A Disney Cruise!! (Day 1 & 2)

     Yes, we did go on a Disney Cruise!  Matt returned from his deployment, and we booked a last-minute, four day cruise on the Disney Wonder.

     On Sunday, Oct. 17, we drove to Cocoa Beach, spent an hour at Ron Jon's Surf Shop, then drove over to Port Canaveral to board our cruise ship.  We surprised Audrey with the cruise - she knew we were going to the beach, but she had no idea that a big ship was taking us to the beach!  So, we got to watch her eyes get bigger and bigger as we pointed out the cruise ship, told her we'd sleep on it, and told her that it would take us to some different beaches.  The excitement built as she saw Donald Duck hanging from the front of the ship.  Hmmm... Why would Donald Duck be on the front of the ship?  Who else might be on this boat with us?  Imagine her delight when she learned this ship would also carry the Disney characters!

     Well, Disney does it right, and their cruise ship is no exception.  Our interior state room had more than enough space for us, and it was already set up with a pack-n-play for Claire!  Every meal was delicious and the staff (our wait staff was the same for every dinner) went above and beyond to make life easier for us - including cutting up Audrey's food and pouring her ketchup in the shape of Mickey!  The first evening, we explored the ship, ate dinner, and saw a great live show in the Disney Theater.  We also snapped a few photos with Mickey and Minnie.

     When we woke up the next morning, we were docked at Nassau (in the Bahamas).  We met some princesses on the way to breakfast, ate, and left the ship for a fantastic beach day at the Atlantis Resort.  We spent our day with friends we randomly met on the ship.  Matt ran into some fellow Air Force Academy grads (now married with 2 kids of their own) our first night on the ship.  Amy, Jay, and their beautiful kids (Haylie and Matthew) spent the day with us in Atlantis.  Audrey and Claire loved having some company, and it was a blast exploring the resort with them.  In addition to some beach time, we also got to see Atlantis's amazing aquariums.  The kids LOVED watching sharks, rays, and other beautiful fish swim right by them!

     After our day out on the beach, we returned to the ship for a late dinner.  Audrey asked to go to the kid's club.  Disney has amazing programs for the little ones, and Audrey was constantly asking to go play in her kid's club.  This particular night, Audrey got to meet Cinderella and have a Royal Ball (dressed as a princess herself).  Over the course of her time in Kid's club, she also got to meet Snow White, Captain Hook, Mickey Mouse, and Goofy.  While Audrey was in Kid's Club, Claire fell asleep in my Ergo Baby Carrier.  So, Matt and I went to see a movie!

     Enjoy the slideshow of photos from our first two days on the ship!