My family (wife and DDs 3 and 7) took our 2nd Disney cruise on the Wonder on Mothers Day (interestingly, our first DCL cruise was a Mothers Day sailing as well.) I enjoy reading trip reports, so I thought Id reciprocate. Background we live on Floridas west coast, love Disney, but I could never justify DCLs regular rates. We wait for Florida discounts and got a whopper deal this time, with all 4 of us sailing for $1600 (Cat 9) on the 4-nighter. We booked 2 weeks before the cruise, so this was a nice last-minute family surprise for my wife and kids.
Arrival:
We had a late start, intending to arrive at 11:00 a.m. but didnt get there until 12:00. Traffic on I-4 North, 417 North, and 528 East was brisk but not jam-packed. As is always the case on highways around Orlando, the tolls were annoying. We do not live in the area, so we dont have the Sunpass transponder. For about a 45 mile stretch its nothing but toll-booths every few miles. The total cost was about $5.00.
Its fun to crest that last big bridge before the port and see the ships lined up on the horizon the girls got a real charge out of that. On arrival, we were the 4th or 5th car in line to run the gamut of reps who check your docs and guide you to the luggage drop-off area. The porters were quick and professional. Because of the Magic being in the Mediterranean, we were able to use the closest lot right next to the ship, literally about 50 yards from the entrance to the terminal. The only problem was that processing of parking receipts was glacially slow, and it probably took at least 15 minutes for me to move 10 car lengths to pay the $48 parking fee (must be paid in advance no AMEX accepted) and park the van.
Upon entering the building, we went through the metal detectors, which in and of itself was interesting, since neither my wife and I set off the alarm, but my DDs did neither one of them had any metal anywhere on their bodies, and the security officer never did figure out why they both triggered the beep. Eventually they cleared us and since we had a stroller we used the convenient elevator instead of the escalator to move up into the main terminal area. This area is very well-designed a bright, spacious building with plenty of room to spread out. There is an area to the right with television screens with Disney programming to keep your children entertained, a very interesting model of the Disney ships with one side cut-out to give you a 3-D view into the ship itself, etc.
Apparently, arriving at exactly noon is a good time, because there were only a few people in the regular line, and no line at all for the Castaway Club members. I made the obligatory inquiry about a possible upgrade, but we were told that all cabins were sold out because the Magics absence from the area made the Wonder sailings more desirable. We had been assigned cabin 2652, which I knew was going to be interesting, since it is literally the ocean-view cabin closest to the stern of the ship on the starboard side. I figured there would be engine noise, etc., at some point (more on that later), but were not particularly light sleepers, and considering the bargain we got, we werent complaining.
After getting checked in and receiving our Castaway Club freebies (lanyard and pins for the 4 of us, etc.), we moved over to the kids-club desk, which allows you to register your children for kids club and get your beeper, etc., prior to boarding the ship. Very convenient, especially if you have to wait to board.
Boarding:
The entire process arrival to boarding, including the kids club check-in, took no more than 35 minutes. We had to show our docs, of course, and were announced onboard, with the crew members applauding as you walk into the main concourse on Deck 3. I found it to be on the cheesy side, even for Disney, but my kids loved it, and everyone knows they are the real VIPs on these cruises.
We were escorted on board by a helpful steward who advised that staterooms would be ready to occupy at about 1:30 p.m. and in the meantime they were serving lunch in Parrot Cay and Beach Blanket Buffet, but upon arriving at Parrot Cay we were told that they were still preparing the restaurant, so we had to opt for the latter.
The lunch buffet was very good, with an assortment of pre-made sandwiches, all sorts of vegetables, a make-it-yourself sandwich board, salad bar, meat cutting station, and of course, desserts. We stuffed ourselves and opted for the drink-of-the-day, several of which were being circulated on a tray by the waitstaff. Every day features a drink of the day, which is offered at a significant discount price for the entire day/evening (They were $3.95 each on this cruise.) Its usually something syrupy sweet and tropical, like a Bahama Mama, Stinger, etc. I normally dont drink those kinds of things I prefer martinis and whiskey/rocks, etc., but on a Caribbean cruise, they seem to fit the atmosphere and they go down quite smoothly.
