Disney World and Disney Cruise!

 In July we finally took a big trip to Florida.  We went on a Disney Cruise but decided to hit up Disney World while we were there as well.  We booked this trip almost a year and a half ago and it was delayed once so it feels like a long time coming.  When we booked it we had hoped that Covid would be a thing of the past but sadly that wasn't the case.  It caused a few headaches and stress but everything turned out okay in the end.  This is also the first big trip we have taken just the four of us which made it even more special.  

In order to board our cruise we had to test negative for Covid so we wanted to be as careful as we could leading up to our testing.  

We did Disney World first and we stayed at the Art of Animation hotel.  It was very cute and came with all the great amenities of staying on resort.  

The first night of our trip we hit up Disney Springs.  We ate and shopped but didn't want to stay too long so we could head back to the hotel and swim.  

One of the perks of staying on resort was that we got to get into each park a half an hour early.  We were usually able to do two or three big rides before the park was officially open and wait times got longer.  We also used Genie plus so we really didn't have to wait in long lines at all.  

The first day we headed to Magic Kingdom. 

Starting off the day right! 

Mia is already tired or just getting used to the time change.  

We ate so much good food on this trip!  This was one of our favorites though.  It was a waffle filled with Nutella and fruit.  It was so good! 

One thing I will always remember about this trip was how hot it was.  The heat combined with the humidity was suffocating. The kids really appreciated the cooling rags we brought.  

Too hot to smile! 

One of the best things we did this trip was schedule lots of reserved dining. It was so nice to have a scheduled, sit down and air conditioned meal to break up each day.  This first day we were lucky to get into Cinderella's castle.  It was so cool and one of our favorite Disney meals ever! 

Mia was not into meeting characters on this trip but we forced her to meet Cinderella since we were eating at her castle and there was no wait.  

Brandon ordered their fancy anniversary dessert so our waitress insisted we film him opening it up.  It was quite the spectacle.  

Ending the day in the perfect way! It was a long day but we did so much and had so much fun! 

Our second day we headed to Hollywood studios.  Mia wanted to dress the part with her baby Yoda dress and her baby Yoda backpack.  I knew the dress wouldn't last long and brought her some back up clothes as well. She did look very cute though! 

We loved using the Skyliner to travel to the parks but sadly the next time we tried to use it it was closed.  It was nice when it was working though.  

Alex and I got to have our long awaited breakfast Ronto Wraps!  We also tried the pop tarts from Woody's lunch box and they were pretty tasty.  

Brandon and Alex were excited to look at and purchase some legacy light sabers.  We had to wait in a fairly long line just to look at them. 

Brandon was especially excited that the Indiana Jones stunt show was running again. 

At Hollywood studios we ate again at the Sci-Fi Diner.  It never disappoints.  

We actually had some girls in the back of our car but they ducked down for our picture.  It was pretty funny.  

One of Alex's favorite rides of the whole trip was the Tower of Terror.  He used to not like this ride so we are glad he has come around.  Mia on the other hand was not a fan of this ride.  We made her ride it twice but she was not very happy about it.  This was the only ride that she really didn't like.  Everything else she was excited to go on again.  It made it a lot of fun that we didn't have to split up or take turns going on rides.

Mia wanted to build a droid for her souvenir this trip.  She made a pretty awesome one and named him R2 Swirl.  

Our third day we took a break from the regular parks.  We started out going to breakfast at Ohana in the Polynesian Resort.  It was very yummy and fun to see a luxury resort.  Then we rented a car and drove to Kennedy Space Center for the day. 

Alex is very into space so he especially wanted to visit the space center. It ended up being very cool and had a lot to do.  

They have a few rides including this space shuttle simulator.  Luckily it didn't make us too sick.  

Trying out space toilets.  

They even got to meet "Space Person." 

We left just before the stormed rolled in. 

All the fun was catching up to Mia.  

We spent another night swimming.  We went to the pool 3 or 4 times which was a lot more than I thought we'd have time for.  

Finding Macarons wherever they go.  

The next day was Epcot day! We were very excited to try the new Guardians of the Galaxy ride.  It did not disappoint.  It was pretty thrilling but Mia even really liked it.  It was a lot of fun. We were lucky enough to ride it twice.  

On this day we had reservations for Space 220.  It is a restaurant that makes it look like you are eating in outer space.  You take a long elevator ride up until you are high above the earth.  It was definitely a fun one to try! 

