Just back from 1/7-1/11 four day Wonder cruise

[jaysmom4285]

We (me, 53, DH 54 and DD 21) just returned from the 1/7 four day Wonder cruise, as the second leg of our land/sea package. This was our third cruise, and it was as good as ever. Weather was nice and seas were calm. Christmas decorations were still up, which surprised me a little, and the big Christmas tree in the lobby provided a great photo backdrop. The decorations were being taken down (and off the ship) as we docked on 1/11. Our servers were Adam from Australia and Benedicte from France in the restaurants and Cecelia from Argentina at Palo's. All three were excellent. DH and I had a category 7 with navigator's verandah, and DD had a Category 11 across the hall. Brian (can't remember what country he was from!) took care of our rooms and was wonderful. While in Nassau, we did the historic tour (having done the Atlantis tour twice), and DD and I shopped, then came back to the ship for some pool and sun time. I noted on the shore excusions that they are now offering an Atlantis excursion that gives access to the pools and slides. I gather it's fairly new. At CC we did the bike/snorkeling package. We had never rented the bikes before, and it was really fun. There are two good biking paths, and it's all very level and easy riding. Even this out of shape 53 year old rode the bike for over an hour and was barely winded. There's an observation tower that I had never been aware of before that you can climb up (not all that high - maybe 40 steps). It gives you a better idea of how big the island really is. We snorkeled in the afternoon, but it got cloudy and sort of windy, so we packed it in around 3. We went to Palo's that night, and it was excellent as always. The day at sea was very laid back. Again, although it was warm, it was mostly cloudy and quite breezy, so not an ideal pool day. We did the galley tour in the afternoon and just wandered around the ship and spent time in favorite spots. DD took advantage of the internet access a few times. Pirates Night party was fun, and the on deck buffet afterwards looked great, although we were much too full from late seating dinner to sample much of it. The new (to us) Cove Cafe for adults is a really nice, quite place to get away and sit with some coffee or a drink and listen to music or read a magazine. They have a bookcase in there stocked with quite a good selection of reading material, and there's a big screen TV. A nice retreat for the grownups. Disembarkation was a breeze. We were off the ship and on the buses by 9 and at the airport by 9:45. If I can answer any questions, I'd be happy to.

 

[LoveThatMouse!]

Thank you for posting your review!

Our cruise is quickly approaching, and we are trying to plan ahead...I have searched for recent daily Navigators and the ones that are the most current are too small to read once printed. Would you be willing to post your current Navigators, if you by chance still have them?

I know this is not a simple task, but it would be SO appreciated!


p.s. I could also PM you with my email address if that would be easier. Thanks for considering.

 

[Ski-and-Sea]

Oh wow, a DCL Atlantis excursion with access to the pools/slides!!!!

Yikes, I was thinking of staying on the ship when in Nassau. Will have to rethink that.

Is the observation tower near the bike loop that you enter from the airstrip? We rode that loop back in August and was wondering what that strange structure was - but it looked off limits at the time. And warning signs saying to watch out for "poison wood" kept me from exploring.

 

[lmok]

An excursion with Atlantis pools and slides included does not seem to be an option yet on excursions. We are kind of stuck with what to do. I like doing excursions with Disney but would like the pools and slides. I understand that shopping is also on site and you would not have to go far. When going to the pools do they have lockers?

Your review was really nice Thank You for posting.

 

[AStamm]

Now I'm going to have to flip-flop between wanting to do the dolphin encounter and Atlantis thing until our first DCL cruise in July. I've been at Atlantis twice, but have never stayed there so couldn't do the water stuff. What a tough decision.

 

[MK2thcleaner]

We cruised back on the Wonder for Christmas. To clear things up a bit, YES, there is an excursion to Atlantis that includes the pool/slide usage. The cost is 120/pp so it isn't cheap! It was not listed on the website for our cruise, but was listed in the Navigator. Depending on your party size and travel dates, it may be better to get a room at Comfort Inn or Atlantis itself to save money! We decided against it due to cost. I would have paid for my son to do it with my dad, but I wasn't going to waste my money going too, since I wouldn't have used the services.

jaysmom4285:
Glad you had a good time!

 

[dblumy]

We will be on the 4 night wonder in May. I was wondering - what night is the semi-formal night and pirate night. Thanks!

