Possibly taking very first cruise, what did you LOVE about the 4 day Wonder?

[Jillpie]

We are DVC members and are strongly considering using our points for a great combined vacation. First would be two days at OKW, then take a four day cruise, then come back and have four more days at the BWV. But we've never cruised before. Have you ever done this and did you enjoy it? Tell me what you loved about it and any other tips would be great!

 

[kiddisney]

the day at sea - sometimes when you're in a port you have so many things to do that you can't just stroll around the ship and enjoy - so the day at sea makes it that you have that time - we did the 4-day and then the 3-day and though I would have liked to be on castaway cay - we couldn't dock and got a day at sea - and we had a great time - volleyball games - extra tours - extra games - it was extremely relaxing

 

[two-foxes]

We didn't have a day at sea on our 4 night , which was our first ever cruise (They were still doing Freeport), but we LOVED.....

-The beauty of the ship! I was in complete awe of every aspect of the ship...from the entry to running up the stairs like a 8 year old, to the Disney art work and touches, to the pools (I guess you'd get that on any length cruise, but it was extra cool because it was our first!)

-The chance to eat in every restaurant. With the four night (if you make your Palo ressies as soon as you board) you can eat in your entire rotation and Palo on your last night.

-It is a perfect lenght for a "starter cruise". It gives you a good taste for what to expect in a cruise vacation, all in a 4 day period. Will the seas bother you? Will you feel bored, overwhelmed, etc??? Better to find out on a 4 night vs a 7.

-CASTAWAY CAY!!!!!! God was in a great mood when he made that island! (OK, can't give him ALL the credit... Disney threw in a bit of help there, too!)

The only thing I can say is that our first (and only!) cruise on DCL by far exceeded all expectations and hopes that I had. We are now booked for back to backs in Sept, which I can hardly wait for. Do a 4 night...you'll be wishing you did a 7 night by the end!

 

[Otimon]

The only thing we didn't like about the 4 Wonder cruises we've taken was getting off the ship! Time just went by too quickly.

Aside from that, we thoroughly enjoyed the entire experience. Castaway Cay was the highlight for us.

Best wishes and have a wonderful time.

 

[jwann]

What did I love????

EVERYTHING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

It was the best vacation we'd ever taken and we vacation ALOT!

 

[Jillpie]

ok, this is great everyone, thank you! I hope our boys will like it. Especially our soon to be 16 year old, without all his friends from home. He is very personable, so I doubt if he would have any trouble meeting kids. The other thing I'm really looking forward to is to be able to get off the ship and not have our vacation end, but head to Disneyworld after. It should be lots of fun, thank you for all your feedback!
Questions: Did you do excursions on this cruise? I figure since its just four days and its our first cruise, we'll not do the excursions and just experience the ship. Is this the right thing to do and just save our money for DW?
For our family of five, is 1000.00 spending for tips and souvenirs enough? We are not drinkers (although very much enjoy a frozen margarita on occasion ) and if we don't do excursions, should this cover it? Will it be enough for tips and souvenirs, and pictures?
Did you do anything at Nassau or did you stay on the ship? My DH would love to experience the beaches somehow, but we don't have a clue how to do that. Can we do it cheaply by means of transportation? Would we order lunch to go on the ship and take it with us?
Thanks again folks!

 

[Nick@ VB+OKW]

We just got off the 4 day on Feb 26. It was our 1st cruise also. We didn't do any excursions.................we just wanted to enjoy the ship the first time cruisng.
Castaway Cay was gorgeous!!!

We stayed at OKW for 2 days before the cruise.We had a car for only 2 days and dropped it off at Avis in Port Canaveral. Then we used the Disney busses to take us back to MCO on the return.

We loved the cruise............and just re-booked another 4 day for Feb 20,2005.