Completed!! First Time Cruisers take Wonder to the Mexican Riviera 2/26-3/4

[kimmypie1]

We had never cruised before and our kids love anything Disney, so we decided to take our first ever cruise on DCL.

We booked in Jan 2011 and kept it a surprise from the kids the entire time,until the morning of the cruise. The kids were super excited and we were finally glad to let the secret out. We had the BEST time and loved every minute of our vacation. I am actually pretty sad that it is all over and now it is in the past.

Anyway, we are me, DH, DD 5 (almost 6) and DS 2 (almost 3).

Here is our TR of the Wonder to the Mexican Riviera:


IMG_0598 by
our very first view of the boat when first driving in


Check in:

We arrived at port around 10:30 or 11am. It wasn’t very crowded at this point. We sat in the lounge for a bit and we were boarding by 11:45.

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IMG_0599 by goar2012, on Flickr


We first went straight to the kids clubs to see about getting DS into the club rather than the nursery. He is potty trained and in pre-school full time with 3-5 year olds. They weren’t open yet and we were told to come back.

We went down to the concierge reception in the Cadillac lounge where we had free drinks and appetizers. It was nice to be able to set out stuff down and sort of decompress and relax. A youth activities rep from the clubs was there and we talked to her about our situation, she observed DS for a bit and determined he would be better in the club so she registered him in the system. All we needed to do was get his wrist band from the club!

IMG_0605 by goar2012, on Flickr
Atrium as you first walk in

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I think this is pretty cool with the almost shadow figures and the bridge behind.


After a bit, we headed up to the pool where we grabbed a quick lunch and the kids swam a bit. It was about time for our room to be ready so we headed down to see if it was and it was! We dropped off some stuff and then headed out to our Dis meet in the Promenade Lounge. It was so nice putting faces to names and meeting everyone. It felt a little silly introducing yourself as your screen name. They seem ok on the computer, but saying them out loud just sounds odd, LOL.

The kids in the meet all seemed to get along well and we were hopeful they would all get a chance to play together in the club!

Then it was off to the Muster drill. I definitely noticed people paying especially close attention to it.

Before we knew it, it was time for the Sail Away Party! We went up to deck 10 to get a good view. The kids had fun with the streamers and we danced and cheered. It was pretty cool when they sounded the horn for the first time.


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The view from deck 10

Then we went back to the room and finished unpacking and it was off to the dinner! Our dining rotation was PTTAPTA and we had early dining which I liked, but sometimes felt a little rushed getting to. But I couldn’t imagine eating dinner so late with late seating though.

some pics of the room:

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I started off the trip taking pictures of all of the food, but that quickly lost its luster so, sorry for the lack of food pics as the TR goes on.


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In Parrot Cay we ordered the Crab dip - good. Then the Ahi – ok, but kind of dry. Then I ordered a shrimp and avocado salad – bad!! I guess I was expecting the shrimp to be grilled or warm, but it was like shrimp cocktail on a bed of lettuce. Not very good. And there was hardly any dressing. DH ordered the Rib Eye and said it was good. The kids ordered gluten free meals for most of the cruise so I can’t really comment on the kids food too much. They had GF pasta with marinara sauce and seemed to like it.


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Then came time for dessert! I had heard so much about the yummy Mickey Bars and wanted to try them so I told the kids they would love them, they each ordered one and they came to the table and………


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Those aren’t Mickey Bars, lol. Our server Bonieface said that they were using Mickey Ice Cream sandwiches for the near future and didn’t really have a good reason why. Oh well, at least we didn’t know what we were missing!!

After dinner we went to check out the open house in the clubs. There were a lot of kids in there and our kids had fun running around for a bit but it was pretty crowded since it was the first night so we left and went to get their bands. Apparently the YA counselor from earlier didn’t do something right and DS wasn’t registered after all. They called a manager over and I went thru the same speech again and she said she would let him in, space available. But that if we choose the club now, we can’t change our mind and go back to the nursery. I said DEAL!

After dinner was the first show. Nothing too exciting, I remember it being funny at times and not so funny at others.

We were tired, and hungry, so we went back to the room and ordered room service and went to bed. Little did I know I wouldn’t actually be sleeping much that night. Our room creaked and cracked so loudly it was so hard to sleep, even though I was wearing earplugs!

Up next...First Sea Day!

 

[PaigerPoo]

Thank you KimmyPie!! Love it so far!! We head out on the 25th of this month and are getting SO EXCITED!! Looking forward to reading more!!

 

[Laundress]

So nice to see you get your TR started. Looking forward to reading it.
Can I ask..did you get a #1 boarding card, did they tell you to go straight to the concierge reception (before lunch) we are sailing end of April. Thank you

 

[socababy]

What room were you in? It looks identicical to 8032 which we had last Nov. If this is your room, hopefully they got the red wine stain out of the carpet that I embarrassly made! LOL

We had Bonieface last Feb and loved him! We have a request in to have him again next month!

Can't wait to read the rest of your report!

