disneygatorfan
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Oct 28, 2004
Well, this was my last minute booking before I went on my 7 day. It was my friends birthday, and the date became available at the last minute at a great rate so I couldn't pass it up.
We have become pro's at these 3 days, so we didn't really rush to port. Would rather sleep in a little, so we can enjoy the 80's party! We arrived at port at around 1pm, and they had already started boarding, so I didn't get to experience the new boarding procedures. We walked right up to the front desk, and checked in with no problems.. there was no line to board the ship, and by the time we checked in, the rooms were ready, so as soon as we got on board, we headed up to Dec 7, to drop off our carry ons, and then headed up to Dec 9, to get some lunch! I would say the only draw back for us boarding late, is we prefer the buffet at Parrot Cay.. it's more spacious and not as noisy for us. The foods the same, we just enjoy the surroundings in Parrot Cay more. Anyway, after stuffing our faces with shrimp, GREAT turkey, and mac and cheese, we headed to our 2nd favorite spot... Cove Cafe. I can't say enough great things about Cove Cafe. I love the specialty drinks, and the comfy chairs, and being able to look out at the deck. Since we booked so late, we didn't really get a chance to meet and DISer's from this sailing. I am sure they were there though!
The boat drill was a little more chaotic in our section. Seems like EVERYONE was arriving late. Note to future cruisers: ARRIVE on TIME for the boat drill. It's a pain, but you have to go, and getting their late just drags it out for everyone else. After the drill, we ran up, dropped off our life vests, and headed to grab a great spot for the deck party. Let me just tell you, it was a new cruise staff since our last Wonder sailing, and these guys were MAJOR hotties!!! Wow, all I can say is I am moving to South Africa!! Michael, Jeremy and Zack Attack were such fun...They were the best cruise staff I have seen yet, on either ship (With the exception of Pikey., from the Magic. he gets the award for Overall, all time best). The deck party was a blast like always. After a few electric slides, we went back down to the room, to watch us sail away from the verandah. It was the first 3 day i booked a verandah. I am always the one that says.. oh, 3 days.. you will never use it. let me just say, That is NOT true! We loved having it, and will miss it on our next 3 day, since I doubt we will be able to get a rate like we got again for it.
We went and saw the Hercules show, and sat front row like always. Again, it was a new entertainment saff, and for some reason, we noticed less performers then normal. Not sure if they quit, or had injuries, but a lot of the ensamble cast was missing. We still enjoyed the shows all the same though. Rob and I get labled as "those two in the front row". We are just big Disney nutts.
Now the 3 day, I find is a lot more relaxed, but me and my friend love dressing up, so we dress to the nines, no matter what. Our first dinner was at Tritons. True to tradition for Rob and I, we ended up as what we call a dud table. Was just a table for four, and the couple we sat with, had no interest in talking to us. I don't get why people go on cruises, and then not get involved!! Thats such a big part of the cruise experience! Anyway, our servers were very nice. We had Jeannette from the Phillipines, and Megan from Canada. Both were friendly, and very knowledgeable. Food was excellent like always. We both got the Codd, escargot, and the creme brulee.
80's night was a blast. There was a wedding party on board, and they were such fun! They really kept the energy up, and everyone was dancing and having a great time. Match your Mate was also a lot of fun, its always hilarious to hear what people we say in public.
Nassau day turned out to be absolutely GORGEOUS. We slept in, and just hung out on the verandah for a while. Ran up for some juice and danishes, and then brought them back and ate them on the verandah and had a great time just looking out at Paradise Island, watching the ferry boats, go by, and watching inroom movies. By the time we got ready, it was nearly lunch time, so we headed up to Cove Cafe to kill some time. We always eat lunch in Tritions. I LOVE the pumpkin soup!. We stuffed our faces, and needed a walk, so we went to stroll down Bay Street. We don't really do much in Nassau. Its fun to walk and we found some great photo ops (We love taking photos) and then headed back on board. The ship was deserted so we found a great spot on deck 10, and took in the sun. We got back on board just in time for the ice carving demonstration, which was really cool! A few drinks later, we were having a good ole time people watching and working on our tans.
Its amazing how fast time flys by. We headed down to get ready for Golden Mickeys and Dinner. We didn't have Palo ressies, but we aren't big fans of the Pirate menu, so we walked in and talked to the super nice manager. He told us to just hang at the bar, and he would squeeze us in, which he did. We LOVE Palo. We got the BBQ pizza, calamari, polenta, and shrimp salad. Then we split some risotto, and I got the tuna, and he got the Fillet. Of course for dessert we had the souffles and the pancotti. Our server, Thomas was excellent, and we had a great view as the ship pulled out of Nassau.
