Northern Europe and Iceland, June 2017

Let the vacation...BEGIN! Nothing says, "Welcome to Chicago" like $57 hamburgers. We are fueled and ready to go.

Leg 1 down. Ready to board the flight to Copenhagen.

Copenhagen bound!

Spending the evening at Tivoli Amusement Park.

Mini donuts and chocolate sauce.

Love these 3.

It looked like we were going under a waterfall, which stopped as we went under. It faked us all out.

All our bags are tagged. We're ready to go. We're leaving on a Disney Cruise!

Pre-cruise readiness. Let's get this party started!

We have arrived!!! We checked out the kids clubs and enjoyed our first ice cream. The Dole Whip machine is still freezing the pineapple goodness.

Oh man. Clean up in the Goofy Pool and we haven't even left port. Poop in the toilet only kiddos.

Goodbye Copenhagen. Next stop...Stockholm, Sweden on Tuesday!

Mickey has officially proclaimed that I am on vacation!

Smooches from Copenhagen!

By Michael

Thomas got his Oceaneer Club wristband and VIP shirt at check-in, and once aboard we toured the club, the Marvel corner with its Iron Man statue, the Toy Story playroom, and the arcade, along with the Walt Disney Theatre and the atrium. We had lunch on deck, and stopped for soft-serve at the club later on. Our cabin came with a wireless door knock sensor for Lisa, who is deaf.

By Michael

Our first full day at sea aboard the Disney Magic. We started with a character breakfast, Pluto, Minnie and Mickey visiting the table while the kids worked through the character breakfast menu.

Late morning was spent by the pool, Thomas cooling off with an ice cream cone between turns on the yellow water slides.

Making our way to the port of Stockholm. 2 hours until all ashore time.

First evening and day at sea. Character breakfast and formal night. We are loving this cruise. Our dining room serving team is amazing. Other than a brief rain shower yesterday, the weather has been cool (blankets provided on deck) but nice. Today we are off to our first port adventure in Stockholm. Michael is taking on the ice bar. The kids, my mom and I are visiting the children's museum, the Pippi Longstocking house and touring Skansen.

Astrid Lindgren Museum. Time for Pippi Longstocking and friends.

Junibacken, the Astrid Lindgren Museum.

Hot chocolate and soup. 55 degrees, rainy and windy in Stockholm.

Went to check Lisa out of the Oceaneer Lab and she was playing Memory with one of the ship's officers. He knows American Sign Language and was able to bridge the communication gap. This is why I will pay more and why I refuse to cruise with anyone other than DCL. They are always looking out for my kiddos and make them feel so special.

Stalkarazzi autograph hounds. Chip & Dale down. In line for Captain Hook. Beats autographs at the parks any day. It's not 90 degrees and they stop the line after 15 minutes. And yes. It was an epic mom fail. Jack Sparrow page instead of Captain Hook.

Leaving Stockholm. The sun came out. Helsinki, Finland is up next tomorrow morning.

Drink of the Day. I've been throwing down all of the non-alcoholic concoctions. They are fab. #kathysnonboozecruise

Love and hugs from Stockholm. Blue skies!

Love from Helsinki. Ready for our port adventure to Porvoo.

Tour group #7 today. Follow the leader holding the #7 paddle. Another reason why we cruise with Disney. All of the thought and planning has been done for me. They speak my organizational language. I gather up the family and go.

It's sunny in Helsinki! Wahoo!

The Rock Church

Lunch at Savijarvi Manor with the horses. The Elderflower welcome juice got a thumbs down from the kids but they tried it and that's all I ask from them.

Mixed reactions to the stinging nettle soup. I give it a thumbs up. The kids said it was spicy.

He gives strawberry cake and rhubarb with caramel sauce two thumbs up.

Rennhack Travel Hack tip. Gallon-size Ziploc bags with granola bars, Teddy Grahams and crackers with peanut butter in your Mama Survival Backpack. Yes, the MSB is your best friend when traveling with young folks. Trust me. You'll be eternally grateful for these rations. Cranky, hangry kids are no fun. Fish casserole and nettle soup for lunch were not winners but knowing that there were comfort goodies back on the bus kept their behavior impeccable. Winning!

Old Town Porvoo. Now back to Helsinki and the Disney Magic for our 5:30 departure time. Tomorrow we are taking on St. Petersburg, Russia.

Another early morning. Up at 6:00 for a 7:00 tour of St. Petersburg, Russia. 11 hours of run and gun. Vacationing Rennhack style. #vacationsareforexploringnotrelaxing #youcansleepwhenyouaredead

Taking the hydrofoil from Peterhof palace to downtown St. Petersburg.

