We went on the most wonderful, fabulous vacation EVER in mid-January. (I know, it's July.) It was an eight-night Bahamian cruise on the Disney Magic out of Galveston, Texas. Never having been on a cruise, we were skeptical - I mean, trapped on a boat? When we're both susceptible to motion sickness. With our kids? For eight nights? Twenty-four seven? Are you kidding me? But the parents of our kids' classmate was telling us all about it at a holiday party in December, and seeming too good to be true, we booked anyway.
And boy are we ever glad we did.
The highlights: All inclusive. Kids sailed free (January through March). More activities than you could possibly have time for with no obligation to do any of them. Characters everywhere.
Fresh fruit!
A Pirate night!
Upscale, no-kids restaurant on board (the brunch was divine); A spa on board. Incredible Broadway-quality shows/entertainment (and I just saw a handful of Broadway shows in December so I know what I'm talking about!)
Smiling, kind staff. Everywhere. All of them.
KIDS CLUB!!!!! (read: free babysitting. 9am to midnight. And if they're in there during a meal, THEY'LL FEED THEM!!
Castaway Cay, Disney's private island, was awesome. And included a Kids Club onshore:
which meant Jennifer and I got to steal away for two hours for an adult beverage and an adult beach. Yes, please!
We also had a chance to dress up. There was a semi-formal night and a formal night. And how cute did they look?!
I wish more people would have adhered to the dress code for those evenings. Far too many parents allowed their children and teens to wear shorts and sideways ball caps to these evenings. Or any evening. Even when the dining room rules asked that no shorts or tanks be worn.
Other than that, though, the cruise was quite casual.
The wait staff had our drinks and the kids' food at your table almost as soon as you sat down. And did I mention Kids Club?! Kids Club staff would come whisk your kids away around the time your entree came (at the late seating) and take them to Kids Club so you could enjoy the rest of your dinner. Seriously.
Dark rooms perfect for napping and sleeping.
Decks perfect for journaling
We had a day at DISNEY WORLD!
And a night
I'll post our packing list (I think it was a pretty good one, with some revisions) and tips later. Oh, if we could do this again, I absolutely would. Both Jennifer and I admit that it is the best vacation we've ever taken - with or without kids. The Disney cruise was the perfect balance of family time, couple time knowing the kids were well cared for (and having so much fun they didn't want to leave Kid's Club), and alone time.
Highly, highly, highly, highly, highly recommend!