And So It Begins

Two years ago, we went on our first Disney cruise as a Christmas gift from my parents. We enjoyed it so much, we booked our next one before we left the boat! Since we already knew we wanted a baby before the cruise rolled around, I went ahead and booked Chase a trip on the Disney Wonder as well (at the time, he was listed as Mr. TBA Webb...they asked if I wanted a boy or a girl. lol.). Two days after Thanksgiving, we headed to Port Canaveral to embark on what I imagine will be the first of many mouse-themed trips.

Chase in his lifevest for the safety drill.

Before we left, I swore I wasn't standing in any lines to meet the characters. We've all seen the pictures of screaming babies being held by what I'm sure are giant frightening cartoon characters, so I wasn't planning on wasting any of my time. But wouldn't you know it, Mickey Mouse came to visit while we were in the terminal waiting to board the boat. And what did I do? Ran and jumped in line. It was a short line though, and Chase did great for his picture, prompting us to stand in the lines two more times over the course of our trip.


We had an amazing time! We were on the same boat, and stopped at the same ports, as last time, so we were able to avoid some classic rookie mistakes. For instance, when we first boarded, we booked it upstairs to the buffet on the 9th deck rather than the one they were directing us to, found the perfect table, and avoided the major lines.

Day one we spent cruising on our way to Nassau, where we made port on day two. The entertainment for the evening was "The Golden Mickeys," which we had seen last time, but enjoyed again, this time with Kevin's parents. Nassau day was a lot of fun. Last cruise, we went to visit Atlantis, but this time we took advantage of an empty boat and spent most of the day by the pools. Late in the afternoon, we ventured out to the straw market, and some other local shops. I unsuccessfully tried to barter for a purse, and we got Chase a really cute turtle t-shirt, because that's his nickname!

Day two we went to Castaway Cay, the private Disney island. This is my favorite stop! It's the beach without all the work. There are tons of chairs, umbrellas, hammocks and towels for everyone. You just bring yourself and your sunscreen. We had a blast, and Chase enjoyed the beach (even the sand...what a boy!) for the first time, minus a minor incident where he got pushed into the sand by a certain grandparent who shall remain nameless. I also experienced one of my favorite moments of the trip here. I sat in the hammock to rock Chase, and we both ended up napping for quite awhile. It was a precious moment to this mama's heart.



Day three was our day at sea. Another day out by the pool. Yes, please! Overall, we had an amazing trip! The company (both mine and Kevin's parents) was perfect. The food was great, as always. I caught parts of Toy Story 3 (fell asleep...oops) and Tangled (Chase started crying), and all of You Again in the theater. Got some great pictures. We stood in line to get pictures with an excellent likeness of Captain Jack Sparrow, until Chase started crying when we were two people out. Oh well. Can't wait till our next adventure...next time with baby #2???

For the rest of the pictures, check out mine and Kevin's facebook pages.