August 22 2010 - WONDER

[Eeyore's Tailfinder]

I think I've caught up now!

I completely missed the 1 year mark! Less than a year to go, I absolutely can't wait!

It also looks like there's a few of us on Level 7

We've also now got our wedding date - 11th August 2010 - so I am really excited for next year! I think we'll need the cruise for a lot of r&r after the hectic wedding then showing our families around Orlando for 2 weeks.

I just realised we'll be introduced onto the ship as Mr & Mrs

 

[Ski-and-Sea]

Hi,
We're sailing with you too! We just got off the Wonder last Thursday and we had so much fun, we had to book another cruise for next year while we were onboard! We've done a few cruises on the Wonder and one on the Magic; as you can see, we're DCL addicts! But we always have such a great time so we just keep booking more cruises!

Sea-and-Ski, we were on the double dip with you last year! It was so nice to see your name when I was scrolling through the posts!

Lynda - I'm so thrilled you will be on this cruise. I definitely remember you from last year. On my Magic cruise there were two families that sailed with us last year.

I just realised we'll be introduced onto the ship as Mr & Mrs

How exciting - on my Magic cruise there were several honeymooners onboard. Definitely wear those wedding mouse ears around the ship.

 

[Ski-and-Sea]

Welcome Ski-and-Sea!

Those 5 day prices were crazy! We were thinking of doing one too, but the $ that we saved switching to a 4 day was enough to pay for our 4 day trip to Universal!

Glad to see there will be more teens onboard who obviously like DCL. I know DD6 and DS10 will love it, but I have no idea what to expect for our oldest who will be almost 15 at the time of cruise.

We had a similar experience with the pricing between the 5 day versus the 4 day - we're using the money to stay at WDW.

My teens had the best cruise ever this summer. In a way - they more enjoy DCL as teens than they did when they were much younger. The key is the other teens onboard. If there is a great group of kids then your teen will have a terrific time.

I'd say half the time they spent in the club and half the time hanging around the ship.

I will mention that many of the teen activities didn't start until midnight It was the first time I let both kids come back to the cabin after I had gone to bed. It was a little nerve wracking at first.

 

[Ski-and-Sea]

Happy Labor Day holiday here in the U.S.....the unofficial end of summer. Kids go back to school this week. A change of seasons always makes the time till the cruise pass by a bit faster.

I hadn't realized the Wonder goes into drydock this fall. Can't wait to find out what changes will happen. Its always nice to sail a ship after drydock as everything is new and fresh.

 

[Pixiedustdawn]

O.K. This looks like a reunion!

So far it is only my 12 year old dd traveling with me. We are trying to convince the older kids to come along with us. My son is too involved with college and my oldest daughter just started a new job that she has been waiting for, and it too excited to think about anything else right now.

We are trying out a Navigators verandah on the 7th floor.

I am sure we will be planning on doing the Jet skiing on Castaway, and a lot of relaxing onboard the ship.

Can't wait!!

 

[SmallWorld71]

to Pixiedustdawn!

 

[Pixiedustdawn]

Thanks!! What a nice welcome.

Dawn

 

[Lynda Silk]

SmallWorld71, how nice of you to welcome everyone! Thank you so much!

Pixiedustdawn, we tried out the Navigator's Verandah on Deck 7 last month and we really liked it! It's more sheltered than the Cat 6 balconies, so it doesn't get as hot. And there's a bench on the one side with a cushion which is kind of nice too, plus a chair and table. My DD15 spent a lot of time out there relaxing. We booked one for next year too.

Glad to hear that there are some teens going; I have 2 myself, DS18 and DD16. They started back to school this week too. I drive 2 other kids to school with my DD; the first day, they were all energetic and excited. The next day, they were all complaining about how tired they were!

 

[Pixiedustdawn]

Hi Lynda,

I believe we also sailed with you last year on the Wonder.

Did you do two cruises, or just stayed on the ship for July and August this year?

We are in cabin 7628 next year. We went and took a peek at it on our last cruise and I liked it. My dd wasn't happy there wasn't a bunk bed though. Oh well.

Dawn

 

[Lynda Silk]

Hi Dawn,
I thought your name was familiar! And I wondered when I saw your comments re the reunion but I wasn't sure so I didn't say anything. How nice that we're sailing together again!

We did 2 cruises this year. The July one was kind of a last minute thing. My DD15 is a Jason Dolley fan and he was appearing on the Wonder so I booked the 3 day on impulse. I needed a getaway too and this just seemed to be a good solution to that. So I was very spoiled this year and we all enjoyed both cruises so much! That's why I had to book for next year too! I usually don't book onboard because I intend to save money and not travel, but then the inevitable happens and we can't resist booking again. So I thought I might as well face it and get the discount too.

