Okay I know some of you have been awaiting details of our Christmas vacation. But I was waiting until I had some time. So finally, after a few days of catching up and several loads of laundry, I have some time for the small stuff.
So we left for Columbus on Saturday the 19th, where we had a small traditional Christmas with my family. We also got to see 5 movies there. 7 Pounds, The Day the Earth Stood Still, Four Christmases, Twilight, and The Punisher. The best of which was definitely Twilight. As Kevin described it, it is the first ever vampire chick flick. And I loved every minute of it. I'm actually considering reading the books now.
On Tuesday morning, Dad, Mom, Kevin, Evan and I piled into the car and headed for Daytona. We spent the night there so that we could hop on the boat Wednesday morning fresh and awake rather than having traveled all night.
Wednesday morning (Christmas Eve) we boarded the boat and anxiously awaited the best vacation ever! The check-in process was so quick and easy. Disney is a well-oiled machine. Everything was so seamless and just easy. They definitely know what they are doing, and know how to make vacation special. Wednesday we toured the boat, and I'm pretty sure we went some places we weren't supposed to. But it was cool anyhow. We spent some time by the pool, and checked out our very roomy stateroom. The room was great! It had a queen sized bed, a sitting area with a couch and vanity, and a nice big window! Definitely nothing like my previous cruise with Royal Caribbean (which I will not recommend).
The Disney Wonder has three different dining rooms, and you rotate dining rooms each night, but your wait staff goes with you. It's a great system. The first night we ate at Triton's. This was the most formal of the three dining rooms, and if you couldn't guess, it had a Little Mermaid theme. The food was delicious, although it took a little warming up for Kevin to get used to getting whatever he wanted.
After dinner, we took in a show, The Golden Mickeys. Great music, great acting, and great fun! After the show usually meant some chill time on the deck before taking in a late night movie. The first night, it was High School Musical 3. My wonderful husband and crazy father both went with me. And although it wasn't my favorite of the 3, it was still pretty good.
We spent Christmas Day at port in Nassau. We were a little bummed to find out that they celebrate Christmas in much the same way as we do...by spending time with their families. So we were greeted by taxi drivers who kept repeating "Everything closed. Only Atlantis open." So we went over to the Atlantis, took beautiful pictures, and then came back to the boat to relax in a not so crowded pool.
That night we had dinner at Animator's Palate, a cartoon themed restaurant which puts on a sort-of light show at the end of every meal. They had a Christmas themed meal with turkey and gravy, ham, steak and lobster tail. Yum! It was also formal night, so we got to dress up! The show that night was a theatrical rendition of Toy Story with some new songs. Again, amazing. We also got to see Bedtime Stories, the new Adam Sandler movie, the day it premiered back in the states. Very cool.
Thursday we had a sea day, and spent the day relaxing by the pool. That night's entertainment was a hypnotist, so we opted out and instead played some mean Scrabble out on the deck. My mom, however, snuck away from our game and while we thought she had gotten sick and gone to lay down, she spent the whole night watching the crazy hypnotist!
Friday we went to Castaway Cay, the private Disney island. It was so beautiful and clean you could not believe it! The weather was gorgeous too! The island has a family beach, a teen beach, and an adults only beach, which is pretty cool. We spent our time on the family beach, because that's where the fun stuff was, like snorkeling, and kayaking.
Our final dinner was in Parrot Cay, a Caribbean themed restaurant, that was our favorite because the food was excellent! That night the show was Disney Dreams, which relived some of my favorite classic Disney movies. So fun!
That spells out most of the major happenings of our amazing vacation. I will again give Disney props because they do what they do so well! We ate until our hearts were content (and our bellies were fat). And, unlike other cruise lines, they don't charge you for Cokes. In fact, there is a 24/7 beverage station with soda, juice, coffee and tea available. It was great, especially for long days by the pool. I am so impressed with every aspect of our cruise. Now the countdown is on to November 28, 2009!
