Very Merrytime Cruise from Galveston -food allergy princess's Wonderful holidays

[MomoMama]

Hello, this is my 3rd Trip report here at DIS. I realize there are many TR for Wonder out there, but every trip is different and I hope mine will provide useful info to someone. I am usually at DIS when I have free time, or need to ask something. I am not a veteran who can answer everyone's questions, but I thought TR is one way I can contribute to this board. Plus, I like keeping record of our Disney fun as a report. And I will try to post the Navigators from this cruise.

Our cruise was 12/18-12/24 6-night on Wonder out of Galveston. Yes, it was a Holiday cruise and I am sure everyone left the holidays behind by now...but I just finally had time to go through the photos. Maybe those lucky people who have next Wonder Holiday cruise planned can get an idea from this report. We are not ones of those lucky people, but we sure had great time this cruise!

We are a small family of 3. I am the trip planner of the house and do most of our travel plans, not just Disney. While Disney trips take more planning, I do not mind because I love Disney. DH…not so much. While he does not deny the fun and great service Disney provides, it is not his first choice when it comes to vacation. DD and I go to Disney vacation because we love Disney, and DH goes because he loves us.

The star of this TR, DD (5). She loves Disney and all the princesses. She has multiple food allergies (mainly wheat/gluten, eggs, and peanuts), DH and I do not. I will include what she had eaten on the ship, as I know such info is helpful to the parents with food-allergy kids. I do need to mention that even though her allergy requires us to carry epi-pen, she does have some tolerances. She can have few bites of white bread before she would start to have reactions. Also she does not react to peanuts just by touching them. So while her allergy limits her food options, she can still enjoy eating out and travels.

Before the cruise I sent an email to DCL, asking to note her food allergies on our reservation. Also I requested for First dining seating and to be seated by ourselves.

 

[MomoMama]

Day 1


We live about 2hours drive away from Galveston, so we drove the morning of the departure. For our past 2 cruises out of Galveston (2013 Disney Magic and 2015 spring on Carnival), we reserved the indoor garage parking right across from the terminal. That parking was very convenient, but this time they were not taking reservations for 6-night Wonder. So I checked around our options, and chose to stay at the San Luis Resort and took advantage of their free cruise parking. We did not stay there pre-cruise, but rather after the cruise. Our cruise was only 6 nights and we were coming back on 24th Christmas Eve, so I just thought it would be nice to extend the vacation one more day. Besides, the rate at the hotel was good and we ended up paying only about $20 more than the parking at the cruise terminal. Before making the reservation, I did call the hotel and made sure we could park the car for post-cruise stay, not a pre-cruise stay.

So we got to the beautiful San Luis resort, and I was impressed with the holiday decor. I will write a little more about it later. I pre-checked in and got the parking validation to leave it in the car. Then we went to the shuttle pick-up area, which is at the back of the hotel. As we got there, the shuttle came in for the pickup. What a good timing, no wait! But the driver told us we had to sign up for the ride. What? Sing-up? Where? The front desk did not mention that. The driver was a bit grumpy, and seemed very irritated that we did not know about the sign-up. But after everyone else got on the shuttle, he let us ride as there was enough room for us. And a nice passenger helped us load our luggage to the shuttle too.

After a short ride, we got to the port. The porters were there waiting, so we just let them handle the luggage and went to check-in. I think our PAT was 11:30, and we got there early. After check-in, I took DD to the kids club registration desk. The terminal was not too crowded yet, and the wait at the kids registration was not too long. Since I pre-registered DD online, they had the info needed. We got her band and the whole thing took about 20 min. Captain Mickey was there posing for photos at the terminal, but DD was not interested. So we just found seats and waited. I read the first day Navigator while waiting, and the waiting did not feel too long. I think we were at the terminal for about 1 hour.

 

[MomoMama]

Once we stepped into the ship, we could see the tree and the gingerbread house. It felt so good to be on the ship! We had Wonder holiday cruise booked 2 years ago, but had to cancel when DD got a fever 1 day before the departure. It was such a sad and depressing experience. But not this time! We were finally on Wonder!

