Day 215: Goodbye Magic, Hello London and Warsaw!

This morning began at 6 AM as we finished packing our bags to leave our Disney ship, Magic. 

Sad to be leaving. 

We ate breakfast at 7:15 and said goodbye to our servers. They have been with us since day one, so it has been nice seeing them and thanking them for taking such good care of us. Alayna joined us, so we enjoyed our final meal with her. She had to go off to work so we hugged her goodbye and told her we would see her soon. 

We left breakfast and headed back to our room to pick up our final backpacks and all. We said goodbye to Calvin, our stateroom host, and thanked him for taking such good care of us. He made some amazing creations for the kids and always left us with what we needed. 

We were finally able to debark off the ship. Our luggage was scattered out within a group on the terminal. It took a few minutes to find, and at that point we agreed we are only buying the most loud and hideous suitcases from this point forward. 

We collected our suitcases and made our way to the bus so we could begin our journey to London Gatwick Airport. We had to wait around 30 minutes because it appeared that we were the only ones scheduled to be on that bus. Once that was confirmed, we left and began our 90 minute drive through England. 

The view was beautiful. There was a lot of open land, rolling hills, and charming homes. We also saw some sheep on the hillside. That was amazing. 

Because the bus was all to ourselves, Caleb found a seat that reclined and he tried to nap. Maddie fell asleep on Daniel, and I updated 3 blog posts. Overall, the 90 minutes weren't terrible.  

Once we got to the airport we ended up at the wrong terminal. So, we took the train to the correct place and about 2 minutes later, we were there. 

Our flight to Warsaw didn't depart until 8pm, so we decided to take the train to London and tour the city instead of waiting around at the airport. We purchased our train tickets and ventured out to find something to eat and then a bus to do a hop on and off tour. 

We did a bus tour which lasted around 2 1/2 hours. Maddie fell asleep on me and then it started to rain, so I didn't get too many pictures on my phone. The kids and I hung out downstairs and Daniel stayed up top to take pictures with the nice camera. 

The bus went on a great route and we were able to see some iconic sites, such as the London Eye and Big Ben. We found our way to Starbucks and then on to our train. It was much busier heading back to the airport, so I'm thankful we were on the earlier side of boarding the train so we were able to find a seat. 

Everyone aboard the Disney's Magic  and also in London have been so nice, it will be quite the wake up call heading back to Poland. 

When we made it to the airport and got in line to wait in a room, everyone was fending for themselves. It was madness getting onto the plane and finding our seats. It will definitely be an adjustment, but we had a great time and wouldn't change it for the world. 

Our flight went well overall and we made it into Warsaw around 11:30pm. We found our luggage and then made our way to our house. Unfortunately, we didn't realize until we were home that we had left Lovey on the plane. Maddie was heartbroken to not have him at bedtime, but I'm hopeful someone will turn it in. Please say a little prayer that it's found!

Tomorrow is the day we get back to the grind, so it's time for baths and then bed! Goodnight world!! 

Day 213 and 214: Magical Sea Days

Day 213: 

This morning we had our character breakfast. We enjoyed seeing our favorite characters walk around and pose for pictures. It was so well organized, but still insane. 

After breakfast we went up to the top deck and we got in the hot tub. Unfortunately, the water wasn't hot and the wind made being outside almost unbearable. I got out and then took Maddie over to where I was sitting. She fell asleep on me watching a movie by the pool. We enjoyed the sunshine, but made our way inside once she woke up. We defrosted after a little while, and then met up with a few characters. 

Later that evening, we had a formal dinner and got to enjoy a show. We were given placemats at the beginning of dinner and we drew a person. After our main dish, our drawings came to life in a fun animated clip. The people we drew danced on the TV screens for all to enjoy. It was truly amazing. Caleb loved this so much! 

The second one on the left is the man Caleb illustrated. 

After dinner we met with a few of our favorite characters so we could get photos with them in their formal attire. We had a great time and Caleb couldn't wait to go back to the kid's area to play some more.

Day 214:

The following day, we slept in until after 9. We enjoyed breakfast at our usual spot, Cabanas, and took time to enjoy all that was around us. 

We made our way back to our rooms and packed some of our bags. We knew the evening would be crazy, so we got our items packed away sooner than later, and also tossed a lot of its we had made and created on the ship. 

We enjoyed a late lunch and shopped around a bit. Alayna hung out with me throughout the afternoon, Caleb enjoyed one final day of kid activities, and Maddie and Daniel napped for a little while. We were able to purchase some cool souvenirs and also eat some more goodies. 

Our dinner was nice, but the food wasn't our favorite. Maddie played with her new toys (Mickey and friends) and enjoyed her soup and french fries. She had other food, but she didn't "enjoy" that as much. 

We got a special invite to do a private meet and greet with the characters, as this was the last time we'd see them. This invitation was only given to a few families, so when the characters came in, it wasn't too crazy. The kids all loved seeing Mickey, Minnie, and so many more, including the princesses. 

We left the greeting and moved over to Shutters to review our cruise photos. We had so many because Maddie's favorite part was meeting with Mickey and his friends. Once we figured out what we wanted, we made our way over to the souvenir shop for one last look. We looked at different photo books, but didn't see one we really liked. Maddie found a few princesses that she had to have. When we told her no, she went into full tantrum mode and refused to let go of the toy. At that point, Daniel got it away from her and handed it to me. As I returned the item to its spot, Maddie and Daniel went to the room. It was 11pm so it was time for everyone to go to bed. Maddie proceeded to cry for the toy for a good 10-15 minutes before she finally fell asleep. 

