The Good the Bad and the Wonderful

This is my first attempt at blogging about our family vacation on the Disney Wonder that took place last week.  It will probably seem whiny at times.  Sorry, but that's my reality of being a mom of 5 kids. 
I really want to express how Wonder-ful it was.  That will be a photo essay on another day.  A picture is worth a thousand words, right?  So on with the long winded account. 
Day 1 started with a Christmas concert at school.  James signed up for the chorus and the timing worked out for him to sing before starting our adventures.  It was beautiful.  The Carol of the Bells was harmonious and brought tears to my eyes.  There were a few others, including one called "Winter in America" inspired by a James Brown song and at the end a little boy wearing a huge afro came out and danced around.  Pretty funny.  The song talked about being cold up north and warm down south and so I took it as a song about our upcoming trip. 
We left school after that.  Amelia had a TON of make up work to get started on and I figured James could help the rest of us finish trip preparations.  Amelia's teacher refused to give out the make up work in advance, so on the last day before the trip, Amelia brought home a stack of work tall enough to make anyone headed on a cruise weep.  It was labeled "due the first day you return."  When we got home, she and Jonny got to work (he had a few kindergarten sheets to do to stay caught up.)  James figured school was out and wanted to play video games instead of help clean.  Go figure.  I hate coming home to a dirty house after a trip.  But just as I got into cleaning it started to snow and Gary and I figured it would be better to leave so we could avoid potential traffic problems associated with snow in a place where no one knows how to drive in the snow.
So we drove to the auto train watched our van get loaded on and our adventure began.  There was a tiny playground outside the station and some of the kids went out to play.  I stayed in with Rachel- we both had colds.  Gary had a cold too but kindly agreed to take the others outside.  The train seats were comfortable and we settled in to the top level of the train for the 17 hour ride.  The kids enjoyed reading the books they brought, we got fruit and snack mix from the lounge car (the snack mix will abate hunger, but it's not good enough to really chow down on, so it's great for calorie counters:)  Dinner served was much better than anticipated- the only "hiccup" was that there were 2 pitchers of drinks on each table.  I poured out water for the kids.  I checked out the other pitcher as the kids wanted whatever it was.  It was almost clear and I couldn't place the smell.  So I poured myself a fraction of an inch to see if I recognized the taste.  Hmm- juice with a "bandaids" aftertaste.  Yes- go sniff some bandaids.  That was the aftertaste.  Gary asked someone what it was (we were at separate tables to fit everyone in) the answer: wine.  So now I've decided not to be a wine- aholic.
Then we returned to our seats where the kids were eager to don their Mickey pajamas and "go to sleep."  They ended up watching Prince Caspian (which we brought along) until they were sleepy.  Simon stumbled around between seats for a while.  He was disoriented and tired.  I was concerned he would fall down the stairs on the train until we got  him situated.  We bought Rachel a new stroller for the trip- we have a double stroller before and a broken down umbrella stroller so I figured it was time.   It's a Chicco Liteway and the main reason I chose it was for the deep recline so that she could sleep comfortably in it.  Luckily on the train there was an empty row near us and we could set up the stroller there AND fully recline the seats in front.  Sleep that night was very restless.  Gary and I had colds keeping us up.  James has a funny way of describing that night: I just kept wondering if this was as comfortable as I could be and so I'd try something else.  I can fully attest that he tried "awesome mode" several times that night.  (That is the name the kids gave the seats when they extended the leg rests to be perpendicular the the chair.  That is not nice for sleeping, but if you throw a quilt in there, it makes a cozy playing nest for a baby.)  Rachel got up several times to eat that night.  At 3 she decided it was daytime and was ready to play.  I took her to the lounge car, (which was  very clean and comfortable) to play until quarter to 6 when she decided it was time to sleep after all.    So back to bed.  I carefully observed the sleepers we passed on our way to our seats and decided the ones who looked the most peaceful were using the foot rest, the leg rest and the seat recline on their backs, instead of those who were trying to get comfortable in side, fetal, or other "awesome" positions.  I slept for an hour or two and then it was time for breakfast, packing up and getting off the train.  
