Just back from 11/9 Wonder 4 night - any questions?

[Melissa R]

We're home after our 4 nights on the Wonder from 11/9-11/13. I do plan on writing a trip report but I'm not sure when that might happen, so I thought I'd jot down a few points here and would offer to answer questions if anyone has any.

We stayed at the Radisson the night before. The pool was beautiful but the room wasn't anything special. The free shuttle was running behind the next morning, so we didn't leave at 10:30 like we expected to, but we did make it around 11 I think.

The ship was beautiful! I was teary-eyed many times that first afternoon. The ship and port terminal were both decorated for Christmas and were beautiful.

Our cruise director was Clayton, and he was awesome. He always looked and sounded like he was having as much - or more - fun as we were. We loved his "I'm on vacation dance" announcements every night!

When we boarded, we were directed to Parrot Cay, but I asked if we could go to Beach Blanket Buffet instead. There was no one on deck 9 around the Mickey pool when we got up there, so we got a table and enjoyed our lunch by the pool but out of the wind. (Outside of BBB there are other outdoor tables that are very windy, but the tables by the soda machines on deck 9 are blocked from the wind and we enjoyed that spot.) The boys got to swim before things got too crowded after we ate lunch.

We had magnets for our door and only spotted about 5 other doors that were decorated. Our door got a lot of attention - we heard many people commenting as they walked past. Our neighbor sounded either jealous or annoyed when she asked us about our door ("How'd you get that stuff on your door?!?!") ;-)

We all dressed for Pirate Night, and I'd say we only saw about 3 other families who were all in costume. Many people wear just a pirate type shirt, and most kids were dressed up. We didn't feel out of place in costume, but at the same time, we wouldn't have felt left out if we hadn't been dressed up either. Clayton (our cruise director) gave us a big thumbs up at the Pirate Party. Many people complimented us on our costumes. I did hear one upset child telling his mom that he wanted a costume - she said maybe next time! (It'd be expensive, but you could costume a child from the gift shop if you weren't prepared ahead of time.)

I found myself surprised at just how much we could feel the motion of the ship. None of us got sick (Thank God!) which made me very relieved because both our boys get very car sick. We took a handful of times but didn't stay on a strict schedule - I just gave it out whenever I really noticed the rocking.

I was also surprised at how exhausted I was on the trip, and at how many things we never got to do. I expected to miss a lot, but I think we missed out on more than I expected. We only made it to one show (Toy Story - which we loved) and to one movie (Beverly Hills Chihuahua). We actually skipped dinner the last night (much to the horror of our dinner wait staff - but I tried to reassure them that it had nothing to do with them, that we just needed more time to enjoy the ship). Don't worry - we still tipped them as if we'd been there for every meal.

Our stateroom host was fine but nothing special. The room always looked lovely, but we rarely bumped into him and didn't even meet him until the third night.

The kids enjoyed their programs but didn't go as much as I thought they would. They both would choose things that they wanted to do but then those activities seemed to back up to things they weren't interested in, so they were in and out a lot. My son wished he could have had more free time in the lab instead of so many structured activities that he wasn't interested in (like the talent show). Our 11 yr old was allowed to sign himself out and enjoyed the bits of freedom we gave him.

We didn't do any excursions, and I'm glad since we already felt like the time was so full! If we do another cruise (more on that in a minute), we would do a longer one and would probably plan excursions then. My husband did rent snorkle gear on Castaway Cay and loved his time in the water. My boys enjoyed the island from early morning until about 2 and then wanted to head back onboard to enjoy the pools while they weren't as crowded.

We did rebook, although we're not telling the kids and will wait to see what the economy is like in a year. But I wanted to take advantage of the 10% discount and room credit, so we rebooked. Oh, the woman I rebooked with (can't remember her name) told me off the record that the discounted deposit amounts ($125 per person for 7 night trips) is not going to end any time soon.

That's about all I can think of right this second. If anyone has questions, I'll try to answer them!

[TiggerzFan]

We were on this cruise, too. Glad to hear you had a great time! And yes that boat sure was a rockin' on the last night! There were a few moments it was quite challenging to walk without looking drunk.

