Just back from WBPC Repo, great time but...

[jrabbit]

... Dwayne from the pool deck was a highlight for me one year. ...

I remember him from our 2013 PC cruise. I talked with him a lot up on deck, and he was stellar in the Crew Talent Show!!

 

[Jeanwill]

So I understand that you didn't have any Disney guest speakers, but were there educational talks about the Panama Canal? We are going on the EBPC this year and are really looking forward to lectures that would help us learn about the canal crossing.

 

[wilma-bride]

So I understand that you didn't have any Disney guest speakers, but were there educational talks about the Panama Canal? We are going on the EBPC this year and are really looking forward to lectures that would help us learn about the canal crossing.

Yes, I have heard from friends who were on board that Captain Puckett was on board again this year. I am sure he will be on the EBPC too.

 

[Hundredacre]

We had the worst service ever on a christmas cruise (last Christmas) on the wonder. The room host almost never replenished our shampoos/soap etc and was sulking in the hall every time we went to our room. Totally miserable vibe felt every time we went to our room. I actually think they have cut staff or something and they have more rooms to do.

 

[Hundredacre]

I understood about no galley tours but they also had no WD theater tour of which we had on last Nov. panama. They did have lunch sort of at Parrot Cay on embarkation day. But since we were so late in boarding it was open only an hour or so from 2:30 on. I asked about why no lunch at Parrot Cay anymore. They said that too many were asking for a late breakfast so they kept it open for breakfast only until noon. Not too many inside at that hour when I looked in. I hope they reconsider since BBB was pretty crowded for lunch.
No loss on character breakfast. I only mentioned because it was just one more thing that was missing.
The Theater tour was included on the Nov panama crossing.
Yes, I was talking about only 4 classics. We love the classics. On past Panama crossings they had a different one each sea day, which was a highlight for us. Last Nov Panama they only had Star Wars & 1 classic, singing in the rain. So I think this is becoming a trend, which makes me sad.
As for the Guest Lecturer, I am talking about a Disney employee. Last Nov, was Stacia Martin. That was the highlight of the trip. Big loss not having one on this one.
They did have a crew Cabaret one night in place of the talent show. The difference being, the cabaret was put on by only the stage crew members. It ended up being a musical about a girl running away to NYC and then her family following her to bring her home. I'm not sure exactly what the plot line was supposed to be. The music was unfamiliar to me. I didn't like it at all.
The difference being that the crew talent show highlights the talents of just ordinary crew members. It was fun seeing crew members that you have interacted with being on stage. Dwayne from the pool deck was a highlight for me one year. I just missed that much more than this cabaret they put together.

I would not want to take the panama canal cruise without a guest lecturer.

 

[wilma-bride]

I would not want to take the panama canal cruise without a guest lecturer.

Speaking as somebody who has taken a WBPC cruise without a guest lecturer (a Disney one - as the OP is referring to) could you enlighten me as to how that would make the cruise so much better. Because the one in 2015 was pretty darn good, I am intrigued as to what a guest lecturer would have added. What exactly do they do in terms of 'lectures'?

 

[Krissy22222]

Speaking as somebody who has taken a WBPC cruise without a guest lecturer (a Disney one - as the OP is referring to) could you enlighten me as to how that would make the cruise so much better. Because the one in 2015 was pretty darn good, I am intrigued as to what a guest lecturer would have added. What exactly do they do in terms of 'lectures'?

But there was a Disney Guest speaker in WBPC May 2015, Denise (can't remember her last name) who was a choreographer and instrumental in creating the Frozen stage show. Also talked about her history with Disney and the parks. Also another lady who gave us a sneak peek at the Tangled show as it was coming along at that time, complete with a video from rehearsals and a looks how Maximus the puppet was created. I really enjoyed these talks.

 

[Krissy22222]

Sorry, not Frozen stage show, I meant to say "Freezing the Night Away Deck Party"

 

[wilma-bride]

But there was a Disney Guest speaker in WBPC May 2015, Denise (can't remember her last name) who was a choreographer and instrumental in creating the Frozen stage show. Also talked about her history with Disney and the parks. Also another lady who gave us a sneak peek at the Tangled show as it was coming along at that time, complete with a video from rehearsals and a looks how Maximus the puppet was created. I really enjoyed these talks.

