You bet your aft we had a good time! A Wonder trip report Update 12/30 p.59-611

[rentayenta]

I am sorry December is being such a pita. Are you at your 7m date yet? If you know your group is rock solid and you aren't worried about being short later on points I'd go for it and book the GV. I'd hate to wait and lose it. Booking rooms for others is tough, shared villa or not. I've done it twice now and while I was so happy to be able to "share" it is SO much easier when it's just my immediate smaller clan! I'm ok not doing it again for a while. Assuming of course you don't mind sharing a ginormous villa with the group. Plus then no horrid sofa beds to worry about! The points are brutal. After this past trip honestly if my parent go when it's Eric's turn I'm either going to need a 2B...or they are going to be on their own (which isn't a conversation I want to have). But because it IS so many points, I can't really just give them all away....

guilt and freak out. I love that Allison was looking out for you even if it was an overreaction. It's so hard to get across tone on the boards sometimes and it can go oddly sideways when no one intends it to.

Fun at Sea day. The dolphins make up for the majorly meh breakfast. I am glad pizza came to the rescue.

We have an amazing volume of that same hat!

We're at our 7 month mark. The good news is that everyone is flexible, our friends are easy so we can move the whole by about a week and a half if need be. The GV would only allow us 3 nights on property and the rest off. We'll be using 2 years of points for this trip (maybe more) so they're paying us for their share. I won't make money but I can't give them away either. They wouldn't be able to stay at the GCH otherwise, especially in a villa. Our points can buy us 6 nights in anything but a GV with a little leftover. I just don't think I can cough up that much for 3 nights. : But the GV looks gorgeous. You wouldn't get me to leave. Maybe in the summer where we'd BBQ and really use the kitchen. It's making me nuts. I am up at 6 am everyday checking and then rechecking several times throughout the day. I have a good old fashioned pencil to paper spreadsheet. No wonder Alison thinks I freak out.





We had such a fun day at sea and it wasn't even noon.

​

No problem. I wouldn't think so but I'm not certain. Mine is locked and I've never had any issues. Maybe mine just doesn't get as much traffic

Yes, the Magic was recently re-imagined and now has the aqua dunk and the Avengers Academy. Not that my boys care because I can't get them to stay in the club, any club, longer than an hour. I enjoyed the size of the Magic and I really hope we get to sail the Wonder in 2015. We've sailed the Dream twice and loved it. I think the pools are crazy on all of them.

I really enjoy seeing your pictures of the ship. I honestly think the atrium is more beautiful on the Wonder than the Magic. The atrium on the Dream is spectacular but it is huge compared to the Magic/Wonder.

Is the Dream just gorgeous? It fits like 2,000 more people I think.

I hear you on kids not liking the club. Joshua didn't either. What don't your boys like about them?

They really messed up with the pool size didn't they? It doesn't make sense to me.
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[Pinkocto]

Hey Pam, guess who told me last night he thinks I should have rebooked on board? Your little buddy Joshua. ​

That means he had a fantastic trip, which I'm so glad

How is he, I miss that adorable guy!

 

[rentayenta]

That means he had a fantastic trip, which I'm so glad

How is he, I miss that adorable guy!

He did. I told him you're leaving this weekend for another cruise and he said two things: no fair and that you're going to miss him. I told him he can text you before you go if that's okay.

I'll do one more update on the Mixology before you leave then hold off until you get back.
​

 

[4worlds1family]

and thanks for joining us. You're going to love the Wonder. I don't have much to compare it to but a 25 y/o distant memory of a Carnival booze cruise way back when but the Wonder is gorgeous. The service was stellar and the food was good. Our cabin was very clean and it was probably one of the most relaxing vacations I've taken.

What have you got planned?​

Thinking about the rainforest pass, doing the FE, and just general relaxing. Unsure about shore excursions at this point....I'm trying to read all I can about the ship and what others have thought of their experiences.

