Florida Vacation Day 7

After an enormous amount of fun, we were off to our much-anticipated Disney Cruise for even more FUN and Memories! When we checked in at the cruise terminal, we saw that they had a huge model of the ship we were getting on called the "Dream". It was so nice! We boarded the ship and went to our room. It was huge! I was prepared for the traditional cruise ship room, only slightly bigger than walk-in closet, but the bed was larger than the one in our Disney World hotel on land! Crazy! We booked a room with a balcony and they happened to put us on the deck of the ship that extended out a bit, so our balcony was simply HUGE! It easily fit four chairs and two end tables. I felt like it was a bit of a waste for just the three of us, but we tried to make good use of it. The other thing we loved about the room was that it had TWO bathrooms! There was one with a sink and toilet and another with a sink and a bathtub. Not a shower, a bathtub! We figured it was a kid friendly design; you are bathing your little one, but if nature calls for an adult, there isn't a need to wait for the bath to be over.
One of the first places we checked out on the ship was the "kid zone". They call it the "Oceaneers Club". It had an art area, video games, movies, interactive play stations, a light up floor, a kitchen  to eat and take mini cooking classes and even a spot to "drive" the ship! It was so cool, Kevin and I wanted to stay and play there too! They have a really cool check-in system that can pinpoint where your child is within inches and a closed-circuit phone that parents could carry with us in case our child wanted to be picked up from the facility. Of course, we had the problem that Trace didn't want to leave! I can't say I blame him! When we came to retrieve him, they had us flash our wristbands and they got to see our pictures and that we belong with him. Then, they tell you what area of the play land he's in and they send an employee to go retrieve him for us. Such cool technology! During the hours of a "parent open house", we got to walk in and look around. When you enter the kid zone, they want all the kids and adults to wash their hands to prevent the spread of germs and illness. Since most kids are not great at washing their hands thoroughly, they have a machine where you put your hands into two holes, and the machine automatically spins and sprays soap and sanitizer around your stationary hands for twelve seconds. Then, warm air dries them and you're good to go! Such a cool invention, I wished I could take one home!
Our next spot to check out on the ship was the swimming pools. They had an adult only pool, which we never did go in and two large swimming pools for both little kids and families. In addition to the pools, they have a water roller coaster that goes around and even off the side of the ship over open water. The water slide tube was clear, so I grabbed a picture while Kevin and Trace went by on their first ride. I did end up going on it once with Trace later in the trip and it was really fun!

Super, awesome first day! Nighty-Nite from Trace and Tiny Bear!