Goodbye Polo Run

This morning was settlement on our home in Pennsylvania.  While I am so relieved that we aren't paying a mortgage for a house we don't live in, it is obviously very bittersweet.  Polo Run was full of struggles from the beginning.... late settlement, unfinished projects, community drama, but it was also a house where I got to pick every finish and every rug and every paint color.  It lacked character and charm, for sure, but it was a blank canvas that kept waiting for us to make it our home.  We never hung up many of our favorite pieces of art, we never did any giant projects that we dreamed of and we never really put our stamp on it.  There was a huge part of me that wanted to leave Polo Run for a long time and yet it is still a little sad that it's gone.  With any home there are great memories... we had so many fun times with our friends, so many sleepovers with family and friends....  I will miss our giant Christmas tree, our gorgeous fireplace, the large island that everyone gathered around, the glorious sunsets, and the upstairs out of sight playroom.

One of my best friends visited early on when the house was built and looked right at me and said "this house is amazing, but it doesn't fit you at all."  I was surprised by her statement then, but I think she was right.

I love adventures.  I love new places.  I love culture and travel and great food and new people.  I'm excited for where we are, but I really will miss Polo Run.  I pray that the new family will fall in love with the house and fit right in to the neighborhood and that Polo Run will be full of warm memories for many many years to come.

Disney Cruise Travel Day 101014

We left Seattle on Friday at 1 to head to Miami for a Saturday departure.  It was a long trip but not too bad and we got in a little after midnight.  We stayed at the Comfort Suites Miami Airport which was an EXCELLENT choice.  The room was amazing with two queen beds, a living room area, a kitchenette and continental breakfast.  This was also the only hotel with free airport shuttle and a free shuttle to the cruise port.  It was $30 to have them give us a ride from the cruise terminal to the airport after the cruise which was also much cheaper than anywhere else (most places were charging at least $80).

The whole impetus for a Disney Cruise was that I didn't find Disney World itself all that enjoyable when we went.  It was hot, lines were long, kids were crying, food was expensive and I felt so overwhelmed and tired when we left.  I think the kids had a good experience and I do remember some very cool rides and experiences but it was so tiring it didn't feel like vacation.  I thought the kids would enjoy another Disney experience but I wanted a vacation too!  When I took the position at First Pres I said that I wanted to be able to do a Disney Cruise and so we booked it last January.  

Obviously we didn't forsee the events of the year and the dramatic changes moving us accross the country!  However, we loved the idea of being in the warm Carribbean and seeing Disney's private island and so we kept our plans intact even thought it meant traveling from one side of the country to the other!

Disney Cruise Day 1 Miami Embarkation Day!

We slept in because we were so exhausted from traveling and then headed to the cruise port.  It was crowded and pretty crazy.  We found our way and checked in and then waited in another line and checked in and then we finally had a number to get in line.  We had no idea what to expect!  We went up the steps into the cruise ship and we were given our "Key to the World" card which would be the only card we would need for the rest of the week to do absolutely everything.  There is no cash or currency on the ship, the card does it all.  We boarded the ship, had our photo taken and then and they announce each and every family's name over the loudspeaker and welcome you in.

We were directed to head for a lunch that was waiting for us.  We had a fabulous buffet at Parrot Cove with limitless shrimp, Mahi Mahi, fresh tropical fruit, stations with roast beef, and more.  By the time we were finished our room was ready and so we headed to unpack.  Our bags were waiting for us at our door.  The room was fairly small as expected but big enough and we were easily able to fit everything we brought.  The kids had bunk beds that folded into the ceiling during the day so that there was a couch area.  At night during dinner our host would come and open up the beds and turn down the sheets for us and of course give us chocolate.  

We headed to the Sail Away Deck Party by one of the four pools and enjoyed a DJ and some Disney Characters welcoming us to the boat.  We swam and relaxed and enjoyed our welcome.

We headed to our room to get ready for dinner as we chose the late seating at 8:15.  They requested that dinner be nice dress with no bathing suits, no flip flops, no jeans, etc.  Our first dinner was in a restuarant called Triton which was the most formal of the dining places and themed after The Little Mermaid and her father Triton.  We met our server and our assistant Andre and Carina.  They would be with us every dinner throughout the week no matter where we ate.  They would cut the children's food, butter their bread, run for anything we needed or just help us find our way.  

The first night after dinner we just went to bed as we were still tired from traveling but we were excited about the week to come!!!

Disney Cruise Day 2 -- 101214

We woke up on Day two and headed to a buffet breakfast that Noah loved.  I think he ate 6 sausage links!  Breakfast is more casual at most restaurants and you get to choose where you eat for breakfast.  We only realized on the last day that you could have brekfast delivered to your room each morning so you didn't have to worry about dining times.  In fact, room service at any time was fine and included in the cruise.

