Davis Family: Disney Cruise 2011: The Best Davis Family Vacay!

Vacations with two young children are not exactly "vacations" for the parents--especially moms. I was so sick of spending our family vacations cleaning, chasing, and entertaining. I was bound and determined to find a true "family vacation." The only idea I had was a Disney cruise. I did not know another place where the kids would be as entertained as mom and dad, and you could leave them with a babysitter without feeling guilty. I was right! It turns out that spending a week with a 3 and 5 year old is wonderful when someone else takes care of all of the cooking, cleaning, and entertaining. I cannot say enough wonderful things about the trip. Aaron and I both turned off our phones for a week and totally immersed ourselves in family time. By the end of the trip the kids were begging to go to Kids Camp so we actually enjoyed a few adult dinners. We even booked again for next year.

The first morning was a breakfast with the characters. Waylon loved it!...

Avalon not so much. Look at the dread in her eyes as she watches the characters make their way around the room.

After awhile Avalon would tolerate the characters. Here with our with Mu Mu Minnie.

By the end of the breakfast she actually LIKED the characters (not loved, but liked)!

A first of many photos with MM.

On our way to the famed ear-shaped pool.

It was kid chaos, but W & A did not seem to notice. They loved the pool, and Aaron and I loved that it was only 18" deep. We could actually relax while the kids played.

Of course we had to purchase a dress for "formal night." So cheesey, but admittedly very cute.

Cheesiest family photo EVER, but loving it.

Enjoying matching jammies from Nana, but enjoying the bunk bed even more. Waylon was so happy that he could sleep on top! The only downside to the cruise was sharing a room. Waylon was fine, but Avalon was impossible to get to sleep since we were all so close. She hammed it up for almost an hour every night.

One hilight of the cruise was meet and greets with characters at all times of day (and night). Sometimes you would turn a corner and see a friend! Avalon loved the princesses, and fairly quickly she got excited about the other characters as well.

It took a little convincing, but soon she was loving her time with the "girls."

PUERTO VALLARTA

Our first excursion was into PV. You may wonder how Disney keeps you safe while in Mexico. The answer: resorts. They bussed us to an all inclusive with good food and plenty of adult beverages. You cant tell in the photos, but this was right next to the beach, where Waylon played for quite awhile.

BACK ON BOARD

Waylon wouldn't do it, but Avalon loved the water slide that dropped into the MM pool. She had a blast, and they did not seem to mind that she was nowhere near the minimum height.

Waylon chills in the MM pool while Avalon took the slide.

CABO SAN LUCAS

We spent 2 days in Cabo. The first excursion was whale watching. The kids did NOT get into it although we saw a mother whale nursing her calf. It was very cool, but seeing whale tales flap on the surface was not enough excitement for our kiddos. Lesson definitely learned.

We spent a lot of time inside the whale watching boat coloring and trying to keep Avalon entertained.

Lunch in Cabo. Aaron was there about a year ago for a bachelor party. This was a MUCH different experience.

Waylon LOVED his Spiderman Mexican wrestling mask. Winning!

Day 2 in Cabo was at another resort. The resort seemed to have dozens of pools, including many that were incredibly shallow. Mexico has figured out that parents + drinking = shallow pools required.

Love this family photo with the beauty of Cabo + the Disney cruise ship. Cabo purists must have heart failure at the sight of the Mouse in their gorgeous harbor. I must say, it was a BEAUTIFUL location.

ENROUTE HOME

Back on the boat we were headed back to Long Beach. Here was one fancy dinner in our room. Pizza!

Here is Waylon in the fanciest of the three restaurants. It was wonderful to eat at an elegant restaurant where they did not care if the kids went wild. Yes, I am officially drinking the Disney Kool-aid.

Avalon enjoys the chocolates and towel animals that were left every night. Did I mention that they clean your cabin twice each day?!

Every night in the lounge they had a 2-person band. We happened to walk by, and realized it was kid-heaven. Dancing while chasing lights on the floor. What fun!

This is the first night the kids wanted to eat in the kids club. No argument from us!

Avalon enjoying a sea day in the MM pool.

As you can imagine, photo sessions with the princesses were THE hilight of the cruise for many girls. For this reason the lines were awful. I am such a great mommy that I sat in line (before there was a line) for over an hour to get my baby to the front. It was all worth it as she talked all about her magical time with the princesses. It was her favorite part of the cruise!