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I'm Shay! I’m a cookbook author, lifestyle blogger, travel agency owner, wife and mama who loves making every day special for my family.

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Mix & Match Mama

Travel ·

Disney Cruise 2019 PART TWO


It’s PART TWO of our Disney Cruise!

You know me…I can take a five day vacation and turn it into 35 blog posts.  Hahahaha!  I promise, I will try not to do that…but this post is only covering OUR FIRST PORT IN KEY WEST!

So, if you missed PART ONE, catch that before you read on.  For everyone else, this was our third Disney Cruise in three years, but our first FIVE NIGHT SAILING.  The other two times, we did four night sailings out of Port Canaveral, but this time, it was a five night sailing out of Miami (Disney also offers three and seven night sailings too from many different ports around the world!).  I reallllllly loved it!  Now, the first year, we just did a four night Disney Cruise to get our feet wet and had the best time.  You can read all about it HERE.  Then last year, we decided to do a DISNEY LAND & SEA VACATION where we combined time at Walt Disney World with a sailing.  That was nothing short of amazing!!  You can read all about that HERE.  This year, however, we decided to try a new embarkation port with a new stop…and I have zero complaints!

Sit back and scroll as we enjoyed beautiful Key West, Florida!

After the fun we had the night before, we were ready to get up and do it again!  First stop, breakfast with the fam!

Do you think Dad and I talked Red Sox baseball on this trip?  You better believe it!  It’s almost opening day!!!

After we ate, we were one of the first families off the ship.  We were ready to enjoy the sunshine!  Now, there are several port adventures (a.k.a. excursions) you can take in Key West, but we decided to enjoy our first full day by taking it easy and just checking out Key West.  This was the first time any of us had ever been there, so we were anxious to look around.  The ship docked right there where everything was, so we didn’t one time have to use public transportation.

Gangs all here!  Um, this post was not brought to you by my friend Cassie’s Hi Sugarplum line at Nordstrom, but in case you haven’t noticed yet…I wore her clothes the whole trip!  Ha!  Here is that super cute tank (click on the link to see the back of it!) along with my shorts and sandals.

 

Love this girl of mine so much!!

We stunningly beautiful weather this entire trip!  The weather plus the location were perfection!!

Never. Dull.

Sweet Madeley 🙂

 

My mom is a professional hair braider.  Ha!  It’s legit a skill she has (she can do all sorts of intricate ones!).  Every day, she did the girls’ hair 🙂 .

Ashby said she liked using her Minnie ears as a sun visor.  Hahaha!

For lunch, we decided to hit up…

…Margaritaville.  But, of course!

Cheers to Key West!!

My mom bought them these souvenir shirts where the mouths open of Madeley’s dolphin and Ashby’s seahorse.  They insisted they put them on right then and there.  Aren’t they too funny?!

When did she get too cool for shirts with talking animals?!?!  She’s so big now!!!

I better enjoy these crazies while I can!!!

Um, we HAD to stop for some yummy Key West ice cream!

I had the Key Lime Pie ice cream, OF COURSE!!

Key West, you are beautiful!!

 

Salty air, happy smiles.

I love these babies of mine!

Around 3:00, the girls wanted to go back and swim, so Andrew and I…

…hit the pool with them!  My hat is HERE.

Current view…happiness 🙂 .  They were watching Tangled on the big screen up in front of the pool.

Smith wanted to stay in Key West a bit longer with the grandparents.  My dad sent me this selfie once they boarded.

Later, we cleaned up for dinner and were ready to eat!!

Another HiSugarplum dress 🙂 .

Family picture before we ate at Lumiere’s!

 

Ah!  We were having the best time!!  My earrings are HERE.

Once again, between dinner and the show, the kids hit up the kids area while the adults went to the pub for trivia!

Then, we finished off the night with Tangled the Musical and popcorn in the theater!!

And one more thing…look at us!  Hahaha!  We’re those weirdos now that take their diffuser with them when they travel.  WHO WOULD HAVE THOUGHT?!  We’re obsessed!  (You can read all about it HERE.)

That was only our first full day!!  More to come next week!

In the meantime, did you enter to win this…

It's Spring Giveaway!

…you and a friend will each win a $500 gift card to one of my three favorite retailers!!  Head HERE to read all about it and for your chance to win!!

If you have ANY questions about Disney Cruises or any vacations in general, please email us over at my travel agency!  WE WOULD LOVE TO WORK WITH YOU!! mixandmatchtravelagency@yahoo.com !

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Comments

  1. Narci says

    How fun!!! This makes me want to leave for a Disney Cruise today! Love all the pictures so much! Key west looks beautiful!