We took the kids to see the Kids Club area which is supposed to be the highlight of the cruises.  The club opens at 8 am and closes at midnight and you can keep your child there the entire time if you like!

They have endless activities and events as well as tons of computers, art stations, science areas, and more.  The kids had a luau with Stitch, made play dog food with Pluto, played Mousketeer trivia, painted and much much more.  They always served meals at appropriate times or a child could request food while in the club.  We dropped them off just for a few hours to see how it would go and we went up to the Adult pool area and relaxed and read books.  It was really nice and quiet.  Paul and I went for lunch together and then we picked up the kids.

I signed Maeve up for a photo shoot with Anna and Elsa from Frozen and surprised her with an Elsa dress and crown.  She was so excited and got all dolled up.  We arrived at our time and waited in a short line to see the sisters.  Maeve couldn't wait!  And then when it was our turn my little sweetie froze.  She couldn't walk or move and started to cry.  We let some other girls go ahead and still Maeve couldn't do it.  She wanted to but she was too scared.  Eventually I went up with her but she just hid in my shoulder and cried.  I felt so bad for her!

While we were at the meet and greet Noah and Paul went to see the Guardians movie in one of the theaters on the boat.  When we were all done we met up at the Goofy Pool which is a pool with a huge Television in front of it constantly streaming Disney movies.  The Little Mermaid was on and Paul and the kids sat in a hot tub and watched it while I read by the water.  

 Before dinner we attended The Golden Mickeys which was a take on the Golden Globes and a really fun and really well done production highlighting some of the best Disney movies with live actors and actresses.  We all enjoyed the show very much.

The kids wanted to go back to kids club so we let them eat there and we ate alone at a place called Animator's Palette.  The restaurant had sketches all over the walls from all of the different Disney movies.  The food was wonderful each night and I really enjoyed everything.  I had steak most nights for a main course and some sort of fish for an appetizer.  

This particular night Mickey came into the restaurant and did a dance for everyone.  It was really fun and lively.  

We gathered up the kids and headed to bed after we ordered Mickey Bars from Room Service!

Disney Cruise Day 3 Grand Cayman 101314

Today was our first Port Day.  At 9AM we were allowed to get off the boat in the Grand Cayman Islands.  We had prebooked a port adventure for the kids to go swim with sting rays and pet dolphins. We took a 30 minute boat ride to an area called Sting Ray City which was a shallow area far off shore.  This is a common place to find sting rays and sure enough there were many!  The water was clear as day and waist high.  Sting Rays were everywhere.  They would swim right up to you and lay against your back or your stomach.  Our captain had squid to feed them and Noah and Paul fed them many times.  They described them like cats how they like to come and brush the back of your legs gently.  It was a really neat experience.  We spent about an hour there and then headed back into the shore.

Once we were back we got into the water at Dolphin Cove where our group had a dolphin named Luna who came to each of us and gave us a kiss, danced with us and we could pet his back and his belly.  It was really sweet.  The kids were not old enough for some of the other dolphin adventures yet and this was good enough.

We fnished our time there and headed back toward the port in Grand Cayman.  We didn't have very much time left but we stopped for a local bite to eat and Paul and I tried Conch which was very good.  

We headed back to the boat for the acclaimed Disney Cruise Pirate Night.  In every state room were red Pirates of the Carribbean bandanas and I brought along garb for us to dress as pirates as well.  Everyone on the WHOLE SHIP dresses as a pirate.  It's a really fun experience to see how creative people are with their costumes.  After dinner at 9:30 there was a Pirate Party on Deck of the ship.  It was a lot of singing and dancing and then Capt. Hook repelled down into the party claiming he was the victor but in true Disney style Mickey came zip lining in and saved the day.  As soon as Mickey proclaimed victory the sky lit up in a massive display of fireworks.  Our waitress told us that Disney is the only cruise line allowed to have fireworks on board.  

Again we were exhausted! Bedtime!

Disney Cruise Day 4 Cozumel 101514

The very next day we headed to Cozumel Mexico and arrived early in the morning.  We didn't have any adventures planned for the day and I wanted to just walk around the city.  It was sweltering hot and we walked for a while to get to the city center.  All of the shops were selling the same things -- as if we were on the NJ boardwalk!  We walked in and out for a while but nothing caught my eye.

 We sat for a quick drink and decided to take a taxi to a beach.  The taxi driver reccomended a place called Mr. Sanchos and so we headed there.  It was a free beach and then you could buy a day pass that included all drinks and food and pools, etc.  Because we got there kind of late the day passes were sold out already.  We set up on the beach and then it started to POUR!!!!! We ran under cover in the open air restaurant as did everyone else!  So after a long bite to eat the skies cleared and we went back again.  The water was gorgeous and we played for a long time.

