In my last trip report (you can check it out here), I shared our adventures in Monaco. Later that day, we were off to the village of Eze. Eze is a hilltop town on the Cote d’Azur. Overlooking the Mediterranean, this medieval village hosts a 12th-century castle and the Jarden Exotique with its graceful statues and beautiful vistas. It was simply stunning. Throughout the village, you can find local shops and art galleries. There were lots of unique, hand-crafted gifts. I bought an adorable bear, made out of quilting material, for my nephew.
On the way back to the ship, we took a little tour along the outskirts of Nice. We stopped at the memorial to Princess Grace, and there was also a stunning view of our ship.
France was amazing, and it is a place I would like to visit again. Next stop on this tour, Genoa, Italy!
Until next time,
Heather
My family loves to cruise. It is a fantastic way to see new places. There are many different cruise lines to choose from, but our family prefers Disney. We have been on eight Disney cruises and setting sail again in February. So what is it about Disney that keeps us coming back for more? If you are a follower of this blog, it is no secret that I love anything, Disney. Their service is second to none, and they know what the customer wants before the customer even knows what they want. It is my happy place. So what is it about a Disney cruise that makes it so special? Here are our top six favorite things on a Disney Cruise.
Disney’s Service
Disney’s service is first class. Every cast member goes above and beyond to make sure you have a fantastic time. From the stateroom host/hostesses to guest services to the servers in the dining rooms, each person makes the magic happen in their own way.
Surprised Nicholas with a cake. 
A towel cake! 
Our hostess always playing games with the kids’ stuffed animals. 
Celebrating our anniversary and my first 1/2 marathon.
On our first cruise in 2010, we had the most fantastic server, Oliver. He took such great care of us. In 2018, we were once again sailing on the Disney Magic. I heard he was still working on the ship. I called Disney and requested to be seated at one of his tables. Imagine our surprise, not only was he still on the ship, he remembered us! He was excited to see us and could not believe how the boys had grown. Oliver’s service was top-notch, and his assistant server, Miguel, was just as great.
Entertainment
No one does entertainment like Disney, and the entertainment on the cruise is no exception. From award-winning Broadway shows to comedians, live music, game nights, trivia, dance parties, character interactions, dinner shows, and more, there is always something to do and see. I love catching a show before dinner. Two of my all-time favorites are Frozen and Disney’s Believe. We also enjoy the two dinner shows, Rapunzel’s Royal Table and Tiana’s Place.
Tiana’s Place 
Frozen 
Rapunzel’s Royal Table 
Rapunzel’s Royal Table
Character Interactions
By far, character interactions are one of my favorite things, whether on a cruise or at the parks. On the cruise, it is a bit easier; the lines are shorter and tend to move faster. My kids are more apt to stand in line if they know it will be quick.
Pirate Night
Where else can you dress like a pirate, watch a fun pirate show, and watch fireworks on the high seas? The night starts with a Caribbean themed menu. All the servers dress in pirate-themed clothes. Jack Sparrow and Captain Hook make their appearances. Mickey, Minne, and the gang are dressed in their pirate best. At around 10:00 pm, there is show up on deck, ending with fireworks. Did you know Disney Cruise Line is the only cruise line to have fireworks at sea? The night ends with an enormous buffet. It is a great time.
Adult Only Areas
One may think Disney Cruise Line is just for kids, but it is NOT. My husband and I have gone without kids and had a great time. There are plenty of areas where children are not allowed. This would include an adults-only pool, spa, fitness club, bars and clubs, a cafe, and adult-only dining. The adult-only dining is our favorite. Each trip, we make sure to snag a reservation at Palo. Palo serves Italian cuisine in a romantic setting. You can make a reservation for brunch or dinner. We usually go for brunch, though dinner is terrific as well. The food is fantastic. I highly recommend the chicken parmesan.