Day 2 We got our van pretty quickly.  We had plenty of time to spare.  We had padded our trip by a day, not wanting train delays to  cause stress with our cruise departure.  It was cold and damp in Florida, so we decided against the beach (our original plan) and headed to the Kennedy Space Center.  We got there, looked at the prices and left.  It would have cost our family over $200 to go in and we really didn't want a stressful museum day before the cruise.  We wanted to relax.  We ate some lunch at McDonalds, a major treat for the kids.  James somehow talked us into buying him a 1/3 lb hamburger and proudly devoured the entire thing.  It warmed up and we decided to go to the beach after all.  We had been to Florida a few years ago and headed to Cherie Down, the beach  that our family had enjoyed so much previously.   Gary waded out with the kids and I played with Rachel on the towels.  She delicately tried to eat each sea shell she grabbed.  She likes the taste of sand and salt apparently.  Then I went out with the kids.  I am a real sissy when it comes to taking my kids in the ocean.  I fear losing them at sea.  I can imagine the terror of trying to find them in that vast expanse and so I don't let them go in very far.   James loves the water and humored my requests to stay close to shore although he encouraged Amelia and Jonny to go out as deep as he was and since he's so much taller than Jonny, that was a bit of a problem.  I don't really like to swim in the ocean, but I like to play tag with the waves, racing them as they go in and out, trying not to get wet.  Simon really liked that game too.  He doesn't like water much. 
After bathing and scrubbing the sand off the kids, we went out to dinner in Cocoa Beach, right on the pier.  It was scenic and restful.  James had a hamburger as big as his face.  Then we went back to the hotel for much needed sleep.  Gary kindly offered to take Rachel in his room (the hotel did NOT have interconnecting rooms as promised when we reserved.) so I could sleep.  This would be a first for both me and her.  I took some Niquil and went to bed, sharing with James and Simon.  I slept really good, until I heard the throwing up.  Remember all that beef James ate?  Yeah- there it was, all over the walls and tub and toilet lid.  (here's a tip, go to bed with the toilet seat up so midnight chuckers don't hit the lid instead of the bowl.)  Simon was up once too, just disoriented. 
We got all dressed up for church the next day, attending Cocoa Beach ward.  They gave some delightful reviews of General Conference talks and tried desperately to get us to mingle after Sacrament meeting.  We headed for the cruise terminal instead.  It was warm and sunny and I was glad because I had forgotten my jacket.   As our shuttle dropped us off at the cruise terminal, we spotted our extended family arriving at the exact same time! Hugs and kisses were exchanged and we got in line.  We enjoyed catching up while we waited.  We showed passports and filled out papers several times.  I was nervous during this time because Gary, Rachel, and I had colds and we had heard that you would not be allowed to board if you were sick.   Gary and I parted ways briefly (bathroom) and I ended up in line with the kids and all the papers and passports.  The line moved a lot faster than I thought and I found myself checking in without Gary which stressed me out, but it turned out to be fine.   We went to sign up the kids for ship activities, which took way longer than it needed too. Because our family had to be split up- we were too large for one cabin  we had to be rejoined in their system at that time.   We received one pager and 3 wrist bands for the kids attending clubs.  Simon was sad not to get a wrist band, but he wasn't fully potty trained and so we thought he was not eligible for ship youth activities (this turned out to be false, but we did not learn that until the next day.)  Then we were off!   We got our pictures taken and boarded the Disney Wonder.   It truly has a grand entrance, with an Ariel statue on one side and glass elevators on the other.  We headed up to deck 9 for lunch, as it was a bit late and we were all hungry.   Nana and Pop, Dave, Chris and Tirah were there too.  Deck 9 was open to the weather, which had turned windy and cold.   The kids jackets were in the luggage, so Uncle Chris and Aunt Tirah lent theirs to help them stay warm.   It was really hard to maneuver the buffet with 4 mobile kids and one in the stroller.  Gary helped 2 kids and I helped two, we didn't really trust them to get appropriate amounts or cleanly help themselves.  SO we ended up with 5 kids and 6 trays of food and a stroller and no where to sit.  Since it was nasty outside, all of the inside tables were taken.  Gary set off to figure something out.  So I waited patiently at the end of the line wondering why I thought this would be fun- really I did NOT want to repeat this scenario 3 times a day for the next 4 days.  A Disney worker offered to assist me- bless their hearts, they are so helpful. We set off in the same direction Gary left and quickly met up.  Gary lead us to the rest of the fam enjoying a chilly lunch on deck.
