July 22, 2013 - Wonder Cruise to Alaska

[CHIdadOF3]

Just booked this cruise and I didn't see a thread started yet so, I'll kick it off. Anyone else going on this cruise??

 

[IrishCowboy]

I have added your thread to the cruise meet list

Have a great cruise!

 

[CHIdadOF3]

Thanks IC! Greatly appreciate it.

 

[Jrsy Boy]

I'm in! Well...my family and I are in. Just booked it last week.

 

[CHIdadOF3]

Hey there Jrsy Boy. Glad to finally have some company on this thread. This will be the second Disney cruise for me and the family. I have 3 kids - ds 14, ds 12, and dd 8.

 

[Jrsy Boy]

This will be our third, as you may have noted in my signature. We did the Land/Sea Adventure in 2005 and 2007 so we've only done 4 night cruises prior to this one. We have one DS who will be 16 when we cruise.

Incidentally, both of our prior cruises were also on the Wonder. On our first cruise, we had an interior stateroom and on the second we had a "Secret Porthole Room." We decided the scenery on the this trip would be worth a verandah, but we went with a Navigator's Verandah.

 

[CHIdadOF3]

You'll love the verandah! We've had them before but this time we decided to book the cruise using our DVC pts and we only had enough to get inside cabins.

So what's the Wonder like? We have been on the Dream and not sure what to expect since the Wonder is an older ship.

BTW - my DS will be 16 also when we cruise. We should put them in touch with each other so they'll know someone from the start.

- Tony

 

[Jrsy Boy]

Since we've only been on the Wonder, it would be tough for me to make any comparisons although I feel pretty safe saying that the Wonder will feel much smaller. So maybe it will feel less crowded or less busy, too? I just can't even fathom being on a ship as large as the Dream. If you have any specific questions, I can try to answer them.

I was going to ask my DS about getting in touch with your DS but I forgot. I will talk to him about it and see what he thinks. He's not thrilled about the cruise at the moment because he doesn't like being cold. Hoping he'll change his tune as it gets closer.

 

[CHIdadOF3]

The Dream was HUGE and seemed extremely crowded, especially on the decks for the special events. Hoping the Wonder will feel a little more intimate. I'm also hoping they provide some shelter for the pool from the cold air. The last boat (Carnival) we took to Alaska had the pool deck enclosed which made for very comfortable swimming conditions.

Tell your DS that my DS is really into hockey and music. He plays drums and is in the school marching band, etc. He also loves to act in the school plays/musicals. He's extremely outgoing and friendly.

On another note, have you participated in an FE on any of your previous cruises? We'd love to get one going for this cruise.

 

[Jrsy Boy]

The Dream was HUGE and seemed extremely crowded, especially on the decks for the special events. Hoping the Wonder will feel a little more intimate. I'm also hoping they provide some shelter for the pool from the cold air. The last boat (Carnival) we took to Alaska had the pool deck enclosed which made for very comfortable swimming conditions.

Tell your DS that my DS is really into hockey and music. He plays drums and is in the school marching band, etc. He also loves to act in the school plays/musicals. He's extremely outgoing and friendly.

On another note, have you participated in an FE on any of your previous cruises? We'd love to get one going for this cruise.

In my experience, the Wonder can seem crowded on "at sea" days, though I really doubt the pool will be as crowded as it was in the Caribbean. Unfortunately, the pool is not covered and there is not a lot of shelter provided by the surrounding deck above, but it is in the middle of the ship (from front to back) so maybe it will be OK. Not sure whether it is heated or not.

I also assume that any time there is something scenic, there will be a lot of people on the decks, but I'm sure not nearly as many as you'd have seen on the Dream. Make sure you remember that, in addition to Decks 9 and 10, you can catch the scenery from Deck 4 or from the "secret verandah" on deck 7.

My DS plays guitar but he is more an artist than an athlete. I think he's a little nervous because he is used to being in the Oceaneer's Lab so Vibe is going to be a new experience for him.

We have never done a FE and, in fact, I'm not completely up-to-speed on how it works. Seems like it is a bigger thing than the last time we cruised.

 

[CHIdadOF3]

Sounds like our DS's should get along nicely. Mine is the same way - much more artistic than athletic. He loves to watch hockey and he plays it with his friends on a tennis court at one of the local parks. His abilities will definitely prevent him from taking it any further, although he is taking skating lessons. He also plays piano and is teaching himself how to play guitar so I can safely say music is his first passion.

