(It's another LONG post, but considering I took over 350 pictures, this is the short version!)
What in the world could make two little girls' faces look like this???
Their first time on an airplane! Apparently take-off is a lot more fun when you're 9 and 8!And where did that airplane take them?
First, to here - Orlando, Florida! Then a dinner with the insurance company that sponsored the trip, and of course Mickey and Minnie!
Then to here. The most incredible hotel right inside of Disney World. The Polynesian Resort!
This was literally right outside of our door. It was absolutely beautiful!The only downside to any of this? Orlando was absolutely FREEZING! Who knew that Orlando actually had winter??? (And that the mom wasn't smart enough to bring coats!)
Luckily, their version of freezing is still different than ours. The beautiful palm trees, waterfalls, and tropical plants inside the lobby of the hotel didn't seem to mind the weather too much - but no swimming for us here!Next stop? A five minute monorail ride to the Magic Kingdom (which was also freezing!)!
Our new favorite princess!
Do you ever outgrow Disney? We had a blast!On the third day of our trip, the company sponsored a breakfast with the Disney characters in the hotel! It was as much fun as the Magic Kingdom itself!
Shortly after we got on a magical bus that took us HERE!
The Disney Wonder Cruise Ship!It was INCREDIBLE! Our girls have never been waited on hand and foot like they were on this ship! Someone was always watching out for them and pampering them! There was so much to do that we probably didn't even do a quarter of it!
This was our captain of the ship! He was like a movie star to the kids!We sailed out of Port Canaveral on the first night. It was still cold - and a little windy, which made for some rocky sailing! We had an amazing dinner, and went to watch a play in the ship's theatre! It was then that we all felt the effects of the sea! Luckily, everyone's dinner stayed in, but we definitely felt funny! We got to watch a play every night, and they were beyond impressive! The costumes and special effects were incredible!
(Toy Story the Musical - photo compliments of Disney Wonder)This is just one example of how pampered the girls were! Every time one of them needed ketchup, it came in the shape of a Mickey Mouse head!
Another example is the towel animal creations and chocolate left on the bed every night for them by our stateroom host!
We woke up the next morning in Nassau, Bahamas. And this is what it looked like . . .
I'm pretty sure I could live here!We spent the day at a dolphin encounter where we got to interact with the dolphins. It was an unforgettable - and probably only a once in a lifetime - experience for all of us!
We got to hug, kiss - yes, kiss, and dance with a dolphin!
We had a great night at a pirate party on the ship! Mickey Mouse, Jack Sparrow, Goofy, and lots of other characters danced the night away with us as we sailed on! They even put on a firework show!
Rod and Carsyn getting their groove on!The next morning, we arrived on Disney's private island in Castaway Cay. It was as close to paradise as our family will ever get!
The girls played on the beautiful beaches and in the ocean for hours, taking a break only for ice cream and . . .Hermit Crab racing!
Our crab - Sebastian - was a little slow, but the girls were so proud of him anyway!
Our last night on the ship was a bittersweet moment! We had so much fun, but we were exhausted to say the least!We had a long wait at the Orlando Airport - a really LONG wait! Two years ago when Rod and I went to Portugal, we met some wonderful people from Florida that we have been able to stay in touch with. They drove all the way to the airport to see us and help us make the time go by faster! We were so touched - and so happy to meet their sweet new baby girl! Thank you Wendy, David and Baylee! It was SO good to see you, and it was the perfect ending to a perfect trip!
We had the experience of a lifetime, and I am so grateful for it! Thank you to Rod for working so hard to win this trip! We couldn't have done it without you! It's memories that each of us will cherish forever!
Back to reality . . .