The first thing we did was to go to WaveBands to get the event tickets. The line was not long, but it moved very slowly. As we waited, we noticed the line just kept getting longer. Finally it was our turn, and I requested for all 3 events (Disney Jr. character breakfast, Frozen M&G, and Princess Gathering). Also I could get the gingerbread house making ticket here by asking, though the Navigator said to visit the guest service for that. I think it took about 40 to 50 min to get the ticket, but when everything was done it was not 1 pm yet.

 

[MomoMama]

We went to Parrot Cay for lunch. I asked a host that I needed to talk to someone about DD's food allergies. But no one came to our table...so I asked the waiter again. He called someone, very nice lady but I just cannot remember her name, who seemed to work as a headwaiter sometimes, and as a waitress sometimes. She called the chef for me, who showed me what I could have for DD from the buffet. He said he could cook chicken for her, and I asked to add rice too. I took some cheese slices and tomatoes from the buffet. If she would eat, I could have taken some salad and shrimp too, but DD does not like those. For dessert, DD got Jell-O with marshmallows on top. She often does not get to eat a dessert at the restaurants, so that put her in a good mood.

After lunch we checked our cabin, and it was ready and clean. Our Silver Castaway Club tote bag was there waiting. I ended up using this bag during the cruise rather than the purse I brought, because it was roomy and could hold camera and other stuff all in one.

We still had time before the drill, so walked around a little. Everything was similar to Magic we sailed 2 and half years ago, so we felt right at home.

 

[MomoMama]

We had a little trouble finding the assigned spot for the mandatory drill. It was supposed to be at the deck just outside of Animator's Plate according to the map, but people were keep pointing us to go inside. Then we realized it was being held IN Animator's Plate. It was good that we could sit at the table, rather than standing in the cold and wind outside on a deck. And DD and I fell asleep a little…DH later told me the man sitting across from us noticed that and was laughing. Well I don’t know what DD’s excuse was, but I did not sleep the night before and hardly slept days before our vacation.

We went up to deck 9, Goofy’s Gallery was open and we got some fruits. DD wanted an apple. If I remember correctly, DD ate an apple as her first snack on Magic 2013 too...a little Deja vu.

When we went to the Adventures Away party, the deck was already full. We went up to deck 10 for the better view. I did not see anyone giving away those string toys for kids, so DD did not get one and she was sad. I was happy to see Mickey and the gang, and finally starting our vacation. But this little girl was not excited about the party just because she could not get that toy!!

So later that day I left a magic ring toy I brought from home on the bed, and let DD find it. I told DD that it must be a gift from Minnie… I did “TinkerBell’s gifts” on our previous Disney trips, though at that time I did not know it was called Tinker Bell’s gifts and told DD they were from Minnie. I was going to do it again this cruise, but I asked DH to pack those gifts I prepared in the luggage, and he forgot to pack them… I only had the magic ring packed separately, so that was it. It was a blue ring that lights up, so I called it Elsa’s icy magic ring. DD did not miss Minnie’s gifts though…since everyday she got something whether it was chocolate chase treats, pirates’ bandana, or snowflake necklace from DCL.

 

[MomoMama]

Soon it was time for dinner, and our first dinner was at Animator’s Plate. We were assigned APPTAP. I like the more formal feel of Triton’s, and don’t know why we got only 1 night there out of 6 nights, but DCL must have their reasons… I cannot complain, after all, they granted our requests for First Dining seat and our own table.

So there we met our waiter, Kadek from Indonesia. He was great! Very friendly, and always made sure everything was fine for us. And thanks to him, DH ate more food than he normally would. Kadek took great care of allergy-free menu for DD too. On the Carnival Cruise we took earlier on 2015, they messed up DD’s order one day and she got really sick. I am not sure if the error on Carnival was done by the waiter or the kitchen. Either way, they do not have a good system and it seemed it was our waiter’s 1st time to deal with food allergies. But not on Disney…they know how to work with food allergy, and that is one of the reasons we love to travel Disney!

