Jump to content

Black Friday 2016 aboard the Disney Wonder!


*jess*
 Share

Recommended Posts

This has been a trip a long time in the making. My 11 year old son, Jacob, has been asking for YEARS to go on a Disney cruise. We started talking last year about actually making it happen. In October of 2015 we made plans to go on the Disney Wonder out of Galveston on November 25, 2016. So we had a long time to wait. But it got even better because my mom paid for the cruise for us as our Christmas and birthday presents this year. She is an incredible person!

 

Travelers were:

Me! I'm Jessica, 29yo

My 11 year old son (was 10 when boarding the ship, he celebrated his birthday while on the cruise!) Jacob

My mom, Michelle

My sister, Ashley

My brother in law, Joey

My 10 year old nephew, Noah

My 3 year old Niece, Emily

 

My husband and my 18yo step son are adamantly against anything related to Disney, so they chose to not go on this trip. My mom, son, and I shared one inside stateroom while my sister and her family shared an ocean view stateroom. We were both in rooms on Deck 7, and driving to Galveston from Shreveport, LA.

 

We've been to Disney World several times, and my mom, son, and I had cruised with Carnival before but we had never done a Disney cruise. My sister and her family have never done a cruise at all before. So we spent the year counting down to our trip and planning out what we would do at each port, what things we wanted to make sure we did while on board, where to stay in Galveston, etc.

 

Finally it was the week before our cruise, and there was a little bit of last minute panic when I realized 1 week prior to us leaving that the plates on my car were going to expire during the week we were gone. See, the state of Louisiana had sent me the stuff to renew it a good 2 months before, but it had gotten lost in the shuffle of my kitchen and completely forgotten about. Luckily, I was able to do it online and printed out the proof that I had renewed and that my car was legal to drive on the street. I was sure that the actual sticker for my plate would come in while I was gone, but it ended up coming the day before we left. Woo! Crisis averted!

 

Officially I say that the trip started on Wednesday 11/23/16. This was the day before Thanksgiving day, and my last day of work. I got off of work at 2:00pm, said good bye to all of my co workers, and headed home to make Thanksgiving dinner. Since we were leaving on actual Thanksgiving, I wanted to cook the meal the day before so we could still eat as a family. My mom came over to eat with us and we had a traditional dinner. When we were stuffed, mom went home and I finished my last minute packing that I still needed to do. I also was double checking my lists to make sure we had all the documentation that we needed to get on board. My husband went outside and checked all the fluids in my car, the tire pressure, etc. so that it would all be in working order before we left. We all turned into bed for the night, and I set my alarm for 7:00am the next morning so we could get up and hit the road.

 

I ended up waking up closer to 5:00am and couldn't go back to sleep. So I laid in bed for a while playing on my phone and trying to force myself back to sleep. I ended up just getting out of bed at around 6:00am. I got in the shower and got dressed, then went to wake up Jacob. Now, Jacob is a different story. That kid will sleep through anything, and is SO hard to wake up in the mornings. He got up faster than normal that morning, because he was excited about the cruise, but he was still pretty sluggish at first.

 

Jacob got in the shower and got dressed, and then we put all the luggage into the car. We said our goodbyes to my husband and the other kiddo, and then hit the road to go pick up my mom. We had planned on leaving town at 9:00am, but I was at my mom's at 8:00am. She was doing a few last minute things, and we ended up leaving her house close to 8:30am. Then we realized we hadn't eaten breakfast, so a stop at McDonald's was necessary! Followed by a stop at the ATM so we could have cash during the cruise. We ended up on the road, actually driving out of town at 9:00am just as planned!

 

My sister, Ashley, her husband, Joey, and their 2 kids Noah and Emily were driving in their own vehicle and had already left the house before us. We didn't have any real plans other than meeting at the hotel in Galveston and then finding somewhere to eat dinner.

 

So we were off!

 

Just a few minutes shy of 5 hours, we figured with a few potty stops, a stop for lunch, and 1 stop to refill the gas tank, we should make it by 3:00pm at the latest.

 

Map_zps7r3rmqfu.png

 

I got a little frustrated with my car as we were leaving. I have a built in GPS that wasn't working correctly. Normally it's great, but when we were leaving that day it was telling us to go a good half hour out of the way in order to get to Galveston. We ended up using the maps app in our iPhones instead, it got us there faster. I still need to look at my GPS and find out what was going on.

 

Anyway....

 

I have been blessed with a child who is an excellent traveler when riding in a car. Now, flying is another story but that wasn't an issue this time..... Jacob sat in the back and just hung out. We chatted about what we were wanting to do on the cruise, Jacob played some of his games on his phone, watched a few YouTube videos, and before we knew it, it was time for lunch. Now keep in mind, it's Thanksgiving day. There wasn't a whole lot open.... We saw a Burger King and attempted to get some lunch there, but they ended up being closed. McDonald's again it is! We ate lunch at a McDonald's in Livingston, TX, got some more gas in the car, and started driving towards Galveston, TX again. We ended up making into Houston traffic around 1:30ish, and it was the worst thing I've ever driven through in my entire life. We were almost hit by one driver who was exiting, and then decided to not exit and flew back across the lanes and almost into us. We were almost rear ended several times while driving too. It was ridiculous. There's no way I would want to live in a large city, I can't handle the way that people drive.

 

But anyway, soon we were driving through Galveston, way ahead of schedule. None of us had been there before, but when I googled pictures the water always looked brown and dirty so that's what I expected. But when we were driving over the bridge, it was a gorgeous blue color and there was no "fish smell" like I had read about. I was pleasantly surprised. We arrived safely at our hotel, the Springhill Suites just a few minutes behind my sister and her family. We went and checked in and we were given a room on the first floor, just down the hallway from the lobby. My sister and her family were given a room on either the 2nd or 3rd floor, I really can't remember. We were given a room with a king size bed, and then a fold out couch. I hadn't realized when booking the room that I had selected the king size bed instead of 2 double beds so my mom and I ended up sharing the king size for the night while Jacob slept on the fold out couch.

 

I forgot to take photos of our room, so I searched for these on the Springhill Suites website.

 

travel%204_zpsqpq88xp1.jpg

 

travel%207_zpskg6a2xkd.jpg

 

The bed was separated from the living area by a wall. In the bedroom area there was the bed (of course), a small closet with an ironing board and iron inside, along with two bedside tables with lamps.

 

In the living area there was a couch that would fold out into a bed, a desk with chair, and a small kitchenette area with a microwave, sink, and coffee maker.

