Not long after I booked the vacation Wayne's dad passed away. His mom had been his caregiver for a very long time. I think the last time they took a true vacation was two years previously when they came to visit us in Oregon right after we moved there. At the funeral I asked Wayne if we should invite his mom to come with us. His immediate response was, "Yes, I think she would love it." He asked her right away and she was so excited and happy to go. I called Disney Cruise line and booked another veranda a few cabins down from ours.
We decided to go on the Disney Cruise and Harry Potter World in Universal Studios while we were in Florida. I had some pretty high expectations and was worried that I would be disappointed with our cruise. It truly was the best.
We prepped the kids that the lines would be long and we would have to wait to board the ship. I couldn't have been more surprised with how smooth the process was. We didn't wait in a line at all to sign in. After signing in we went to the youth activity area and signed up the kids for their respective areas on the ship. Then we sat down and waited for about 30 minutes until our boarding time was called. As we walked onto the ship a man was there with a microphone who introduced our whole family and said, "THE ORMSBY FAMILY". We walked into a grand lobby with glass elevators and beautiful decor. We were able to peruse the ship while our rooms were finishing being prepared. The first thing we did was go to lunch. The kids LOVED that they were able to pick anything they wanted to eat. Jacob started it off right with lobster and shrimp. Trevor and Alexis loved the fries and macaroni and cheese. They soon realized that they could have endless soft serve ice cream and drinks on the pool deck. We were all also given "keys to the kingdom", a card that was our key to our room and something we had to have to board and deboard the ship.
I was grateful to a friend who prepped me on all things Disney Cruise related. She told me to bring lanyards because they cost $12 a piece on the ship (I bought lanyards at Staples for $3 a piece). She also told me that many people decorate their room doors with Disney characters or custom designed name plates, so I went to Pinterest and designed my own. I also found out that many passengers find other passengers through message boards and do a fish exchange (gift exchange) each day while they are on the ship. I didn't find out about the latter until it was too late to enter, but decided to do it myself. The first day they received a small bottle of Purell. The second was Valentine's Day and I ordered custom M&M's for everyone that said "Ormsby 2017" "Ormsby's" "Disney Cruise" and a Rose on red, white and pink M&M's. It was a hit. The third day they received things for pirate night, a bandanna and eye patch. The fourth day everyone received a pair of Mickey Mouse socks. It was so much fun to see them excited about their deliveries.
Jacob was able to go to two different clubs on the ship. The oldest group consisted of 14-17 year olds, it was called Vibe. He liked it, but felt a little young. The other group consisted of 11-14 year olds, it was called Edge. He and Trevor ventured there a few times together and sometimes alone. It worked out so well that everyone had their own key on a lanyard and they could come and go as they pleased. Alexis was a little trickier. I signed her up for self check in and self check out at the Oceaneers Club. One time she couldn't find us and was getting worried. After that incident we figured out the phone system they supply in your room. There are two phones that you can use on the ship. We practiced and from there on out she had a phone and I had a phone. One night Wayne and I went to an adult only juggling show that went from 10:00 - 10:30 p.m. At 10:30 I called Alexis to let her know we were heading back to the room. She picked up the phone and said quickly, "Oh, Hi Mom. I've got to go! I'm making Mickey cupcakes with the chef!!! I'll come back to the room when we're done. Love you, Byyyyyyeeeee!"
Each evening we had dinner at a new location. Our first night we dined at Tiana's Place. It was southern food and so good! My favorite were the beingets. Tiana and a bunch of the characters made an appearance during our meal. There was live music with a bass, piano and vocalist. It was awesome! The second night we were at Triton's Palace. It was more fancy and grand. Trevor loved trying duck, Jacob ate seafood, I loved the steak, Alexis had macaroni and cheese (again), Wayne had steak and Mom O. (grandma) had chicken. It was delicious. Our final night was at the Animators Palate. The decor was so fun at this place. It started in black and white and ended in color. We found ourselves stuffed with another amazing meal. We also received wonderful service from the same server each night.
