My dad's side of the family is pretty big. He is one of eight and our family gatherings are huge around the holidays. I love being able to walk around a house filled with people I love enjoying each other's company. My Aunt JoEllen's birthday this year was a slightly different trip than the usual pot luck Easters we have in Northern Virginia. She and my uncle generously took us all on a Disney Cruise!

disney family cruise 2015 | ilovenataliekay

disney family cruise 2015 | offthebeatenpress.com

My parents and I decided to drive down to Florida on a Saturday and meet up with family there. We got a hotel room right next to the cruise ships and they let us keep our car parked there for cheap. It was way better than flying for sure. Plus, we got to visit a restaurant my grandparents ate at when they lived in Titusville and shop a little in CoCo Beach.Who starts a meal with powdered sugar corn fritters?!Downtown Disney!CoCo Beach.We got on the cruise ship and it was just amazing. They paid so much attention to detail and I was constantly impressed by what I saw and how the crew members treated us guests. We all met in my Aunt Jo's room and downloaded the Disney Cruise App to our phones! This was brilliant because there were 37 of us. It allowed us to communicate during the whole cruise and see a list of all the events we wanted to attend. It was a much bigger ship than the ones I had been on in the past and it took me longer to get used to the layout.I loved our room! There was so much space and I never felt like I was in the way of my family. It helped that the bathroom was split into two rooms so you could spread out in each.My parents shared the large bed. I slept on the couch that folded out each night and my brother used the murphy bed you can see at the far end of this photograph.Like most cruises, there were adorable towel animals at night and chocolates on your pillows!The rest of the ship was equally impressive.I immediately found the adult deck with the swim up bar! What a way to begin cruising!All the dinner places were themed - we rotating so we got to experience each one once. My favorite was the Animator's Palate since it was art themed.Even the food in Animator's Palate had brush strokes!There were all sorts of adult lounges and bars around the ship to visit.The first day, we all wore matching shirts. Yup. We were THAT family - and I couldn't be prouder! People kept recognizing us as the orange people the rest of the trip! I think we actually scared a group of adults off from a bar when they saw all of my cousins and I lined up in a row.The first night I made sure to ride the water slide that goes over the ocean. In the dark, all the lights are flashing which made it seem like chaos inside.The second day, we were in Atlantis. I had gone a year before on a cruise with my friend Katelyn (you can see some pictures of that trip here).We started out in "The Dig" - the world's largest open air aquarium!Grouper! Just like the last time. These guys are HUGE!Since I had been before, I let my family to do some slides while I relaxed under a palm tree!That night we had a delicious dinner and watched the sun set. We then saw one of the shows the characters on the ship put on. It was all about villains. Panic decided to walk my Mom down from the back to the front and called her "The Queen of Virginia" as he reenacted Titanic.The next day was amazing. We went to Disney's private island, Castaway Cay. There was an adult sections called Serenity Bay. We woke up early and got to the bay by 8:30 for yoga on the beach. Even my parents participated. Since we were there before anyone else, we claimed the best seats: close to the bar and food, with two hammocks and plenty of natural shade as well as umbrellas. I took a nap and waited for a MASSAGE! My brother and I got a 90 minute massage that was heavenly. I need to remember to get them more often at home. Since no children were allowed in this part of the island, it was quiet and peaceful. We swam, collected sand dollars, played with a conch shell and rested all afternoon. Lunch at the bay was wonderful too - they cooked steaks to order!Our ship docked in the bay.The island was used during WWII so it still has a landing strip for air planes and some scattered memories.Hammocks are the way to go! See how empty it was?! It was like having a private island.My brother nearly fell out of the hammock. Perfect timing for a picture! I think he looks like beaker from the muppets.GoPro Christmas Card picture?We found a bunch of sand dollars in the water but couldn't remove them from the island so we left them for others to enjoy.Captain jack came out of the bushes stumbling near us. It was really cool - all the characters were so nice to us and took lots of pictures with everyone.We also left behind the inflatable tubes we blew up so that someone else could float around in the ocean.The view as we were leaving.Then we got ready for pirate night! They had bandanas ready for us in the suite even though I had already brought my own in anticipation. Too much fun!The cousins!My brother and I all dressed up. I got a glowing pirate skull on my drink at dinner.Mickey Pops!They showed the Muppets Treasure Island! My brother and I loved it growing up and our cousins joined us on deck to watch with the kids.Family.Whiskey tasting with the guys on Pirate night.We took a towel animal class and made dogs, dinosaurs and monkeys!My brother and his hook. As a kid, he would never take it off and my parents would have to bribe him to remove it for dinner and church. And thats my dad practicing his towel animal skills on a napkin.Disney is the only cruise line that can have fireworks at sea!

travel: family cruise

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