On Thursday, June 22, 2023 we made our way to Orlando, FL for the Thomas family vacation.
There was lots of iPad time and lots of naps
12ish hours later and we finally made it to All-Star Music Resort at Disney.
Once we got there and got settled into our room, we decided to make our way or tumble our way to the quick service dining hall to grab a bite to eat.
Pizza and chicken tenders for all!
They may drive each other (and me) crazy sometimes but then I see this and my heart wants to burst!
Friday morning we were up early to rope drop Magic Kingdom. This is what happens when you go to bed with your hair wet.
You can't go to Disney without eating Mickey waffles! It's like a rite of passage.
Quick stop for a pic of the fam
I rented dad a scooter prior to our trip because I knew there was no way he was going to be able to walk the park all day. When we got to the park, mom saw the scooter rental place and decided she wanted one too.
And of course there's nothing like Main St. Starbucks coffee. It just hits different!
We rope dropped Seven Dwarfs Mine Train, and then it started pouring down rain. Thank goodness we were under the awning of the ride by the time it started raining.
Next ride was "it's a small world"
"Welcome to the happiest cruise that ever sailed" But is it really? lol
This is Ryan's least favorite ride. He always holds his ears. I don't blame him. That song gets stuck in my head all day long, too. But it's one of those that if the wait is short you HAVE to do it. It's an original.
Dad stole the ears from Liam so we had to get a picture
The boys favorite snacks, churros!
And of course, we had to get a Mickey pretzel
The good ol' (old) Country bear jamboree. This bear is super creepy, but the boys had to have his picture with them.
Our alien popcorn bucket goes with us every time!
Waiting in line to ride Tron. We were the only brave ones to attempt it. Mom and Liam chickened out!
Here we go!
Now this is how you Disney! Scooters and coffee!!!
Buzz Lightyear Space Ranger spin!
Taking a break from all the madness to enjoy the castle.
The barnstormer is in the far corner of the park, but is one of the boys favorite little roller coasters! There have been times where we have been there and there has been no wait so we ride it over and over 3 or 4 times in a row!
We didn't make it to the front of the castle in time for fireworks. Instead, we got caught behind a rope behind the castle but the fireworks were still just as beautiful.
Heading back to the room for the night. These boys were wore out
Some of our favorite PhotoPass pictures from the day...
Saturday morning we woke up, packed up and stopped by McDonald's for breakfast.
We then made our way to the port parking area and waited for our shuttle to take us over to the port
Once we got to the port, we stood in line to get through security.
Once we made it through security, we had to wait on our boarding pass to be called.
Finally, our turn!
We made it on the ship!!!
Our first stop is always the muster drill station. The ship can't leave the port without everyone doing their muster drill so we like to knock that out first thing.
Next, was Camp Ocean orientation. Here the boys got to check out camp and get to know some of the staff.
Our ship was docked right beside a Disney cruise ship. Reid and I took a picture because this is probably the closest we will ever be to a Disney cruise lol
Everyone getting comfortable in there spots while we figure out what to do next
Our stateroom
The Sailaway party on the Lido deck
Sunday morning we woke up to a day at sea. The night before we always put in our daily room service order of fruit muffins, and coffee. One of our favorite things to do is sit out on the balcony first thing in the morning and have our coffee to get our day started.
Sleepyhead
Dad got up early and got us seats on the upper deck.
Guy's burgers are the best!!!
We spent the day lounging, walking around the cruise ship, checking out the shops and just learning our way around the ship.
I took Liam down to the build a bear workshop. He was the only one who wanted to participate.
He chose a shark and named him Freedom after the cruise ship
For dinner, we ate at the buffet and then the boys went to camp ocean while all the adults went to the casino.
The moon over the water is so beautiful!
Monday morning we woke up in Grand Turk. My parents decided to stay on the ship.
Once we got off the ship, we walked through the port and headed to find the area to rent golf carts. It was a little sketchy there for a minute.
Once we got our golf cart, we made our way to the farthest end of the island. Our plan was to start there and work our way back to the port, stopping at places along the way.
There are lots of wild donkeys there. Grand Turk was once a large export of salt and the donkeys were brought on the island to transport the loads of salt. Now they just roam free.
