8/31 trip report...

[Tigger98]

Even though I have sailed on the Disney Wonder twice, here is my first trip report. We sailed on the 8/31 Wonder sailing.

The Cast Members: DH (Shan), DW (me) and DS (Chris, 10).

I took Friday and Saturday off of work. DH worked Friday morning and then would be off until after the trip. DS was sent to school Friday (8/29). I spent Friday getting ready for the trip (packing, laundry, cleaning the house, etc).

Saturday (8/30): We woke up around 7:30am, packed the car, and loaded down the cat with food and water. We hit the road by 8:30 with a stop by Chick-Fil-A for breakfast and then we were out of Anderson, SC by 9:00 am. We stopped by an exit that had Sonny’s BBQ for lunch and we continued down the road to Florida. It was a 9-hour drive. We arrived in Port Canaveral around 6:00 pm and continued past to Coco Beach. There we stayed in Holiday Inn Express (5575 North Atlantic Ave). It was a great location, only a 10-minute or less drive to port. There was a Public’s, pizza shop, and Chinese Food shop. There was even a beach gear shop across the street. After checking in, we went to the beach shop so DH could buy some sandals. We then headed back and took what we needed up to the room. Then we headed over to the pizza shop and had some subs. DS had cheese pizza. After that, we went back to the hotel and felt the wind picking up. We got back just in time for it to start pouring down rain. That night I watch Jaws on the TV while DH and DS played Mario Cart on their DS systems.

Sunday (8/31): We woke up around 8:00 am. I started getting ready (making sure we had all of the necessary paper work and cash money in order. I woke DH and DS up and went down for breakfast (it was free). After eating, we went to the Castaway Club site to see if anyone noted any schedule changes with our sailing. No changes were noted and we went up to our room to gather our things. It was 10:00 am and we headed down to the car – checking out as we passed the front desk.

Arriving at Port: We arrived shortly after 10:00 am. We asked one of the DCL workers where we go to park. This was our first time parking at port. They instructed us to turn around, drop the luggage off with the porters and then turn left at the next light for the parking lot. No problem. Dropped 2 bags off with the porter, tipped them and then pulled into the parking lot. The parking lot attendant told us it would be $60 for 4-nights. No problem handed over the cash and parked. We grabbed our carry-on bags and proceeded into the terminal.

In the Terminal: We came upstairs after passing through security. We started heading towards the Castaway Club member line and was giving the boarding number 2 pass. We had did the on-line check-in and printed out the necessary paper work. That made check-in very smooth. We were then handed a letter from Captain Henry Anderson stating that our itinerary was modified due to TS Hanna and was now the following:
Sun – PC
Monday – Castaway Cay
Tue – Nassau
Wed – Sea day
Thur – PC

We said no problem. They handed us our lanyards and Key Cards. We proceeded to the back of the terminal so that we could look of the beautiful ship Disney Wonder. We took some pictures from the outside desk but came back in. It was really windy and sunny.

More to follow……

 

[CapnJackGroupie]

Joining in... Hope your cruise went ok!

 

[kimiza]

subscribing, going in October and interested in hearing more!

 

[jenseib]

excited to hear more. Are you going to include pictures too?

 

[Tigger98]

Okay...continuing on...


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Boarding: Boarding started around 11:45. They scanned our key cards and we got our boarding picture done. We were on the ship within 5-minutes. We headed to Customer Service so that we could put money on our account. Then up to Parrot Cay for lunch.

After lunch, we went to Wave Bands to see about our servers. Last year we had Igor and Tomas. We had requested them again and wanted to check on the request. However, we found out that Tomas was now working on the Magic and Igor had left DCL. Oh well, it was worth a shot.

DS changed into his swimsuit and we headed up to the pools. Around 1:30, we took a pool break and headed to the room. We dropped off our carry-on luggage in the room, and back up to the pool. Then back to the room to prepare for the mandatory boat drill at 4:00 pm. After the drill, back to the pool and watch the Adventures Away.

more to come....

 

[Tigger98]

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While DH kept an eye on DS at the pool, I watched the ship leave the dock.

At 5:15, we headed back to the room to get ready for dinner at 5:45pm. Our dinner rotation was Parrot Cay, Triton’s, Triton’s and then Animator’s Palate. We were with 2 other couples each with a daughter. They were all very nice. However, 2 people left due to sea sickness.

More to come...

 

[Tigger98]

After dinner, we went to the 7:30 game of “Who Wants to be a Mouseketeer?” in Studio Sea. This was a game show based on Who Wants to be a Millionaire except you only have 5 questions – Disney related. Our number didn’t get called so we went to the 9:45 time as well. Still didn’t get called, but it was kind of funny the second time. The last person called to the stage was drunk. He kept asking the host if he would be winning a drink. On the last question, he stated that all he wanted was his drink.