 

travel%205_zps52xhhpx5.jpg

 

It was nicely decorated and we enjoyed our stay. We would definitely use it again if we ever sail out of Galveston.

 

The hotel was really in a good location, across the interstate from a Target, the seawall was only a few blocks away, and a Walmart was close by as well.

 

We got everything out of our cars and into the hotel rooms, then we just relaxed for a little bit. My mom and I watched some tv and Jacob was playing a video game on his phone. For dinner we had discussed going to Cracker Barrel, but ended up changing our minds because it was 20 miles in the other direction and none of us wanted to deal with the traffic again. So we decided to just load up in the cars, and drive to the seawall to see what we could find. We found a Rainforest Cafe, and an IHOP. Emily is afraid of the Rainforest Cafe so we chose IHOP.

 

It ended up being a good meal, and cheap too! After dinner we walked across the street and onto Galveston Beach.

 

The water here was a murky brown color, but it still didn't smell bad like people were saying it did. I thought it was a nice area, and we liked being there. We walked around a little bit, let the kids feel the chilly ocean water, and then made our way back to the cars.

 

Jacob and I on the beach

 

Galveston%201_zpst9vy8c9c.jpg

 

Jacob and Noah on the beach

 

Galveston%202_zpslx9npiec.jpg

 

 

My sister and her family went back to the hotel, but my mom said she needed to buy a few things for the trip that she had forgotten so we headed off to Walmart. Normally I would think this was a TERRIBLE idea, because it was the evening of Thanksgiving, meaning that everyone was out Black Friday shopping. Thankfully, this Walmart wasn't very busy though and we were able to get in and out with no problem. We actually ended up meeting a family who were going to be on the cruise with us!

 

After getting lost, not really sure how we did it because there's only 2-3 main streets there.... we arrived back at our hotel safe and sound. The kids went swimming in the indoor pool for a little while, and we all tried to go to bed at a decent time so that we wouldn't be ragged tired in the morning. Unfortunately, it was really, really hard to fall asleep because we were all too excited.

Edited by *jess*
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Jacob spent a lot of time reading on his phone and playing games, while my mom and I watched tv and tried desperately to fall asleep.

 

travel%203_zpsmhzuemax.jpg

 

My only complaint about the hotel, and from what I hear it's an issue that's pretty widespread in Galveston, is that the water smells like fish. My hair smelled like fish after washing it, and so did everyone else's. The water out of the tap smelled like fish, it wasn't terribly strong, but you could definitely catch a whiff of if it and it was unpleasant. Having said that, we would totally still stay there again because I don't think it was just the hotel. The water at the IHOP we ate at smelled the same.

 

Anyway, back to the review.

 

Disney Cruise Line has a staggered check in system. So when you're doing your online check in, you select your check in time, ours was 12:00pm because that was the earliest time available. When we woke up the next day at 5:00am because we couldn't sleep anymore, we had a loooong time to wait because we couldn't get on the ship until 12:00pm..... Springhill Suites provides a free, hot breakfast and we figured eating was a good way to kill some time. We showered, got dressed and ready, and headed out for breakfast. They had scrambled eggs, breads for toast, bagels, waffles, cereals, etc. There was really a lot of variety available and we were able to eat plenty to make us full for a while.

 

travel%2010_zpsy6x2hxkw.jpg

travel%2011_zpsrr4yaq3w.jpg

 

The waffle iron made waffles in the shape of Texas!

 

They also have a small market that has items available for purchase. There were bottles of water, cokes, chips, etc. If you do plan on purchasing anything, plan on spending $2.50 on one coke or one bottle of water.

 

We went back to our room when we were done to start re-packing the things we'd taken out of the bags. I checked the Galveston cruise web cam and sure enough, our ship was there waiting!

 

Galveston%204_zpsge3dv8ga.jpg

 

However, it was still only around 7:00am at this point. It was the day that we got on the ship, but we felt like we had to wait so long still.

 

Galveston_zpsy8fynaeq.jpg

 

Disney Cruise Line has an app for you to use while on the cruise. If you open it prior to your cruise, it shows your count down and the things that you're able to do once you're on board. Once you ARE on board and you open it, you connect to the ship's wifi and you can use it to view all the activities going on during any of the days you're on board, the menus for all the restaurants, the room service menu, and you can even text other people who are also on board. We used it a ton and loved it!

 

So Emily and Noah came to our room for a while, and Emily decided that she no longer wanted to go on the cruise, she wanted to go to Target instead.

 

Galveston%206_zpsxakta4ar.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

We were able to keep her calm by taking walks, she was pretending that the stairs at the hotel were Elsa's palace and she was Elsa, then by jumping on the bed.

 

Galveston%205_zpsklhlgpzv.jpg

 

But eventually, nothing else would do. She absolutely needed to go to Target and wouldn't let us do anything else but go to Target.

 

So, Target it was. On Black Friday.

 

I was dreading it, but it really wasn't that bad at all. We wandered around and around and around..... picked up a few things here and there like books to read on the cruise, a few little toys for the kids, and my mom was able to pick up these Frozen dolls for Emily that she is going to get for Christmas.

 

We checked out, and I grabbed a pretzel at the Target Cafe while I called my bank and told them I would be out of the country for a week on a cruise and to please not deny the charges I would be making.

 

Then, it was around 11:00am and we had absolutely nothing else to do, so we drove to the port even though it wasn't technically time yet.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Love your report so far Jess. I recognize you from our cruise group :)

 

Hello!!! I was disappointed that we missed the meet up, we completely forgot what time it was and by the time we did think about it we were at sea and didn't want to use the internet to check the Facebook page lol

Link to comment
Share on other sites

November 25, 2016 continued!

 

So we had left Target, and were on our way to the port. We figured that even though it wasn't anywhere near our boarding time,we could at least figure out where the parking lot was. We had pre paid for parking at the Port of Galveston, if you pay the day you get there it's $70, but if you pre pay it's $65. We went ahead and drove into the parking lot, it was very easy to find and navigate. When you pull in there are people directing you where to go, we pulled up to the podium/covered area (if you go there you'll know what I'm talking about lol) and gave the lady our printed receipt, she handed us our tag to hang on the mirror, and then more people directed us to a spot to park. Honestly it was very well done and easy.

 

When we pulled into our spot, there was already a shuttle waiting there. The shuttles will put your luggage in them and take you, and your luggage, to the entrance of the port. We had 5 bags total and the driver helped us put all of them on his bus, and then whisked us off. While we were still in the process of loading our bags another shuttle had pulled into the parking lot, we were told they come every few minutes so you shouldn't have to wait long!