We enjoyed the show and appearance by sorcerer Mickey at Animator’s. They provided kids with paper glasses too, though I am not sure if those are supposed to be 3D. I do not have photos to remember our food choices... I don’t take many food photos as I feel a little awkward taking them at a restaurant, and also because I just want to eat right away. But I do have some photos of DD’s food choices, because I sometimes take a snap as she eats.

For the first day dinner for DD, we picked steak from everyday dinner menu. After that we were shown the dinner menu 1 day ahead, so we could pre-order for her. Her desert was Mickey bar ice cream. DD was able to eat it 2 years ago, but I asked Kadek to check the ingredients just in case the supplier or ingredients have changed. He brought the ice cream in the package so I could check the ingredients myself. We were happy that DD could eat it, and she actually finished it all!

I ordered a cup of cappuccino that night. On the desert menu there was a picture of the cappuccino with Mickey’s face on it. I asked if it really comes out like that, and our assistant waiter said he would try. Well he tried…It was not perfect, but I understand it is not easy. This is supposed to be a side view of Mickey’s face.

 

[cruisehopeful]

I ordered a cup of cappuccino that night. On the desert menu there was a picture of the cappuccino with Mickey’s face on it. I asked if it really comes out like that, and our assistant waiter said he would try. Well he tried…It was not perfect, but I understand it is not easy. This is supposed to be a side view of Mickey’s face.

That's actually incredibly cute!

 

[MomoMama]

That's actually incredibly cute!

Yeah, it was cute. When I saw it on the menu, I just had to have it.
But I ordered that once only during the cruise. Normally after dinner, all I wanted was just a black coffee to go with the sweet desserts

 

[dglilbit]

I'm enjoying your trip report! We sailed the week before you on the Wonder 12/11 to 12/18! The trip report is in my signature.

 

[MomoMama]

I'm enjoying your trip report! We sailed the week before you on the Wonder 12/11 to 12/18! The trip report is in my signature.

Thanks! I am starting to read your report. Your report looks more complete with all the links and videos!
I wish I could have done the earlier 7-nights too, but now that DD is in kindergarten, we must follow the school's schedule. I will keep reading to see what same or different kinds of fun you had!

 

[MomoMama]

The tree lighting ceremony was at 7:30. When we got to the lobby, it was already packed to the 5th deck. This was the most crowded party at the lobby we saw. Not being able to get a good spot for the evening party was one drawback for the early dining seating. But we still liked it better than late dining. The late dining worked for us perfectly when DD was 3 and taking naps, since we did not have to rush for dinner. Now waiting for late dining is a torture, and we HAVE TO dine at the main dining room. DD’s allergy-free meal only can be served at the main dining restaurants.

So without wait, Mickey and Minnie showed up. Goofy Santa and reindeer Pluto as well. Oh, how cute are they!!! I love seeing the characters in those special costumes!

For this party the characters do not stay around after the party. After the tree was lit, we left and went to see the show, All Aboard! We got good seats close to the stage. Cruise Director Clayton did a great job opening the show. It was a great show to begin the cruise, little preview of the magic show and the characters. We all enjoyed it.

After the show I took DD to Oceaneer Club. I took her there earlier during the open house hours, and DD liked it. So she had no problem going back there. When she was 3 she did not fully enjoy the kids club, and she also hated it on the Carnival. Carnival’s kids club is much, much smaller and overcrowded. They had nothing she wanted to do. So I was unsure how she would do this time. Now I know that on DCL, DD would love to spend time there. That night DD participated in Aladdin’s Fun Adventures. She got few plastic jewels and was so happy!

While DD was at the kids club, DH and I had photos taken with Captain Mickey at the lobby. We did not do much, and little after that we picked up DD from the club, and went back to our cabin. We were all ready to go to sleep, so we will not miss the character breakfast next day!

 

[MomoMama]

Day 2

Here are Navigators from the Day 2.

 

[MomoMama]

Day 2

Our cruise was 6 nights, but it had 3 sea days and the character breakfast was offered. We were placed on the 1st sea day. I no longer have the ticket with me and I cannot remember the exact assigned time, but it was earlier than I preferred. We got up and got ready, and got to Animator’s Plate just in time!

