures taken and also checked-in at the Oceaneer Club registration desk. There we received our pager and my oldest received her bracelet. I was concerned that Bella would freak over having this bracelet put on her but it did not phase her. She knew she needed it to go to the club and that was fine with her. Our remaining time was spent walking around, taking some pictures outside on the balcony, and watching Goofy and Pluto get pictures taken.

Speaking of Goofy…this is when our perfect day hit its first snag. Bella, who has never been a huge fan of seeing the characters in person, totally flipped out (not in a good way) when Goofy appeared in the port. She did not understand that he was not going to go near her if she didn’t want to be near him. In her 3 year old world, everything revolves around her, and even though there was a line of people waiting to have their picture taken with him, she was still convinced that he was going to drop everything and come over to see her. Lydia on the other hand, got very excited to see the characters. Bella’s reaction only improved slightly during the cruise. We are probably the only family of young children who do not have one picture of their children with the characters. My only regret is that we did not get Lydia’s picture taken with a character. Although she was always excited to see them, I don’t know how she would have done up close. It was just too difficult for us to hold Lydia to have her picture taken, and have Bella close enough so that one of us could take a picture with our camera of Lydee.

 

[suzyqn]

Finally, about 12pm (a little later than I expected but not by much) we were invited to board the Disney Wonder. I think the waiting made it more exciting. On our two previous Wonder cruises (before children) we just walked right on board. This anticipation made the magic even more special. We got a quick picture of our family before boarding the ship. We actually purchased this photo because it is such a rare thing for all four of us to be in the same picture together.

Once we boarded our name was announced. Bella had also been looking forward to this since we saw a lot of this on youtube. We headed right to Parrot Cay and although we were not the first in line at the buffet it was pretty close. DH took Bella up with him first while I waited at the table with Lydee. I was most impressed with how fast a highchair was put in place and how the girls’ silverware was changed out for a smaller version of the spoon and fork. This is the kind of stuff I really appreciate. They let me keep our stroller right next to the table which was wonderful since it had our carry-on bags that were extremely heavy.

Our most memorable events from this lunch would be that Bella ate shrimp for the first time. We are not seafood eaters but if the kid asks for shrimp, why not? Unfortunately, Bella ate the shrimp when dh was not looking and pretty much ate the WHOLE thing. Bella declared it delicious, tail and all. Lydia was in true Lydee form and did not find anything appealing. The macaroni and cheese looked delicious but she would have no part of it. We had already decided that we were not going to have the food wars we generally had with our 19 month old so whatever she ate, she ate. Today’s lunch was a giant chocolate chip cookie. Welcome to your vacation, Lydia Grace!

Immediately after lunch we headed to Wavebands to see if we could change our dinner rotation. This is our third cruise and we once again got the same rotation: Triton’s, Animator’s Palate, Parrot Cay. It would have been nice to mix it up a bit. We looked at the new menus online prior to the trip and actually decided that Parrot Cay had the best choices for us. The problem was that Parrot Cay was on the same night as our Palo reservations. We knew we had a strange request, wanting late seating and making sure Parrot Cay was on our first or second night, but we knew what we wanted. They were not able to help us but solved our problem by telling us to request the Parrot Cay menu that night when we were in Tritons. We were fine with that if they were willing to be so flexible. We also moved our Palo reservations from 9pm on Saturday to 8:30pm without any problem.

We then proceeded to the Oceaneer Club. This worked out great because later in the evening Bella would be going to the club without us being with her. This gave her an opportunity to check things out. Right away there was a female Cast Member who was so kind to her and rode down the slide with her several times since she was not brave enough to go by herself. It looked like a fun place but we were still not sure if Bella would cooperate. Just like seeing the characters in person, she can be really excited about something but when it is really happening she can freak out and totally act like a creature from another planet. I would have liked to visit Flounders at this time also but it was getting late and we really wanted to show the girls more of the ship.

Our next stop was up to Deck 9 where all the fun was taking place. I had the girls swim suits in our carry-on bags but I really wasn’t excited to get them dressed in the restroom if I could help it. Getting little ones in bathing suits isn’t the easiest thing. We decided to check things out, get a soda, and yes I think we even shared a slice a pizza…because we could. By this time it was 1:30pm and I knew our rooms were ready. I had been very excited to surprise my girls and it was time.

DH took the girls up to Deck 10 for a better view while I took the stroller and all the carry-on bags all the way down to room 1060 on Deck 1. We weren’t quite sure how we were going to like being all the way down in Deck 1 but we did get a free upgrade from a Category 12 to Category 9 so we really couldn’t complain. I quickly went to our room. I tried to take a nice picture of the cabin before it got completely turned over by the four of us, and proceeded to run around like a crazy women. First, I needed to put out the presents that Mickey was going to leave for them. Since we did not have to deal with airplanes and such, it seemed like a no-brainer to put together a gift basket for each girl. The girls are young and some of these things are lost on them but the cost and effort really wasn’t much. They each received a sand bucket and shovel, a couple sand toys, stickers, Disney Water-Wow books (kind of like the aqua-doodle concept), a plush Mini Mouse toy, a princess nightgown, and a Princess version of a Polly-Pocket Dolls, Mickey Mouse coloring books and crayons, and a Mickey Mouse blow-up float ring. Oh, I forgot to add the most important item…a bag of peanut M&M’s.

