Behind the Scenes: the Disney Christmas Cruise aboard the Fantasy with Buckets 'N Boards part VI

well well well... where did i leave off?  let me see if i can remember.  i was going to tell you all about Castaway Cay!  Disney's very own private island.  if you have been on a cruise, you will know that most of the places you visit off the ship are very touristy.  you are trying to navigate through a town to see the sights while locals are trying to get you to buy stuff.  i live in a tourist town and i get it.  but, sometimes it gets annoying as the actual tourist.  the best part of this private island is that no one is trying to get you to come inside for  a"free" sample or something.  it is all Disney and it is basically an extension of the ship.  you get to go to the beach and go to a barbeque.  kids can stay with you or go to the kids clubs that are on the island.

but first, let me tell you how i started my day.  Cabanas for breakfast. 

please note the pun-style sign. 

 

the best part of docking is that you have the most beautiful scenery to look at.  it really is breathtaking.  

after breakfast we were eager to get the girls off the ship.  G went and got the girls for breakfast while i finished my first breakfast.  i ate a second breakfast with the girls so they wouldn't feel left out...

next, we headed off the ship and onto Castaway Cay.  i would say that there is a lot to do.  i have been there twice now, and still never really did anything but sit on the beach.  a savvy cruiser would have her day planned on the island and take full advantage of it.  (maybe i will next week, we will be at Castaway Cay on Christmas Day.)  there's bike rides and boat rides and snorkeling and ....everything.  there is even a 5K you can run if you are some type of badass.  

 it is snowing when you get off the ship! we brought shovels and stuff for sand castles.  we were ready to hang out and get sun burned. 

after playing in the sand somehow we were hungry.  again.  we also decided to go shop at the little store on the island.  that shop is my favorite one.  so many cute gifts that mainly feature finding nemo characters.  while at the beach, we accumulated another daughter.  this gal was an absolute doll. she was from nyc and goes on about 11 cruises a year.  that is the best bonus of a Disney cruise.  you can make new friends and feel completely safe to add them to your pack and whatnot.  and our kids are equally able to be added to another family for a few hours.  everything feels very safe. 

we took a picture in front of the sign that warns you of everything that could go wrong on the island.

after a few hours the ship looked very enticing.  even though we had many more hours available to stay at the island, the heart wants what the heart wants. 

if you stood here for 10 minutes you could easily take family pictures for at least 20 different groups...like G did.

 the girls were pooped.

 then we had fancy dinner again. 

it looks like clearly Noii ate all of my dessert and then passed out? sure!

the next day was our last day.  we explored the ship some more all while fighting off the feeling of impending doom.

we had run out of chairs to try out so we took pictures while standing.  it was odd.  the rest of the day i wandered around on the ship trying to picture my life as it was before the cruise.  would i remember how to use my iphone? how could i cook a full cabanas breakfast every morning? would it be...cold when we returned to Missouri? these thoughts were downright scary to me.  and i was already trying to figure out how we could get on more cruises.  the last night of the cruise there is a farewell show.  Buckets N Boards said good bye on stage with a beautiful holiday song.

it was a perfect adios to our magical experience.  looking back, everything really was perfect.  the crew!  the new friends we made! (which i am happy to report that we are still in touch.  we occasionally check in on each other after devastating Bronco games...if you read my previous entry i was super sad after our play off loss...multiply that by 1000 and you'll get a feeling of how bummed i was after the Super Bowl loss...)

i still get sentimental looking at the piles of buckets and tap shoes and guitar chords that take up our storage room and some of our basement and a corner of our living room. oh and garage.  all that stuff means that Gareth and Matt get to live the dream life of traveling the world and performing for thousands of people every week that leave their shows extremely happy.  they are away a lot, but when we get to join them, it is all worth it! i love reading the comments on their facebook page.  they are doing something right.  on a related note, i have some great friends that take the burden off of single parenting weeks at a time.  they are more than anyone could ever wish for and i shudder to think of what it would all be like if my older daughter never took that summer dance class at age 2. 

if you ever get a chance to go on a Disney Cruise.  take it.  take it!! take it!!! i can tell you that as my girls have gotten older, the experience has gotten even better.  i see the teenagers on these cruises and hope that we are still able to do this when mine are teens.  there is a reason why most of the cruisers are return cruisers, it really is DREAMy. or MAGICal. or WONDERful.  (too much..i know) if you are a fan of DCL then you get that lame sentence.  if not, please start loving DCL so we have more things in common!

so go book that cruise, but first check BNB's website for their cruising schedule of course!  thanks for reading!

2013 Fantasy Football Draft Order!!

Hello!  If you are reading this post and you are not in my Fantasy Football League, this will seem very random...but maybe a tiny bit enjoyable....

But if you are in the big league, then here is what some would consider the most important blog post OF ALL TIME!!!

Please watch this video to see what place you are in our live online draft.  Don't forget it is Aug 10th at 5pm or as it reads, 6pm EST.  If you are in Branson please please please come to our house for the draft as it will be quite intense yet entertaining!
 If you are on an iphone and cannot view the video, perhaps this LINK will work

or here is a non youtube version, a little fuzzy.

