Confessions of a Mousejunkie!

Kevin and I just finished reading a book titled Mousejunkies and have come to the conclusion that the book easily applies to us. We are most definitely a Mousejunkie family. If possible we would travel to Disney 3 or 4 times a year, but if we can at least get our fix once a year we'll try to stay happy.

One might ask what it means to be a Mousejunkie. Well for one there's a unique Disney lingo you need to learn. For example if you know what the following means, you just might be a Mousejunkie yourself, "I traveled with my DH and 3 DS to WDW for MNSSHP and stayed at POR. Took the ME from MCO and had a great time at the MK. Wish we were Aper's so I could go back for MVMCP." Yep, mousejunkies talk in their own Disney language, and I'm a little embarrassed to say I'm starting to get it all down.

Anther characteristic of a Mousjunkie would be the undeniable pull you have every time you pass a Disney Store to go inside. Kevin and I go out of our way to shop there even if we don't buy a single thing. We transport into a happy zone whenever we walk into a place where cast members are there to serve us, and secretly wish we were cast members ourselves.

And of course if you're a Mousejunkie you just can't envision going on too many other trips that don't involve a Princess Castle. Even in a family with all boys, we get excited every time we walk through the Magic Kingdom gates and see the Castle looming in front of us. It brings excitement each and every time.

There's just something about the World of Disney that intrigues us no matter how many times we go. This year we managed to make it down twice, but I'm already making plans for a return tip next year. If not for the extreme heat and humidity in the summertime, I'm sure we would live closer to Orlando, but for now I'll continue dreaming about our next vacation when all of us can feel like a kid again and escape into a world of make-believe and mouse ears.

Our Disney Wonder Cruise

I can now say I am believer in Cruises as a form of vacation. This was a first for us, and I have to say it was a fantastic way to explore areas I've never been to and it was the perfect way to relax out in the open seas.

The kids and I had a magical time on our Disney Cruise last week. It couldn't have gone much better than it did (except for the obvious fact of Kevin not being able to come which still saddens me), but I discovered first-hand that cruising is a great activity for all ages and hopefully I can figure out a way to get Kevin on one before too much more time passes by.

Here's a few of the highlights we had on our latest adventure.

We flew in the night before the cruise and stayed at one of the Disney Resorts which picked us up and transported us all to Port Canaveral the following morning. Our plane was delayed out of Detroit, and we didn't actually get to our hotel room until around 1:30 a.m., but we all managed to be up by 7:00 a.m. for breakfast, a quick tour of the grounds, and an exciting bus ride to the terminal.

Pulling up to Port on Disney's Magical Express Bus.
You can see the ship out the window which brought on a lot of happy excitement!

Kyler, Jordan, and I had a lot of fun making magnets on our home computer for our stateroom doors. This was the boys door...Stateroom 2640.
Caleb and I stayed in the adjoining Stateroom #2638.

Inside our Stateroom.
We didn't pay for a veranda room, but we were upgraded to ocean-view rooms which came with these huge 4 foot porthole windows to gaze out of.

Our first meal on the ship.
We were anxious for the boat to sail.

The "Celebration Away" Party on deck 9 and 10 of the ship. Disney throws a great party to rev. up the excitement before pulling out to sea.

The boys each got a small goody-bag from me with bubbles, sunglasses, and a pin to celebrate the day.

We're officially off and sailing!

The views were amazing.

We saw a lot of characters along the way including Donald, Daisy, Pluto, Goofy, Lilo, Stitch, Chip & Dale, Peter Pan, Cinderella, Belle, Ariel, Captain Hook, Jack Sparrow, and of course Mickey and Minnie.

Meeting Captain Hook.

Kyler and Caleb in the Mickey Mouse kid Pool.
The Wonder also has a family pool and an adults-only pool area on the ship.

We had fun snapping pictures with all the Characters and getting their autographs for our keepsake book we made at home.

Kyler and I got off the ship for a super quick stroll in Nassau, Bahamas while Caleb and Jordan were being entertained at the Kids Clubs on the Ship.

Pirate Night is a night where all the passengers and characters dress up for the "Pirates IN the Caribbean" party. It's a huge celebration with music, dancing, Character appearances, and topped off with the only fireworks allowed at sea.

Caleb partying as a Pirate for about 15 minutes before he completely zonked out!

Pirate Night is a favorite for all passengers on board a Disney Ship.
We brought along our own Peter Pan to help keep all of us in line!

I'm still scratching my head at how Caleb can sleep through some of the noisiest experiences on the ship. This is smack in the middle of our Pirate Party. We were sitting next to the loud speakers and there were fireworks going off right above our heads. I don't have a picture of Caleb falling asleep during our mandatory emergency drill, but somehow he managed to sleep sitting up in a chair with his bulky life-vest on. That was a chore for me to carry him back to our room afterwards!

We met friends all along the way.

The Disney Wonder

What's a trip to Castaway Cay without Captain Jack?

The Ship "Flying Dutchman" from the Pirates of the Caribbean movies is docked at Disney's Private Island, Castaway Cay.

Of Course seeing Mickey is always a highlight when you're doing anything associated with Disney.
The beaches were in perfect form

And the food was plentiful!

This is the Mickey Pool found on deck 9 of the ship. We loved how it changed color during the evening hours.