Between Facebook and Instagram I can get a bit of anxiety when I see everyone taking fun family vacations repeatedly throughout the year. I get extra jealous when I see the many Disneyland trips people take. We used to go to Disneyland quite frequently but decided a few years ago that if we cut down on our smaller vacations and saved up for bigger ones that we could do some more extravagant vacations with the family. We have our vacation jar that we put money in all year to save up to take one big vacations and since we went on a Disney Cruise last year we were saving up to take the kids to the Disney resort in Hawaii this December. Then, Disney released a price on a Caribbean cruise that we really couldn't pass up. The cruise sailed out of Galveston, Texas and we considered driving to save on airfare. We put the trip in to the GPS and it said it would be 26 hours. That didn't include potty stops, or eating, or rest for the weary drivers for that matter so we opted to fly. We had enough sky miles to send Bailey with the Edwards family who was flying on Delta so she took a separate flight than we did and go to fly directly out of St. George. Mat and I drove the boys and Peyton to Las Vegas and met them in Galveston the morning of the cruise. What we didn't tell the kids was that the transportation that we had waiting for them at the airport was a stretched SUV Limousine. They've done their share of walking on vacation to avoid the cost of transportation and they've riden on their fair share of suspect buses when we've been out of the country so they easily believed us when we said we had an hour drive to the cruise port and they'd be sitting by chickens. They were certainly pumped for our trip when they saw the limo parked outside for us.
It was surprisingly chilly in Galveston and I was quite worried we'd be freezing the entire trip since I only brought shorts. It was the week of Halloween and it was still fairly warm In Santa Clara so I figured it would be HOT in Galveston. What I didn't realize until a few days in to the cruise when I turned on the tv in our room and watched the news was that New York was hit by a hurricane and was flooding and a mess. Here we were just thinking...hmmmm...it's a little bit choppy water but not bad.
When we ported in Grand Cayman (our first stop) the weather was heavenly. The water was choppy which made for a trickier time snorkeling but every other port was calm and WARM!
In Grand Cayman we rode out to swim with the stingrays. I realized my kids get their timidness from their momma. I'm not a huge fan of fish to say the least and made it into the water but once the stingrays swam towards me I decided I just needed to cling to the ladder by the boat. Not the best example for timid children. Bailey did swim quite a bit with them and kissed the stingrays for good luck.
We stopped in Costa Maya and Cozumel as well on the trip. In Costa Maya we went to a private resort and the kids got their fill of swimming, kayaking, and finding conch shells. I spent most of the time there getting a massage on the beach. Not a bad day.
In Cozumel we shopped for half of the day and spent the other half at another private resort. THe resort had water trampolines and slides galore. As well as a large swimming pool that was perfect for the little girls. The kids said that was their favorite part of the trip. The boys were amazed at how clear the water was every where. This was their first time to the Caribbean and they were loving it.
Halloween fell midweek of our trip so the boys filled their sacks before breakfast trick or treating to the different shops on board and I don't think the girls even ventured out in their costumes other than to dinner. Still fun to get to spend another holiday on a cruise ship.
Of course the staff of the cruise ship was AMAZING and my kids were overjoyed with all of the things the ship provides. Peyton once again loved the kids club. Bailey spent a little more time hanging around mom and dad which I have to admit was pretty nice. We weren't nearly as crazy as we were on the last cruise. We had one other family with us and since we'd already experienced much of the Disney cruise magic we spent more time relaxing, playing shuffle board, and just enjoying our vacation for the year.
I will admit, I'm ready to take my kids back to Disneyland and I really hope it will be soon. However, next trip will only include Mat and I.
