Disney Wonder - 2014 Westbound Panama Crossing - Updated 5/30 (Up to Day 13 of 15)

[jedijill]

Reading along enviously....I'll do a PC crossing someday!

Jill in CO

 

[ShakeyShakey]

Day 4 - Cozumel, Mexico - Cinco de Mayo

Our second port day was Cozumel, Mexico - we again opted out of any organized excursions and decided to do a leisurely walking tour along General Raphael Melgar Ave which runs along the north seawall both east and west of the cruise port. No tender was required as we docked at the Punta Langosta Cruise Terminal - Mexican port authorities guided us off the ship and through a small gift shop up a set of escalators and over to the south-side of General Raphael Melgar Ave where more tourist shops, jewelry shops are found.





As May 5 was Cinco de Mayo, we were expecting much fanfare when we arrived in Cozumel - we were a little disappointed to find out that when in Mexico, May 5 is basically treated like Flag Day not fourth of July!. There were absolutely no visible signs in Cozumel that Cinco de Mayo was any different than any other day.

Security throughout the port area was provided by armed federal police and a few military vehicles with armed soldiers. Most of the jewelry shops have their own unarmed security guards posted out from - all in all we felt safe to walk in the area (in the daytime).

Although you will be a constantly bombarded with heckling from the local shop keepers along the way, they aren't too aggressive (not as bad as Cartegena) and won't impede your walking. Some of their approaches are funny ("hey amigo, come buy my junk") but most are just trying to get you into their store. They quickly pick up on the fact that you are Disney Cruisers and will often make some comments.

There are a few reputable jewelry stores along the way (Diamonds International - was located in every port we hit except Key West) but we only purchased a couple of Nacho Libre mexican wrestling masks for our DSs back home.

We decided to have lunch at Pancho's Backyard Restaurant - approximately a 30 minute walk from the port. The food was excellent, we decided to stay safe with the Quesadilla's, Nachos and Pina Colada. Also free WiFi!!! We were seated in a small courtyard complete with great Mexican atmosphere, two local men played the Marimbas. Pancho's also has a store selling local handicrafts, tequila, jewelry and gifts. Absolutely no pressure sales here.





We returned back the Wonder by 3:00 pm after doing a little more sightseeing and browsing in Plaza del Sol.



Upon returning to the Wonder we found that a number of the characters were strolling through the ship in Spanish attire.







The evening show was a return appearance of John Charles - we really enjoyed his show and it was suitable for adults and families alike.

 

[ShakeyShakey]

Day 5 and 6 - Sea Days 2 and 3

After departing from Cozumel, Mexico the Wonder continued southeast across the Gulf of Mexico away from Belize pretty much smack in the middle between Jamaica and Honduras. We travelled pretty much at 18 knots throughout this leg of the trip - the seas were fairly calm and the weather was a little muggy and hot.

If you are a fan of the Disney Princesses, the WBPC provides countless opportunities to spend time with your favourites...aboard the cruise we had Belle, Cinderella, Tiana, Rapunzel, Sophia the First and Ariel. Between the three scheduled Princess Gatherings and strolls - you can easily find at lease one princess or character at any given time day or night. Due to the low number of children aboard the cruise, the lines were very short - ranging from 2 minutes to 15 minutes at the most.

















Due to the number of sea days and the length of this cruise, the Wonder arranged for a extra entertainment to be on board. Sea Day # 2 called for a Beach Boys cover band "Catch a Wave" to play on the Deck 9 Main Stage in the afternoon. The evening show was hypnotist Matthew Fallon.

The next sea day called for a Beatles cover band "Paperback Writer" that held a show in the Walt Disney Theatre. The show was excellent with really cool costumes and lighting.

 

[ibouncetoo]

I must say, these are some great Princesses! Each looked very appropriate to their character.

.

