A win-"Wynn" Vacation-1st cruise aboard the "Wonder"!

[mickeyluv]

Hi everyone! This is my very first trip report so take that into consideration while reading (Ernest Hemingway I’m not) . First let me give you a little bit of Disney background information about our family. Here are the “cast of characters”…Me (41), DH (42), DD (10).

DH and I went to WDW for the first time in 1995 for our honeymoon. Sorry I don’t have any pictures. I knew right then and there that Disney was my “second love” so to speak (“third love” after DD was born!! Oh, just to add, DH really wanted to go to the Amish Country in Lancaster, PA for our honeymoon, but I prevailed and WDW was the place!! Needless to say (and he probably wouldn’t admit it) but he too is now hooked (as if you wouldn’t know from looking at our WDW trip dates)!

We had wanted to go back but finances just didn’t allow us to do so. Well DD was born in 1997 and in 2004 when DD was 6 years old we decided that we would take her to WDW for her first trip! After that magical trip, we were hooked! Here are a "few" pictures (a like pictures in a TR so I hope you don't mind) from our WDW trips in 2004, 2005, and 2006.

April 2004​

May 2005

May 2006

Okay, you’re probably thinking enough pictures already, get on with TR. So now on to how it became real for us!

Oh, also I want to add that I have two sisters, one of which who also loves Disney like me. She has been to WDW quite a few times also and wanted a little something different. I'll explain more later.

I have been a frequent visitor of the wonderful discussion forum called the “Disboard”. Ever heard of it? I have read so many wonderful tips, trip reports, stories, etc. So we’ve been to the World a few times and now it was time to try something new. So my thoughts were, why not a Disney Cruise being we love WDW/Disney so much . DH doesn’t swim and has never really liked being on water, in water, anything with water but I had always wanted to take a cruise and I thought our family would really enjoy it.

So I did some research and more research and more research… you get the picture, (and guess where most of my research came from) and finally approached DH with my idea of a 4 night cruise on the Disney Wonder. At first he was not at all keen on the idea…it was a vacation on water , it was too expensive , and again, it was a vacation on water !!! Had I lost my mind, he said! You want me to spend 4 days and 4 nights on a boat!! He had always said he would never be on a boat where he couldn’t see any land. We’ll I really did have to work on him but he finally gave in! Yes we were headed to set sail on our first cruise and onboard the “Disney Wonder”!!!

Okay, so I’m in high gear planning mode at this point and it’s April 2007. Looking at dates and contacting TA’s we finally narrowed it down to set sail the Sunday after Thanksgiving 2007!! Mickey and the gang…here we come!!

Up next... after many months of planning and anticipation, we finally arrive in Cape Canaveral!!

 

[CapnJackGroupie]

Looking forward to hearing about your cruise!!

 

[sftnslky]

On the edge of my keyboard. Seriously great report/photos so far... waiting for more.

 

[mickeyluv]

Part-II - Arriving in Port Canaveral…

I don’t have any pictures for this section as we didn’t take as many as I had hoped we would . Okay, Thanksgiving has come and gone and it’s November 23rd. In years past we normally go shopping the day after Thanksgiving and try to get some killer deals, but this Friday after Thanksgiving we’re up bright and early packing. Yes, I said packing ! We still had not finished packing even though we’d been knowing for months that we’re leaving on November 23rd. Between my insane work schedule and the Thanksgiving holiday, there was literally no time during that week to even think about packing. We don’t actually cruise until November 25th but I got a really good deal on a flight ($39 one way/pp, just an hour from home w/free parking so I jumped on it), not to mention a good price on the hotel through Priceline. Anyway, so after a few hours of my DH saying, “you’ll never get all of this stuff in these suit cases”, we load the 7 bags in the car and we headed to the airport !!