Made it to the Grand Turk Historic Lighthouse
There they had the Lazy Donkey Bar where we had a frozen drink called a "Donkey Punch" and an meat patty.
There were also lots of wild dogs who beg for head scratches and meat patty crumbs.
Chilling in the shade. It was soooo hot there!
On our way out there was a man who had carrots for sale to feed the donkeys.
Kane being chased by a donkey! Haha!
This was one of the abandoned Grand Turk Salinas, where they used to harvest salt.
Grand Turk no longer exports salt and any harvesting is used for boutique purposes on the island only.
The views here were absolutely breathtaking
We stopped at a couple stores to look for souvenirs.
Then we found a beautiful secluded area of beach. I have NEVER seen water this clear.
Due to the high salt content in the ocean water there the buoyancy makes it easier to float on top of the water.
For lunch, we found this food truck that had some of the best Caribbean food.
The boys scarfed down Jerk Chicken and Oxtails and then wanted more!
Stopped for a touristy picture :)
After filling up the golf cart with gas we turned it back in and then made our way back to port.
Again, they totally love each other!
Before we got back on the ship, we stopped at Margaritaville and let the boys get in the ocean one more time....
While mom and dad enjoyed a margarita
Once we got back on the ship, the boys got in the pool for a little bit...
And I just watched.
After we had enough more than enough sun, we went back to the room to take showers to get ready for dinner. When we got there we found a towel shark eating Freedom for dinner!
Waiting on their turn for the shower.
Enjoying the sunset!
Our dinner time this cruise was a late dining time at 8:15pm. So while waiting on our time to eat, we stopped by one of the live games and watched them play Deal or No Deal.
We finally made it to dinner, but the boys were most excited about the banana splits than anything else!
After dinner, mom, dad and Ryan went to the casino while I took Liam to watch a movie on the Lido deck. You can see he didn't make it very long. The twins found some friends and played ping-pong and pool at the game area
Tuesday morning was another day at sea. While the boys slept in, I went down to the coffee shop on deck 5 to get an iced white chocolate mocha. It's definitely not Starbucks but it's more my style. I sat in one of the window seats and caught up on blogging our vacation so far and enjoyed the view ... and a little piece and quiet time.
Working on my daily sudoku puzzle which is one of my favorite things to do on the ship.
After everyone ate breakfast, we went to the pool and watched them carve a block of ice into a swan.
The boys made lots of friends and spent lots of time going down the water slides with them.
Liam begged for some crab legs
and I didn't complain about it!
All the ice cream the kid could wish for!
When we went back to the room to take our showers, we found a towel monkey hanging from the ceiling.
Another gorgeous sunset.
Cruise sleep can be some of the best sleep. Liam stayed in my parents room so that there would be enough room for everyone. If all 5 of us slept in a room we would have to get a suite, so splitting them up is more cost efficient lol
Wednesday morning we woke up in Bimini, Bahamas. Mom decided to venture out with us while dad decided to stay on the ship. He just can’t handle all the walking and he's too stubborn to get a scooter or wheelchair.
We rented another golf cart and had an option to go left or right on the island due to the port being in the middle of the island. We were told one side was nicer than the other side. Coming out of the port we turned to the right and quickly realized we were going the wrong way so we turned around and went the opposite direction. We kind of had the same idea as we did in Grand Turk. We drove to the far end of the island and made our way back to the port.
At the far end of the island there was a huge reef with beautiful clear water.
We found conch shells!!!
We even had a visit from a family of stingrays!!
For lunch, we stopped at a place called Big John’s. After, we drove on back to the port as there wasn’t a whole lot else to see or do that we came across.
Once we got back to the ship, everyone showered and went to dinner. The waiters dance and sing in the during dinner. It's such a fun experience!
Our waiter, Luis.
Thursday morning we woke up back at Port Canaveral meaning it was the end of our trip. :(
Someone wasn’t too happy about that.
When we got back to the van we found our rearview mirror had fallen off of the window. We had to find a part store to buy more adhesive so that we could put it back up and finish out our trip home.
Headed back home from an amazing trip. Cruising has become one of our favorite things to do. There’s always something for everyone and you’re always entertained. Visiting all the beautiful places is something most people never get to do in their lifetime and I’m thankful we are able to give the boys these adventures.