Wow, really? I must have been completely drunk the whole time that was going on

 

[Flossbolna]

Speaking as somebody who has taken a WBPC cruise without a guest lecturer (a Disney one - as the OP is referring to) could you enlighten me as to how that would make the cruise so much better. Because the one in 2015 was pretty darn good, I am intrigued as to what a guest lecturer would have added. What exactly do they do in terms of 'lectures'?

For me the Disney guest speaker was really one of the highlights on my 2014 WBPC. He was an imagineer who talked about the design process of the attractions he was involved with.

 

[wilma-bride]

For me the Disney guest speaker was really one of the highlights on my 2014 WBPC. He was an imagineer who talked about the design process of the attractions he was involved with.

Did he do talks every day like Captain Puckett? Or was it a one off thing?

 

[Krissy22222]

Wow, really? I must have been completely drunk the whole time that was going on

Haha lol. My husband didn't really enjoy these talks as dancing and parades aren't really his thing and she focused a lot on that.

 

[wilma-bride]

Haha lol. My husband didn't really enjoy these talks as dancing and parades aren't really his thing and she focused a lot on that.

I just honestly don't remember it - I am going to have to look back at the navigators now

 

[Judyat]

We just did the PC cruise too and had a wonderful time. Our servers were terrific. Our room host was terrific. The food and programs were terrific. Cannot say enough great things about our 2 weeks. This is our third Disney cruise and like the other 2 we really enjoyed it.

 

[dclpluto]

So I understand that you didn't have any Disney guest speakers, but were there educational talks about the Panama Canal? We are going on the EBPC this year and are really looking forward to lectures that would help us learn about the canal crossing.

Captain Puckett will be there. I think he's been on every DCL Panama Canal cruise. He's very good. Been through the Panama Canal 1846 times I think what was on the screen. Did a lecture every sea day

 

[jrabbit]

Captain Puckett will be there. I think he's been on every DCL Panama Canal cruise. He's very good. Been through the Panama Canal 1846 times I think what was on the screen. Did a lecture every sea day

We actually were on the second PC crossing by DCL, Taking the Magic Back to Florida after celebrating Disneyland's 50th. Captain Puckett was NOT on our cruise. But we did have a lady guest speaker / historian that worked in the Canal Zone for a long time (and maybe grew up there as well, my memory is a bit fuzzy) and she gave many lectures, not only about the canal, but also about the people, flora and fauna that lived in the canal zone.

And we have been on a PC cruise that feature Captain Puckett, and he DOES add a lot of information and is a very good, entertaining speaker.

 

[Flossbolna]

Did he do talks every day like Captain Puckett? Or was it a one off thing?

I think it was four different talks. One was more about the Panama Canal as he grew up in Panama, one was about the Three Caballeros Ride in Mexico and one about Mickeys Philharmagic. I think there was a fourth one, but I don't remember.

 

[Dakota Red]

Hearing the down turn on the Wonder makes me nervous for the EBPC this fall that we are booked for. I hope they are not slacking off as this is the last cruise before going into dry dock!

 

[mareed]

Cabin 2502 was a nice cabin. Yes there is at least 3 extra feet between the sofa and the porthole wall. This was my first time in an oceanview room so I didn't know that that space wasn't normal. I thought at the time it would be a great place to put a pack n play if I was traveling with an infant. I did use that space for stretching in the morning. I have no complaints about the room at all. I didn't hear any creaks or any noise from anywhere. Being at the end of the hall, there were no people or kids running down it. At the end of the hall was the door to the crew quarters. So at times there were crew members walking down that way. But it wasn't excessive. They weren't loud. Have fun in the room!

Thanks for the extra info! I'm looking forward to being in that cabin.

 

[Julylady]

We had the worst service ever on a christmas cruise (last Christmas) on the wonder. The room host almost never replenished our shampoos/soap etc and was sulking in the hall every time we went to our room. Totally miserable vibe felt every time we went to our room. I actually think they have cut staff or something and they have more rooms to do.

This was exactly our experience on the Wonder in September. If we were in our cabin he tried to skip our room by offering to just dropp off clean towels. We also speculated that the number of cabins each steward had to clean had increased.