Our Wonder-ful first cruise! (A little long)

Downrivermama

Mouseketeer<br><font color=2d008e>The Tag Fairy wa
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Aug 5, 2005
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I have enjoyed reading the cruise reports and even through this is a bit late, here is ours!

My dd 7 and I sailed the 3-day Wonder on 3/2. It was our first cruise. We did the land/sea package and stayed at the Caribbean Beach Resort, which was very nice, but very spread out. We were in the Barbados section.

The check in at the resort was easy and Cheryl the DCL CM was so much fun. Everyone met at Shutters the restaurant at Old Port Royale to catch the buses to the port. We got going at 12:30 pm and were to the port by 1:45. I kept looking out the windows and when we started going over a couple of bridges, I knew we were getting close to the port. On the one bridge I saw the ship and pointed it out to my dd and everyone started oh-ing! (It pays to read the DIS!) Once at the terminal dd had her picture taken with Goofy and we went to the check in for the kids clubs and got the wristband and pager. The CM took us over to the line and next thing we knew we were going through the Ears and on the ship! It was cool when they announced our name and then we went to our room to check it out and dump our bags. We were upgraded to a cat 6 from a 9 and it was very nice. We checked out the verandah and could see the Kennedy Space Center in the distance. We were in room 6100 port side. I had ordered a basket from Shirley for my dd and she was surprised and our perfect room was trashed in 20 seconds flat! The card said it was from Mickey & Minnie and dd started to take everything out. Thanks to Shirley I got my 2 cans of Diet Pepsi! We went up to Beach Blanket Buffet and chowed down on everything.

We went back to our cabin and got ready for the safety drill. We looked silly, but it didn’t last that long and soon we were at the Mickey pool. It was funny when the ship started to sail, I think every adult felt it, but the kids just kept on playing. I loved the horn! I had to drag dd up on deck 10 to see the CM’s at the terminal waving with their Mickey hands. Then she went back in the pool. Typical kid!

We had the late seating for dinner at 8 PM so we went and got ready for the show Hercules. It was a hoot. It was campy humor, but fun. Then we went to our dinning room. We had the TAP rotation so we went to Triton. We were seated with a very nice family from Maryland who had a dd4 and ds8. Both kids were in the kids clubs, so it was the 4 of us. I had the Chilled Vichyssoise soup, Garlic Roasted Beef Tenderloins and the Crème Brulee for dessert. The food was very good. Our servers were Kiatt from Thailand and Kim from Holland. They were very pleasant and Kiatt showed dd a trick with a napkin! After dinner dd wanted to go to the Oceaneer Club and stay till they closed. So I took her up and told her I would come back at 11. I walked around the ship to check everything out and did a little shopping. At 10:50 the pager went off, dd wanted to be picked up. When I got there the CM asked if dd would want to go to the Oceaneer Lab instead of the club and she said yes. (She will be 8 on 5/1). So she was in 7th heaven! We got a new wristband and she was all set.

2nd Day Nassau

The Wonder was the first ship to dock in Nassau. We got to see a Carnival ship dock and later in the day a Holland American and a Royal Caribbean ships docked as well.
We got off and walked around town. DD didn’t like it and wanted to go back on the ship. We found the Pirate museum and took the tour. The pirate outside scared dd, but I got a kick out of him. The museum was nice. We went to the rum cake place and stopped to get t-shirts. We were back on the ship by 11:30 AM. I wasn’t impressed with Nassau. I work in Detroit and it looked like a bad section of Detroit! We went up to the Mickey pool and had some chicken tenders and fries at Pluto’s doghouse. DD wanted to go to the Oceaneers Lab, they were going to have a bridge tour and do a Kim Possible activity. I vegged on the verandah some and went to the wine tasting in Palo. It was really cool.We had a small group of about 8 people who were really nice. The 2 CM’s conducting the tasting were from Croatia and South Africa. They were great. It was very neat how they did it and you got a brochure about wine tasting and could write notes on the wines we tasted. We also got a pin. I learned a lot and just confirmed which type of wine I like!