I also put up the magnets on the outside of the stateroom door and a few on the inside.

At this point our luggage was arriving so I was quickly trying to unpack as much as I could before there were 3 more bodies in the way. I really liked having that time (although rushed) to unpack before the rest of the family came in. I will definitely do that again in the future. The suitcases fit great underneath the bed, and although it was not necessary to keep it in there, the stroller was put in the bath tub thanks to a DISboard tip. I also bought an over-the-door shoe holder a few months ago since it was another tip. I found that it was the greatest thing to use at home to organize bows, brushes, nail clippers, etc. in my daughter’s room. I really think it helped to keep us organized during the trip and could really see how it would be invaluable on a 7-day. (I also used it when visiting family for a week and it was so helpful.)

When dh and the girls returned they were so excited to see what Mickey had left them. I don’t think I even had to tell them it was from Mickey. Right away Bella exclaimed, “Look what Mickey left us!” It really was worth lugging the extra carry-on type bag around with me that morning. (I guess I could have packed it in a suitcase but I really wanted it to be there when they first walked in). Of course, the M&M’s were the biggest hit. I think Lydia even said the “M” which is a huge deal since she is non-verbal. I have to say that the little ledge under the double port holes was key in keeping things neat. This is where I put there buckets originally and this is where they kept all of there little toys, etc. At first we had been disappointed not to have the large port hole as we did on our last cruise. Again, we booked a Category 12 so we should not have had any windows so we were really thankful. I think the 2 smaller port holes worked out great since we had the ledge (maybe the ledge is there with the big port hole but I don’t remember it) and we could easily make the room dark for nap time.

We got the girls ready to go up to Deck 9 and check out the pool. Lydee was only allowed in the splash area and she loved it. Bella also loved the splash area but also loved playing in Mickey’s ear. Some of my favorite video we took was of Bella with a smile plastered on her face. We knew that when Grandmom, who is very ill from cancer, saw this video she would have the same smile on her face watching the girls have so much fun. It brought tears to my eyes just watching her and thinking about sharing the video.

 

[suzyqn]

Next up was the lifeboat drill. This is another event that I dreaded as I did not know how either one of my kids would react. I honestly did not think it would go well. This was another area that I tried to prepare Bella for prior to the trip by showing her pictures and video on the Internet. Both the infant life jacket and the child sized jackets were waiting for us in our room. I was pleased that I did not have to request the infant one which I thought I’d have to do. I was in shock that both girls let us secure their life jackets without any fuss. The infant one took some figuring out but I have to say that Lydia looked adorable toddling around in it. To my knowledge they request that you put your life jackets in your room and take them off in your room. I found that carrying a 19 month old wearing a life jacket while wearing my life jacket to be almost impossible. Not difficult… impossible. I truly do not know what one would do in a real emergency. Next time I will put my life jacket on when we get to Deck 4 if one of my children need to be carried. As soon as we arrived they told us that we could take the life jacket off of Lydia which was fine because her’s was long sleeved and hot. It was at this point that I realized that this is the longest Lydia has ever gone without a nap and she was going to fall asleep while I was uncomfortably holding her. I forgot to mention that this was proceeded by a lot of fussing, crying, and wiggling. As soon as it was over she decided to be fully awake and the chance for a nap seemed to have passed. While on our way back down the steps a scary thing happened. We don’t know if the light/whistle on her life vest is what caused her to almost fall or to save her but Bella fell forward. It happened so fast I don’t really know what happened but I think the light/whistle on her life jacket got caught in the stair railing and stopped her upper body and her feet kept going. There were at least two Cast Members there immediately out of no where. She was fine but just scared. It was at that point that we all took off our life jackets and carried the kids back down the stairs. We gladly shoved the life jackets in the top of the closet and was thankful to be done with that.

The day was moving fast and it was time for the Sail-Away party (called something different but I can’t remember the name). We were on the late side for some reason so it was really hard to find a good place to stand and see. We were on Deck 10 and I don’t know if that helped or made it harder. Lydia was in her stroller in hopes that she would nap but instead the poor kid had no view and no nap. We also went to the bow of the ship while it pulled away. It was fun to see the Cast Members at the port way goodbye to us. There was very little time to shower off and dress for the Golden Mickey show. We had chosen late dinner in hopes that the girls would be awake enough to enjoy the show and then Lydia would go to Flounders from 8-11pm and Bella would go to the Oceaneer Club sometime either during or after dinner.