Adult only deck and pool
Pink Champagne Bar
Photo credit- Touring Plans
Disney’s Private Island
Like most cruise lines, Disney has their little piece of heaven in the Bahamas. Castaway Cay is Disney’s private island. There is a kid’s club, a family beach, and an adult’s only beach. There are cabanas to rent, snorkeling, swimming with stingrays, bike riding, and more. For all you runners, there is 5k upon arrival. There is so much to do here that I feel it needs its own blog post. Be on the lookout for that in the coming weeks. In the meantime, here is a glimpse of this beautiful island.
I could go on and on about the things we love about a Disney Cruise. These are just the highlights. If you are looking for specific information on an itinerary, I have various posts about our Alaskan and Mediterranean cruises here on my blog. Pull up a chair, grab a cup of something and take a look. Happy reading!
This post may contain affiliate links and I may earn compensation when you click on the links at no additional cost to you.
One of the days we were in Amsterdam, Bill and I took a side trip to the community of Zaanse Schans. Located in the town of Zaandam, about 20 mins outside of Amsterdam, this quaint neighborhood is amidst a meadow landscape with iconic wooden windmills and other structures that have been moved and reassembled here piece by piece to bring the history of this area to life. It is a real living museum, with the 18th and 19th centuries coming to life. Zaanse Schans has farmsteads, paths, wooden houses, warehouses and windmills, ditches, and fields. Enjoy the smell of fresh cookies from the bakery museum, or take a look at where clogs are made. You should be sure not to miss the cheese factory, pewter foundry, and the various windmills.
Due to weather, we did not see as much as we would have liked, but we made the best of the situation. It was pouring rain and rather chilly. However, we were able to hit a few of the highlights.
Upon entering the parking lot, there is a photo opportunity for anyone that would like to have their picture taken. I am a sucker for a photo (I am a scrapbooker), so I made my husband stop and smile. As you can see from my fun hat, I was a bit chilly. From there, we went straight to the Bakery Museum De Gecroonde.
Stroop Waffles are amazing!
Inside we found Dutch sweets and baked goods like windmill cookies and Stoop Waffles, all of which are served warm. The smells radiating from this bakery were heavenly. Attached to the bakery is a storefront, and this is where we decorated our clogs. These made such cute souvenirs. The clog decorating area was just adorable. I had fun taking photos and playing around in the giant Dutch oven.
The next stop on our visit was to the Windmill DeKat (2). Built in 1664, this mill produces paint, chalk, pigments, and oils used by artists around the world. As we walked in, we saw a giant stone wheel grinding chalk that is powered by the sails outside. Take a look.
Inside the mill 
The pigments 
Inside the mill 
So beautiful
From the tour of the windmill, we were off to sample some cheese. The Catharina Hoeve Cheese Farm is a traditional farm setting. In the center of the store is a sampling of all types of cheeses. It ranges from Gouda, goat’s cheese and flavors such as pumpkin! Why yes, we brought some pumpkin cheese home, and it as rather tasty. Note to U.S. travelers to bring cheese back to the U.S.; it must be vacuum-packed and pasteurized.
For all you chocolate lovers out there, Zaans Gedaan/Cacao Lab was our next stop. Enter this adorable shop and smell the tantalizing aroma of chocolate. Here see how chocolate treats were made in the 18th century.
Before heading back to our bus, we took a walk around the grounds. Even on a rainy day, it was such a beautiful sight. I can imagine in the spring, with all the tulips, it is stunning!
Oh, and how could I forget, decorating a clog was not enough, we had to see how the clogs were made and buy a pair as a gift. Our final stop was to Kooijman Souvenirs and Clogs. I purchased a bright red pair for my clog, loving sister.
Though I wished we had better weather, it still was a great day. There were still many things we did not get to see. When we head back to Amsterdam, Zaanse Schans will be on the to-do list again.
This post may contain affiliate links and I may earn compensation when you click on the links at no additional cost to you.
Last month we spent a full glorious week on Topsail Island, North Carolina. Topsail is one of my favorite places on Earth. It is quiet, the beaches are gorgeous, the waves are enormous, and for some reason, though she had never been, it brings me close to my Mom. She loved the ocean and had always wanted to see the North Carolina coast. Perhaps, this why I feel her presence when we are there.