 

[ShakeyShakey]

Day 7 - Cartegena, Colombia (Second Port Day)

We arrived in Cartegena, Colombia at approximately 06:30 am on May 8th at the sea port which is smack in the middle of a cargo container port with a lot of container ships and bulk cargo vessels. The disembarkation was run from Deck 1 Aft, pretty much at ground level for the dock. All aboard was scheduled for 3:00 sharp as the Wonder was on a tight schedule to arrive in Panama the next day.

As we were not comfortable to venture out on foot/private car/taxi from the seaport we elected to take an organized excursion - City Drive, Shopping and La Popa Monastery. Our scheduled time to start the tour was 9:30 - our group met in Studio Sea and were quickly escorted down to Deck 1 where we were met by cast members and escorted to our air conditioned tour buses. The cast was quick to get us aboard the bus as there were a number of women with fruit-stacked headdress having their picture taken with guests, for a fee of course - they weren't too pushy but you got the vibe that pictures weren't free. On the dock, there were at least 20 buses and 20 to 30 private cars/vans standing by.









Our english speaking guide introduced himself and started the tour providing a bit of history lesson of Cartegena discussing their recent challenges and plans for the future. We quickly departed the port area and made our way through some pretty congested local streets were the bus driver demonstrated some pretty snazzy driving skills as we sped from the port to the foot of the mount where the La Popa Monastery is located. The streetscape was transformed from a commercial port area, to middle-class homes and apartments, to impoverished tin huts that showed signs of recent flooding and landslides. Throughout our trip we were reminded of the presence of military who were following the bus from a distance. At the start of the roadway to the Monastery, there were armed soldiers controlling access to the winding road ahead. At every hairpin turn, we would see another armed soldier for approximately 3 kilometers up the mount. We did not feel unsafe with the presence of the guards but you knew that they were positioned there for a reason.









The bus driver was not reckless but did not waste any time getting up the mountain. Once our bus reached the peak, we exited the bus outside the gates to the Monastery where locals who were permitted access to the area were selling fruit, handicrafts, t-shirts and offered to have your picture taken on their donkey (for a fee of course). The tour guide gave us a heads-up about this and was quick to move our group from the bus into the confines of the Monastery property.



The exterior of the Monastery does not do justice to the inner courtyard and chapel. The exterior provided a great vantage-point of the city, harbour and the Wonder parked in the seaport.













We spent approximately 60 minutes at the Monastery before making our way to Fort San Felipe de Barajas which is a huge fortress constructed in the 1500s and statue of Blas de Lezo, a renowned Spanish Admiral who lost an arm, an leg and one eye during his tenure. As we were tight for time, the driver allowed us to exit the bus and take a few pictures (10 minutes) before heading to our next stop. There were about 10 local vendors selling jewelry, t-shirts and local handicrafts. They were fairly persistent and approached the bus and anyone who ventured on foot. I would have preferred to spend more time at this fortress - you would need at least an hour or two to check it out properly.





We then headed to Las Bovedas for approximately 45 minutes of shopping for jewelry, local handicrafts and souvenirs. Las Bovedas was originally built as dungeons and vaults used to store munitions and provisions in the 1700s. We could have used another 30 minutes or so to check out some of the side streets and walkways around this location - there are a number of upscale hotels in the area with shops and restaurants.





We then continued on to the Old City area for some more jewelry shopping and a quick tour of the resort and condo area before heading back to the port. This stop was a waste of time - I don't believe anyone on our bus purchased anything. The local vendors and street merchants were very pushy at this location - most guests opted to stay on the bus.



We were back aboard the Wonder by 2:00 pm. All in all, this tour was OK (a 7 on the scale of 1 to 10) and would definitely not be kid friendly.

The evening entertainment was Scott Alexander, a Magician and Illusionist. The show was entertaining and suitable for families.

Weather - 90F, very humid but mostly sunny.

 

[KathleenlovesMickey]

With your experience in Cartagena would you suggest not getting off the ship? The armed guards kinda freak me out a bit. Is there anything close to port? We like to try to collect magnets from every port. Was the only way to get to anything by taxi?
I am loving your trip report ! The pictures are beautiful!