Later in the day we had lightning lane passes for Test Track but right as we were boarding they closed the ride due to lightning.  We weren't able to get on it again this trip and Mia was very sad to miss it.  They did get to design their cars though.  

We also always have to try out the gross sodas from around the world.  

We found more Macarons in France! 

It rained a little during the day and because of lightning they closed the skyliner down again.  We wanted to get from Epcot to Hollywood studios so we ended up walking there.  It was about a mile and a half walk which when you have been walking all day felt like a very long walk.  The kids were awesome though and we made it to Hollywood Studios in time for lightning lanes for Mickey and Minnie's Runaway Railway and the Tower of Terror which was a great way to end the night! 

The next day we headed to animal kingdom.  Mia was excited to wear her red panda ears and tail she bought with her allowance money.  

Seeing Kevin was truly a highlight of the trip! 

We also forced Mia to watch the Bug's Life show again.  Once again she was not a fan but I think it is funny! 

After that we headed back to Magic Kingdom to end our stay.  

Sadly while we were there we got word that Brandon's paperwork had not been approved for our cruise so he would need to test for Covid before boarding the next morning.  He spent some time on the phone trying to figure things out while we rode a few more rides and then we had to return early back to the hotel to get him a test.  It ended up working out but just added a lot of stress as we were trying to finish up our day and had to miss out on a few rides because of it.  

The next morning we were packed up and ready to head to the port! 

We sailed on the brand new Disney Wish.  This was only the third or fourth sailing of this ship.  Everything was brand new and some things weren't even quite finished yet.  The ship was very beautiful! 

When we first boarded we got to explore and eat lunch at the Marvel restaurant.  

The kids loved being able to order appetizers and dessert with every meal.  We definitely ate our money's worth! 

Our room was so fancy! It felt nicer than most hotels we've stayed in.  

We loved the Inside Out treat shop.  Mia was channeling her inner disgust.  

The first night we saw a very cute show with Mickey and all his friends.  It was very cute! The third night we saw a new adaptation of the little mermaid.  It was a little interesting but fun to see. 

Alex loved it so much he fell sound asleep.  

We had the late dinner each night which ended up being perfect.  We didn't have to feel rushed during the day and then ended the day with amazing meals.  The first night we at at the 1923 restaurant.  It had Disney artwork everywhere and was very cool.  

Mia crashed in our bed as soon as we made it back to our room. 

The next morning we woke up in Nassau.  

After a quick breakfast we headed out for an excursion on the island.  

It was fun to see the outside of the ship. 

We went to Blue Lagoon Island.  We got to swim and relax before heading to our activity.  

After a while it was time for the highlight of the day.  We got to swim with dolphins.  We all agreed it was one of the coolest things we've all done. Mia was a little nervous at first but she got over it after a bit.  We got to hug, kiss, dance with and have a dolphin push us through the water with their noses.  It was so cool! 

I don't think Brandon has ever been happier than he was in this moment!  

Again the fun was just too much for Alex and he fell asleep on the ferry back to the ship.  I guess it was a sign of a good trip for all the times our kids feel asleep during the day.  

For part of the day they had an Incredibles obstacle course set up that the kids could race through.  

We made bets on how many ice cream cones Brandon would eat during the three day cruise.  I think it was only 8 which was a little disappointing.  Mia guessed right on though.  

Our second night we ate at the Avengers themed restaurant.  It was our favorite of the three.  The show was a lot of fun and the food was great as well.  

After dinner Alex and Brandon headed to the pirate party while Mia and I went back to the room.  Mia was exhausted and ready for bed.  

Our last full day of the cruise we had a beautiful breakfast view of Disney's private island called Castaway Cay.  

It was such a fun island to explore and swim at.  

We spent a lot of time snorkeling.  They had a designated snorkeling area where you could find hidden Disney treasures and statues.  We also saw some cool fish.  

They had BBQ right on the island and of course more ice cream! 

Our last night we ate at the Arendelle restaurant.  The show was pretty fun.  They sang lots of Frozen songs from both movies. 

Alex is a very adventurous eater. Every night he tried lots of new and exotic foods. This was his appetizer on the last night.  He did throw up in the middle of the night after this so it may have not been the best choice.  

The next morning it was sadly time to return home.  Unfortunately Mia and I ended up with Covid after the trip but neither of us was sick for very long. It was an exhausting but amazing trip.  We are so happy it all came together despite the stress of it all.  We were lucky it all worked out and we feel very blessed that we got to go.  We can't wait for the next vacation!