Our last cruise day had arrived and everyone but me took the opportunity to sleep in. The boys have been going full steam from sun up to sun down and I have never seen them sleep in so late. We finally got everyone upright and ready to go and we headed to breakfast one last time at Cabanas. We art out back on the outdoor deck to enjoy the ocean air without the worry of seagulls.
In an effort to maximize our activities for the day, as well as beat the crowds, we wore our bathing suits to breakfast so we could hit the Aquaduck and pool right after breakfast. Turned out to be a perfect plan as we got to do a bunch of the boys favorite activities a few times each. The weather was absolutely ideal and we had a blast.
Since it was conveniently located on the way back to the room we enjoyed a couple ice cream cones to stay cool and calorie rich. We had read on the Navigator that Captain Henry would be doing a meet and greet in the shops on deck 3 so we headed back to the room to change so we could bake it in time. Hunter had purchased a Disney Dream cruise ship model that he wanted signed by the captain so we took that and the photo album that Emily got as a Castaway Gold Member. The line for the meet and greet was longer than we had anticipated so I took the boys around the shops while Emily waited in line. Captain Henry was a really nice guy and has been sailing for 40+ years.
Since we were near the shops we of courses needed to pick up a few things (it’s like Disney plans that or something). Sawyer has been absolutely obsessed with Vinylmations so we picked up one from the Frozen series as well as a couple of the toys from Inside Out. We also picked up the hidden Mickey cruise ship book that we were excited to use after lunch. The boys of course wanted to open their new toys a play for a bit in the room so we headed back for a quick breather before lunch.
Since it was our last lunch on the ship we wanted to go one more round at Cabanas, to enjoy some of our favorites from throughout the cruise. Everything from the pizza to the sushi and fresh seafood was absolutely delicious. With our stomachs full to the brim we were off to burn some calories hustling through the ship doing our last round of Midship Detective Agency and spotting hidden Mickey’s. The boys each got a card this time so they could both participate in the crime fighting fun. While the boys were hot on the trail to solving their mysteries, Emily made the brilliant suggestion that I should go explore the ship and take some photos which I was happy to oblige. I was able to navigate some of the adult sections of the ship as well as revisit Palo and some of the other restaurants while there was good light and nobody dining.
After capturing some fun photos throughout the ship I met Emily and the boys on deck 4 as they were waiting in line to meet Captain Donald. We got a few photos and it was clear that the boys were tired and that we all could benefit from a little downtime in the room to get the boys some chill time and get our bags in order for departure. We worked as a team to get all of the paperwork filled out and most of the bags packed. Emily needed a bit more time to wrap things up so I took the boys up to deck 13 and we played our last round of mini golf. Hunter and Sawyer both had a blast knocking the balls around and Hunter had a crazy hole in one.
After our fun the boys and I headed back to the room to get dressed for dinner as the plan was to get some fun photos around the ship before our seating time. Hunter decided the he wanted to wear a blazer to dinner which caught Emily and I both by surprise. After wrestling the boys into their clothes we grabbed every camera we brought and headed down to deck three. Although Emily wanted to take some serious shots of the boys they were in the craziest mood they had been in all vacation so we eventually just went with it. Looking back at these photos I am glad we did.
We finished up our photo shoot earlier than anticipated so we decided to let the boys go to kids club and Emily and I went to deck 12 Meridian for a sunset drink. This has become our favorite outdoor venue on the ship for drinks as the view is priceless and it is normally quiet (as long as mini golf balls aren’t flying from the deck above). After our drink we needed to go to the store to pick up a few pins for our nightly magic. We told Sawyer that his room key is “magic” and when he uses it there is a “gift” under his and Hunter’s pillow. We had a Vinylmation for Sawyer but wanted to get Hunter the pins he was looking at. We shopped with such efficiency that we had time for one more quick drink so we headed to the Skyline Lounge, our favorite indoor bar, that we hadn’t been to yet on this trip. We got a couple crazy drinks, took some silly photos and head off to get the boys and go to dinner.
Another thing that I think makes cruising magical is that sometimes you get lucky and get a table next to fun people that you get to know over the course of the nights you dine together. The first night we ate at Animators Palette we met this awesome family from Iowa with two kids (Chase 15 and Lexie 9). It was Chase’s 15th birthday so they were celebrating with a cruise. Tonight we spent more time talking with them and getting to know them and it truly was an amazing dinner. Som and Eris were amazing as usual as they made the kids laugh and Eris did his magic and crayon brain puzzles which kept both of our tables engaged and laughing all night. We had a great conversation with Brian, Betsy and their kids sharing stories of the parks in Orlando and time we spent in their home state of Iowa. Not sure you could have drawn up a more perfect ending to the night.
We reluctantly returned to our room with thoughts of heading back to deck 11 for one more round on the Aquaduck. When we arrived back at the room not only did the boys get some magic, Emily and I also received some magic from one of the Cast Members that we met on the ship, Jamezy. We met him the first night and got to know him as we visited on our walks past Evolution on deck 3. He was so thoughtful that he sent us a bag of goodies (hat, water bottle, key chains) with a very nice note with lots of hashtags. Emily decided she wanted to go thank him so she and Sawyer went to do that and Hunter and I got our suits on and headed to deck 11.
When we arrived at deck 11 we saw the wait was 30 minutes plus so we did the next best thing and got a couple ice cream cones to finish off the night. Emily didn’t see Jamezy but left him a note of appreciation. We all returned to the room at roughly the same time, got our pajamas on and said our last goodnights on the Disney Dream.