After that, we went to our cabins where the luggage was being delivered.  Somehow, all 8 pieces of luggage ended up in my cabin, which also had a pack and play for Rachel to sleep in.  So Gary and I sorted out the luggage and sleeping arrangements and located jackets for everyone (but me I forgot mine- I had a green sweatshirt I ended up wearing most of the time- Rachel blew her nose all over my other long sleeved shirt) and then it was time for the life jacket drill.  I just about died when I saw the life jacket sent to our room for Rachel.  It had a little hood and long sleeves (thermal) and of course the huge orange puffy parts.  It was the cutest thing I ever saw.   I got the kids in my room ready for the drill and Gary was working on the kids in his room when Simon pooped in his pants and threw everything off.   Gary stayed to clean him up and I took the rest to the evacuation area.  I wish I had a picture of that.  I think I made a few jokes with Uncle Dave, but don't really remember.  That may be the only time I talked to him on the trip.  Gary and Simon joined us and our family reorganized our line to fit them in, tallest to shortest.   Simon didn't want to be in the front but I told him he was the engine and he was okay with that.  I thought we would get to get on the life boats, but we did not.  That was disappointing, but the cuteness of Rachel in her life jacket made up for it.  Then we returned our life jackets to our room and it was time for the departure party on the top deck.  Gary and I thought we were going as a group with the others, but we ended up separated and couldn't find Amelia or James and spent the time looking for them.  When we found everyone, Amelia was crying because she wanted to go to the dance floor and it was too crowded and the party was over.  Gary and I were frustrated with not knowing where the kids were.   I think Gary's mom asked how I felt and I said truthfully said "frazzled."   Then it was time for dinner.  I think this was one turning point.  The waiters were amazing.  They suggested having a kid party table and a table for the adults.  They helped the kids pick out food (and cut it), did magic tricks, origami and more.  We ate in this restaurant called the Artist's Palate and for some reason, the kids were obsessed with the walls.   They said someone lied about the walls, they were supposed to change color.  I had no idea what they were talking about and did my best to relax.   The food was delicious, Rachel napped, and the walls did not change.  So I was happy but the kids were a little disgruntled.   We gave them the option of Oceaneer's Club/Lab (youth activities) or a stage show called "the Golden Mickeys" where they tributed the princesses, heroes and villains of Disney animation.  The kids chose clubs over plays, so we dropped them off and took Simon and Rachel to the show.   Chris and Tirah saved us seats, bless their hearts.  The show was amazing.  I loved the Tarzan part,  he did tricks while swinging from vines.  Simon fell asleep during the show (this became a tradition.)  Then we gathered the kids and went to bed.   This went well until James threw up and I realized (again) the importance of going to sleep with the toilet lid up.  We had a talk about eating reasonable amounts of food and went back to bed.  Rachel slept reasonable well (she's usually up  twice a night) and Simon slept through.
Day 3
We were able to sleep in some because we were scheduled to go on a glass bottom boat tour in Nassau at 11.  I was sharing a room with Simon, James, and Rachel and they enjoyed watching Playhouse Disney while we got ready for the day.  This was a treat since we don't have TV service at home.  We ate breakfast in Parrot Cay buffet.  This time James and Amelia helped themselves.  This was readily apparent when we reached the table and noticed Amelia had helped herself to an obscene amount of sausage and bacon.   I dumped out at least half and gave her plate back.  I loaded up on fruits and veggies (James teased me about veggies for breakfast.  I like them.  I like donuts too.) I was looking forward to the cruise because of the wide variety of fruits and vegetables available.  I was not disappointed. While we ate, the captain announced that due to high wind conditions our port adventure (glass bottom boat) would be canceled.  This was a big bummer and Amelia shed a few tears.  Our spirits were raised though because Chris and Tirah's dolphin encounter was still on.   After eating, we went back to our room where the kids rollicked and Gary and I revised plans.  James wanted to attend a paper plane making event and a flubber making activity.  Score one.  Toy Story 3 was playing and none of the rest of us had seen it.  Score Two.  Amelia wanted a cookie making class after that. Score 3.  Jonny wanted to be in a Mario Cart Tournament.  Woo Hoo!
