Our "Wonder"-ful cruise trip report....finally completed

[barbmouse]

Hi all!! Just back from 3 nights at POP Century and a 4 night cruise aboard the Wonder!! It truly was an awesome vacation. We traveled with several families.....17 in all!

We left the Pop Sunday am around 8:30 and made a few stops for gas, etc. We arrived at PC before 10:00...I like to be early. We had to wait til a few minutes after 10 until they would let us park. Check-in was a breeze, got the beepers for the kids, pictures taken with characters, watched cartoons, etc. We got a 2 for boarding so I was very excited about that!! We got on the ship around 11:30. Being announced was so cool! We headed to BBB for a delightful lunch and on to the Mickey pool. They kids played whiela dn I noticed some lifeguards standing around and I asked them what time the slide opened they said one o'clock. It was five minutes til!! Our kids had a blast sliding and were able to do so quite a while before it got crowded. We also hopped ver to the Goofy pool for a bit. Our rooms were ready by 1:30 so we went off to explore our room. Our family and 2 others had SPH rooms! These rooms were great and we loved the location on Deck 5. Our room connected with good friends and the kids really like that!! We headed to Deck 9 for the sail away party!!!!!!! We danced and really enjoyed ourselves!


More later.............................

 

[barbmouse]

On the first night we ate in Animators.....loved the show but we had a corner table and the ship was really rocking as we were heading out. Two of our party had to leave as they were not feeling well!! The food was very good!! We probably ordered a bit of just about everything between all of us. My kids loved this restaurant and were thrilled that they could order dessert(s) each and every nite. On to the show......Michael Harrison is so funny!! We all enjoyed him and the kids ranging in age from 9-12 all enjoyed him too. The theatre was rocking when we stood up at the end of his show! We also saw his adult show later in the week at Wavebands...again quite funny!

After the show the kids went to clubs and we headed down to have a drink and a stroll around the ship...very relaxing!

Got a beep to pick up the kids..it had been a long day! Lucy, our stateroom hostess, had a wonderful towel animal and chocolates waiting for us!! A truly wonderful day!!!

Day 2

We ate breakfast at BBB because we wanted the buffet with the Mickey waffles and wanted to eat outside while it was cool. We all had a nice big breakfast!! Many types of food to choose from...the omelets were so yummy!!

We had booked Blackbeard's Cay Stingray Adventure...if you are considering this.....DO IT! We took a boat ride over to a private island...beautiful ride. The beach was gorgeous and the weather perfect! We swam in the beautiful water for a while then headed to the stingray side. These things were huge and a few small children were a bit frightened. My dh, ds9 and I fed and petted them. My dd 12 did not want to touch them. They felt velvety and would swim all around your feet, In fact, I almost got knocked over when a few swam around my feet and I moved quickly and almost stepped on another...they are very slippery! We all snorkeled and loved it!!

Lunch was provided and you could choose from burgers, hot dogs, pizza or grilled chicken. The kids loved the "pirate coins" we were all given...one for lunch and one for your drink. The food was fine! We were all hungry and ate heartily! Then back to swimming and enjoying the beautiful surroundings. We left around 2:30. We all would have loved to stay longer.

There was a great souvenir shop on the island as well as ladies selling their jewelry. My dks both got a nice necklace. The ladies were very pleasant as we looked at their wares.

We took the boat back to port then strolled around the straw market. The vendors were not overly aggressive and my dd quickly learned to say no thanks or we want to keep looking thank you! We had discussed with our dks what to expect. I feel it was a great experience for our kids. We looked around a bit more and our last purchase of the day were giant shells. They boys (big and small) blew into to these all the way back to the ship!!

Dinner....Dressup

We had a lot of time to relax in the room after our excursion and we ordered Mickey bars from room service. We then rested and got dressed for dinner...Parrot Cay. This is a lovely rest. We all loved the tropical decor. The food here was my favorite! In fact, our entire party enjoyed it.

The show tonight was Hercules!! My family loves this movie and had watched it prior to our trip so we really liked it. I recommend watching it prior to your trip to thoroughly enjoy the show!! A lot of the lines, songs were the same with many recent /Disney one liners thrown in for humor.

After dinner kids went to the Lab. Several of us went down to enjoy Michael Harrison's adult show. I recommend that you do this while on board.

All of us headed back and once again Lucy had spoiled us by making our room so inviting and tidy!!

Another wonderful day!!

 

[Enna]

Can you give a little more detail about the stingray adventure? What time did you have to meet to leave the ship? Is there a lot of walking? Did you feel that you had sufficient interaction with the stingrays? Did you feel that it would be too overwhelming for younger children? What time did you get back to the ship in the afternoon?

Since this is an excursion we're considering I appreciate any details you can offer!

