Disney, here we come!

We're headed to England, Scotland and Ireland on the Disney Dream. With us are my nephew Steve, his wife Gina and their 29 year old daughter Asha who is a HUGE Disney fan of the 1st order. I don't just mean that she knows Mickey, Minnie and the gang, she knows every Disney character from current day all the way back to Oswald the Lucky Rabbit who strangely favors Mickey without the long ears, IMHO. I mean it, Asha is a walking Disney trivia encyclopedia! So it is fun to travel with such a Disney enthusiast!

Her mom Gina has long had the desire to visit Scotland and Ireland, so a Disney cruise to these destinations is the perfect ticket! 

Our trip started by meeting at IAH Airport in Houston and boarding a flight to Southampton, England where we spent the night before boarding the Dream the next day around noon.

 

All aboard!

Still in good shape after 9 hours of travel!

killing time in Southampton until we can check into our VRBO

Asha and mom Gina

September 6, 2026 

Ready to roll - September 7 - Asha, Gina, Steve

Finally on board! Welcome to Disney Dream 

Sail Away deck party

Liverpool - home of the Beatles

fish 'n chips & mushy peas??

Liverpool, England

Liverpool gives the Dream a patriotic fireworks farewell

 

rainy day at the castle, Greenock (Glasgow) Scotland 

countryside from atop Stirling Castle

touring the castle

Pirates Night - aye, aye, matey!

 

drive to Cohb, Ireland

scones, tea and rain in this colorful little town

Cobh ("Cork") Ireland from the deck

sheep dot the countryside on way to Mapperton House & Gardens

a visit to Mappertown House & Gardens 

Mapperton Gardens - West Dorset, England

one of our evening servers

 

happy camper :)

 

sightseeing in London

sunny skies as we returned to Houston's IAH

These are a sampling of the many photos I took during our 7 night cruise out of Southampton, England. I made a book for Asha that contained many more to help her remember this what we hope she will remember as a "trip of a lifetime". She enjoyed origami and drawing Disney figures on the ship along with the live shows in the evening. It was short, but we couldn't have asked for it to go better. Well, actually it would have been nice if we hadn't had to contend with rain, but we didn't let that stop us from having a good time. It was her first cruise, her first time out of the country and what we hope will remain a happy and memorable experience for all.

After we disembarked back in Southampton and Ronnie and I flew home, Steve, Gina and Asha spent 2 more days sightseeing in London before returning to Houston. They arrived jet lagged after a long day of travel and spent the night with us before heading back to their home in Midlothian, Texas.