Barcelona, is the second largest city in Spain.  It is situated in the heart of the Catalonia region.  Barcelona preserves its historic palaces, museums and centuries-old churches.

Barcelona's known history begins with the ancient Romans, who settled it in 15 BC.  Some of the city walls still remain.

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Our last day at sea was Earth Day, April 22nd.  It's hard to believe that at this point our cruise was almost over.

We were quite busy on board today. 

We splurged a bit and played some Bingo.  We didn't win any cash prizes, but we did get a special "Earth Day" gift, which I'll be giving away to one of my readers on Monday!

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Gibraltar is a British overseas territory perched on the southern tip of the Iberian Peninsula.  It's geological features are stunning and it is filled with unspoiled natural beauty.  

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Cadiz is a city in southwestern Spain.  It is the oldest continuously inhabited city in Europe and hence is steeped in rich antiquity.  Cadiz  is one of 8 provinces that comprise the autonomous community of Andalucia.  

We spent our time here in two villages about 100 miles outside of Cadiz city.  The whitewashed villages of Andalucia are impressive historical monuments in themselves, and their people still live according to age-old traditions, inherited from their Iberian, Roman and Moorish forefathers.

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The day in Madeira tuckered us out a bit after six days at sea!  So it was nice to be able to recoup from all that walking and rest again today. 

Disney brought one of their imagineers on board to give some seminars, Gary Landrum.  Gary gave a presentation of a visual behind the scenes look at how fairy tale castles were deigned and created to be the focal point of Disney Magic Kingdoms throughout the world.

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Madeira, Portugal is located on a string of islands in the North Atlantic between Portugal and Africa.  It's known for its festive celebrations and we were fortunate enough to be there on the last day of their annual Flower Festival.

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Wow! The last of our six days in a row at sea!  It was quite an experience.  The ocean was quite rough this day, the waves topping out at about 13 feet.  That makes for a rocking boat!  The swimming pools were instantly turned into wave pools!

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Courtesy of LyncornOur fifth day at sea was another day where we chose not to do very much.  We went to the theater and watched Sherlock Holmes.  I admit to having been a bit tired and dozed off during the movie!  I did think it was good though.  Amber really liked it and watched it again on the plane home from Barcelona to Atlanta.

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Courtesy of LyncornWhere but on a Disney cruise ship could you attend a Paint Fest at Sea?  This event held for two hours on our fourth sea day, was so that the cruisers could help paint a mural designed by Don "Ducky" Williams.  But once again, my family slept until the late morning, and by the time we had finished breakfast and popped in to do some painting the second hour, it was already completed!  There were obviously many enthusiastic artists on board!

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Amber loves to draw and she is always busy with a pencil and her sketchpad bringing her imagination to life.  So she was especially interested in one of the special guests that Disney brought on board to do guest sessions Don "Ducky" Williams.

You may not recognize the name, but if you see a Disney Character on a brochure, billboard, or anything that doesn't animate, Don Williams most likely drew it.

Walt Disney Parks and Resorts marketing Senior Character Artist Don "Ducky" Williams has been creating magical Disney artwork for advertising projects, Theme Parks, TV and collectibles for over two decades. Despite his remarkable talent and vast following of fans, "Ducky" is a low- key, unpretentious fellow-every bit as lovable as the art he creates.

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Courtesy of LyncornSea Days, ah so relaxing.  There is so much to do on the ship, but sometimes we just don't want to do anything but sit around!

Sitting on the deck and just enjoying the sun and the salt air is really nice.  Seeing nothing but water all around you certainly makes you feel small!

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Courtesy of LyncornOur first of the six days at sea.  Sleeping in is always on the top of the list!

One of the special family activities that they had on board was Boat Building with Goofy & Max.  Cruisers that signed up had 5 days to gather supplies from the ship (excluding furniture or decor) and make a boat that could hold a full can of Coke and float.  We decided to take the challenge of building that boat!

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Courtesy of LyncornOne of the most fun places to visit in the Caribbean is an island you can only get to if you sail on a Disney cruise.  It's Castaway Cay, and it's Disney's private island in the Bahamas.

All year round in the harbor you can see The Flying Dutchman.  This was actually used in the filming of the Pirates of the Caribbean movies.

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Courtesy of LyncornWe actually started our journey on the 8th of April, driving from Nowheresville, SD to Minneapolis, MN where we would visit, spend the night and leave our car for two weeks with some friends.  On the 9th we headed off to the Minneapolis airport for our flight to Orlando.  

We spent the 9th in the Orlando airport and the night in the Hyatt airport hotel.  The Disney Cruise line uses it as a pick up point for shuttling people to Port Canaveral the day of departure.

Bright and early on the 10th we headed out on the bus to the port and began our trip.  

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