Northern Europe Cruise - Day 8- Disembarkation

Calling this day 8 is really not quite right as we were off the ship by 8am but I still like thinking it was part of the vacation.

Since we had the early dinner seating we had early breakfast seating too to enjoy one last meal and one last goodbye to Mirka, our amazing server.

After we disembarked, it was straight to the airport. Copenhagen airport had a lovely kids play area that we enjoyed before boarding to London and then Toronto before finally heading to Cincinnati. The girls really were great travelers again. On the long flight, they both watched the animated beauty and the beast while I finally got to watch the new live action version - what a treat for all of us!

We arrived home quite late and were all ready for a nice night sleep before back to work for J and I and starting the summer of fun with Chelsea for the girls.

This cruise didn't disappoint - now to figure out when to cruise again and to where - we have booked the 24 month placeholder so let's see what we choose next!

And S is up to 22 countries, C is up to 7 countries, and I am up to 31 countries. (I need to get J to help me count his up so I don't forget any). 

Northern Europe Cruise Day 7 - Second Sea Day

And here it is, our last full day of the cruise -  another sea day so we could properly enjoy the ship before having to disembark.

We had a nice breakfast and then I took the girls to the kids club to become Mouseketeers - it was a super cute program and S loved being the leader of the kids though it all.

J and I both ran separately and then we had a nice lunch at Lumiere's before relaxing and enjoying the views a bit from the room.

S asked to do the Kids Rock activity this year- we didnt know what to expect but we dropped her at the kids club and were told to be at the main theater at 5pm for a show. While she rehearsed, we enjoyed some time in the toddler play area and lounge. At 5pm we showed up and wow it was great- the show was called Friendship Rocks and so many of the kids were up on the stage dancing and enjoying the program. I am really proud of S for doing this.

We had a nice final dinner of the cruise and then  happened to see Cinderella for our final character visit of the cruise while returning S's kids club bracelet.

Then we enjoyed some nice family time before bed for the last time on the ship.

Northern Europe Cruise Day 6: Stockholm, Sweden

And now to my favorite port (and the last port of this cruise) - Stockholm Sweden.

The day started with amazing views as we approached Stockholm from uninhabited islands to 'summer home' islands that got more and more impressive as we went further inland to finally seeing the city - I really enjoyed the balcony this morning.

We had breakfast and then were off on our Stockholm tour. This was actually the longest tour I chose and was two-pronged - first we visited a local children's fairy tale museum with a cool train experience and then play areas. The girls definitely enjoyed this.

Second was a visit to an amazing open air museum - we could have stayed there all day - I hope to go back to Stockholm some day with proper time to really explore all the city has to offer.

Once back on-board, we started to engage in the Frozen day as the ship turned Frozen overnight. We had fun doing the scavenger hunt on-board and S liked helping a few others with clues they couldn't find. Our reward for finishing was yummy chocolate bars.

S had been noticing little girls with their hair done up all week and finally asked me if she could go to Bibbidi Boppity Boutique- I admit I was trying to avoid it this trip since C isn't old enough to partake yet but S was so excited we opted for a makeover ahead of dinner- the smiles say it all!

Our dinner tonight was our second dinner at Animator's Palate where you actually draw your own character who is then placed on the screen later in the evening. Luckily, our characters were all on screen together (no picture because we were enjoying the show too much).

C was exhausted so we went back to room and S &J went out for a bit to the Frozen Party and around the ship some more. Once C was asleep I relaxed by the balcony door and watched the world go by.

Northern Europe Cruise Day 5: Helsinki, Finland

We didn't leave Saint Petersburg until almost midnight the night before so our arrival into Helsinki wasn't until late morning so we had some fun on the boat before heading out.

This morning, I reserved the Character Breakfast so we enjoyed breakfast with visits from Pluto, Mickey, and Minnie before some more play time in the kid areas. We had a lunch and then it was time to go out and about for awhile.

For Helsinki, I chose a private tour through Tours With a Local and we left the boat. The weather was ever changing and we walked out right in the perfect moment of hail - thankfully the girls thought this was funny and not upsetting.

Our tour guide for the day was Johan, who took us around Helsinki to see some of the main sights. Highlights included a beautiful Catholic church, a visit to a prison turned luxury hotel (the rooms are renovated cells), and the Rock Church before getting some yummy local ice cream and driving back to the boat.

Once back on board, C took a nap and we all relaxed in our room. All aboard time was supposed to be 4:30 so when we weren't moving by 5:10, I decided to sit on the balcony and see what was going on - around 5:20, a tour bus arrived back (Disney wouldn't leave a sanctioned tour) and then a few minutes later, I spied a woman sprinting for the ship - she sure is lucky that tour was running late or she would have been left behind. Everyone else that was out started cheering for her. So glad she made it back on-board.

The characters were fancy tonight.

We had another yummy dinner and then headed to Tangled, the live show for tonight. This one was new since our last time on the Magic and also was exciting to me because I just love Rapunzel. The show was great but parts of it scared C so she and J left a few minutes early so that S & I could enjoy the whole show.