 

[MnMzMoMi4LiFe]

Subbing

Can't wait to board the Wonder in November!! It going to be our first cruise, our vacation in almost 7 years but most of all, it's going to be a Super Secret Sweet Sixteen for my (boy/girl) twins lol

I booked it in December and been researching things to do, looking at pics, FE ideas (joined the group as well) and clothes to wear since then. I want it to be the MOST memorable birthday/ vacation EVER :'0)

Is there ANYTHING else I should do to keep me occupied while I'm up tossing and turning at night? Lol

 

[JKSWonder]

My daughter is also not a fan of the clubs, which is why I'm thinking of not doing the Palo brunch this time. I just feel bad leaving her. I think we will keep dinner, but we will do a later one, so we can still get the kids dinner. My son lives in the clubs. Allison is old enough that she can either go to the club or stay in the stateroom and watch a movie if she so chooses.

 

[Pinkocto]

He did. I told him you're leaving this weekend for another cruise and he said two things: no fair and that you're going to miss him. I told him he can text you before you go if that's okay.

I'll do one more update on the Mixology before you leave then hold off until you get back.
​

He can text any time, I'd love to hear from him! too cute, did you tell him I had written on here that I missed him you can't help but be happy around that guy, he's got such an infectious personality!

I have lots of fun pics of the mixology.

 

[tweis]

Is the Dream just gorgeous? It fits like 2,000 more people I think.

I hear you on kids not liking the club. Joshua didn't either. What don't your boys like about them?

They really messed up with the pool size didn't they? It doesn't make sense to me.
​

The Dream is gorgeous but is rather large and holds a lot more people. I really enjoyed the size of the Magic.

My boys would rather just hang out with each other I think. They went to icebreakers in Edge but never really went back. They claim it's boring but I think if they went to more of the activities, they may enjoy them more. The scavenger hunt and ice cream social all sounded good to me.

Yeah, I think DCL really dropped the ball with pool size. The adult pool is terrible on Dream/Fantasy. It is actually a little larger on the Wonder/Magic.​

 

[DrMomof3]

I'm excited that we're finally DVC members so we'll be able to attend the DVC event on our next cruise! I didn't realize there was swag involved so I'm glad I read your TR.
Sorry your breakfast was disappointing. I'm excited for room service on the cruise. YUM!

Amanda

 

[rentayenta]

Thinking about the rainforest pass, doing the FE, and just general relaxing. Unsure about shore excursions at this point....I'm trying to read all I can about the ship and what others have thought of their experiences.

I tell you what I relaized before I left: that I couldn't possibly do it all. That thought process really lent itself to being able to truly relax. Sure, we missed some things but we also got to experience other things for examply skipping the shows for more outside sun time.

There is so much info on shore excursions out there. It depends on how planned out you want to be. ​

Subbing

Can't wait to board the Wonder in November!! It going to be our first cruise, our vacation in almost 7 years but most of all, it's going to be a Super Secret Sweet Sixteen for my (boy/girl) twins lol

I booked it in December and been researching things to do, looking at pics, FE ideas (joined the group as well) and clothes to wear since then. I want it to be the MOST memorable birthday/ vacation EVER :'0)

Is there ANYTHING else I should do to keep me occupied while I'm up tossing and turning at night? Lol

How fun a surprise for your 16 y/o's!

I researched so much too and started to feel a little overwhelmed that about the last two months and I left it all as is. We loved our FE group and got some incredible gifts. Joshua loved coming back to the cabin and finding all of his gifts. I liked it too and it was fun to get to know people beforehand through the FE DIS/FB group.​

My daughter is also not a fan of the clubs, which is why I'm thinking of not doing the Palo brunch this time. I just feel bad leaving her. I think we will keep dinner, but we will do a later one, so we can still get the kids dinner. My son lives in the clubs. Allison is old enough that she can either go to the club or stay in the stateroom and watch a movie if she so chooses.

I'm with you and didn't do Palo either. As much as I wanted to try it, it felt wrong to leave him knowing he wanted to spend time with me. I know I have precious time left with my sweet 12 y/o son who wants to hang out with me. I don't regret canceling Palo for a minute. Joshua stayed in the stateroom during my Mixology class and was fine with it.​

He can text any time, I'd love to hear from him! too cute, did you tell him I had written on here that I missed him you can't help but be happy around that guy, he's got such an infectious personality!