The Golden Mickey’s was the perfect show for our little ones because the scenes changed often. They were both mesmerized. Lydia sat on my lap learning forward the whole time. During the show is when I first really felt the boat move. On our first cruise I felt pretty lousy later in the night due to the movement so I was nervous about feeling ill. The week before the cruise I experimented with two motion sickness medications. Both left me feeling like a zombie so my plan was to take it if I had to and to take it at night. Each night I took one Bonine and never had any motion sickness issues. I was tired each evening but that would still have been the case even if I hadn’t taken medication.

After the show we had enough time (about an hour I think) to go up to Deck 9 to get the girls some food. We needed to feed Lydia since she would not be joining us for dinner. It made me sad that she would not be with us but there isn’t enough pixie dust in the world for my toddler to be happy at a mealtime that started at 8:15pm. Pizza and french fries did the trick .

At 7:50 we showed up at Flounder’s Reef Nursery to sign in Lydia. I was nervous but knew that if she wouldn’t go in we would just bring her to dinner. Lydee will go to the nursery at church each week but not without a lot of crying. She always settles down but often refuses to play. When we arrived they asked us a few questions, cleaned her hands with a wipe, opened the door for her to walk in and there she went. She walked right in and the Counselor closed the bottom half of the door behind her. We were waiting for the moment that she would turn around and realize that we were not with her. To our amazement she walked in and started to play. Wow! This place really is magic. Now I have to be honest and say that she did cry the next two nights that we dropped her off but we never were paged and they reported that she did great each night. We really don’t know how long she played and how long she slept but when we picked her up each evening she was always in the pajamas and she had been sleeping. It was an extremely positive experience for her and us. We thanked the Counselors in the form of a bag of chocolates before we left. (I had packed her a snack from home in case she got hungry but they asked me if she was allowed to have some crackers and apple juice. I did not include a snack after the first night since I assumed they would be giving her one based on what they asked me the first night.)

 

[suzyqn]

Our dinner this first night was at Triton’s. Although we liked the dining room and are big Little Mermaid fans, we are not seafood fans. To my knowledge, Triton’s use to be the more formal night on the cruise but it seems to have changed to the final night being dressier. This whole dining rotation with Palo added in did not quite fit my plan as to what dress I was going to wear each night as well as what the girls were going to wear but I made do. As a stay-at-home mom, I really enjoyed wearing some nicer things and feeling dressed up for the show and dinner.

We were surprised to be seated at a table for just the four of us. The server was all set up with a booster seat for our oldest and a high chair for our youngest. I felt a little bad since we didn’t need either and even had one less person dining then they expected. Our server was Arlan and our assistant server was Branko. Both were great and were disappointed that the baby would not be dining with us. What they didn’t know is that the “baby” would have made for a potentially loud and messy meal. At the show, Christian, the cruise director, mentioned that we could tell our server that our child would like to go to the kid’s club and they would speed up her meal. One of the counselors would then pick the kids up from the dining room and bring them to the Oceaneer Club. We were completely flexible concerning Bella and dinner. We knew she had already eaten earlier and she wasn’t starving. Our plan was that she would either sit through dinner and then check out the club afterward or if she couldn’t sit for that long then one of us would take her up to the club during dinner. Having the counselors come to us was ideal – in theory. We were completely amazed when at 9:15pm the server told her that it was time to go and she stood up, took his hand, and walked through the restaurant to the waiting counselors at the entrance. DH and I were waiting for that moment when she would realize we were not with her or change her mind and start screaming and running through the restaurant. I think our mouths were hanging open watching her leave. DH and I realized that we now had a quiet meal to ourselves. A very rare treat! I ordered the French onion soup which was probably the best French onion soup I have ever had. Nothing else on the Triton’s appetizer menu appealed to me. DH ordered from the Parrot Cay menu, as we were promised earlier in the evening. For our main course I had the Three-Cheese Lobster Macaroni. I know I said I don’t eat seafood but I am willing to be adventurous in situations like this. It was really good and I highly recommend it. Dessert, our favorite part of the meal was fabulous. We decided to share our favorite, Crème Brulee, chocolate mousse, AND the Grand Marnier Souffle. FABULOUS!

After dinner we were curious to see how the girls were doing so we went in to peek on both of them. Lydia was sleeping and Bella was sitting in a big circle playing with a parachute. We noticed that the counselor who had gone done the slide with her earlier in the day was sitting directly behind her. It looked like Bella had made a friend . We were interested in catching a few minutes of Bolt in 3-D however there were no 3-D glasses sitting out. The movie had already started and we were disappointed that we had missed our chance. We quickly learned that you can’t watch a 3-D movie without the 3-D glasses. We then headed over to our favorite nightlife area on the Wonder which is the Cadillac Lounge. Someone in a trip report mentioned that it was very smoky when there were last there and I was worried that I would not like it. I don’t remember it being a problem in the past but Florida does not allow smoking in any restaurants and I have become pretty sensitive to anytime someone is smoking. We sat a table near the entrance and enjoyed listening to the piano player sing a Frank Sinatra set. I enjoyed a Pina Colada and DH enjoyed a beer.

