A Fantastic Framily Frolic Far Far Away - COMPLETE (6/23)

That's such a cute excursion idea, especially for the younger kids! How lovely!

Yikes, losing my KTTW card is always a fear of mine lol Glad they were quick to jump into action and retrieve it for you! Wonder what the rigamarole would have been to get back on the ship if it had been lost permanently.:crazy2: Let's not think about that :thumbsup2
 
Day 3 Part 4

On this day last year, we boarded the Dream for our second cruise. I could totally go for being on a ship right now instead of being in the middle of all the flooding here.

Aaaahhhh. That was a lovely nap.

When we woke up, it was definitely time for a shower. This is when I discovered I did not put enough sunscreen on DD's ears. Oops! They were definitely pink.

My dad and I used the late afternoon time to go to the rebooking desk. They were closed when we got there but one of the agents showed up quickly. She did not look pleased to see people waiting. Luckily another agent showed up quickly and was very happy to help us. We had originally planned to book two placeholders but ended up booking actual rooms. We loved the Fantasy, loved our general location, and we knew we loved sea days. So, we booked an Eastern for July 2018!

At this point we headed back to finish getting ready for pirate night since the characters would be out soon.

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Taking pirate lessons from Peter.

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Minnie

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Donald took control of her sword.

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He was very proud.

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Daisy convinced him to give it back though by giving him a smooch.

Next we had dinner at Enchanted Garden. Because this was a Star Wars cruise, it was the regular rotational menu. I had the ahi tuna appetizer (yum,) asparagus soup (meh,) lamb salad (delicious,) and the apple sundae (fine.) The kids went to the clubs between soup and entree.

After dinner, we tried to get up to the early pirate show, but the older girls were moving slow. I think they had gone to see the hypnotist. No big deal.

DD and I went to see more characters. I had a latte.

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That's some serious pirate action!

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The chipmunks were hilarious.

Then it was up to see the fireworks. This was the first time DD had stayed up late enough to see them. It was such a fun evening.

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That's my daughter with my mom. My mom is the best grandma I think a kid could ask for. She's just amazing. Also, she made the skirt DD wore tonight. We got so many compliments. We are sure lucky to have her. :love:
 
Day 4 Part 1

This was Grabd Cayman day. We didn't have anything specific planned here though we thought we might try to go to the Turtle Farm.

I woke up around 7:00. DD was still asleep so my dad came over while I hit the gym. After my workout, I stopped by Cove Cafe and grabbed an apple muffin and a latte. The latte was good, the muffin was mediocre at best and I only ate about half.

When I got back to the room, DD was awake and we worked on getting ready for our character breakfast at 9:00. We'd never done one of those before, and we thought it was very fun.

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I thought it was really fun seeing the classic characters. After breakfast, we saw some characters in the Atrium.

Our interactions with Woody were particularly awesome. He signed the book, then DD signed, then he drew a heart so it said Woody hearts DD. Then she drew a star and he drew a stick figure of himself around the star so it was his sherif badge. He even drew a hat! So amazing.

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Then they checked out the other toys and he pretended to be a dinosaur.

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So much fun.

We also had fun in line. A family in front of us was French. I guess they could have been from any county that speaks French, but they were speaking French every time we saw them. (Isn't it funny how you keep running into the same people?) Abyway, while we waited, DD started singing a Katy Perry song. She doesn't know all the words but she knows the chorus. Well, she tries to get the French girl to play with her, and the dad sings the chorus back! Then he looks at me and says, "I know just a little English but I know that!" It was so funny. :D:D

After characters, we headed up to the pool for swimming and AquaDuck. It became apparent that DD was good with a lazy day on board, so we decided to scrap the turtle farm. We grabbed lunch from Cabanas and headed back to the room. I had some sushi, gnocchi, and seafood salad.

At this point, DD went down for a nap and my mom and I decided to head to shore for a quick visit. The tender process was super easy.

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As we arrived, the Disney folks had tables for directions and hand sanitizer. The line for Carnival was very long. We grabbed a drink at the bar and bought rum cakes at Tortuga. Then we headed back to catch a tender. At this point the Carnival line was outrageous! We couldn't believe how easy it was for us to reboard and the cool towels and flavored waters are always a treat. The return trip was just as easy.

When we got on board, DD was still asleep, so I decided to join in on the nap time fun. :angel:
 
Oh my gosh you are getting some awfully cute character interactions with your DD!! Love the the one with Woody especially!
 


Day 4 Part 2

Well, it's rainy today and Tball was cancelled. Maybe I can get a couple updates in. DD is watching Lilo & Stitch since we are stuck inside.

About an hour later, DD woke up and we hung out just relaxing for a bit. We looked at the Navigator and decided to go see some more characters before dinner. We also grabbed a snack from Vista Cafe. I had a lemon bar that was pretty tasty.