Once at the airport, we have just a slight little problem…DH has liquids and such in his carry-on . DD and I go through security just fine but DH’s bag is in question and has to be searched. We don’t fly but maybe once a year, but I had told him specifically no liquids!! I believe the problem was his nasal spray medication and his eyedrops. If he had of just put them in a clear baggy and taken that out of his carry-in I don’t think there wouldn’t have been a problem. So after the “search” he gathered up his belongings and we boarded the plane. We flew Allegiant Air into Sanford, FL. This was our first time flying into Sanford and we really liked the smaller, less congested airport. I had already rented us a car online with Thrifty, so I found the Thrifty counter, got our rental car and we were on our way to the Country Inn and Suites in Cape Canaveral. Once we got there, we checked into the hotel and then went in search of dinner. We were hungry being we hadn’t eaten any real food since breakfast. We found a steakhouse restaurant called Durango’s right there in Cocoa Beach and had a nice dinner. We then headed back to the hotel for bed. Saturday we didn’t do a whole lot. We had breakfast at the hotel and then ventured out for some sight seeing. We checked out Ron Jon’s, went to a couple of beach shops, bought DD a couple of new bathing suits, and went to the mall, I believe it was in Melbourne. Anyway, sort of an uneventful day as far as excitement. Oh, except for we wanted to see the Magic sail away Saturday evening so we hurried back to the port and waved goodbye from behind the fence as she sailed off. We noticed in the parking lot my sister and her husband’s RV. Let me back up a bit. Remember earlier I had told you about my sister…

Oh, also I want to add that I have two sisters, one of which who also loves Disney like me. She has been to WDW quite a few times also and wanted a little something different. I'll explain more later.

Okay, well my sister and her husband also took their 1st “Disney” cruise, a cruise on the “Wonder”. They left on their cruise the Wednesday before Thanksgiving and would be back on the Sunday morning that we were to be boarding!! How great is that?!? We had such a fun time planning our cruises and all of the anticipation leading up to our cruise . It was really neat! I had told her where we would be staying, CI&S, and if they got a chance that they should stop by and see us before they headed back home so they could tell us how their cruise was and what we could expect. I didn’t expect to see them though because they drove down in their RV and she said that they would be have to head back home as soon as they disembarked.

So back to my family...we were ready for Sunday…our time to get on the “Wonder” for our 1st cruise ever! Up next...onboard with Mickey & the gang!

 

[mickeyluv]

Part-III - Mickey & the gang…here we are!

Sunday morning, November 25th was finally here! I was up at the crack of dawn! I could not wait for our adventure to begin. We all got showered and dressed and I was about to dry my hair when the phone rang. It was my sister, calling me from the front desk of our hotel!!! She told me that they were downstairs and I said, “You are not, stop lying”. But sure enough, I went downstairs, wet head and all, and there they were. I was so excited! The manager told them that they could stay and have breakfast with us at the hotel if they liked and so they did. We had a great breakfast together and they told us a lot about their cruise, but not everything because they didn’t want us to know everything as they wanted us to be able to experience all the wonder and magic that they had experienced. Here are a few pictures we took together before they headed home (kind of blurry though, sorry).

After they left, we go back to our room and get our bags and load them in the car. I had told DH and DD that I wanted us to get to the terminal fairly early, if possible when they opened, because I wanted to be one of the first families to be able to board (I got that tip from the boards also ). So we took the rental car back, hopped on their shuttle, and headed for the Disney terminal. DH and DD will tell you that I’m such a kid when it comes to Disney trips and they are so right! I was so excited I couldn’t hardly stand myself!! Here is the beautiful ship that we were about to be boarding soon...

We got through security at the terminal just fine with no issues (thankfully DH learned from his previous security check experience ). Up the escalator we went and AHHHH…what a beautiful site…we were there, inside the Disney terminal. I had seen so many pictures on other people’s trip reports but it's nothing like being there!! I headed straight towards the check-in counter and didn’t have to wait as there were only about 20 or so people in the terminal (it didn't take too long though before it really got crowded). I got us all checked in and the CM handed me our boarding pass… #2! (I have looked all over for it because I wanted to take a picture and post it but I cannot for the life of me find the darn thing ). We were so excited. We then went over and checked DD in for the kids club. That was pretty much painless because I had signed her up online from home (another disboard tip). So now we just wait until Boarding Pass Group #2 is called. We walked around the terminal looking at everything and taking pictures of just about everything. We just were enjoying being there. It is a moment I will never forget. Having said that, there are "quite a few" moments I will never forget from this trip!! Here are a few of our pictures…

I loved that the terminal and the boat was decorated for Christmas. I was so glad we chose this time of year to take our 1st Disney cruise.

Yay!!! Boarding pass #2 is called out and we’re on way through the Mickey ears.

We didn’t purchase our boarding picture (I wish we had) because it was actually horrible. DD was looking away and DH and I looked terrible. But here’s one DH took of me and DD. Although DD didn't look all that happy in the picture she really was. The wind was really blowing hard!

They announced our name as we walked into the Atrium and everyone was clapping. This is one of those “never forget” moments ! We looked around a bit then headed up to Beach Blanket for lunch. Man what a spread! It was so delicious. We sat outside and enjoyed the beautiful weather and I took a few pictures. It was great.