When it was close to 11pm we picked up Bella and Lydia from their clubs. Both had done a great job. Back in our room, Bella was very excited to see that the sofa had turned into a bed for her. I was told that there would be a bed rail but one wasn’t put on. I had not requested one so it did not surprise me. (We did not get to meet our stateroom host until the next afternoon.) The pack-n-play was put up right next to Bella’s bed so I just pushed it up against the bed so Bella would not fall out.

Bella was also very excited that chocolate was left on the bed. We had told her about this months ago and she was really looking forward to it. She thought that chocolate being left on your pillow was about the funniest thing she had ever heard of. As soon as we got into the room, Bella began to get ready for bed. I found it really sweet that she immediately put on her new princess nightgown that was still in her sand bucket. She didn’t even think twice about it or ask what she should put on. After we put out the card for room service in the morning, we were all in bed at 11:30pm. I was amazed that the girls did so well today without any naps. I was also amazed how well they slept since Lydia had not been able to sleep in the same room with anyone else in the past. It was a noisy night and not the best sleep for me. There was a noise that occurred frequently that would wake me up. I read about this noise in a stateroom review and was hoping that it would not be an issue. I have to say that it didn’t bother me too much on the other nights but I surely would not want to deal with it on a 7 day cruise. It was a great first day and I think we made the most of it from getting to the port early to even having a few minutes at The Cadillac Lounge. I loved the reactions of the girls when they saw different things for the first time. I know they are young and won’t remember this trip but hopefully we’ll try to keep some of this magic alive through our pictures, videos, and trip report. Day 2, here we come!

 

[ilovecraigandcooper]

I am loving your trip report! our little boy will be 18 months when we cruise in november (also a 3 day cruise, also driving) so im finding your report VERY HELPFUL!!! i love all the trip reports but since our situations are similar im sure im going to glean tons of more info from your's than say for instance the 11 night mediteranian reports. (although that still doesnt stop me from reading them like novels when im supposed to be....ummm working...)

thanks for the details and the pics!

 

[kimberleeJohnston]

Your report so far is fantastic! Your family is just beautiful and your girls are sooo cute! I loves how your outfits matched but not in an obvious way on the first day!!
Our 18 month old daughter ate cookies for dinner and lunch sometimes on our cruise, had we been at home I would have been a little more strict, but heck, your on vacation who wants to fight about food??
Cant wait to hear more!

 

[Skyw]

Nice report. I am an "older mom" too. I am 43 with a 5 year old.

 

[Evan&Kimberly]

My son and I will take our first cruise 2gether, I have been on other cruises, so I am so anxious to see how we will do, he is so excited he watches the DCL CD every day, and I to am a seasoned mom 35 with a 3 1/2 year old waiting to have children is a great thing!!!! I really loved your report!

 

[PizzieDuster]

Fantastic trip report. I love the pictures. I'm trying to talk my brother and sister in law into taking their 3 year old on a cruise with us and my 10 year old (teens are too old and only like RCCL). I just forwarded this link to them.

 

[suzyqn]

Thank you for your comments. It has been fun to keep it all fresh


Friday, May 1, 2009 – Day 2 Nassau, Bahamas

After only a semi-restful night, I was very thankful for the knock on the door from room service. For some reason, I have never had the pleasure of getting anything from room service in my 39 years. We did not take advantage of it on our first two cruises for some unknown reason. I really enjoyed sitting on my bed eating croissants and drinking orange juice. I also ordered milk for the girls so they didn’t have to wait until breakfast. Yes, we were still planning on going to breakfast even though I had wolfed down a croissant.

Our plans were not real set for this day although dh really wanted to take Bella off the ship to the straw market for a short time. I was not really excited about this idea. I guess I tend to get stressed when my girls are not with me. I also had an irrational fear that something would happen to them and we were not traveling with passports. DH and I had been to Nassau on our first cruise so with two small children, taking an excursion was really not in our plans. After getting everyone showered and dressed we headed for Parrot Cay for breakfast. Once again, Bella really enjoyed the concept of a buffet and ate her weight in food. Lydia, however, missed out on a lot of delicious foods. Her stubbornness got the best of her. However, I think she did put away quite a bit of pineapple if a recall.

After breakfast we decided to send dh and Lydia to shore. Unfortunately, Bella refused to try to go potty. We headed back to our room but could not get in because it was being cleaned. We were kind of at a loss as to what to do and we didn’t have our swim stuff so we headed up to Deck 9 to see what was happening there. Magically, while we were up there Bella needed to use the potty. DH and Bella were then free to head to the straw market. Lydia and I somehow wound up touring Deck 2 (not the most exciting tour) but I was looking to see if anyone else had decorated their doors. I believe I found ScrapTami’s door from our cruise meet thread.

Lydia spent some time playing with the toys that Mickey left. She especially enjoyed the Princess Polly Pocket dolls even though I had to dress and undress them every two minutes. Before long, dh and Bella returned from their adventure. Dh managed to get a few great pictures of Bella in front of the ship as well as two cute wallets for the girls. He said that it was a pretty long walk and wound up carrying her for most of it but it was a nice Daddy and Bella adventure.