Armed with a plan, we set out to take the big kids where they wanted to go and then leave the boat.  After all, we were in Nassau and how often do you get to set foot on ground in the Bahamas?!    Gary, Simon, Rachel and I walked down the gangplank (I think it's called that anyway) and into the wind.  The captain had warned of flying debris on land, but I had forgotten that part.  So I was surprised when Rachel's quilt blew away.  As I chased it down, the stroller (which I had been pushing) started to roll away with Simon in it!  Gary rescued Simon and we went on our way into the sunshine and wind.  I could not believe how blue the water was there.  I said over and over how I loved the blue water and Gary probably got tired of my amazement.  I think I could have sat and watched the water and waves all day, had it not been for the wind.  We were in search of a Christmas ornament, as it is a tradition to buy one in each of our vacation spots.  So we went through their customs area and into Nassau.  We didn't venture far, just enough to hit the tourist trap stores.  The only ornaments I saw were ones I could make myself so we moved on.  We ran into Pop and Nana and peeked into a few stores together.  They were in search of a snow globe for my niece Cameron.  We went into a linen store that sold all kinds of "pretty things" where Simon used the potty and we got a ship wheel ornament to our liking.  After that we headed back to the ship.  We stopped at one point where the sea looked especially beautiful and I asked Gary to stand so I could take a picture of him with the kids.  Right as they got settled, a huge wave rolled up over the ocean wall and soaked his shoes.  Sorry!  The picture was nice though.  I think someone stopped and took our picture together too.
When we arrived back on the ship, we checked on James (playing a basketball video game as the Jazz.  Some previous resident of the club had entered cheat codes to give the Jazz some extra special moves, so everyone there thought James was awesome.)  He did not want to see Toy Story  3 as it conflicted with his Flubber activity.  Amelia was playing this jewel game and was eager to see a movie.  Jonny was easy to find too and so was Cousin Cameron.  She was relieved that someone had come to get her.  Knowing the chaos that comes when your kids aren't where you left them, I reassured her that Nana and Pop were on their way but did not take her with us.  The movie theater on the ship is really nice and we settled in for an enjoyable show.  The kids made it through to the last 45 seconds, when Simon had to use the potty.  He and Gary took off quickly.  They didn't really miss the tear jerker ending, but probably didn't see enough of it to really break down and cry like me.  Amelia hurried off to make the cookies (the chef promised delicious broccoli cookies, but they turned out to be chocolate chip.)  Jonny and Simon came back to play with cousins in Nana and Pop's stateroom. 
We again retrieved the kids and ran them all through the showers in preparation for that night's formal dinner.  This went well in my room.  I was prepping myself and the girls.  They were easy as they are naturally cute and naturally want to dress up.  I was feeling some angst since I found out about the formal dinner.  I didn't have a formal or anything that would pass.  I had never been to a formal affair of any kind.  I am naturally quite plain and wanted to look my best, so the week before the cruise I hit the local second had stores and found a dress I liked for myself (plus a few pairs of pants for the boys so we could make it through the trip without doing laundry.)  So the girls and I got ready in relative ease.  Simon on the other hand was in Gary's room and DID NOT want to get ready.  This caused some angst that could be heard throughout deck 6.  Sorry everyone.  We eventually made it to dinner.  Rachel was awake this time.  That made it a little more difficult.  Simon was restless and that made it a challenge.  Amelia had to go to the bathroom lots of times and so it was a hard meal.  I was very grateful when the waiter offered to cut my meat because my hands were full of kids.  Finally, I had enough.  Nana offered to push Rachel in the stroller to help her settle down which I am so grateful for.  I asked Gary to bring back any dessert that had ice cream, took Simon and left.  We went to our cabin, changed clothes, read scripture stories and tried to unwind.  He calmed down, I calmed down and we made a plan.  The next night, when he felt restless, he was to come and tell me he needed to run and I would take him to the hallway where he could run and be silly for a few minutes before returning to the meal.  Then he freaked out.  I don't really know why.  At that moment, Gary came to the room with real ice cream in a tall glass.  He took the screaming Simon outside for a minute, where he immediately calmed down.  Then some of us headed to Toy Story the musical.  It was fabulous.  My favorite part was when they depicted the claw machine and all the aliens.  I was surprised that a huge claw came down and actually lifted the actors from the stage.  Simon tried so hard to stay awake, but was asleep before the end.  This was wonderful because it meant he wouldn't be bumping around the cabin in a sleepy stupor at the end of the day.  He could be comfortable and peaceful.  While we watched the show, Amelia attended a dress up session with Ariel (Ariel came and brought a trunk of costumes for the girls) followed by a Royal Ball with her cousins.  James set the ship record for Wii baseball, and Jonny played Mario cart.
