6/29 Wonder Experience - 1st time Cruiser

Morgsmom

Earning My Ears
Joined
Jul 11, 2003
Messages
4
Well, my 7 yo DD and myself went on the 6/29 Wonder sailing - it was our first cruise. Went with brother, SIL, and their 10 yo DS. I'm a big food buff and I found the food to be just ok, with the exception of Palo which was great. We opted for late dining with the thought that it would give us more "relaxing" time in late afternoon but with so many activities the kids were miserable by the time their entrees arrived. Would choose main dining on the next. My biggest suggestion would be to absolutely check your kids into the clubs immediately. My DD was the first lost child on the ship after one hour!! (Her cousin abandoned her on 9 and she went to the adults only pool instead of the family pool and got lost.) The system *completely* broke down from there as the first CM I talked to said "don't worry about it; she'll show up", the 2nd one didn't know what the procedure for lost kids was (as I became even more upset), etc. Finally I grabbed a "white coat" and he was very helpful -- we ran to the Oceaneer Lab (me in my bikini - what a sight!) and found my DD safely there (but very shaken). They had sent me a page, but the pager did not work!!! Lot's of mis-steps in one short period and I was really disappointed. (This was addressed in a ship-wide email, however, per my request, so that ALL CM's know what the lost kid policy is.) DD was a little "clingy" from that point on!

I was VERY pleased with my cabin. We had a Cat 11 Inside (all that I could afford :-) but it was much bigger than I expected and perfectly fine for the two of us. The other family had a Cat 5 with verandah for which they paid big bucks and, frankly neither family was EVER in the room. I'd rather save the money to spend elsewhere.

We had our hair braided in Nassau. We were one of the first off of the ship so the girls had no business yet. We got it done for $20 half head and $35 full head. Later in the day as the lines form (because other cruisers decide to do it) your bargaining power goes way down.

Went to Atlantis on the Ferry. Don't pay to do the Excursion. You can happily wander around the complex. We then camped out at the Sheraton next door where everyone was lovely.

We never even left the ship in Freeport and spent the day exploring the ship.

Castaway Cay was the most gorgeous thing I've ever seen. I have to commend their ability to get all of that food out in buffet style in just a few hours after docking! The fresh fruit stand and soft ice cream were a real treat in that blazing sun. (4 days of sun!)

Our Head Server, Nicola was good but his Asst Server was in training and left a lot to be desired. Cabin service was just ok. It took several calls to get the room made up. I did love the promptness of the room service for my morning pot of coffee. (Hint, get a couple of fresh juices and keep them in your beverage cooler for later in the day!! There is only punch & tea at lunches.)


All in all, I can't wait to go again!
 
Hey, we were 1st time cruisers on the same ship! Seems like we missed each other though--we had main seating and did Blue Lagoon on Monday. We did stay on the ship Tuesday though. Your DD would have been in the club with my 5 year old son and the 10 year old with my DD#1. Did your kids love the clubs? Mine all did.
Robin M.
 
DD found the 5-7 y.o. group "boring" unfortunately. She desperately wanted to be with the older kids in the Lab. Next cruise she'll be old enough!
 
I can relate to the lost kid thing! And I do agree that Disney doesn't handle it really well. Our DD who was 10 at the time got lost right as the lifeboat drill was starting. Basically, they refuse to do anything while the drill is ongoing, and since we hadn't checked her in to the clubs yet, we didn't have a pager. She was gone almost 45 minutes and we were frantic!
 

Hi: We were on the same cruise as you and Robin. It was our 3rd DCL cruise. We had a great time and spent the days doing al the kids stuff as we had a 6 year old with us. Past cruises have been just DH and myself. We're going on the Magic next year -- 9/18/04 -- for our 20th anniversary. Jan
 
We were first timers on the 6/29 Wonder. We LOVED it. Our DD4 loved the kids club...we really didn't see her the whole time we were on vacation. She wants to go again, next week, if possible! It won't be that soon, but another cruise is in the works for the future. Sorry about the confusion with your child. That would definitely put a damper on things...esp. at the beginning of the cruise.
 

GET UP TO A $1000 SHIPBOARD CREDIT AND AN EXCLUSIVE GIFT!

If you make your Disney Cruise Line reservation with Dreams Unlimited Travel you’ll receive these incredible shipboard credits to spend on your cruise!
















Receive up to $1,000 in Onboard Credit and a Gift Basket!
That’s right — when you book your Disney Cruise with Dreams Unlimited Travel, you’ll receive incredible shipboard credits to spend during your vacation!
CLICK HERE







New Posts







DIS Facebook DIS youtube DIS Instagram DIS Pinterest DIS Tiktok DIS Twitter DIS Bluesky

Back
Top