Here is one I took of the Carnival ship in port...

And of course, the Disney Terminal...

DD wanted to swim (she wore her swimsuit under her clothes…disboard tip ) so we headed for the goofy pool. Right off the bat she met a little girl her age who was, I believe, from Alabama. She had a blast. I went to check out the spa and salon. I wanted to get a pedicure because I hadn’t had time to get one before we left home. They were not busy at all and took me right then and there. To be honest, this is something I will most likely not do again. Not that the girl didn’t do a good job but because I really wasn’t thrilled about sitting in there that long. I wanted to be out there with DD and DH enjoying the pool and the cruise atmosphere. I will definitely make sure I get my pedicure before we leave home next time . We had brought walkie talkies with us and they worked great 95% of the time, so after my pedicure I called DH to see where he and DD were. Arggg…they were in the stateroom . Go I go to the stateroom and our luggage was already there…SWEET! So we had a small tiff about DH and DD not waiting for me (silly now that I think about it). I took a few pictures of the decor in our stateroom.

Before we knew it, it was time for the mandatory boat drill. We were in section "K" which was outside on deck 4. It wasn’t as bad as I had thought it was going to be but I was glad when it was over. The one thing that bothered me a little was that the people around us would not shut-up! I could hardly hear what was being said during the drill . And when it was over, the CM’s plainly announced to please keep your life-vest on until you get back to your stateroom, so many people were taking them off right there on the deck…It was as though we were surrounded by a bunch of little snotty nose kids who were going to do what they wanted to matter what anyone said, you know what I mean?! In any event, I quickly got over this because it was time for the sailaway party, "Adventures Away"...Let the fun begin!!!

 

[quiltymom]

Great start! We're doing our first ever cruise on the Wonder in Oct. 09, so I'm trying to learn all that I can.

I'm looking forward to hearing more...

 

[SunKat]

I'm really enjoying your report and all the great photo's!! Looking forward to reading more.

 

[LITTLEKID58]

Awesome Tr so far... looking forward to the rest.. TFS

 

[CapnJackGroupie]

Wonderful pictures! How nice to be in a near-deserted terminal for a little while. Love the one of you and your DD crossing the gangplank - wish I had taken one there but I was too excited to get on the ship.

TFS and can't wait to read the rest of your TR!!

 

[CruisinEars]

Good job so far! Looking forward to reading more.

 

[mickeyluv]

We headed up to Deck 9 and DD and I stood right at the rope. We really had a great time...another one of those "never forget" moments!

Here is Christiaan, our cruise director (we just him)...

And last but certainly not least, Ian, literally the life of the party...

We had a great time and now it was time to set sail...the ship's horn blew (if you've cruised with Disney before you know what I'm talking about, but I don't want to spoil it for those who haven't yet). So we quickly went up to Deck 10 to wave goodbye to the CM's at the terminal...

So after the sailaway party we went to the front of the ship still up on Deck 10 and just watched as we sailed down the channel. I was hoping that we might see a dolphin or two but we didn't. That was okay though, because we were on the cruising "Disney" style!! We had late seating for dinner but we wanted to go ahead and unpack and get dressed so we wouldn't be late for the show!! Up next...our first dinner onboard the Wonder & meeting our tablemates, our newly-found friends!!

 

[RLccweems]

I'm enjoying your TR so far...I love all the pics. I can't wait to read more.

lettie

 

[carone0318]

I'm really loving your report - can't wait until the next installment!

 

[bawsmom]

great so far!! we are going on our first cruise in sept. and trying to learn all i can

 

[quiltymom]

How early did you have to arrive in order to get a spot at the rope?

 

[VacationKicks]

Great trip report, Love all the photos! Can't wait to read more.

 

[fairfax]

What a great TR and wow! Your photos are beautiful! Looking forward to more.

 

[poffles]

Love reports with pictures. Eagerly waiting more.

 

[mickeyluv]

How early did you have to arrive in order to get a spot at the rope?

We didn't really arrive that early. We came out onto Deck 9 right at the Cove Cafe and walked right up! We couldn't believe it. I did let a few little kids in front of me (they stood beside my DD) so they could see .

 

[wish4disney]

Great trip report! Thanks for sharing it and I look forward to reading more. In your post #5, on the 10th picture - the one with you in front of the Disney Wonder, are those the SPH in the upper left??