 

Once we got to the entrance of the port there were a ton of porters waiting there. Our driver flagged one of them down for us and we never once had to touch our luggage. The driver took it off the bus and the porter put it in the cart. We tipped both of them, and then went ahead and entered the building. It was still only 11:30am ish, so we took our time and used the bathroom, situated everything in our carry ons, got our documents ready, etc. and then went ahead and tried our luck at getting on the ship. They let us! We cleared security, which was a breeze, and then went to the check in desk where we showed our documents, got our Key to the World cards, and had our picture taken for the security system.

 

With Carnival, each person takes a picture individually. On Disney you take a group picture, and then they cut your head out of the picture and assign it to your key card. It made it much faster because we didn't have to wait there while each of us took a picture. My sister and her family managed to make it through security WAY before we did, so they were far ahead of us in line for the kids club bands. We had signed up the kids for the clubs when we did our online check in a few months ago, but you still have to go in that line and pick up the magic band. It looks exactly like the bands you would get at Disney World, except it has Disney Cruise characters on it. You can keep the band at the end of your cruise as a souvenir for $12, or you can return it to the kids club on the last night of your cruise and you aren't charged anything for it. Honestly I felt like the kids club line took longer than either security or check in lol. But we made our way through the line, when you get to the front they assign the child with a band, verify the adults who are allowed to check the kids out of the clubs, verify the password, and also verify whether or not the child is able to check themselves out of the club (Jacob's age group is allowed to check themselves out, but I removed that option because I didn't want him wandering the ship.)

 

Then it was time to head upstairs! We got up there and they hadn't started letting anyone on board yet, so we found a comfy spot and sat down. Mickey Mouse was meeting people when we first walked up, and then he changed out for Minnie Mouse after a little while. Jacob and Noah didn't want to meet either so we just hung out while my sister and brother in law took Emily to meet them. We sat there for a while, I even posted in our Facebook group asking if they would make announcements when it was time to board because I thought maybe we were missing them. Literally as soon as I posted that though, they started calling boarding #1. We were #9 and my sister and her family were #10, so we chose to wait until #10 was called so we could all walk on together. They went through the numbers pretty quickly, and we were walking through the doors of the atrium before I knew it.

 

My sister and family went first. For anyone who hasn't sailed Disney yet, when you walk into the atrium you tell the crew standing there what your last name is, and they announce "Disney Wonder, welcome the _____ family!" My sister's was pretty easy and cute because they all have the same last name. Us, however, we had 3 last names. My mom, then me with my married name, and my son with his dad's last name (his father and I are divorced). So we said "Well, we have 3 different last names, do we just pick one?" and the crew member said no and that they wanted to say all of them so we would all feel special. We gave them all 3 of our names, and they announced all 3 of them, it was pretty funny.

 

The ship was breathtaking, it was just so beautiful!

 

galveston%2043_zpsvcsy3ejd.jpg

Galveston%2022_zpsrsvtnwrq.jpg

Galveston%2021_zpsdfrioeaa.jpg

 

We were on a Merrytime Cruise so it was all decorated for Christmas. We just kind of stood there for a minute taking it all in, and finally we went up to deck 9 so we could get some lunch. My mom, sister, brother in law, and Emily all went into Cabanas for lunch. Noah and Jacob grabbed pizza from Pinocchio's, and I grabbed a hot dog with fries from Boiler Bites. We sat outside eating the food because it felt nice out on the deck. This is where Jacob made a goal for the week. His goal? To eat 30 pieces of pizza. Spoiler alert, he made it lol.

 

Galveston%208_zpstcjhfckp.jpg

 

The crew was walking around with mixed drinks on a tray, it was the drink of the day but I forget what it was, something with rum. I bought one, and regretted it. I know this is a terrible complaint, but it was really strong. When the rest of our group was done eating at Cabanas they came outside and the 4 of us adults finished the drink so it wouldn't be wasted, but none of us really liked it. I stuck with frozen drinks or beer for the rest of the trip lol.

 

We decided to go check out the kids club because it was open house on the first day, so we headed down to deck 5 and explored for a while. This area was AWESOME. Even I wanted to stay there! They have the Oceaneer's Club, and the Oceaneer's Lab. The club had different areas, Andy's room, the shop from Frozen with the "yoohoo! Big summer blow out!" guy, a Marvel avengers area, and a Disney Jr. area. The lab had sections where they did experiments, cooked, played video games, practiced animation, and for board games. Both areas were so well done, Noah and Jacob spent way more time in the clubs than we thought that they would.

 

The Marvel area

 

galveston%2040_zps4rseext3.jpg

galveston%2032_zpscvczn8dx.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

galveston%2030_zpsc4ocyn0l.jpg

 

Andy's room

 

galveston%2038_zpsamtf8bdp.jpg

galveston%2036_zpslv5vlw9w.jpg

galveston%2039_zpsabu3udha.jpg

 

Both of the boys were pretty disappointed that the video game systems weren't working yet, they have some setting on them so that they don't work during the open house and will get turned on once we start sailing. But there was so much to do still that we picked up our carry ons and headed up to the top of the ship! Our rooms weren't open yet so we were still carrying our things. On deck 10 we found Foosball tables and we played a few games.

 

galveston%2029_zpsldmugvxc.jpg

galveston%2026_zpsqvsexyrd.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

It was nice out, but still too chilly to swim. I was really glad that I had packed leggings for myself and pants for Jacob because it was too cold out for shorts! When it got close to 1:30pm we went to deck 7 to see if our rooms were ready. We still had about 15 minutes or so to wait so we just plopped down in the elevator area with everyone else to wait those few minutes. We chatted with some of the other families there, and when they opened the hallways at 1:30pm we went to our room. We were in room # 7035. It was a standard interior room, and it wasn't anything flashy but it served its purpose. With it just being me, my mom, and Jacob it worked for us. If we'd had another person, or even if it had been 3 adults instead of 2 and a kid I think we would have been cramped. For our next cruise we'll be getting one of the larger rooms instead.

 

From the doorway looking in. The couch folds out into a bed, and a bunk bed pulls out from the ceiling as well. That table in the middle moves (thank goodness....) and it was regularly moved all over the room to try and get more space. Sometimes it would sit next to the couch and when we got room service we would use it to eat at. Sometimes it would be shoved over by the bed to try and get more floor space. When my sister and them would come into our room, we were really pressed for space. It definitely serves its purpose as a place to sleep, but I will say it was pretty small.

