Catamaran from Mykonos

Mykonos was today’s port stop. We met at 8:30 in the atrium with our towels and swimsuits in hand and headed off the ship. Once again the gangplank was on Deck 1 (on our last cruise, the gangplank changed decks at nearly every port). We found our transportation and we were off across the island of Mykonos. The island is mostly barren with very little vegetation and every building is made of white concrete. Mykonos is known as the island of wind and it was very windy! It’s also the party island of Greece!

Today’s adventure is a catamaran ride. We got to the dock and the boat’s dingy made several trips to shuttle us across from the dock to where the catamaran was moored. Dad was a little suspicious when he had to take his shoes and socks off before boarding the dingy but he powered through. We got a brief safety talk from the captain and then we were off. We all started the journey sitting in the back and one of the crew, George, pointed out various landmarks and party spots and places celebrities liked to hang out. Many of the harbors we toured had massive yachts moored in them which was really neat to ogle as we sailed past.

After a brief tour, we dropped anchor at our first swimming spot. Matt and Mackenzie were the first to jump in and tricked the rest of us into thinking the water was warm! The kids are not used to ocean swimming at all and quickly learned how to swim without getting mouthfuls of salt water. The dads and kids all swam and the moms curiously opted to stay nice and warm on the boat.

Liam did a bit of snorkeling and saw a lot of neat fish below us. The water was crystal clear and a beautiful shade of blue. Then it was back on the boat to our next swim spot. This time most of the kids sat up front while we traveled and enjoyed catamaran life.

At our next swim stop, the kids also got out the paddle board and sea kayak. It was a little less windy here but we still tied both of them to the boat just in case. The kids swam for a while, some adults napped and we all enjoyed the boat and the ocean. Even Dad got in the sea kayak!

While we were swimming, George went to work preparing lunch for us. Eventually it was time for us to come out of the water and eat lunch. The tuna salad on crackers was a delicious appetizer. We also had Greek salad and shrimp and spaghetti for the main course with a delicious no bake chocolate dessert. Dad has surprised everyone by really enjoying the Greek cuisine!

As the kids finished up their lunch most of them opted to get back into the water.  I had completely dried off and was just enjoying my time when the captain pointed to an oar from the paddle board floating away after Odin got distracted. So back into the chilly waters I went to swim after it. Whitaker also wanted to go back in so I stayed with him.

The kids fed some of the leftover spaghetti to the fish and then it was sadly time to head back to the dock. On the way home, they opened the main sail to go a little faster and we cruised right along.

Once we found our mooring in the harbor, we took a few more pictures on the boat and then they shuttled us back to the pier. Unfortunately Kayla’s hat blew off as she boarded the dingy but George was there to save the day and retrieve it from the bottom of the sea. The crew and experience on the catamaran was outstanding!

Our transportation met us at the pier and we had them stop on the way back to the Fantasy so we could do a quick walk to town to Mykonos‘s famous windmills. We passed a variety of shops and while the windmills weren’t the most exciting thing to see, the walk was nice. Then it was back to the ship.

Once aboard, Liam quickly changed to go take pictures with Lillian and Sydney. Odin wanted an ice cream cone so he and I headed to the pool deck. While we were up there, we noticed the line for the AquaDuck was pretty short so we finished our cones and hopped in line with Peter and Griffin. We rode it twice and then it was time to get ready for dinner.

Tonight’s big show is Frozen in the Walt Disney Theater. Kayla and family opted to skip dinner and to go to the early performance so rather than stay up for the 8:45 show. The rest of us met in Enchanted Garden and all ate at one table. The dinner wasn’t our favorite but we made up for it with ordering lots and lots of desserts - Peter and Arin had 5 between them! Before we left, Mickey, Donald and Pluto came through for a quick song and dance. Our table was right on the path so the kids were able to high-five the characters as they ran through.

After dinner we took a few pictures with Pluto and Belle, met up with Droese family and then played some shuffleboard before it was time to go to the theater.

Frozen was spectacular! They used puppets to portray young Anna and Elsa as well as Olaf and Sven. Elsa’s rendition of Let It Go was spectacular and Olaf was hilarious. We had great seats for when it “snowed” inside the theater and everyone seemed to really enjoy it!

We made our way back to the atrium where the band was playing 90s hits and Tiana was dancing with everyone but the kids were really sleepy so we made our way back up to our room.

Tomorrow is a sea day and we gain an hour back to Rome time so hopefully everyone sleeps in! What a spectacular day in Mykonos!!