What another wonderful day!

Northern Europe Cruise Day 4: St Petersburg, Russia

Our second port city was St Petersburg, Russia. We had an early meeting time (6:45am!!) so pre-ordered room service breakfast before meeting up with our tour group.

For this tour, I chose Catherine's Palace in Pushkin which was about a 40 minute drive away. Wow, was it amazing. It was also quite crowded, but nonetheless amazing. The weather wasn't the best but the gardens were still nice to see - I only wish the weather could have been better so we could have enjoyed the outside areas even more.

We had quite a long time in this port so some people went back out for evening excursions but we chose not to and were able to enjoy a half empty ship for the afternoon and evening.

We had a late lunch at Lumiere's and then enjoyed the kids club, some exercise, and the fun task of mid-week laundry before dinner.

C was exhausted and slept through some princess meet ups and even through dinner! She was a great traveler though and cuddled in with me vs being fussy at all.

Mickey and Minnie were in their best Russian gear which served for some great pictures.

Once C was up, we spied J and S dancing in the lobby from a few floors up, it was a beautiful moment for me to see. Then,  the girls needed to eat a bit more so we went up to the top deck for hot dogs and pizza before S met Belle and J went to see a movie.

Northern Europe Cruise Day 3: Tallinn, Estonia

Our first port on this cruise was Tallinn, Estonia and I booked an Old Town Walking Tour with Disney. All of the ports on this cruise excited me, but Tallinn was one that I was especially looking forward to - the pictures and reviews of the Old Town that I had seen were all so good and what we were looking for.

Our day did not disappoint - great weather, beautiful Old Town, and an excellent tour guide. The girls seemed to really enjoy the tour as well. Sophia wanted to walk along with her and seemed interested in the information the guide shared.

We were back to the boat for a late lunch followed by some time in the pool - brrr! Not quite as warm today.

The girls and I went to playtime at the lab open house while J went to the gym and then enjoyed our first dinner of this cruise at Animator's Palate- this is always a fun experience because the room comes alive and the waiters do a show.

C was tired tonight and fell asleep so J watched her while S and I went out to see some characters. Once we were back, J went out for a bit before we all went to bed for an early morning in St Petersburg.

Northern Europe Cruise Day 2: Day at Sea

After the fun of the first night, we all slept in on our first day at sea. The girls awoke just in time for a visit to Doc McStuffins still in PJs before heading to breakfast.

One of the things we have done the past 2 cruises is participate in the Fish Extender gift exchanges. This time, we did a gift exchange and a candy exchange - so much fun! The girls and I delivered our gifts while J went to the gym. We saw others out doing the same so that added to the excitement. We received some cute items and I think everyone liked the magnets and items we gave.

I booked our Princess Gathering and Frozen Meet & Greet for today. For the Princess Gathering, we met Cinderella, Rapunzel, and Tiana - smiles all around. I was a little surprised not to see Belle at the gathering but we did meet her later in the cruise.

After a nice lunch at Lumber's, we were off to Frozen- Elsa was so nice to the girls when she saw sisters and told them a few small stories about sisters. The characters on this ship were really great at interacting with the girls.

S spent some time at the Kids Club and then we all visited some characters in their formal wear before our fancy dinner. Some of my favorites are of C and Goofy laying on the floor and Pluto chasing the girls around.

We also enjoyed some special drinks from the Captain Reception. C was thrilled to be part of the cheers!

After dinner, S headed back to the Kids Club while C, J, and I went to see Twice Charmed. C enjoyed her first live show and sat well for the hour long performance.

Northern Europe Cruise Day 1: Embarkation Day

For embarkation morning, we enjoyed a lovely breakfast at the club at the hotel and then jumped on the Disney bus to the ship. This was a fun ride as we saw some of the other places we had visited on our previous trip to Copenhagen.

Check-in was pretty easy and they were able to start boarding early so we walked right on-board after checking in (we got group 2, so we were early in the boarding process).

We chose to go to Carioca's - one of the main restaurants - for a nice proper lunch instead of the buffet to kick off our vacation and it was a great choice. I don't love the buffets and I do enjoy the sit down meals.  Everyone was all smiles to get the cruise started!

Our first character sighting was Cinderella with lots of hugs to go around and then we stopped by the room to get a little organized before heading out to play and head to the pools. C enjoyed the toddler splash area while S swam and went down the slide.

Fun fact- we stayed in room 7596 on the Magic this cruise- on our last cruise we stayed in room 7596 on the Wonder- they are both the smaller Disney ships so felt similar and familiar and we knew we liked the location.

Our first dinner was also at Carioca's and was quite yummy. We met our server for the week - Mirka- who we absolutely loved.

After dinner, we had some more character visits with Minnie, Pluto, and Goofy and then S went back to the kids club. The girls were delighted to find bunk beds set up for them upon going back to the room.