Monday (9/1) was Castaway Cay day. I got to watch the ship pull in. Here is a picture:



We filled out a couple of post cards to mail from CC. However, when we got off the ship the post off was still closed. We noticed their hours (8:30am – 4:30 pm) and informed a CM that it was after 8:30. They didn’t know what was going on. So we decided to go have fun and come back later.




DS had a ball swimming from shore to the play equipment further out; even though he couldn’t swim well. Just so we wouldn’t get tired out swimming back and forth with him (the water was 8 feet deep near the equipment) we decided to rent a floating devise.



More later...

 

[buzz328]

Enjoying your trip report and pictures. We're going on the 28th for our first Disney cruise! Looking forward to reading more! (we're only a little south of you in Lavonia, GA - we've eaten at that Chick-Fil-A lots of times)

 

[Tigger98]

Lunch at Cookies BBQ was good. After that we attempted the post office again. This time we found a note stating that it was closed and to see Guest Services on the ship. Then it hit me – today was Labor Day holiday! Maybe this had something to do with it. By this time a quick sprinkle came through the area. We decided to head back and shop. After shopping, we gathered our things and headed back to the ship.

Once aboard, we went to Guest Services. They didn’t have the Castaway Cay stamp and would mail them out the next time to CC. So I paid for the stamps and will only guess when we will receive them. We went back to our room and placed our things in our room (#6103) and headed to the family pool. DS continued to swim there.

At 4:45 was the Castaway Clubhouse meeting. This was for anyone who had sailed before and was part of the Castaway Club. Here you get to meet the officers and have a light snack. There was also a raffle (we didn’t win the CC clock) and a challenge with the following questions:

In what year was the Disney Magic christened?
In what year was the Disney Wonder christened?
How many times has the Disney Magic passed through the Panama Canal?

That only lasted an hour and then off to dinner at Triton’s. One other family and us was there. The 3rd family was not there. Their daughter was still sick and ended up being quarantined to their cabin for the rest of the trip. Luckily they purchased the insurance.


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After dinner, the other couple and us went to see Max Winfry in the Walt Disney Theatre. He deals with physical comedy and I highly recommend seeing him. At one point he was tracing a guy from the audience. When the guy stepped away from the board, one of his legs didn’t look right. Max stated “well this is pirate night so you now have a peg leg”. I was already laughing so hard that I was crying.

After that, our son was tired and not feeling too good. DS had had Tonsillitis about a month ago. So we decided to skip the Pirates in the Caribbean Party (which you should not miss) and let him rest. Just to make sure he would be okay, I purchased some children’s Tylenol in the store.

 

[Tigger98]

Tuesday, 9/2: Nassau, Bahamas

When I was leaving the cabin to take pictures (it was early in the morning and DH &DS were still asleep) I noticed a flier in our Fish Extender. It was a Magical Moments cert. for DS from the Merchandise Team. They were wishing DS to get better soon and gave him a pin. I was surprised by this and placed it in our cabin. I then continued to deck 10 for some pictures. I have found that this was the best time to take pictures:


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After taking pictures, it was time to wake the guys up and finally eat breakfast at Beach Blanket Buffet. After eating, it was time to get ready for our excursion. We were scheduled for the 9:30 Dolphin Excursion. We all changed into our swimsuits and headed down to Studio Sea to check-in. We got our towels, wristbands and some bottle water. Then it was time to head out. Just a short walk to the boat location and then off to Blue Lagoon. During the walk, DH mentioned that he didn’t have his wallet. I said, “then we will save money”. Great way to budget! We did bring along a waterproof camera (will post pictures later). We finally arrived at the Blue Lagoon.

Once there you are guided up to a reception area where you are informed about dolphins (example: where to and not to touch). Then everyone was broken into groups. Then you are instructed to get into the water if you are part of the encounter. Once ready, we entered onto the deck area and waited. Our group waited about 5 – 10 minutes, then the trainer informed us that they needed to switch dolphins as our dolphin was not cooperative. Finally, they got us a dolphin that would cooperate. They had everyone stand up and quickly going around, one family member would receive a kiss from the dolphin. However, the dolphin first kissed DH then DS got one. Once that was done, they split us up into groups of 10. That group of 10 would enter into the water. The interaction went quickly and here is what it consisted of: a kiss, hug, a dance, rubbing the belly, back, feed a small fish and touching the teeth. Then it was over. I think the trainer was rushing a bit. Then we just waited around for the next boat to come. DS fell asleep while waiting. The boat finally came about 1:45pm.

Dinner was at Triton’s again and DS fell asleep during dinner. Talk about wearing a child out. Also, he still wasn’t feeling up to par. At 8:30, we went to see Wall-E at the Buena Vista Theatre.

 

[suzycute]

I'm really enjoying reading your trip report, thanks for posting!

 

[Tigger98]

Your welcome. I still have 1 or 2 more days left then I will be done. However, I had to take a break. The first night posting this was very difficult as I was still rocking.