 

That being said, it was beautiful. Everything looked brand new and clean, the beds were all extremely comfortable. My mom actually opted to sleep on the sofa bed because she said it was so cozy and comfortable. So she slept on the couch bed, Jacob slept on the pull down bunk, and I got that entire bed to myself. Pure bliss.

 

galveston%2035_zpssb4icbnq.jpg

 

This is from the end of the bed pointing towards the door. Jacob and I unpacked our things, my mom said she would leave most of her stuff in her suitcase instead of unpacking because we really didn't have enough closet space or drawer space for all of our things.

 

galveston%2033_zpsyezizpsc.jpg

 

I didn't get a picture of the bathroom, but it's a standard bathroom. We did not have the split bathroom where one room has the toilet and sink and the other room has the tub and shower, ours was all in one. But there were only a few times that it was a problem, we made it work. What was nice is that the curtains pulled closed in front of the bed so we could have one person changing by the bed, one person changing in the living area, and one person changing in the bathroom.

 

There was a mini fridge in the room that was a real fridge, not just one of the cooling boxes that some cruises have. We would stock it with drinks and snacks that needed to be kept cold and it was wonderful!

 

Our bags weren't at our rooms yet so we left to go check out my sister's room down the hall, they were in 7004. They had the ocean view room and it was HUGE. There was an enormous amount of space in the bedroom section and the living room section. They had 2 dressers in addition to the closet, and then also had the vanity. The bathroom was the split kind where one room is a toilet and sink and the other was the tub/shower. It was the nicest cruise stateroom that I've ever seen, and we're booking that kind of room for our next one lol.

 

Jacob, Noah, mom, and I went back up to deck 10 and played more Foosball while Ashley, Joey, and Emily stayed in their room because they did have some of their luggage so they started unpacking. Before we knew it, it was time for the muster drill. We went to our muster station, it was quick and painless but Disney is serious about their safety drills. They scan your key cards when you get there, and anyone who hasn't scanned their card they call out the room number like they're taking roll to make sure everyone is there.

 

After muster we went to the sail away party and it was packed. My sister and Joey took Emily to deck 9 and got close to the stage so they could watch the characters, and then Noah, Jacob, mom, and me went to 10 and stood by the railing to watch the ocean as we were sailing away. We couldn't get anywhere that we could see the characters in the party so we just watched the water instead, and watched the party on the giant tv screen.

 

These are my sister's pictures since we couldn't actually see lol

 

galveston%2018_zpsdvjzftsx.jpg

galveston%2017_zps5csty7o2.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

After sail away, we were boring and went to the room to unpack our things. All but one of my mom's suitcases had arrived so we started organizing the room and getting things put where they needed to be. We had early seating for dinner, so our dinner time was at 5:45pm. Tonights dinner was in Animator's Palette. Our servers were Hans and Juan and they were wonderful! Honestly, the thing I noticed most about the Disney cruise compared to Carnival was the service. The crew on Carnival are nice and accommodating, but Disney went way above and beyond anything that I expected. It was incredible how much these people cared about all of us.

 

galveston%2020_zpsvqo6nxzu.jpg

galveston%2023_zpsi7f1gq8w.jpg

 

I have no food pictures, but I know I ate the truffle pasta pursettes and a the steak with wasabi mashed potatoes. Jacob had the same and we both raved about that meal for the rest of the week, it was my favorite. Jacob had a steak every night that he made it to the dining room, and either Juan or Hans cut it for him every time. They even brought him out a huge plate of broccoli when they found out how much he likes broccoli, and then cut that up for him too.

 

Emily was adorable all week. She was so fascinated with all the characters, and made the cutest faces because she was so excited. Mickey walked into the room after it had started changing colors and she was so happy! At first she didn't want dessert, then she saw my Mickey bar and changed her mind so they brought her out a Mickey bar and it ended in a big mess on her face lol. She was so happy.

 

Galveston%2012_zpsnurmfkj7.jpg

Galveston%2013_zpsudsyds5z.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

At some point that evening we met Pluto, but I honestly can't remember if it was before or after dinner....

 

Galveston%2010_zpsaiuktnv1.jpg

Galveston%209_zps54mkztpv.jpg

 

But either way, Jacob was happy. Pluto is his favorite.

 

We did not make it to the show this night, Ashley, Joey, and Emily did but Jacob didn't want to go so I didn't push it. In the end I'm glad we didn't because they all left and came back to the room anyway because Emily didn't want to stay since there were no characters. The two boys went to the kids club for a little bit while my mom and I finished our unpacking. We turned in early that night, we're old. I felt like it had been a successful first day and was exhausted from all the excitement. I couldn't wait to wake up the next day and be at sea!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

We have been battling nasty sinus infections for the past week, I finally feel more like myself today, thankfully! So I feel like I should get back to this!

 

It's Saturday morning, and it's our first full day on board the Disney Wonder, as well as our first day at sea. We had ordered room service to wake us up, we did this pretty much every day and loved every second of it. Jacob ended up ordering the same thing every morning, 2 chocolate donuts and a chocolate milk. I stuck with just a croissant, I just wanted something to munch on while getting ready to go get real food at Cabanas. My mom normally got some cereal with milk, a few times she also got a donut. After snacking in the room, and after everyone was showered and ready, we made our way up to deck 9 so we could eat at Cabana's. I had texted my sister that we were headed up there, and she said that they had already eaten and were going to change so they could go swimming.

 

This was my first cruise where we were in an inside room. While it was definitely doable, and it saved us some money, there were things I missed about balconies and ocean views. YOU CAN SEE THE OCEAN. We would have no idea what the weather was like, couldn't see the water, etc. So when we got up onto deck 9 and got our first glimpse of that sunny sky and the blue ocean water, it was breath taking!

 

We got to Cabana's, and I LOVE how they make you wash your hands before going inside. I can not imagine how many germs are floating all over the ship with people touching everything, so it was nice that everyone had to wash their hands before touching food.

 

When we first walked in, there was a server there who was explaining that Cabana's is a "free flowing buffet," meaning you don't start at the end of the line and make your way down, you see something you like and poke your head in to grab it. The only problem with this is, it didn't work. Because when I would try this, I would always feel like I was cutting in line so I just didn't do it. We waited at the end, and made our way through the line. It worked just fine.

 

We had great plans of wanting to eat outside, so we went and found a table, and sat down.

 

Sea%201_zpsmcyaeh5o.jpg

 

It was perfect. Beautiful weather, beautiful sun, beautiful ocean!