  2. Susan Jeffries says

    I am really enjoying your vacation photos! Love the floral dress too! I have to check that out on line. And the Key West ice cream is so delicious!!

  6. Erika Slaughter says

    I’m admiring Kensington’s accessory game. You weren’t kidding when you said it was strong!

  7. Shannon says

    We took our first Disney cruise on the Wonder in February and it was so magical! Can’t wait to go back!

  8. Nicole says

    What is your typical alcoholic drink of choice? Just curious! ? Did you or Andrew work out at all on vacation?

    • Mix and Match Mama says

      Andrew worked out every day…I did not. Hahaha! We were drinking margaritas on this day 🙂 .

    • Jess says

      My kids are not into the character aspect of the cruise. I just took my ten year old son and he loved it. Especially for the kid club and the pool! He cannot wait to go on another one!

  10. Mary says

    Looks like fun! I Iove Key West. I’ve been wanting to order the Tory Burch sandals your Mom is wearing with the metal ring on top. Do you know if they are hurt her feet? They have mixed reviews online. Thank you!

    • Mix and Match Mama says

      She wore them the whole trip!! I would imagine that makes them super comfy!

  11. Mother of 3 says

    The Florida Keys have been on my destination list for awhile now! We often take my mother in law with us on vacation but have yet to take my parents along with us (not that we wouldn’t love them but one person sort of rounds out our crew of 5 and 2 people would make car rentals and such a bit trickier).

  12. Jodie says

    Hi Shay. How is the food on the Disney cruises? Kid friendly? Good for adults? Variety? Do you get to pick and eat wherever you want each night or do you need reservations in advance? Thanks!

    • Mix and Match Mama says

      Amazing. In my opinion, it’s the best cruise ship food out there. They do have a kid menu but several times, my kids ordered off the adult menu. They have vegetarian dishes, seafood, steaks, chicken, apps, soups, salads…all of it. It’s really fresh and delicious. You always get to pick from a wide menu (and the menu changes every night!). There are tons of options for everyone. I love it!

  13. Lisa says

    So fun! Were you able to visit the most southern point of the USA landmark while in Key West??

  14. Cristina says

    Don’t you have time to go to Ernest Hemingway’s house? It is a very interesting visit

  16. Amanda Martin says

    So what is there to actually do in Key West? Looks like tourist trap stores and Margaritaville? Would you take an excursion next time there?

    • Mix and Match Mama says

      There were many fun excursion choices, but we really loved it as a chill day (since our next days were so busy and the day before, we had arrived). You could do cool things like fish, boat adventures, snorkeling or city tours (and lots in between!). A million choices for those who want more to do.

  17. Becca says

    What a fun family trip!! What is in your diffuser? I love peppermint and balance (doterra) during the day. Looking for some other good ideas, thanks!

  18. I went to Key West on a cruise back into thousand 12 and I was such sweet memories I've been there twice now and I love the picture of your two kids sitting looking out into the day if I remember right there's a steel band that played at that li says

    I went to Key West on a cruise back into thousand 12 and I was such sweet memories I’ve been there twice now and I love the picture of your two kids sitting looking out into the day if I remember right there’s a steel band that played at that little bar and I have great memories of the warm weather and the beautiful music and people thank you for sharing

  19. Amy Jarrell says

    How do you deal with your motion sickness while cruising? I get it and it makes me so scared to cruise. I even had to Dramamine at WDW to ride the rides with my kids.

    • Mix and Match Mama says

      I don’t get sick on these large ships. Thankfully, other than once, it hasn’t been a problem for me.

  21. Rachel says

    So I am from FL and live in FL and have NEVER been to Key West! What?! This recap makes me want to go ASAP! So Fun!!

  22. jen says

    Would love a post of your mama’s cute outfits if she is willing! I’m getting to be in that awkward age (early 40s) where I don’t feel comfortable wearing some things that I used to (like your shorter jean shorts), but I’m not quite ready for “old lady” outfits either, LOL! What is the happy medium?!?! Her skirt and sandals in that last pic look super cute!

  24. Lauren says

    Looks like such a fun trip! Key West is beautiful. Do you mind sharing what brand Madeley’s floral dress is? The one she wore to dinner at Lumiere’s? It is so cute!

  25. Taylor says

    Key West looks beautiful!
    Shay, I do have to let you know that I FINALLY booked a trip to NANTUCKET!!!! I am going this summer with two of my best friends and I’m beyond excited. I have been looking through all of your Nantucket posts and the excitement is real.

