The end of a vacation is always a melancholy time for us. The kids don't get to see Mickey et. al. anymore. Julie has 4,000 loads of laundry to look forward to. I get to go back to my cubicle. Is it any wonder that we start planning the next vacation as soon as we get home?
When we awoke, we were already back and docked at Port Canaveral. Disney is ever-so-polite about it, but they really want you off the ship as quickly as possible. Our breakfast was at 7:00 a.m. in Triton's, where we had our final meal and said goodbye to Renata and Joacir. We had packed our bags the night before and left them in the hallway to be processed at the port, and took our carry-on bags with us to breakfast. We were off the boat by 8:00, had no problems finding our bags or getting through customs, and were on the bus to the airport by 8:30.
Only problem was, our flight wasn't until 2:15 p.m. We had a looooong wait at the airport ahead of us.
As you should know by now, walking through the airport and schlepping 5 full-size suitcases with my in-laws was a trying experience. Julie and I had given up asking if they needed help and just grabbed their bags (thank goodness for rollers).The Southwest check-in line was busy as usual, and we spent a good 20 minutes snaking through the ropes. Just as we got to the end of the line and were waiting for the next available kiosk, an announcement was broadcast on the P.A.:
"Ladies and gentlemen, we would like to remind you that we cannot check your bags if your scheduled departure time is more than 4 hours away."
I checked my watch: 9:55 a.m. Gee, it might have been nice to know that fact before I dragged 5 bags through that line.
We waited a little while, and then braved the line again when it was time to check in. It wasn't like we had anyplace to go. I love airports, and I love traveling (rare these days), but with 4 hours to kill, there's only so much you can do. We spent some time goofing around in the various gift shops.
Then we had lunch at the food court. The kids opted for Happy Meals at Mickey D's, while Julie and I went for the more upscale fare.
FOODIES: Lunch consisted of an all-white-meat breast filet lightly breaded with traditional Southern herbs and spices on a fresh hand-made dinner roll, and waffle-cut pommes frittes, both cooked in vegetable oil and lard flambee. Accompanying this meal was a caffeinated cola beverage, traditionally flavored with cane sugar and high-fructose corn syrup, shipped fresh from the local bottling plant in Atlanta, Georgia.
NON-GOURMET ENGLISH TRANSLATION: Chick-Fil-A #1 Combo Meal. Chicken sandwich. Waffle fries. Coke. Everything a grown man needs. Personally, I say you can't go wrong with Chick-Fil-A.
The flight was bumpy but uneventful, as we flew over the remnants of Hurricane Ida. She had to get her last shots in at us, I guess.
I had no idea so many commuters lived as far away from Baltimore as to necessitate taking the Bay Bridge. I learned that the hard way, as it took 3 hours to get from BWI to Delaware. Combine the dead-stop traffic with the backseat driving advice I was getting from FIL and MIL, and it's a wonder we all arrived alive.
By the time we rolled into our driveway, the kids were all asleep in the backseat, and I was very glad I had taken Friday off from work.
So. That's our story, and I'm sticking to it. Thank you for reading and re-living the adventure with us! Being that this was our first cruise, I thought I might share our overall impressions and thoughts here.
PRO:
--Everything Disney does is first-rate. Their customer service is the best, bar none. It's true at WDW, and it extends to the cruise line. No expense is spared to provide the customer with a magical experience. The ship is beautiful, fun and classy at the same time. You saw earlier how special our character experiences were.
--Nobody takes care of families with kids as well as Disney. They have something for everyone, and many activities you can do as a full family. This is not always easy to find with other companies/operations. The shows and entertainment were top-notch.
--The kids absolutely loved it. I can't see why any kid wouldn't. They have so much to do, their favorite characters are there, and they're treated like royalty. They'll remember this trip forever.
--I don't know why people complain about the food. Everything we had was delicious.
--
Castaway Cay: I can't say enough good things about this island. It really feels like your own tropical hideway. I'm currently trying to build my own secret condo there. Don't tell anyone.
