Disney Cruise!

Wow... if you want a fun family adventure, this is the way to go! let me preface everything by saying that I recommend this for families who have children 4yrs or older. (traveling with little little ones is exhausting in general... and usually kids under 4 have more anxiety about being away from their parents, and therefore, cannot fully enjoy all the great activities that Disney has planned for them.)

There were four amazing gourmet restaurants, one buffet style restaurant, all-day pizza, hamburger & deli stops, a soda fountain and ice cream station. The food was incredible and all included in the cruise fare. There were three pools... one in the shape of mickey's head, 1.5 ft. deep for the little kids, complete with slide, a 4ft. pool at the base of a jumbo-tron which played Disney movies non-stop and had two jacuzzis, and an adults-only pool with two jacuzzis. There was an aracade, a workout facility, a spa and salon, a sports area, a teen hangout area. There were different clubs allocated for different age groups from age 3-18, in which they had activities, crafts and meals planned from 8am - midnight. You could check your kids in and out at your convenience: some people checked kids in all day, some hardly at all... totally depending on your kids and your family. There was a stage theatre for live performances, as well as a movie theatre for great Disney affiliated movies (we got to see the initial viewing of 'Race to Witch Mountain'). There were about 5 activities going on every hour... ranging from scrapbooking and line dancing to wine tastings and cooking classes.... tons and tons of stuff to do! There were character appearances, Disney plays, and firework shows.

We stopped at the islands of St. Maarten, St. Thomas and Castaway Cay ( a Disney owned island) with tons of beach, sand volleyball & soccer, bike riding, 4 wheeling, jet-skiing and sting-ray petting.

We swam in the ocean and relaxed on the beach (or tried to.... in between digging sand out of Madax's eyes, rescuing Beckett from the tide which wiped him out and attempting to keep sand out of nether regions of both the boys' bodies). It was an amazing trip and I would recommmend this to EVERYONE!

Attendees: 19 (10 adults, 9 kiddos)

Grandma and Grandpa Clark (Michael's Mom)

Eric (Michael's brother), his wife Barbie, kids Jessica, Jacob and Stephanie

Tonya (Michael's Sister), husband Jamie, kids Adam, Haley and Kael

Sonya (Michael's Sister), husband Sam, son Johnathan

Michael, Me, Madax and Beckett

Departed: Saturday March 14 - Port Canaveral, Orlando, Florida

Returned: March 21

Thank you Grandma and Grandpa Clark for taking us and all our fun cousins!

Grandma with our fabulous waiters (they follow you to each restaurant and serve your family the entire trip... it's great because they get to know you and have many of your preferences waiting for you when you arrive for dinner each night)... Clockwise: Non(server from Thailand), Madax, Grandma, Adam Ott, Jacob Daniels, Deneval (server from Jamaica), Stephanie Daniels, Kael Ott, Johnathan Parthemer

Madax loved playing with all his cousins... and even though they are all older, they were so good to him. They played with him and swam with him, helped him eat dinner and even went to the little kids club with him (even though they could have gone with the older group). Here he is playing with Kael (age 5).

Michael... playing pictionary with the clan during one of the days at sea. Isn't my husband so stinkin' hot??

Madax loved seeing Mickey. We were waiting in line to get his picture taken with Mickey and I was trying to tuck in his shirt and straighten his belt (silly mother)... and Mickey saw that he was hopping up and down and was yelling his name, so he bent down and motioned for Madax to come to him. Then he opened his arms wide. Madax pushed right through me, knocking me on my butt, as he ran up to Mickey and gave him a HUGE hug! It was so funny and adorable.

Madax and Daddy in front of the "Disney Magic", our ship. We were on the island of St. Thomas.

Madax playing with his cousin Jacob and sporting his shades. "Wear gwasses... like Daddy!" he says.

The beach on St. Maarten. The water was sooooo incredibly blue.

Madax cheesing it up for the camera with his cousins, Jacob and Kael. He loved being one of the boys.

This is Beckett in his life vest! They make you do an emergency evacuation drill the first day of the cruise...complete with life jackets. Beckett is such a trooper!