I Want To Hear Your Wonder Comments

[lori saxman]

Hello To All!! First I want to say I LOVE this forum. I think it is truly wonderful and extremly helpful to everyone!

My family and I (DH, DS, 2 DD's, and my parents) are taking our first Disney cruise July 22 (the 3 nt.) And this is where I would like all you former WONDER people to lend me your comments the good, the bad and the ugly. Yes, I have poured through the Trip Reports, but I would like to have all my info on one page.

Even though this is my first with DCL, it is not my first cruise. My past includes The Big Red Boat(YUK!!) 15 years ago and two somewhat recent cruises with RCCL Monarch/Majesty (both older ships) RCCL was just "OK" don't get me wrong, we had a BLAST, but I thought the ships were a little untidy/dirty.

For this cruise we have booked a CAT. 9 our cabins are connecting 2122, and I think 2124? I know both cabins were listed as "noisy on Dave's web site, but others have said they did not have a problem. If any of you have stayed in either, I would love your input.

My major concerns are: overall .. is the ship well kept? cabins clean? I have been to WDW too many times to count, and I have NEVER seen the parks have a "bad day". That was THE main reason to try DCL. Disney has a great reputation.

Kid's programs.. are they really that good? one would assume so with the Disney name behind it

Sorry to keep asking so many questions, but we have spent a lot of money on this trip, and I just want it to be perfect( well, as much as possible)

Because of all the great info I have collected from this forum, we are going to surprise our kids and my parents by having Happy Limo pick us up at the hotel on our way to the Port in a stretch Limo! And have some baskets made by Shirly ready for them in the cabin! As always, thank you for your help. I love you all!

 

[zeke11]

Hi Lori -

Didn't like the Big Red Boat? Just wondering if you had a bad experience -- we sailed on the BRB in 1995 and had a great time!

Kris

 

[2xcruiser]

Just returned from 4 night on Wonder in early March - ship is wonderful - very clean and extremely well maintained - this was our second cruise (we were on the Magic in late 1999), and found the ship still in great condition even compared to our experience on the Magic when it was only 1 year old. The only outward sign of any wear and tear was the deck furniture which looked somewhat old, otherwise it was completely up to Disney standards and our expectations (which are high).

The kids clubs are great, but it depends on the age of the kids as to how much they will enjoy or use them (also depends on the kids and how adventuresome they are) - our kids were 4 and 7 - they did not use the clubs a lot, but enjoyed them when they did - next time (we are going on 7 day in Feb 05), they will likely use them more.

My only complaint is with Shutters (the photo shop) - I felt a little high pressure there from the staff who were pushing packages and special frames. Also, the typical size of the photos for sale are 6x8 - an odd size that is difficult to find frames for, except of course in the ship's gift shops. We bought a "package" - 15 6x8's for $150, but were upset to find that one picture of our kids was an 8x10 (which did not count for the package) and they said they could not reduce it to 6x8 for our package (they of course could enlarge it for a more expensive print!) Overall this was not a major issue for us, but I did feel a bit put off by the approach used - very "unDisney" - given the price paid for the cruise, and the typical low-key Disney approach to things, I was dissappointed by this (but not enough to ruin an otherwise magnificant trip).

We have been on 2 DCL trips and a number of friends and family have too - all have had a wonderful time, and rank it as the best or one of the best vacations they have ever been on.

 

[Lynda Silk]

The Wonder is fabulous! It is so clean you could eat off the floors and I'm not kidding! You often see the crew scrubbing (and I mean scrubbing!) the decks, the railings, everything! The decor of the ship is beautiful. It's elegant, artistic, classy and lovely!

My kids didn't stay in the children's programs much (they just wanted to spend time with us) but when they did, they enjoyed them and the counsellors. The last time we went on the Wonder, my kids didn't even enroll in the kids programs (DS was 10 and DD was 8) and they still kept busy all the time. They loved the swimming, the shows, the movies, the dinosaur dig and beach at CC and even the Disney movies on the television. I think that if they had gone to the Oceaneer clubs, they would have had even a better time.

The food is delicious on the Wonder and the service is great! I love the 3 restaurant rotation because you get such a wide selection of food. Everyone is so friendly and I always got the feeling that the crew would do anything to make your stay a better one. The service we received was always excellent.

Our 2 cruises on the Wonder were unbelievably wonderful (no pun intended!) and full of that Disney magic! You will have a fabulous time! We were so happy that we booked the 7 day cruise on the Magic as soon as we got home!

Have a great cruise and enjoy the Wonder!

 

[BethC1952]

I'm in the process of booking my fourth Wonder cruise for October, 2004.

We were on Wonder in December, and she was looking just as good as she did on our first cruise in May, 2001. The crew keeps everything amazingly clean!

You didn't mention how old your kids are, but we had three with us-- ages 3 1/2, 8 and 13. The 8 and 13 year olds practically lived at their clubs (and my 13 year old nephew is usually a very shy and retiring kind of kid, but he loved it). My 3 1/2 year old granddaughter spent a little time each day at the club, but she was really more interested in spending time with her grandpa. She says she can't wait to go back, though, so she can spend some time with the kids--she thinks grandpa will be okay on his own now!

I can't wait until I can cruise again!

Beth

We didn't feel any pressure in Shutters, and only bought a couple of the pictures since taking our own pictures kept our budget well within control.

 

[MO Disney cruiser]

We just recently sailed on the Sovereign (sister ships to Majesty/Monarch). I feel the Wonder is much better kept than the older RCL ships.

Last cruise we had to force our DD (11) out of the clubs. She had a wonderful time.

I think everyone will enjoy themselves completely