friend!!!!  I have a question for you today —  does it sound glorious to finish Christmas and NOT feel like you were hit by a bus?  then a Disney cruise might be just the solution for you next year!  when we set sail December 21st, we were D O N E with all the crazy that can come with the holiday season.  DONE.  I deleted all the apps off my phone, took off my wifi, and let the Carribean sea and my family fill my soul for 6 days.

it was glorious.

I highly recommend it! 

I’m going to share our list of “favorites”, some tips, and even a amazon list of all the things I ordered to bring with us! 

We spent the holiday onboard the Disney Wonder (our of Galveston, Texas) with our family on my husbands side: his mom, sister + her husband and their two kids, and us 5!  It was such a sweet gift to get to BE together over Christmas, and while it was still fresh, I wanted to come share some of our favorites of the trip and some tips for anyone who may find themselves on a Disney cruise in the future.

everyone keeps asking me, “is it worth it?!”  and my short answer is YES!  yall, I did not really want to go.  I “do not like cruises” (hadn’t been on one in almost 20 years) and I get motion sick real bad.  I was nervous (so I loaded up on sea bands, motion patches, and peppermint essential oil )

(amazon list here)

Hands down my favorite part of our week on the Disney wonder was being unplugged from this device 📱 and 💯 plugged into these people. a truly magical Christmas indeed.

our route:

Galveston > Cozemel, Mexico > Grand Cayman Islands

Sail away party

this was so fun!!!  as we were “sailing away” to sea, we had a massive dance party on the top of the ship with Mickey + the gang!  the big kids went on stage to dance, the adults had a yummy drink and we turned off our phones and said GOODBYE TO REALITY!  oh it was glorious.

Palo adult dinner

this was one of the HIGHLIGHTS of the trip.  Palo is an “adults only” restaurant on the ship that you make reservations for and can eat at once (maybe twice).  we got there as the sun was going down, and dined on traditional Italian food.  oh my gosh the smell was heavenly, wine was flowing, company was great.  so nice to get dressed up and have a few hours away from the loud kids hahaha

Senses spa/ adult morning

well, I didn’t get a picture of the actual spa but it’s ON BOARD and it’s amazing.  you have to be 18 to go, so it’s quiet.  (are you sensing a theme of my favorite things?!haha.)  I’m SOOOO glad Stephen and I picked a morning to have time just us two.  coffee, worship and reading while looking out at the ocean, a couples massage, followed by pool drinks and hot tub in “the cove” was just what we needed at the end of a trip. highly recommend this!!!  

Shows

the 3 shows on board were SO MUCH FUN!  live broadway like shows that were fun for the whole family.  Rivers loooooved Frozen, I loved disney dream, and we all loved the one from the first night.  popcorn helped everyone stay in their seats.  truly magical, and all the feels!

Promomade lounge before /after dinner

think family friendly lounge with a bar! ha.  each night there was a fun singer or piano player making it  fun for the whole family.  they also had games out you could borrow, and drinks for the parents. #score.  my new favorite: Moet + chandon ice.  it’s basically champagne on ice in a bit wine glass with orange peel.  so refreshing and good.  some of my favorite memories of the trip were watching the kids dance and be free here!

Cozumel excursion

this wasn’t my favorite of the trip, but it was certainly fun to get off the ship, explore a new place, drink margaritas, and watch the kids play with dolphins – we won’t soon forget it!

The cove

yes, I’ve mentioned this before but the “adults only” area on the ship was MY FAVORITE.  especially a coffee shop on board?!?!! um yes please!  to know me is to know I love my lattes.  so I found myself a few mornings (ok every morning) getting my vanilla almond milk latte in peace.  it was glorious.  and let’s talk about the foam! every morning was something creative and fun.

pirate night!

I love Disney so much.  they truly do such a great job of making MAGIC for the whole family.  since we were IN the caribbean, we had to be PIRATES!  I got glow sticks for all the kids, pirate headbands for the girls, accessories for all, bandanas, and the cutest outfit for our littlest pirate all on amazon….. I wish I would have thought about this earlier to plan more, but it worked out and everyone had a blast dressing up! fireworks and dance party on the top of the ship can’t be beat.

Kids club

the big kids LOOOOOOVED the kids club!!!  for ages 3-12, you can drop them off anytime to play until their hearts content.  the first night they asked us to come back later they were having so much fun.  we also loved the “open houses” so we could take little sis along.  but our biggest tip: order their dinner first and then let them go play while you finish eating (and having dessert!) in peace.  genius!

Cayman excursion

OUR FAVORITE!  the cayman islands is one of our favorite places on earth.  we go about once every 18 months or so, and can never ever get enough.  it’s the reason I’m pretty sure Martha picked this cruise route.  was such a great break from the activity to just GO and BE and sit on our favorite beach for a few hours.  sunshine and sand is medicine for the soul!

Bippity bobbity boutique

Asher said this was her FAVORITE part of the trip!  getting all fancied up as queen elsa was quite the experience for her and I.  a sweet morning, and my favorite was seeing her face light up when she saw her siblings and cousins!

Room service

here’s our cozy room!  and a reminder that YOU NEED TO GET ROOM SERVICE! ha.  it’s already included (minus a few things), so just tip your person and you are good.  we loved doing this on mornings where someone just wasn’t feeling breakfast, or  we just needed an afternoon snack.  one of my favorite things of the trip for sure!  I should also mention that there are a multitude of Disney movies on a LOOP on your tv.  something for everyone!

Cadillac lounge

my friend Jenna told me, “send the kids to kids club after dinner and go get a cocktail at cadillac lounge”!  she was right.  fun adult only time with a piano man, good drinks, and adult convo! SO WORTH IT! and such a perk to this kind of trip.  

Free ice cream

who doesn’t love free ice cream?!?!  kids sure loved it!

ok so how about a few tips?!??!

✨ok first, there is an amazing app that you need to download BEFORE you leave port, it will help tell you all the things and you can communicate with your people w/o having cell service.  #gamechanger  it’s called the navigator.

✨second, I would recommend having the YOUNGEST member of your party be 3 years old and potty trained.  there is a nursery on board for children under 3 (which Rivers hung out in and was GREAT!) but it’s $9/hour and you have to make a reservation.  hardest part of that is reservation because they fill up, and you can’t be as spontaneous.  BUT with saying that we did have some really special moments with JUST HER. so I do not regret it at all, but I think next time we go, she’ll be 3+!

✨the day you get on the ship, make your RESERVATIONS!  Palo, the spa, the nursery.  they fill up! also set a morning or afternoon for some mommy and daddy time!

✨pirate outfits, glow sticks, lanyards ( you keep your room key in them at all times) magnets for decorating your cabin door…..all things to amazon prime!  oh and I also wore a fanny pack!  because I wanted to have my phone, lip gloss, etc with me at all times!

✨don’t forget to pack: a pair of jeans (wish I would have), trash bag for wet suits coming home, ziplocks, christmas jammies if you are going at Christmas!, WINE – each adult can pack 2 bottles in your carry on then you can bring to dinner and pay a small uncorking fee.  also bring cash for tipping your AMAZING servers at the end (you will get to know their stories and it’s so life giving!)

✨when you are getting ON the ship, take a video because they “announce” your whole family and it’s so cute.  then when you are getting OFF I highly suggest express checking your luggage!

✨bring a book!  relax! unplug! enjoy your vacation!!!!!

until next time, Disney!!!

have you been on a Disney cruise?  or wanting to go on one?  I’d love to hear from you!