Which deck were you on? I may have passed your door a few times while doing rounds for the Fish Extender gifts as there were many decorated doors on decks 5,6 and 7. We were down on Deck 2 and in our hallway we were the only decorated door. I randomly passed out some small signs and mouse ears to some of the lonely doors. They looked so sad and unloved! LOL!

[Melissa R]

Yes, that last night was really rockin and rollin! I definitely felt like I looked drunk (and having that rum and coke in my hand didn't help, I'm sure :rotfl: ). I asked the rebooking agent if the seas that night were normal, and she said they were a bit rougher than average.

We were on deck 6 - 6048, sort of halfway between the midship and forward elevators on the port side. We had a lot of pirate themed magnets, including mouse heads cut out of pirate/skull and crossbone paper with our names on them. There were a couple of DVC magnets that we saw, and a handful of very decorated doors on one deck that we saw, but most on our entire side of our deck were plain.

We didn't walk around a ton, but I think we only saw one or maybe two fish extenders.

I miss Clayton's voice coming on and telling me to do the "I'm on vacation dance." I wanna be there with him now!

[SeeDisney]

I've seen these two words several times........Fish Extenders...


What is that?

[SeeDisney]

Also, for the first lunch.......why do you choose BBB over Parrot's Cay?


thanks so much!

[jhoshowski]

How did you like your cabin? Next year right after Thanksgiving we have 6044-6047 (2 inside, 2 outside) booked on the Wonder. It's the first cruise for everyone in our party of 13 except me and my husband, so we want everything to be perfect!

[kma5150]

We are still debating about universal , and ataying an extra night, what did you do? Also what transportation did you use?Thanks!!

[Melissa R]

SeeDisney - Fish Extenders are this....outside your stateroom, there is a metal fish sticking a little bit out from the wall. Some people make a multi-pocket thing to hang from it, and people here on the DIS organize gift exchanges where they put gifts in others' fish extenders. If you do a search, you'll probably find pictures.

Also, we chose BBB instead of Parrot Cay because I didn't want to be in a restaurant - I wanted to be up on one of the upper decks so we could see more. The restaurants are fine, but after seeing them, I'm especially glad we didn't start in one for lunch. I was much happier being up on deck and being able to enjoy the look of the ship (versus just sitting in a restaurant). Plus, once the boys wanted to hit the pool, we were right there already.

[Melissa R]

How did you like your cabin? Next year right after Thanksgiving we have 6044-6047 (2 inside, 2 outside) booked on the Wonder. It's the first cruise for everyone in our party of 13 except me and my husband, so we want everything to be perfect!

I loved our room and the location. Nine times out of ten, we walked to the midship elevators or stairs to go whereever we needed to go, and they were so close to the room. (Forward elevators were also about the same distance, but going to midship was easier because then we were more centrally located.) Our cabin had a verandah, and we enjoyed it. I noticed the motion of the ship a great deal more when we were aft as compared to in our room.

[Melissa R]

We are still debating about universal , and ataying an extra night, what did you do? Also what transportation did you use?Thanks!!

We drove down, so we had our own car. That said, we stayed at the Radisson the night before and so we left the car there and took their free shuttle (and saved the $60 it would have cost to park our car at the port). It was very convenient when we returned to the car as well.

The day we came off the ship (Thursday), we headed straight to EPCOT. We got there around 10 AM and stayed until about 8:45. We checked in to our hotel (Caribbean Beach on WDW property) and got some dinner and fell into bed. I'll be honest - I live for WDW visits and it would have killed me to not go to WDW, but I was absolutely exhausted that day. Walking around EPCOT felt like walking literally around the earth. On a number of rides, I shut my eyes and took 20 second mini-naps because I was so tired.

The next day (Friday), we slept in a bit (got an extended check out to noon instead of 11). I took the kids to breakfast and the pool while my husband slept in a little longer, and we relaxed at the pool that morning before moving to our next resort (my husband had a business event we went to for the next 2 nights). Once we got there, we hung out by that pool, and that evening, the boys and I went to Downtown Disney. I wasn't that tired while we were out, but once back at the room, I got sleepy very fast. The boys passed out quickly too.