 

Just too much wind..... our food was literally blowing away, so we went back inside instead lol. This was our first run in with the amazing Disney Cruise Cabana's staff. They were always very nice, but when we were walking inside a female staff member came up to my son and offered to carry his plate for him. He told her no thank you, and that he could carry it, but she said that he was on vacation and she insists! She carried his plate for him to a table inside and asked if there was anything she could bring us. We were good so we thanked her and said we were fine! Then she left and would find other kids carrying their plates, and she would insist on taking their plates and carrying them for them, all while asking them if they were enjoying themselves, if they needed anything, etc. I started to notice that almost ALL of the staff members were searching out the kids carrying plates and cups and offering to carry it for them. Now, this could have been Disney's sneaky way of trying to prevent spilling food and drinks, but it was so amazing! The kids loved it, the parents loved it, and the staff seemed to really enjoying talking to the kids and parents. Class act Disney!!

 

Everything we ate was yummy, the only thing that was even slightly disappointing was that the waffles weren't Mickey waffles, but they still tasted good so it was ok!

 

After breakfast we walked up to deck 10 to take some pictures of the water

 

Sea%203_zpskcfn0xii.jpg

Sea%206_zpsetvr0rfs.jpg

 

And then we set off to get Jacob changed into swimming trunks and to find my sister. We found them easily thanks to the handy dandy Disney Cruise Line app messenger! I loved this thing, seriously it was amazing all week! We were all able to communicate with eachother about where we were, where we were going, seeing if everyone wanted to do something together, etc. Super helpful! Again, way to go Disney!!

 

The boys were going down the slide a few times, but it was a little chilly so they didn't last for long.

 

sea%2011_zpso5ou95qi.jpg

Sea%207_zpspwdgbdrp.jpg

 

This is when I found my true love though.

 

Love in the form of salted, soft pretzels.

 

They have them at Pinocchio's Pizza in 2 flavors: salted, and also in cinnamon filled with cream cheese.

 

The salted ones were heaven. I'm not ashamed at all to say I ate my weight in them during this cruise.

 

After I'd eaten my amazing pretzel and the kids were cold, we had all of them change into normal clothes and did what you always do on cruises, eat. It was close-ish to lunch time and the little ones were saying they were hungry so we met up on deck 9 again and had a few bites to eat. I'm pretty sure I split a hot dog with someone.... or I could have eaten another pretzel, I'm not sure to be honest.... I definitely wasn't hungry anymore though. The kids all ate pizza, of course. Jacob mentally checked off how many pieces he had eaten so he could keep up with his goal of eating 30 pieces in a week.

 

Our sweet munchkins!

 

sea%2015_zps4ut0uozb.jpg

 

See! It was chilly! They're all in sweat pants!

 

After eating, the boys went to the kids club for a little bit while Emily went down for a nap. My mom and I were still dressed in normal clothes, because we knew we would probably freeze to death if we had gone swimming. I was actually in leggings because I was so chilly. I am very cold natured, I am cold pretty much all the time!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Since we had no children for a while (Emily napping with Ashley, and the boys in the kids club) my mom and I went down to check out the adult's section! Crown and Finn was open so we hopped up to the bar tender, who was super, super sweet and helpful when we asked questions about what we should order. We both got the Crown and Fin. I liked it a little, it had a funny aftertaste to it, but I still drank it. My mom wasn't really a fan. While we were sitting down I sent my brother in law, Joey, a text saying we were down there having a beer if he wanted to join us. He came down there with us and we hung out for maybe half an hour?

 

My grandma was actually born and raised in England so we took a LOT of pictures of the club for her.

 

sea%2013_zpsxurbgzj4.jpg

 

We got a text on our wave phones that the boys wanted to be picked up from the club while we were hanging out down there, so...... Up to the club we went!

 

After picking up the boys, Joey took Noah back to their room and we took Jacob to ours. This is where I lose track of time a little.... We may have napped.... We may have hung out in the room.... Not really sure to be honest.

 

I know, I know. I'm a terrible review writer.

 

What I DO know is that it was formal night. So I DO know that eventually we started getting ready.

 

Well, mom and I were getting ready in our room, Jacob was sulking about having to wear "real pants" on the couch. I found out later that he was acting kind of poopy because he was getting sea sick and just didn't say anything to any of us about it.

 

I was EXTREMELY excited about eating at Tiana's tonight. I couldn't wait to see Tiana, Louis, the new restaurant, eat beignets, Emily was wearing her Tiana dress, EVERYTHING! I made Jacob take a picture with me while we were waiting on my sister and her family.

 

Sea%204_zps0g0m6lrh.jpg

 

My mom had requested one picture of all of us together, and we did try and go get in line to take the ship's pictures..... but the lines were ridiculous..... like wrapping around the elevator ridiculous so we said forget it and found someone to take our picture in front of one of the regular stairways.

 

What really matters is that we were all there, not the background, right?

 

sea%2014_zpsotoxbcfs.jpg

 

This is the ONLY picture we got of all of us during the entire cruise.

 

Family fail lol.

 

Now, take a REAL GOOD look at Jacob's face.

 

Does he look happy?

 

No?

 

Oh yes! That's because this poor sweet child was super sea sick. We were standing on deck 3 close to where Tiana's is at the front of the ship and we were moving a lot. It didn't bother me, but a few other people were making comments about it too.

 

I hadn't noticed that he didn't feel good yet, but I took one good look at his face and rushed over to him, whispered in his ear "Are you going to throw up?" which is a terrifying question to ask your child when there are a whole bunch of people standing around.

 

He immediately said no, he wasn't going to throw up, but his stomach didn't feel good and he was very dizzy. So I hurriedly told my sister to tell everyone else that we were going back upstairs and would be skipping dinner. She had some chewable children's Dramamine in her purse so she gave me one real fast to give to Jacob.

 

Once in our room Jacob took off the hated "real pants," took the Dramamine, and laid down on the couch immediately. I got him some water, and got him distracted with some tv. After a few minutes of laying down and watching tv he felt a lot better, and actually told me he was hungry and would really like some room service.

 

I ordered some pizza for him along with a coke, because my mom used to always tell me that sometimes they can settle an upset stomach, and I ordered me a hot dog with fries. I knew he was bummed about not being able to eat steak again tonight so I was trying to make him as happy as possible.

 

Tonight I experienced some of the most kindness ever, from any kind of cruise staff.

 

When room service brought our tray in, he asked if Jacob was ok. I explained that he just wasn't feeling very well with the movement on the lower levels of the ship, so we were just relaxing in the room. He asked if we needed any Motrin, Tylenol, motion sickness medicine, additional food or drink items that would help, anything at all. He stayed in our room and chatted with Jacob and I and just really made us feel cared about. He said that they would check back in on us a little later to see how Jacob was doing, and to see if we needed anything.