Goofy was playing golf and we watched for a bit.
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The biggest thing we did though was go see Hook. On our first cruise, DD tripped as we were getting on the ship after CC. She skinned her knee and was crying. Hook and Smee were just leaving the ship and they wanted to make her smile. Well, she got kind of scared and started crying more. DH has since made jokes that Hook pushed her. I know he's joking, but DD started taking him seriously. Well, during this time he was out and she said she wanted to see him. I said ok and we got in the VERY short line outside the Walt Disney theater. Once it was our turn, she started to chicken out. I went up to him first and told him the story of what happened. He then walked over to the bench and sat down. They talked for quite a while and by the end DD was sure she had a new best friend. Those characters really are amazing. And the handlers are so wonderful and willing to take things slow when necessary.

Dinner tonight was Prince & Princess. We were in Royal Palace. The napkins were cute and Adrian called them Nike boots. Haha!
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Tonight I had jambalaya for my appetizer, pancetta salad, chicken pita for my entree, and the sweet temptations. I didn't make any notes so I assume everything was ok but nothing was really special. I did order a Golden Slipper cocktail to drink. Now THAT was great.

"Golden Slipper - St Germain, Elderflower, Moët Ice, fresh raspberries, and blackberries"

Before dessert DD was finished so she headed to the club for Pluto's Pajama Party. Mom and I went to look at photos.

After the party, I picked up DD and we headed to bed. To top off a perfect day, we had a surprise in our room.

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You'll notice sailor Goofy in the crew. I had purchased it from the gift shop and had Enrique, our stateroom host, set it out for her. I did this last time too and it was a great thing for her. I'm sure I'll keep doing it.

I know we didn't do a ton on this day, but it was nice to have a break in the middle to just relax. The ship was also noticeably less crowded.

Up next, Jamaica!
 
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Day 5 Part 1

Falmouth, Jamaica

We slept in today. Aaaahhh. For today we had booked a private excursion to do a food tour. It didn't meet until 11:45, so we had some time.

Once we were up, we decided to grab breakfast at Cabanas and get in some pool time. I had eggs Benedict, a piece of sausage, and a croissant. Sheesh, at the time I remember thinking it wasn't so bad because the plates were so huge. The view couldn't be beat.

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I saw our server Adrian working at the omelette station. He was very excited because he would get to see his family today. These folks work so hard. I'm always amazed by the hard choices they have to make.

Then we headed off to the pool. A few other people had a similar idea.

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Seriously though, it was no crowded at all.

We decided to get off the ship at 11:00 to have time to find our way to the meeting spot. The port area was really beautiful and well maintained. We felt very safe.

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We headed to the market and DD picked out a souvenir for my dad to buy her. Of course it was the loudest thing: a xylophone with a carved base. She still loves it but it is so very very loud. Dad and I shared a Red Stripe and we got DD a bag of chips because she was STARVING.

Then it was time to meet the tour.
 


Day 5 Part 2

As I mentioned we booked this tour independently. We used Jamaica Culinary Tours and took the Falmouth Food Tour. Our group was 12 people and we had 2 guides.

Our first stop was at a food stand inside the port area. There we had amazing fruit and sugar cane.

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Here we heard about farming practices and discussed general exports. As we left the port area, we heard the history of the port and how the British had worked to make it a true shipping hub as well as installing water infrastructure.

Our next stop was a vegetable cart outside of the port area.

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Yams are a huge deal in Jamaica and they even have a yam festival. They can grow to be HUGE! We also looked at the scotch bonnet peppers.

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DD became obsessed with the tomatoes. The vendor told her she could take one with her. Well, as soon as we started walking again, she started eating it like an apple!

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That's right, my child who won't eat the tomatoes she grows was just chowing down on the one in Jamaica.

We had stopped in a square that had a beautiful fountain.

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The fountain was a reminder and celebration of their access to clean water.

Our next stop was a patty shop.

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I had no idea what to expect, but it was amazing. Flaky crust filled with spicy meat on coca bread.

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The line was super long but they were expecting us. I cannot explain how delicious this was. Also, here's a picture of DD eating hers.

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Definitely not a small portion! I wasn't sure she'd eat it because it was a little spicy, but she ate almost the whole thing! In fact, she ate more of hers than I did of mine. I swear we feed her.

While we were here, she needed to go to the bathroom. My mom took her and she said it was pretty much just a hole in the ground. DD definitely taken aback by this, but I think it's important that she understands how people in different places live.

Next up we stopped at a coconut stand. We saw coconuts at various stages of development. Then we got to taste coconut jelly and drink a glass of coconut water. That really hit the spot on a hot day!

