There was a time when I thought we would be a one and done Disney family. When we took the kids last year, I was convinced that would be our only trip. But being in the most magical place on Earth and seeing your kids experience it really changes your mind. When our favorite travel agent (Ashley) posted a discount for upcoming Disney cruises last year, we jumped at the opportunity! I thought it would be a fun family vacation and a fun way to celebrate our Kindergarten graduate. We booked the trip and kept it a secret from our kids until about a week before. I was telling Weston everything I had to do before we left for Disney and Camryn overheard me 🫠 We immediately got the Disney cruise post card out and gave them a formal surprise announcement that we were going on a Disney cruise!

THE DAY BEFORE EMBARKATION

If you haven’t cruised before, you never want to drive (or fly) 8+ hours to the cruise terminal on the day your cruise departs. You never know what delays can happen (our January cruise was a great example of this). We always travel to the departure port the day before.

Since we already had to get a hotel for the night, we decided to stay at All Star Movies Resort instead of a random hotel. Guests get free access to the water park on check-in day and we thought that would be a fun activity after a long drive. Our plan was to leave Selma really early so we would have plenty of time at the water park that afternoon. We had delay after delay and ended up getting to the resort two or three hours later than planned. We still wanted to go to the water park even if it was just for a couple of hours.

We unloaded our bags and changed into our swimsuits, then waited for the bus transfer to the water park. After waiting for the bus to arrive at our resort, then waiting for the transfer bus at Disney Springs, we finally made it to Typhoon Lagoon about an hour later. Most of the restaurants were already closed, so we had to settle for hot dogs and chips for dinner. We had about an hour of water park time until they closed. Then it was another hour to get back to our resort. This was probably our only regret on our trip – all the time wasted going to the water park. We wished we had just stayed at the resort and let the kids play in the massive pool instead. At least we know for next time!

DAY 1

We had a lazy morning and explored the resort. Then loaded up to drive the last hour to Port Canaveral. We were on the ship in no time! We ate lunch quickly so we could explore the ship. Then the kids wanted to swim, so we went back to our cabin to change before the sail away party. Fun fact: Another family from our Sunday School class booked the same cruise without either of us knowing. We ran into each other at the sail away party and several times after that!

We found a splash zone for kids and they were so excited, but Camryn wasn’t allowed to enter. Apparently it was for ages 4 and under (which I just found out they recently reduced it from 6 and under). Camryn was devastated. We let Collin play for a few minutes, then found Daisy’s Pool where they could both play. And of course, about two minutes later, they were blowing the whistle and telling everyone to get out of the pool. We learned that they do this every hour for about 10 minutes each hour. We took that opportunity to head back to our cabin to change for dinner.

When we booked, the early dining was already full and we were scheduled for the late dining. I knew my kids wouldn’t last that long, so I asked Ashley to move us to the early dining if an opening came available. Thankfully, it did and it worked out best for our kids that we had the early dining!

Dinner for the first night was at 1923. I saw online where people dressed up in 20s attire for when they ate at 1923, so I ordered outfits for all of us. As it turns out, we were the only ones dressed up that night. We didn’t mind though because we had fun anyway! Plus, we received a ton of compliments from everyone we passed and the servers in the restaurant.

Camryn and Collin were ecstatic when we returned to our stateroom and their bunk beds were down! They both wanted the top bunk, but neither of them ended up sleeping there. The kids were still wide awake at 8:30pm, so we went to a show. Collin was asleep within 15 minutes!

DAY 2

After a quick breakfast, we changed Camryn into her Belle dress and went downstairs for the Royal Gathering. The Royal Gathering is a free photo opportunity, but space is limited. You have to book it at some crazy late night hour before your cruise and I saw in the Facebook group that it sold out within 2 minutes! Our travel agent snagged us a spot though and we couldn’t have been more thankful! To our surprise, Camryn was comfortable hugging the princesses and Collin was scared of them (it was the other way around last year!). 

Both kids were obsessed with the Cinderella statue in the Grand Hall. They had to take pictures with it every time they saw it. Collin found a cute little detail this time – Jaq and Gus! We stood in line for photos with Captain Minnie and enjoyed a violinist performance. Camryn was tickled that she took pictures with Captain Minnie while holding her Captain Minnie.

We were hoping to get a photo with Spider-Man and changed into our Marvel outfits shortly after lunch. We missed him that day, but we did get to have a dance party with our favorite Disney characters and get photos with them!