We pre-ordered the special pancakes for DD the night before at the dinner. The breakfast menu was not impressive and we just ordered eggs, potatoes, sausage and such. By the time food arrived, DD was acting wired. She was not excited to see the characters, not happy to eat pancakes, and did not want to talk. We just did not understand why she was acting this way, then I realized she was getting seasick. This was DD’s 3rd cruise and she did not get seasick before even when DH and I did not feel well. So I did not think she would get seasick this time…but she did. Poor girl only ate few bites of the pancake, and she tried to smile for the photos with the characters, but did not try to interact with the characters.

Here are the Disney Jr. Characters…and Mickey! This was the only time we saw him in this classic attire. As soon as we saw all of them, we left the breakfast and went back to the cabin.

Back to the cabin and I put sea bands on DD’s wrist, and told her they should make her feel better. Then we took a little rest till our next event, Frozen Meet & Greet!

 

[MomoMama]

I don’t really know if the sea bands worked on DD. They do not work on me. But after a little rest she was acting fine. I am thinking it was more of the excitement of meeting Anna and Elsa, and the fact that she was walking around rather than sitting down, made her feel better. We went back to Animator’s Plate, and they had a Frozen background setup, which I thought was nice. And it was great to see Olaf!

Anna, Elsa, and Olaf all signed DD’s book, Olaf’s Night before Christmas. Anna seemed very happy when DD gave her chocolates. DD showed her magic ring to them, and had a little chat. At the end of our meet, the CM returned the chocolates. Those were “Sleepy” chocolates we got the day before, and DD wanted to give them to Anna. She was puzzled when she got them back, so I told her that they were not the same chocolates…they were NEW ones from Anna, because Anna knew DD loved chocolates too! DD totally bought that.

DH and I joined for a quick photo too. Normally DH would not take photos with faced characters. I have tried to take his photos with princesses before, but all failed. I think Olaf’ presence helped!

 

[dglilbit]

I don’t really know if the sea bands worked on DD. They do not work on me. But after a little rest she was acting fine. I am thinking it was more of the excitement of meeting Anna and Elsa, and the fact that she was walking around rather than sitting down, made her feel better. We went back to Animator’s Plate, and they had a Frozen background setup, which I thought was nice. And it was great to see Olaf!

Anna, Elsa, and Olaf all signed DD’s book, Olaf’s Night before Christmas. Anna seemed very happy when DD gave her chocolates. DD showed her magic ring to them, and had a little chat. At the end of our meet, the CM returned the chocolates. Those were “Sleepy” chocolates we got the day before, and DD wanted to give them to Anna. She was puzzled when she got them back, so I told her that they were not the same chocolates…they were NEW ones from Anna, because Anna knew DD loved chocolates too! DD totally bought that.

DH and I joined for a quick photo too. Normally DH would not take photos with faced characters. I have tried to take his photos with princesses before, but all failed. I think Olaf’ presence helped!

Nice job on the quick thinking with the chocolates!!

 

[MomoMama]

Nice job on the quick thinking with the chocolates!!

Thanks! But I don't know how long more I can keep this up!

 

[MomoMama]

We went back to our cabin to quickly change DD’ outfit. DD was going to wear the Elsa dress again for the Frozen deck party, so I did not want her to mess it up at lunch. On the way to lunch we walked through Promenade Lounge. They were doing Animal Mask craft, so we joined. We each got our own mask, cat for DD, dog for DH, and lion for me, and some glue stickers. DH wasted the glue stickers and we ran out…It was a very simple craft and not Disney-related, but DD enjoyed it.

We ate lunch at Triton’s, since that is the only place to serve the pre-ordered lunch. As soon as DD sat down, she remembered about being seasick… I tried to take her mind away by playing with her using the masks we just made. Our waiter was friendly and joked with her, and the head waiter did the “squeaky” magic trick and that helped DD forget about seasick too. The lunch we had ordered was her favorite, GF pasta, so it was easier for her to eat. They served ice cream with berries for her dessert, and she was able to eat all!

