Blogger Catch Up- Disney Cruise: Atlantis

Our last port of call was Atlantis in the Bahamas.  We spent most of the day splashing around with this cutie.

But there was plenty of time to explore the ruins of the lost city and enjoy the aquariums.

Will declined to kiss the dolphin when it was his turn for the photo op so we set up a little re-creation for him before we got back on the ship.

This blog post would not be complete without a shout out to the wonderful crew of the Disney Wonder who made this trip comfortable and easy and full of neat surprises.

Fair winds and following seas!

Blogger Catch Up- Disney Cruise- Castaway Cay

We spent the next two days at Castaway Cay.

We rode bikes

And snorkeled with the sting rays

And generally frolicked in the surf and sand.

We did make it to the ship's Pirate Party that night

 but were too tired to go up on deck and enjoy the fireworks at sea.

I was a little sad about that until I realized that, by a lucky stroke of fate, we could watch the fireworks from the balcony in our cabin before diving into bed!

Blogger Catch Up- Disney Cruise: Key West

Dawn breaks early on the high seas.

Rick and Soren slept in a bit (Rick being rather unimpressed with the magnificence of the open ocean, having been surrounded by it for 27 years) so Will and I enjoyed some quality time on the balcony.

Rick channeled his inner Don Draper at breakfast.

Then we were in Key West!

Where we gained a new appreciation for key limes

and conch shells

Blogger Catch Up- Disney Cruise: Embarkation

Soren is a very casual traveler 

but he always follows along with the airplane safety card while the flight attendant reviews the safety features of our aircraft.

On the airport tram

On the cruise line shuttle

Catching our first glimpse of the Disney Wonder

When we finally made it to the cruise terminal, we paused to add some pressed pennies to our collection, a tradition that Grandpa started a couple of Disney trips ago.

And then we were ready to embark!

We were immediately dazzled by the sights and sounds of the Disney Wonder.

The ship was decorated for Halloween on the High Seas!

We got down to business decorating our cabin door

and admiring the view from our balcony

Then we suited up (bathing suits, that is) and headed to the Launch Party.

That night we witnessed a scene that would become familiar: exhausted boys falling immediately into deep slumber the minute their heads hit the pillow.

Disney Moments

End of 2012/Beginning of 2013 Catch Up!

We waved goodbye to our friends, shoved our coats into the bottom of the suitcases and headed to Florida for a Mickey Mouse fix and to check item #1 off the Bucket List: Visit the Wizarding World of Harry Potter.

Some of our more memorable Disney Moments:

1. A Moment of Thanksgiving

I made the reservations for this trip right after Rick's MRI appointment in December, still high on the good news that cancer was behaving itself.  The Disney travel agent asked if we were celebrating anything special on this trip and I started blubbering like a baby telling this perfect stranger about Rick's scan.  

When we got to the registration desk at the hotel, Rick was presented with a button declaring that he was celebrating Life!  I said many little prayers of thanksgiving during this trip for my wonderful husband and the blessings we have been given as a family.

2. A Super Mom Moment

I didn't realize until we got back to our hotel room after the first day at WDW that Soren had walked like a trooper all over the park... 

with his shoes on the wrong feet

3. A Random Act of Kindness Moment

Because our Disney trip was tacked on to the end of our Asheville trip, by the time we got the Florida we were already going on a good, solid week of irregular bedtimes and calling cotton candy a meal.  So it wasn't too surprising that on Day 2 of WDW, everyone's behavior started to deteriorate.  Soren was throwing a particularly stellar temper tantrum right in the middle of Tomorrow Land- screaming, crying, going limp, the whole nine yards.  I'm sure most people in the immediate vicinity (including myself) wanted to turn and walk quickly in the other direction.  

A young woman came over, held out three trading pins and told Soren that these were her favorite pins, but she could tell he was having hard time and he could pick one to have if he wanted.  Tantrum instantly forgotten, he picked a Mickey Mouse pin.  We put it on his shirt and for the rest of the day I couldn't get him to look at the camera for any pictures because he was gazing at his special pin.

4. Celebrity Moment

For the first day at Universal Studios, we donned full Harry Potter regalia.  

The Wizarding World of Harry Potter was amazing.  

In every way.  

I'm sure we were walking around with our mouths hanging open.  And every so often we were stopped by fellow visitors who asked if they could be photographed with Soren Potter and Will Malfoy.  It felt a smidge like a bad idea to let my children be photographed by strangers, but I really couldn't think of reason not to, so in another Super Mom Moment, I let them.

5. Magical Moment

One of the must-do's was visiting Olivander's Wand Shop where Olivander himself recommended a birch or holly wand for Soren Potter and an elder wand for Will Malfoy.  In the end, though, we know that the wand chooses the wizard.

6. Malaprop Moment

 It turns out there are other exciting thing to see at Universal Studios.  One of them was a really fun ride based on the Despicable Me movie.  Soren became really fascinated with Gru's minions.  Hysterically, he kept calling them his cousins.  I shushed WIll every time he started to correct Soren and now we all call them cousins!

7. Whew! Glad To Be Home Moment

Halloween at Disney - Day 5

We spent our last day at Epcot.
The day started at the Nemo ride where we explored the adjoining aquarium for a while, then met our friends the Thikkurissys for an early lunch
(shame on me for not getting a group photo).

Then it was off to the World Marketplace where...

William shopped for Mexican Hat Dance supplies in Mexico

Rick and Soren communed with Vikings in Norway

and Soren tried to access the Ministry of Magic in Great Britain.
It must have been closed for a holiday.

With heavy hearts and tired feet we headed back to Ohio the next day.
Fall was a great time to go to Disney:
shorter lines, decent weather, happy family!

Halloween at Disney - Halloween!

It was torrentially downpouring in the morning, but being intrepid Disney fans/loons, we headed to the park anyway. We may have been damp and our shoes may have been squishy, but we didn't have to wait very long to meet Disney characters!

We went back to the hotel in the afternoon (just as the weather was clearing up, of course) to catch a quick nap. Then we costumed up for Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party.
Will was Sir Smiley, the Golden Knight;
Soren was a fierce dragon;
Rick was a dashing Prince Charming;
I was Rapunzel;
and my dad was a very impressive Merlin.

We gathered treats, watched the parade, met the Seven Dwarfs, enjoyed the fireworks, and rode It's a Small World about 17 times.
What an awesome not-so-spooky Halloween!