Next, we had our longest walk and a bit of a history lesson. I'll start that in the next post though because Lilo & Stitch is over and DD doesn't think watching me write a TR is very exciting. :P
 
Day 5 Part 3

School's out for summer! I've got meetings and jury duty, but the grading, curriculum planning, and student meetings are done for now. Plus I got a new job at a school I am SO excited to join. Woohoo!

Ok, so we were starting our longest walk. It still wasn't super long, maybe 15 minutes, but the day was getting hot. We saw the courthouse.

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Then we walked over to one of the oldest churches.

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The church is named after William Knibb, a baptist minister who worked hard to free the slaves in Jamaica. Through his work, the slaves were freed and, once slavery was abolished, they burried their chains here and erected a monument over it.

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Our tour guides did a great job talking about the history of slavery in Jamaica including the fact that not all black people in Jamaica were slaves. There were people who were born free, owned property, etc.

Next up, we went to a restaurant for jerk chicken. The chicken was good but the festival was amazing. Festival is a fried cornmeal dumpling that's a bit sweet. Yum. There was also beer and soda for purchase.

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Our next stop was the home of the owner of the tour company. DD was tired by this point sonour guide gave her a piggy back ride!

The home was a renovated old house and we sat out in the garden eating delicious coconut cookies and drinking fruit infused water. I could kick myself, but I guess I didn't take photos. It's too bad because the setting was amazing. We also learned that coconuts falling from trees is an actual concern in Jamaica. It never would have occurred to me!

The house was right by the port so we walked back and heartily thanked our guides. Once on board, dd and my mom headed straight back to the ship for a nap. My dad and I bought coffee and some Irish liquor then headed back.

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Storm clouds were rolling in.

While dd slept, mom and I delivered FE gifts for SWDAS. We finally woke her up as we pulled away from port. (Notice Pluto on his flying carpet there.)

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Up next, Drawn to Magic night in AP.
 
Day 5 Part 4

The Wonder departs a month from tomorrow. I must get this finished before I go! And pack. Yes pack.

We were back in Animators tonight for the drawing show. This was a first for us, and I was excited. We got to the restaurant and got busy with our drawings.

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I had read that it was important to fill in your drawing as much as possible, so dd and I were very happy to see the results.

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Fun! I had no idea that they also did the animation stuff in the second part of the show. That was my favorite. (I'm not describing it here because I enjoyed the surprise.)

Dinner was ok tonight. The appetizer was good. Someone ordered the soup and I tasted it. Um, not my style. For my entree I ordered the fettuccini and a lobster tail. That was tasty. By far though, the highlight was the lava cake. Mmmmm.

Adrian brought our friend a covered plate at the end of the meal. When she took off the lid, there was a rubber chicken making a clucking noise. It was so funny!!!! Particularly the park where she shrieked in fear before she realized what was happening. :rotfl2:

Then we hit the dance party in the atrium and dd headed to the club for a while.

During that time, I got her SWDAS surprise ready.

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Then I checked out the shops again to grab a gift for DH. I picked up dd in the club and we hung out with Stitch for a while. It was another amazing interaction and, like Woody, there was some note writing. :love:

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We grabbed some ice cream (banana/strawberry for me,) and headed back to the atrium for the "secret show."

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Dd was entertained but a bit worried too.

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The storm troopers almost caught us!

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At this point, she was beat so we went to bed. The pjs were a huge hit!

Up next, SWDAS.
 
Oh my goodness, that photo of your DD with Stitch....oh that just melts my heart :love: How flippin' adorable!!!

Those pj's are super cute! Can't wait to see how you liked SWDay!

Only one month til you are sailing to Alaska!!!:boat: The navigators from the first sailing (May 22-29) have been posted online. I've been soaking up all the info, we are just under the 3 month mark :dancer:
 
Only one month til you are sailing to Alaska!!!:boat:
It's finally starting to feel real! I'm feeling the pressure the get my FE gifts finished. Plus, I got a new job! I'm so relieved to be getting out of the old place, but job hunting takes so much time that I feel behind on getting ready for the trip. You know?

I read the Navigators and I'm psyched to see the Marvel characters. I hope we will be able to meet them all.
 
Following! Great TR so far.

Did you bring sheets for your DDs bed? What size? That's a super cute idea!
 
Following! Great TR so far.

Did you bring sheets for your DDs bed? What size? That's a super cute idea!
The stateroom host provided them. Some of the hosts will do that some times. It's a fun surprise when it happens.
 
Day 5 Addendum

Check it out! My pictures of the house where we ate cookies were on my big camera! Here they are.

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Isn't the house beautiful? This is the view from where we were sitting eating cookies.

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The well in the backyard.

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The tour guides were very clear that the kids shouldn't play underneath the coconut trees.

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I really wish I rememberd what this tree was called. It was so beautiful!

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You could see the ships in port from the backyard.

OK. Next up, a real update for SWDAS!
 