 

[ShakeyShakey]

I would get off the ship but would only go with an organized excursion through DCL - military guards were armed and patrolling the area in both Cozumel and Cartegena - did not see any overt presence in Puerto Vallarta or Cabos. We felt safe at all of the ports of call - it's just not something we are used to.

Taxi's were available - but again, if it's not organized through DCL - I wouldn't venture out unescorted. There was nowhere to walk to from the port, although some cast members told us they visited some kind of miniature zoo on the port that they were able to walk to.

 

[ibouncetoo]

....posted in the wrong place...

 

[wilma-bride]

I am loving your trip report. As another reader who is booked on the WBPC next May, I am excited to read about your experiences.

 

[ShakeyShakey]

Day 9 - Panama Canal Crossing

After departing Cartegena, we were full speed ahead to the first set of locks at the Panama Canal. We were scheduled to arrive at the lock entrance at approximately 07:30 am and we heard that many guests were going to stake their spot on deck 10 by 05:00 to ensure they had a view. We decided to take leisurely approach and made our way up to the starboard side, forward on deck 10 by 7:00 am. Although we did not get a spot near the bow, our view was fine.

DCL had made arrangements to have Captain Puckett, a longtime Panama Canal Pilot (specially trained and experienced captains who assume control of a ship to navigate into port or through difficult passages) to provide a series of lectures on the history, construction, operation and future of the Panama Canal. This was a special year for the Panama Canal as it is in its 100 year of operation while at the same time new construction is well underway for a set of new locks to accommodate longer and wider vessels. The sessions were taped and broadcast on the televisions throughout the cruise.

By 7:30 we were approaching the first set of locks at Gatun. Appropriately dressed characters to celebrate the occasion were on deck to entertain the guests and locals on shore.









A tug arrived to standby in case the Wonder needed a nudged getting into the first set of locks. We were told that 6 pilots boarded the ship at the first set of locks - only two were needed and the remaining four enjoyed a Disney Wonder breakfast and entertainment.



When the Wonder arrived at the lock gates, the guide cables were attached to six electric locomotives to guide our passage through the three sets of locks to get us into Gatun Lake. The cables are not used to pull the ship as it travels under our own power. It is a very tight squeeze with less that 2 feet of space on either side of the ship.











Approximately 90 minutes later we cleared the first set of locks and made our way across Gatun Lake and headed toward the Centennial Bridge and Continental Divide. The total time to transit the Panama Canal was approximately 9 hours.

This picture helps you understand that we were transiting a man made lake where the islands were hilltops more the 100 years ago, the black protrusions in the water were petrified trees.





We then headed into the Pedro Miguel Locks by 1:45, a little bit ahead of schedule. At this location, we could easily see the new lock system under construction. Judging from this picture it is hard to believe that the new locks are expected to be operational in 2015.







The Wonder continued onto the last set of two locks, the Miraflores Locks before passing under the Bridge of America with Panama City in the distance. We made our way into the Pacific Ocean by 5:15 pm. A fuel tender was arranged and we anchored off the coast of Panama for approximately 4 hours between 8:00 and midnight - no smoking was permitted on decks during this time.

Over a hundred Panamanian adults and children were able to get a glimpse of Disney Characters from the Miraflores Locks Visitors Centre.



The Walt Disney Theatre hosted a big screen viewing of Captain America Winter Soldier.

Weather - 95F, Mostly Sunny, Very Humid until we reached the Pacific, where a strong breeze dried things out a bit.

 

[pepe3penelope]

Thank you so much for your TR! I've been following along. Before Wonder went thru the Panama Canal, my DH was telling me specifically how the locks work. So fascinating! Love the character pics! I wonder when construction will really be finished! Photos to do PC someday!

 

[Luv2Diz]

Thanks for sharing your nice TR and photos. We've been considering a PC cruise so this helps!

 

[bbn1122]

Love your TR and photos.....dreaming of taking this cruise in the future. I told DH that once the youngest is off to college in 4 years, I want to do two things together (sans the boys), first F&W at Epcot and stay in the new GF villas and 2nd or maybe now first, take the WBPC cruise.