The seas were rougher than usual this trip, and there were warnings of rip currents. We knew the kids would want to be in the water all the time, so we decided to take a break and head down to Carolina Beach, about 45 mins south, and check it out. Unfortunately, it left a lot to be desired. While the beach was gorgeous, there wasn’t much to do until the evening hours. It appeared that nothing was open on the boardwalk, and we were left saying, “Now what?”
We talked about going to see a plantation, but time was not on our side. Most of the estates were closing in an hour, and the ones of interest were 30 minutes away. As we were poking around on our phones, Kim pulled up Bellamy Mansion in Wilmington, NC. It sounded interesting, it was opened later than the others, and we all had enjoyed Wilmington when we were there on our last trip.
Bellamy Mansion is located in downtown Wilmington. The grounds include the mansion, the carriage house and the slave quarters and replicas of the original gardens. Though the mansion and other structures were built by 1861, it was not until 1870; the beautiful gardens were planted.
Dr. John Bellamy lived in the home with his wife, Eliza and their ten children. For eighty-five years, members of the Bellamy family occupied the house. The last remaining child of Dr. and Mrs. Bellamy was Ellen Bellamy, and she passed away in 1946.
The house has quite a history. It was built between 1859 and 1861. It has Greek Revival and Italianate styling. The home consists of twenty -two rooms and was built by both enslaved and local freed black artisans. Dr. Bellamy wanted his family’s home to include modern amenities. This included a specially designed ventilation system to keep the house cool in the Carolina heat.
The Bellamys moved into the house in 1861. Mrs. Bellamy was pregnant with their tenth child. The Bellamy’s moved into the main house, and their nine enslaved workers moved into the slave quarters. The home was taken over by federal troops during the Civil War and survived a disastrous fire in 1972. It served as home to two generations of Bellamy family members, restored in 1992 and now following extensive restoration and preservation is a functioning museum.
As I mentioned above, Mrs. Bellany had beautiful gardens planted on the property. However, by the time the restoration of the mansion happened in 1992, traces of the formal garden had disappeared. Today, what you see for gardens is based on historical research and archaeological investigation. In 1996, through significant funding from the Cape Fear Garden Club, the Bellamy gardens were recreated and maintained today through volunteers.
Photos courtesy of Bellamy Mansion 
When we first arrived, we checked into the carriage house, which now serves as offices and a gift shop. Our guide was a local college student that had a great interest in history. He gave us the history of the home, told us a bit about the Bellamy family and painted us a picture of what life was like for the family back in the times of the civil war and beyond. Two months after moving into their new home, North Carolina seceded from the Union. Dr. Bellamy was in favor of the succession and quite proud of his state for taking such a stance. A few years later, in 1865, Fort Fisher had fallen to the Federal Troops. Federal Troops came into Wilmington and took over the city. The Union occupied the nicer homes, as many of them had been abandoned during the war. The Bellamy’s had been staying on their plantation, so their home soon become headquarters to the military staff. When the war ended, the Federal Government seized many of these properties, including the Bellamy’s home. Due to Dr. Bellamy’s ties to the Confederacy, initially, he was not allowed back into Wilmington to reclaim his home. Finally, after a lengthy process, he received a pardon from President Johnson to retrieve his property.
As we toured the home, we saw the formal dining room, the ironing room where the children often ate with the slaves, formal parlors, bathrooms, and bedrooms.
After a tour of the home, we were able to explore the slave quarters. The rooms were tiny, and the bathroom was quite something to see.
As we toured the slave quarters, we were told the story of William B. Gould. Mr. Gould was an enslaved Bellamy plasterer. In 1862, he escaped and joined the Union navy. He kept detailed notes of his time in the war. His great-grandson William B. Gould, IV edited his great-grandfather’s diary into a book titled Diary of a Contraband: The Civil War Passage of a Black Sailor. When I got home, I researched him a bit more and found out he was discharged from the Navy, right here at the Charlestown Navy Yard, married a local woman and raised their family in Dedham, MA, two towns over from me. Pretty cool!