Next up was some pool time. The girls really loved the splash area. Lydee of course was stuck there but Bella was free to use the Mickey pool also. When we got there we found that the Mickey pool was closed due to some “chemical” problem. Someone said it probably meant that someone pooped or vomited in the pool and they had close it for 2 hours???? The girls enjoyed time in the splash pool and then we had some lunch from The Beach Blanket Buffet. We all enjoyed a delicious dessert of chocolate mousse. On our last cruise, I had the best picture of dh enjoying a scrumptious chocolate mousse at lunch on the first day. This time the chocolate mousse made a new memory. After lunch, the Mickey pool was opened so dh took Bella over to play. She had a ball getting in and out of Mickey’s ear. Bella hasn’t had too many opportunities to be in the pool so she was in swim heaven. Somewhere along the line she took in a mouthful of water. She leaned on the black part of the Mickey ear and coughed and out came some chocolate spit. Right away a Cast Member asked dh if she had pooped and he explained that she just coughed. Immediately, they cleared out the pool and shut it down for cleaning. Poor Bella. We got out of there fairly quickly to avoid any angry mobs.

One of the hardest things about traveling with small children is the amount of time they need to nap on a trip like this. Today’s nap lasted from 1:30-4pm. Of course, I really tried to nap during this time also but I wasn’t as successful as everyone else in the stateroom. When everyone woke up I ordered room service so that Lydia could have a meal before tonight’s show, Toy Story – The Musical. Within 20 minutes we had delicious oatmeal raisin cookies, a cheese, cracker, and fruit tray, and a ham and cheese sandwich delivered. Everyone snacked a little.

One of my favorite memories took place before dinner. After I was finished with my shower, dh gave Bella his version of Daddy’s Spa Treatment. He not only bathed Bella, but he dressed her and dried her hair with the blow dryer. This was a rare and special occasion and I enjoyed seeing him take such good care of her. Lydia wasn’t a fan of the shower but she survived and was cleaned up in no time.


Tonight’s show, Toy Story was fabulous. I had to borrow a VCR before we cruised so that my girls could see the movie. No one we knew owned the DVD version and the movie is currently in the Disney Vault. They watched it a bunch of times which really helped them to appreciate the show. Once again they were enthralled with the singing and dancing. The scenes were longer and it wasn’t until the end did Lydia get a little fidgety. Bella had a few moments where she was a bit scared during Sid’s scenes. I was blown away and really impressed with what they did with Sid’s character. I look forward to seeing it again.

We returned back to the room for a few minutes to enjoy a glass a wine before dropping Bella off at Flounder’s. Tonight was our night at Animator’s Palate. Before waiting outside the restaurant we took the opportunity to stop at Shutter’s to see if we had any good pictures. We were pleasantly surprised to find a good family picture of us boarding the ship as well as a cute picture of us at Triton’s. The pictures are so expensive but we really loved them so we purchased a package. While we were waiting in line to enter the restaurant we were standing next to a family that had two children, a boy and a girl. The mom was photographing the kids looking out of the porthole while wearing their Mickey Mouse ears (they were actually pirate ears). I laughed because I was sure this person had to be part of the Disboards. Sure enough after a minute or two of conversation I found that I was talking to ChrisMouse. Our cruise meet board really never amounted to much but we did have a few pages of posts before the cruise so I easily remembered her posts. When we were seated we found that they were at a table right next to us. Small world 

Tonight I enjoyed the Lemon-Thyme Marinated Chicken Breast and it was great. Bella was now a pro at this dining thing so she seemed to understand that she didn’t have to eat all of it and could eat a little of everything. I was excited that she got to eat a Mickey Ice Cream Bar since she did not get dessert the night before. Just as the night before, Bella willingly went with the server when it was time to go to the Oceaneer Club. In fact, the server handed her off to the head server and she didn’t even look back. Tonight she took with her a bag of chocolates to give to the counselors. Since there was no evidence of chocolate on her face later on, we assume the treats went to the right people.

Dh and I went back to the room to enjoy another glass of wine. Shortly after arriving, we got a page that Bella wanted to be picked up. I headed up to the club and found Bella playing happily. In fact, she really didn’t seem to want to leave and for a few moments I wasn’t quite sure what to do but in the end I checked her out and brought her back to the room. Once we were back there I changed my clothes and we decided to check out the Pirate Party.

In the end we were really glad that Bella asked to be picked up. She really loved watching Mickey save the day. In fact even a month later she still talks about it. Somehow we never saw the buffet but that is probably for the best since we had such a late dinner. When we picked up Lydia she looked absolutely adorable in her princess nightgown with matching slippers. Everyone fell asleep easily however Lydee woke up a little while later fussing. At first I couldn’t figure out what the problem was but quickly figured out that she still had on her princess slippers and one had come off. She was not going to go to sleep until her slippers were in place. Now it was time for sweet dreams for everyone.

