Disney Wonder 10/5 Cruise Report

[Gatormice]

Just returned from a first time cruise on the Disney Wonder! I hope that you may find some usefull info in my report!

Thursday 10/2

DW (expecting), DD, (3), and I (trip organizer and trouble shooter) leave the cold north of PA and board the plane for Orlando. Arrive and head for the rental car! Of course the child seat is not installed and I (like 2 other families) attempt to unwrap it and install it in the FL heat. After 20 minutes of attempts I finally read the instructions and we are on our way! First stop - Holiday Inn Family Suites. After much research we decided on this hotel based upon it's activities and kid friendly approach. Verdict - unless you have a large family and really want to save money avoid it. The free buffet was something out of the Las Vegas Vacation movie (rent it), roaches in the room, and the pool open until 12:00pm +. I must be getting old.....Anyway, off to the Grand Floridian for a Character dinner - it was very good (we book it on every trip).

Friday 10/3

Magic Kingdom - the parking lot was free of the usual sea of cars and overall not too crowded. Mickey's Philharmagic is a must see!

Saturday 10/4

Hang by the pool and attend the Polynesian Hotels Luau with friends from Gainesville - my former residence - that's why I think PA is cold in Oct. This is my second visit and highly recommended - although not cheap!

Sunday 10/5

The big day has finally arrived! We drive to the port and get in around 10:15am - right on schedule. The check in process runs very Disneylike and we take our place in line. Board around 12ish and head straight for Parrot Cay Buffet. My attempt to eat my money's worth is underway - first time cruiseritis. After our display of eating abilities we head up to the Oceaneers Club Check in. Our first experience was not steller...kids running loose, climbing on everyting, parents screaming out their names, chasing my DD thourgh the rope walk of the play ship (it was pretty neat dispite the pandamonium). I was a little surprised at the lack of organization - this is Disney you know. The facts are that the club contains great activites for the kids (mine loved it and asked to go first thing every morning) but the staff showed that they are overworked. Need to work on this one.....anyway we joined are companions for dinner in Animators Palate for the early seating. We lucked out as they were quite pleasant and had a 6 year old girl - my 3 (going on 23) year old immediately bonded with her and they played together for the entire cruise!

Monday

We decided that a new Rolex, snorkling (3 year old and pregnant wife) and extensive walking was probably out of the picture for us. We paid for it so let's stay on the ship and enjoy it. Great idea as my wife got some needed rest, my daughter hit the kids club and I went to the pool. This is my idea of a vacation!

Tuesday

More of the same from Monday...I must say we really relaxed and had quality family time at the pool and exploring the ship. DW hit up the spa and loved it. Disney Dreams was fabulous! One of the best shows I have seen - great for kids too!

Wed

Castaway Cay - How sweet it was. I was born and raised on the beach in Florida and I can truly say this was one of the overall best beach experiences I have ever had. Perfect water, good sand, shops, buffet, pictures - be sure to take a shot of the ship with the beach in the background! Wife headed back early - fair skinned and the sun was brutal! DD and I stayed and got back just in time for the Golden Mickey Matinee show. Dinner that night was wonderful and sad -last night on board. We said goodbye to our tablemates (got their email address) and headed back to pack. Finished just in time for the 10:00pm character meet and greet in the atrium.. I must warn you that this was a free for all. Although the characters were scheduled through the week the overall times they were availible were very short. If you were not in line early they left at their scheduled time no matter what... More than one crying child was seen chasing Belle or Cinerella down the hall for an autograph - it happened to us. This night was no exception. After standing in line for 30 minutes in full view of the staff (we got the ritual down after 3 nights) we learned that there was not going to be a line but instead the characters Belle, Aurora, Cinderalla, Mulan, etc. ( I gotten good at recognizing them)_would walk around the hall. As you can imaging everyone started complaing rushing the floor to try to be first. Kids screaming, parents pushing, cameras flashing. It was not a pretty sight - I was surprised Disney would handle it like this. We did get our pictures and autographs so I guess it ended up OK - mom is still mad about it (this event takes place at 10:00pm)

Thursday

6:45am breakfast call came early but the call of food spurred us on. Said goodbye to our waiters (took pictures with them) and headed off the ship. This was a very easy and Disneylike process. Just give the luggage to the porter and he will escort you all the way to your car, bus, etc....Headed back to Disney for yet more fun. Checked in at the Hilton (great deal at $99) near Downtown Disney and called it a night.

Friday

Still more Disney to experience! We headed to MGM with Beauty and the Beast and the Little Mermaid shows being first on the list. I have visited the Magic Kingdom over 20 times but this was only my 2nd trip to MGM. It was significantly more crowded than the week before (who would have thought of fall break when we were kids?) The shows were good but not much more for a 3 year old - stick to Animal Kingdom or the Magic Kingdom. Headed back to the Hotel and had dinner at Benihana's - great!