 

[socababy]

So nice to see you get your TR started. Looking forward to reading it.
Can I ask..did you get a #1 boarding card, did they tell you to go straight to the concierge reception (before lunch) we are sailing end of April. Thank you

Not the OP, but when we sailed in Nov we did get a #1 boarding card. I can't remember what they told us about the concierge reception but we went and ate at Parrot Cay first and then went to the reception. This was nice because we could then hang out at the reception and relax until our room was ready. They did have some light snacks at the reception but not enough choices for my kids to have a good lunch.

 

[kimmypie1]

What room were you in? It looks identicical to 8032 which we had last Nov. If this is your room, hopefully they got the red wine stain out of the carpet that I embarrassly made! LOL

We had Bonieface last Feb and loved him! We have a request in to have him again next month!

Can't wait to read the rest of your report!

Yep! 8032. Funny because I remember talking to you on here about the wine and I even looked for it in the room, ha. No evidence of a stain so you are off the hook

 

[kimmypie1]

So nice to see you get your TR started. Looking forward to reading it.
Can I ask..did you get a #1 boarding card, did they tell you to go straight to the concierge reception (before lunch) we are sailing end of April. Thank you

Yes, we got a #1 boarding card. No they didn't tell us we had to go straight to the reception. We just did it that way because we wanted somewhere mellow and less crowded to sit for a while. They will come by in the lounge before boarding and tell you where it is and for what time period so you can decide when you want to go. They have a nice variety of snacks and free drinks

 

[cnj]

Thanks for all of the pictures of the room! It was cool to see the lounge chairs on the verandah! Cannot wait to hear the rest of your trip!

 

[SanDiegoSteph]

Hey Kimmie:

I'm the person who was "haunting" the DISBoards with you for recent Wonder Navigators the past couple of months!!

So glad to hear you had such a great time and I can't wait to read more. Also so happy you got your son into the Club!

You KNOW you're going to have to post your Navigators though for all of us still lurking looking for "changes"

Stephanie

 

[Kirbo]

So glad you decided to do a TR!

This was the best vacation we've ever had. I can't believe we had to get off the boat

I can see myself in your sailaway picture, I'm in the pink top to the right of the streamer

 

[kimmypie1]

So glad you decided to do a TR!

This was the best vacation we've ever had. I can't believe we had to get off the boat

I can see myself in your sailaway picture, I'm in the pink top to the right of the streamer

Then you will probably see yourself in a lot of our pictures. You and your husband sat behind us at Palo and you and your girls were next to us at the Princess Tea. (or maybe your husband was with them I don't remember). We seemed to see you guys everywhere!

 

[kimmypie1]

Hey Kimmie:

I'm the person who was "haunting" the DISBoards with you for recent Wonder Navigators the past couple of months!!

So glad to hear you had such a great time and I can't wait to read more. Also so happy you got your son into the Club!

You KNOW you're going to have to post your Navigators though for all of us still lurking looking for "changes"

Stephanie

Yes, I have them and will try to scan them tomorrow. If you have a specific question in the meantime I can check the navigators for you!

 

[kimmypie1]

We slept in a bit and woke up and ate room service breakfast. One of the perks of concierge is the ability to order hot breakfast to your room. We took advantage of that almost every morning. It was great! The eggs were watery, but otherwise everything was pretty good. We all got dressed and the kids wanted to check out the kids club. So we went to Story time with Snow White. 20 minutes later we got a text that DS wanted to be picked up. Both kids said it was just too crowded and loud. This would be the only time that happened, so don’t fear fellow parents!!

We went to wait in line for our first character meet of the cruise – Pluto! DS was scared, but DD took her pic and got his autograph.


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DD with Pluto


We explored the ship and did some shopping for the kids and then we went back to the room and ordered room service lunch. Pizza and salad and they were both pretty good. I found the room service pizza to be way better than the quick service pizza by the pool.

We took a family nap (so miss being able to do that) and then woke up and got ready for Formal night. We took our formal picture in front of Tritons and then went to eat there as well. I had the fried ravioli which was really good. And another salad which was good as well. I ordered the NY steak and found it to be ok, but overcooked. DH ordered a sample of the gnocchi and we thought it was good, but very rich.


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Fried ravioli - yum!


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Us while in line for the formal pic. A nice lady in line with us took our pic while we waited. I LOVE the professional pic that was taken. In fact it is the only pic we purchased from shutters. We paid to have it mounted in this really cool folding frame that has a photo of the ship on one side and a photo of the characters dressed in formal wear on the other, then us inside. I swear I look at it every day. I miss the ship so much


We had the kids food come before ours (GF pasta again) and we took them to the club while we finished eating, leisurely while enjoying a nice glass of wine and adult conversation, something that we rarely get to do at home. We did this almost every night of the cruise!! I highly recommend it because every time we would drop the kids off after they ate, the clubs were practically empty and there were no open houses during this time.