 

Next, our mousekeeping, Doly came into the room to change the couch into a bed and pull down the bunk bed. She also chatted with us, asked if we needed anything to eat, drink, medicine, etc. She was so amazingly attentive and sweet to us! She said that in the future if we want the beds pulled down early, whether it's because someone isn't feeling well, we want a nap, any reason at all, we should just call her. I explained that it really wasn't an issue for him to lay on the couch as a couch at all, but she insisted that we call next time because she wanted him to be more comfortable. She also said she would check in on us later to make sure everything was ok.

 

And y'all. They did. They called and checked back in on us to make sure Jacob was feeling ok and to see if we needed anything. Never in my entire life would I have expected room service or housekeeping to actually call in and check on us. I was really blown away.

 

On top of that, the wait staff also was checking with my family asking if we were ok, if we needed anything, if we wanted dinner from the dining room sent up, etc.

 

I was so in awe at how much all these people cared. I know there are going to be some people who will say "that's just their job" "it's an act" etc but I don't believe it. These people were so thoughtful, so concerned, we felt so loved on. It was incredible. This night alone solidified for me that Disney Cruise Line is forever going to be my favorite, and that the price of the cruise was 100% worth it. Never, ever have I felt like people cared so much about my little boy. All because he wasn't feeling well. It really makes me tear up because they were all so amazingly kind to us.

 

I'm done gushing now, back to the review.

 

I made Jacob take a picture of our formal night dinner with me

 

Sea%205_zpsqngj12ww.jpg

 

He really perked up pretty quick once he had eaten, but we just laid low for the rest of the night and rested in the room.

 

My sister took these pictures of Emily at Tiana's that night

 

sea%209_zps2ihecxoj.jpg

sea%2010_zpsuvtcwwxl.jpg

 

And it turns out that this night was NOT the night that they were serving beignets, so Jacob and I didn't miss out on them after all!

 

Or did we.... dun dun DUN......

 

Everyone went to the show that night and my sister said it made her cry because it was so beautiful, it was the Golden Mickeys. I am sad that I missed it, but there's always next time!

 

Jacob and I laid around the room in sweat pants watching cartoons until everyone came back from the show, and then it was bedtime!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Since we had no children for a while (Emily napping with Ashley, and the boys in the kids club) my mom and I went down to check out the adult's section! Crown and Finn was open so we hopped up to the bar tender, who was super, super sweet and helpful when we asked questions about what we should order. We both got the Crown and Fin. I liked it a little, it had a funny aftertaste to it, but I still drank it. My mom wasn't really a fan. While we were sitting down I sent my brother in law, Joey, a text saying we were down there having a beer if he wanted to join us. He came down there with us and we hung out for maybe half an hour?

 

My grandma was actually born and raised in England so we took a LOT of pictures of the club for her.

 

sea%2013_zpsxurbgzj4.jpg

 

We got a text on our wave phones that the boys wanted to be picked up from the club while we were hanging out down there, so...... Up to the club we went!

 

After picking up the boys, Joey took Noah back to their room and we took Jacob to ours. This is where I lose track of time a little.... We may have napped.... We may have hung out in the room.... Not really sure to be honest.

 

I know, I know. I'm a terrible review writer.

 

What I DO know is that it was formal night. So I DO know that eventually we started getting ready.

 

Well, mom and I were getting ready in our room, Jacob was sulking about having to wear "real pants" on the couch. I found out later that he was acting kind of poopy because he was getting sea sick and just didn't say anything to any of us about it.

 

I was EXTREMELY excited about eating at Tiana's tonight. I couldn't wait to see Tiana, Louis, the new restaurant, eat beignets, Emily was wearing her Tiana dress, EVERYTHING! I made Jacob take a picture with me while we were waiting on my sister and her family.

 

Sea%204_zps0g0m6lrh.jpg

 

My mom had requested one picture of all of us together, and we did try and go get in line to take the ship's pictures..... but the lines were ridiculous..... like wrapping around the elevator ridiculous so we said forget it and found someone to take our picture in front of one of the regular stairways.

 

What really matters is that we were all there, not the background, right?

 

sea%2014_zpsotoxbcfs.jpg

 

This is the ONLY picture we got of all of us during the entire cruise.

 

Family fail lol.

 

Now, take a REAL GOOD look at Jacob's face.

 

Does he look happy?

 

No?

 

Oh yes! That's because this poor sweet child was super sea sick. We were standing on deck 3 close to where Tiana's is at the front of the ship and we were moving a lot. It didn't bother me, but a few other people were making comments about it too.

 

I hadn't noticed that he didn't feel good yet, but I took one good look at his face and rushed over to him, whispered in his ear "Are you going to throw up?" which is a terrifying question to ask your child when there are a whole bunch of people standing around.

 

He immediately said no, he wasn't going to throw up, but his stomach didn't feel good and he was very dizzy. So I hurriedly told my sister to tell everyone else that we were going back upstairs and would be skipping dinner. She had some chewable children's Dramamine in her purse so she gave me one real fast to give to Jacob.

 

Once in our room Jacob took off the hated "real pants," took the Dramamine, and laid down on the couch immediately. I got him some water, and got him distracted with some tv. After a few minutes of laying down and watching tv he felt a lot better, and actually told me he was hungry and would really like some room service.

 

I ordered some pizza for him along with a coke, because my mom used to always tell me that sometimes they can settle an upset stomach, and I ordered me a hot dog with fries. I knew he was bummed about not being able to eat steak again tonight so I was trying to make him as happy as possible.

 

Tonight I experienced some of the most kindness ever, from any kind of cruise staff.

 

When room service brought our tray in, he asked if Jacob was ok. I explained that he just wasn't feeling very well with the movement on the lower levels of the ship, so we were just relaxing in the room. He asked if we needed any Motrin, Tylenol, motion sickness medicine, additional food or drink items that would help, anything at all. He stayed in our room and chatted with Jacob and I and just really made us feel cared about. He said that they would check back in on us a little later to see how Jacob was doing, and to see if we needed anything.

 

Next, our mousekeeping, Doly came into the room to change the couch into a bed and pull down the bunk bed. She also chatted with us, asked if we needed anything to eat, drink, medicine, etc. She was so amazingly attentive and sweet to us! She said that in the future if we want the beds pulled down early, whether it's because someone isn't feeling well, we want a nap, any reason at all, we should just call her. I explained that it really wasn't an issue for him to lay on the couch as a couch at all, but she insisted that we call next time because she wanted him to be more comfortable. She also said she would check in on us later to make sure everything was ok.