 

[rhondamccollough@hot]

This was an awesome cruise!! Our weather was great . I had the "rocking" effect too and had to take dramamine the first night home!LOL

 

[Tigger98]

I forgot to mention one thing regarding Tuesday, and that was the Personal Navigator. During the day, we ran into the mother of the sick girl. She stated that she was informed that her daughter could come out when we arrive at CC Wednesday. I questioned if we were going there again as the itinerary provided to us at port mentioned Wednesday as a Sea Day. She showed me the Personal Navigator for Tuesday and on the last page towards the middle it stated the following:

“Return to Castaway Cay
Tomorrow we’re back at Castaway Cay. It is your last chance before we arrive to make your tour reservations on this beautiful island paradise. Visit the Shore Excursions Desk and make your reservations."

I really didn’t know what to think. I guess after not arriving at CC on Wednesday, the navigator must have been left over from the previous week or a type-o.

Wednesday, 9/3: Sea Day

Again, I got up before the guys. Went to take some more pictures and take care of final details (tips, returning the pager to the kid’s area). So first I headed to guest services to take care of the tips. Also, with near guest services, I noticed an older lady on the floor with CMs all around her. Hopefully, she would be ok (but that was not the case – see further down). Then to the Oceaneer Lab to return the pager. During all this, there was a “MOB” page and I noticed several CM rushing around. I was still trying to wake up and really didn’t realize what was going on. Then shortly later, the captain stated that it was a false alarm. Here are some of those pics:

 

[Tigger98]

I also did some shopping (the stores were not crowded at all, hardly anyone there).

Time to wake the guys and have breakfast. This time we went to Parrot Cay for breakfast. They sat us at a table for 6 near a window. I was nice to look out while eating.

We went to the 11:00 Wii-Olympics in Diversions. It was fun. They used the Mario & Sonic Olympics for the Wii. The races used were the 100-meter, swimming and rowing. After that, it was time for the Virtual Tours on the Ariel View Television. That was nice to watch, but it was really hot. DH and DS went to the arcade, and I packed the luggage. Then we relaxed and napped in the cabin.

Around 5:00, I noticed that the ship started rocking again. The captain came over the speaker stating that they were heading to port due to a medical emergency. This was our 2nd cruise and 2nd one with a medical emergency. I found that kind of interesting. The captain stated that we should be back at PC by 11:00.

Dinner was in Animator’s Palate. You don’t want to miss the one as the walls & ceiling go from black & white to color. Here are some pics:





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We then watched some movies in the cabin as DS was tired. We watched Speed Racer and the latest Indiana Jones movie. While watching them I finished packing. We placed our luggage out.

About 11:00, I went to deck 10 to watch the Wonder pull in. I found it interesting. I knew about the Pilot boat that comes and guides boats in. What I didn’t know was that someone actually gets off of the Pilot boat and onto the Wonder. I decided to turn in around 11:20 as it would be an early morning.

Thursday, 9/4 Port Canaveral

We had the 6:30 breakfast in Animator’s Palate. Breakfast on the morning of disembarking is always in the same place as dinner the night before.

We left the boat, got our luggage and hit the road for our 9-hour trip home.



Later on (through the DIS board), we learned what the medical emergency was. The lady that I noticed on the floor early in the day (near Guest Services) had taken a really bad fall and needed further medical attention than what the ship’s doctor could provide.

There, finally finished my first trip report. Here are a few suggestions:

1) Arrive the day prior to sailing. It was more relaxing to sit and wait in the terminal than rushing to catch the boat.
2) Do the on-line check-in. It made it easier and faster when checking in at the terminal. We just handed over our signed papers and was all done.
3) Bring an extra camera. My camera had decided to jump off of my lap when getting out of the car on Sunday, and it kissed the pavement. It started giving me problems, so I switched to my husbands.
4) Bring extra camera batteries. You never know when they will run out (even when fully charged). Energizer Lithium batteries costed $15.00 on the ship.
5) Bring along any pain medicine (Tylenol, Advil, and Children’s Tylenol). It will save you money. Children’s Tylenol costed $6.40 when I bought it on the ship.
6) Remember that it is a vacation and you are there to relax and have FUN!

Well, I hope that you enjoyed reading my first TR. For those cruising soon or in the future, have a safe and magical trip.

 

[jenseib]

Great report. Each time I read one of these I get so hyped up. I do really want to do the Wonder too. I hope I can get my DH excited about it. I should start working on DD too, as if she wants something, he will give in to her. LOL! (Thus the last two trips to WDW! )

 

[Dreamer04]

I really enjoyed your trip report!

Ursula

 

[Monte Cristo]

Nice TR Tigg, you put mine to shame! Great pics too.

 

[Tigger98]

Well, we finally got the post cards that were mailed. That was not too bad, it only took 3 weeks. I just wonder if our parents received theirs.

I am glad that everyone enjoyed my trip report.

 

[jns]

Great report
Thinking of doing the same trip next year
What was the weather like