We walked around for a bit, then picked up the kids and headed into the Golden Mickeys. I loved this! And the kids did too. Nothing beats looking over and seeing their little faces lit up in awe

Then off to the room for a little room service and to bed. Slept a bit better this night but still not good. One note about the pull out sofa beds, they are super comfortable! I slept on the pull out sofa with DD every night and DH and DS slept in the bed. Good thing this trip was about the kids huh? I missed sleeping next to DH for a full week and it was nice once we got home and back to normal (and no little feet jammed into our sides).

 

[kimmypie1]

sorry guys my scanner is acting up and cut some off so this is as good as it gets...


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[PizzieDuster]

Great trip report!

 

[Kirbo]

Then you will probably see yourself in a lot of our pictures. You and your husband sat behind us at Palo and you and your girls were next to us at the Princess Tea. (or maybe your husband was with them I don't remember). We seemed to see you guys everywhere!

I can't believe I didn't realize that . I was so wrapped up in my own family that I obviously wasn't paying attention. My apologies

 

[kimmypie1]

I can't believe I didn't realize that . I was so wrapped up in my own family that I obviously wasn't paying attention. My apologies

No need to apologize It was just funny how there were 3 or 4 families from the Dis that we seemed to follow everywhere. It was nice though to have some familiar faces wherever we went.

I miss the boat, where is my room hostess?? my house is a wreck!!

 

[fotogirl]

We were on the ship the week before you...love your trip report!

 

[Kirbo]

No need to apologize It was just funny how there were 3 or 4 families from the Dis that we seemed to follow everywhere. It was nice though to have some familiar faces wherever we went.

I miss the boat, where is my room hostess?? my house is a wreck!!

I'm just glad you don't think I'm a big doody

Yeah, my house is a wreck as well. What's up with that?

 

[kimmypie1]

Sea day 2 – Tuesday

I woke up before everyone else in the room and went for a run on deck 4. I just loved running in the open air while the ocean is at your side, looking out into the horizon. Really amazing for me!

Got back to the room and room service had been delivered and I joined the rest of the fam for some food.

DH and I had Palo brunch scheduled for 11 am so we got dressed and dropped the kids off at the club. They noticed we were dressed up and asked if we were going to Palo. We said yes and they said they would make a note on the file about our reservation and that they would only page us in an emergency! You mean we had some guaranteed uninterrupted adult time? Sign me up!!


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Palo was of course excellent. However we sat right by the window and the sun beating down on us and it made us quite hot and uncomfortable. DH was in a suit so it bothered him more than me. I just concentrated on my champagne and food!! I can’t remember all that I had. I know the prosciutto wrapped asparagus was one of my favorites as was the spicy tuna. Now, I knew from reading the Dis that the gorgonzola and grape pizza was fantastic so I just had to try it. Oh man were they right!! It was delicious. But so rich I could only eat one slice. DH tried some and thought it was too buttery.


100_1694 by goar2012, on Flickr

For my main dish I ordered the chicken parm, which was recommended by our server Mariana. We loved her, btw. This dish was so good, and the risotto with it was to die for.

DH ordered the spicy Italian pizza and said it was good too.

Next up was dessert. What’s a girl to do when she can’t make up her mind which dessert to try? Why get one of each!!!


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DH made fun of me, but I honestly only took a bit or two of each item. Just to try it!

After gorging ourselves we picked up the kids and went to see Pinnochio and get his picture. As usual DS was afraid of him but DD took a pic.


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We then took them to lunch at Beach Blanket Buffet then on to the pool.

The Mickey pool was crazy crowded as could be expected. But I was so grossed out by the pool water, it was murky!! Ew, I could just imagine what was in there!!


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On our way to back to our room, we walked into the stairwell and ran into this crazy kid!


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Goofy!!! We practically had a one on one with him, it was awesome. Some nice guy passing by offered to take a family pic of us! (notice DS given him the "eye"? he doesn't quite trust him)

We got back to the room and we gave the kids a long nice hot bath to wash all the “murky” off.

Then it was back to Tritons dinner. I had the Sea Bass which I liked. I don’t remember what DH or the kids had (see here is where I start to lose interest) sorry.

We dropped the kids off at the club and finished eating. We went to the Cadillac Lounge for a few drinks and some music. There we ran into our concierge host Marcos. He asked if we were going to the Hyptnotist show and we said probably not, we were just enjoying the lounge. He told us how funny it was and that we can’t miss it, so we grabbed the kids and headed over.

It is a good thing we did or we would have missed out on what was one of my favorite moments of the cruise. DH got hypnotized!! It was so freaking funny. For those of you who saw the show or have seen it recently, he was the one who held up the shoe and thought it was Simba from the Lion King. I don’t think I have laughed that hard in a long time. DD thought it was really funny but DS was passed out on my lap. The weird thing was DS was wide awake until DH went “under”, and right when he did, DS passed out. Strange…

Anyway, DH doesn’t remember anything from being hypnotized other than feeling really warm. One of the funniest things is that the group was told in the show that napkins were 100 dollar bills and they were stuffing them into their pockets like mad. When we got back to the room, DH was wondering why he had pockets full of napkins, lol.

After the show we all went to bed.