The Jorgensen family went on the most amazing vacation in September. We live several states away from our extended family and most of our vacation time is usually spent visiting them. We were just home for Christmas last year so we decided to plan an all out family vacation.
What better way to go than a Disney cruise? We left straight from Galveston, a daunting 45 minute drive from our house. We had all been excited for months and the day had finally come. This vacation did not disappoint!
We love cruises because they are so relaxing. Ian and I are planners. We like to plan our time to the max, even on vacation but on a cruise, you have to relax! Even little Austin found a good resting place.
We celebrated Ian’s birthday on the cruise and formal night made it even more special. The boys look so handsome in this photo but if only I had a video for the waterworks that came on when they had to button up shirts and put ties on!
For our first port adventure, we stopped at Key West. While it was fun to get off the boat for the day, Key West was not the most family friendly of places. Still, we enjoyed the day together and took the walking tour. Nathan and Austin wanted to take this silly picture (on the right) and title it “Crushed by Love”.
Our second stop was by far our favorite destination, EVER! Castaway Cay is Disney’s private island. The whole place was reserved for us and it was amazing. Even the sand seemed magical. The water was perfect and we found ourselves a nice shady spot under a palm tree to park all day.
We introduced the boys to snorkeling here and it was AMAZING! The water was so clear and the beach was setup and marked with buoys that located buried treasure hidden beneath. We found sunken submarines and ships and even a Mickey Mouse statue. The boys loved the schools of fish that swam around us.
There was so much to do, we didn’t want to leave. There were water playgrounds built into the shallow beach water, food, water sports and so much more! Ian, Jacob and Austin rested and Nathan and I took off for a bicycle ride around the island. It was so fun to explore with him on bike. I wish I had brought my camera with me for the ride.
Even though we were exhausted from such a fun day, we got back on board and dressed for pirate night! The boys loved seeing all the costumes and being able to say “Rrrrr” so much.
Our third and final stop was at Nassau in the Bahamas. We were excited as we had planned another snorkeling excursion but this one would be in the open water having been transported there by catamaran. This too was an awesome experience with the boys. Jacob was so lost in exploring, we had to keep looking for him because he would get lost in all the beauty he was finding.
Aside from the fun excursions, the onboard activities were out of this world. We saw movies that were still in the theatre, productions that were as good as you’d expect from Disney, super-fun kids club activities and special late night adults activities.
Let me just say out loud, this was hands down the best vacation a family with multiple age groups like our could plan. I would look across the faces of my husband, 10 year old, 7 year old and 4 year old and see them beaming from ear to ear with smiles. Each of us, so perfectly enjoying our time even though we enjoy different things. Disney had nailed the idea of a perfect family getaway with its cruise line.
Our last day onboard was sad, only because we knew it was coming to an end. The character meet and greets were so much fun and I have some many pictures of all the characters my boys enjoyed meeting. One of the more special moments was the character breakfast when the favorites would come and visit with you at breakfast. Jacob and Nathan were most excited to meet Stitch, Chip and Dale but Austin was all about Mickey!
It was amazing. We left our little one at home with his fabulous Grammy who loved and spoiled him while we were gone, but we look forward to our next Disney cruise when we bring him with us. I have my eye on the European Disney cruise, but that might be a little out of our price range 
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