Gary took the sleeping kids back to the room and I collected the kids from with events and went to have a word with the Flounder's Reef Nursery (ship babysitting.)  Because of weather the trip itinerary had been rescheduled we were to spend the next day at sea, instead of at Castaway Cay and I needed to make sure that the babysitting would still line up with me and Gary's walking and kayak adventure.  As I talked to the staff, they asked why Simon was going to the nursery instead of the Oceaneer's Club.  I explained that he wasn't done potty training and they said that kids don't have to be potty trained to join the clubs. This was news to me.  Every source I had checked said that kids had to be potty trained to go to the clubs.  I had spent the better part of 2010 trying to potty train him for this trip and had failed.   I felt terrible about this and was really sad about this right up until we got on the ship and there was really nothing more I could do.  So anyway I was floored when they said that the kids didn't have to be potty trained to go to the clubs.  I asked again.  "5 and 7 year olds have accidents in there all the time" I was told.  "Just make sure he's in good diapers and check on him every so often."  I hurried over to the kid's clubs and talked to the staff there.  No potty training- no problem!  I felt elated.  Finally Simon could join the others for some ship board kid oriented fun.  When I was talking to the staff I found out about another activity I had never heard of - Out and About.  It's geared for tweens.  And I guess James qualifies.  It's for kids who have permission from their parents to check themselves in and out of the youth activities and participate in events all over the ship such as scavenger hunts, dodgeball and glow in the dark games.
Armed with new knowledge, Gary and I tucked the kids in bed and pulled out the Personal Navigators to plan the next day's activities.  As an aside, Gary and I firmly believe in planning out vacation time. Our kids want to know what's next and if we can't tell them (because we don't know) a lot of valuable time gets wasted.  Kids lose focus while you try to make decisions.  They get upset if they don't get their way. They get rowdy and tease.  Then precious vacation time gets spent disciplining instead of having fun (and this vacation was costing $32 an hour.)  So we plan.  That way the kids know what's coming and what choices they do and don't have. 
Day 4
Day four started early.  With what else? A round of vomit.  Thankfully I had learned my lesson and left the toilet open when I went to bed and it was a cleaner occasion.  Then then I was feeding Rachel around 3am, Simon woke up, said "I did my time yesterday" and started to walk out the door.  It's a good thing I was already awake and tending the baby because I was clear headed and could grab him and put him back to bed.  Rachel was up around 5.  I put her in the stroller and pushed her up and down in the hall, so as not to wake the boys.  Later, Nana saw us in the hall and offered to take Rachel so I could get a break.  What a sweetheart. I went back to my room, rested and got ready for the day.  (OR maybe this happened the day before.  I am a little foggy on the early morning parts of the trip.  I know Rachel slept in til 7 one day and I forget if it was day 3 or 4.) Anyway, we got ready for the day and headed to the Parrot Cay buffet.  They have plenty of seating and good food.  As we were arriving, we ran in to Chris and Tirah.  They helped the kids get some food and sit down.  So nice!  We ate and revealed to Simon that he would be going to events with the big kids!  He was very smily after that.  James ran up to Aloft (the teen only club) that was open to tweens for an hour each day.  I have no idea what's up there, but rest assured it's cool because it's for teen's only.  Then he was off to "Goofy World Records." He got first place in the hula hoop contest (He must get that skill from my mom, who was the neighborhood hula hooping champ in her day- heredity.  He does a lot of hula hooping in PE at school.) 
We got Simon registered for youth activities and settled him in.  Gary walked him to the bathrooms and helped him wash his hands.  When we arrived, Snow White was dancing with the kids.  Jonny played a game called Memory Wall, Simon played on the slide.  Amelia did girly stuff.  Gary and I set off for a Disney Theme Parks trivia game.  We lost big time, but that's okay.  Then we collected everyone for lunch and vegetable racing (one of the predetermined activities we would do as a family, the others being towel origami and family vote of swimming or soccer.)  The vegetable racing activity was full, so we headed for deck 9, where we played ping pong and foosball until it was time for a family picture under the ship's Christmas tree.  Actually, about half way through the ping pong and foosball, Amelia and I decided it was time to dance.  So we got on Goofy's Pool Side stage and danced our hearts out.  It was just her and me and we had a lot of fun.  She told me later that was her favorite memory. 