I found the tour fascinating, as did my friend and her family. We had five children with us, ranging from 12 to 17 and all enjoyed the tour. It was a nice change from the beach, and next time we will make sure to visit another one of these historic homes in the Wilmington area.
On Day 3 of our Alaskan cruise, we spent a day sailing through Endicott Arm Fjords toward Dawes Glacier. Endicott Arm Fjord marks the southern edge of the Fords Terror Wilderness area in Tongass National Forest. It is located about 50 miles south of Juneau. Breathtaking, rugged mountains dominate the region with steep valleys sparkling with high waterfalls. There are pieces of ice scattered throughout the water. Mountain goats, eagles, and bears can be seen in the mountains. Seals sunbathe on top of the chunks of ice and whales can be seen swimming in the waters.
Whale! 
At the head of the fjord is the tidal wave glacier, Dawes Glacier. The glacier is over 600 feet tall and wide. There are approximately 250 feet of ice below the surface of the water.
Fun fact: Why are glaciers blue? According to the USGS, glaciers are blue because the red (long wavelengths) part of white light is absorbed by ice and the blue (short wavelengths) light is transmitted and scattered. The longer the path light travels in ice, the bluer it appears.
Our boat spent a few hours anchored, enjoying the views. There was hot chocolate served on deck. For the adults, a shot of Kaula could be added. It was yummy! Of course, these views made for some great photos with the family and some special friends.
This was probably my favorite sea day of all the sea days I have done on any cruise. The views were breathtaking. Seeing the glacier brought me back in time. It is an experience I will never forget.
Before the start of our Alaskan cruise, we spent two days in Vancouver, BC, exploring. One of the things on our to-do list was a whale watch. We went back and forth on whether to do one in Vancouver or wait until we were in one of the Alaskan ports. We ultimately decided on Vancouver.
I booked the trip through Viator.com. Viator is a marketplace for tours. We used them for a couple of other tours with great success. The cost of the tour was roughly $100.00 per person. It included pick up and drop off at our hotel, bottled water, and snacks. The whale watch itself was to last anywhere between 3-5 hours, depending on the whales.
The tour left from Steveston, a little fishing village, 40 minutes away in the city of Richmond.
In addition to being a little fishing village, Steveston has been the site for various television shows and movies, such as The X-files, Godzilla, and Power Rangers. You may also know it by its other name, Storybrooke. Yes, this was the onsite location for Disney’s hit show Once Upon a Time.
We arrived in this quaint village, checked into our tour and was given some whale watching gear to put on. I must admit, I felt like Gorton the Fisherman!
The boat was a high-speed zodiac vessel. Let me tell you, this boat could move! After we went over a safety drill, we were off. As we were leaving the harbor, we saw this beauty.
The boat took us through the Strait of Georgia all the way down to the San Juan island, which are part of the State of Washington back in the United States. We spent a fair amount of time sailing the strait. Here we saw seals, beautiful scenery and a humpback whale.
After seeing the humpbacks, our guide received a call that there was a pod of Orcas further south. He sped the boat along and we were cruising at a pretty good clip. Soon we were back in the good old USA, off the coast of Bellingham, WA. Here we saw, what we all had been waiting for, Orcas.
Unfortunately, the whales did not breach, so this is all we saw. The photos do not do these creatures justice. I was mesmerized watching them swim across the water.
Our ride back to the port was just as pretty. We continued to see the stunning coastline and islands that make up this beautiful area of the world.
When all was said and done, the tour was about 5 hours. It was a great place to do a whale watch and I would recommend it. I wished we had spent a little more time in town, but we had dinner reservations and tickets to a show over at Canada Place. Next time we will know better.
Happy Weekend everyone! I hope you are enjoying time with family and friends. I wanted to let you know I, along with a few of my fellow bloggers, are being featured here. Please head over and check it out.
Wishing you and your families a Happy Easter and/or Passover!