Stateroom:
After lunch, we made our way to our stateroom. In one sense, I sort of liked being way aft, its like we had a corner of the ship all to ourselves. Our room host, Steven (from India, I believe), was quiet and unassuming, by far the most reserved of any of the staff we encountered on the cruise. He was also an excellent room host, expert with the towel animals and generous with the pillow mints. We never wanted for anything, and our room was always immaculate after morning cleanup and evening turndowns.
Upon entereing our room, we saw some more Castaway Club freebies on the bed a tote bag, a couple of mesh beach bags, sippy cups, flags, a magnet, yada yada. Nice gesture, yawn. Hey, it was free, and it got another smile out of the kids, so Im not complaining. The room itself was nice I wont go into details about configuration and so forth, because that kind of thing is available on all of the sites, etc.. But I would note a few things I didnt expect. The fold-down bed for the 4th person cannot be opened at will the room host has to do it. Since our DDs were going to be taking naps, etc., we just told Steven to leave it down for the cruise duration, which was fine. We still had plenty of room. The big porthole almost (but not quite) makes up for the lack of a verandah. It really gives you a large view and a lot of light. Another small tip --- all of the Cat 9 oceanviews have this large porthole, EXCEPT the ones on Deck 1, which have two significantly smaller portholes. If you have the option, and if the oceanview is important to you, I would strongly suggest staying out of a Deck 1 room.
Emergency Drill:
At 4:00 p.m. we donned our lifevests (provided in the room) and headed up to Animators Palate which was our emergency muster station. This was a relatively painless process, taking only about 10 minutes, and it always allows for some great photo opportunities with everyone wearing those big orange vests around their necks.
Sail-Away Party:
After freshening up, we went on Deck to the Sailaway party. Once again, Dad was a bit mystified by all this. I guess Im just not the planned party type, but the whole thing was so contrived and plastic (again, even for Disney) that I couldnt quite get into the mood. I was in the minority, though, as most everyone around me seemed to be having a great time. The party takes place on Deck 9 (and you can overlook the festivities on Deck 10) outdoors by the Goofy Pool, which they place a cover on which serves as a dance floor. The kids/entertainment staffs are introduced, and then theres a lot of high-energy dancing, etc., finally culminating in the arrival of the Big Cheese himself, Mickey. The only people not completely grooving to all of this were me and my DD3, who was a bit cranky from not having napped, and also I dont think the set-up is really conducive to toddlers. With everyone standing and looking up at the stage, little children really cant see anything except the rear ends of the people in front of them unless theyre hoisted up on someones shoulders, which I did with our DD3, who immediately started enjoying herself a bit more.
The party concludes with the first blowing of the ships signature Wish Upon a Star horn, and not long after we were underway.
We went back down to our stateroom to change for the early dinner seating, and as we walked toward the stern of the ship toward our room you could feel the cavitation being produced by the propellors moving the ship away from dockside, and starting at about the 10th stateroom from our own, the vibration became increasingly loud and disruptive. In our room, everything was humming and vibrating, and I mean LOUD, and we knew that we would have to deal with this 5 more times (arriving/leaving Nassau, arriving/leaving Castaway Cay, and arriving Port Canaveral). It takes a good 20/30 minutes for the Captain to get the ship into position to engage into pure forward motion, after which things quieted down and engine/propeller noise was really no issue at all, but when youre choosing your cabin on a future cruise, I would definitely keep this in mind.
Dinner:
We arrived for dinner at Tritons (Our rotation was TAAP) at 5:30 and were seated without waiting at our table 72 we had a table to ourselves. Our servers were Adam from Portugal and Javor from Bulgaria, and they were FANTASTIC. I cannot say enough about those two. Attentive, humorous, and knowledgeable about the menu, and they constantly did everything they could to make our dining experience enjoyable. At one point, Adam asked my wife about how she was enjoying dinner, and she said it was very good. He asked what he could do to make it excellent, and she jokingly suggested he do a song and dance, which, of course, he promptly did.
