The Big Trip: Part II, Our Cruise with the Mouse!

After our visit to Disney World, we got on the Disney Magic for a seven day cruise with Meena and Papa.  We celebrated Papa's 60th birthday on the boat!  Such fun!

Tess had a great time swimming in the pools and the ocean and visiting with the characters.  Nora had a great time eating.  And eating some more!  And I think we also learned that Nora is claustrophobic.  She was not a fan of the small staterooms on the boat.  Not at all. 

There she is!

Nora is so excited for the buffets, she can hardly stand it. 

Getting ready to board the boat! 

Nora passed the time by pushing the stroller around... and around... 

The first of many Minnie sightings! 

On the Mickey slide

At our character breakfast

Photo of Nora eating, number 1 of 246

Nora + Goofy = No go

Can't a girl just eat her breakfast in peace?!

Not something you see everyday... this is a picture of five Cubans on a manmade raft that we came across on our way to Key West.  Our boat stopped (causing us a delay in getting to port) so that the US Coast Guard could come and pick them up.  A helicopter kept watch above until a boat arrived.  A dose of reality for sure.

Key West

Nora's first time in the ocean! 

(In the exact same spot that Tess first dipped her feet into the ocean!)

Riding in the electric car

In front of the boat in Mallory Square

Nora is just thrilled to be with the Fairest of Them All

Tess & Alice

This pretty much sums it up... eat until you can't eat anymore!

Formal night.  Tess obviously thinks she's the only one in this picture.

Both girls are pondering what to order for dinner.

And likely, only one actually ate her dinner.

I'll give you one guess.

 Tess enjoying her Mickey Mouse bar dessert.* 

*And no, this does not necessarily mean she ate her dinner.

With our server, Recon

Grand Cayman

Such a rough life for this poor girl

Upon waking up, Nora is dumbfounded to learn that we actually got off the ship

and left the lunch buffet behind.

Bathing beauty

Cozumel

A Norman sighting 

Yes, this man is real.  And yes, he was scary. 

At Nachi Cocum.  Heaven.

Somebody obviously thinks she owns the place.

Pirate night!  Notice Nora keeping tabs on Mickey.

My favorite pirates

Mornings are good when every TV channel is the Disney channel.

At the Princess Gathering.

Nora in the splash area

Castaway Cay

Look who's eating again...

Giant Connect Four with Papa

This is what Nora thought about Tess beating Papa!

And can you believe that Nora missed our last dinner? 

This shot pretty much sums up how we all felt at the end!

After we got off the boat, we went to Downtown Disney for the afternoon.

Happy Birthday to Papa!  Hope you had a great birthday trip!