 

[natale1980]

Really cute! Looks like you had it under better control then I did with our 1year old. I'm glad you guys had fun!
Can't wait for more!
-natale

 

[kellyb2000]

Enjoying your report. Bummed that my work computer won't let me see the pics. I'll have to read it at home to put the faces with the report!


We're going in December with a 7yo and a 2yo. Not worried about my son, but wondering how my daughter will do.

 

[heaven2dc]

What adorable little girls you have! I loved the pic of Belle looking out the porthole (with the reflection).

I'm treating a friend and family to a trip for the December 6, 2009 Disney Wonder cruise and they have daughters ages 3 & 10. I'm anxious to see how the little one enjoys the Oceaneer Club.

Your pictures are so beautiful Can't wait for the next installment!

 

[kellyb2000]

I'm treating a friend and family to a trip for the December 6, 2009 Disney Wonder cruise and they have daughters ages 3 & 10.

will you be my friend?!
No seriously, how wonderful that you can do that. I'll be getting off the ship while your friends are getting on. We're going December 3-6!

 

[suzyqn]

I can't believe it has taken me this long to finish this TR. Fortunately, I wrote everything shortly after returning. My girls and I have been fairly ill for the last couple of weeks so I have been too lazy to post. This should finish it up for us. (Glad it was only a 3-night cruise)
--------------


Saturday, May 2, 2009 Day 3, Castaway Cay

The day began around 6:30 AM when dh woke up early and went out to get some exercise and see the ship dock at Castaway Cay. It was light out but very cloudy. I was at first disappointed because it was a little cloudy the last time we were at Castaway Cay but nothing could be worse than our first cruise when the ship was unable to dock there. That was pretty disappointing. I was ok with whatever the weather would be just as long as we could spend some time there. Around 7:30 AM we got room service that once again included juice, milk, croissants, and this time we added pastries and a fruit bowl. We chose not to go to the buffet for breakfast today knowing how delicious lunch was going to be.

I applied tons of sunscreen to the girls and got them in their bathing suits. Since we had room service we headed right to the island. We were on deck one and had to go up one floor and all the way aft (or was it forward ?) then down one floor to exit. After scanning our key cards we were off. The weather was beautiful, the water was gorgeous, and we were ready! We took the tram to the family beach area. There were lots of strollers, wagons, and wheel chairs available for use. This was such a relief because dh did not want to take the stroller and I was worried that Lydee would get tired. In the end the girls changed my plans and we wound up getting a wagon. It worked out perfectly. The beach was not crowded at all and we had our pick of spots with lounge chairs and umbrellas.

As we passed by the shops I saw that they had sand buckets and toys available for purchase but “Mickey” left the girls some beach things in our room on the first day. (I think they were selling the beach toys for $18.50.) I also brought with us some plastic disposable drinking cups to play in the sand. These worked great and I was able to just throw them out when we were done. Next time I will bring some zip lock bags for all the sea shells the girls collected. Speaking of sea shells, there was so many beautiful little shells. Bella loved collecting them and Lydia loved moving them from one cup to another. Lydia was really unsure of the sand at first and hung out in the wagon for a little while.

Finally, she got brave and sat in the sand and dug with the shovel. Bella was a little fish and wanted to spend all her time in the ocean. Dh blew up the Mickey Mouse float ring which was no small feat. Bella loved floating in it. Definitely a big hit! (and well worth the dollar spent at the dollar store.) DH bought himself and me a yummy pina colada, a perfect beach drink.

We were ready for lunch shortly after 11:30 AM so off to Cookies we went. We loved this lunch the last time we were at Castaway Cay and it did not disappoint. The ribs and chicken were delicious. Bella enjoyed a hotdog and both girls ate lots of fruit and of course, a big cookie. I had read about how delicious the chocolate chip cookie dough soft serve was so I saved room for a cone. YUM! It was so good. Bella and Lydee also enjoyed this.

We wanted to go back to the beach but when you have two young children sometimes behavior issues come up and unfortunately this was one of those times. I would love to have explored the island a little more but it was back to the ship for us. The timing was right because after I showered both girls (let me tell you it is hard to get sand out of a screaming toddler’s leg rolls) they went right off to sleep.

Photo: This is what you do when your children won't pose for you. You just roll them where you want them and snap the picture

While Dh and the girls slept (for about 3 hours) I showered and then took a nice walk around the ship to take some pictures while we were still docked at Castaway Cay. This relaxing adventure began with an uninterrupted elevator ride from Deck 1 to Deck 9 ALL BY MYSELF! Amazing! I did this same thing on our last cruise and it was nice to take my time and photograph little things here and there while the decks weren’t too crowded. I was jealous for my kids that they were missing so much fun at the pool but those naps seemed to be essential. Hopefully next time they can be refreshed with just an hour nap. I also used this opportunity to stop at guest services to get copies of the menus from each restaurant. Although it was not necessary, the told me it was no problem so I took them up on it.

This was taken around 2pm on CC day. Almost empty Mickey pool!