 

And y'all. They did. They called and checked back in on us to make sure Jacob was feeling ok and to see if we needed anything. Never in my entire life would I have expected room service or housekeeping to actually call in and check on us. I was really blown away.

 

On top of that, the wait staff also was checking with my family asking if we were ok, if we needed anything, if we wanted dinner from the dining room sent up, etc.

 

I was so in awe at how much all these people cared. I know there are going to be some people who will say "that's just their job" "it's an act" etc but I don't believe it. These people were so thoughtful, so concerned, we felt so loved on. It was incredible. This night alone solidified for me that Disney Cruise Line is forever going to be my favorite, and that the price of the cruise was 100% worth it. Never, ever have I felt like people cared so much about my little boy. All because he wasn't feeling well. It really makes me tear up because they were all so amazingly kind to us.

 

I'm done gushing now, back to the review.

 

I made Jacob take a picture of our formal night dinner with me

 

Sea%205_zpsqngj12ww.jpg

 

He really perked up pretty quick once he had eaten, but we just laid low for the rest of the night and rested in the room.

 

My sister took these pictures of Emily at Tiana's that night

 

sea%209_zps2ihecxoj.jpg

sea%2010_zpsuvtcwwxl.jpg

 

And it turns out that this night was NOT the night that they were serving beignets, so Jacob and I didn't miss out on them after all!

 

Or did we.... dun dun DUN......

 

Everyone went to the show that night and my sister said it made her cry because it was so beautiful, it was the Golden Mickeys. I am sad that I missed it, but there's always next time!

 

Jacob and I laid around the room in sweat pants watching cartoons until everyone came back from the show, and then it was bedtime!

 

Were your beignets missing the powdered sugar as well? I'm bitter. And that stupid alligator never came to our table.

 

You can watch the Golden Mickeys on YouTube. I've never seen it on the ship. I did go to Dreams and sat through Frozen, only because I had odd.

 

Our last night was the first in 9 cruises I've been so sea sick, and I was on 8! I wasn't sure our room person was going to make it through collecting luggage.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I didn't know about the cinnamon filled pretzels! I found out the only have them on sea days. Then our last sea day, they were 'out'. No more, Dh asked later and got the same answer. I only had ONE our second sea day.

 

I ate enough Mickey Bars, cookies and sundaes though. But I'll know for next year.

 

We let our 5 year old have her 1st Mickey bar last week. (She was only two on our last dcl cruise). If you order in mdr it comes with Mickey sprinkles which made it even better. She left most of the chocolate though.

Edited by Gardeneroflove
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Sorry he got so sick! I know you said people were going to say its their job or its an act and I GENUINELY believe they care because I have seen it BUT it is absolutely a part of their watch for Norovirus. I have been quarantined on a ship (Royal) and learned a whole lot about the process and what multiple people are looking for. It's one of the reasons they check on you when missing dinners and such. Doesn't mean they aren't genuinely caring. But yes, cast members are watching for who is sick and why.

 

I was on this cruise with you and the motion was one of the worst I have ever felt. I have only been sick once from motion on a ship and that was on an inside lower deck cabin during a storm the ship was trying to get away from outside Mexico. Not sure what was causing it on this cruise but man it was rocky.

 

I, also, LOVED the hand washing station on this ship. I wish more ships did that.

Edited by Wheeling TravelingMom
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Sorry he got so sick! I know you said people were going to say its their job or its an act and I GENUINELY believe they care because I have seen it BUT it is absolutely a part of their watch for Norovirus. I have been quarantined on a ship (Royal) and learned a whole lot about the process and what multiple people are looking for. It's one of the reasons they check on you when missing dinners and such. Doesn't mean they aren't genuinely caring. But yes, cast members are watching for who is sick and why.

 

I was on this cruise with you and the motion was one of the worst I have ever felt. I have only been sick once from motion on a ship and that was on an inside lower deck cabin during a storm the ship was trying to get away from outside Mexico. Not sure what was causing it on this cruise but man it was rocky.

 

I, also, LOVED the hand washing station on this ship. I wish more ships did that.

 

I honestly hadn't thought of that, but it makes a lot of sense that they would be keeping a watchful eye! It's still nice that they pay such close attention though lol.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

November 27, 2016 - Key West

 

We were woken up again by room service, but this time mom and I hadn't ordered anything. We had a brunch reservation at Palo at 9:45am! I had booked this for my mom as a thank you for taking us on this vacation.

 

Jacob ate his usual chocolate donuts while mom and I got dressed up. We dropped him off at my sister's room, they were going to keep all the kids while we had our brunch.

 

We headed up to deck 10 and walked into the gorgeous restaurant. We were greeted by several staff members, the restaurant was pretty empty so there were plenty of people there to help us out! I can not remember our server's name, but I remember he was very, very nice! He came to our table and asked if we would like a complimentary mimosa or glass of champagne, we both chose mimosas. There were real cut roses in little, square vases on the tables as well.

 

kw%2022_zpsyxzgbgaf.jpg

 

He showed us around the buffet tables, which were extremely elegant looking. He explained we could help ourselves to as much as we would like, and that we could also order as much as we wanted from a menu. There was SO MUCH food there. We tried several things that we never would have otherwise, like caviar, not a fan. But there were croissants, cheeses, meats, pastries, desserts, everything. It was heavenly. On top of the buffet we also ordered the chicken Parmesan that our server suggested, and the waffles with strawberries.

 

The waffles were Mickeys!

 

kw%2018_zpsiaajpczz.jpg

 

Our server told us that the only rule at the buffet tables is that at the dessert table, you can not leave with less than 4 desserts. So we made sure to follow the rules!

 

The plate closest to the camera is mom's. She got a coffee flavored dessert, a raspberry flavored cup of deliciousness, a vanilla yogurt with berries, and what I believe was a lemon meringue? Maybe?

 

On my plate was champagne jello, the one in the martini glass. I seriously need to learn how they made this, it was life changing. There was also a strawberry tart, a brownie with different mix ins, and a sweet pastry with whipped nutella inside.

 

kw%2017_zpsasslfeuq.jpg

 

The whole experience took about an hour and a half, and we were so incredibly stuffed. Personally, I felt like my dress was about to burst open where my belly was. We paid the bill and texted my sister, who said they were out swimming and on the water slide.

 

Mom and I went to the room, changed, and then headed out to deck 9 where I shamelessly ate another pretzel. I had changed into stretchy shorts, I felt like there was more room, don't judge me.