Day 6 Part 1

Today was SWDAS! DD and our traveling friends had been so exited for this day.

We had filled out our form on the first day, and our top 2 requests had been met.

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My parents had requested Trusty Companions and Resistance Base for their top 2. Unfortunately, our traveling companion's daughter had put Chewbacca as her number 1, and they did not get it. She was pretty sad. Because DD was getting her top 2 choices and my parents weren't too tied to anything, we gave our Chewbacca ticket to her.

That morning, I woke up around 7:00 and hit the gym. When I came back, I called room service. They arrived around 8:15 so I woke up DD and we had our typical breakfast.

Next up was Trials of the Temple. We checked in and went to the right side of the theater. DD sat with the kids and we headed down to the front to watch.

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Just FYI- if you go to the right side, you'll fight the Inquisitor. Darth Vader was on the left. DD just thought being on stage and fighting was fun, but if your kid has strong opinions, keep that in mind.

Then we walked around seeing characters.

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C3PO! Why do you have the light saber?

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These guys were the best. They were so funny and they kept saying they were keeping their eye on DD. You know the thing where you point at your eyes and then point at the person? Yeah, they did that. Well, DD said No! I'm watching you! Then she did that to them every time she saw them. They also told her that she was a rebel secret weapon who distracted them with her stories. Hilarious! The guy on the left did have to step away for a minute when he starts laughing at her stories. She kept telling them she knew they were dark side because of their dark clothes. Seriously, we saw those guys several times and it was always funny.

We aslso saw the rebels from the new cartoon, Boba Fett, the purple bounty hunter, imperial guards, storm troopers and others. Unfortunately, we didn't see the Jawas even though we had a few things to trade.

For lunch, went to Cabanas and ate outside. That was so nice! They had curry and falafel. Both were fabulous! I also enjoyed the sushi.

After lunch, we got dd changed and hit the pools for a bit. After swimming, we dropped her off with our friends and my parents and I headed to our Chocolate and Liquor tasting in Ooh La La. I love the classes on DCL. I feel like they are such a good value and I always learn things.

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This time though the teacher was impressed that we knew some things about chocolate. Thank you Cozumel excursion!

Our pairings:
Melted white chocolate and caramel with champagne
Various pieces (dark, milk, white) with red wine (Nocturn)
Parmesan and dark chocolate with port
Melted dark chocolate with scotch whiskey

Our teacher was the somalier from Remy and I really enjoyed learning from him. While he wasn't as "fun" as some other teachers, I really enjoyed the obvious expertise he had to share. This class is one of the more expensive ones due to the high quality drinks, but again, I found it well worth it.

After the tasting, I headed out to get DD. I almost didn't make it.

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She had gone to the First order meeting with our friends and was abuzz about seeing Kylo Ren. At this point, I took her to the room to get a little nap. I wanted her to rest so she could make it through the fireworks later.
 
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Looks like you made a narrow escape :bitelip:

Oh that chocolate and liquor tasting looks divine!! I'm looking for a second tasting (besides Mixology) to do aboard the Wonder this August, so might choose this one!
 
Day 6 Part 1

Today was SWDAS! DD and our traveling friends had been so exited for this day.

We had filled out our form on the first day, and our top 2 requests had been met.

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I assume "Trials of the Temple" is the Jedi Aacdemy like in HS and the others are meet & greets with more popular characters. Does everyone get 2 assignments?
 
Day 6 Part 2

While DD was napping, we got a visit from Guest Services. They brought us popcorn and rice crispy treats to apologize for the fridge not cooling on the first day. They certainly didn't need to do that for such a small thing, but it was very nice.

After DD woke up, we went back out to see a few more characters before dinner. We hung out with our guard friends again too.

Dinner that night was in Animators again. I really do enjoy being there on theme night when we can enjoy the added ambiance.

For dinner I had the Temple salad, Flat bread and two desserts: macarons and carbonite sundae. I love the theme on the desserts.

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See, it's like the Death Star!

Someone else got this one.

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All in all, I thought the Star Wars menu was pretty good.

DD hit the clubs for a bit, and my mom and I checked out the shops. I noticed this new logo on a bunch of stuff. Yuck. I don't like it at all. :crazy2:

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I picked up DD then we swung by the room to get glow jewelry and change.

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The porthole theming continued.

Then we headed up for the deck show. Brrrrr. It was cold! We all wrapped up in towels.

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Before the show started, they did a very nice tribute to Carrie Fisher. The show itself was fun.

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After enjoying the fireworks, we were all tired and I was glad I had told DD to wear her pajamas to the show. They are BB-8 after all! In fact, I put DD in bed and, in the time it took me to take out my contacts, wash my face, and brush my teeth, this had happened.

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I guess she had a good day. :love:

Next up, Casataway Cay.
 

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