"the boat" by isabel

all aboard! on tuesday, july 2nd we set sail for the bahamas aboard the disney wonder, but not before saying our last goodbyes to our animal kingdom lodge home.

amalea and the reptile skeleton. we passed this little guy on the way to the pool each day.

the flamingo pool. not for human recreation.

first and foremost after boarding the ship: a safety drill, lifejackets on.

yikes! let's report to our designated spot to check in!

now, to get on with the real fun. here is amalea getting down at the adventures away party.

and here is isabel all tuckered out and sleeping through the party.

pre-dinner lounging in a porthole. amalea must have know that this eating business was going to be a full time job aboard the ship. she even mentioned later during the cruise that she did not want to eat anymore and actually refused some of her meals. our first dinner was at animator's palate which was a show dinner. various disney classics came to life from black and white to full color on cue to music on the walls surrounding us.

dad - pleasant. amalea and cruella deville - slightly alarming.

isabel finally getting the mickey ice cream bar on a stick that she has so desperately desired.

amalea and minnie in seaworthy attire for a voyage on the atlantic.

our stateroom.

bathroom part 1.

a view from the sitting area.

bathroom part 2.

amalea's bunk bed that pulled down from the ceiling. isabel slept below on the convertible sofa.

after a night of beauty sleep the princesses look bright eyed for the bahamas.

aladdin with the girls.

isabel talking fashion with snow white. she told snow white that she was wearing a dress. and then about the flowers on her dress. they took some time to admire each others dresses.

amalea looking well coordinated in yellow with snow white. did you girls plan this?

we came across peter pan and wendy as we were heading out to the deck. peter asked amalea why she had rope growing out of her hair. you could tell that amalea was thinking silly peter will never grow up as she explained to him that it was a hair weave.

amalea chasing...

...after isabel.

followed by a not so cuddly moment on a deck chair.

our first port of call, nassau, bahamas.

we went on a harbor cruise. here is a shot of our boat.

a private boat dock.

the atlantis resort on the left. colors well suited to the caribbean.

another angle of our ship.

donald trying to do a little paint touch up while huey, dewey, and louie try to cut him loose.

that is one snazzy ship.

oh yes it is!

the shopping district in nassau.

heading back to the ship to get onboard after seeing nassau. each of those lifeboats would hold 150. would. we did NOT use those.

a mouse in a mighty jungle

a new week, many new adventures await!

the first was at chef mickey's in the contemporary resort for a character breakfast. isabel was horrified, HORRIFIED, of these supposed characters. she did warm up to pluto who proceeded to eat her sandals.

ama and her love - minnie.

tummies full, now for some horseback riding. all aboard cinderella's golden carousel. isabel wanted to ride a "baby" horse. look at how the humidity is styling her hair.

2 girls looking cool as can be in their shades.

we got that sword loose. it wiggled a bit after we exerted some muscle on it for a while.

here is the following evening in front of the castle pre-fireworks.

during the wishes fireworks extravaganza. isabel kept searching the skies for tinkerbell after seeing her aglow in flight.

after the show amalea stopped at cinderella's wishing well to make a wish. she just wanted to shout her wish out for the world to hear but kept it a secret after much encouragement. what was her wish?

the next evening we went to a luau dinner show at the polynesian resort. amalea headwear appropriate for a little pacific island princess.

here we are feeling the sand between our toes at the polynesian resort's beach.

one can just make out the spires of cinderella's castle across the lagoon.

the following morning, amalea and dad donned their swimsuits and went back to the animal kingdom park for a second helping of kali river rapids. mom and isabel stayed at the lodge and got a little wet themselves at the pool. "i'm cold" pleaded isabel through not at all chattering teeth. she wanted to be swaddled and held "like a baby".

later that afternoon: "ec-pot ball-ball" as isabel would say.

this all seems strangely canadian...you can't crawl into a cell phone booth. happy 1st of july - canada day!

bon jour from france!

the girls were inspired by the upbeat spirit in morocco. amalea played the part of reclining royalty. she has been able to nurture her princess traits while on vacation in this magical world.

isabel served tea to the lounging moroccan princess. innumerable princess sightings were made by isabel. she would find a princess, point her out, and declare her "a princess". isabel even made a grandmother's day correctly identifying her (as a princess, of course).

is it hot in here? amalea spouts flames from her head at the firepit in the jambo house lobby back at the animal kingdom lodge.

the girls joined in a zawadi parade chanting "we are in africa" while marching through the lobby. then they sang "in the jungle (the lion sleeps tonight)".

oh look, it worked, but it's the isabel who sleeps tonight.

hollywood studios + magic kingdom + animal kingdom + downtown disney = ALL disney

(ALL encountered on friday and saturday at that.)

we began at hollywood studios. the studio backlot tour gave us an inside look into movie-making magic. that charred section burst into flames that nearly licked us. nearly. and then that water tower sprung a massive leak which almost soaked us. almost.

we shrunk as we frolicked about in the honey, i shrunk the kids movie set adventure. the girls have taken to breaking a wild ant. they have got their daddy's western cowpoke roots in them for sure. or maybe it is mom's bullfighting heritage.

that afternoon we were back at the magic kingdom. here are all of us in front of cinderella's castle. poor, poor isabel. she was always hungry yet often dissatisfied with the options available. "pink yo-gret" (yogurt) and "baby applesauce" were most often requested.

amalea got to be an honorary co-captain on the jungle cruise. just look at the sense of accomplishment beaming from her face. wait a second, who is steering this thing?

the children had to be bathed whether they were soundly sleeping or not.

the next day we started out bright and early and ventured out to the animal kingdom park. the carvings on the trunk of the tree of life are amazing. here is one of an aardvark.

the 3 girls in front of the tree of life. notice the intensity of the light emanating from the tree itself.

the triceratop spin in dinoland u.s.a.

isabel thoroughly delights in these flights of fancy. she would often declare it all as "too fun!".

we hung out with a dino friend for a while before amalea braved the dinosaur ride with dad.

here in the boneyard we unearthed what could be a monkey child.

let us see now...both have arms outstretched. moving rapidly. wildly enthusiastic. yes, definitely a monkey child.

during the maharajah jungle trek we came upon a tree with scarves and bells adorning it. the bells represent prayers that have been answered. so we took a moment to make some prayers of our own.

amalea and dad braved the kali river rapids. some folks seated with them could not help but laugh every time they got drenched by what seemed like 5 gallon bucketfuls of water at a time. every time that there was a possibility to get water dumped on them in some way, they got it.

the aftermath of the river rapids. still smiling :)

lookey here, an all of us family photo with our savanna in the background.

downtown disney was our final stop that evening. lots of shops. lots of restaurants. and a photo opportunity for a little beauty in front of a favorite beauty.