Hello from the Disney Dream! It’s 8:30a on Tuesday morning and I’m sitting on our verandah with a cup of coffee writing this post while Finn snoozes inside. Disney Cruises are busy, busy things and he’s been going nonstop since we got on board. Last night he passed out horizontally across the bed on top of the covers while I was in the shower with no bedtime stories or tuck in. I love it!

After almost two full weeks of battling it out with flu a, Finn and I made it on board Saturday afternoon for our five-night western Caribbean cruise.

The flu really did a number on us. Finn was out of commission for about five days and I was really sick for about 12 days. Every time I thought I had turned the corner, I went crashing downhill again. Two days before we left for our trip I was having sinus pain, lots of chest congestion and had lost my voice so in desperation I started an antibiotic for a sinus infection. It seems to have done the trick and I feel better than I have in weeks. I really, really, really try not to take antibiotics unnecessarily but the NP I saw said he was okay with it given the duration of my symptoms and that they’d gotten better and then worse/different.
I’m just grateful that we were able to do RSV right before Christmas so we didn’t miss the holidays with my fam and flu before this trip so we didn’t miss our cruise. What an absolutely brutal season for sickness that it has been. I’ve heard from countless others in real life and online who have been dealing with the same. Here’s hoping we can leave it behind in January and have a healthy remainder of the school year and spring.

Speaking of school…my sweet boy got his first award! He received the Principal’s Award for his class for first semester for academic achievement and leadership. Go Finn! His teacher always tells me what a great helper he is. My favorite was when she told me she leaves notes for her subs to “just ask Finn if you need anything” haha. I feel very proud to have such a kind, helpful and smart kiddo.

We celebrated on Friday night with a pizza and ice cream date and then finished packing for our trip.

I broke all the rules of cruise travel and booked a 7a flight out of Charlotte the day of our cruise. It’s (very) recommended to travel in the day before but logistically and finically it made the most sense for us to go for the first flight of the day. I bought really good travel insurance and crossed my fingers and toes that the travel gods would be in our favor. I got up at 4:15a and we left our house t 5:30a. I prebooked our parking so that we could walk to the terminal and we didn’t check bags. We were through security and at our gate with 20 minutes to spare before boarding.

Our fight left right on time and arrived in Fort Lauderdale EARLY! Yay! We had about three hours to kill in the airport before our port arrival time so we posted up at a coffee shop. Can we take a moment to discuss how grown he looks!? I can’t believe he’ll be SEVEN in May! He’s a true joy to travel with and to do life with. <3

It was a quick five minute taxi ride from the airport to the cruise terminal. We left our luggage with the luggage handlers and headed to check-in. There were many lines but they moved quickly. We were on board within 20 minutes of arriving at the cruise terminal.

We wasted no time exploring the ship and checking out our room. I’ll have a full review of the ship and our room in a separate post, as well as how we spent our days, the food and my overall thoughts on Disney Cruising. I have many so far lol.

We sailed away from Fort Lauderdale around 5:30p on Saturday and have been living the Disney Cruise life ever since! Can’t wait to share it all upon our return!
I hope you guys have the best day!
QUESTIONS
Have you been on a Disney Cruise?
Any specific questions/topics you want me to address so I can make sure to get the photos/content while I’m here?
How has sickness season treated your fam?
I can’t believe how grown Finn looks! It really feels like just yesterday I read your blog post about his birth! The cruise looks like so much fun and I’m so glad you all are enjoying it and feeling better from the flu! I just recently got over a virus that really knocked me down (wasn’t Covid or flu). I’ve heard the same thing as far as more frequent and worse sickness than usual this season. I’m excited to read about your meals, workouts, and fun activities from the cruise!
The lost teeth/adult teeth coming in make him look so big!!
I would love to go on a Disney cruise. Looking forward to your thoughts .