Saturday

I never thought that I would have enough Disney ( and may be banned for saying so) but I was ready to head home! Arrived back in PA that night and began the break in process once again. We all had a wonderful time!

Highpoints

Castaway Cay - 2 days would be perfect!, food - see challenges, Shows, Kids Clubs, Disney Staff, The Wonder - beautiful!, Castaway Cay -it was that good!

Challenges

Packing too much - you won't need as much as you think, trust me!, Kids check in - very hectic, Character meet and greets - Un Disney like, food - although it was good the selections were geared to a European type taste - nothing wrong with it but filet mignon does not need to be dunked in tomato sauce....just an opinion, desserts were somewhat of a let down.

What to and not to bring

Don't pack as much as you think. In most restuarants slacks and a polo shirt for men was fine. We did not eat at Palo's but I did walk by and look in. Most men were wearing jackets and a open collar shirt. If you are not planning on dining there don't waiste the space with ties or jackets. One pair of dress shoes, sandels, and tennis/deck shoes is all you need. Sun tan lotion - a must!, Snacks - leave them at home (unless you have little ones), plenty of food on board. There is a laundry room and iron station on board. Since we left 4 days early we used it - early on Monday morning - and were good for the rest of the trip. My wife wanted me to include a bottle of wrinkle releaser - it does work...


Have fun and see you at sea!

 

[juliadan]

Hi Thanks for the great trip report. We will be traveling on the Wonder next year with a 3 and 5 year old. Was curious was checkin at the Clubs the only time it seemed hectic/crazy? How much time did your 3yo spend in the clubs? Did you ever put her in late night for a movie? Thanks-any info on kids club would be appreciated.

 

[alexandrew]

I enjoyed your trip report very much....we were on the same cruise as you, and quite frankly, we were disappointed that more men didnt wear jackets to Tritons-very casual

 

[Tracie Wallace]

Hi Gatormice:
We were also on the same cruise; however, I have yet to write a review!

I agree about the children's club check in. First you get in line to check with the receptionist, then stand in line to talk to a counselor, then stand in line to get out and get a pager. This could be a lot easier.

Food was o.k. Nothing I hated, nothing I loved. We had dinner at Palo (husband wore a suit) and thought dinner was a notch above the dining rooms - but still not stellar.

We had the second seating - which means you get out around 10:00 or after. It seems that the character meet and greets were geared towards the main dining room seatings. We would get to the atrium around 10:15/10:20 and there were huge lines to see the characters.

We stayed at the Holiday Inn Family Suites last time. Even though it seems to be a favorite on these boards - it would not be on my highly recommended list. I didn't see cockroaches though!!! That would have freaked me out. We stayed a few nights at the Radisson Parkway. It was better than the Holiday Inn though.

Did you make it to the ESPN skybox? We checked it out but it was so smokey I couldn't stay.

I was hoping to see Mickey's Philharmagic, but it was closed due to technical difficulties.

I did go on EPCOT's new Mission: Space. I got sick - I actually threw-up on the ride - something I've NEVER done before. My husband and daughter loved it though - they went on it 4 times.

I had a great time on the ship - but would still like to try a Royal Caribbean trip next - maybe Alaska.

 

[Gatormice]

Thanks for the responses! I understand your concerns about the dress code at dinner. Although I did not wear a jacket (sorry but I am a rebel at heart) I did wear slacks and a nice polo shirt. What amazed me was seeing people at dinner in shorts, T shirts, and sandals! I wear jackets every day at work and enjoyed the break but that was unacceptable. In response to your request for kids club info - my 3 year old daughter (who is somewhat shy at first) loved them. Snow White, Belle, Peter Pan, Tea with Wendy all proved to be winners. She could not wait to check in every morning. I did see a lot of crying kids holding on to their parents pleading not to be left....It all depends on the child. Most kids enjoyed it. My displeasure with the check in was based on my prior experiences with Disney and my expectations were high. Just don't expect everything to be perfect, it will all work out in the end. I understand that the crew works very long hours on a 6 or 8 month contract which would cause anyone to be stressed out. Again, the club overall was fantastic. We would check my DD in around10:30am, let her eat lunch with the group and check her out around 2:30 for pool time. Some events - like Tea with Wendy and Snow White started at 7:15pm so either my wife or I would order (early seating) her dinner first and take her up around 7:00pm, and then we would come back and finish dessert. Since she is only 3 we tried to pick her up no later than 9:00pm (and felt quilty). It depended on the nights activities - some nights we skipped and went to a show. You would not believe the amount of kids still there at 10:00pm! Oh well it is a vacation.... I did make it to the ESPN Sky Box but like you the smoke chased me out. Watched the games in my room. Did you see the rainbow as we left Castaway Cay? That Disney cruise is somthing else! Let me know if you need any info on kids clubs or other good stuff....Thanks again.