First day at sea

Our morning started with some pastries and donuts on our veranda as the kids woke up. Today is an at sea day as we make our way to Greece which results in a time change. Time moved forward an hour so everyone was a little slow this morning. Liam, Whitaker, and I joined Grandma and Grandpa in the Royal Court for the seated breakfast. Liam chose a Mickey Waffle and Whitaker opted for chocolate chip pancakes. Both kids were more interested in interacting with our server team and looking out the window than actually eating breakfast. Eventually Whitaker decided to go back to the room and Odin joined us finishing up Whit’s pancakes.

Just outside of Royal Court restaurant was the Royal Gathering. We had a 9:30 appointment to meet four of the princesses on the ship. After waiting a while for Peter’s family, we realized they likely forgot to change their clocks and we went on without them. Ainsley wore her Snow White dress and Snow White was the first princess along with Belle, Cinderella, and Tiana. Ainsley and McKenzie definitely had the best time! Tiana especially was great to interact with and the kids all had a fun time with her.

Mulan was on the balcony so we went up a level to see her and then outside for more photos. Lots and lots of photos this morning. We saw Minnie in her Italian outfit and then we did some lightsaber photos as well. Our four kids all did great with the photos and so it was time to move on to the next activity.

Odin and I went up to play a round of mini golf while Keely and the other kids went back to the room to change before joining us for another round of golf. Then it was off to the atrium to meet the rest of the family and to get ready for Nora’s racing debut at Jack-Jack’s Diaper Dash! All three levels of the atrium were filled as we watched five babies compete for fastest crawling baby. Nora was the youngest competitor and faced off against the oldest and fastest baby. The kids had a blast watching and cheering her on.

Lunch in Cabanas today and then it was pool time. With an air temp in the 90s, it felt like most of the ship was enjoying the pool. Whitaker loved the smaller slide and the others played in the pools while watching Encanto. Eventually the group started going their own directions. Mom and Dad took a tour of the ship. Liam and Keely snuck away for a few games of fooseball. Peter and Arin dropped Griffin and Sydney in the kids club and spent some time in the adult pools. The Droese family got naps and the other kids played in the pool. Arin, Sydney, Lillian, Kayla and Odin met up for a drawing class learning to draw Pluto and then stayed for a door decoration craft. It was so fun to learn and hear about all the activities everyone did during the day!

Eventually my family reconvened at the pool.

Odin and I had some together time swimming while Keely and the other kids played at the splash pad for a few minutes  before getting ice cream and heading down to the room to change.

Tonight is formal night and the kids looked amazing. Ainsley wore her Elsa dress and the three boys all had sport coats on. We first got in line for a picture with Goofy in his tux and Mom and Dad snuck in just in time for a picture with all of us. It’s also the Captains Reception tonight so we were able to interact with some of the officers and enjoyed some piano music in the atrium as the rest of the family joined us. As we were waiting, Whitaker fell asleep on the bench.

Tonight’s dinner was in Enchanted Garden. Whitaker slept through the whole thing so we made a bed for him out of chairs and he snoozed away. The big 6 ate together tonight and we were so proud when another guest at the table next to them complimented us on how well behaved they were being. Liam and Lillian both offered the prime rib while the others got Mac and cheese or burgers. Keely and I ordered three entrees tonight! A slice of the prime rib to share, scallops for me and a lamb salad for Keely. All were excellent. Our server team is starting to get into their groove now too which is making dining easier for all of us. We also had the staff surprise Mom and Dad with cake and birthday song since we are celebrating their birthdays on this cruise!

Tonight’s entertainment is the stage production of Aladdin in the Walt Disney Theater. But first we headed out on the Deck 4 balcony for some more pictures with the whole family since everyone looked so nice. The pictures are turning out great and the kids are (mostly) having a fun time taking them!

Aladdin was wonderful and everyone enjoyed it. It didn’t end until well after 10. While everyone else went to bed, that didn’t stop us from sneaking in one more photo opportunity!

Even though we got Whitaker something to eat before the show, he was still hungry at bedtime. Just before Flo’s Cafe closed on the pool deck, I ran up to grab a couple pieces of pizza for him and he ate pizza in bed just after 11 pm! Silly, silly boy.

Tomorrow we arrive in Chania, Greece around noon. It’ll be a good opportunity to watch the boat dock at port and then we’ll be heading into town for a walking food tour of the old town. It’s amazing just how much stuff there is to do on the boat. We barely scratched the surface but it’s been so fun to see what the kids and other families choose to do and how well all the cousins are getting along!