Hello again! We just got back from our cruise last week. It was FABULOUS! We are already planning to do it again. I’ve never been on a Disney cruise before, and I have to recommend it to anyone with kids. What a wonderful time we all had! We were on a ship called The Magic, and it was glorious.

The grandkids had a great time! Predictably, the 15-year-old was sulky the first night, until he realized there were other kids his age on board! There were so many organized teen activities that we barely saw him at all. There was even a “bar” for the teens with non-alcoholic drinks. I think it was called The Stack. Apparently it used to be something for ESPN, but it’s been converted to a cute little teen meeting place. Anyway, the teens were busy with parties and just “hanging out” for the whole cruise. Once our grandson saw there were computers in the The Stack, he was sold. He even met a little girl his age, too!

The younger kids had a blast, too. The baby, who’s only a year old, basically stayed with my daughter-in-law, Mitzi, most of the time. She relinquished her pride and joy to the Flounder Nursery now and then, and I think my daughter-in-law really appreciated the break. Those Disney people really do think of everything. It was wonderful to have a nursery on the ship! We could drop the baby off for a few hours, though Mitzi is still at that stage where she hates to let the baby out of her sight for more than a few minutes.

The other two grandkids were also as busy as they wanted to be. At ages 6 and 8, they did lots of fun stuff, plus participated in some science classes, too. I thought it was nice that there was something educational for them. But I think their favorite part was Detective School, where they solved pretend crimes by looking for fingerprints and taking samples. They also loved the pirate stories! A lot of the adults on the ship attended that one, too! What fun! Bob has added pirate language to his repertoire. He has the kids rolling on the floor every time he says “Aaarr!”

Our kids and their spouses had a marvelous time, too. We got to spend some quality time with all of them, since the kids were zooming around doing their own thing. My youngest son appreciated the coffee bar, complete with computers, so he could stay in touch with work, even on vacation (sigh). Even though it was a Disney cruise, there were plenty of adults-only areas on the ship. I think every one of our kids lowered their blood pressure by several points, just taking a break from THEIR kids! I know they love them, but I know a break is also appreciated now and then (now they know how I felt when they were small!). My daughters and I had great “girls-only” day in the Vista Spa. They have these heated chairs, and there’s this aromatherapy thing they do in the steam room, too. Talk about relaxing! There were massages too, but by the end of the treatment, we sure weren’t stressed!

Of course, I have to provide a dining report! The Disney Cruise folks handle this is a really cute way. There are three different restaurants on the ship, each with a different theme. They rotate you through each one with a dining assignment so you get to try each one. We started at Parrot Cay, then moved to Lumiere’s, and then to Animator’s Palate. We had the most amazing food at each! I think my favorite food had to be the Lobster and Shrimp Wrapper at Animator’s Palate. Oh my! This was heaven! But how could anything with crab, lobster and langoustine in it be bad?

Oh, and a little tip on dining – the staff is really nice about everything and they will remind you when you go, but plan to dress up a little when you go to dinner. And if you go on the seven day cruise, bring one extra nice outfit. There is a formal night and a semi-formal night, so make sure you have some nice clothes in with the shorts! Men are lucky here – they have a tuxedo rental service right on the ship! It is an extra effort, but it is so nice to see all the men so dressed up. Bob rented a tux! He doesn’t like to dress up much, and it was so romantic! In general though, you can’t wear jeans or super casual clothes in the dining rooms. Hah, if our restaurants weren’t such casual family places, I’d like to have formal night in our places, too!

We did so much off of the ship, too! The first port of call was Key West. Our first stop was at the Pirate Museum (Pirate Soul and Shipwreck Historeum, they call it). Our oldest grandson thought it was a little corny, but I think he secretly had a good time anyway. He just can’t let us know (smile). Then the group split up. Bob and I headed off to the Butterfly Conservatory with my son, daughter-in-law, and their baby. We decided to do something slow and relaxing! The other kids and grandkids went off on kayak tour. They said they had a great time, but I love the butterflies! That’s more my speed. There were lots of lovely tropical plants, this soft, relaxing music, and of course, lots of butterflies! We had a nice dinner at a steak place after, and headed back to the ship.

At Grand Cayman, my son got his wish and went snorkeling! He lives in a landlocked state so he does most of his snorkeling in a pool now! The rest of us just enjoyed walking on the beach. Oh, and we took the neatest tour! It’s called the Nautilus Undersea Tour. You get in this little boat thing that is kind of half under water and half above the water. It’s the best way to see coral reefs, shipwrecks, and all the cool stuff under the water without having to wear a lot of gear and breathe through a tube. I’ve snorkeled before, but I have to say I prefer more comfort now! There was a biologist who told us all about the fish and the environment down there. It was very interesting, and lots of fun, even for the younger kids with their short attention spans.

Well, what can I say about Cozumel except that Bob had to head off and play golf the whole time! I took the baby and two of the grandkids to see the sea lions and parrots at Chankanaab Sea Lion Discovery (lots of fun!) along with my daughter-in-law. The rest headed off to explore caverns on the beach. It was a little rugged, and a little too much for me, and with the baby we wanted to stay closer to civilization! I’m glad my older grandson got to do a lot with the grownups on this trip. I think he was convinced we were going to treat him like he was three and dress him up in Mickey Mouse ears! We did put Mickey Mouse ears on the six-year-old, who thought it was a terrific idea, however! The pictures are so adorable.

Castaway Cay was truly gorgeous. There was an adults’ only area there, too, so anyone who needed a break from the kids could go there. The family beach is really an experience. We took turns watching the kids and going to the adults-only side for an occasional kid-free break. The 15-year-old went to the teens’ beach and vanished for most of the day! They had some kind of boat race over there with bamboo boats. Even that beach has lots of organized activities, so we didn’t worry about him – well, we always worry a little (you know how it is).

All in all, I have to say this is the BEST way to do a family reunion! There is something for everyone on Disney cruises (even way too cool 15-year-old boys). We had some memorable moments and we’ll need to buy a new album for all the pictures we took. Bob and I even forgot about the restaurants for a few days! The kids had a great time, and we adults did, too. We had plenty of quiet moments to talk and enjoy the grandkids, but we also went to a wine tasting, got to do a little dancing, and Bob and I even won the ping pong tournament!

Stay tuned! I just know Bob and I will be taking another cruise in a few months!