Disney cruises have rotational dining, which means we eat at different restaurants each night but have the same servers. When we arrived at the Marvel restaurant, our servers already had chocolate milks out for the kids and Coke Zeros for me and Weston. The dinner theatrics were a little much for Camryn and Collin at the time, but I think they enjoyed it overall. They were excited to see Spider-Man come by our table for fist bumps! He even told Camryn he loved her dress.

DAY 3

We got up super early the next morning and put our Marvel outfits back on for the kids to get a picture with Spider-Man. After the long wait, we grabbed a quick breakfast and photos with Goofy, then headed back to our cabin to change for our excursion.

When we returned from our cruise in January, the kids were amazed and jealous that we swam with dolphins. Weston and I had no desire to go to Nassau again, so we decided to book the dolphin encounter at that port.

Camryn and Collin couldn’t wait to see the dolphins! They squealed every time a dolphin swam near the pier while we waited for our time slot for the encounter. It was finally our turn and as soon as we sat on the platform, both kids started freaking out and didn’t want to get near the water. I knew they would regret it if we left, so we decided to power through it and encourage them to calm down. It took a little bribery to get them to agree to stay. They held onto us the entire time, but they did get in the water and play with the dolphin! As soon as we got out of the water, we bought the dolphin plushies and candy we promised them 🙂

We hung out on the beach until it was time for the ferry to take us back to the ship. There was just barely enough time for us to shower and change for pirate night. I think it’s a little crazy that pirate night is scheduled on a port day, but maybe that’s just me.

After dinner, we went to the lido deck for the pirate show. There was a fun surprise appearance from Captain Hook! We were drenched in sweat by the time it was over, so we changed before taking more character pictures around the ship. The fireworks show was much later than I would have liked, but I know they do it that late so everyone will be finished dining. Collin fell asleep and Camryn really wanted to see the fireworks. Weston went to the room with Collin and I took Camryn to see the fireworks. It was such a sweet time to spend with Camryn watching everything through her eyes!

The details throughout the ship are incredible! Some are so subtle you wouldn’t notice them if you’re not looking for them.

Day 4

Our next port was Castaway Cay, Disney’s private island. We waited in a short line for photos with Captain Jack Sparrow, then headed to the beach. We played in the water until lunchtime. Lunch is provided on the island and it was delicious! Camryn caught a glimpse of another kid with an Olaf drink, so of course she had to have one too. We asked where to find them and they said, “It’s just down this path.” They neglected to tell us it was on the other side of the island. We figured that out the hard way. We finally found the Olaf drinks and Camryn got a Sven drink instead, but Collin got the Olaf one! Thankfully, there was a tram to take us back to the ship.

Once we made it back to our room, we showered and grabbed some ice cream before the kids’ appointment at Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique. Camryn loved her experience at BBB last year and definitely wanted to do it again. I was thankful they had a knight costume option for boys because I think Collin really enjoyed dressing up too! Camryn had been talking about getting an Ariel dress this time, then decided at the last minute to get Cinderella instead. As luck would have it, she was able to get photos with Cinderella while she was dressed as Cinderella!

Collin started getting tired of his costume, so we went back to the room for he and Camryn to change before going to Arendelle for dinner. Camryn wore her Elsa dress and Collin wore his “I don’t even know a Samantha” shirt. We saw a snowflake backdrop on the way to dinner and made sure to get a few pictures!

Arendelle was a fun restaurant with performances from Elsa, Anna, Kristoff, and Oaken. Elsa, Anna, and Kristoff made their rounds throughout the room. Elsa made sure to stop and talk to Camryn for a while; it was so sweet! Collin ended up falling asleep before dinner was over and stayed asleep for the rest of the night. Weston and I were a little sad we wouldn’t be able to go to a show that night. Then we found out they stream the shows on the tv in your room! The kids slept while we packed and watched Aladdin.

Day 5

When I say we had an early breakfast reservation, I mean EARLY. Our ship made it back to Port Canaveral around 6:00 AM and our breakfast at Arendelle was scheduled for 6:30 AM. We savored our last meal on the ship and made it back to our car in no time. After several stops and a wrong turn on the interstate, we finally stopped for lunch at Chick-fil-A in a random Florida city. Remember the family from church that booked the same cruise? They also stopped at that Chick-fil-A at the same time! What are the odds? I’m kicking myself for not thinking to get a picture with them on the trip!

Camryn and Collin didn’t want to leave and have asked several times when we are going again. We had the best time on our first Disney cruise and we’re already counting down the days until the next one!

A moment for the most fun coffee!