Dh felt bad that we left the beach slightly earlier than planned because of some not so great behavior so when Bella woke up he took her back up to the pool for one final swim. Although I had already bathed her it actually worked out great because it gave me a chance to pack up our things so we had less to do after dinner.

My goal was to have some pictures taken as well as shop for souvenirs before the show. As always we were tight for time. There were only a few families in front of us for the Lifestyle Portraits so I thought it would be fairly quick, however they seem to do a ton of poises so it took longer than expected. It was rough standing in line knowing that there was a 99% chance both girls would be uncooperative for the pictures. I have been brought to tears on more than one occasion trying to get their birthday photos done. When it was our turn we alerted the photographer that it was a long shot but if they could get a quick picture of all of us together than we would be really pleased. Although Lydia did not smile (which is no surprise) we actually got a few nice pictures. I would love to have bought several of them but we bought the best one. One of my favorite pictures was of us standing holding the girls. However, they make you take your shoes off so we didn’t love the bare foot look on Mommy and Daddy. We opted for one that we were all sitting down. It made for a wonderful Mother's Day gift for the grandmothers.

We were now late for the final show, Disney Dreams. Daddy and I remembered this one from our last cruise and absolutely loved it back then. Sadly, the theater was packed and we had a really hard time finding a seat. We wound up in the very front left. It was kind of neat for the girls to see the performers so close but we could not see many things that happened because we were too far left. We won’t ever make that mistake again.

After the show was not one of our best moments of the cruise so I went in the store by myself and bought a few souvenirs. Grandmom wanted me to buy them t-shirts from her and I wanted a magnet for the refrigerator and a Christmas ornament. We went back to the room for a few minutes to regroup and have a glass of wine. It was very important for us to keep reminding Bella that she could not ask to leave the Oceaneer Club like she did the night before because Mommy and Daddy were going to have a special dinner at Palo.

After dropping off Bella at her club and Lydia at her club we were off to the upper decks. We made sure that both child care facilities knew we were going to be at Palo in hopes that they would not be quick to page us if the girls were fussy. I don’t know if it made a difference but we didn’t get a page. Bill and I spent a few minutes relaxing with a soda near the adult swimming area. It had been the first time we even were in that area during this cruise. As much as it would have been so nice to relax in the hot tub or snack in the Quiet Cove, I loved having my children with us. I have to say that it was the only thing missing on our other cruises, having children to enjoy it with.

We were told we could show up about 15 minutes early for Palo so we took advantage of that. There were only about 4 other occupied tables that we could see. I was really thankful that I had our Palo reservations moved form 9:00 PM to 8:30PM. Our server was named Kim and she was very attentive. We had an idea of what we wanted but it was still hard to decide. We shared the Quattro Fomaggi Pizza which was fabulous. I also had the Mozzarella and Plum Tomatoes with Balsamic Dressing. For the main course I had Beef Tenderloin “Palo” with a side of lasagna. Daddy had the Garlic Roasted Rack of Lamb and a side of Wild Mushroom & Hazelnut Risotto which he also loved. For dessert we could not decide so we were able to narrow it down to only 4! Yes, we shared 4 desserts . We ate Tiramisu, Panna Cotta (Sweet, White Cream Custard with fresh Berries), Chocolate Soufflé (with Chocolate Sauce although I should have chosen the vanilla), and Chocolate Amaretto Indulgence (silky milk chocolate, fresh raspberries on almond and biscotti base, with extra dark chocolate sauce.)

After dinner we rolled out of Palo and went to pick up Bella and Lydia. After picking up Lydia we headed to Bella’s club. Bella was having a great time at the Oceaneer Club but had not problem coming with us. I had read about the Friendship Rocks event that they have for kids and wondered if they did that on the 3-night cruise. The counselor I asked said they did and gave me a t-shirt that Bella would have gotten if she had attended. I don’t think I even read my Navigator during the past 2 days since we were so busy just doing the basic things. Bella loves this t-shirt and sleeps in it as often as she can. (side note: When we dropped off Bella at the Oceaneer Club we found out it was Pajama night. Again, I guess we didn't read our Navigator. It is a great idea since most parents want to have the clothes all packed up. I wish I had read that as a tip before crusing so I could have planned ahead.)


Our timing was perfect because after returning our pager we saw the the “Till We Meet Again” event was happening in the atrium. Lydia was especially excited to see the characters. We probably would not have planned to attend this event because of the time but it worked out great. We headed back to the room to change out of our fancy clothes so we could pack them and put them outside the door. We put the girls in their pajamas and went back upstairs to the movie theater. Bella and Lydia have never seen a movie in a theater before so I wanted them to have that experience even for just a few minutes. It worked out perfectly because Disney’s Earth was playing at 10:45 PM. We came in a few minutes late but since there really wasn’t a plot it did not matter. Lydia was especially excited to see the polar bears on the big screen. Unfortunately, she only lasted a little while and I brought her back to the room to get ready for bed. Daddy and Bella stayed a little longer and then they went up to Deck 9 for a special midnight snack of pizza and lemonade. Bella even got to watch a few minutes of Ratatouille on the giant Ariel Vision screen. Bella even shared some lemonade with her little sister before we all went to sleep. Almost two months later Bella and Daddy still talk about their midnight adventure.