Thank you so much for sharing....

 

[ShakeyShakey]

Day 10, 11, 12 & 13 - Sea Days 4, 5, 6 & 7

Four Days at Sea! At first I was a little leery of four full days at sea (really 5 when you consider that Cartegena was the last real port of call) but this turned out to be a very relaxing part of our voyage and we quite enjoyed some time to relax, unwind and enjoy the fresh Pacific air where the weather was 80F and noticeably less humid than the Gulf of Mexico - out of our 15 day trip, we had a half a day of rain - the afternoon of Day 10 (our fourth sea day) where heavy rain started just after lunch and continued into the early evening.

Each day we spent a lot of time on Deck 9 and 10 enjoying the sun, spending time in the family pool (in fact we found that the family pool/jacuzzi was less crowded than the adult pool - the water was definitely cleaner as the family pool had to be 'serviced' at least four times during our trip - I don't think the adult pool/jacuzzi had changed the water and it was a little greasy by Day 14).



When were were not up on Deck 9/10, we would spend time on Deck 4 to look for sea life while travelling up the coast between Panama and Mexico - each day we could see shore in the distance - dolphins, seals and sea turtles could be viewed pretty frequently - occasionally an announcement would be made when a large pod of dolphins were close by - on Day 13 a whale was sighted but too far away to get a good picture.



Day 10 - Evening entertainment was "Toy Story - The Musical" - the sets, costuming and cast performance were all very good, but as most of previously stated - the story needs to be updated.



Day 11 - We arranged for a Galley Tour through the Shore Excursions Desk and thoroughly enjoyed a tour of the Triton/Parrot Cay kitchens where the kitchen Chef and Pastry Chef provided a great run down of the vast quantities of provisions loaded onto the ship in Miami - over 1,000 kgs of sugar and 2,000 kgs of flour were consumed - more than 450 gallons of ice cream at the Deck 9 soft ice cream station alone. Over 4,000 chocolate chip cookies are baked each day.







The evening entertainment was another WBPC treat - Gavin Lee, an English born actor who was the Bert on the Broadway production of Mary Poppins since 2004. The show was excellent with plenty of singing and tap dancing enjoyable to families and adults alike.

Day 12 - We had reservations for Palo Brunch and learned that we preferred the variety and quality of the Brunch Menu over the Dinner Menu. Plus we had the rest of the day to walk off the vast quantities of food consumed compared to eating a huge meal at 8:30 pm.

The evening show was Rebecca and Donovan - a musical acrobatic act that was more suited to the adult crowd - they have featured on Britain and America's Got Talent.

The Pirates of the Caribbean Deck Party was held at 9:45 and went off without a hitch.



Day 13 - a special treat for Pixar fans was held in the Deck 3 Atrium - Pixar Pals. This event was not announced in advance until Day 13. Characters from Toy Story, the Incredibles, Up, Ratatouille and Monsters Inc. put on a great, high energy show.





















The evening entertainment was a DCL Cast show "Let's Go To the Movies" produced by the entertainment cast aboard the Wonder with singing and dancing to broadway and hollywood hits such as Singing in the Rain, Les Miserables, etc. Each act was excellent and really demonstrated the talents of the Wonder cast.

There were lots of opportunities to get great sunset shots although we were travelling at a course of 280 to 300 degrees where the sunset was mostly fore then port.

 

[GoCruiseDaddy]

You've done a fantastic job of sharing your cruise. My wife and I are thinking about the same trip in 2015. Your postings got us more excited to get ours booked. We did the Wonder, Maxican Riveria in April of 2012 for our 30th Anniversary and we are hooked on Disney Cruises as our first choice.

Thanks again for taking the time and doing such a fantastic job on this trip report One question though...our cruise was in a Veranda cabin, fantastic view and coffee every morning on the Veranda. Planning on booking a IGT for the 2015 WBPC, I saw your cabin was on level 2 mis ship. How was it?