I went to get dd and she said she wanted to stay in the lab. I told her it was Animator’s Palate night and she would miss the show, but she still wanted to stay. I figured it’s her vacation too, so if see wanted to stay she could. I went to get ready for the Golden Mickeys and before I was ready to go the pager went off. Went up to BBB and dd wanted to come after all (thanks to Katie from Canada for talking her into it!) so I got dd ready and went to the Golden Mickeys which was cute. Our tablemates’ ds came to dinner and we got our pirate bandanas for pirate night. DD dressed up, but started to strip during dinner! She had other clothes on underneath thank goodness. I had the butternut squash soup and the Maple Glazed Salmon and it was excellent. DD went back to the lab and I went to check out pirate night. I wish I had an early dinner, because the buffet looked good, but did get a couple of dessert goodies. The fireworks were cool. And the music was nice. Went to get dd before I fell asleep, her group was at Sea Bands.

3rd Day Castaway Cay

It was overcast and gray when we woke up. The sun started to come out and it didn’t look so bad. We went up to BBB for breakfast. Can’t say I was really impressed. The food wasn’t very hot. We had eggs and Mickey waffles. We took our time getting off. The island is beautiful. We found a place at the family beach and dd played in the water, which I thought was freezing! Then she wanted to do the pirate treasure hunt with the kids lab. I went back to our spot and read my book. I checked in a couple of times on dd, she was always having fun. Went to Cookies and got the ribs. They were good and got a banana daiquiri! Mid afternoon I packed up and told dd and CM’s I was going back on the ship to dump our stuff and would be back. Hung out on the ship some and on the way back to get dd mailed a post card.

We got back to the ship and I started to pack our stuff. DD wanted to go to the Lab so I took her and said she could eat with them too. Went to see the D Sea U graduation show that was so cute, all the kids in their graduation ears and t-shirts! I couldn’t believe the production quality of the clips they showed. Didn’t see her the rest of the night! Skipped the show to get the packing done and ordered the “All Hands on Deck “ platter. So after I was done packing sat on the verandah and enjoyed the platter and my Diet Pepsi! Went to Parrot Cay and it was just we 3 adults. It was one of my tablemate’s birthday and the CM’s brought a jello like dessert with a piece of white chocolate with a picture of a ship on it and sang Happy Birthday. We had a good dinner and pleasant conversation. Told them about the DIS board and Passporter Field Guide. I had put our luggage out before I left for dinner and it was gone when I got back.. Went to pick up dd and had to wait because they were making “Flubber”! DD didn’t want to leave, but I knew we had an early morning, even though we had 8 AM breakfast. It was a little rocky going back and at times I could hear the hangers sliding back and forth in the closet!

Back at Port.

Woke up and we were back in port. We got dressed and got our day bags. Went to Shutters to pick up pictures and went to breakfast. Full table this time and it was a good meal. Nice to be sent off with a full stomach. Getting off the ship was a breeze. At first I couldn’t find all our bags (only had 3), but it didn’t take long to find the other. We had to wait maybe 5-10 minutes to go through customs. Once through I asked a CM were the NWA bag check was and she directed me. Checked bags and were on the bus in 10 minutes. We were at the airport by 10:00 AM.

The only thing I didn’t like about the whole trip was when they made us leave the ship!

As a first time cruisers we had a great time. DD waants to go back!

I was surprised how the motion of the boat seemed to bother me the most at night. We had both taken Bonnie and Dramamine the first day just in case, but I should have taken it the whole 3 days. The 1st and last night bothered me the most, but I didn’t get sick or dizzy. Just kept having dreams I was on a roller coster!

We booked a 7 night, 3 days was not enough! The 3-day was good to get our feet wet.

Nassau wasn’t that great. The people at the pier scared dd. Next time probably won’t leave the ship unless we do an excursion.

Late dinner was OK for 3 days, but for our 7-day we have early seating.

I can’t say enough about the crew; everyone bends over backwards to please you. They are polite and most were friendly.

Got our tote bags signed by Mickey & Minnie and the crew! Would not of known that without the DIS!

Stacking pictures at Shutters, great idea.

I’m glad I found this board. I wouldn’t have known about some of the little ins and outs without reading the posts. We really benefitted from everyones experience who posts on the Dis. Thanks! :thumbsup2 We had an awesome time! Can’t wait for our 7-day cruise next year.
 