On Saturday, the boys and I went to Magic Kingdom, and my energy level was back up, but by Sunday for our drive back to Georgia, I was exhausted again. And to be honest, today, I got the kids off to school and then slept from 10 AM to 1 PM. Of course, it doesn't help that I caught a cold during our trip, but I really feel like this "vacation" was very draining, energy-wise.

So that said, if you have the chance to add only one day, you can certainly add a theme park visit in. But if you had the chance to add two days (or more), I'd say you might want a day to rest by the pool between the cruise and the theme park. That might give you the chance to be more refreshed before hitting the rides and all the walking that goes with that.

Then again, like I said, maybe my exhaustion was more due to getting sick? I'm not sure.

[ScrapperKimmyD]

I found myself surprised at just how much we could feel the motion of the ship. None of us got sick (Thank God!) which made me very relieved because both our boys get very car sick. We took a handful of times but didn't stay on a strict schedule - I just gave it out whenever I really noticed the rocking...


...I was also surprised at how exhausted I was on the trip, and at how many things we never got to do. I expected to miss a lot, but I think we missed out on more than I expected. We only made it to one show (Toy Story - which we loved) and to one movie (Beverly Hills Chihuahua).


I've got a couple questions...

What did you take a handful of times?

What did you miss out on? what prevented you from seeing the shows?


We'll be there soon and I think I may need to know these things. :cutie:

[Melissa R]

I've got a couple questions...

What did you take a handful of times?

What did you miss out on? what prevented you from seeing the shows?


We'll be there soon and I think I may need to know these things. :cutie:

Oops - sorry for the poor wording on that. We took Bonine (the motion sickness prevention medication) a handful of times - just when the rocking of the boat was really noticable.

What we missed out on - photo opportunities with characters, activities in the adult nightclubs, family activities, shows, movies, etc. We missed a lot of stuff, just because there's no possible way for anyone to do it all (except maybe if you're not traveling with kids or if you are planning on having your kids in the clubs from opening to closing). There are so many things scheduled all at the same times, you have to pick and choose what you want to do. If you haven't seen a copy of the Navigator that is given out each day of your cruise, I'd suggest you take a look at one so you can get a feel for just how busy the days are.

So what prevented us from seeing the shows was just that there were other things we were doing at the time the shows were taking place. Sometimes we were at the pool with the kids, sometimes we were needing to take our youngest to his club during one of the shows for an activity that he wanted to do, etc.

[NotSoLittleMermaid]

I'll be on the Wonder on 12/2, for 4 nights.

Which shows (Toy Story, Golden Mickeys, etc) and which themes (pirate, formal) did they have each night (Sun., Mon., etc.)?

TIA!!:worship:

[WDW Princess 71]

I'll be on the Wonder on 12/2, for 4 nights.

Which shows (Toy Story, Golden Mickeys, etc) and which themes (pirate, formal) did they have each night (Sun., Mon., etc.)?

TIA!!:worship:
I would love to know the answer to this too, since DCL won't give the show order out by phone anymore ahead of time. Please let us know when you get a chance, TIA! Also, I was wondering if you recall what times and for how long the characters were out for pictures on pirate night in their pirate attire. we have Palo at 6:00 that night but want to get pirate pics beforehand, then get changed for Palo.

[Melissa R]

I'll be on the Wonder on 12/2, for 4 nights.

Which shows (Toy Story, Golden Mickeys, etc) and which themes (pirate, formal) did they have each night (Sun., Mon., etc.)?

TIA!!:worship:

I don't have my Navigators in front of me, but I believe it went this way -

Sunday - Leave Port Canaveral - casual dress for dinner, Golden Mickeys

Monday - Nassau - dress-up dinner, Toy Story

Tuesday - Castaway Cay - Pirate Night, ventriliquist show

Wednesday - day at sea - casual dress, Disney Dreams

[Melissa R]

I would love to know the answer to this too, since DCL won't give the show order out by phone anymore ahead of time. Please let us know when you get a chance, TIA! Also, I was wondering if you recall what times and for how long the characters were out for pictures on pirate night in their pirate attire. we have Palo at 6:00 that night but want to get pirate pics beforehand, then get changed for Palo.

