1/9 First Wonder Cruise-trip Report /observations

[alexandrew]

This was our first Wonder cruise for me , DW, and DS's 6yrs and 19 mos., having sailed on the 7 day Magic each of the past 3 years...

A word about embarkation...on our last 3 sailings, it was a personal challenge of mine to be among the first to embark...Unfortunately, this meant waiting on line for 90 minutes for the priviledge...This time we got a late start b/c we had to bring DS to Dr. for check up, as he woke up out of sorts...we arrived at the port at 1:45, and although I had to park in far lot, check in was a breeze, and we boarded immediately. We then went directly to Flounders and then to Wavebands, where we got our first choices for reservations....Ship was not crowded though, as a CM told me passenger count was about 2100 or so. Bottom line,less stress, less boredom to arrive a bit later...

**Liked the atrium ceiling sculpture better on Wonder. More vibrant colors...
**Although Wonder is a full year younger than the Magic, it does not appear to be any less worn than the Magic. This is a testament to the maintenance of these ships
**Overall, I like the color scheme, and decor of the Magic better. I like the darker woods, and art deco theme better. Also, the Magic seems to have more comfortable seating in the common areas

**The food was very good. Had APT rotation. We enjoyed AP more than we have in the past (always my least favorite restaurant, foodwise)..we did Palo 2nd night, had Mic from Italy as our server...Outstanding!!!!No other words necessary...We missed Tritons last night (I'll explain below)...Since we only had one meal with our server team, all I remember is server Putra form Bali, Indonesia, who was great, and always smiling ....his asst name I don't remember...our head waiter was Daniele from Italy, whom we had as our head waiter on our first Magic cruise in '00-

**Went to Atlantis on our own...took a taxi each way, $4.00 pp...paid $25.00 for bracelet allowing us to explore the grounds.Had a great time!!

**saw John Farentino's show 2nd night. Just OK...That special combination of magic AND comedy, a DCL forte, is just not my favorite...

**There were handwashing signs everywhere!! Also, deck 9 bev station was roped off and manned the first day, but was abandoned , and left to the passengers thereafter.All buffets were manned at all times by CM's though...

**The weather in both ports was magnificent, 70's and sunny.At Castaway Cay, I got to meet Mark Baratelli, who was escorting Minnie Mouse. He's a really nice guy, and seemed genuinely excited when I told him I like his website, and that I found out about it from the DIS.

**Last night, dropped DS, 19 months, at Flounders, for a 6-11 "swing"...Went to 6:30 Disney Dreams show, as we had the late dinner seating...at exactly 7:30, received a page from Flounders to pick up DS as, in their words "he's been crying off and on". This was very disappointing to us...as we wanted to enjoy our last night.We feel they could have made a little more effort to soothe him.From the first night, we felt the staff at Flounders on Wonder did not have the energy or enthusiasm as the staff we know and love on Magic (especially you Michelle from Trinidad xoxo)...Anyway, we had a room service party in our stateroom, and packed early(manicotti is great BTW)

All in all, we had a "wonder"ful 3 day cruise, and are looking forward to doing another one perhaps next January!!!

 

[GAKoch]

Alexandrew -
Thanks for the report, it's getting me excited about our 4 day Mar 2. We are thinking about doing the Atlantis on our own also. How long did you stay there and did you eat there? Did your boys like it? We have dd 7 and ds 5 (he loves fish and aquariums!). Did you have to negotiate the cab fare?

Did your ds6 like the club - ours'll be in the same age group - anything in particular they shouldn't miss?

Thanks !!!!
Georgianne

 

[alexandrew]

Thank you for being the only person to reply to my report so far!!!!

We stayed at Atlantis for about 4 hours. My older DS, 6 yrs old, opted to stay back at the ship in Oceaneers. We took DS along, 19 mos.We did not eat there, as we heard the restaurants were pricey...instead, we ate a late breakfast buffet at 11 just prior to leaving the ship.The cab fare is $4.00 pp...you might be able to negotiate a lower fare for your kids though...We loved Atlantis - very unique and a great place to just walk through and admire - Your kids will love it...Theres alot of walking though.I do not recommend taking a guided tour as it seems you are rushed through...we were behind some of the tours while exploring The Dig.

Oceaneers Club is a highlight of the entire cruise for DS. He loves the games on the computers, the experiments, and the big boy feeling he gets from being there!!! Its actually hard to get him to leave once there...

 

[elemusing]

Could you please post Mark's website address? Thanks,
Angie

 

[mickeymom629]

Were you able to swim with the weather being 70's? We are hoping to do the banana boat at CC, but I'm wondering how cold the water will be.

What movies were playing?

We are leaving in a few days for our first cruise. My kids are older than yours (8, 11,13 & 15)--did you see many older kids?

Any other thoughts would be appreciated.

 

[ZerasPride]

I read your report and thought it was great! Thanks so much for sharing. I have a few questions if you don't mind as we just booked the Wonder 4 day for the November 16 sailing. I am so excited! Anyway, on with my questions:

(1) You said you arrived a little later than the crowds for embarkation. Were you concerned that you wouldn't get your choices for Palo's or the spa treatments? For a first timer, would you recommend arriving early to the port? We have not decided if we will use Disney transportation from the Hyatt or a towncar service and I am trying to get a strategy in mind.

(2) What type of stateroom did you stay in? On the shorter cruises do you think we'd "miss" a verandah?

(3) Would you recommend doing Atlantis on your own versus doing the Disney excursion?

(4) Did you use Disney transportation, rent a car or use a towncar service from the airport to the port?

(5) Would we feel out of place dressing up for Palo's? I am trying to convince my hubby to rent a tux and I plan on purchasing a formal gown (nothing too expensive or extravagant). It's our tenth anniversary and I want it to be very special but I don't want us looking like dorks being so dressed up while others are casual on our 4 day.

That's all I can think of for now but I'm sure I'll have more questions. Thanks in advance!

 

[alexandrew]

1.I was very concerned that I wouldn't get my reservations. However, we were lucky in that the ship was maybe 75% to capacity, and reservations were not a problem. My advice, since you are a first time cruiser, get to the port as early as you possibly can.

2. we have never stayed in a verandah stateroom, so I do not have a frame of reference. This is a very personal decision, and depends on your budget. Our preference is an outside stateroom on deck 2 (cat 9)...for our budget, with the FL resident discount we get, we are able to cruise twice a year, and have extra $ to spend in the shops, as we collect DCL memorabilia.

3.I definitely recommend Atlantis on your own. I was not impressed by the guided tours that were around us at the Dig. They seemed rushed. In addition, you could actually listen in to what the tour guides were saying anyway. To me, it just wasnt worth it.Take a taxi (vs water taxi) and purchase wristband in the casino for $25.00pp, allowing you to explore the grounds, including "the Dig". One note that I did not mention in my report:the Dig is very "stroller unfriendly". Lots of stairs.

4. We live in Boca Raton, in South Florida, 175 miles from the port. We drive to the port and park there

5 Congratulations!!!DW and I just celebrated our 10th anniversary last October on the Magic....No, you would DEFINITELY NOT be overdressed in Palo in formal attire. All the men at Palo were in at least jackets and suits, with women wearing both cocktail dresses and pantsuits.

You are going to have a great time!!!!!

 

[alexandrew]

www.markbaratelli.com.....