I cant say as much for the food, however. Im not going to go into the specific menu items, since you can get all that stuff on line elsewhere, but I will make a few comments on things that stood out. For the record, I had the duck, which was good, if a little sweet for my taste.
As a general observation, I have to say I was not particularly impressed with the sit-down evening meals, not at Tritons, AP, or Parrot Cay. Not that the food was bad, not by any means. it was just that when it arrived, it was never quite as good as it sounded on the menu.
Now, I would say exactly the opposite about breakfast at Beach Blanket Buffet, and the other counter service around the ship, which we thought was excellent. More on that in a future installment.
Also, if you want reviews about the shows on board, might as well stop reading now. We did all the shows on our last cruise, and enjoyed them all, but on this trip we were more about family time (and wife/me couple time). To be honest, committing to an evening schedule of dinner/show every night wasnt what we wanted to do, so we didnt.
Kids Club:
Our DDs are very social, and they were both chomping at the bit to check out the kids clubs, so we got them checked in after dinner and let them make friends for about an hour and a half. Meanwhile, my wife and I went down to Preludes for a cocktail. The bartender there makes a great martinigarnished with not one, not two, but three monstrous olives), and my wife enjoyed her Cosmo. On arrival the place was almost deserted and we thought we were off to ourselves by moving to the other side of the little stage area, but about 10 minutes later a duo from England started playing 60s tunes and out of nowhere came at least a dozen families dancing, singing, and really enjoying themselves to the music. It was fun to watch for awhile, but we actually were in a more sedate mood, so we took our drinks up to Deck 4 and sat on the deckchairs overlooking the Atlantic. Very nice and peaceful.
After picking up our children we returned to the room it had been a long day for the kids and they were tired, so we got them ready for bed and our DD7 really got a kick out of climbing up to her bed high above the rest of us. I found our bed to be very cozy and comfortable. Not too firm, not too soft. The first night of the cruise is always a little bumpy because of crossing the Gulf Stream and because its my understanding that the Captain does not engage the stabilizers that night because he has to make good speed to get down to Nassau by morning, so we got rocked to sleep by moderate waves.
Day 2 installment to come . . . .
Arrival:
We had a late start, intending to arrive at 11:00 a.m. but didnt get there until 12:00. Traffic on I-4 North, 417 North, and 528 East was brisk but not jam-packed. As is always the case on highways around Orlando, the tolls were annoying. We do not live in the area, so we dont have the Sunpass transponder. For about a 45 mile stretch its nothing but toll-booths every few miles. The total cost was about $5.00.
Its fun to crest that last big bridge before the port and see the ships lined up on the horizon the girls got a real charge out of that. On arrival, we were the 4th or 5th car in line to run the gamut of reps who check your docs and guide you to the luggage drop-off area. The porters were quick and professional. Because of the Magic being in the Mediterranean, we were able to use the closest lot right next to the ship, literally about 50 yards from the entrance to the terminal. The only problem was that processing of parking receipts was glacially slow, and it probably took at least 15 minutes for me to move 10 car lengths to pay the $48 parking fee (must be paid in advance no AMEX accepted) and park the van.
Upon entering the building, we went through the metal detectors, which in and of itself was interesting, since neither my wife and I set off the alarm, but my DDs did neither one of them had any metal anywhere on their bodies, and the security officer never did figure out why they both triggered the beep. Eventually they cleared us and since we had a stroller we used the convenient elevator instead of the escalator to move up into the main terminal area. This area is very well-designed a bright, spacious building with plenty of room to spread out. There is an area to the right with television screens with Disney programming to keep your children entertained, a very interesting model of the Disney ships with one side cut-out to give you a 3-D view into the ship itself, etc.
