Yeah! Nearly two months later I'm finally getting some cruise photos up - thanks for being patient mom...
This first post will cover the first two days of the vacay - meeting up in Orlando and the first night in the hotel, then the next day when we board the ship and sail away.
All year long we've been looking forward to this day - our Evans Family Reunion/Disney Dream Cruise!
the kids at John Wayne Airport waiting to board the plane-
Rubik's Cube and iTouch entertainment
On the plane we all find different ways to entertain ourselves during
the 5+ hour flights from Orange County, CA to Orange County, FL
Pete and the twins enjoy various reading material-
The twins are actually very diligent and do homework the entire flight time 
meanwhile the boys enjoy the snacks and personal t.v.s 
I play inflight trivia on the touchscreen tv
against the other passengers - a series of 20 questions in a variety of categories.
The quicker you answer the more points received for a correct response.
For a time I'm in a heated battle with the guy in the seat in front of me
for first place. He wins the first round, but, I, OCMOM, eventually triumph!
He offers me a friendly congratulatory fist bump around the side of his seat.
Ranked at the top! My family could not have rolled their
eyes more at me for taking these pictures of the screen....
We change flights in Atlanta where Jack takes an opportunity to "plank"
on the moving sidewalk between terminals
four travelers on the tram - almost there!
Hyatt hotel within Orlando International Airport
This cruise is more than just an Evans family reunion,
it is the celebration of mom and dad's 50th wedding anniversary
which lands on the day before the vacation.
The planning committee (i.e. Sarah and CD) come up with these
matching shirts for all 19 of us to wear for the day we board.
They are Sarah's awesome design - each paddle bears the
name of a family member. We pass them out the next morning
to wear as we prepare to sail away!
Harriet in the elevator wearing her shirt
breakfast in the food court - veggie pizza and hot cakes with sausage
Ever since she chose to do a report on them in the third grade,
Harriet has always been interested in the manatee. When she first learned
we were going to Florida she was excited to see one, but the closest we
get is in the Sea World gift shop - aren't they the cutest!
Even in this busy place all of us in our matching shirts draws some attention. The local Orlando T.V.
station is at the airport doing a story on holiday travel when we catch their eye. They interview my
mom and dad about their anniversary trip and it makes the evening news!
Mom being interviewed -
Because there is no company in the world as organized as Disney, the cruise shuttle buses leave directly from the Disney terminal located right in the Orlando Int'l Airport, which, remember, is also where our hotel is conveniently located! We haven't had to step foot outdoors since we landed yesterday. After checking in we are assigned a shuttle bus, we step outside and on to the waiting bus, and begin the 45 minute ride to the port.
Some of our first glimpses of the Disney Dream as we approach the terminal
full view of the boat
our shuttle bus
in the terminal posing with Minnie and a giant model of our boat
and here's our entire group - all 19 of us!
(photo pulled off of Sarah's blog - thanks!)
after photos its time to board -
here's the the walkway to the ship
and here we are approaching the lobby - that doorway is the end of the terminal and
the beginning of the ship - as we pass through our names are announced over the
loudspeaker - "Welcome Evans family! Welcome Richardson family!" -
and we are aboard!
The grand staircase in the atrium lobby -
kids and a statuesque Donald Duck
our cabins are not quite ready yet, and we are not even scheduled to set sail for a few more
hours, so we head up to the main deck to enjoy the view and have a look around
Our port is Cape Canaveral - across the waterway we can see the NASA facility
where the Space Shuttles were launched from
we soon discover the self serve soda machines
and the help-yourself soft serve - banana is soon my favorite!
(by the end of the five day cruise Jack calculates that he
helped himself to "at least" 11 soft serves)
kids play some mini golf
Pete catches up on his relaxing
on the way to discover our staterooms we run into Daisy Duck -
Harriet's first photo op with an on-board Disney character
we unpack just enough for those who want to change
into their swimsuits
we participate in a mandatory emergency evacuation drill
(dutifully locating and trying on our life jackets)
Dad, mom and cousin Sarah looking out over the crowd
standing just below one portion of the "Aquaduct" water slide
Jed tries out the smaller kiddie slide
Goofy attends the sailing away party
and instantly charms Harriet
the big horn blows, and the boat begins to move, gliding out
along the waterway toward the open sea
Henry and Jed soak in the hot tub as the
land starts to glide past
Dad and Mom - thanks for making it all possible!
(and I'm not talking about just the cruise)
After we've sailed away and waved to all of the people lining the
shore, the sun goes down and so do we, down to our staterooms
to change clothes (well, some of us change into nicer clothes for dinner)
and meet up with everyone for dinner in our first night's restaurant - The Royal Palace
The Royal Palace is Beauty and the Beast inspired, and all of the food is sort of
European continental, breads and meats and potatoes.
Of the several appetizers offered I order the escargot...
main course - steak and potatoes with grilled shrimp on top
strawberry shortcake parfait with chocolate Mickey for dessert
After our yummy dinner some of us plan on attending the nightly
Broadway-style show that is held in the Broadway-style theater
on the ship. Each night there is a different show, tonight's is "The Golden Mickeys"
Before the show the captain comes out and introduces himself
and then introduces his crew - including cruise director Rachel - far left
Then the show starts - it is totally cute,
a lot of different musical numbers from different Disney shows
Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs
Pocahontas leaving the stage as Tarzan enters
my personal favorite Mulan
Little Mermaid and friends
"Cruella DeVille, Cruella DeVille, if she doesn't scare you,
no evil thing will...the world was such a perfect place until,
Cruella, Cruella, DeVille!"
Woody and Jessy - you've got a friend in me
Harriet's favorite Rapunzel from Tangled
The Lion King
Beauty and the Beast
Yes, this was all in one show! Big finish - everyone on stage!
Golden Mickey and Golden Goofy in the back
By the time the show is over the ship is moving along nicely on the open sea and
has developed a pleasant rocking motion back and forth. We return to our cabins after
this big first day to find a Sleepy Dwarf mint on our Disney quote pillow, and the first of
many towel animals we meet on this trip - a Dumbo elephant.
We are rocked to sleep both by the movement of the boat, and
the steady boom boom beat of the disco directly below our room...
stay tuned for Day #3 - first port of call in Nassau Bahamas
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