We met up with the rest of the family in the lobby where a huge character dance party was just cleaning up and arranged a photo.  There was a bit of discussion on how to best accomplish a group shot of the 17 of us but it came together very nicely.  Unfortunately we forgot our camera and will have to rely on others to share.  I was floored when we got a Christmas card with this snap shot on it.  I couldn't believe that Nana and Pop had time to get the pictures printed and mailed and received within days of the trip.  From here, we went to get dressed for swimming (kid's choice.)  There was no protest among the ranks, so it was a quick process.  Because of timing, we headed not for the pool, but for a session in towel origami, where we could learn to fold towels into animal shapes.  (if you want the instructions, I can scan them and put them up.  Let me know in the comments) It was way fun.  They invited the kids to the front so they could have enough room and see what was going on.  Gary and I stayed in the back with the younger kids.  After the first animal. a floppy dog, Amelia came back frustrated.  She and I worked together on the swan and the monkey and the elephant.  She was all smiles because she was able to do it with minimal coaching from me and Gary.  Gary and Simon were a team and they appeared to have a great time.  Gary, who is self reportedly not artistic made perfect animals and this resulted in big smiles all around.
We ended up a few minutes late for our swimming date.  That turned out to be okay because Chris, Tirah and Cameron were late too.  We stripped down to suits, inflated arm floats (a must for my non swimmers) and got in the water.  Jonny was eager for the water slide.  Rachel and I helped him up the to slide while Gary played in the water with James, Amelia, and Simon.   When I came to the bottom of the slide,  I saw everyone chest deep or neck deep in the water. I greeted Jonny at the bottom of the slide, but I wouldn't let him jump in the deep water solo.  I walked him around to where Gary was  and had him get in there, for safety.  Imagine my surprise when the water in Mickey's Pool turned out to be 2 feet deep!  Everyone was ducking to keep out of the wind and that made the pool appear much deeper than it was.  I sat and talked to Chris and Tirah for a few minutes.  Tirah and I briefly discussed going down the slide - we were both under the height limit of 64 inches.  There aren't that many benefits of being short, but this was one of them! The water was warmer than the outside air so it actually felt good duck in the water.  Gary, Rachel and I were still fighting colds, so we didn't stay as long as others.  We went back to change.  James was eager for Dodgeball on the Wide World of Sports Deck (funny aside, the wind was so bad that when he threw the ball it came right back and hit him in the face.  Head shots did not count.) Amelia, Jonny and Simon wanted to go back to the clubs.  So Gary and I took them there and did some Christmas shopping.  We had done the extended family shopping before the trip but had not done anything for the kids at that point.  After the gifts were stowed, we picked up the kids for dinner (Amelia had been doing dress up with Ariel and Simon had been doing an animal game, pretending to be an elephant.)  It was in Titan's and the theme was Pirates in the Caribbean.  There were pirate bandannas for everyone at the table and the waiters tied them on you whether or not you asked.  I wish I had a picture of Jonny in his.  Imade, one of our waiters tied them after the manner of his native culture (Bali.)  The children had theirs tied in a knot that stuck straight up and the adults had a ruffle in the front. Angie had the best birthday hat on that I ever saw.  Tirah picked it up for her, I think.  I forgot to give Angie her birthday card (sorry!) At the end of the meal, Geffery (the waiter) brought Angie a birthday cake and we all sang happy birthday.  Then he said "Are you done with it? I need it for the next table."  We all laughed pretty hard at that and then ate the cake.  After that, we went to see the newest Disney movie, Tangled in 3D.  It was a great show and the kids loved it.  Rachel fussed a bit in the middle so I held her at the back of the theater until she fell asleep.  Simon and Cameron shared a seat and he fell asleep leaning on her.  How sweet!
Then it was time for the Pirates in the Caribbean dance party/fireworks show.  Angie and Todd bought big fake teeth for all the kids.  Chris and Tirah bought them spy glasses.  I felt a little bad because I hadn't brought anything to share, but live and learn right?  James didn't feel like dancing, so we let him go to glow jams- activities where the kids all wore glow sticks and played games on the Wide World of Sports deck (which is open air so it was pitch black.)  I danced with the family and extended family for a while before gathering James from his activity.  Then we danced some more.  I loved it, Amelia loved it.  The boys not so much.  Then Mickey Mouse came down on a zip line and started a fire works show.  Amelia thought this was scary.  (A guy in a big heavy Mickey costume dangling over a crowd- what if he fell down on us?!)  The fireworks were beautiful.  The youngest kids fell asleep and we all went back to sleep.  Gary and I spent a few minutes planning out our morning departure- it would be complicated because of our 9 am Walking and Kayak date.  Then we went to sleep.  I believe Rachel was my only wake up that night.  Whew!