Apparently, arriving at exactly noon is a good time, because there were only a few people in the regular line, and no line at all for the Castaway Club members. I made the obligatory inquiry about a possible upgrade, but we were told that all cabins were sold out because the Magics absence from the area made the Wonder sailings more desirable. We had been assigned cabin 2652, which I knew was going to be interesting, since it is literally the ocean-view cabin closest to the stern of the ship on the starboard side. I figured there would be engine noise, etc., at some point (more on that later), but were not particularly light sleepers, and considering the bargain we got, we werent complaining.
After getting checked in and receiving our Castaway Club freebies (lanyard and pins for the 4 of us, etc.), we moved over to the kids-club desk, which allows you to register your children for kids club and get your beeper, etc., prior to boarding the ship. Very convenient, especially if you have to wait to board.
Boarding:
The entire process arrival to boarding, including the kids club check-in, took no more than 35 minutes. We had to show our docs, of course, and were announced onboard, with the crew members applauding as you walk into the main concourse on Deck 3. I found it to be on the cheesy side, even for Disney, but my kids loved it, and everyone knows they are the real VIPs on these cruises.
We were escorted on board by a helpful steward who advised that staterooms would be ready to occupy at about 1:30 p.m. and in the meantime they were serving lunch in Parrot Cay and Beach Blanket Buffet, but upon arriving at Parrot Cay we were told that they were still preparing the restaurant, so we had to opt for the latter.
The lunch buffet was very good, with an assortment of pre-made sandwiches, all sorts of vegetables, a make-it-yourself sandwich board, salad bar, meat cutting station, and of course, desserts. We stuffed ourselves and opted for the drink-of-the-day, several of which were being circulated on a tray by the waitstaff. Every day features a drink of the day, which is offered at a significant discount price for the entire day/evening (They were $3.95 each on this cruise.) Its usually something syrupy sweet and tropical, like a Bahama Mama, Stinger, etc. I normally dont drink those kinds of things I prefer martinis and whiskey/rocks, etc., but on a Caribbean cruise, they seem to fit the atmosphere and they go down quite smoothly.
Stateroom:
After lunch, we made our way to our stateroom. In one sense, I sort of liked being way aft, its like we had a corner of the ship all to ourselves. Our room host, Steven (from India, I believe), was quiet and unassuming, by far the most reserved of any of the staff we encountered on the cruise. He was also an excellent room host, expert with the towel animals and generous with the pillow mints. We never wanted for anything, and our room was always immaculate after morning cleanup and evening turndowns.
Upon entereing our room, we saw some more Castaway Club freebies on the bed a tote bag, a couple of mesh beach bags, sippy cups, flags, a magnet, yada yada. Nice gesture, yawn. Hey, it was free, and it got another smile out of the kids, so Im not complaining. The room itself was nice I wont go into details about configuration and so forth, because that kind of thing is available on all of the sites, etc.. But I would note a few things I didnt expect. The fold-down bed for the 4th person cannot be opened at will the room host has to do it. Since our DDs were going to be taking naps, etc., we just told Steven to leave it down for the cruise duration, which was fine. We still had plenty of room. The big porthole almost (but not quite) makes up for the lack of a verandah. It really gives you a large view and a lot of light. Another small tip --- all of the Cat 9 oceanviews have this large porthole, EXCEPT the ones on Deck 1, which have two significantly smaller portholes. If you have the option, and if the oceanview is important to you, I would strongly suggest staying out of a Deck 1 room.
Emergency Drill:
At 4:00 p.m. we donned our lifevests (provided in the room) and headed up to Animators Palate which was our emergency muster station. This was a relatively painless process, taking only about 10 minutes, and it always allows for some great photo opportunities with everyone wearing those big orange vests around their necks.
Sail-Away Party:
After freshening up, we went on Deck to the Sailaway party. Once again, Dad was a bit mystified by all this. I guess Im just not the planned party type, but the whole thing was so contrived and plastic (again, even for Disney) that I couldnt quite get into the mood. I was in the minority, though, as most everyone around me seemed to be having a great time. The party takes place on Deck 9 (and you can overlook the festivities on Deck 10) outdoors by the Goofy Pool, which they place a cover on which serves as a dance floor. The kids/entertainment staffs are introduced, and then theres a lot of high-energy dancing, etc., finally culminating in the arrival of the Big Cheese himself, Mickey. The only people not completely grooving to all of this were me and my DD3, who was a bit cranky from not having napped, and also I dont think the set-up is really conducive to toddlers. With everyone standing and looking up at the stage, little children really cant see anything except the rear ends of the people in front of them unless theyre hoisted up on someones shoulders, which I did with our DD3, who immediately started enjoying herself a bit more.