Behind the Scenes: the Disney Christmas Cruise aboard the Fantasy with Buckets 'N Boards part V

it's PIRATE NIGHT!!!

we came prepared for this night.  like super prepared.  thanks to my super talented MOM!  she worked very hard to sew our ENTIRE family pirate costumes.  this was my favorite event of the cruise.  we partied. hard.  it was straight up bonkers you guys.

not only am i lucky to have a Mom that can create amazing costumes, but i am also lucky to have a husband that shares my fearless love of dressing up.  (and my tiny gals do as well)

but let me back up to the beginning of our day.  we had breakfast at Cabanas. we sat outside and looked out at Cozumel.  oh and we were sitting at the table next to theee Gabby Douglas.  G kept running into her all week.  she and i were facing each other and i tried not to stare too much.  we chatted very casually and quickly with the usual "enjoying your vacation" dialogue.  it was neat to see people coming up to G for pictures or to talk about the show while i am sitting there thinking "do you have any idea you are within 5 ft of an OLYMPIC GOLD MEDALIST???!! " a couple people stopped to talk to her and she was so very kind and sweet to everyone.  a lady came up to her when she was sitting alone and waiting for her family to join her and asked if she would be using all the chairs at her table.  she sweetly said no, take a few.  then the lady came back up. i figured she realized who she was.  but she asked for the extra utensils and napkins.  and i think the olympian sorta welcomed that.  like it might've been nice to be treated like the average teen.  anyway, she was just so very sweet.  i didn't have the heart to ask for a picture.  i thought it would've sparked more people halting her peaceful breakfast.

after breakfast we got the girls up and then brought them back up for breakfast and card games.  then they played in the water area.

and had some hot chocolate because it was a little cold.

then took them to the kids clubs.  G and i wandered around again and sat on more chairs.  sitting on chairs makes you pretty hungry so we went back up to cabanas for a lunch "snack" which turned into a full plate...but something fun happened!  we ran into our Broncos fan club!!  they said they were heading off the ship to get a t shirt in Cozumel and asked if we wanted to come along.  we hadn't even thought about going to Cozumel.  but we immediately said "Sure!" so we ran to get our ids and our key to the world cards.  ran up to the kids clubs to see if it was normal to leave the ship and leave our kids onboard.  totally normal!  so we took off with our new best ship buds!  we walked around, checked out all the shops, beers were like $1 on the streets. we found some cute stuff and tested out our bargaining skills.  still regretting that i passed on the Broncos wrestling mask...  we mailed some postcards that just got delivered last week! it was so nice and relaxing.

we miss you Renee and Drew!!!

after our adventure we went back to cabanas and ate again.  just kidding. it was closed.  we went and got the girls, and started our pirate transformation...

pirate night is no joke you guys. no joke.  we had dinner.  and i think this was when i officially decided to eat a Mickey head (ice cream bar dipped in thick chocolate) along with another dessert every night.  or maybe i decided that on Christmas night.  not sure, but it was the best decision i made on the cruise.

i snagged this picture from here

  

we had some legit pictures taken because i wanted some for my Mom.  thanks MOM!

next, there was a huge bash on the top decks. 

 a big pirate show that had plenty of dancing and Capt Jack "hottypants" Sparrow.  unfortunately i didn't get a picture but evidently i think guys are good looking with eye liner on... 

at the end of the show there is a firework display. 

 not a small one either, like a legit bigtime one.  people were so sweet and trying to make room for noii to get a good view.  and after that something magical happened.  it was dance party time.  and our tiny noii was ready to throw down with some MAD DANCING SKILLS!!!  we had never been out dancing as a family before but this gal immediately started getting down with no fear.  people would just sorta gather around her and watch.  well, we were also in the middle of traffic with people trying to get back downstairs. we made our way to the dance floor and danced for an hour straight.  Lilli taught us the cupid shuffle. and the crew had everyone busting moves. even though we had just eaten, as part of the big celebration Cabanas has a late night dinner!!!!!  lilli and i were unable to keep up with noii any longer (she had made her way to a small stage by then) so we made a dash for the bonus buffet.  i wish i had gotten pictures of the fruit displays.  they had melons cut up as pirates.  it was amazing.  they had fun food that night.  like enormous turkey legs.  noii had apparently helped close the dance party down and joined us just in time for some buffet action.

exhaustion hit her outta nowheres.

so there you have it. Pirate night was a highlight of the cruise.  i must point out that i am writing this a day after hiding in our basement because of tornado sirens.  the weather in Missouri is bonkers.  it was super warm, then tornado-y, now its super cold with a chance of snow.... not fun.  but i feel better reliving this trip with you guys right now.  i really have my fingers crossed that we will be back on this ship sometime because this place is the place my mind goes to when i am in the middle of scary weather. or when it gets a little overwhelming managing our life alone.  this trip was the perfect reward for all that.

up next... more ship exploring and CASTAWAY CAY!!!!  Disney's private island...it is just how you imagine it...

