8/23/09 Wonder

[DisneyDoc1895]

I thought I would start this thread. If I could take a moment to indulge - this will be a unique one for us since we are not telling the kids!

Since my 6 and 9 year old daughters now actually need to go to school a bit, we have been forced to have our big vacation in August. We have found the last 2 weeks aren't too busy, and we can all handle the heat OK.

We took our first cruise a few years back - a non Disney 4 day cruise just before a DisneyWorld vaca during Jersey week. (We are now not in NJ so no longer an option.) We loved the cruise - it forced us to relax and shed the Disney Commando mentality!

We were incredibly fortunate to be able to take the Eastbound Panama Canal Repo this past August. An awesome experience! While on it we booked this Aug 09 cruise. But we decided to not tell the girls - at all! We are going to be driving down for alittle more than a week at the World and then will be "driving home." We wonder when they will figure out. They don't know the roads so probably not until we pull into Port Canaveral!

Anyway, our only experience with Disney cruising was the Repo, but 15 days is a long time to learn about stuff. If I can help in anyway, let me know.

I guess I should add another ticker!

 

[TyTysMommy]

I will be on the same cruise. This is my first time cruising. We'll be at WDW prior to sailing. My son will be 5 1/2 and this is his first time to WDW or cruising, so he has no real concept of WDW or DCL yet. But he loves his Disney movies, so I think he'll have fun playing in the kids club.

 

[DisneyDoc1895]

I'm sure he will - both of my daughters did and begged to go back to camp as much as they could. I think it is a good choice for a first cruise - we did Carnival for our first and it was OK, but the Disney cruise we took this past summer was just incredible. Feel free to ask any questions!

Ken

 

[Lynda Silk]

Hi there,
I will be aboard the Aug 23 Wonder as well along with my DS17 and DD15. We've been on 4 DCL cruises and can't get enough of them! We went on the double dip 4 day cruise last August and had an awesome time! I swore that we'd stay home this year and save money, but winter's been cold and snowy, so I just had to book another cruise!

DisneyDoc, thanks for starting the thread! And if either of you have any questions, I'd be glad to try and help you out too! We've been on both the Magic and the Wonder.

 

[tw2123]

Hi Everyone,

It looks like my husband and I will be on this cruise. We just got off the Western 7 day and while on board we booked this, and another 7 day for next January (that will be with the kids). This one is just for the grown ups we feel like we need to experience it without the kids, so we can enjoy the nightlife. This will be my 4th disney cruise, but first on the Wonder. I am excited. I have only been off the Magic for 2 days and already miss it.

 

[Lynda Silk]

Hi tw2123!

Welcome to the thread and don't you have a lot to look forward to! What a great idea to just go on the cruise with your DH and experience the nightlife onboard. You're right because otherwise it's difficult to do that when you have to look after your children.

We're really looking forward to the cruise too especially with all the snow and cold weather we've had up here. Can't wait to relax on the beach at Castaway Cay!

 

[watwsj]

I'll also be on this cruise with my husband and DS 17. This will be my son's first cruise and the second for my husband and me. Our Disney trips number in the double digits but we've never been on DCL.

Can't wait to check out our SPH cabin!

 

[Lynda Silk]

Watwsj, it's good to see another passenger on the thread!

My DS will be 17 years old too for the cruise so it's good to hear that your DS is the same age!

 

[diznie]

We'll be cruising with you all.
It'll be our second cruise, our DS is 17 yrs old too.

 

[Lynda Silk]

Welcome to the thread, diznie! Sorry it took so long for me to respond! Looka like the 17 year olds will have a great time! I'm just hoping that my son's summer job will allow him to come. We didn't think he'd get a job but then something came up out of the blue. It looks like the employer is quite flexible with schedules though so I'm fairly sure that my DS will be coming with us.

Can't wait until August!

 

[Bostontops]

Hello all,

It was nice to find this forum and ask some questions.

This will be my family’s first cruise and my kids (daughter 8 years old and son 6 years old) first time at Disney World. My wife has been to Disney in the early 90’s and I was at Disney the day after the Blizzard of 1978 (Massachusetts) Anyway I am quite confident that things will look different.

We are a camping family and our travel plans include us traveling in our motor- home to Florida. Prior to arriving at Port Canaveral we will stop at Hershey Park amusement park in Pennsylvania and then after arriving in Florida we will spend a day at Daytona Beach the day before parking at the terminal and getting on the cruise. After the cruise we will be camping at Fort Wilderness for 8 nights and enjoying the theme parks and the water parks before heading home.

I apologize for the length of my posting but I figure some of the seasoned Disney Cruise Line travelers on this forum are pro’s and would have no problem giving answers or opinions to my questions.

1. I am told there is some kind of a pirate night on the ship? Can you tell me what night? Also someone told my wife that the family can dress as pirates? If so my son A.K.A. Jack Sparrow whenever dressing like a pirate keeps his trusted plastic sword in his sash, are they allowed to have their toy swords at the event?