Now Golden Mickeys, was great like always, but we were really dissapointed to see they took out Roy. I head read about this, from Magic Cruisers, but didn't realize they changed the Wonder version too! Oh well. Also, there were several performers missing, and Tarzan did not do any of the acrobatics he normally does. We both aggreed, although he singing was great, there seemed to be something missing from this entertainment crew.
The Pirates deck party was GREAT though. Can I just say how GEORGIOUS, Michael and Zack are!!! They had such energy the entire party. Once again we were too stuffed to eat from the buffet, but it looked good! I will never understand how people eat all that food. I hear a lot of complaints that Disney doesn't do a late buffet every night, and I just say... "YOU STILL ARE HUNGRY??"
We were pretty beat, so it was a good thing it was Karaoke night. Its always fun to watch, and they guy who did it that night was great.. he really got everyone involved, as backup singers, dancers, etc.
We headed up to the room after all the singing was done, and ate some mickey bars and cheese on the verandah. I can't say how much we loved having it, even for the short cruise.
Castaway day had the best weather I have ever had in a winter cruise. It was fairly warm, and not a cloud in the sky. We had breakfast again on the verandah, and waited for the ship to be cleared and the first rush to be over. We headed straight to Serenity Bay, and found a great spot. THe water was chilly, but we still braved it, and saw so many sand dollars, no starfish this time though... we usually see a ton of those.
We skipped the BBQ, since we were still stuffed from breakfast, and opted to fill ourselves with Konk Coolers and fresh fruit instead!
After several hours on the island, we headed back to the ship. The adult pool was deserted, so we got to enjoy that for a while.... we also did the rainforest room at the last minute. For $15 its a nice treat, and a little while in there is very relaxing and refreshing. We then had to go back out to the great sun and took a nap, tanning on Deck 10. Before we knew it, the ship horn sounded for the all aboard. it was time to get ready again for dinner and the show. Disney Dreams was great like always, and the girl who sang Circle of Life was the BEST ever.. she really had an amazing voice. Our dinner mates, never came back. Our servers said then never ate again after the first night. I hate knowing people stiff their servers... It's sad to know people are that cheap! Those servers work so hard, and the suggested amount for a 3 day ends up being about $25 per person for your serving team!
70s night was DEAD at first. THe deadest we had seen. THey didn't even have enough people to do John Travolta... But true to form, the wedding guests came, and we danced the night way. They actually had to kick us all out.
all in all, it was a great cruise. Disembarking was a breeze... jsut walked right off.
Well, now it's time to pack for my 7 day! We are hoping to get back on the Wonder in Late Jan/Early Feb, since a friend of ours will be in the shows!!
Hope all the future cruisers enjoy!
We have become pro's at these 3 days, so we didn't really rush to port. Would rather sleep in a little, so we can enjoy the 80's party! We arrived at port at around 1pm, and they had already started boarding, so I didn't get to experience the new boarding procedures. We walked right up to the front desk, and checked in with no problems.. there was no line to board the ship, and by the time we checked in, the rooms were ready, so as soon as we got on board, we headed up to Dec 7, to drop off our carry ons, and then headed up to Dec 9, to get some lunch! I would say the only draw back for us boarding late, is we prefer the buffet at Parrot Cay.. it's more spacious and not as noisy for us. The foods the same, we just enjoy the surroundings in Parrot Cay more. Anyway, after stuffing our faces with shrimp, GREAT turkey, and mac and cheese, we headed to our 2nd favorite spot... Cove Cafe. I can't say enough great things about Cove Cafe. I love the specialty drinks, and the comfy chairs, and being able to look out at the deck. Since we booked so late, we didn't really get a chance to meet and DISer's from this sailing. I am sure they were there though!
The boat drill was a little more chaotic in our section. Seems like EVERYONE was arriving late. Note to future cruisers: ARRIVE on TIME for the boat drill. It's a pain, but you have to go, and getting their late just drags it out for everyone else. After the drill, we ran up, dropped off our life vests, and headed to grab a great spot for the deck party. Let me just tell you, it was a new cruise staff since our last Wonder sailing, and these guys were MAJOR hotties!!! Wow, all I can say is I am moving to South Africa!! Michael, Jeremy and Zack Attack were such fun...They were the best cruise staff I have seen yet, on either ship (With the exception of Pikey., from the Magic. he gets the award for Overall, all time best). The deck party was a blast like always. After a few electric slides, we went back down to the room, to watch us sail away from the verandah. It was the first 3 day i booked a verandah. I am always the one that says.. oh, 3 days.. you will never use it. let me just say, That is NOT true! We loved having it, and will miss it on our next 3 day, since I doubt we will be able to get a rate like we got again for it.
We went and saw the Hercules show, and sat front row like always. Again, it was a new entertainment saff, and for some reason, we noticed less performers then normal. Not sure if they quit, or had injuries, but a lot of the ensamble cast was missing. We still enjoyed the shows all the same though. Rob and I get labled as "those two in the front row". We are just big Disney nutts.
