Disney Cruise 2010: Max meets Minnie

Hello, Mouseketeers. We're back from our Disney Cruise/Disney World trip, our flight got in late and I'm wiped. I have lots of good stories, photos and tips to share, and yet more photos, but for now here's a video of Max hanging with Minnie Mouse on the cruise (hence her fabulous outfit). This scene is typical of our meet-'n-greets; every single one of the characters—I am not exaggerating—took extra time with Max, and other kids with special needs. Usually, Max would be awestruck at first. Then he'd want to make out with them. And then they'd just hang.

He really, really loved Minnie. It's Max's first crush! Given Disney's deep pockets, I have to assume they'd pay for the wedding.

Traveling with kids with special needs

"Don't be shy in coming forward at the Check in or Security when it comes to telling people you have a child with special needs. We get there early, but approach a member of Airport staff and tell them that the kids 'don’t do queuing' and they generally help us through."

That's just one of the great tips on traveling with kids with special needs from a post by Hammie, a cool Irish chick who's a newcomer to this blog; she has two kids with autism. I've done exactly what she has at security—Max gets wigged out by the crowd—and they always let us go to the front of the line. And we call the hotel ahead of time, if there's a kids' club, to make sure they can accommodate Max. That's what we did for our Disney Cruise, and they were beyond fantastic.

Like Hammie, we've found portable DVDs to be lifesavers. They basically mesmerize the kids for most of the plane flight, which is ever so much better than drugging them, don't you think? And I pack little gift bags filled with cute stuff I find at the dollar store, and then Dave and I have so much fun rummaging through them. Hee, hee, they're for the kids.

Max is especially fond of eating on airplanes. Every so often, he'll do his motion for eating (hand to mouth) and then he points to the sky and says "air-plane!" And I'll ask, "Max, you want to eat on an airplane?" And he'll nod vigorously and say "YES!" I pack lunches in those disposable Ziploc plastic containers and the second we get on the plane, he wants to eat his.

I've also found it handy to pack the children IN the wheeled carry-ons, the best way to transport them around the terminal.

Is it becoming increasingly clear to everyone that I am getting very loopy and am sorely in need of a vacation? We're actually going to Hersheypark in a few weeks, right before Max gets stem cell therapy on August 25. Can someone please explain to me how it is August already? I just don't understand.

Now, by all means, share your own travel tips!


Photo by Edward Dullard

"Mommy, can I wear my princess outfit? Please?"

On day two of the cruise, Sabrina cleverly lured Dave into the gift shop, where he bought her a $65 Aurora princess outfit (did you know that was Sleeping Beauty's name?) and a $15 plastic crown. "Can I just call you 'Suck-errr' from now on?" I asked Dave when I found out.

But that outfit paid for itself. Because Sabrina basically wore it every second possible, except when she went swimming. I could have saved myself a lot of packing, if only I'd known. She wore it...


...to breakfast...


...to the kids club...


...to play shuffleboard...


...to bed, for a nap...


...to dinner...


...to a girls' night out...


...to the arcade...

...and to all of her important meetings, like these.

















Astoundingly, she did not ask to wear it to preschool when she got home. Though I would have let her. That princess outfit has cast a spell over me.

Max and the Disney gang on the cruise

Mickey and Minnie, Max adores without hesitation. But when any of the other Disney characers are around, it takes a while for him to warm up to them.


First, he has to scope them out.


He'll touch them, poke them, prod them, pat them down to make sure they're not carrying any weapons or contraband.


Once he warms up a bit, he likes to check out the nose. Those guys do have some big noses.


Maybe he'll slap their hands or give a high-five.


And then he gets all bold and smart-alecky and starts doing imitations.


Next thing you know, he's cuddling up to them.


Last, a big fat smooch.


I think he's just playing hard to get.

Tomorrow, yet more photos: Sabrinarella, the lost princess.

Our Disney Cruise to the Western Caribbean: heavenly!

