Make A Wish Disney Dream Cruise Day 4

After our ridiculously late night the night before, It was no surprise that the ship had long been docked for our final day at Castaway Cay before our little “sleeping beauties” rolled out of bed groggily after 10:00am.  We grabbed some breakfast and then hit the Aquaduck while the masses were off the ship on the island and the line was shorter for the water slide.

We lazily made our way down the gangway to enjoy a few more hours on the tropical island.  While in search of a row of empty chairs, we happened upon a character dance party. You can be sure these girls knew how to boogie with Chip n Dale!

MAW had given us vouchers for tube rentals and snorkels and fins for the day so we cashed un and suited up.  Can I just say that getting half a dozen kids fitted with masks and teaching them to breathe through a rubber hose is no small feat!!  I was so proud of Evie who overcame her first couple frantic minutes of hyperventalative breathing and mastered the art of snorkeling!  She was so proud!  The kids and I kicked off and explored the mile long staged underwater ship-wreck.  Totally cool stuff!!  Coral covered abandoned underwater ship and canon…..treasure chest….and even a massive granite Mickey statue.  Colorful fish weaved through the wreckage and Tristan even chased a massive sea turtle and had the gumption to go up and touch it!!

It was our fault that we missed lunch again due the the fact that we were so busy having fun that we totally forgot!  Way too busy having fun!  So that meant ice-cream-cones all around from the beach-side soft-serve machine.

We contemplated “missing” the last call to get back on the boat.  I mean, how bad would it be to be stranded here?  Reluctantly we bid farewell to the most magical destination in the world and boarded the Dream for a final night at sea.

The MAW staff had strawberry-shortcake cupcakes waiting in our stateroom for an afternoon snack.  Always, always one step ahead with surprises and treats!  As the kids showered and dressed for the evening activities, Evie protested the nautical dress I’d laid out and begged to wear her Cinderella dress “one more time”.  Of course I couldn’t say no to that!  So princess it was for one more magical evening!

C and I ordered a wine and cheese platter and enjoyed a few leisurely “couples” moment after sending the kids off to the Kids Clubs so we could get the suitcases all packed up for tomorrows departure!  It was short lived, but man….why hadn’t we accessed the free room service before now?  Cheese platter was fantastic!

C went to pick up the little girls from the club which resulted in a scenario he will not soon live down….

Disney has stringent security measures in place to make sure no “stranger” can walk in and check your child out of the club.  When we’d enrolled the kids the first day, we were asked to provide a secret “family password” which would be used in conjunction with our key cards, etc. to ensure our kids protection.  I had told C the password Id listed, but apparently in his slightly loopy state (still taking some heavy duty pain killers from his surgery only a few days before), he had no recollection of the password.  So….as he’s trying to pick up our girls, he’s drawing a complete blank when asked to provide the password. 
 The club counselor (bending the rules a bit and trying to work with him) asks instead if he can provide the kids full dates of birth.
Uuuhhhh……!!
If this woman only knew…this guy has a LOT of birthdays to keep up with!
Apparently it took some time and careful calculation, but he eventually was able to retrieve his own daughters 🙂

Disney saved the best for last.  Their final nights show performance in the grand Walt Disney Theatre was absolutely enchanting!  However, C and I could barely take our eyes off of Gigi who sat perched on the edge of her seat dancing and singing along and then collapsing in laughter, completely immersed and enthralled in the performance.  Oh the magic in her eyes!!

On our way to dinner, we stopped at the guest services desk to take a thank-you note from Evie to our precious Miss Nicky who had done so much to make the trip unforgettable for us. She in turn had more treats for Miss Evie – chocolate covered Mickey shaped rice-crispie treats.  This woman was amazing!

Animators Palace dining room hosted us for our “last supper”.  Tristan and I ordered the best truffle stuffed white wine sauce ravioli for appetizers.  Absolutely divine!  We interacted with “Crush” on the movie screen by our table while we sipped cocktails and tasted delicacies. Fillet Mignon. Lobster. Escargot. Creme Brûlée.  When else in their lifetime will my kids get to try these things in one sitting?!! 🙂 We were seriously sad to say goodbye to Constantin and Potchara when we concluded our meal.  These guys made our dining experience every night a truly entertaining event!

Reluctant to see the fairy tale end, we soaked up every last magical moment.  We donned mermaid tails and went night-swimming and enjoyed one more ride on the Aquaduck.  We sat on lounge chairs with the deck all lit up and the little ones wrapped in (heated) towels on our laps and watched Avengers on the “dive in movie screen”.  The big kids filled cups with coke from the soda machine and topped it off with soft serve ice cream for everyone – coke floats!!

The 4 days aboard the Disney Dream were that precisely – a dream!  Im pretty sure if Evie had wished for the moon, MAW would have thrown a lasso around it.  This organization is amazing and facilitated memories for our family that have so beautifully celebrated Evie’s life and commemorated all she’s been through!  We are so grateful for the opportunity together as a family to recollect all the prayers God has answered in our girls life and to reflect on how far she’s come!  Here’s to many more dreams come true and life lived abundantly, joyfully, gratefully!!