Wonder - January 21, 2011 The Cruise To Nowhere In Particular..

[Tamarap]

This quite possibly could be the longest 6 months of my life!

Oh, and I too have a moody teenager (DS 16)!

 

[katieandmattsmom]

I also have a moody 16 yr old female. She is a cheerleader so we get all the facials and attitude with the swings...... Maybe they all can have their own cruise meet in January

 

[closetmickey]

Was just playing around on DCL website. It appears that presently the inventory is down to just one Cat. 3. Can't believe how fast it sold. Well actually, thinking about the opportunity it offers for all us West Coasters, I guess I can believe it!

 

[katieandmattsmom]

Disney is probally thinking they could of charged more!

 

[Cupcaker]

i hope they decide to do 3 and 4 day cruises once in a while, im sure those will get booked up quick too

 

[lvstitch]

i hope they decide to do 3 and 4 day cruises once in a while, im sure those will get booked up quick too

I was hoping that's what they did the with the Wonder but doesn't look like it at least for the next 2 years.

 

[mickeyfan1]

i hope they decide to do 3 and 4 day cruises once in a while, im sure those will get booked up quick too

I imagine that after the initial cruises in 2011, DCL will look at passenger nimber and decide it they will do that. It would be easy to sell out the 3 night weekend cruises to locals, for sure.

I remember when DCL did the first Panama Canal crossings, they were really inexpensive. When they did it agan 2 years later, hoo boy, what a difference in price.

 

[debdreamsofdis]

Is it a good thing or a bad thing that this cruise has basically sold out? Does that happen often or is it unusual? I'm a cruise newbie and just wondering what to expect. Will it be impossible to book a spa service with so little time on the ship and so many people. Will it be hard to find a place to sit by a pool (if it's not too cold)? Will all the shows and entertainment be too crowded to find seats?

I'm assuming we'll need to plan to be at the dock early to board. But are there other tips or hints should I know for this cruise (or cruising in general)?

 

[sharen24]

Is it a good thing or a bad thing that this cruise has basically sold out? Does that happen often or is it unusual? I'm a cruise newbie and just wondering what to expect. Will it be impossible to book a spa service with so little time on the ship and so many people. Will it be hard to find a place to sit by a pool (if it's not too cold)? Will all the shows and entertainment be too crowded to find seats?

I'm assuming we'll need to plan to be at the dock early to board. But are there other tips or hints should I know for this cruise (or cruising in general)?

Most DCL cruises sail full, so crowds should not be a problem. If many castaway club gold and platinums are onboard, it could make booking Palo and spa appointments a little challenging.

 

[mickeyfan1]

Is it a good thing or a bad thing that this cruise has basically sold out? Does that happen often or is it unusual? I'm a cruise newbie and just wondering what to expect. Will it be impossible to book a spa service with so little time on the ship and so many people. Will it be hard to find a place to sit by a pool (if it's not too cold)? Will all the shows and entertainment be too crowded to find seats?

I'm assuming we'll need to plan to be at the dock early to board. But are there other tips or hints should I know for this cruise (or cruising in general)?

Most DCL cruises sell out, some faster than other. This one sold out fast, but not as fast as the first Panama Canal Crossing.

You can book spa services on line 75 days in advance, however, with such a limited amount of time on the ship, the online reservations may be gone before 75 days out. If you really want to experience the spa and there are no spots, never fear, you can go to the spa as soon as you board, there are usually spaces available.

If it osn't too cold, which honestly, I believe it is going to be dang chilly, the pools can get very crowded. You may have to get a lounge on deck 10, or there may be space. There really is no way to predict.

As far as getting to the cruise terminal early, they probably won't let anyone in before 10:30, maybe not until 11am. However, the earlier you are to get into the terminal, the lower your boarding number is. They won't start boarding much before noon, and it could be later, LA does things differently than Port Canaveral, if memory serves.

As far as the shows, no, they will not be over crowded, the early show is for the people who are dining late and the late show is for those dining early, so 1/2 of the total passengers can be at the show at the same time. This is how it is all the time. Not everyone goes to the shows, either. If you want to sit close, you may want to arrive about 20 to 30 minutes ahead of the start of the show. But there are no bad seats in the theater.

My best advice is don't try to do it all. There isn't enough time on any cruise to go to every activity, every show, every tasting, etc. When you get to your room, there will be a Navigator that will list everything going on that night. It has a nice layout, by times. It kind of looks like a TV Guide grid, While you are at dinner, you will get a new one with all the info for the next day. And on the second night you will get one with the info for disembarking.

Personally, I don't see this cruise as one that will let you know what cruising is really like, except that it is all at sea, which I LOVE. You won't get the idea of port stops and the stuff to do will be so much less. But it will be a LOT of fun and the Wonder is a great ship. The food is good, the service is great, the rooms are clean and comfortable. I think you will enjoy it.

 

[captaincrash]

My spouse and I generally board after noon or 2pm ... we prefer to avoid the crowds and we rarely have any lines!

 

[debdreamsofdis]

Thanks for the info sharen, mickeyfan and captaincrash!

 

[A Litle Pixie Dust]

Just stopping by to say hello!

Happy 4th of July!

 

[mickeyfan1]

OMP, my screen shows 100 pages, already!

Well, I got a must have for the cruise today, my husband got me a Nook for our wedding anniversary. It was a bit frustrating to set up, but I think I got it. Tomorrow will be the true test, actually reading one of the books that I down loaded. So far, I am only downloading freebies, because I am not 100% sure about it. I wasn't 100% sure about my Blackberry, but I am getting used to it. After 3 months.

Old people and technology, not always a good fit!

 

[Zoom]

Wow! 100 pages already . Happy 4th everyone!!!

 

[dsnydaddy]

Happy 4th of July everyone! We're spending ours in Oregon. It's very peaceful here and Cool! Which is nice after the 100+ temps that we've been seeing in the valley last week.

 

[katieandmattsmom]

We are in a conceirge suite. If we decide to book any extras do we get to book before the 75 days?

 

[dsnydaddy]

We are in a conceirge suite. If we decide to book any extras do we get to book before the 75 days?

Yes, I believe that concierge gets a 105 day booking window. For this cruise, I'm not sure that will mean much. If there's a Palo Brunch and/or Dinner then you'll be able to snag that. But there will be no excursions. Spa ressies will be avail. But there's usually no prob with booking those anyway.

 

[A Litle Pixie Dust]

Hi everyone!

Hope you are all enjoying your weekend..we are off to the movies and then home for a BBQ and fireworks.

We attended a DVC event last night for the new resort in Hawaii. It was a lot of fun and the resort looks beautiful. We can't add on any more points but it was fun to see.

 

[Mommy2cody]

Just stopped by the wish everyone a happy and safe 4th of July!! I still can't believe it is July already! Oh well, another month closer to our cruise right?!?!

Anyone doing anything fun today? We are just hanging out at home, and going to watch fireworks tonight!!