Here's a link to my Facebook page with pictures:
http://www.facebook.com/note.php?saved&¬e_id=10150116994422659
Disney Cruise - Now, that's what I call "entertainment"
If there was one thing I was looking forward to in this Disney Cruise, it was the entertainment. I've been on previous cruises where the cruise entertainment was just so-so .not up to par. It needed not to be flashy for my taste, but I think the entertainment needs to be relevant. I had very high expectations with Disney. Growing up watching different shows at Disneyland, our previous visit to Walt Disney World, and having had the opportunity to watch a few Disney on Broadway shows, I expected nothing less on this Disney cruise. I can't remember being this busy with our past cruises. Yeah, maybe because we have 4 kids, but the activities onboard were quite inviting, and to miss them was like missing a huge opportunity. So as a big group, we made sure to plan our days and nights in order not to miss the entertainment. So here are the highlights:
THE GOLDEN MICKEYS - Think of it as the Oscar's or the Academy Awards. Basically, an awards-themed show centered on anything and everything Disney. As we entered the Walt Disney Theatre, there were Cast Members on the red carpet pretending to be paparazzis. So as we walked on the red carpet, it was all about flash photography. Pretty exciting and the kids had a blast. During the actual show, the cast performed various songs from Aladdin, Pocahontas, Toy Story, The Lion King, including a lesser-known hit but a favorite of mine from The Hunchback of Notre Dame, Out There! It was a spectacular show, a great kick-off to the other theatrical productions scheduled during the cruise.
TOY STORY, THE MUSICAL - On the night we were leaving Puerto Vallarta, we headed to the Walt Disney Theatre to watch an original production of Toy Story, the Musical. There was a buzz in the air, a sense of excitement from all the kids and adults alike. This musical has never been staged elsewhere, other than the Disney cruise ship. I enjoyed watching Evan and Caitlin's eyes light up when they saw their favorite character. To Evan, everyone in Toy Story is named "Buzz". So he may be holding Jessee or Woody, but the name that comes out is "Buzz". Actually, it sounds more like "Buyz".
HOW WELL DO YOU KNOW YOUR FAMILY - Ethan and I joined a game where they asked the child/parent questions and we'll see how much we knew each other. It turned out that Ethan's hero was Goofy! HA!!! I had no idea, so I had a big talk with him about that! It was all in good fun! He said, he thought he was asked who his favorite Disney character was! Sure!!! Ethan was also asked "if Daddy was stuck in an island, what was one thing he couldn't live without? What's your guess?
DISNEY DREAMS - AN ENCHANTED CLASSIC - another musical that showcased the value of dreams featuring songs from Cinderella, Aladdin, Pinocchio, just to name a few. This had to be my favorite show during the cruise. I remember watching this at 3:00pm, I think since we had a big party of 10 kids, and 10 adults, it was best to watch the earlier shows instead of potentially missing the later shows in the evening.
KARAOKE TIME - At 10:30pm on most evenings during the cruise, there was a Family Karaoke. There was never a dull moment for this party of 20. We showed up and sang our hearts out. A funny tidbit, Mikaela, one of our very gifted little girls in our party sang "My Heart Will Go On". When the emcee was about to introduce her, he mentioned the song title, but did not want to to mention what movie it came from. Basically, all he said was "Here's Mikaela to sing "My Heart Will Go On" from a certain movie that we shouldn't talk about"! HA!!!!!
PIRATE NIGHT - Thursday night was a busy night for all of us. This was the day when we spent most of our sunny day playing in Cabo San Lucas. We also had a 3 hour dinner at Palo on Thursday night. But the party was not over yet. At 9:30p.m., we got dressed up in our pirate wear. The cruise ship provided bandanas. Nancy was able to buy us a Jack Sparrow bandana. That's what Ethan and I got to wear. Our friends Ross and Vhen and their kids...they were the ultimate Pirate Family - fully dressed up! Arrrrrr!!! After an hour-long of partying on stage, Disney displayed a magnificent fireworks show. I believe they are the only cruise line allowed to have a fireworks show. It was indeed magical. On that same evening, Disney also prepared a dessert buffet line on the 9th deck. We were too tired to enjoy the dessert festivities with all that we've done that day so we headed to our room to rest.
TALENT SHOW - Our kids joined a group 10 people in a talent show. One older guy sang "The Lion Sleeps Tonight", another gentleman, performed a Neil Diamond Medley while playing the song on the keyboard. Two little boys from Alaska sang an amazing and funny rendition of the "Circle of Life". And of course, our kids....Ethan sang Bruno Mars' "Just The Way You Are", Keanu and Isabella played the keyboard, and Mikaela stole the show with a standing ovation, her rendition of the song "Listen" from Dreamgirls.
There were so many other events that I've not mentioned here in my blog. There were non-stop movies showing at the Buena Vista Theatre and Walt Disney Theatre. Madison, Caitlin, and I watched "Gnomeo and Juliet". They also showed "Mars Needs Moms", "Tron", "Mulan", "Alice and Wonderland", and many, many, more. Not to mention, all the other games and events that went on in the ship. There was never a dull moment as you can see. I was so glad that we took part of most of the major events and have taken home memories that the kids and adults will never forget.