After lunch since DD seemed fine, we let her go to the kids club, where she spent the entire afternoon. DH and I were not feeling great, so took Dramamine and took some rest. The sea was rough, and we definitely felt that.

 

[MomoMama]

That night was Optional Dress-up night. The CD Clayton called it “formal” night, but it really was not formal. Some people dressed up nicely, but I saw no evening gowns or tuxedos. Some were wearing T-shirt and shorts. BTW, I received an email from DCL a month or so before the cruise, saying there is no formal or semi-formal night on our cruise. That maybe why many did not have any dress-up attire. I like dressing up and thought 6-nights cruise would be more like 7-nights, so was disappointed to get that email. But I double-checked with DCL via email to verify if there really is no formal or semi-formal nights on our cruise, and got a generic answer back ----“The dining attire for most meals is 'Cruise Casual'. However, based on your cruise itinerary, you may also have a 'Formal Night', 'Semi-Formal Night', 'Dress-up Night' or 'Pirate Night with Deck Party'.”

So I packed a dress just in case. DH did not bother to bring a jacket this time, but did pack a collared shirt and a tie. DD wore a Rapunzel princess dress, because a princess dress is perfectly formal.

So we dressed up and went to Parrot Cay for dinner. There, our waiter Kadek brought GF bread and its package for me to check. It was Ener-G brand dinner roll, and they are not only gluten free, but also egg free! I always buy their sandwich bread at a grocery store, but their dinner rolls are not sold there. DD was so happy to have the dinner rolls...the only other time she was able to eat bread at a restaurant was at WDW.

It was Freezing the Night Away dinner menu that night, and we pre-ordered salmon for DD. Normally she would eat fish. But after sitting down, she was remembering being seasick again...and not having a good appetite. She just wanted to eat the bread and we let her. We do not like to waste food and also felt bad for not eating the specially prepared food, so we decided to just order pasta after that night.

 

[MomoMama]

I took DD back to the cabin to take rest again, leaving DH at the table. I asked him to just bring a dessert for me. Lying on the bed and watching Disney movie/cartoon made DD feel better quickly. When DD seemed fine, we all went to the Lobby. DD or DH were not really interested in the Captain’s reception, so we went to see Mickey dressed in tux. I was kind of hoping to see him in that golden tux since it was the Golden Mickeys show night. But no, it was just a regular tux.

After the photo we went to see the show, Golden Mickey. We were able to get good seats again, as we got there early. DD had never seen any award shows and I was not sure how she would like it, but she LOVED it. In fact, she loved all shows she saw on the ship. When I asked her what she liked the most about the cruise, she said the shows!

I was kind of wanting to check out the after party, but DD did not want to go inside the Studio Sea. So we just went back to our cabin for DD to get changed to Elsa dress again for Freezing the Night Away party!

 

[MomoMama]

We received 3 snowflake necklaces in the cabin, but DD broke one. So DH did not wear it…he would not wear it anyway. DH tricked DD to believe that the necklace turned on/off with magic. It was great to see her face light up as the necklace lighted up. Later on during the cruise she figured out how to turn on the necklace light, but it was cute while it lasted. Went up to the deck 9 with plenty of time before the party. It was very windy, but luckily not cold. We took DD to the kids area in front of the stage, and she just loved being there in the wind.

I gave up trying to take pic because I was just not in a good spot to take photos, and just thought I should have fun myself too. It was nice to see Kristoff there. And Elsa’s snow magic felt magical. I thought the party was fun and well done. The deck 10 may be better for the view, but I liked being on the deck 9 to have fun.

After the party we walked around the ship to complete the Anna’s Chocolate Chase Scavenger Hunt. For our cruise, this was posted on the first 2 days of the Navigators. DD did not understand the riddles, but sure wanted to get the prizes. So basically I took her where the answers are located, and let her search. There were times she could not find and I had to help her. Also I completely got one riddle wrong and we were at the wrong location. I asked a CM and he pointed me to the right location. DH says I cheated…but I disagree! We still had to find the answer there on our own! After we got all the answers, it was time for us to go to sleep.