Day 5
This day started out with Rachel and me in the halls at 5:30.  We walked around each deck of the ship from 1-9.  I couldn't get her back to sleep, so eventually I went into Gary's room to get something and as soon as I woke him up, she fell asleep.  Go figure.  I went back to bed for 45 minutes and then the boys and I woke up to room service breakfast.  This was Simon's favorite.  Room service is free on Disney Cruise (except gratuity) so it was a great way to get us going early.  After we were dressed and ready, I headed off with Rachel to the babysitting and Gary left with the big kids to Scuttle's Cove- youth activities on Castaway Cay (Disney's private island.)  Gary and the kids showed up breathless at the Flounder's Reef Nursery and I discovered I had half of the room keys he needed to leave the ship.  Whoops! So they ran while I checked Rachel in.  She did just fine but I got lost leaving the ship, ending up in a staff dining room (which by the way was both attractive and functional.)
Once on the island, I was quickly found by someone waiting for the lady who was dropping off the baby.  She quickly directed me to where I needed to go for the morning Walk and Kayak adventure.  There the guide, Ricky was trying to sort out his list of registered participants (too many with our surname and he was way confused, especially by the my husband who is a junior) also, some had turned in their tickets before dropping off kids and some had not.  So Gary wasn't there.  And I was worried he would miss the fun.  finally the group could wait no longer and we set off on a tram. They assured me that they would send an island taxi for Gary when he got to the meet up place, but I wanted to be sure he didn't get left behind.  So we drove around to the life jacket place and I was still distracted because Gary wasn't there.  When we did meet up at the next tram stop, he told me Simon had freaked out at Scuttle's Cove and didn't want to go.  He asked James to help Simon find something to do and he settled down.  Ricky was very knowledgeable about the native plants and after I learned about each one, I found myself wishing it grew in my yard (wart removers, insect repellents, cold and flu remedies, rogaine) the possibilities were astonishing.  Then we got to the kayak place and had a quick lesson in kayak steering and headed off.  The water was beautiful and clear in the mangrove inlet.  We mostly just paddled to follow the guide and it was relaxing.  The mangroves swamp was protected from the wind and that made it really pleasant to be outside.  On the way back, Gary and I stopped to admire jelly fish and star fish in the water.  We also tried to follow a heron.  That made us slow coming back.  When we arrived, we got to see a shark!  It was about 4 1/2 feet long and had sneaked up behind one of Gary's brothers.  The guide said hey there's a shark behind you! and he thought it was a joke.  But really, there was a shark behind him.  Gary and I would have liked to stay longer, but we needed to get Rachel from the ship.  So we set off to get her.  It took over an hour to get her and come back to the island.  When we did, lunch was closing up so we ate quickly.  While we were eating, Todd came to tell us that they had checked James out of the children's area and they were going to to paddle boats.  That surprised us so we hurried to get the rest of the kids and catch up.  Simon was digging in the sand and Amelia and Jonny were involved in an elaborate scavenger hunt with a radar type device that took several kids to carry.  Amelia was ready for the beach.  Jonny had no interest so we left him and went to meet the  others.  Unfortunately we could not find the area they described so we set off for the family beach.  Gary and the kids set up and I went to look for James, Todd and the others.   I looked in the left beaches again like they said but could not spot them.  Then I went to the boat rental place to find out where they would be.  They looked through the stack of receipts and found one that matched and I set off again.  This time I found them.  They were cleaning up after riding around in these amazing looking pontoon tricycle things.  Then we went down and joined Gary and the kids for a swim.  The air was cool and windy, the water was warm.  I hesitated slightly before getting in the water, but when would I ever have that opportunity again? Never!  So I jumped in and helped Amelia swim a bit.  Then I spotted a fish in the water and the kiddodiddos, cousins and I chased it around for a bit.  It was about 6 inches long and white.  Simon made up a game that had me laughing.  He was throwing fistfuls of sand into the water and said Do you know what I'm doing? Making soy milk! and sure enough as the sand hit the water, it made everything cloudy/milky looking.  Gary, Todd and Dave swam a little further out and saw bigger fish.  It was a lovely time swimming.  The water was a pretty shade of blue further out, but where we were it was crystal clear.  Everyone was happy and playing together.  Amelia frolicked with Cameron and Abby.  James and Jacob were chasing around.  Simon was making "soy milk" and Rachel felt like cuddling. 
Eventually it was time to head back to the ship and clean up for "Friendship Rocks" a show that the kids put on for the last day of the cruise.  It lasts maybe 20 minutes.  They learn a dance to do for the parents and watch a slide show of the activities.  Amelia couldn't wait for the show.  I think Abby was excited too.  Jonny and James went along for the ride (all the other youth activities shut down) and Simon looked a little confused but happy.  The kids all got t shirts commemorating the event, which they always ask to wear at home. 