Next blog - Puerto Vallarta and Cabo San Lucas, Mexico excursions....thanks for reading!
http://www.facebook.com/note.php?saved&¬e_id=10150116994422659
Disney Cruise - Now, that's what I call "entertainment"
If there was one thing I was looking forward to in this Disney Cruise, it was the entertainment. I've been on previous cruises where the cruise entertainment was just so-so .not up to par. It needed not to be flashy for my taste, but I think the entertainment needs to be relevant. I had very high expectations with Disney. Growing up watching different shows at Disneyland, our previous visit to Walt Disney World, and having had the opportunity to watch a few Disney on Broadway shows, I expected nothing less on this Disney cruise. I can't remember being this busy with our past cruises. Yeah, maybe because we have 4 kids, but the activities onboard were quite inviting, and to miss them was like missing a huge opportunity. So as a big group, we made sure to plan our days and nights in order not to miss the entertainment. So here are the highlights:
THE GOLDEN MICKEYS - Think of it as the Oscar's or the Academy Awards. Basically, an awards-themed show centered on anything and everything Disney. As we entered the Walt Disney Theatre, there were Cast Members on the red carpet pretending to be paparazzis. So as we walked on the red carpet, it was all about flash photography. Pretty exciting and the kids had a blast. During the actual show, the cast performed various songs from Aladdin, Pocahontas, Toy Story, The Lion King, including a lesser-known hit but a favorite of mine from The Hunchback of Notre Dame, Out There! It was a spectacular show, a great kick-off to the other theatrical productions scheduled during the cruise.
TOY STORY, THE MUSICAL - On the night we were leaving Puerto Vallarta, we headed to the Walt Disney Theatre to watch an original production of Toy Story, the Musical. There was a buzz in the air, a sense of excitement from all the kids and adults alike. This musical has never been staged elsewhere, other than the Disney cruise ship. I enjoyed watching Evan and Caitlin's eyes light up when they saw their favorite character. To Evan, everyone in Toy Story is named "Buzz". So he may be holding Jessee or Woody, but the name that comes out is "Buzz". Actually, it sounds more like "Buyz".
HOW WELL DO YOU KNOW YOUR FAMILY - Ethan and I joined a game where they asked the child/parent questions and we'll see how much we knew each other. It turned out that Ethan's hero was Goofy! HA!!! I had no idea, so I had a big talk with him about that! It was all in good fun! He said, he thought he was asked who his favorite Disney character was! Sure!!! Ethan was also asked "if Daddy was stuck in an island, what was one thing he couldn't live without? What's your guess?
DISNEY DREAMS - AN ENCHANTED CLASSIC - another musical that showcased the value of dreams featuring songs from Cinderella, Aladdin, Pinocchio, just to name a few. This had to be my favorite show during the cruise. I remember watching this at 3:00pm, I think since we had a big party of 10 kids, and 10 adults, it was best to watch the earlier shows instead of potentially missing the later shows in the evening.
KARAOKE TIME - At 10:30pm on most evenings during the cruise, there was a Family Karaoke. There was never a dull moment for this party of 20. We showed up and sang our hearts out. A funny tidbit, Mikaela, one of our very gifted little girls in our party sang "My Heart Will Go On". When the emcee was about to introduce her, he mentioned the song title, but did not want to to mention what movie it came from. Basically, all he said was "Here's Mikaela to sing "My Heart Will Go On" from a certain movie that we shouldn't talk about"! HA!!!!!
PIRATE NIGHT - Thursday night was a busy night for all of us. This was the day when we spent most of our sunny day playing in Cabo San Lucas. We also had a 3 hour dinner at Palo on Thursday night. But the party was not over yet. At 9:30p.m., we got dressed up in our pirate wear. The cruise ship provided bandanas. Nancy was able to buy us a Jack Sparrow bandana. That's what Ethan and I got to wear. Our friends Ross and Vhen and their kids...they were the ultimate Pirate Family - fully dressed up! Arrrrrr!!! After an hour-long of partying on stage, Disney displayed a magnificent fireworks show. I believe they are the only cruise line allowed to have a fireworks show. It was indeed magical. On that same evening, Disney also prepared a dessert buffet line on the 9th deck. We were too tired to enjoy the dessert festivities with all that we've done that day so we headed to our room to rest.
TALENT SHOW - Our kids joined a group 10 people in a talent show. One older guy sang "The Lion Sleeps Tonight", another gentleman, performed a Neil Diamond Medley while playing the song on the keyboard. Two little boys from Alaska sang an amazing and funny rendition of the "Circle of Life". And of course, our kids....Ethan sang Bruno Mars' "Just The Way You Are", Keanu and Isabella played the keyboard, and Mikaela stole the show with a standing ovation, her rendition of the song "Listen" from Dreamgirls.
There were so many other events that I've not mentioned here in my blog. There were non-stop movies showing at the Buena Vista Theatre and Walt Disney Theatre. Madison, Caitlin, and I watched "Gnomeo and Juliet". They also showed "Mars Needs Moms", "Tron", "Mulan", "Alice and Wonderland", and many, many, more. Not to mention, all the other games and events that went on in the ship. There was never a dull moment as you can see. I was so glad that we took part of most of the major events and have taken home memories that the kids and adults will never forget.
Next blog - Puerto Vallarta and Cabo San Lucas, Mexico excursions....thanks for reading!
We sail Sunday and reading your reports has made me even more excited. 
