Disney Cruise Day 2-Catalina Island

In the evening while we were at dinner the housekeeping staff comes in and folds down all of the beds. We have 2 adjoining rooms and both rooms have fold out bunks although Liam is the only one in our room so they don't put down the 2nd one. The girls are in the adjoining room and they are rotating thru the bunks and the main bed. Everything is pretty little and tight. There isn't a lot of room to walk around but I guess that's what cruises are like. We didn't do a room with a window or balcony and we can sleep and have no clue what time of day it was. I wonder if next time we will try a different type of room. There was more than a couple times when I thought about the Titanic and being so far down in the ship...crazy yes...still had the thoughts. It was odd to be disconnected from the entire world unless we paid for wifi. I missed chatting with people and seeing what everyone was up to but it was awesome to have my sisters and their families there because they are who I talk to the most.

On 1st port was Catalina Island. The water was rough and they had some trouble getting the boat to the dock so they used shuttle boats to get people to and from the beach. We decided to stay on the boat and take advantage of the amenities and the activities they had going on there. We took the kids to the kids club and went to get some late breakfast. The view was beautiful be it was cold for sure. We were hoping to get some sun by the pool but it didn't work out that way. Eventually we went back to the room and took a nap while the kids were at the kids club.

Gracie in the teen kids club

Later in the day the sun came out and some of us decided to give the slide and pool a go. I chose to stay in my pants and sweatshirt. They had a fun time but had to keep moving to stay warm

Ice cream was a multiple times a day thing for sure

There were a few characters that we were able to meet. Emy seemed like the only one that really cared about meeting them. The other girls have kinda grown out of that

We have done breakfast and lunch at the buffet. Something that I want to remember is that Emy has discovered carrot cake on this trip and now loves it. We have enjoyed our dinner reservations in the evening. I feel like Im constantly moving/rocking with the boat. I don't feel great but Im grateful that I don't feel worse and have still be able to enjoy most things

Disney Cruise Day 1

 We were all excited and honestly a little nervous to get going on the cruise. This was one thing none of our family had ever done. Matt dropped me off with the kids and our luggage and went to park in the parking garage a short distance away. He then ubered to join us. Upon getting to the port just looking at at he ship was really cool. The boat was beautiful

We then had to wait in line for our boarding time. The line was long and slow. Luckily the kids had their tablets and their cousins to keep them entertained

Once inside we wove thru large warehouses to do various check ins and security

There was lots of waiting

Then it was time to get on the boat. Here's our before picture

We went to drop off our bags and then off to explore the ship. Then before we got far they had us come do a drill to see where our life jackets and rescue boats were at in case we needed them. At the kids club they had this cool thing to wash your hands. It was cool to be able to drop the kids off with a coded bracelet so we could explore with the other adults. It was weird to almost be "trapped" in one space with limited options to do. Hallie was the only one that was too old to go to the kids club but luckily Gracie, Luke, Kinners, and Rigs were old enough to go to the teen club with her as well. It was very well organized and I can tell you I shouldn't have worried about then as much as I did.

Once again the weather was giving us a hard time. As we went out to sea there were dolphins along the side of the boat.

We ate late lunch at the buffet but it wasn't until we ate dinner at the restaurant that we were able to see some of the big perks for cruising. I'm worried about getting seasick but we've come well prepared and only time will tell.

California Day 2-SeaWorld

 SeaWorld for the day. I actually really like SeaWorld it has enough to keep you entertained without the rides but of coarse they kids always love the rides as well. I always try to grab a picture first thing in the morning when everyone is happy and cooperative...that was a good call.

Just inside the gate we found Kim and Ez so we rode the kiddie rides nearby while we waited for Nic. 

I think they rode the swings 5 times and loved it every time. Each time a new group of cousins got there they had to go again. Then we ventured into the park to see what else there was. We quickly realized there are little kid rides and big kid rides there wasn't much in the middle. So we rode a variety of rides and switched riders around and then The moms took all the younger kids to save seats at the dolphin show while the dads rode the big rides with the older kids.

Then more rides before lunch

We were able to do group passes since we had more than 15 people in our group and with that came an option to add a meal ticket. That ended up being a great cost savings. Each ticket got a main dish, a side, and drink. So we got half of our meals for lunch and saved the rest for dinner or when we were hungry again.

Love having all these cute kids together

At the end of the day Liam still had his heart set on the whale bubble machine so while Matt took Hallie and Gracie to ride a couple big rides we went in search of the whale bubble wand. The store we originally saw it in was closed but luckily a worker was able to point us in the direction of a store that had one. When we got back to the hotel he wanted to play with it and the shower was a perfect place to do it so there wasn't bubble residue everywhere.

California Day 1-Arrival

 The day finally came for us to go meet Matt and head to San Diego. From there we would meet up with the rest of the family and get ready to go on our cruise. The weather was very unsettled and the flight seemed to mimic that...so that was fun but I have become a much better traveler over the years. 

The flight snacks almost didn't happen but Im glad they did because they are always a highlight.

The beautiful weather in California had left shortly before we arrived and when we landed in Long Beach it was rainy and cool. This is the first time we have flown into Long Beach and the airport was nice and little which made getting around super easy.

Our plan was to go to the beach for the day but it didn't take long to realize that was not the best plan so we grabbed lunch at Red Robin. After lunch we decided to hit up an ice cream shop we have wanted to try for awhile. It's called South Swell Ice Cream and they do ice cream different than any other that I have tried. 

Emy and Matt chose cookies and cream in a cone

Liam had an ice cream bar called the OG covered in sprinkles

Hallie had the same thing as Liam but in a cup. It was a little chilly to sit outside with ice cream but it was a fun stop. I had the Englishman with Heath bar and caramel drizzle. We ordered to much ice cream for sure.

Gracie had the smore bar AKA Da Bomb Fire

Then we decided to start the trek to San Diego. What should have taken us 45 minutes- 1hour ended up taking almost 3 hours. The weather was awful, there were so many people, and no one knows how to drive. It was so hard

We got to see the temple for a good period of time because we sat in traffic 

We had plans to get dinner with Nic and Kyle but by the time we got to the hotel we were exhausted and they were still stuck in traffic so I just ran to the grocery store and got us dinner and snacks for the next day and evening.