 

[Disney owl]

Thanks for sharing

 

[barbmouse]

Hi!! More info on Stingray Adventure

We met in the Promenade lounge at 9:30. We just had to turn in a signed waiver form that was in our room when we boarded. We then got our tokens for lunch and a drink. We had a short walk to our next boat....didn't seem very long to me and we were so excited we looked around as we stolled. My dks are 12 and 9 so it was definitely not too much for them.

We first swam on the left side of the beach and then went over to the stingrays. MY ds fed them several times as did my dh and I. My dd and another girl in our group did not want to fed them. You get on your knees in 2 long lines and the rays swim around as they are fed. It could be frightening for younger kids...one small child cried. If there are 2 adults they could sait near shore. We all enjoyed snorkeling and were able to do that for quite a while and we enjoyed that even more than the feeding.

We left the island around 2:00 or 2:30 then we went to the Straw Market and got back on the ship around 4:00. If you went straight back to the ship you could be back on by 3:00.

Let me know if you have other questions. We felt it was reasonably priced and enjoyed our day. We are beach people and love to swim and snorkel.

 

[barbmouse]

Hi!! More info on Stingray Adventure

We met in the Promenade lounge at 9:30. We just had to turn in a signed waiver form that was in our room when we boarded. We then got our tokens for lunch and a drink. We had a short walk to our next boat....didn't seem very long to me and we were so excited we looked around as we strolled. My dks are 12 and 9 so it was definitely not too much for them.

We first swam on the left side of the beach and then went over to the stingrays. MY ds fed them several times as did my dh and I. My dd and another girl in our group did not want to fed them. You get on your knees in 2 long lines and the rays swim around as they are fed. It could be frightening for younger kids...one small child cried. If there are 2 adults one could wait near shore. We all enjoyed snorkeling and were able to do that for quite a while and we enjoyed that even more than the feeding.

We left the island around 2:00 or 2:30 then we went to the Straw Market and got back on the ship around 4:00. If you went straight back to the ship you could be back on by 3:00.

Let me know if you have other questions. We felt it was reasonably priced and enjoyed our day. We are beach people and love to swim and snorkel.

 

[barbmouse]

Sorry for the double post above!!

Day 3

Castaway Cay
While eating breakfast we could see the Flying Dutchman. We are POC fans and were thrilled to see her!! The view of Castway Cay was breathtaking!

We got onto the island early...as I said previously I like to be early.....we found a great spot with hammocks close to the rental shack. We brought our own snorkel and masks and just rented fins. Fins are really needed to get out far enough to enjoy great snorkeling.

I took my dd to have her hair braided on the island. She has had this done before but this time it really hurt...she actually cried a few times! She has very long hair and we tried to brush it out very well but it still was painful. She still has the braids in though and it looks great! One girl in our party got the beads with hers and they ended up taking it out during the first night. My dd has not hurt since it has been in.

We stayed on the family beach and the kids swam and snorkeled the day away. The only downside to our trip was the rope that you could swing across...it gave my ds awful rope burns. He is nine and small for his age. He was able to make it across completely twice and from watching the other kids that was quite a feat. I saw few kids who made it all the way without falling in but it came with a price. Maybe they let go because their hands hurt?? I took him to First Aid and they were great. They cleaned and bandaged his hands and gave him some Tylenol. No charge... I was shocked yet very appreciative. The doctor said they have about 5-6 rope burns each day. Be careful!! He did not really enjoy much of the day after this. The hammock came in handy though as he laid in it and took a nap...much needed!!

Cookies BBQ was so very good!! We all loved the ribs and the Mahi Mahi sandwiches...the selection was great....the fresh fruit...divine! The kids loved the ice cream!

Back for more snorkeling....we all were able to find the sunken Mickey and my dh and dd saw many beautiful fish. They spent a lot of time snorkeling!! We had to leave around 4:00 due to early seating at dinner! It was a lovely day at the beach. As I said earlier, we are beach people...we live at a beach so we really enjoy this type of day!

We never made it to other parts of the island which I want to do...next time!

Pirate Night!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! @ Parrot Cay!! My dd and I were so excited when we got our rotation that we would be in PC for Pirate night.


We all dressed up ..some more than others and were glad we did. Dh wore khaki shorts frayed at the hem, striped shirt, and bandana. DS had made his own shirt by drawing on a sleeveless white t shirt...swords, skull and crossbones, etc, frayed jean shorts, sash, bandana and eye patch and carried a sword. DD wore a white guazy skirt, black pirate t, beaded necklaces, sash and bandana. I wore jean capris frayed at the bottom, a tshirt with skull and crossbones on it, necklaces, hoop earrings, sash and bandana. The meal was fun and yummy!!

After dinner we attended the Golden Mickeys...very cute!! Then on to the Pirate party...there was lots of dancing!! My dks were exhausted by this point we had had many late nights beginning with our DW stay. They were so tired they really didn't get to enjoy it. The highlights were Mickey flying from stack to stack and the fireworks. We did not eat the dessert buffet...too full from dinner!

Again, Lucy did not disappoint when we returned to out room we felt very pampered!