2. When we arrive at Nassau I was looking at the shore excursions and found the Blue Lagoon Dolphin encounter. It is $125.00 per adult and $110.00 per child (3-12) Has anyone done this shore excursion and can you tell me was it good bad or ? I figure $470.00 is a lot to spend on 20 minutes of petting Dolphins in waist deep water but I also know it would be many years before they ever had the chance to do that again. Thoughts or comments on this? Or do you recommend a DON’T MISS shore excursion?

3. Is there hair braiding at Nassau or Castaway Cay? I think my daughter would love this. Does anyone know what the approximate cost is? Is there a particular place to go or definitely not to go?

4. While perusing the web-site I noticed the adult “Palo” looks great, my question is having a 6 and 8 year olds can we hire a sitter for a few hours or how does that work?

5. Fireworks on the ship, are they on a specific night or do they do them every night?

6. While at Castaway is “Cookies BBQ” part of our booking fare or is that an additional cost? Also I would be interested in Parasailing at Castaway Cay does anyone know the cost of that?

7. At the time of sailing my Daughter will be 8 and my son will be 6, the activities they have for kids on board will they split them up as in age groups or will they be able to stay together?

Sorry for all the questions but it seems every time I find something out two more questions pop up and we would like to make the most out of our vacation.

Thanks

Kevin

 

[Lynda Silk]

Hi Bostontops!
Welcome! I'm sorry for not replying sooner but I've been off for a few days because it's March Break up here. It sounds like you have a super trip in front of you!

Here are the answers to your questions. You should go to the DCL website because there's a lot of info re these subjects there. Or post a question on the DCL board of the disboards as I've mentioned below; the DISers who know the answers will be glad to help you out!

1. I am told there is some kind of a pirate night on the ship?.Can you tell me what night? Also someone told my wife that the family can dress as pirates? If so my son A.K.A. Jack Sparrow whenever dressing like a pirate keeps his trusted plastic sword in his sash, are they allowed to have their toy swords at the event?

Answer: Pirate night is usually on the 2nd night of the 4 night cruise and you can definitely dress up as pirates! And yes, your DS can bring his toy sword to dinner as long as it's not a safety hazard.

2. When we arrive at Nassau I was looking at the shore excursions and found the Blue Lagoon Dolphin encounter. It is $125.00 per adult and $110.00 per child (3-12) Has anyone done this shore excursion and can you tell me was it good bad or ? I figure $470.00 is a lot to spend on 20 minutes of petting Dolphins in waist deep water but I also know it would be many years before they ever had the chance to do that again. Thoughts or comments on this? Or do you recommend a DON’T MISS shore excursion?

Answer: I haven't done this particular shore excursion but I have done a swim with the dophins event in Mexico and it was great. We were in the water with the dolphins for about an hour so I thought we got our money's worth (I think the program cost $100 pp). A lot of people choose to stay on the ship in Nassau so that shows you that there really isn't a 'DON'T MISS' excursion but I guess that depends on what your family is interested. I've heard that younger kids enjoy going to the Pirate Museum; I haven't been myself but there are a lot of other DIS-ers that have been there.

3. Is there hair braiding at Nassau or Castaway Cay? I think my daughter would love this. Does anyone know what the approximate cost is? Is there a particular place to go or definitely not to go?

Answer: Lots of hair braiding at both Nassau and CC. I'm not sure how much it costs because we've never done this but I think it's around $15-$20. If you post this question, as well as the one re Nassau excursions, on the DCL section of the disboards, you'll be able to find out this info.

4. While perusing the web-site I noticed the adult “Palo” looks great, my question is having a 6 and 8 year olds can we hire a sitter for a few hours or how does that work?

Answer: I don't think there are in-room babysitters, but you would be able to leave the kids in the kids' clubs.

5. Fireworks on the ship, are they on a specific night or do they do them every night?


Hope the above is helpful!

 

[renda460]

We will be on this cruise as well.

To answer a couple of the questions asked by Bostontops -

Pirate night -
This was on the 3rd night when we took our last 4 night disney cruise. It was after castaway cay which I was not thrilled about. My kids were exhausted from being on the beach all day and pirate night starts very late. But it was still a great time!

Regarding shore excursions on Nassau -
We have never done one. We always stay on the boat and take advantage of the disney activities and pools with low crowds.

Hair braiding at Nassau -
I took my daughter off the ship once to get her hair braided. There is a welcome center as soon as you enter Nassau and there were ladies in there asking if anyone wanted their hair braided. I think it still cost us around $25 but that was still cheaper than on the boat.

Palo babysitter -
The kids clubs are open all day and you can drop the kids off anytime, free of charge. You will learn fast that your kids will not want to come out of the clubs. We usually have a fight to pull my daughter out for dinner each night.

Fireworks -
On our 4 night cruise, these were on pirate night.


A few new questions I would like to add if anyone can answer -

1. I have read about fish extenders. Can anyone explain this?

2. We have had characters sign photo mattes and pillow cases, does anyone have any additional suggestions?


Watch your calendars since our booking window is opening up soon for Palo, excursions, etc!

 

[Happy100]

Greetings everyone this will be my families first official cruise!!! We are all very excited and my DS who is 4 just can't wait!!!