I have lots of fun pics of the mixology.

Oh good! I have shots of the drinks, Jesus, and one of me, and one of you, but that's about it.​

The Dream is gorgeous but is rather large and holds a lot more people. I really enjoyed the size of the Magic.

My boys would rather just hang out with each other I think. They went to icebreakers in Edge but never really went back. They claim it's boring but I think if they went to more of the activities, they may enjoy them more. The scavenger hunt and ice cream social all sounded good to me.

Yeah, I think DCL really dropped the ball with pool size. The adult pool is terrible on Dream/Fantasy. It is actually a little larger on the Wonder/Magic.

The adult pool is smaller? How can that be? Pam posted a pic of it but it was empty so I couldn't tell. Why didn't they make the pools larger?

Next time I'll have all 3 kids and I think they'll love doing eveything together. Joshua is used to his sisters around so I think he was thrown for a loop not having the instand buddies and familiarity.

​

I'm excited that we're finally DVC members so we'll be able to attend the DVC event on our next cruise! I didn't realize there was swag involved so I'm glad I read your TR.
Sorry your breakfast was disappointing. I'm excited for room service on the cruise. YUM!

Amanda

Lot of swag girl, you'll love it! We loved the other room service we ordered which I will elborate on in the next update.​

 

[franandaj]

OK, you know I saw and approved of your tray!

I've never made a DVC meeting. Someday. We did visit them after the fact and got the caps, the notebook and totebag.

Sea days are the BEST! You get to do almost anything you want!

 

[rentayenta]

OK, you know I saw and approved of your tray! I've never made a DVC meeting. Someday. We did visit them after the fact and got the caps, the notebook and totebag. Sea days are the BEST! You get to do almost anything you want!

I liked the meeting. Kinda fun and like Pam said, it was cool to be around some other DVCers.

Sea day was awesome! You get to see and do so much.

Next time I'd like to visit the Cove Cafe. And spa.​

 

[MEK]

I just love all the DVC swag!

Room service! Wow - looks wonderfully relaxing.

Great morning so far! Love it!

 

[rentayenta]

I just love all the DVC swag!

Room service! Wow - looks wonderfully relaxing.

Great morning so far! Love it!

Room service was the best. I felt so relaxed and at peace. The water does that for me. Its hard to say we *missed out* on anything. I liked the sea day for this reason: you can literally do whatever the ship has to offer. Its brilliant.

The DVC swag was nifty. ​

 

[podsnel]

Enjoying your writing style on this TR. The dolphins joining in on the cruise is a nice added bonus.

I wasted many tries getting pics of the dolphins on my last cruise only to come home and find this one that I didn't realize I even took. I was actually trying to take pics of the turtles floating by.

WOWWW!!!!!!!! That is fantastic!

 

[podsnel]

I LOVE DVC swag!! Joshua is so sweet, and I love that you are such great buds. What a fabulous Mommy you are.

I hope your breakfasts improve! I am usually very happy in the Dining Room- just not on the last day. The last day would probably stink even in Palo.

Looking forward to more!

 

[rentayenta]

This might be a mini update as I'm killing time at a Starbucks while Joshua is at soccer practice......



After some riveting ping pong and bonding time, it was time to head to trivia in the Promenade Lounge. Every time I say that, Promenade Lounge, I feel like Julie McCoy of the Love Boat minus the bad taste in men and braless knit halter top.

We arrived a few minutes early and were the 4th table there. I think in all there were about 10 teams. It looked like a decent turnout.

There were 30 questions varying from super easy to we had no clue. It seems from others' participation we were doing just okay......until Pam showed up. We had a few questions that we knew she'd know.

Joshua working hard:

He's extremely competitive like his dad.

When all was said and done, we won! Well, we tied with another team but we got prizes so thats winning to us. We were given a cool blue vinyl journal. Pam pointed out that the other team got two, one for each of them so I kindly asked for another one. The CM obliged......a little begrudgingly. I'm not sure why but oh well. We walked out WiNnErS!