 

[Cruisin]

Just wanted to say jaysmom4285

I was also on that cruise with a bunch of fellow DISers.

Too bad we didn't know you were also going to be onboard.

Glad you had a great cruise.

 

[Ski-and-Sea]

We cruised back on the Wonder for Christmas. To clear things up a bit, YES, there is an excursion to Atlantis that includes the pool/slide usage. The cost is 120/pp so it isn't cheap! It was not listed on the website for our cruise, but was listed in the Navigator.

$120pp.....

I think I'd rather stay onboard and blow my money on bingo.

 

[jaysmom4285]

Ski-and-Sea, yes, the observation tower is on the loop accessed from the airstrip. The loop is just about a mile long, and the tower is roughly at the halfway point. The bike rental guy specifically pointed us to that trail and the observation tower, and I didn't see any signs about "poison wood." There are a few water stations along the loop, which helps on hot days.

LoveThat Mouse, yes I did save my Navigators, and if I can figure out how to use the scanner part of my all-in-one printer, I'll take a shot at scanning them in. if I get that done, I'll email them to you, then try to figure out how to post them someplace more useful to others. You can PM me with your email if you want.

dblumy, there wasn't really a semi-formal night as such. Triton's is considered the "fanciest" of the three restaurants, and some people did dress up for that night, but others didn't. Pirate night was the third night, after Castaway Cay.

Crusin, sorry we missed you and other DISers. I had obtained a couple lime green Mickey heads, but of course I forgot to bring them!

 

[LoveThatMouse!]

LoveThat Mouse, yes I did save my Navigators, and if I can figure out how to use the scanner part of my all-in-one printer, I'll take a shot at scanning them in. if I get that done, I'll email them to you, then try to figure out how to post them someplace more useful to others. You can PM me with your email if you want.

Ooooooooh...you would be such a dear!
I unfortunately thought that I had seen on your profile that you had a spot to PM....when I went back to check it was not there. I'm a real newbie at this.

 

[jaysmom4285]

LoveThat Mouse, I sent you a PM.

 

[Miscoehill]

Hi,
We were originally scheduled to go 1/7, but had to cancel due to midterm exams for my son (high school). So we're now going 4/15. Did you go swimming at CC?

 

[jaysmom4285]

Yes, we went swimming and snorkeling. I would guess water temp to be upper 70's - felt a little cool getting in but we were comfortable after a few minutes. It was mostly cloudy and pretty breezy, so after about half an hour, we packed it in. I would expect that conditions in April will be significantly warmer.

 

[Mickey'sfriend]

I was cruising with you, too. Sorry I didn't get to the DIS meet. I was traveling with my family (11 in all) and just couldn't get away. I, too, was really surprised to see the Christmas tree still up and even more surprised at how warm the weather was. It was a fabulous time. Glad to hear your family had a great trip, too!!

 

[MassDisLovers]

Glad to hear that your DD21 is still cruising Disney with you. We just did the 4 day on Dec. 26th with all 4 of our kids, ages 14 to 24. People were very surprised to hear that our two oldest - DS 23 and 20 - would want to go on a DISNEY cruise. We think you're never too old for the magic!

Thanks for sharing.

 

[jaysmom4285]

Yes, it was nice that she still likes to hang out with us. Actually this trip was her college graduation present - she finished college in three and a half years and was done in December. Truth be told, a friend was supposed to come along with her, but a last minute family emergency prevented that. She was disappointed by that, but we still had a really good time. Thank goodness she still enjoys our company!

 

[iowaflash]

Hi jaysmom....we're going on the Wonder for a 4 day cruise starting 1/21. Was wondering if you noticed that they were showing the NFL football playoffs in Diversions or not. Also, I would love a copy of your personal navigator. My e-mail address is plorenzjr@mchsi.com or you can PM me. Thanks!!!

 

[cbsprings]

Iowaflash,
Would you like to join our thread for the 1-21-07 wonder cruise? We'd love to meet you!
Cbsprings

 

[jaysmom4285]

Iowaflash, I didn't go to Diversions, but my daughter did. I think she said they were showing a basketball game at the time, so it sounds like they definitely show major sporting events. I would say there's a good chance you could watch football in there. There's also a pretty big TV in the Cove Cafe, and I would guess that might be tuned to football playoffs at the appropriate time. I'll do my best to get the navigators scanned in and sent to you by the weekend.