I am hoping to meet some fellow passengers with kids around my son's age that he can buddy up with in the club!!! Also anyone with advice for first time cruisers in terms of introducing my son, who is not shy, to the ship and then club.

 

[renda460]

Greetings everyone this will be my families first official cruise!!! We are all very excited and my DS who is 4 just can't wait!!!

I am hoping to meet some fellow passengers with kids around my son's age that he can buddy up with in the club!!! Also anyone with advice for first time cruisers in terms of introducing my son, who is not shy, to the ship and then club.

Welcome to the cruise! This will be our 2nd Disney cruise. My son is turning 6 next month. They will be in the same kids club, but most of the activities are broken down by age 3-4, and 5-6. As for introducing them to the club, my kids were off and running as soon as they entered last cruise. I believe the first night is mostly free time in the club where the kids can go and check it out. I am guessing that once he sees all the fun stuff in there he will be just fine.

Last time we boarded the ship as soon as we could and plan to do the same this time. I read on the boards here that if you get on the ship at noon, go straight to the pool. They will take all your luggage when you get to the port, so keep a carry on bag with bathing suits, change of clothes, etc.

Some other pointers, hum, let me think. You can bring something to have the characters sign on board. You drop it off at the front desk and it will be returned to your room on the last day, all signed. We did picture mattes last time and they came out great! Also, pay attention to the schedules that will be put under your door each night. There is always so much going on. The first night we were so overwhelmed with the sail away party, dinner, etc that we never even read it that night. We ended up missing the show that night.

Oh, and there will be an event on the last full day of the cruise around 4pm in the kids club. (I forget what it is called) Dont miss it! It's like a big, last celebration for the kids. Last cruise they each got a free t-shirt too.

If I can think of anything else that is good to know, I will post it. Let me know if you have any questions too. I may be able to answer them.

 

[Lynda Silk]

Hi renda460 and Happy100!

It's nice to see some new people on the thread! And it won't be too long now before we're relaxing on our cruise!

Happy100, renda460 gave you some good pointers so I don't know what else to add. DCL makes it so easy and comfortable so you don't have to do much to have a great time! But renda460's suggestion re bringing a swimming suit in your carry-on when you board is a good one. We usually try to get to the ship at around 12 noon, and then head for the buffet lunch and then right to the pools.

Some other pointers would be to bring your own hair dryer; the ones in the cabin aren't that strong. I often bring an extension cord and power bar to handle all the chargers, etc. Some people recommend bringing an over the door shoe holder; they find it handly to hold their toiletries and other things too. The other thing is not to overpack; you spend most of your time in your bathing suit so you don't have to bring much.

Well, I didn't think I had any tips but I guess I did! But the one thing I know for sure is that we're all going to have a great time! This is going to be our 6th DCL cruise and we just keep coming back because we have such a good time. And don't worry about your DS; he'll have a wonderful time with all the activities and characters and making new friends. The counsellors are great in the kids' clubs and they are used to helping kids mingle and be comfortable.

 

[Happy100]

Thanks Renda460 and Lynda, your advice is greatly appreciated!!!

We will definitately pack a bag with our swimming gear in it and board as early as possible. I love this idea!!! We fly into Orlando the day before so will need to book a hotel by the Port. Any suggestions on that??? We will be renting a car probably from budget b/c i read they offer a shuttle to the terminal.

The other questions I have;
Matte idea...what size of matte???

It appears Disney only offers sized 6X8 and 8X10 packages. Can you not get 4X6's or 5X7's??? I thought about just prepurchasing a package online but only saw ones for the 6X8 and 8X10. Advice???

We thought about going to the Kennedy Space center b/c we have a few days before we fly home....Any hotel suggestions or great places to stay???

I am sure I will have more questions...thanks for all your responses!!!

 

[mylittleprincess]

We just booked and we are soo excited!! This is our 1st cruise! We are on Deck 2, Room # 2103. Does anyone know if the Dolphin Encounter at Blue Lagoon is worth it??? Looks like it takes most of the day there?? Any tips from any of you is much appreciated.

 

[Lynda Silk]

Hi mylittle princess!
Welcome to the thread and glad to hear that there's another DIS-er onboard! This is a quiet thread but we're all looking forward to our cruise!

Unfortunately, I'm not familiar with the Blue Lagoon dolphin encounter but maybe there's someone else who has done this excursion. We did the dolphin encounter when we were in Playa del Carmen a few years ago and loved it! The dolphins were so gentle and beautiful, and yet so strong. My kids really enjoyed the experience.

 

[mylittleprincess]

Hi mylittle princess!
Welcome to the thread and glad to hear that there's another DIS-er onboard! This is a quiet thread but we're all looking forward to our cruise!

Unfortunately, I'm not familiar with the Blue Lagoon dolphin encounter but maybe there's someone else who has done this excursion. We did the dolphin encounter when we were in Playa del Carmen a few years ago and loved it! The dolphins were so gentle and beautiful, and yet so strong. My kids really enjoyed the experience.

Thank you, Lynda!! Can I ask what are the picture mattes???