I don't have my Navigators in front me of, but if I remember correctly, Mickey and Minnie were dressed as pirates from 5:15 to either 5:30 or 5:45, and then again later around 7:15 or so. Jack Sparrow wasn't on the Navigator until around 7:15 or so, but then we heard from someone that he was outside the Walt Disney Theater at 5:30 and we raced up there to get pictures with him. If he was listed on the Navigator at that time, I sure couldn't find it anywhere.

So to answer your question - if you have Palo at 6, depending on what pictures you want, you might be too hurried to get them all and then get changed for Palo. Mickey and Minnie were seperate - not together, so that would be two lines, plus Jack Sparrow if he's available. If your times end up being the same as ours were, you'll probably want to be lined up for Mickey (or whoever is out earliest) before their published starting time so you have time to move on to the next one before needing to change.

[NotSoLittleMermaid]

I don't have my Navigators in front of me, but I believe it went this way -

Sunday - Leave Port Canaveral - casual dress for dinner, Golden Mickeys

Monday - Nassau - dress-up dinner, Toy Story

Tuesday - Castaway Cay - Pirate Night, ventriliquist show

Wednesday - day at sea - casual dress, Golden Mickeys

Did they have the Golden Mickeys twice?

I haven't been on the Wonder, but on the Magic they have Golden Mickeys the same night as dress-up/formal night.

[Melissa R]

Did they have the Golden Mickeys twice?

I haven't been on the Wonder, but on the Magic they have Golden Mickeys the same night as dress-up/formal night.


Whoops - my mistake - the second Golden Mickeys I listed was supposed to be Disney Dreams. I'll go back and fix that.

But for us, Golden Mickeys was the first night (cruise casual) and Toy Story was on dress-up night. I looked back at our pictures, and we were all still in our nicer clothes for Toy Story.

[NotSoLittleMermaid]

Whoops - my mistake - the second Golden Mickeys I listed was supposed to be Disney Dreams. I'll go back and fix that.

But for us, Golden Mickeys was the first night (cruise casual) and Toy Story was on dress-up night. I looked back at our pictures, and we were all still in our nicer clothes for Toy Story.

Thanks for that info! It helps the planning!

What did you do in Nassau? We're just planning to get off the ship and look around on our own.

[ladyandtramp]

All good info! Thanks.

I am doing my first cruise ever on 12/7 on the Wonder and I was really wanting to know when Pirate night was.

Thanks so much for the info!

[Melissa R]

Thanks for that info! It helps the planning!

What did you do in Nassau? We're just planning to get off the ship and look around on our own.

That's all we did. We got off, got our passports stamped (figured if we paid for them, we were getting them stamped!), and walked around. My husband was dying for conch for lunch, so we found a restaurant and had lunch there. The food was good. We ordered an appetizer, meals for my husband and older son, and a burger for my younger son and I to share, along with 2 Bahamian beers and 3 cans of soda....and I think the total was $71. I would have been happier to eat on the ship (for free!), but DH was happy to get his conch and Bahamian beers. Then we walked around and shopped a little bit - went to Del Sol (overpriced and not too exciting to me) and bought a rum cake at the Tortula Rum place and went back onboard. If I had to guess (and it'd be just that - a total guess), I'd say we were in Nassau for no more than 3 hours. (and if I had it to do over again, or ever found myself back there, I'd either take a carriage ride to see the island more or wouldn't leave the ship at all)

[Melissa R]

All good info! Thanks.

I am doing my first cruise ever on 12/7 on the Wonder and I was really wanting to know when Pirate night was.

Thanks so much for the info!

Just keep in mind that I'm not sure how set in stone the schedule is, and if it stays the same for each trip or not.

You could always call DCL a week or so before your cruise to ask about the details of your schedule. I did that and was told which night our Pirate Night would be on.