We got involved with the FE on our Dream cruise and it was so much fun. Basically, you hang something on/by your door that has pouches and people who are participating in the FE exchange leave "presents" for you. Quite a bit of it is handmade and it's really cool to see the things people come up with. I'm hoping that we get a good sized group who wants to do an FE exchange.

I'm also thinking of starting a Facebook group once this board gets rolling. It seemed to work well with the last group and helps to put faces with names. Also was great way for the kids to start building friendships and have some pals on embarkation day.

 

[Almeda]

My two daughters, my grandson (he will be 12), and I are booked on the Wonder July 22nd. We plan to arrive in Vancouver a couple of days early. I just heard about the FE and I think that is great. I would like to be a part if a group is started.

 

[Jrsy Boy]

Sounds like our DS's should get along nicely. Mine is the same way - much more artistic than athletic. He loves to watch hockey and he plays it with his friends on a tennis court at one of the local parks. His abilities will definitely prevent him from taking it any further, although he is taking skating lessons. He also plays piano and is teaching himself how to play guitar so I can safely say music is his first passion.

Typical for a 15yo, I talked to him about getting in contact with your DS and asked what he thought about the idea. His response: "I don't know."

Is your DS much of a gamer? Mario Kart? Super Smash Bros.?

 

[Jrsy Boy]

My two daughters, my grandson (he will be 12), and I are booked on the Wonder July 22nd. We plan to arrive in Vancouver a couple of days early. I just heard about the FE and I think that is great. I would like to be a part if a group is started.

Welcome, Almeda!

Congrats on your first post. Have you been lurking long before posting?

 

[CHIdadOF3]

Is your DS much of a gamer? Mario Kart? Super Smash Bros.?

Yeah, he likes to play NHL 11/12, Super Smash Bros, Uncharted, Call of Duty, etc. Things like COD he has to play at his friends house because we don't allow it with 2 younger kids at home. Doesn't make us the most popular parents.

My two daughters, my grandson (he will be 12), and I are booked on the Wonder July 22nd. We plan to arrive in Vancouver a couple of days early. I just heard about the FE and I think that is great. I would like to be a part if a group is started.

Welcome to the thread! Is this your first Disney or Alaska cruise?

- Tony

 

[Almeda]

It is my first cruise as well as my grandson. My daughters have cruised but not Disney or to Alaska. We are so excited!

 

[CHIdadOF3]

It is my first cruise as well as my grandson. My daughters have cruised but not Disney or to Alaska. We are so excited!

You guys are going to love both! This will be my family's 2nd Disney cruise and 2nd time to Alaska. The views are breathtaking and I'm sure Disney won't disappoint!

Where are you all from? I'm in the Chicago area and I believe JrsyBoy said he was from Colorado.

 

[Almeda]

We are from Arkansas. We are going to WDW the week of Thanksgiving. We have been in Nov in 2008 and 2010 and love that time of year. Usually, I am scouring the boards for WDW news but now that we have this cruise booked, I am obsessed with Alaska! Keep reading excursions...

The Fish Extender sounded like fun. Has anyone set that up or is it too early?

 

[Jrsy Boy]

Yeah, he likes to play NHL 11/12, Super Smash Bros, Uncharted, Call of Duty, etc. Things like COD he has to play at his friends house because we don't allow it with 2 younger kids at home. Doesn't make us the most popular parents.

Well, if you wanted to be the most popular parents, you wouldn't have had a teenager.

My DS keeps updating me on the fact that Kid Icarus Uprising for the 3DS is coming out a week from tomorrow (I keep wanting to call it "Flight of Icarus"). It means nothing to me but if it makes him happy...

When Mario Kart 7 came out for the 3DS, I may have been the most popular parent because I took him over to Target that morning.

 

[CHIdadOF3]

The Fish Extender sounded like fun. Has anyone set that up or is it too early?

Yeah, I think we are still too early. Once we have some more families on this board, I'll set something up. Obviously, it's a whole lot more fun when you have more families involved. On our last cruise, we had something like 30 participants in the FE and it was so much fun to come back to the cabin each day to find your pouches all full of goodies. Ahhhh, good times....