We were the first people in line in front of the gate to get into the terminal and though normally I'm the least patient person I know the time waiting for the porter to pick up our bags so we could head into the terminal flew by! The terminal was such a fun and festive place, there was music playing and it was bright and cheerful and after we checked in we hung out and got our pictures taken with Mickey and Goofy. I talked to my parents, grandmother and sister and sent out a few photos from my phone and then I turned the phone off! It was such a weight lifted to know we couldn't be reached, that we didn't have to constantly check our email, we were just free to be together and talk to one another it was probably the highlight of the vacation!
Those who really know me will not be surprised to hear that when it came time to board I had to choke back tears. And of course Disney goes above and beyond making you feel special as you board the ship they announce you and cast members cheer for you, and if that isn't overwhelming enough the atrium is breathtaking! Of course once you enter they point you right to a buffet and you can start eating. Now due to excitement I didn't eat a whole lot at lunch even though everything I did eat was wonderful I was just so much more interested in exploring our home for the next few days. This is where being first and getting on the ship early paid off because while we were wondering from deck to deck it was like having the ship to ourselves! It was the perfect way to start relaxing! Our stateroom was awesome, we had a balcony there too which I would never have been able to sail without and now of course we're completely spoiled. We hit the Sail Away party on deck that afternoon which was so much fun, so much energy! We saw the show that night before heading to dinner but unfortunately it was the one night I felt seasick, not really sick just dizzy like I couldn't focus so aside from the super delicious escargot I didn't really eat much that first night. This lack of eating on the first day may be a contributing factor to why we didn't gain weight on this trip, another factor - my fear of elevators so we took the stairs a lot! Poor Mike I'm sure there was more then one occasion when he wanted to toss me overboard!
Though I could easily go day by day describing our every activity I'll spare you and I'll just point out the highlights! I need not have worried about our table mates at dinner they were all fantastic and all local so hopefully we will all stay in touch. I was not overly impressed with Nassau though we did not stray far from port we went into a few stores but it was kinda like Chinatown and though naturally I found stuff to buy we didn't hang out long. It is not crazy to travel all the way to another country and go to Starbucks! We stayed in Nassau under 2 hours and then headed back to the ship and once again it was like having our own ship and it was heaven! Soft Serve ice cream in paradise tastes ten times better then it does anywhere else! Castaway Cay is the most magical place I've ever been. I'm not one to sit on a beach but this place was heaven! It was like being in a living attraction. We spent 4 hours on Castaway Cay and if I could live there I would! Fireworks in the middle of the ocean to cap off a very fun Pirate Party is spectacular!
One thing we certainly miss now that we're home - being spoiled by everyone on board especially our dining servers. We had the same server team each night for dinner and the last morning for breakfast and they were awesome. They don't blink when you order multiple appetizers, desserts or even entrees, they don't judge when you add ice cream to your dessert, they knew that even when I ordered a cocktail I would want a diet coke as well and they also knew that I loved coffee and made sure I had at least a cup each night! The food was amazing, we never ran out of stuff to do and we are already planning on cruising again!
Now it's back to real life and I'm having a lot of trouble getting back into the swing of things. Partly I think I'm fighting something off because I feel so sleepy all the time but partly I think the better the vacation the more difficult it is to wind down from that vacation. One thing I definitely want to do that will help prolong this experience is start scrapbooking it but with all the pictures we took I'm completely overwhelmed. I have to get down all the stories I want to tell, go through the photos and see what inspires me and I also want to get Mike involved and see what photos he wants to include and what stories he wants to tell. Mike did buy me a beautiful Disney Cruise Line album so I'm on my way!
Well back to real life - More Soon!
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