[LJD2143]

How was the weather?

[Melissa R]

How was the weather?

Oh, it was glorious!

In Nassau, we caught a quick rain shower that blew over quickly and we only got drizzled on as we walked the streets. Other than that, I think there may have been a couple other times it rained, but nothing lasted too long. The temperatures were warm but not too hot, and the humidity must not have been high because I don't think I sweated the entire trip, even when I was in the sun.

At night, if we went up on deck, the wind made it very cool out. I tend to get cold easily, so the wind really made me get cold. As a matter of fact, there was at least one day that the kids were in the pool that I got cold in the wind during the day (even in the sun), so I grabbed a towel and wrapped myself up in it.

[disneydawgs4]

MelissaR,
We were on the Nov 2nd Wonder cruise and noticed the rougher than normal seas as well. We attributed it to the hurricane that was headed for the Bahamas at the time, now I wonder if that was the case or was our captain just ready to get home?! LOL! :rotfl2: No, really, our cast member crew said the same thing that the trip was rougher than normal and I am hoping that is true, cause we have rebooked for Mar 8th and my dh was struggling with motion sickness throughout the trip! We are doing the patch this next time! ;) He tried all the oral meds and seabands and they didn't help, especially in the theatre for the stage shows!
I love reading your reports because it reminds me of our trip. Clayton was a blast as was Tisha, the activities director. Loved the "I'm on vacation" dance and Clayton could mimick Carlton from Fresh Prince great on that one!
I have to echo you on the there is so much to do thing. My dh and I went w/out the kids this trip (our first cruise) and we still didn't have enough time to do it all! We are bringing the kids this next trip, but have not told them yet, we are going to make a game out of telling them on Christmas morning!!
:cool1:
Oh, one thing we noticed once we got home, the movies they show in the stateroom on the TV (it is so small :eek: ) are edited for the kids (that is a great thing). We were showing family the Get Smart movie once we returned, and had forgotten how much language and other things we would not normally watch, were in there! So there may be some parents out there that want to be careful about that in the future when they get back home!

[msusparty]

That's all we did. We got off, got our passports stamped (figured if we paid for them, we were getting them stamped!), and walked around.

Our kids love getting their passports stamped when we go out of the country. We are leaving on the Wonder 2/12/08 (Valentines Day Cruise).

Where did you get your passports stamped in Nassau? We were under the impression that they don't stamp passports when you are on a cruise.

Thanks

[cwaz]

Geez after reading all of these posts, I'm worried about my kids and myself getting seasick. I have been on another cruise RCCL once before and wore the bands and had no problems. Can my kids take Bonine ages 4 and 7?

[ladyandtramp]

Just keep in mind that I'm not sure how set in stone the schedule is, and if it stays the same for each trip or not.

You could always call DCL a week or so before your cruise to ask about the details of your schedule. I did that and was told which night our Pirate Night would be on.

Oh! I didn't realize I could call DCL to find out!
I'm such a newbie :banana:

I'm so glad for these boards!

Thanks for the info!

[Melissa R]

Our kids love getting their passports stamped when we go out of the country. We are leaving on the Wonder 2/12/08 (Valentines Day Cruise).

Where did you get your passports stamped in Nassau? We were under the impression that they don't stamp passports when you are on a cruise.

Thanks

They don't normally stamp your passports, but you can get it done if you want it done - but you have to go to them!


You go through this little shopping mall type building first when you come off the ship. When you get outside, go to the left to the gate with the armed guard. Tell him you want to get your passports stamped. He'll let you through and direct you into their government building. I think it was the last door on the right side once you went into the building.

[Melissa R]

Geez after reading all of these posts, I'm worried about my kids and myself getting seasick. I have been on another cruise RCCL once before and wore the bands and had no problems. Can my kids take Bonine ages 4 and 7?

I don't have the boxes anymore, but there is a Bonine and a Bonine Kids, and I think both of your kids should be able to take the kids version. (But please double check on the 4 year old. When my youngest was 4, I was still giving him Benadryl because that's what the pediatrician told me to give him, but I didn't know about Bonine back then, so I'm not sure if it's cleared for that age or not.)