Gary and I hurriedly packed.  It wasn't too hard.  We just had to set aside enough clean clothes for the morning plus an overnight bag for the train.  All of the careful packing before the trip had made things easy.  The suitcases looked a bit ridiculous crammed with gallon size ziploc baggies labeled per person per day.   We didn't need to be so careful packing up to go home.  It would all end up in the laundry anyway.
Dinner was in Artist's Palate again.  This time the art on the walls changed throughout the meal and then the walls themselves changed from black and white to a riot of color.  It was a wonderful performance.  Who knew the walls could do all that?!  Everyone but me- they had been expecting it the first night we were there.  We also had the opportunity to applaud the servers and thank them for their efforts.  When I heard about this event before the cruise I thought it would be cheesy, but after being on the receiving end of such excellent service my gratitude was really heartfelt. 
The final stage show of the cruise was called Disney Dreams and it was about a little girl and her imagination.  It was well done.  I think there was a great Under the Sea number, a winter Beauty and the Beast number (where they have the snow ball fight) and my favorite was Aladdin where they did the parade, complete with a giant Abu the monkey turned into an elephant.  Rachel fell asleep before it was over, and so did Simon (all snuggled up with Cameron again- too cute!)  What a perfect day.
Day 6
The last day of the cruise, we had to be off the ship by 8.  This was not a problem for Rachel because she decided the day should begin at 3am.  She was ready to party and I didn't want to wake up everyone so she and I explored the ship.  Not so much as we had on other days though.  We ended up on the Promenade lounge where she played with a Jenga set and I watched the ship head for Port Canaveral.  After she got tired of Jenga we went walking some more.  Around quarter to 5 we ran into Pop, who was returning an extension cord.  We ran into Imade, our waiter who needed to talk to immigration (standard.)  and we saw and appreciated all of the people who work to make a cruise ship beautiful.  They work around the clock to keep the ship looking gorgeous.  I forget when we went back to our room.  Eventually the family woke up and it was time to dress and have our final meal on the ship. 
After leaving the ship, we went to Down Town Disney to kill some time before the train ride home.  We met up with Chris and  Tirah, Todd, Angie and their kids Jacob and Abby.  Initially we were looking for some place to do lunch but then realized we weren't hungry.  So the kids shopped for souvenirs.  The favorite store was the Lego store, where there were tables of legos for the kids to build with.  There was also a ramp for them to race lego cars down. 
The kids were tired on the train ride home.  I was tired.  Right before dinner, the train hit a truck (the driver was okay) but it delayed the train by several hours.  I was sitting next to Gary when it happened.  We couldn't see anything, but we definitely felt the train run over something big.  Simon had a hard time at dinner.  Then Amelia needed to use the bathroom.  I took her and Simon to the bathroom.  This was not unexpected.  Our family averaged AT LEAST 4 bathroom trips per dinner on the trip.  We tried to take them to the bathroom before the meals and jointly during meals, but to no avail.  As we were leaving the bathroom, Amelia said "just so you know I'll need to use the bathroom again during dinner."  I lost patience and told her that we weren't going back to dinner until she was done because it wasn't fair to have to make so many bathroom trips.  Then she freaked out and said "so you want me to spend the whole dinner in the bathroom?!" Well.  finally she got it.  She didn't want to spend her dinner in the bathroom.   Neither did Gary or I, but with so many bathroom trips per meal, that's the way it felt sometimes.  So we returned to dinner.  The train was stopped. There was a truck under the dining car.  I was exhausted and freaking out a bit, for the wrong reasons.  If we were delayed to long, we would run out of diapers and formula.  Rachel is mostly breastfed, but sometimes she needs a bottle and the spare formula was in inaccessible in the van.  Simon was still ansty.  It turns out he didn't want to eat.  He just wanted to wear his pajamas.  So he put on his pajamas, Rachel put on her pajamas and as soon as she fell asleep, I fell asleep.  I intended to nap but I didn't wake up until late.  (Thanks Gary for getting the kids to bed that night.)  The kids slept a lot on the way home.
The next morning at breakfast, Simon and I ate with a lady and her daughter.  They were several rows behind us on the train.  I had no idea they were there.  She told me my husband was "well trained" I told her I didn't train him, he came that way.  He is my hero and rescues me on a regular basis.  She said that we work well together.  I agree.  I am so grateful for vacations and the opportunity to work closely together with my husband.   He is my best friend.