Loved your report!! We leave in 24 days!!!! We're from Michigan too (Troy), so I had to laugh when I read your comment about Nassau looking like a bad section of Detroit!

Quick question...Did I read your report right when you said that NWA had a luggage check-in right at the port? I called DCL a few weeks ago and they said they didn't. That would be so convenient to check in all our luggage right at the port.

Thanks again for the wonderful report, I'm so glad that you and your daughter had a great time!
 
goscudder: Loved your report!! We leave in 24 days!!!! We're from Michigan too (Troy), so I had to laugh when I read your comment about Nassau looking like a bad section of Detroit!

Thanks. It's my SE Michigan sense of humor! LOL! Yes, NWA does have a check in at the port. Just ask a CM when you leave the customs area and they will direct you. I read that here when I found the DIS board in August. It was so nice not having to worry about the bags until I got to Metro! :thumbsup2

Have a great time!
 

Thanks for the info!! The less I have to handle the mountain of luggage we'll have, the better!!

Yes, living in SE Michigan right now you HAVE to have a sense of humor. My family all works in the auto industry, so I don't have to say anymore.
 
curious.....what did you mean by "stacking pictures"?? Shutters does not sound overly efficient. Looking for any tips I can find.
 
Funny my question is the same as the above poster....what is "stacking pictures" at Shutters?? I KNOW that is where most of my onboard spending will occur!!

Loved your report..we will be on Wonder (4 day) in June! Thanks!!
 
I read it on here and it does make it easier to find your pictures. Shutters has all the walls covered with pockets were they display the pictures for embarkation, dinners, characters etc. It is very overwhelming when you walk in. It took me a while to find our pictures. So you collect them and put them behind one of your pictures and they are all together. I'm not sure how this would be on a 7-day cruise as there would be way more pictures taken. What I did was put all our pictures behind the pirate night picture and then I could decide which to buy and which to throw out. It also gives you a better idea of what picture package to get. I did lose it with the pictures, I got the 5-8x10 pkg and the 10 5-7 pkg, plus xmas cards! All toll I spent about $200 on pictures. It's just being a single Mom when we go on vacation I rarely get a picture together with my dd! :rotfl2:

I put on my comment card that the ships need photopass like in the parks. Shutters isn't a very good system, they need to do something!
 
Downrivermama said:
I read it on here and it does make it easier to find your pictures. Shutters has all the walls covered with pockets were they display the pictures for embarkation, dinners, characters etc. It is very overwhelming when you walk in. It took me a while to find our pictures. So you collect them and put them behind one of your pictures and they are all together. I'm not sure how this would be on a 7-day cruise as there would be way more pictures taken. What I did was put all our pictures behind the pirate night picture and then I could decide which to buy and which to throw out. It also gives you a better idea of what picture package to get. I did lose it with the pictures, I got the 5-8x10 pkg and the 10 5-7 pkg, plus xmas cards! All toll I spent about $200 on pictures. It's just being a single Mom when we go on vacation I rarely get a picture together with my dd! :rotfl2:

I put on my comment card that the ships need photopass like in the parks. Shutters isn't a very good system, they need to do something!

I am quite surprise that DCL hasn't started doing like they do in the parks and just scan the photo card. To me logocally best time to sell a picture is when someone is home and wishing they were still out at sea.
 
They should do the Photo pass like in the parks, great idea!! :thumbsup2 I know I would have bought more pictures when I got home, and it would be so cool so pull them up at home and daydream.............. :cloud9:
 
Thanks for your great report
 
Great report!!

My hubby and I will be staying in the exact same room (6100) in September and I am really thrilled to hear that happiness starts in that suite.

Thanks for all the information.
fallon
 
Great report! You're such a good mom. I bet you gave your dd some great memory opportunities. :flower:
 
Thanks for a great trip report. Sounds like you got bitten by the cruising bug and the only cure is to book another cruise like you did! :thumbsup2
 
Thank you for the report. I am new to dis and it is great. I love reading about everyones experience. I am going next March and it will be my first time in Disney world and first time cruise. I am so excited I cannot wait. Thank you for sharing. :bounce:
 
May I ask, who were your servers and did you like them?
 
They were Kaitt form Thailand and Kim from Holland. They were very good. We liked them.
 


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