Island Dreaming

Okay, last day of trip posts, I promise!

On our second day on the cruise, the ship’s port of call was in Nassau, Bahamas. We didn’t end up getting off the ship for a couple reasons. The first was that I spent a large portion of the day in conference sessions. The second is that we knew we’d get off the ship the next day on Disney’s island, Castaway Cay, so we decided to use our free time to enjoy what the ship had to offer.

While I was in sessions, the kids had a blast in the kids’ club. Because I’m the best wife ever, I booked Mike a massage in the ship’s spa. It also included some kind of seaweed wrap and some time floating in a heated water-bed-type thingy. He said it was awesome. Not gonna lie, I was jealous.

During a conference break, I did get a peek out at Nassau. It was gorgeous.

After finishing the conference, I picked up the kids at the club and we hit up the pool deck. The deck had two kids’ pools, two water slides, and a splash pad area (plus some adult-only pools, too). It also had a giant movie screen that played Disney movies all day.

I had to sit through Descendants 2. It was…an experience.

When we were done at the pool, we returned to our room to a reminder that it was Pirate Night on the ship!

Our room host had left chocolate coins, pirate bandanas, and pirate hats for us on our bed. The kids, however, had come prepared. And by that I mean I’d packed them some costumes.

The cast members on the ship put on a huge “Pirates in the Caribbean” show on the pool deck, which included fireworks over the ocean.

Post-fireworks, James and Mike went back to the room and I stayed with Annie on the pool deck for the pirate dance party. While she was dancing, I spotted two of the stars from one of Annie’s favorite shows, Bizaardvark.

They were so sweet to Annie and the other kids who saw them.

The next morning, I woke up at the crack of dawn to participate in the Castaway Cay 5K. Yes, a race. A running race! No, I don’t run! No, I haven’t worked out in years! Yes, I had many regrets!

However, most of my regrets melted away when I got off the ship and took in the beauty of Disney’s private Bahamian island. The runners got to disembark before the rest of the passengers, so we got a preview of the island before everyone else.

The Castaway Cay 5K isn’t an “official” race in that they don’t track each runner’s time and all of that. Some people walk it, some people run, and some do a combination of the two. I was firmly in the combination group.

The heat wasn’t bad, at least not for me, but the humidity was gross. By the time I got to the halfway point of the race I was like, oh look, a trash can for me to barf in.

Let the record show that I did NOT barf, thank you very much. I was so, soooo happy when it was over and they put the medal around my neck.

Why are there no pictures of me running, you ask? Oh, because Mike thought it would take me “a lot longer” to finish the race so he and the kids missed me at the finish line. Don’t underestimate me, Spohr.

You bet your bippy I wore that medal all day.

The island is exactly what you’d expect from a Disney island in the Bahamas – it’s beautiful, there’s a ton to do, and the service is fantastic.

We rented bicycles and rode everywhere we could. We especially loved the views from the lookout tower.

Leaving Castaway Cay was hard, especially since that meant we were on our way back to the mainland.

Some other things that were really great about the cruise:

~The service. Disney service is first-class, and they want everyone to be happy. One night at dinner there was a little boy at the next table who didn’t eat much of his meal, so the chef came out to ask if he could make him something else. The parents hadn’t requested this, the dining staff just took it upon themselves.

~We did the “fish extender” gift exchange with some of the other families at the conference. I gave out Mickey ear necklaces, DIY ear kits, and other little trinkets to the people in our groups. Annie and James loved getting little gifts left at our door.

~The shows on the ship were amazing. We especially loved the performance of Beauty and the Beast. I’ve seen the Broadway version several times and the cruise show is on-par.

~There’s a movie theater on the ship, too! Mike and I saw Black Panther while the kids were in the club. So, so awesome.

~Mike and I participated in trivia every night with our friends Sunny and Kevin and we DOMINATED, thank you very much. We won three of the four contests we participated in. Trivia is my jam.

~The little touches around the ship were so great. The kids and I were especially fond of the Disney Sand Castles.

I would for SURE go on another Disney Cruise, although I think I’d opt for one that’s longer than three days. I didn’t feel like we took advantage of even a quarter of the activities that the ship had to offer, let alone the port excursions.

And now, as you know, we are back to regular life…and we’ve been ping-ponging illnesses back and forth between the four of us. Take me back…back to the beach!