If you've cruised before without issues, I'd bet that you'll be fine. My boys both get very car sick, so we were prepared for trouble with them and they never had an issue. I just gave them the Bonine when we first boarded the ship (hours before leaving the dock), and then each night when we'd leave port. I don't normally get motion sickness, but I'd never cruised before, so I took adult Bonine at the same time the kids took theirs. I never felt the slightest bit queasy, but I REALLY noticed the boat moving during our first dinner (when we crossed the Gulf Stream) and during the last night as we headed back to Port Canaveral.

[Melissa R]

Oh! I didn't realize I could call DCL to find out!
I'm such a newbie :banana:

I'm so glad for these boards!

Thanks for the info!

Of course, I can't promise that they'll have the right answer, but you can ask! :rotfl:

OK, so seriously, I'd hope that they'd be able to give you the right answer (they did for me!), but keep in mind that it could always be wrong.

For instance, we called a few days ahead to see what movies would be playing on our trip. (I'd read here that we could do that.) The movies that I was told would be playing on our cruise were almost all right - except for one. And of course, that was the one movie my oldest wanted to see! Oh well! So just keep in mind that the people answering the phones are only giving out the info that they have, but it doesn't necessarily come from the Navigators from your trip.

[WDW Princess 71]

Thanks for the passport info Melissa! I'm really into collecting the stamps too so I can't wait to do so now!

[kutchyone]

Probably a dumb question but I will ask anyway. You don't need a passport for the island do you? I was not planning on taking mine with me. I was going to lock it in the safe along with my daughter and her boyfriends birth certificates.

They don't listen to Mom, I have said over and over again get your passport but of course it is to late now for our 1/04 to 1/08 cruise on the Wonder. I am so excited to be going on my first cruise plus it's a Disney cruise!

[Josiah]

Probably a dumb question but I will ask anyway. You don't need a passport for the island do you? I was not planning on taking mine with me. I was going to lock it in the safe along with my daughter and her boyfriends birth certificates.

They don't listen to Mom, I have said over and over again get your passport but of course it is to late now for our 1/04 to 1/08 cruise on the Wonder. I am so excited to be going on my first cruise plus it's a Disney cruise!

My understanding is that everyone in your party absolutely must have a passport to take the Disney cruise. You can pay an extra fee to have your passport expedited. We are currently dealing with passport issues ourselves since our one grandchild is in the middle of an adoption process, so we have to wait for his new birth certificate.

Please check on this immediately.

[Josiah]

Okay, I will amend what I just said a little:

I just checked the offical Disney Cruise Line site. There is a page on passport info. If you go right on the first page, www.disneycruiseline.com, then scroll to the bottom, there are some links. One is FAQ, but another is just passport info.

They are not requiring passports on the cruise, but they are strongly encouraging folks to get them in order to allow you maximum flexibility in your travel. In other words, if you want to get off the ship, you'll have to have one, it sounds like.

Also, if you are flying, you have to have passports for air travel. If you're driving, it won't be an issue that way, either.

I still think it's very important to have passports, and they are the way of the future anyway, so why not?

[Trena]

if you had an emergency and needed to fly home early, you'd need one. If you missed the ship and wanted to catch up with it, you might need one.

Better safe than sorry.

[lharter]

Thanks for the trip report, Melissa!

You said it was all decorated for Christmas - do you or does anyone else know how early they decorate for Christmas?

I've only been on 1 Disney Cruise and got seasick the 2nd day. After that I took the bonine everyday and had no problems. The next time we go (in June) I'll just start out taking it right away!

Lynnette

[Linda in sunny SC]

to get off the ship at any port including CC. I used my driver's license and left my passport in the safe.

[cwaz]

When are you going in June?

[kutchyone]

Thanks Linda that is what I needed to know.

I was going to attempt to get them passports but since I have only one original of their birth certificates I decided against trying to get one. If they did not show up in time I woud not have an original for them to use for the cruise.