We had about an hour until the Mixology and I knew I needed to eat something as not to drink on an empty stomach. Been there, done that, not pretty. I also knew Joshua would be hungry.

The sea was a little choppy:

We decided to head to Tritons; Pam joined us. By this time we were all like old friends. That first, sorta feeling each other out stage was long over.

Tritons is a beautiful restaurant. Our window. Love the Hidden Mickey!

Our server greeted us, got our drink orders, and we were given menus.

Buddies. Those are some real smiles. No forcing Joshua to smile here. I know I keep saying it but I really can't explain how much he liked Pam and took to her immediately.

I thought I took pics of the menu but I think Pam did. I can't seem to locate mine.

Joshua ordered a cold seafood dish:

I ordered a chicken salad:

Joshua's dish came out basically frozen. We alerted the server who was very kind and Joshua decided on some chilled mango soup. He loved it! My salad was perfect and hit the spot. It felt good to eat something green.

Lunch was enjoyable for sure.

I'd be lying if I didn't admit I was feeling some guilt over leaving Joshua to go to the Mixology class. I asked him if there was something he wanted to do and gave ideas like the arcade, club, movies, movie in our room, and the sports deck. The only thing I wouldn't allow is swimming. Joshua is an excellent swimmer but other kids are not. I've seen kids panic and pull others down. No thanks.

Joshua opted to stay in the room. I was really hoping he'd decide to go to the Edge but he wasn't having any part of it.

I walked him to the room and he was totally content with the verandah open and to watch a movie. The class was only an hour.....I grabbed my wave phone and took off for our private Mixology class. I was praying it wouldn't be about tequila.

Next up: raising a glass or 5 with Jesus......

To be continued......



​

 

[rentayenta]

I LOVE DVC swag!! Joshua is so sweet, and I love that you are such great buds. What a fabulous Mommy you are.

I hope your breakfasts improve! I am usually very happy in the Dining Room- just not on the last day. The last day would probably stink even in Palo.

Looking forward to more!

Thanks girl, I loved the one on one time with Joshua.

I'll give you a sneak peak, the last day was the only breakfast we had in the dining room. We skipped all the cruise normals. We Fockerized our cruise. Michael says I Fockerize everything to make it my own. I'll consider that a compliment.​

 

[eandesmom]

ong and bonding time, it was time to head to trivia in the Promenade Lounge. Every time I say that, Promenade Lounge, I feel like Julie McCoy of the Love Boat minus the bad taste in men and braless knit halter top.

When all was said and done, we won! Well, we tied with another team but we got prizes so thats winning to us. We were given a cool blue vinyl journal. Pam pointed out that the other team got two, one for each of them so I kindly asked for another one. The CM obliged......a little begrudgingly. I'm not sure why but oh well. We walked out WiNnErS!

YAY! You should get 2. That's odd that they gave it to the other team and then gave you a hard time.

Lunch was enjoyable for sure.

I'd be lying if I didn't admit I was feeling some guilt over leaving Joshua to go to the Mixology class. I asked him if there was something he wanted to do and gave ideas like the arcade, club, movies, movie in our room, and the sports deck. The only thing I wouldn't allow is swimming. Joshua is an excellent swimmer but other kids are not. I've seen kids panic and pull others down. No thanks.

Bummer about the frozen lunch! Soup was enough for him?

You are a better mom than I. We have let the boys swim on the cruise without us, on both cruises actually. That said, I don't know that I would if they were solo. Well, actually I'd let Evan but not Eric. Which wouldn't go over well at all but it is what it is. Neither of them would want to go solo anyway and for them it was as much about the funnel vision and hot tub...as it was actual swimming. LOL!

Smart to be cautious.

 

[Pinkocto]

I have additions but the ipad is packed. I'll post them tomorrow. We would have flat out won if I had gone with my gut on that Toy Story question and said Taiwan. Ugh, its still bothering me

I didn't take a picture of the menu either. I'm terrible with menu pictures.