We were aboard the Disney Magic on a Four-Night Bahama Cruise (with our friends, the Shulls) so our last night came too soon! WAAAHHH!! However, it ended up being the perfect getaway. We had all weekend long to recoop (and get caught back up on the laundry situation).
Our final day was a day spent at sea traveling back to Florida. We had BIG plans and appointments scheduled.
First one…MEETING some PRINCESSES!! Oops! I caught Smith looking happy to see them. ha!
First up was Rapunzel.
Let’s all take a minute and look at Ashby’s pose. That girl worked her for the full four nights.
Bowen is just like me. In a situation where he’s nervous, he starts chatting and he did that very same thing with Belle. I’m not sure what question he asked but he was nervous talking! #hegetsitfromhismama
The princesses were all so sweet and they all talked in the highest voice.
Nixon looks as though he’s almost over it. haha!
We had a bit of time before we had reservations to meet the Frozen characters so we let the kids go shopping. We’d been promising souvenirs on the last day of the trip and Mrs. Shay had promised some special prizes for some random things…most well-behaved and I can’t even remember the other one.
Mrs. Shay had promised there would not be a big six-way tie. But she never said there couldn’t be two three-way ties. haha! Everyone got a special treat. Thank you, Mrs. Shay!
The boys tied and so did the girls!
Then it was FROZEN TIME!
They had a dining room all set up like Arendelle.
The sisters invited them up to the North Mountain to visit and I think at this point our kids were all so confused. hahahaha!
We all tried to get Ashby to sing, “Let it Go” for Elsa, but she wasn’t having it. Peer pressure isn’t her thing. #shecanstandthepressure
I must note that right before the next character picture Bowen asked, “When can we go on a vacation without characters?”. HA! He got lucky. With six kids, he never had to stand too close!
We wrapped up our quick pics with Olaf and made a beeline for the POOL!
My view on the last day…not too shabby, huh?
The big kids were old enough to stay together and go ride the water slide and then come right back. They LOVED the little extra bit of freedom (and we did too)!
We’d heard there was an Island Dance Party so we headed in just to check it out. It did NOT disappoint. Several characters were there and they switched locations so our kiddos got to dance with all them all!
At this point, Ebby Lee had stripped her cover-up because she was sweating and Shay and I were….
SHOCKED that this dance party was so much fun! #iwassweatingtoo #apparentlyiwasshakingmygroovethingtoomuch
Remember back to the recent school dance? Nix is a little unsure what to do. In the middle of this dance party, I look over and Nix is trying to be funny. He just wanted to stop dancing. haha!
After the dance party, the kids spent a little more time at the pool before going to kid’s club for just about an hour before we had to start getting ready.
We had an appointment at the Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique! Every little girl’s dream, right?! Ebby Lee was so excited about a new hair style, make-up, AND nail polish.
While the girls were getting our makeover on…
the boys headed to the theater to watch the new movie, Zootopia. The theater was crazy crowded so apparently when you get really sleepy you lay yourself down on the ground for a nap.
Slaughter Family on our last night.
Our dinner the last night was delish! (and so were all the dinners) The last night the french onion soup was my favorite!
We needed a picture of all the pretty princesses….
and the boys. Sigh.
#mamatried
All he needed was a Mickey statue to remember how to smile. 🙂
Our row for the night
The final show was titled, “Disney Dreams” and it highlighted a variety of Disney characters. Let me tell you….Ebby Lee was a BIG fan! Imagine just Ariel out on stage singing a song and then you hear ONE LITTLE CLAP. Wanna guess who that was? Ebby LEE!! She was so excited she couldn’t control it apparently. hahaha!
Words can’t even express how much fun we had on this vacation! The cruise was fabulous, the ports couldn’t have been more fun, the food was delicious, and we made memories with some besties that will last a lifetime. I could seriously go on and on!! AWESOME vacation!!
Thank you, Shull Family, for being some amazing traveling partners!! We love you guys and had the BEST time! XOXO
The next morning we had breakfast and then went our separate ways because were were both going home different ways. We had a late flight out of Tampa, so we made the most of the extra time by stopping at Disney Springs (formerly Downtown Disney) for lunch and to see a few sights.
The things people can make out of legos AMAZE me and apparently it amazes them too. 🙂
We had a YUMMY lunch at T-Rex Cafe and took in ALL those dinosaurs!
And just for fun, the last time we were at T-Rex look at how little they were…
AAHH!!! Bowen was a BABY! Forgive me, I think I’m saying, “OOHH”, because the dinosaurs were moving.
Nixon was in dog/Lego heaven with that combo. 🙂
We made the most of our couple hours in Disney Springs.
Then we headed to Tampa. We stopped off at a park to see the beach, but I’m pretty sure this area was the setting of the last Dateline we watched so we didn’t stay long. Totally kidding!
These three were great little traveling companions!
We bumped into a family friend at the airport. WHAT are the odds?? Mrs. Brenda was on our flight!
The boys look pretty content on that flight home, huh? hahaha!
Tab was so sweet and bumped Ebby Lee and I up to first class! WAHOO!! We lived it up and by lived it up I mean ate our weight in mixed nuts and warm chocolate chip cookies! And did I mention when we landed it was 9:45? We were exhausted and ready for our own beds!
We asked our kids their very favorite part of this vacation and the responses…
Ebby Lee-Pirate Night!
Nixon-Crazy River at Atlantis
Bowen-Atlantis
I’m telling you we had the BEST time and made memories for a lifetime!
In case you missed the other recaps…
Don’t forget to hop over to Shay’s blog to check out her final day of paradise as well!
And if you’re thinking about a Disney World or Disney Cruise vacation, please contact us. We’d love to help plan your vacation! You can e-mail Shay at mixandmatchtravelagency@yahoo.com.
Also, if you have any cruise-related questions I didn’t address, please ask away and I’ll make sure to answer. Happy Thursday! See you tomorrow for some Friday Favorites!