In the water was a giant water obstacle course that Noah and Paul payed to play on.  Noah loves American Ninja Warriors and this gave him a chance to practice his ninja skills.  Both of them said it was very difficult though they both did manage to get accross the spinning log a few times!  

We headed back to the boat to get ready for a special dinner. There is an adults only fine dining restaurant on the boat called Palo. We got all dressed up and the kids went to the club. It costs a nominal fee and the food was good. I guess the advantage is that there aren't any kids at all in this dining room and it is a little fancier but the rest of the cruise food was excellent too! I'm not sure I would do it again. 

After all the sun and the adventures of the day we picked up the kids and headed to bed!

Disney Cruise Day 5

By this point we had figured out most of the ins and outs of the ship.

The kids checked into the Club after breakfast and Paul and I found a nice spot on deck.  We sat and read, they brought us drinks, we ate fresh fruit and just relaxed.  We tried the Disney Drink of the day which was cool!

This was the goal of the entire week. To relax!

 We had a late afternoon ticket to get autographs with the princesses and so we grabbed the kids around 2:30 and got autographs and pictures.  

After Princesses it was time to head to our room to get ready for the Mickey Mouse Halloween Party.    The kids brought their costumes and headed to the atrium while staff people handed out candy and characters danced with the kids.  It was really crowded but fun!!!

After that we got ready for the evening.  There were photographers everywhere so we used this night to get dressed up and get family photos taken.

This night was a Toy Story Musical which was also fabulous and the kids loved it.  We headed from the musical to dinner and our menu was in 3D for Toy Story Night.  Each night the children also had pamphlets full of activities that went with the theme of the day. For dessert this night there was bubble gum ice cream sundaes which all three kids thought were wonderful!

Disney Cruise Day 6

FWe could hardly wait for the special day at Castaway Cay.  This is Disney's private island in the Bahamas that only Disney Cruise ships can go to.  We had heard magical things about it and we were super excited.  As we pulled up in the morning it looked amazing.  We got off the boat and there were some quick showers that didn't last long.  We had arranged for snorkeling gear to be waiting for us and we got everyone ready to go. Maeve was skittish but she had a great life jacket on and so she just kind of bobbed above us when we would go under water.  The farther we went out into the water the cooler it was.  We saw purplish blue fish and yellow and black fish like Dory on Nemo and lots of different colors of coral and fish.  It wasn't spectacular like you see in snorkeling dives but this was off the beach and a perfect introduction for Noah and I to snorkeling.  I can't imagine how great it must be somewhere on a reef! We spent a good deal of time snorkeling and then just playing in the gorgeous ocean.

We stopped for lunch at the Disney BBQ in the middle of the island with hot dogs, hamburgers, ribs, fried chicken, and all sorts of sides and desserts and several stations for soft serve ice cream.  

After we ate a little we headed to the second beach area which had a tall pirate structure with water slides built into the ocean.  Paul and the kids did the slides while I read.  

We had heard that the Adult beach on Castaway Cay, Serenity Bay was the highlight of the island.  At this port Disney moves the Kids Club outside and onto the beach so adults can go to Serenity Bay.  We dropped them off and they headed into a huge game of beach capture the flag.  

We took the tram to Serenity Bay.  It was magnificent and seemed very untouched.  It was quiet and peaceful there.  The water was very rough however, likely because some storms were brewing in the Carribbean and so we spent our time mostly on the beach.  The colors of the water were magical and it was really special.

We didn't stay too long, however and grabbed the kids for one last dunk in Castaway Cay.  Noah and Paul headed off to an obstacle course over the water and Maeve and I played in innertubes.  

Castaway Cay was amazing because it was like a water park, a back yard barbeque, perfect beaches and water all together. Towels were already there for you, life jackets for chilren, trams to transport you, there was nothing to think about or worry about at all.  

We waited until the very last minute to get out of the ocean.  We took the very last tram back to the boat.  We didn't want to leave!!!!!!

As we headed back onto the ship we saw that there was a PJ party for the kids so we could pack and so they ran to put their pajamas on.  We packed quickly and easily and still had time to spare before dinner.  We changed the kids quickly and headed into one more dinner at Animators palate.  Every night at the end of dinner the kids club counselors would come into the meal and ask if any kids wanted to go and play.  

                      Our Servers Carina (from Argentina) and Andre (from Jamaica)

Adults don't even have to stand up to walk them to the club.  Every other night we had said no since we were never done dinner until almost 10, but tonight we let them go and they were sooo excited. Paul and I just sat on the deck and enjoyed the ocean breeze and relaxed.  

At 11 we picked them up and took them back to the room.  They were sooo tired.  I had read that thecharacters  will sign anything you drop off at the concierge and so on the first day I had two white pillow cases delivered to them.  On the last night they put them on the kids beds so that they could see them as they went to sleep.  They were thrilled to pieces.