Monday, July 21, 2014

Cruising with Pirates

Most people know that Tommy has autism.

It means he's shy. And he doesn't always understand social situations.

But when the pirate asked for him to come up front, he went.



I was a shy kid, and I'm not sure if I would have gone up.

But Tommy did.

The pirate lady taught him how to balance a wooden sword on his palm.

And then she told him he could do it with one finger.



He rocked.

And you might notice his socks. He hates wearing sandals. He has to wear socks and shoes, even if it's hot outside. It's a sensory thing.

We were going on the Red Dragon Pirate Cruise at Port Aransas. Before you board the boat, there's a pirate show. The pirate does all sorts of tricks and calls volunteers up. Natalie was wagging her hand in the air, hoping to be picked, but it was my Tommy, who didn't even have his hand raised, who was called. I told him I was proud of him for going and he said, "It was fun," with a shrug.

On the pirate ship, you meet all the pirates, and a story is told about a dude who stowed away on the boat.


The dude just wants to be a pirate!

"They should just let him," Natalie told me seriously.

Then the pirates on the ship say it's time to squirt the stowaway with water guns.


You could also squirt passengers. Ramona from The Real Housewives of New York would have hated it, because she doesn't like for her hair to get wet.



The pirates also had the kids swab the deck. I felt like I was watching a scene from Annie.


Natalie loved it. "This is fun!"

"Great! When we get home, you can mop the floors," I answered.

Naturally, Natalie had to pee, because whenever we go out, she has to see the bathroom. It drives me insane. I tell her to go before we leave, but yet it's always, "I have to pee!"

This was on the toilet. (Obviously the word that's cut off is EXPLODE.)



Natalie read it, and needed help with the word EXPLODE. When she uttered the word, her eyes went wide. "Where does the toilet paper go?"

I'm assuming it was a joke. I hope it was a joke. Because Natalie put her toilet paper into the toilet, and we flushed.

We did not explode, even though Natalie was all, "I'm scared."

When we came out, the stowaway was allowed to become a pirate, and had to prove himself. All the kids could line up and fight him. Tommy passed. Natalie said, "YES!"






"I won," Natalie informed me as she came over.

After the sword fight ends, pirates go around the ship and offer to paint faces like this:


Adults can get it done too!


Oh, and you'll find that pirates like to photobomb:


The final thing is dancing on the ship.



A tip? Have your child really strut their stuff. The two top people get a prize! (As I recall, it was a squirt gun and a sword.) (One of the top people was an adult! So if you have moves, show them off.)


We had a lot of fun on the cruise. If you feel overheated, there are drinks for sale. Adult drinks too. Mom and I sipped on a pina colada. Snacks are also available to purchase.


You can also see dolphins.


The cruise takes about two hours, and there's even a sunset one. We opted for the afternoon time. It was hot, yes, but there are several seats under the shade.

You can book tickets online here.

And nope, I was not compensated in any way for this post. I just wanted to share the fun we had.

So go on a cruise with pirates. Maybe you'll meet a Johnny Depp lookalike.


21 comments:

  1. OMG! That looks like it was soooo much fun!!!! I so want to do it!!!

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  2. Way to go Tommy! Looks like he had a wonderful time!

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  3. Sounds JUST like the pirate cruise we went on, it was a blast!

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  4. Tommy sounds like a really amazing little boy.

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  5. They look like they had a blast!

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  6. Sounds like a super fun cruise!!! So awesome that Tommy went up - love that he mastered the balancing act!!!
    And, the adult beverages sound nice - I'm in!!!

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  7. Wow! I love the photo of the kids swabbing the deck. That's hilarious.
    And Scarlet has to pee at the worst times of life. Like in the middle of a traffic jam with no exits in sight. That's Scarlet!

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  8. Wow how fun and very proud of your son! My Logan is on the spectrum as well. But he is still young and has time to develop his social skills. He is non verbal at the moment but you can always tell when he has fun. Looks like your son had a blast by the smile on his face.

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  9. How fun!! And way to go, Tommy!! So awesome that he got picked and had so much fun with it! As usual, Natalie looks adorable!

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  10. We did the Pirate adventure cruise in Murrell's Inlet a few years back and my kids loved it, too!

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  11. It sounds like fun, but I would not have been out there strutting my stuff. I'm too chicken for that!

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  12. What a fun adventure for the kids! I want to go on a cruise with pirates now.

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  13. I so would do this. forget the kids, girls pirate night out!!
    whoo!!
    I don't get out much. I think you had me at pina colada.

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  14. I so would do this. forget the kids, girls pirate night out!!
    whoo!!
    I don't get out much. I think you had me at pina colada.

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  15. Johnny Depp's look alike and pina coladas. This mommy wants to join!

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  16. This is nothing but pure amazing awesomeness.

    Tommy is the bomb. As much as I'd like to think I'd go up there, I'd chicken out.

    And that little Natalie and the toilet paper?!? HAHAHA!! God love it...that is the sweetest little thing!

    What a great time...this just looked awesome!

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  17. My son would have loved that when he was younger. I don't think I could get him to do it know though.

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  18. I never knew this existed! If we move back to Corpus Christi in a few years, I am taking my kids on this cruise. They would love it.

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  19. Loved the Ramona reference! LOL Go Tommy, go! I love his shrug "no big deal." lol And adult drinks? I'm in.

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  20. You convinced me with Johnny Depp. No, seriously the cruise does look like fun. If I had the opportunity, I would go.

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