Such a beautiful day in Russia. Catherine's Palace, Peterhof, lunch at President Putin's favorite restaurant, a hydrofoil ride and another exceptional dinner service from our dining room team Sammy and Marco. I love rotational dining. You get to experience each of the 3 main dining venues while keeping your same serving team. They rotate with you and get to know your family. So far we've experienced Animator's Palette 3 times and Carioca's and Lumiere's once each. Tomorrow we are back at Carioca's and finish up with Lumiere's on Saturday. DCL has definitely stepped up their food game. The meals have all been amazing.

Back on the ship and admiring the view from Deck 10. St. Petersburg is a very modern, beautiful city.

By Michael

First stop was Catherine Palace in Pushkin. A brass band in dress uniform played outside as we walked up, and inside the state rooms were gold on gold, room after room, ending in the huge gilded Great Hall where our whole group could barely fit. Lisa and Thomas wore matching red shirts for the day. We walked the grounds afterward past the Hermitage Pavilion on its little island in the park.

By Michael

From there we drove on to Peterhof, the Grand Palace above the Gulf of Finland, and down into the Lower Gardens where the long run of gold statues and fountains steps to the water, the Grand Cascade. We got a family photo there with our tour number still in hand.

The ride back to the ship was a high speed boat, a hydrofoil, skimming past the Winter Palace and the rest of the waterfront before we walked back aboard for a very late dinner.

Approaching Tallinn, Estonia. Today's port adventure is marzipan and chocolate-making with a master chocolatier in the Old Town followed by the Frozen deck party with Anna and Elsa tonight.

Estonia.

Painting our marzipan figures. What a fun port adventure! Tallinn is such a great town.

Pizza on Deck 9 after a fun afternoon in Tallinn. The stage at the Goofy Pool is already decorated for Frozen Night, an exclusive show on the Baltic and Norwegian itineraries. It replaces Pirates in the Caribbean on these cruises. We have our Olaf cups ready! The kids also have their Frozen Night appointment at the Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique at 6:00 tonight. A knight and a princess coming right up!

Rennhack Rules for Travel: When the all aboard time is 5:00, have your happy hips onboard by 5:00. Standing on the pier at 5:30 is not OK.

The fairy godmothers in training are working some magic.

By Michael

Ashore, All five of us went to Tallinn Old Town. The day's port adventure was the Marzipan Workshop, 12:15 to 4:15 pm: an Old Town walking tour and a hands-on marzipan workshop, where Thomas painted his own marzipan animal. We walked the cobblestone streets past the Old Town's walls and gardens, through the market stalls in the old square, and past the twin towers of the Viru Gate.

By Michael

Back aboard by five, Lisa and Thomas had their Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique appointment that evening. Lisa came out with an Elsa-style dress and a braid; Thomas came out in a full suit of knight's armor with a shield. They had photos taken with a costumed character in a sailor outfit, then joined the other kids dancing on deck at "Freezing the Night Away," a Frozen-themed party under the ship's funnel screen. The sun was still up over the Baltic past nine that night.

By Kathy

How can I even put into words how incredible this trip has been? Words cannot adequately describe this truly amazing week. Yes, I get all choked up when I scan off the Disney cruise for the last time each voyage. It never gets easier. So many incredible memories that will last a lifetime and fodder for a blog. Stay tuned.

Some cast members truly make the experience magical. Eddisson from Mickey's Mainsail was one of them. He spoiled the kids rotten with pins and even let Thomas run the register. My kids went into the shop everyday looking for him just to say, "Hi." He even signed their autograph books. We will miss our friend Eddisson!

Happy Father's Day to this awesome guy. We love you to the moon and back and appreciate all of your hard work.

Thomas found his jam at the Copenhagen airport. He has €25 in his budget to spend. We talked about conversion rates and currency. We learn cool stuff on vacation.

Waiting for our flight to Reykjavik. We did some exploring at the Copenhagen airport.

My life is measured in Days Until My Next Mickey Boat Cruise.

Blue lagoon for the Iceland win. We had an absolute blast and I feel like a puddle of Jello. 100 degrees in the water and a nice silica face mask to detox my travel-funky pores. Now on to the national park, waterfall and lava fields. Whew! Our Iceland adventure is steadily improving.

We found a grocery store! A cart full of snacks, bread, ham and salami. This will go in my travel blog for sure. Iceland on a budget. I feel accomplished!

Pit stop at Laxnes horse farm.

Iceland is simply gorgeous. These two cuties are having a blast.

We saw whales. Overall, a success despite the weather and waves.

Puffin tour. We've been assured that it will be much calmer than the whale tour.

Could this smile get any bigger? She saw puffins. Lots and lots of puffins. They were everywhere all over Puffin Island. She stood out on the deck in the rain with a pair of binoculars to watch them. Highlight of her entire vacation.

It's warm and we are cold. Time to see some whales on dry land.

Last dinner in Reykjavik. Tomorrow we fly home. The past 2 weeks have flown by. Trip of a lifetime. My heart is full. Cheers!