Behind the Scenes: the Disney Christmas Cruise aboard the Fantasy with Buckets 'N Boards part IV

CHRISTMAS DAY!!!!

this was my favorite day onboard.  there was such a happy lovely outgoing feeling that sort of was the essence of the day.  that morning, like all the others, i woke up way earlier than the rest of the Severs.  by the way, you can totally shut the daylight out of your room.  like if you have all the curtains shut, it will feel like the middle of the night at any time of day.  i learned that our first morning waking up.  i got up in what felt like the middle of the night, checked the clock and it was NINE AM!!!!  i thought the clock was broken  since it felt like 3am.  i was FREAKING out because i was not to miss a moment to soak up the ship.  and i had breakfast buffet to go to.  so from that day forth, i was determined not to let G hide the sun with those magical curtains.  (apparently that is how BnB can catch up on their sleep after performing late...or watching movies all night...or in G's case watching seasons of Make it or Break it...)

anyway, we woke up and saw what Santa brought us.  Lu: iPod Noii: Stompeez (that she did not take off the rest of the trip...not once)  we didn't make it to see Santa or Goofy Santa.  there was also a few church services for everyone that wanted to go to church. 

 we made it to breakfast and everyone was so nice.  the crew had an extra skip in their step and i wanted to hug all of them.  even the guy that was confused every time i asked for more powdered sugar for my french toast...warm butter and a ton of powdered sugar is my favorite thing about french toast.  what? you put maple syrup on your french toast???? i don't get it.  but i appreciate our differences. (yeck) every day that they had french toast i would only grab 2 pieces at a time (they were french loaf slices, not big) and i had to ask the guy guarding the powdered sugar for some more shakes of it...the same guy...every day that they had french toast.  he would just do a couple shakes and try to hand it back. i'd go "more please?"  one time a guy behind me said "i think she wants a bunch, like make it snow" yes, you got that right.  and the most awkward part is that i would have that scarfed down in a few seconds, so i would go get more french toast...and the powdered sugar request scene would happen identically every time.  why would i only grab 2 at a time when i know that i am capable of eating 6 slices of normal sized french toast?  well i wanted to make sure i had room on my plate for my daily pancake-whipped cream-strawberry sandwich.  so as you can see, a buffet for me is a very much planned out outing.  there are a lot of factors in play: how many plates, how many times back, what do i want to fill up on first, what do i want to get more of, what do i want the last item that i stuff into my face to be that is the last straw that i feel bad for eating because i was full after plate #2...that is an important one because that one sticks with you til lunch and even if it is your favorite thing, you might get a stomach ache and then it becomes your least favorite item...buffet eating is not for the weak of mind, heart and stomach. and its no joke.  no joke.

an example of going up for thirds, and wishing i hadn't, but will continue to do that forever as long as buffets exist.

where the heck was i??

we went to explore the ship.  the first thing i noticed about the ship when we boarded for the first time was the chairs.  i made little mental notes: i'm gonna need to sit in that chair. ohh that chair is fancy. that chair is amazing. etc.. the seating on the Fantasy is unreal.  and they aren't repeated throughout.  like the chairs and couches on deck 5 are only on deck 5.

i love that someone walking by asked if we wanted a picture because we were all sitting as a family on a couch!

no one ever really sits on these couches but the set up is so grand and quiet, especially on a day that most people disembarked (!) today we were docked in Costa Maya..the very place that had the world's nutjobs thinking the world was gonna end 4 days earlier.

deck 4 has a cluster of nightclubs.  these all are themed with european cities.

very cool! especially the seating.  am i the only one that focuses on seating? oh wait. am i...a nutjob?

the clubs were closed so we sorta partied in them..and sat in all the seats.

this is a different day but fits the sitting on seats theme 

 these clubs have some amazing bathrooms!

okay enough about seats.

when we got back from exploring, this was on our bed when we returned

later on, Lilli sang Christmas carols in a children's choir

so sweet

 that night was Christmas dinner night and it was dress up time again AND we were eating at Animator's Palate.  this place is the coolest place to eat by far. there are trinkets from all the Disney movies on the shelves and there are giant screens everywhere. 

this guy looked just like the guy from the show we watched called "buckets N boards"

its a tad awkward when your head is in front of one of the giant screens 

that night you drew a person on the placemat and that person is in a cartoon later and it is RAD!!

i have a video...but it is not uploading...

i had the yummyest dinner!

this little shrimp army is guarding a pile of valuable pesto gnocchi and sweet potatoes

after dinner we snapped some pictures

press on nails!

if you look closely you can literally see my cheekbones disappearing.  they are still missing. also note the snugeez!

we returned to find these outta this world chocolates

and of course the bunkbed was set up and all their little buddies were tucked in

and at the end of the day i was obsessing about how we were on our way to the last half of the cruise.  like, we had already gone through sat sun mon and tues.... our first vacation ever was half over...

up next....

PIRATE NIGHT!!!!