The party concludes with the first blowing of the ships signature Wish Upon a Star horn, and not long after we were underway.
We went back down to our stateroom to change for the early dinner seating, and as we walked toward the stern of the ship toward our room you could feel the cavitation being produced by the propellors moving the ship away from dockside, and starting at about the 10th stateroom from our own, the vibration became increasingly loud and disruptive. In our room, everything was humming and vibrating, and I mean LOUD, and we knew that we would have to deal with this 5 more times (arriving/leaving Nassau, arriving/leaving Castaway Cay, and arriving Port Canaveral). It takes a good 20/30 minutes for the Captain to get the ship into position to engage into pure forward motion, after which things quieted down and engine/propeller noise was really no issue at all, but when youre choosing your cabin on a future cruise, I would definitely keep this in mind.
Dinner:
We arrived for dinner at Tritons (Our rotation was TAAP) at 5:30 and were seated without waiting at our table 72 we had a table to ourselves. Our servers were Adam from Portugal and Javor from Bulgaria, and they were FANTASTIC. I cannot say enough about those two. Attentive, humorous, and knowledgeable about the menu, and they constantly did everything they could to make our dining experience enjoyable. At one point, Adam asked my wife about how she was enjoying dinner, and she said it was very good. He asked what he could do to make it excellent, and she jokingly suggested he do a song and dance, which, of course, he promptly did.
I cant say as much for the food, however. Im not going to go into the specific menu items, since you can get all that stuff on line elsewhere, but I will make a few comments on things that stood out. For the record, I had the duck, which was good, if a little sweet for my taste.
As a general observation, I have to say I was not particularly impressed with the sit-down evening meals, not at Tritons, AP, or Parrot Cay. Not that the food was bad, not by any means. it was just that when it arrived, it was never quite as good as it sounded on the menu.
Now, I would say exactly the opposite about breakfast at Beach Blanket Buffet, and the other counter service around the ship, which we thought was excellent. More on that in a future installment.
Also, if you want reviews about the shows on board, might as well stop reading now. We did all the shows on our last cruise, and enjoyed them all, but on this trip we were more about family time (and wife/me couple time). To be honest, committing to an evening schedule of dinner/show every night wasnt what we wanted to do, so we didnt.
Kids Club:
Our DDs are very social, and they were both chomping at the bit to check out the kids clubs, so we got them checked in after dinner and let them make friends for about an hour and a half. Meanwhile, my wife and I went down to Preludes for a cocktail. The bartender there makes a great martinigarnished with not one, not two, but three monstrous olives), and my wife enjoyed her Cosmo. On arrival the place was almost deserted and we thought we were off to ourselves by moving to the other side of the little stage area, but about 10 minutes later a duo from England started playing 60s tunes and out of nowhere came at least a dozen families dancing, singing, and really enjoying themselves to the music. It was fun to watch for awhile, but we actually were in a more sedate mood, so we took our drinks up to Deck 4 and sat on the deckchairs overlooking the Atlantic. Very nice and peaceful.
After picking up our children we returned to the room it had been a long day for the kids and they were tired, so we got them ready for bed and our DD7 really got a kick out of climbing up to her bed high above the rest of us. I found our bed to be very cozy and comfortable. Not too firm, not too soft. The first night of the cruise is always a little bumpy because of crossing the Gulf Stream and because its my understanding that the Captain does not engage the stabilizers that night because he has to make good speed to get down to Nassau by morning, so we got rocked to sleep by moderate waves.
Day 2 installment to come . . . .
we feel the same way and have blown off shows since our first cruise. The most relaxing part of the day is between 5-6pm if you are doing nothing at all.