 

[suzyqn]

Sunday, May 3, 2009 – Final Morning

Our final day started about 6:45 AM. Dh woke up first like he did most mornings and went up on deck to see us dock at Port Canaveral. Our breakfast was scheduled for 8:00 AM since we had late seating. The girls had trouble waking up which was no surprise since they were still awake at midnight the night before.

Since our luggage was already at the port we had very little to deal with so it was a quick shower, dressed, and even a little time to relax and watch TV before we headed to breakfast. I made sure I checked the drawers, did a second check of the bathroom and closet, and even looked under the bed to find my extra set of luggage keys that I had looked for the previous day. (and I still think I left something behind )

We took our final elevator ride to Parrot Cay. Lydia especially, will miss those elevator rides. She sure got excited every time we got in and got to see the different levels pass by. Since we ate at Palo the night before we were a little lost at first trying to find our table number but our wonderful server quickly saw us and directed us to the right place. Both servers were excited to see Lydia since they had never met her. They so nicely set a place for her each night at dinner just in case she did not go to the nursery.

I was surprisingly hungry which Dh said was impossible considering all we ate at Palo the night before but my stomach WAS growling! I ordered a Denver omelet with hash browns and some apple juice. The highlight was a chocolate chip type pastry which was delicious. My hash brown was overcooked but after 3 days of perfect food, I was not concerned. Both Bella and Lydia ate well. Lydia actually ate a part of a pastry, a piece of pancake, and of course some pineapple. This might have been her first meal that did not involve a cookie. Bella ate well as always.

After breakfast we had a stop at the restrooms and then sadly it was time to disembark. The line moved easily as we presented our Keys to the World Cards and then down the elevator to customs. We were told we would need our driver’s license and birth certificates at customs but after we were asked just a few questions we were cleared to pass through without any problems.

We were asked over and over if we wanted help with our bags but chose to go it alone. Bella felt like such a big girl pulling the smallest suitcase. When Dh parked on Thursday he got such a close parking spot that we new it would be an easy walk to the car. Blue Rocket (as Bella lovingly refers to our van) was there waiting for us. In a matter of minutes we were on our way home and in less than an hour we were pulling into our driveway.

It is hard to come back to reality after such a wonderful experience. We don’t know if we will ever get to sail on the Disney Wonder with all the changes taking place but we sure hope that we will be back on one of Disney’s ships sometime soon.

Final Thoughts: Well, according to my ticker it has been 48 days since we sailed. It really seems like a week or so ago, funny how time can go by so quickly. My 3.5 year old asked me today if the dress she was wearing was the one she wore to Triton's. The other day she asked me if we ever got to eat chocolate mousse or the cake of the day. (these were things we talked about before cruising) My non-verbal 21 month year old loves to take the Disney Wonder magnet that I bought off of the fridge and show me. I love that they still think about it.

I think that cruising with young children is hard and it can be stressful but it is also fun. We could have waited until they were older before sailing but we got a great deal and I think they fully enjoyed it. As I might have mentioned before, they probably won't remember it but we loved watching them take it all in. I think being extremely organized is the only way to go when you have small children in such a small stateroom. The over-the-door organizer was a huge help. Knowing what the girls were going to wear each day and evening was essential to my sanity. Preparing them ahead of time really worked well for my girls. I think that the naps are what frustrated us and saved us at the same time. They were essential but they just ate into our time each day.

We have begun dreaming of our next cruise. For some a 3-night is just a quick get-away but for us it was our first vacation in 6 years. However....I now want more. I am not one for excursions so the 5 night with two CC stops would be ideal, although I wouldn't say no to a 7-night. We also know that we want to wait until Lydia is 3 and potty-trained. So unless another great deal comes along and all 4 of us get to sail for under $1000, we will have to wait (almost 2 years), dream, and remember. Just in case I think we better get those passports. To get us by, we have taken advantage of the last year that Lydia will be free, and are currently enjoying Annual Passes at Disney World. We just can't seem to get all the Magic out of our system. (we'll enjoy them more when summer is over and it is not so hot and crowded.)

Thanks for reading and happy sailing

 

[crred96]

I really enjoyed your trip report. Your girls are adorable! The pictures made me feel like I was on the Wonder with you. Thanks!

 

[angtomczak]

I wish ya'll were going with us on our cruise! You have a lovely family! As the mom of a 3 YO, I really appreciate your TR.

I have 9 days or so left, and I can't wait!

 

[suzyqn]

I wish ya'll were going with us on our cruise! You have a lovely family! As the mom of a 3 YO, I really appreciate your TR.

I have 9 days or so left, and I can't wait!

I wish we were going with you also I hope to hear how your 3 year old enjoyed everything. Let me know if you have any specific questions.