 

[Enna]

Thanks for the info on the stingray excursion.

I think we had Lucy on our last trip. We were also on deck 5. If it's the same stateroom hostess, I can say that you were very fortunate to have her. She was truly a treasure.

 

[Tiggery]

Great report, thanks for taking the time to post

 

[barbmouse]

Day 4 A "Wonder"-ful day at Sea

We were really looking forward to the sea day. We all slept in a bit later today than other days. We enjoyed the view from our porthole this morning. It was very nice not to be in a hurry and to take time to enjoy things we may have overlooked in our haste to get off the ship.

Once again we enjoyed our BBB breakfast. What is it about the fruit on the ship and at Cookies. It is just the best ever!!
We wore swimsuits to BBB so we could head to the pool. This was a great idea as the kids were able to enjoy the Mickey slide again before it became too crowded. We enjoyed the pools and Scoops for most of the am. Then we let the older girls explore the ship...they had been dying to do this but we had not seemed to have time yet. they loved this!! DS went to the arcade and then to the O Lab. He was glad to have more time there!!

At 3:00 we went to see Cars...this movie is hysterical. We "saved" it to sea on the ship and were glad we did. They ran out of popcorn before our showing....truly one of dds only disappointments on the ship.

More later...

Anyone have questions?????? Fire away!!

 

[dreamydays]

I know that you have your own snorkels; but for the rest of us, do they rent snorkels on Blackbeard's Cay?

 

[barbmouse]

They are provided with the price of excursion!!

 

[mom_of_2_princesses]

Thanks for your report. It sounds like you had a great time.

 

[barbmouse]

After the movie we just hung out until time for our early dinner seating. I purchased some pictures from Shutters...boy was that a hard decision. I must say having a digital camera made it easier because I knew which shots I already had in my camera. My friend did not have digital and couldn't remember which ones she had taken.

Dinner was at Triton's this evening. It is such a lovely restaurant...we enjoyed having it last. Our rotation was APPT....which I thought was great. The food here was not my fave but didn't go hungry by any stretch of the imagination. The creme brulee.......oo la la!! It was incredible!! The mosaic in Triton's is worth taking time to see upclose. The parade of nations was very touching. My kids thought this was very cool!! We felt so proud when our servers came around!!

Disney Dreams......is not to be missed!! When Tink touches the Wonder and the lights "sparkle" throughout the theater....oh my goodness....words can not describe this!! I get chills just thinking about it! Disney Dreams is quintessential Disney!

The only part of this cruise that was not enjoyable to me was packing up and getting bags ready to be picked up. It really didn't take that long but I didn't want to leave!!!!!!!!

DS stayed in the Lab until almost 12 am. Our dd ordered room service and then was out for the night. We had a truly magical trip. I know my dks will remember it always and though we didn't rebook on board we do hope to sail again in 2008!

Disembarking am

Breakfast at Triton's....very yummy!! We had 7:00 breakfast then back to our room to pick up the few bags we were carrying off. We took our time and took a few last photos...dd in the glass elevator and various other last minute photos. This is a great time to get photo of/with the captain. BTW we had Capt Henry he is great.........so personable!

Disembarking was painless except for the overwhelming sadness of leaving the ship!!

Just a few last thoughts/magical moments to share::

At Blackbeards Cay my ds looking at me and saying, "Mom, I can not thank you enough for planning this cruise for us!" This amid stingrays, snorkeling, swimming and sand castles.......very special!

My dd smiling at me numerous times and saying, "Mom, we have got to do this again!"

DS also thanking me for the many hours I spent researching and planning the cruise and talking about "next time"!

My dear friend and I walking around the Wonder and running into tropical Mickey and Minnie!!

There are so many more....but to those of you dreaming of or planning your first cruise........ the moments with your family are truly priceless.

 

[MJ5MOUSE]

Barbmouse,

Your comments about "magical moments" has brought tears to my eyes. We will be first time cruisers on the Wonder in October and I know that we will create many magical memories of our own. Thanks for giving us a glimps of yours.

 

[curlybop]

What a great report! Thanks for taking the time to share with us.

 

[barbmouse]

Thanks for the kind words. I have spent a lot of time on these boards enjoying the tips and trip reports. I promised myself I would write one when we returned because I have thoroughly enjoyed the reports shared by others!!

 

[CRSNDSNY]

Great report!

 

[zzzzjohnzzzz]

Thanks for taking the time to write such a great report. We are going on magic 8/12 and have never cruised I hope My DKS have as much fun. I'm going to write a trip report, I would like to do it live if I could get my wireless to work on my computer. We'll see Thanks again

 

[Lindy Loo]

Im crying too, reading your special moments! Thank you for taking the time to share.

MJ5Mouse said she was crying too, what a pair of softies we are.................. MJ and I are going to be tablemates in Oct, thanks to the Dis.

Hoping we manage to create lots of fmaily and table memories too !