 

[ShakeyShakey]

We were quite comfortable with our Deck 2 cabin - on our last 9 day cruise we did not spend a lot of time in the cabin and the weather was great on this cruise, so we were quite happy with it - the additional cost for 15 days was also a consideration.

 

[ShakeyShakey]

Day 14 - Puerto Vallarta

After four wonderful days at sea, we were looking forward to getting on land for a few hours. We did not arrange a shore excursion but had heard that the port is very tourist friendly with a quick taxi ride to Malecon Boardwalk. The crew had been telling us that they were also anxiously awaiting a visit to Puerto Vallarta as there was a Walmart and Sam's Club directly across the street from the cruise port.

We arrived at the cruise port by 7:00 am and we took our time and had a light breakfast aboard the Wonder. The weather was hot (95F and very sunny) with a nice breeze to keep things dry. The port was very immaculate with great views of the mountains and nearby resorts.







After leaving the ship and proceeding through port security, we walked to a parking lot within the confines of the cruise port where a number of taxis and vans were standing by. We hoped aboard a full-size van along with a few other couples - for $7 each we were taken to the north end of the boardwalk/beach. We walked along the boardwalk checking out local eateries, jewelry shops and craft stores. Throughout our four hour stroll from end to end, we did not feel any pressure from the local vendors - it was very clean, relaxing and peaceful.

There were plenty of restaurant options along the boardwalk - Bubba Gumps, Hard Rock Cafe, Starbucks plus a lot of unique restaurants and bars. We opted to return to the ship and have a late afternoon snack.













After taking a quick taxi ride back to the port (again $7 each), we headed over to Walmart and Sam's Club to get some treats for the crew members. Although the selection was definitely more Spanish, there were plenty brands familiar to US/Canadian shoppers.



All aboard was set for 4:00 and we were aboard the Wonder by 3:30.

 

[pepe3penelope]

What a fun update! Beautiful pictures! How convenient and nice of you to get items for the crew. By the way, what did you get for them?

 

[ShakeyShakey]

We hit the Sam's Club for some 2 lb. bags of candy (M&Ms, mini-chocolate bars, etc.)...

 

[ShakeyShakey]

Day 15 - Cabo San Lucas

Our last port day was by far the best port experiene of our cruise - we arrived in port just before sunrise to find the Wonder in a beautiful harbour surrounded by blue water and a fantastic view of the rocks forming the tip of the Baja Peninsula. The port requires tendering from the Wonder to the marina/port.







We had arranged for the Land's End Coastal Cruise and Beach Break - the fee was $75 per adult. Our designated meeting time was 8:30 am and we met in WaveBands to receive our tender boarding information - this portion was a little disorganized as we didn't leave the Wonder until 9:15 am. Each guest had to sign a waiver before leaving WaveBands.

Once aboard the tender, we headed into the Marina where we boarded a double-decker catarmaran, we were able to get a seat on the bow of the lower deck which provided a great vantage point during our coastal cruise. The cruise lasted for about 45 minutes and took us to the tip of peninsula with a beautiful view of the towering rock formations and "Los Arcos".













We returned to the marina where we boarded an air-conditioned coach for short drive through the town of Cabo San Lucas. The guide on our bus probably talked for 20 seconds of the 10 minute trip.

We arrived at the Medano beach club where we had about 3 hours to enjoy the beach and had free access to beach lounger/umbrellas. We were provided with a free lunch and a welcome drink. Jet Skis were available for rent from a nearby vendor. The beach was fairly private and you were able to walk along the beach from resort to resort if you wished.



We returned to the Wonder at 2:45 as all aboard was set for 3:30. We could have walked around in the port area but were ready to head back to the ship. The weather was excellent for our last port adventure - a high of 82F, clear and dry with a light breeze.

The evening entertainment was a crew talent show where crew members from housekeeping, guest relations, galley and youth activities counsellors put on a great show in the Walt Disney Theatre.