--It was exotic for us, having never spent the night at sea before. Very cool experience. Sometimes I would sit by the porthole or railing at night, looking out at the sea, seeing only what was lit by the ship. It reminded me of those eerie scenes in Titanic, when you see just the ship and nothing else out there. I know, thinking about Titanic is not exactly a great omen on a boat. Especially when you're sitting there and a group of violinists gathers around you.
Ok, I just made that up so I could put the violinist smiley in there. Anyway, looking out at the nighttime ocean was just kind of a cool, eerie feeling. Like I said, exotic.
CON:
--Expense. This is a costly way to travel, especially with the premium Disney charges over other cruise lines. We wouldn't have been able to afford it if my in-laws hadn't taken us. But I would probably lean towards Disney over other cruise lines just because of their service, their bent towards families with kids, and the fear of being on an adult-oriented "party boat", which doesn't fit our style.
--For Julie and me, the biggest obstacle to our enjoyment was that we missed the freedom of setting our own agenda, rather than being on someone else's (this is a necessity on a cruise, of course). We like running our own show, and having lots of flexibility in our plans. If we want to eat dinner at 8, so be it. On the ship, you can do that, but you won't get the fancy restaurant if you miss your time. When we go someplace we want to explore, we usually take a couple of days. On the ship, you get a few hours in port. So it's more of a "taste" than a chance to really see a new place. The ship offers many activities and opportunities for entertainment, but you don't have the total freedom of doing what you want, when you want.
--As I mentioned before, if you're an adult that doesn't drink or dance, your activities at night are fairly limited, as with all cruise lines (from what I gather). You're pretty much stuck with the shows and movies. Not that these are bad things.
--This is probably just me and my wife, but the 4-night cruise was about the right length for us. By the last day at sea, we felt like we'd seen everything the ship had to offer, and might have started to get cabin fever if it had gone on longer. Obviously, this would depend on the rest of the ports of call.
--Your vacation is more dependent on weather on a cruise. Rain can hurt any vacation, but wind is much more of a factor at sea. Seasickness is a worry, and sometimes even the wind could prevent docking at various ports (this has happened at Castaway Cay).
So, that's just a few things to consider on your own. Overall, we had a fun and enjoyable trip, and we're glad we tried cruising. I think it might have been more fun for us if we'd had more ports like Castaway Cay, and if we didn't have to care for the in-laws, who meant well but were really in no shape to travel. Thankfully, our kids had an absolute blast. They would do it again in a heartbeat.
Would Julie and I cruise again? Yes. On our own dime? ...that's a little harder to say. I think if you gave us a choice between a trip to Disney World or a
Disney Cruise, we'd still choose the World. But we wouldn't turn down the Cruise if that was offered to us. I think at heart, we may not be "cruise" people. It's not quite our style. But that's not to say we can't enjoy it.
Would I go on vacation with my in-laws again? Well...I don't think we'll have to worry. This was probably their last hurrah. And we're grateful that they funded this endeavor.
With that, I'll bring this TR to a close. Thanks to my in-laws, who wanted a chance to give their grandchildren a lifelong memory, and provided that and more. Thanks to my wife, who somehow manages to be a beauty, a cook, a mom, a teacher, a homemaker, and my best friend, and makes it all look effortless. And thanks to my kids, for giving me an endless supply of memorable moments and joy.
And thanks to all of you out there, for sticking with me and reading this tripe. It's been fun to re-live the adventure.
Now go grab your family and have an adventure of your own!*
*(quote shamelessly stolen from Up)
Albeit with the 'baggage' at the airport and having family who weren't able to do as much as you, can hamper things...but I'm glad you pulled through and enjoyed the time! Your kids are precious and I know they'll never forget this!!
) I just don't see us being the cruisers that hit that 50th cruise by our 80's...heck some hit it in their 30's!! 
I appreciate your reading through the whole thing. I'm sure you'll enjoy your first cruise! You really have to price these things out. Part of the fun for us in planning vacations is getting the most bang for our buck--taking advantage of the free dining or free nights at WDW, for instance. We don't need to be pampered and don't mind staying in the Motel 6's of the world...so we know how to do things on the cheap! Harder to accomplish that on a cruise.