We're very close to you; we're going to be in 7624. We were in 7626 in August and it doesn't have the bunk bed either. My kids (even at their age) were kind of disappointed too!

 

[Pixiedustdawn]

Hi Dawn,
I thought your name was familiar! And I wondered when I saw your comments re the reunion but I wasn't sure so I didn't say anything. How nice that we're sailing together again!

We did 2 cruises this year. The July one was kind of a last minute thing. My DD15 is a Jason Dolley fan and he was appearing on the Wonder so I booked the 3 day on impulse. I needed a getaway too and this just seemed to be a good solution to that. So I was very spoiled this year and we all enjoyed both cruises so much! That's why I had to book for next year too! I usually don't book onboard because I intend to save money and not travel, but then the inevitable happens and we can't resist booking again. So I thought I might as well face it and get the discount too.

We're very close to you; we're going to be in 7624. We were in 7626 in August and it doesn't have the bunk bed either. My kids (even at their age) were kind of disappointed too!

We should plan this every year. Booking onboard is the best way to go I think. This cruise I did not book onboard and could kick myself. I would of gotten it much cheaper and with 100 onboard credit.

We are neighbors! I think KC said she was a floor above, but forward.

Can't wait for next summer!!

Dawn

 

[Ski-and-Sea]

Dawn....so glad you're on this cruise. Its like the Tropical Storm Fay reunion cruise. Hopefully no storms on this cruise as we're not doing any back-to-backs this time.

Yes, we are waaaay far forward this time. I am hoping this will be the one cruise where we don't hear ANY noise from deck 9 at 5am.

Dawn....Roger's camera has the picture of you from the jet ski tour. That looked like a lot of fun. I think all four of us will book that for this cruise. We've really had the worst luck with that and bad weather. Its like when its our turn to go the seas suddenly get rough and the tour gets cancelled.

My kids liked the teen Wild Side excursion on Castaway Cay.

I think I read the Wonder will be getting Oceans Quest for the tweens. That will be nice. Both my kids will be old enough for Aloft this cruise.

Holy cow were my kids tired on the second day of school. They both slept in this morning. DD was supposed to have a 9am softball game but it got rained out. So now its rescheduled for 9am on Sunday

 

[Pixiedustdawn]

From your lips to God's ears. No storms!

That was horrible that you had to pay so much for that cabin to hear noises from the deck above.

Please tell Roger I said thank you very much. That was so nice of him to take a picture of us.

The jet skis were great. I have learned to book them first thing in the morning as not to let the stormy weather in the afternoon affect us. We will definitely do it with you next year. First one is at 10:00-10:15 I believe. I figure we could jet ski and then go get lunch afterwards and relax on the beach afterwards.

I meant to ask you, did you get to Serenity bay this past cruise. Any special things waiting for you there because you had the gold card?

How old do you have to be for Aloft? My daughter will be turning 13 for this cruise.

My daughter was out sick first day of school, barely made it in on the second day.

So, this cruise we should see some differences onboard with the new tier thing. Hopefully, it is for the better.

Dawn

 

[SmallWorld71]

Just curious: what's the "new tier" thing?

There is a lot of speculation on another thread about Ocean Quest, especially now that the Wonder will be doing longer cruises in 2011. I'm kind of hoping against it because then the 3 kids will be on 3 different decks (Club, Quest and Aloft) and I'm a little nervous about keeping track of them. I'm sure it will all work out though.

When is the Wonder's dry dock?

 

[Lynda Silk]

I was wondering about the 'tier' thing too!

Re the jet skiing...do you have to have experience to do this or will they show you how to use the jet skiis? We've never used them before but they look like so much fun so I was wondering about trying them.

My kids did the parasailing on CC this year and they loved it! They want to do it again next year and I might even try it too.

I drive 3 kids to school and the first day, they were bubbling over with excitement and talking about their new teachers and who was in their classes. The second morning, there was dead silence in the car except when 1 kid said "I'm so tired", then the next kid said "me too" and the third said "and me". I had to chuckle at the difference between the first and second day. My DS15 already had a project given to her on Friday that was due today; she was in a horse show yesterday so she was finishing it up late last night after we got back...no wonder these kids are tired!

 

[Ski-and-Sea]

Dawn......nothing special at Serenity Bay for the suite guests. I did have the luxury of being the 2nd person there that morning. Just one guy lounging on a chair. I had the entire sea to myself. That was really cool. And it was low tide so I could walk out a far distance.

There are some underwater structures in Serenity Bay just like in the family snorkeling lagoon. Not too much and I totally found them by accident. The water is crystal clear in Serenity Bay so the snorkeling was actually better there than the family lagoon.

There is absolutely no music played at Serenity Bay. That really surprised me. Also the food area is very, very small. But given the smaller crowd its not really a problem.