Today I are going to talk about Day 6 of our embedded Adventures by Disney (ABD) trip. For those of you that don’t know, an embedded ABD is an Adventures by Disney trip that is done while on a Disney cruise. Instead of booking excursions through the cruise line, all the excursions are done through Adventures by Disney. I highly recommend it and looking forward to doing many more in the future.
The boat docks about an hour and half away from Rome. We were the first ones off the boat, onto the bus and off to our first stop…the Vatican. I was looking forward to visiting Rome, especially the Vatican. I am Catholic and as a Catholic, this is it. This is the where it all happens. There is so much history and power in this tiny little country. With that being said, as beautiful as it was, I was kind of sad that is has become this big tourist attraction. I had always envisioned walking up to it by way of the square. Well.. you don’t. You enter from the back (you do see the old Vatican wall, which is cool) and it is like entering any other museum. Oh and by the way, the square looks so much bigger in t.v.
First, our ABD guides and our local guide took us aside and told us what we would see in the Sistine Chapel. They had a map and pointed out all the different paintings. They did because, no is suppose to speak inside the chapel or take photos. I was disappointed about the photos, but I understood.
However, prior to touring the Sistine Chapel, we walked the museum. It is very lovely and holds so much history. It is also very crowded. You really don’t walked the museum, you do the Vatican Shuffle. There were different rooms that we walked though along the tour. There is a Gallery of the Maps, the Gallery of the Tapestries, the Gallery of the Candelabra and much more. Here are a few shots as we moved room to room.
The last room we were to see was the Sistine Chapel. I wish we could have taken photos. However, the photos probably would not have done it justice. It is simply breathtaking. Prior to going in, I mentioned our guides gave us a bit of history lesson on the chapel and Michelangelo. The chapel was created in 1508-1512. It is named for Pope Sixtus IV. Despite what people think, he did not paint the ceiling lying down. He had special scaffolding made so he could stand. There are over 300 figures painted in the chapel. There are numerous biblical scenes, such as the creations of Adam and Eve, the sacrifice of Noah and the Great Flood. Thousands of visitors tour the chapel each year. It is also where the cardinals meet to elect a new Pope. I encourage you to look online for photos. It is quite remarkable.
After visiting the chapel, it was on to St. Peter’s Basilica. This was another breathtaking work of art. I was hopeful we may run into Pope Francis. He has been known to wander about and meet people. No such luck for us. Inside the Basilica, we saw The Pieta, the statue by Michelangelo depicting Jesus in the arms of his mother after the Crucifixion. My photo does not do this justice either.
After visiting St. Peter’s we had our photos taken and then some time for shopping. From there we had another fantastic lunch. The food in Italy was amazing. Even our oldest, who will not eat pasta here at home, loved it. From there we did a walking tour and saw iconic sights, such as the Trevi Fountain, Piazza Venezia where the Vittoria Emanuele ll Monument is located, ancient Rome, the Roman Forum and the Colosseum.
The Trevi Fountain was another must on my bucket list. While it is beautiful, it was extremely crowded. One has to really push their way to the front to have their picture taken. Of course, we had to throw a coin over our shoulder. This will ensure that we will return to Rome one day.
Our last stop in this incredible city, the Colosseum. This was remarkable. From a distance, it looked fake. It reminded me of a backdrop on a movie set.
The adults and kids split up and the kids did a separate tour that involved gladiator costumes. My oldest did that, but my 13 year old stuck with the adults. In his words, he did not need it to be dumbed down for him. God help me. This kid a something else! Some interesting facts about The Colosseum. It was built in under ten years, mostly by Jewish slaves. Over a million animals and over a half million people died in The Colosseum. Also, The Colosseum had a marble facade and marble seats, however when St. Peter’s Basilica was being built, they took the marble from the Colosseum and used it there. Finally, it is the most visited site in Italy. The Vatican does receive more visitors, but that is not part of Italy. It is its own principality.
All and all, it was a fantastic day in Rome. We saw so much, yet there is still so much to be seen. I am looking forward to heading back in the next few years.