 

The boys were having the time of their life going down the slide over and over again.

 

kw%206_zpsdmzunzd3.jpg

kw%207_zpsqa8aokjs.jpg

 

And my sister had my niece in the pool right by the slide.

 

kw%2019_zpsfleil5k9.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

We had pulled into Key West ahead of schedule so I walked around the deck taking a few pictures.

 

KW%201_zpsffkywwva.jpg

kw%202_zps9kjjscoq.jpg

kw%203_zpsa8shthsf.jpg

 

They made the call over the speakers that we were allowed to go ashore at that time, so I went hunting for my child.

 

Our plan today was to get off the ship, walk to Fort Zachary Taylor State Park and go see the Civil War fort there.

 

This is when I had the most embarrassing time ever as a parent happen.

 

I saw Jacob walking towards me so I handed him his shoes and said that we were able to go ashore now, so we were going to go back to the room so he could change into normal clothes and dry off. Now, I'm going to preface this by saying him staying on the ship was not an option. My niece and nephew had reservations at the Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique for makeovers, and I didn't want to be like "hey, can Jacob hang out with you, because I really want to go see this fort?" and I also couldn't say "ok Jacob, you stay on this ship completely by yourself and I'll see you later, ok?" We had already made it clear that he was going, there was not an option. He was even excited about it just the night before when we talked about the fort having cannons and that there was a nature trail we could walk on (he loves animals).

 

What happened at the moment I told him that we were going ashore was this:

 

He THREW his flip flops on the ground, stomped his feet, yelled that he didn't want to go, and then kicked his flip flops AT ANOTHER PASSENGER.

 

I. Died.

 

Right there on deck 9.

 

I almost lost it.

 

I snatched his arm, and got real close to his ear where I whispered that I was going to spank him in front of everyone if he did not put on his shoes and march his behind to the room right now. He was made to apologize to the person he kicked the shoes at (even though they were walking away and I don't think he heard, but I still made him say it). Then we marched right to the room where I very sternly explained he was acting like a spoiled brat. He was on a Disney cruise. He was excited about the fort and nature trail, but he wanted to keep sliding instead which was not an option. I do not tolerate this behavior, and he never acts like this at home. He was a hair line away from being spanked in the middle of the deck. Had I not been in total shock, he certainly would have.

 

I explained that I 100% understand that it's his vacation and he has things he wants to do. But it was mine and my mom's vacation too, and we wanted to see this fort. He would have the entire rest of the vacation to slide to his hearts content, but right now we were getting off the ship.

 

He calmed down, apologized to both my mom and I, and got dressed.

 

So. If the man that my son kicked his flip flops at by the pizza place on deck 10 of the Disney Wonder is on here: I am so sorry. I am mortified that my child acted like that, and I really hope that it didn't ruin your day or anything. I wish he could write an apology letter or something, seriously.

 

After everything was calmed down and I was breathing normally again, we walked down to deck 1 and exited the ship into Key West.

 

We've been here one other time and we hadn't been really impressed with it. The last time we had walked down to the most southern point and taken pictures, then to a dock that went into the ocean, and then wandered around shopping. It was decent, but nothing we were super thrilled with.

 

This time was the exact opposite. We had GORGEOUS weather, it could not have been any nicer out. Everything was clean, there were a ton of shops open that we wandered in and out of, and it was just really really nice. We realized pretty quickly that while the walk to Ft. Zachary Taylor is doable, it's a long walk, so we ended up getting one of those pedi cabs. The man was nice, and we ended up spending $30 including tip to get there. Yes, it was more than a regular cab was, but we got to feel the breeze, talk to him about the area, and I felt like we got to see more because we were going slower than a car.

 

First time in a pedi cab!

 

kw%205_zpslpea5tak.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Jacob was all smiles at this point, and he was very excited about being in Key West and on our way to a real war fort.

 

When we arrived at the state park, we paid $2 to get in (total! For all 3 of us!) and walked down the road, following the signs that said "concessions" to take us to where we could get some bottled water and find the nature trail. If we ever come back to Key West, I'm bringing our bathing suits here. The water was a beautiful color, and it looked very nice to play in! Since it was November, the water was admittedly a little chilly, but if it was a little warmer you definitely would have found me in the ocean.

 

kw%2028_zpssesge6x1.jpg

kw%2023_zpsjsjtrdzw.jpg

 

We were hungry, surprise surprise, but not super starving. Jacob wasn't hungry at all and just wanted a snack. I didn't want us walking on trails and around a fort hungry so mom and I split a hot dog, we got some waters, Jacob got a cookie, and we split a coke. There weren't any tables available by the concession stand, so we found a nice shaded bench to sit on while we ate.

 

Jacob had asked me to take a picture of the sunglasses he had picked out. He picked them because (his words) "he loves America."

 

kw%2024_zpskxgu0zmp.jpg

 

We found the entrance of the nature trail and began walking. We never actually saw a lot of wild life, but we did see a gigantic lizard that was running through the brush. Somewhere near the end of the trail is the entrance to the Civil War fort.

 

kw%2025_zpsvbvrcco7.jpg

 

I am rather obsessed with history, so this was right up my alley.

 

kw%2029_zpsqrcxxhgl.jpg

kw%2030_zps7q90v1se.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

You enter the fort on the bottom level, and there are stairs so you can walk on the top of the fort walls up top, and on the bottom you can walk through some of the covered areas as well. There are cannons set up, which was by far Jacob's favorite part. There were also rooms that had been restored to look like they did when the fort was built. They had some set up as sleeping quarters, dining areas, school room/church, prison cells and a room that said it was used for court.

 

kw%2027_zpsik0nwxh9.jpg

 

Mom was pretending to be a prisoner

 

kw%2035_zps3jvphwwp.jpg

 

kw%2033_zpsbz0fgmne.jpg

kw%2032_zpsgvx9dkba.jpg

kw%2031_zps81roagts.jpg

kw%2034_zpskeihi7ii.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Please sign in to comment

You will be able to leave a comment after signing in



Sign In Now
 Share

  • Forum Jump
    • Categories
      • Welcome to Cruise Critic
      • New Cruisers
      • Cruise Lines “A – O”
      • Cruise Lines “P – Z”
      • River Cruising
      • ROLL CALLS
      • Digital Photography & Cruise Technology
      • Special Interest Cruising
      • Cruise Discussion Topics
      • UK Cruising
      • Australia & New Zealand Cruisers
      • Canadian Cruisers
      • North American Homeports
      • Ports of Call
      • Cruise Conversations
×
×
  • Create New...