We all had a full day, and it will be even more exhausting tomorrow as we have breakfast at 7 and must leave our room no later than 8:30. We aren't looking forward to that at all, but more on that sadness tomorrow. Goodnight everyone. 

Day 212: Tallinn, Estonia and More Magical Fun

We woke up early this morning and enjoyed a quick breakfast. Maddie woke up in a terrible mood, but we made the best of it. We only have 5 hours to tour Tallinn, so we wanted to make the best of it with our time.  

We found our guide and made our way to the bus for our tour, "City Highlights of Tallin." The weather was rainy and cold. We made a few stops where Daniel jumped out and took photos, but the kids and I stayed in the bus until we took a coffee/water break at a small cafe. 

After our break, the rain stopped and the clouds began to pass. We toured the old town of Tallinn and made our way around a few churches and souvenir shops. It was nice and quaint. 

We only had a few hours to spend in town so we headed back to the ship and found some activities to do. 

We also met with Mickey, Minnie, and Goofy. Maddie adores each character and she is genuinely excited each time she gets to meet one. 

We've had a busy day, and we are all looking forward to our sea day tomorrow! Goodnight. 

Day 211: Saint Petersburg Shopping and Ship Fun

This morning we all struggled waking up. We ate an early breakfast and then got ready for our shopping excursion. 

We took the bus ride into town which took around 30 minutes. It wasn't a terrible drive but the view on the way into the city is not the prettiest. Today was also pretty cloudy, which made the country look even more depressing. 

Once we arrived to the shopping square we began our adventures with finding souvenirs. We let Maddie pick out a Matryoshka Nesting Doll and Caleb a key chain. We were able to find our usual souvenirs and also some chocolate to share with our friends on the ship. We also walked around and took in more sites. Caleb seemed to  really enjoy shopping but his favorite part was "the big church"). We were able to walk over to the Church of Resurrection on the Spilled Blood and show the kids that. Maddie found a bench and pulled her dolls out. Caleb helped her open and put the dolls together. 

We took the bus back to the ship and then ate lunch. We met up with Alayna and the kids enjoyed some swim time. 

After lunch and pool time Daniel and I napped with Maddie. Caleb enjoyed some time at the kid's club and he met up with us to get ready for dinner. 

We enjoyed dinner and then a fun show of how Disney began. After the show ended, Caleb went back up to the kid's club and Maddie went to meet a few characters. We met up with Mickey, Minnie, and she even had play time with Goofy. When she went up to Goofy she showed him her nesting doll. Goofy sat in the floor and Maddie did the same. They then took the dolls apart and played for a good 3-4 minutes. It was so precious and she was excited. She then danced in the lobby with the people performing. 

After all of this fun it was after 10pm so we took Maddie to the room and got her to bed. Caleb joined shortly after. 

It's been a long day, so we're off to bed now. Goodnight!

Day 210: Saint Petersburg, Russia

This morning we woke up early and began our tour of St. Petersburg. We dropped the kids off by their clubs and made our way to the room where we met up with our group. 

The weather has been dreary all morning, so some photos may be complimented by rain drops. 

The first stop on our tour was St. Isaacs Cathedral. This place is a museum now. It took around 40 years to build and the pillars weigh approximately 117 tons each. 

Our next stop was at the Hermitage museum, the third 3rd largest in the world. In 1764 the museum's collection began by Catherine the Great. The oldest painting of Catherine's collection is by Rembrandt and dates back to the beginning of the 17th century but was bought later on in the 1700s for the museum.  Also, there was a large vase inside. This vase is all one piece of granite and was placed inside the museum before the construction was completed. 

Da Vinci also had a display. 2 of only 13 da Vinci's exist in the world; the Hermitage has two of the originals. 

We saw some lovely art pieces that vary by style, etc. One item we came across weighs 3 tons of pure silver. 

Our next stop was for lunch. We ate Russian salad, soup, a beefish crepe thing and then dessert (vanilla ice cream). It was good overall, but very small portions. Our meal also included a few beverages including Russian vodka. The Russians and Poles argue who was the first to create vodka, so it was interesting to taste their version. 

After lunch, we walked down to the shopping area. There we saw the courtyard area which is the behind the winter palace and the Hermitage museum. We were able to find a few souvenirs but plan to let the kids pick their own tomorrow when we come back out. 

Our final stop was at the Church of Resurrection on the Spilled Blood. It was completed in 1907. It has this name because the current czar (Alexander II) was assassinated on the grounds where it was built (and the blood spilled). This church is what I see when I picture St. Petersburg. This is such an iconic place, and I'm so happy I could see it in person. Unfortunately, the busses parked in front of the church, so it was hard to get a photo without the bus in it. 

On our way back to the ship we were able to see a few major streets, buildings, and rivers. 

When we got back to the ship we picked Maddie up from the nursery. We then made our way over to see the Russian Mickey and Minnie Mouse. After our visit with them, Caleb met us in the room and we got ready for dinner. 

Dinner was mediocre compared to our earlier meals, but it was still great. The kids ate great and enjoyed ice cream and cake for dessert. 

After dinner we decided to see Goofy and then Cinderella. We also saw the mice who helped Cinderella make her dress. 

After we visited with the characters we got the kids ready for bed. Everyone has had a full day and we're looking forward to tomorrow. 

Goodnight!