Some fellow mom friends and I decided to take our kids on a four night Disney Cruise right before the kickoff of the school year.  This was my first Disney Cruise, so I wasn’t totally sure what to expect.  Personally, I preferred our Adventures by Disney cruise on AmaWaterways back in July, but the kids had lots of fun on both.  The Disney cast members are phenomenal, but the ship just felt SO crowded.

Here’s Bodie our first afternoon on the ship.  We sailed on the Disney Dream.  The kids and moms immediately headed to the AquaDuck for as many rides as possible before the line got too long.Dinner each evening was my favorite part of the cruise.  Our two servers could not have been more wonderful.  I don’t have any pictures with them, unfortunately, but they were so sweet and entertaining.  My kids loved them.  In addition to the great service, the food was good, too.  Of course we had to get the girls matching Lilly dresses.We visited Atlantis, but I don’t have any good pictures from that excursion.  It was quite pricey to get day passes, but we thoroughly enjoyed our afternoon there.  Note:  had Bodie not been 48″ tall, it would have been a bust.  Something to consider when contemplating whether or not to pay the steep admission prices.  Some friends who did this same cruise several months ago chose to stay on the ship during the Nassau port of call and had a blast riding the onboard slides without any wait time.  So, there’s that.

Our other off ship activity was Disney’s private island, Castaway Cay.  The only characters Bodie really cared to meet are Chip and Dale.  He still adores these cute critters and this was such a fun surprise to bump into them as soon as we got off the ship.  And Captain Hook!Our Castaway Cay experience was just okay.  Again, everything seemed super crowded.  Also, we had our hearts set on paddleboarding, but the kids were not allowed to do it.  I guess maybe we didn’t do our homework ahead of time, but us moms all assumed that the kids would be able to SUP with us.  So, that was disappointing.  We opted for these paddle boats instead and had fun.Bodie got all dolled up in the Bibbidi Boppity Boutique for Pirate Night.  Cutest pirate I ever saw!  Pirate Night was cute.  The girls all had girly pirate costumes that we brought from home.  The dance party and fireworks after dinner were great, but super crowded.  I’m not one to be bothered by crowds, but this was extreme.  Emery got her turn in the Bibbidi Boppity Boutique the following night and chose to get the Belle princess treatment.  Emery was way more into dressing up than Bodie and loved this experience.  At ten, I was worried that Em may be getting a bit too old for princesses and dress up, but she really got into it.  We saw the Beauty and the Beast show in the Walt Disney Theater this particular evening and it was spectacular.  I was truly blown away by the talent of the performers.  Emery loved wearing her Belle ensemble while watching Belle on stage.  I am glad we did the cruise, but I think we are probably one and done.  We had a fun four days, but my family is more into small excursions.  The Dream was very clean and the staff are top notch, but the overall feeling was kind of like a cattle call.  That being said, I have friends who take these cruises regularly and can’t get enough of them.  To each her own!  But, for the money, I think we would have preferred a resort with fewer people.

Emery started fifth grade yesterday and Bodie started second today.  Summer is officially over.  I am SO ready for routine, but I am feeling kind of lonely.  And Gipper certainly is.  I’m ready for that bus to roll down the street!