Last month, my the boys and I went to Disney World for 10 days. The purpose of the trip was two-fold, vacation and to attend the Princess Half Marathon weekend. By no means was this our first trip to the World. The boys have been going since they were toddlers. Admittedly, not all trips are like what Disney portrays in their commercials. Kids get grumpy and tired. The crowds are huge. They may not have a reaction we expect or want when seeing a character for the first time. The list goes on. However, over the years I have learned to adjust, make some changes to how we approach the parks, where we stay and how much to push my kids. This trip I put what I have learned into action and both kids said this was our best Disney trip yet.
- Involve them in the planning. Ask them where they want to eat, what Fast Passes they want, what parks they would like to spend the most time in, etc.
- Stay at a hotel that is a good fit for your family. I have teenagers and we need to spread out a bit. We tend to stay at the deluxe resorts, in the DVC sections, as the rooms are bigger. If your kids love a swimming pool, stay at the hotel that was an awesome pool and pool activities.
- Think outside of the box and take advantage of some of special events Disney has to offer. Attend Early Morning Magic at one of the parks and enjoy having the rides to yourself. We did this for Toy Story land and the kids really enjoyed themselves without having to wait 4 hours for one ride. Book a dessert party at one of the parks. Not only do you get tasty desserts, but a fantastic spot to watch the fireworks. Star Wars was our favorite dessert party.
- Know how far to push them. I love getting our picture taken with the characters. However, the boys have very little patience for standing in a long line for this. My solution, characters meals! This way I get all my photos and the boys are not waiting in a line. This often made them more accepting when I did want to wait in a line for a certain character, say like, Scrooge McDuck!
- Build in some downtime. There were a couple of days that we did not go into a park. We hung out by the pool, relaxed in our room, and spent some time at Disney Springs. We usually are in the parks from morning to night. This was a nice change.
I hope these tips are helpful. As I mentioned, we have gone many, many times and each time I learn something new that will help improve our next trip. If you have some tips to share, please do so in the comments. I would love to hear them.
Today I want to take you back to day 5 of our cruise. On this day, we were the first ones to board a bus and head to the birthplace of the Renaissance, Florence. As I mentioned, when traveling with Adventures by Disney, you receive VIP treatment. We were the first ones off the boat and last ones on. We made the most of our days and were first in line for all the attractions. On this particular morning, we were up early and took a beautiful drive through Tuscany. There were rows and rows of sunflowers on the roads to Florence. Unfortunately, I could not get a great photo from the bus, so you will need to take my word for it. Once arriving in Florence, we headed over to the Galleria dell’ Accademia to see Michelangelo’s David.
David was created out of marble, between 1501-1504, by Michelangelo. He is a Biblical character. It was breathtaking. The photos do not do this masterpiece justice.
From the Galleria dell’ Accademia, we proceeded with our walking tour of Florence.
The architecture was amazing. We saw the
Baptistery and strolled past vendors selling their wares along the Ponte Vecchio, a spectacular medieval bridge that spans the Arno River. We ended at the Piazza Santa Croce. Here we went to lunch at Cantina Vinicola. It was this lovely restaurant, that felt more like we were dining in someone’s home. We were served the best lasagna I have ever had. Lasagna is not something we eat at home, as none of us like ricotta cheese. However, they made their lasagna with sweet cream. It was amazing!
After lunch, we had plenty of time to explore the Piazza di Santa Croce. We went to a little wine store called Enoteca Pontevecchio. We had a wine tasting, along with some balsamic vinegar and olive oil. It was amazing. We bought six bottles of wine, six tins of oil, and three bottles of balsamic vinegar.
We also visited a leather store. I bought myself a beautiful purse and wallet. Afterward, we had some photos taken at the Basilica di Santa Croce. This serves as the burial place of Michelangelo and other famous Italians. The Basilica is the largest Franciscan church in the world. As you will see from the photos, the bell tower has a Star of David. A Jewish architect designed the church’s façade. He wanted to be buried there, but because he was Jewish, he was buried under the threshold and honored with an inscription.
Basilica di Santa Croce
Finally, on our way back to the boat, we stopped for this breathtaking view of the city. It was another magical day in Italy!
