At Sea

Our first full day on the ship was at sea, on our way to Puerta Vallarta.

Ella could not wait to put on her swimming suit and head to the pool. It was hard for her to decide between Mickey's Pool with the slide and Goofy's Pool with the movie screen. We went back and forth between the two for most of morning before she finally decided Mickey's was her favorite. I quickly lost count of how many times she went down the slide. In between catching a quick wave from her, I was busy with a good book (one of the best parts of vacation!).
It's impossible to be on a Disney Cruise without seeing a character around most corners. Our first spotting today was Donald Duck -

with Chip and Dale right behind him! Ella was so funny. She was so excited as we were waiting in line to meet the characters. She would look at them and get her intense face (that we love so much!). But as soon as it was her turn and they would wave for her to come over, she would get super shy. At least there were no tears, right?

For dinner, it was formal night. This turned out to be a little difficult for Scott. Despite my constant asking to pack early, he waited until the last minute. And in his haste, packed about six pairs of black socks but no black pants, white shirts or ties. Oops! He almost rented a tux but opted for something he did remember to pack. We laughed every time he opened his drawer and we saw all of his black socks.

The Oceaneer Club and Lab were the places Ella could go to play and they were hosting open houses so we decided to go and play for a bit. They are both great spots! The club has a stage where the kids can put on plays and a giant treehouse - Ella's favorite! I couldn't help but think about how much fun the boys would have playing on it, too. The lab has tons of computers and a fun cooking area where Ella got to go to Ratatouille cooking school.

After checking out Ella's play area, we wanted to show her one of Scott and I's favorite things to do on a cruise, play shuffleboard. She really had to put all of her muscle into it (and take a few more steps forward) to get her discs to the other side. By the end, she didn't care if she was scoring points, she just wanted to knock ours off.

Pluto was a great find tonight! We didn't even have to wait in line. He just appeared as we were walking by and we were able to get a couple of photos before he was wisked away.

What is there not to love about Minnie Mouse?!

Apparently, a day of all play and no work makes one just as tired.

That is, until you get back to the room and find another amazing towel animal and some chocolates waiting for you!