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Two Moms Ditch the Fam and take a Disney Cruise | Day 3

You’re reading Day 3. To catch-up these links for Day 1 and Day 2. Day 4 will be released on 4/26

Day Three

Nassau, Bahamas was our next port adventure day, and honestly, I wasn’t even going to care if we didn’t get off the ship. I’d been to Nassau many years back, and really didn’t feel too strongly about needing to see it again. We had tickets to meet Anna & Elsa (these are free but they take reservations to make lines manageable) onboard and were kind of okay with doing nothing. However, we did decide to grab breakfast and meet up with some of the new friends who were dinner tablemates with us. So ashore we went. Our group took a little walking tour to see the Queen’s Staircase and Fort Fincastle before heading through town. We walked near the Pirate Museum, so I could scope it out as a possibility if we ever do a family trip. However, I wasn’t going to take a full tour this trip because I’m pretty sure it will be a one and done.

Our main reason for getting off the ship was to head to the John Watling’s Distillery, and take a tour to see them bottling rum. Oh, and try some…and buy some. We were welcomed with a fresh (complimentary) pina colada and it was hands down the smoothest and most delicious pina colada I’ve ever tasted. I love me some rum mixed with Dole Whip, but if that colada was offered anywhere I’d order it every time. We apparently arrived just as a tour started. The whole tour was like…7 minutes long. I was silently laughing about that being “it,” but we did see some guys hand-labeling the bottles and checked out one room – that is the entire tour. It ended in the bar and gift shop. Most of the group ordered a wonderful looking beverage. I personally only carried $20 cash, and wasn’t spending it at the bar since I knew I’d need to buy some sort of nonsense that said “Bahamas” on it for my kids. Also, it was hot as hell and I was the “designated walker” to get the group back to the ship. *Editor’s Note: “Designated Walker” is a smart-play here. Don’t be that dumbass that misses departure time thinking the ship will wait for you – they won’t.* The four of us hung out in the bar for almost an hour enjoying the A/C and the free wi-fi, then realized none of us had eaten in a lot of hours. So, we made our way back down towards the dock area and stopped at a few souvenir shops and the straw market. I was able to get 5 carved marble turtles for my $20, which I’m sure was still a swindling but since the man told me he usually charged $12 apiece, I was fine with 5/$20. Done and done, get me back to my ship!  The rum that was purchased was checked-in and stored until we disembarked in Miami, and that process took like 3 minutes.

Next, I guess we ate something, and I’m positive that we drank plenty. We then got ready for Pirate Night! I met a few more characters to sign planks (this went over very well with the pirates, as they weren’t walking the plank, just signing it), including Captain Hook and Mr. Smee, Pirates Chip & Dale, and Captain Jack Sparrow. I gave one of the Entertainment team handlers a Cast Member appreciation token that my family takes on trips to recognize incredible Cast Members. It’s a key with a Mickey head on it, and it opens bottles. It typically goes over quite well. This Cast Member had remembered us every single time he saw us and just really worked to make sure each guest had an amazing interaction.

One other thing I did was I stopped by the desk where I could book a future cruise or a placeholder, so that I could save 10% on another trip. Essentially, if you book this while still onboard, you can gain a significant savings on a future cruise. Guests have a few options. If you know what sailing you would like (within 2 years), you can reserve one or two staterooms on that cruise, and your price is 10% less. Additionally, each stateroom receives a $100 onboard credit on that future cruise. I wasn’t positive when we’d be able to cruise again, so I looked into reserving a placeholder. This means that you put down the deposit (around $250/stateroom) and receive a reservation number to be used within two years of the booking date.   Plans can change, and if you want to change your dates or use your placeholder, call the Disney Cruise Line and your 10% savings rolls forward to that next date, as does your onboard credit. The future cruise must be before the 2 year mark of your original date of booking. With 5 kids, we’d need 2 staterooms. So the amount of savings we’d get was actually a little more than the deposits, which also come off the total. If I had to cancel, I’d get all the deposit money back anyway, so I went ahead and booked. I’ve already adjusted a cruise to another date before and it was super simple.  With Star Wars Galaxy’s Edge opening really soon at Walt Disney World and Disneyland, we had already decided it will be a couple of years before a family trip to the Disney Parks. So a Disney cruise is more likely to happen.

By this point in the cruise, we had wised up and started putting our beer in coffee cups with lids so we could carry them around and not have glass on the deck. This was nice to have in the theater and the lounges so we weren’t spending more on alcohol. After our pirate-themed dinner, we headed up to watch the fireworks and the pirate show. PRO TIP: Head to the starboard side on deck 10 for great fireworks viewing. It was a fun stage show, lots of music, dancing, complete with kids who had rehearsed a few routines with the kids club counselors. There is a late night buffet following the fireworks, but we were done eating since tomorrow’s “at sea” day also held plans for us to have a brunch at Palo, the no-children-allowed restaurant.

Check Back tomorrow for Day 4

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