Now the 3 day, I find is a lot more relaxed, but me and my friend love dressing up, so we dress to the nines, no matter what. Our first dinner was at Tritons. True to tradition for Rob and I, we ended up as what we call a dud table. Was just a table for four, and the couple we sat with, had no interest in talking to us. I don't get why people go on cruises, and then not get involved!! Thats such a big part of the cruise experience! Anyway, our servers were very nice. We had Jeannette from the Phillipines, and Megan from Canada. Both were friendly, and very knowledgeable. Food was excellent like always. We both got the Codd, escargot, and the creme brulee.
80's night was a blast. There was a wedding party on board, and they were such fun! They really kept the energy up, and everyone was dancing and having a great time. Match your Mate was also a lot of fun, its always hilarious to hear what people we say in public.
Nassau day turned out to be absolutely GORGEOUS. We slept in, and just hung out on the verandah for a while. Ran up for some juice and danishes, and then brought them back and ate them on the verandah and had a great time just looking out at Paradise Island, watching the ferry boats, go by, and watching inroom movies. By the time we got ready, it was nearly lunch time, so we headed up to Cove Cafe to kill some time. We always eat lunch in Tritions. I LOVE the pumpkin soup!. We stuffed our faces, and needed a walk, so we went to stroll down Bay Street. We don't really do much in Nassau. Its fun to walk and we found some great photo ops (We love taking photos) and then headed back on board. The ship was deserted so we found a great spot on deck 10, and took in the sun. We got back on board just in time for the ice carving demonstration, which was really cool! A few drinks later, we were having a good ole time people watching and working on our tans.
Its amazing how fast time flys by. We headed down to get ready for Golden Mickeys and Dinner. We didn't have Palo ressies, but we aren't big fans of the Pirate menu, so we walked in and talked to the super nice manager. He told us to just hang at the bar, and he would squeeze us in, which he did. We LOVE Palo. We got the BBQ pizza, calamari, polenta, and shrimp salad. Then we split some risotto, and I got the tuna, and he got the Fillet. Of course for dessert we had the souffles and the pancotti. Our server, Thomas was excellent, and we had a great view as the ship pulled out of Nassau.
Now Golden Mickeys, was great like always, but we were really dissapointed to see they took out Roy. I head read about this, from Magic Cruisers, but didn't realize they changed the Wonder version too! Oh well. Also, there were several performers missing, and Tarzan did not do any of the acrobatics he normally does. We both aggreed, although he singing was great, there seemed to be something missing from this entertainment crew.
The Pirates deck party was GREAT though. Can I just say how GEORGIOUS, Michael and Zack are!!! They had such energy the entire party. Once again we were too stuffed to eat from the buffet, but it looked good! I will never understand how people eat all that food. I hear a lot of complaints that Disney doesn't do a late buffet every night, and I just say... "YOU STILL ARE HUNGRY??"
We were pretty beat, so it was a good thing it was Karaoke night. Its always fun to watch, and they guy who did it that night was great.. he really got everyone involved, as backup singers, dancers, etc.
We headed up to the room after all the singing was done, and ate some mickey bars and cheese on the verandah. I can't say how much we loved having it, even for the short cruise.
Castaway day had the best weather I have ever had in a winter cruise. It was fairly warm, and not a cloud in the sky. We had breakfast again on the verandah, and waited for the ship to be cleared and the first rush to be over. We headed straight to Serenity Bay, and found a great spot. THe water was chilly, but we still braved it, and saw so many sand dollars, no starfish this time though... we usually see a ton of those.
We skipped the BBQ, since we were still stuffed from breakfast, and opted to fill ourselves with Konk Coolers and fresh fruit instead!
After several hours on the island, we headed back to the ship. The adult pool was deserted, so we got to enjoy that for a while.... we also did the rainforest room at the last minute. For $15 its a nice treat, and a little while in there is very relaxing and refreshing. We then had to go back out to the great sun and took a nap, tanning on Deck 10. Before we knew it, the ship horn sounded for the all aboard. it was time to get ready again for dinner and the show. Disney Dreams was great like always, and the girl who sang Circle of Life was the BEST ever.. she really had an amazing voice. Our dinner mates, never came back. Our servers said then never ate again after the first night. I hate knowing people stiff their servers... It's sad to know people are that cheap! Those servers work so hard, and the suggested amount for a 3 day ends up being about $25 per person for your serving team!
70s night was DEAD at first. THe deadest we had seen. THey didn't even have enough people to do John Travolta... But true to form, the wedding guests came, and we danced the night way. They actually had to kick us all out.
all in all, it was a great cruise. Disembarking was a breeze... jsut walked right off.
Well, now it's time to pack for my 7 day! We are hoping to get back on the Wonder in Late Jan/Early Feb, since a friend of ours will be in the shows!!
Hope all the future cruisers enjoy!