We're back from the Disney Cruise on The Magic, slightly tan, slightly pudgier and very, very happy. Our trip was stellar, from the moment we stepped foot into the cruise terminal. Max was wigged out by the sight of the gigantic ship and the hustle and bustle, so I found a nice Disney staffer (OK, they are ALL exceptionally nice) to escort us through the lines and find a quiet place for us to hang out before we boarded. Then Max spotted Mickey and made a beeline for him.


This is our cabin, #8580.


And here's Max on the balcony, his favorite place to be. I think he would have slept out there if we let him. Actually, we had high hopes the kids might sleep in their own beds, and they did. At least on the first night.


Proof!


The kids adored the Oceaneers Kids Club. It's for ages 3 to 4, but I thought it would be best to keep Max and Sabrina together. She watched out for him (she's gotten very motherly lately, when she's not trying to maim him). The staffers gave Max plenty of extra attention, and were fine with feeding him at mealtime when he was there. Which worked out well, since Max hated the din of the restaurants.


Otherwise, we fed the kids in the cabin. Max is now totally accustomed to room service. His meal of choice: tortilla soup, lasagna and chocolate ice-cream.

In general, the food on the cruise was great. I had salmon most nights, with the occasional steak or fancy pasta dish; Dave got his fill of seafood. And almost everything else.


With our wonderful waiters, Hemant and Aswald. (Hi, Hemant, if you're reading this!) You rotate between the three restaurants on board during the cruise, and your waiters travel with you.


The last night, they served Baked Alaska.

One evening, we dined at Palo, an adults-only restaurant located on the top deck. Excellent view and very romantic, except for the part where we got beeped from the kids club. I nervously checked the Motorola pager they'd given us, concerned that something was up with Max. "Sabrina would like to know where you are," the message read. Yep.

The first port of call was Key West, we took a tram tour and hit the aquarium. Next up was Grand Cayman, we visited Botswain's Beach Adventure Park and Turtle Farm.


The kids loved the lagoon pool...


...and the turtles. They wouldn't pick one up, so I did. And, yeah, I wear a big floppy hat. You got a problem with that?

In Nassau, we cruised the shops and visited The Atlantis, which is quite the sprawling spectacle. The aquarium there was cool.


Here's a lovely eel.

Our last stop was Disney's private island, Castaway Cay. Leave it to Disney to have its own island.


It was gorgeous. We hung out on the beach, enjoyed a barbecue lunch, let the kids try their first rum punches. Kidding!


Max and Sabrina confer on sand castle architecture.


Then, back to our ship!

We didn't do a ton of activities on board, since Max couldn't stand the crowds. We played shuffleboard, walked/ran the decks and visited the characters. Dave and Sabrina went to a pirate party one night. Another time, we took a kite-making class. I didn't get to attend the napkin-folding seminar, something I will surely forever regret. Oh, and Dave developed a bingo addiction, but I am not worried, unless he starts looking for a bingo hall in our area tomorrow.


Sabrina and I also had tea with Alice in Wonderland.

Mostly, we hung out in the Mickey Mouse shaped pool on Deck 9.


Here's Max, swimming...


...and here's Sabrina, doing her best to look adorable.

At night there were spectacular, Broadway-quality shows, including Twice Charmed (the Cinderella story with an alternate ending) and Dreams (a show narrated by Peter Pan that featured scenes from The Little Mermaid and Cinderella and, yes, Sabrina was giddy).


Max liked hanging out in the video arcade with Daddy, who is teaching Max to drive like a crazy person.

They screened Disney films every day. I snuck out of the cabin at 10:30 one night to see Earth, a documentary about the planet that was both wondrous and sobering. (If you're thinking of taking the kids, note, it's rated G but there are some scary scenes involving animals chasing prey that had me covering my eyes.)


Our last night on the ship.

Coming up tomorrow: Max and his Disney posse.