  26. Casey says

    What age do you think it is appropriate to do a Disney Cruise? My son loves Mickey and we are looking for a vacation next year, but he is only 2 wondering if it would be worth it now or we should wait until he is a little bit older!

    • Mix and Match Mama says

      If you wait until he’s three, then he can go into the kids club area for free! He would love that 🙂 .

  27. Linh scally says

    I am so excited to read about your trip. My husband and I always budget so that we can travel once a year without the kiddos and we have been married for 11 years. We love investing in our marriage in this way. Our kids are 7,6,3 and 2 and they have been dying to go on a cruise with us. We have been on multiple cruises but we have never been on a Disney cruise line and we would love to take them on one in two years. Can you share what kind of activities are there for the kiddos and how does it work when the kids go to the kid’s club? The process of checking them in how that all works? Thanks so much for sharing your trip with us. I am excited to learn through your experience.

    • Mix and Match Mama says

      I’m probably not even going to scratch the surface here…but it’s everything from crafts, painting, full feature movies, video games, costumes, magic shows, exploration activities, there was a trivia game (live, the kids could participate), board games, characters come and go, they can feed your kids if you want…it’s crazy huge and amazing. Your kids wear a wristband with GPS the whole time they’re on board the ship and when you drop them off at the door, they scan your kid so that they check them in and then scan your kid out when you come to pick them up (you must tell them a pre-selected secret word and have your Key to the World card to pick them up). They make the kids wash their hands as they enter and as they exit too. I could go on for days…if they’re over three, it’s free and it’s AMAZING!

  28. Sabrina Pollock says

    Such a fun read. I have done 8 Disney cruises with my family (Bahamas, Mediterranean, Eastern Caribbean, Alaska and Western Caribbean) over the last 12 years and I can tell you even now with my kids being 18, 21 and 23 it is still our best family vacation. My daughter and I were on the Dream last for her college spring break (a mother daughter trip) and although it felt weird with out the men in our family it was so relaxing and fun even just us girls. Disney’s level of service coupled with tons of activities for all ages make it enjoyable for everyone. But our favorite part is the nightly dinners we have together where we all share about our day. There is Magic in that alone. Key West is on my bucket list and I can truthfully say their ships are my home away from home.

  29. Yley Allen says

    The Florida Keys look amazing- definitely need a trip there soon! That water is so blue !?
    I’m curious about the Disney Cruises but I can’t get my husband on board with the idea of a cruise. He thinks he’ll feel rushed and pressed to stick to a schedule when we’re in port. But you guys don’t look rushed or pressured! ? Can’t wait to see the rest!
    http://Www.caligirlonthemove.com

    • Mix and Match Mama says

      All cruises are what you make of them. You can pack them full or chill if you want.

  30. Mel says

    There’s a cruise we’re thinking of doing that has a stop in Key West. I’m curious as to why you all didn’t visit the aquarium, or some of the other kid friendly places.

    • Mix and Match Mama says

      My kiddos were having a blast! They wanted to check out the water, go in the little tourist-y shops, we kind of let them lead the way. It was such a beautiful day outside!

  31. Jessica says

    Can you talk about a cruise vs. resort vacation. What would be some differences that are not obvious and pros/cons. I’ve never been interested in a cruise, but this looks nice!

    • Mix and Match Mama says

      So, they’re similar in many ways but different too. If you were to select an all-inclusive resort somewhere, then you would get the same benefits of a cruise (where your food and entertainment is included with your hotel accommodations), but you would stay in one spot, where as on a cruise, you move from spot to spot. There is this magic about being on a ship because it feels like an adventure as you sail to the next destination. I honestly love both cruise and land vacations and always make sure to do a variety, but there is something special about a sailing.

  32. Lorie says

    Can you post a link for your Mom’s top in Key West? So cute! She always look amazing. Thanks!

  33. Kristine says

    I love reading the comments almost as much as your blog!!! People notice so many random things….I’m still trying to find the picture of your moms sandals ?

  34. Robin says

    I made a key lime cake this past weekend. It was delicious with cream cheese frosting. I will buy a citrus squeezer before making it again however. My hand was cramping after squeezing more than 20 little limes!

  35. Jenny says

    What a fun trip! We were in Key West for a day that same week. The weather was picture perfect and my family loved it there! Love following along on your adventures!

  36. Sarah says

    My hubby and I were in Key West all week (and saw the Disney ship at port). Weather was fantastic!

  37. Caroline says

    What a small world!! I just came across your blog on Instagram and I’m pretty sure you were sitting near us at Castaway Cay and I asked you to take a picture of my family on the beach! ??

  38. Terry says

    I love the clip with a flower that is in Kennsington ‘s braid. Do you know where it is from?