Regarding jet skiing.....I had Captain Henry on the Wonder mention that the best time to go jet skiing in first thing in the morning because its very predictable at Castaway Cay that it gets more windy during the afternoon hours.

For everyone else.....yes, Oceans Quest does present more logistical problems with having 3 decks of kids' clubs. On the Magic, the teen club was ages 14-17 with Oceans Quest being 11-13. Right now on the Wonder the teen club is 13-17.

My guess is after the Wonder drydock when the ship gets Oceans Quest that the teen club will move to 14-17.

Initially my DD was livid that the teen club on the Magic had switched to age 14 given that she was 13 on our last cruise. But the reality on our cruise was that many 14 year old girls were uncomfortable in the teen club with the 17 year old boys so the girls started hanging out in Oceans Quest.

So for the tween girls, Oceans Quest turned out to be a great place to gather. DD made a ton of friends there.

I think the new "tiers" that Dawn is talking about are the changes that will happen on the Wonder during its drydock in October.

Well, the kids are getting used to getting up early for school now. DS is playing soccer in high school and has practice every day. And practice ends after the late bus leaves so I have to pick him up every afternoon

 

[Pixiedustdawn]

I was wondering about the 'tier' thing too!

Re the jet skiing...do you have to have experience to do this or will they show you how to use the jet skiis? We've never used them before but they look like so much fun so I was wondering about trying them.

My kids did the parasailing on CC this year and they loved it! They want to do it again next year and I might even try it too.

I drive 3 kids to school and the first day, they were bubbling over with excitement and talking about their new teachers and who was in their classes. The second morning, there was dead silence in the car except when 1 kid said "I'm so tired", then the next kid said "me too" and the third said "and me". I had to chuckle at the difference between the first and second day. My DS15 already had a project given to her on Friday that was due today; she was in a horse show yesterday so she was finishing it up late last night after we got back...no wonder these kids are tired!

Hi lynda,

I had no experience what so ever on a Jet ski. I was nervous at first, but after a while we were having a lot of fun. I will definitely do it again. They will also give you a quick lesson on how it works and what to do.

I would like to one day try the parasailing, I need to get my nerve up first.

My daughter is still in summer mode. When the skies get grey and the cold weather comes in that is when we both get crazy and can't wait for our next cruise.

 

[Pixiedustdawn]

You can sign into your Disney cruise account and see how many cruises, dates and what tier you are.

 

[Pixiedustdawn]

Dawn......nothing special at Serenity Bay for the suite guests. I did have the luxury of being the 2nd person there that morning. Just one guy lounging on a chair. I had the entire sea to myself. That was really cool. And it was low tide so I could walk out a far distance.

There are some underwater structures in Serenity Bay just like in the family snorkeling lagoon. Not too much and I totally found them by accident. The water is crystal clear in Serenity Bay so the snorkeling was actually better there than the family lagoon.

There is absolutely no music played at Serenity Bay. That really surprised me. Also the food area is very, very small. But given the smaller crowd its not really a problem.

Regarding jet skiing.....I had Captain Henry on the Wonder mention that the best time to go jet skiing in first thing in the morning because its very predictable at Castaway Cay that it gets more windy during the afternoon hours.

For everyone else.....yes, Oceans Quest does present more logistical problems with having 3 decks of kids' clubs. On the Magic, the teen club was ages 14-17 with Oceans Quest being 11-13. Right now on the Wonder the teen club is 13-17.

My guess is after the Wonder drydock when the ship gets Oceans Quest that the teen club will move to 14-17.

Initially my DD was livid that the teen club on the Magic had switched to age 14 given that she was 13 on our last cruise. But the reality on our cruise was that many 14 year old girls were uncomfortable in the teen club with the 17 year old boys so the girls started hanging out in Oceans Quest.

So for the tween girls, Oceans Quest turned out to be a great place to gather. DD made a ton of friends there.

I think the new "tiers" that Dawn is talking about are the changes that will happen on the Wonder during its drydock in October.

Well, the kids are getting used to getting up early for school now. DS is playing soccer in high school and has practice every day. And practice ends after the late bus leaves so I have to pick him up every afternoon

I wish I would have seen you there, because they were telling me that the people in the suites get the real dishes, utensils and trays to carry their food. Also a golf cart escort back and forth to the ship.

I hope they open the quest up. I don't wait my dd with 17 year old boys either!! yikes

 

[Eeyores#1Fan]

WOW! I should have booked this cruise too. Might have to try to fit it in. We were on the 3 night Wonder 8/19-8/23 to celebrate my bday on the 22nd.
So far next two cruise plans are DVC Members Only (when they announce the new dates) and the DIS Podcast Cruise Dec. 2010.

In the event that I can't join you all make sure you have a WONDERful day on the 22nd!!!