After dinner there was a Broadway style show each night. I loved that it was different every night. The first night Wayne took the kids to see Dr. Strange and Mom O. and I went to the Golden Mickey's theater production. After that night I decided we all needed to go to the theater each night. The next show was an Enchanted Princess show. The boys pushed back a bit, but after watching it they couldn't argue that it was incredible and actually looked forward to the next days show. One of my favorite moments was watching Alexis watch the show. She came alive and was mesmerized. At the end of the show Mickey and Minnie came out. She broke out into a huge smile, jumped forward and started clapping. Everyone was clapping. It really was magical.
The third show was a juggling act that impressive, watching that man throw down balls on a piano and play a song was crazy! Everyone talked about that one for a number of days. The final show was a live production of Frozen. Again, incredible to watch.
The room was perfect for our family. There were bunk beds, a murphy bed, and a queen bed. We had a balcony that was beautiful. The television played Disney movies nonstop and if you wanted to watch first run Disney shows they were showing at the theaters on the ship.
Wayne and I splurged on a couples massage for Valentine's Day. Heaven. At the end of the massage the masseuse lifted my hand. I thought she placed it in her hand. I felt really weird about that and pulled away. I told Wayne that I loved everything except the end when she took my hand and just held it. He said, "That was me!" Oh my word. Ha! I was laying face down and couldn't see anything. She lifted my hand and placed it in Wayne's! After trying to sell us seaweed for like, $150 we declined and paid a pretty penny for a wonderful time.
We also were able to go to the gym each day, thankfully, because I thought I was being decent, but in reality I ate just like I said I wouldn't.
Our stops were Castaway Cay and Nassau, Bahamas. Honestly, I feel like we didn't even need to leave the ship. There was so much to do! But of course we did enjoy the land too.
Castaway Cay is Disney's private island in the Bahamas. Everyone loved the water slides and playing in the water. There were lounge chairs and umbrellas. I was thrilled to soak up the sun and relax. You can rent bikes and ride along the island. Jacob decided to use his money and go parasailing. Wayne went with him. They loved it. I think the only complaint was that it was too short a ride. :) A barbecue lunch was provided. It was a wonderful relaxing day.
Our second port was Nassau, Bahamas. We were debating going to the water park in Atlantis, but decided to go on a catamaran and snorkel instead. I'm grateful that everyone (except for me) is a strong swimmer. The water was a bit choppy. Everyone else was fine, but I was swallowing a good amount of sea water! After 15 minutes I came back to the catamaran and watched everyone else snorkel along the reef. The boys went back to the ship and the girls decided to do some shopping when we returned. It was a bit too intense for me. A gal totally swooped in on me and brought me straight to her little shop in the swap meet. It was geared towards tourists, no doubt about that. There was jewelry, woodwork, bags, key chains, seashells, and many other things. Alexis was with us and left with a turtle necklace (that has already broken) and a conch shell. I will admit that the conch shell is pretty neat. Mom O. was looking for salt and pepper shakers for her collection and bought some cute ones. Once she had those I was dead set on heading back to the ship. That scene is not me at all.
After the cruise we disembarked and headed straight to Universal Studios to go to Harry Potter World. Wayne had been maybe the most excited to check it out. It was perfect that the first day of the conference was geared toward surgeons, so he was able to go with us. It was definitely the least crowded day. We walked nine miles that day.
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| My best attempt at a panoramic picture of Harry Potter World |
Even though we bought a three day pass to Universal, we were all pooped by the third day and decided to make it a day at the pool. We stayed at the Rosen Shingle Hotel in Orlando. Not only was it beautiful, but it had a market with delicious food, an ice cream shop, and two pools and hot tubs with music and places to eat. We spent the afternoon having lunch and relaxing in the pool.
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| The view from our room at Rosen Shingle Creek |
Our final day we checked out of our hotel, went to the temple and sacrament meeting at the church across the street from the temple. After church we checked into the Residence Inn close to the airport. Wayne and I went to the grocery store to make a meal at the hotel. It was really nice to not eat out again. We were all exhausted. It was a good thing because we had a 4:30 wake up call to get ready and catch our flight home.
Now I'm ruined. I want to go on another Disney Cruise.
Trevor said, "I keep having dreams that I'm back on the cruise. I wish I would have savored it more."
Jacob said (and just reinforced that he is indeed a teenager), "I wish we could go have food like that again."
Alexis said,"I loved it all! Let's do it again! This time let's go longer!!!"
It really was one for the books. I'm incredibly grateful for Wayne who works so hard to provide our family with the ability to take these kinds of trips.
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