The next several posts will be all about our recent family vacation on a Disney Cruise to the Caribbean. The previous post can be found HERE.
Day 2 of the cruise was spent at sea. We had a lot of ocean to cross, heading towards the British Virgin Islands. Normally, days at sea can be a little boring. Not on our ship!
We started each morning at the buffet...like you do. Our daughter has a narrow list of foods that she enjoys, but managed to have whipped cream and donuts for breakfast. Parenting win!
Over the next couple of days we also experienced something they call "Shipboard Detective". It was pure genius. Basically, there were a series of paintings on the walls of the ship. Some were actually video screens, which would activate if you stood in front of them for a shot time. At a special kiosk, you're detective "team" was given a special card that had a shape on it...that was recognized by all of the detective screens across the ship. It presented you with a special mystery that you had to solve. The process took you across the ship, so the kids really started to learn where things were located.
The beautiful thing (from my tech perspective), was that the sequences were randomized so that every child had their own adventure. Even if you stood next to another detective that was participating in the same story...the endings and clues were totally different. Genius!!
Another great thing about the Disney Cruise, was the kid centers. That had special "day care" like spots for different age groups. The kids could check themselves in with a special wristband that was issued at the beginning of the trip. Parents were notified, electronically, when the kids wanted to leave. Our kids didn't spend a lot of time there, but when they did - there was a LOT to do. On this day, Lauren decided to participate in a big dance contest. She won, and they gave her this special hat to commemorate the occasion:
For anyone that knows me, I don't like to just sit by the pool and relax. Instead, I like learning new things. I attended a class on how to make lobster ravioli. They had a special chef that did nothing but beautiful carvings of fruit and vegetables for the entire trip. The cooking class was branded to look like the movie "Ratatouille" - including the notion that "anyone can cook":
This is what the finished product looked like. When I get home, I'm going to give it my best. The sample that they provided was simply delicious!
The kids spent part of the day swimming in the pools on the top deck. They had a separate water slide for younger kids...and even this water play area for little ones. L isn't so little anymore, but had a blast:
Back inside the ship, the official Disney Princesses were doing a meet-and-greet...which was quite popular. I was a little surprised to see quite a few "older" kids (adults) that lined up to meet Disney characters - and had them sign autographs/bags/pictures, etc. To each his own, I guess...
That night was "Formal Night" on the ship. It was a chance to really dress up for dinner. Our family has no problem with this at all...we actually enjoy it. We went to meet several characters, including Captain Mickey. This picture says a lot about the kids' encounter with characters on the ship:
We clean up pretty good, right?
This is a picture that I really treasure from the trip. The kids are having a BLAST, and they look adorable all dressed-up. Plus, they were holding onto each other like brothers and sisters should ; )
Dinner on this night was held at the second of three restaurants - the Animator's Palette. This was a favorite of ours...for several reasons. First, the decor was just fantastic. Little touches everywhere. Here, you can see the back of the leather chairs, had a Mickey touch:
Table decorations includes classic animation tools. L kept asking if she could use these ; ) The kids were given crayons and activity books each night, to occupy them while the food was prepared:
The entire restaurant had large video screens that covered the walls. During dinner, there were tiny characters from "Finding Nemo" floating around the room.
At one point, Crush the Turtle appeared on the screen behind us. Then - he started talking directly to us, while animated on the screen. He talked to me about the tux I was wearing, and even quizzed the kids about their favorite parts of the ship. It was AMAZING:
We finished dinner at returned to our room. As is customary on cruise ships, the room stewards entertained us with folded towel "animals" each night. These were pretty good, and got even better each night:
I loved this moment before they separated to their respective beds. They hung out together and G-Man showed his sister a game that he was playing on an iPod:
That's it for Day 2. Come on back for a special "Princess" day at sea...thanks for reading!
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