jott3
Mouseketeer
- Joined
- Sep 30, 2002
- Messages
- 234
This is not an all-inclusive trip report (although it did become quite long!), but I wanted to highlight certain areas of our recent 4-day Wonder trip with a day at Freeport. If you have any questions, please let me know.
Cast of Characters
Jott3 (29) from Indiana, 2nd-time cruiser on the Disney Wonder (1st was with DH in February 2002)
Mom (51) from Indiana, 1st-time cruiser and 1st-time vacationer for that matter
Photos
http://community.webshots.com/user/jott3photos
Itinerary
Sunday, 9/21 Arrive at Port Canaveral
Monday, 9/22 Nassau
Tuesday, 9/23 Freeport
Wednesday, 9/24 Castaway Cay
Thursday, 9/25 Depart
Stateroom
We had originally booked stateroom 7010 (Deluxe Oceanview Stateroom) on Deck 7 Forward, but were upgraded to stateroom 7134 on Deck 7 Aft. This is a Category 5 Deluxe Stateroom with Verandah. This was the metal verandah and I really preferred the Plexiglas verandah that DH and I had in 2002 because you could see out while sitting in the chairs. It was still great to have the metal verandah, though, and my Mom really enjoyed being able to go out there and look at the water and watch us pulling into port and docking. The room was smaller than I remembered, but when I cruised with DH in 2002, the room was set up as a queen size bed. This time it was set up as two twin size beds and that cut down a little on the walking space left in the room. Our Stateroom Host was Enrique R Uy. We did not see him very often, but our room was always clean and our two requests were handled promptly. One was just for him to leave extra towels. The other was to request a maintenance man for a wobbly bed leg. This was handled within a couple of hours.
Castaway Club Gifts and Reception
When we entered our stateroom at about 1:30 pm on the first day, my Castaway Club gifts for return cruisers were waiting for me. We got a big beach towel and two Mickey pins (Mickey has a rain coat and is steering the ship). I gave one pin to my Mom.
The Castaway Club Reception for return cruisers was held at Studio Sea (Deck 4 Midship) on Castaway Cay Day from 5:15 6:00 pm. We received our invitation on the evening before. We did not stay the whole time, but there were hors doeuvres and free drinks, and some officers and crewmembers, including Cruise Director Rachel from the UK and Captain Henry. We each had a small plate of snacks and two Bahama Mamas before heading off to dinner.
Dining
I tried to get Palo reservations for the last night, but I was put on the waitlist, even though I arrived at Wavebands to make reservations shortly after 1:30 pm on the first day. We had a voicemail the last day and it said unfortunately they were not able to accommodate us on this trip. I was disappointed, but not too disappointed. This was the one area where I left a bad remark on the comment card at the end of the cruise. I wish they had a better system for the Palo reservations, preferably the ability to book it ahead of time like the shore excursions.
Our rotation was what I had expected, Tritons, Animators Palate, Parrot Cay, Tritons (Best of Menu). We had a table for six at the main seating at 6 pm, which worked out great for us. The couple we sat with each night (Dennis & Diana) was also from Indiana. They were there celebrating their 24th wedding anniversary and did the land and sea package. The other two seats were empty until the last night when two female sheriffs from Chicago joined us. It took about an hour and a half for dinner each night, except for the Best of Menu night, which took a little longer, maybe because the two sheriffs had joined us. We always had plenty of time to get to the 8:30 pm show.
Our server was Febin George from India. At Tritons the first night, he came to talk to our table and he looked really familiar to me. I was almost positive it was the same server DH and I had in 2002. I asked him if he was there then and he was. What are the chances! He even said he remembered DH and me and hoped I would be cruising again with DH soon. Our Assistant Server was Tunde Persik from Hungary. She was very attentive and nice, even though the man at our table kept teasing her and giving her a hard time. She is married to a head server from Scotland on the ship. She said they are going home in January so he can meet her mother. Our Head Server was Rita Pimentel Pellegrini from Brazil. She talked to us a lot the first night, but less after that. She cannot wait to go on the Mission Space ride at Epcot. I think she said she might get to go in October. On the last night she came to our table and said it was really nice to see that we had all gotten along so well with our tablemates. She said she does not like it when people are really uncomfortable and barely talk to each other the whole time.
At Tritons, I had Deep-Fried Camembert, Cauliflower Soup, Garlic-roasted Beef Tenderloin, and the Crème Brûlée. Mom had the Baked Escargots (had never had them before, but since I teased her about it she got them), Mixed Garden Salad, Garlic-roasted Beef Tenderloin, and White Chocolate Dome with Raspberry.
At Animators Palate, I had the Artist Impression drink, Duck and Goat Cheese Flatbread, Creamy Butternut Squash Soup (thumbs down), Roasted Chicken Breast (very good), and Berry Shortcake (very good). Mom had Lobster and Shrimp Wrapper, Baked Stuffed Tomato, Maple-glazed Salmon, and New York-style Cheesecake (very good).
At Parrot Cay, I had San Francisco Sourdough Loaf (cold pasta salad in a loaf of bread good, but kind of strange), Cream of Sweet Onion Soup, Grilled Rib-Eye Steak, and Crème Brûlée Cheesecake (very good). Mom had Hot Crab Newberg, Cream of Sweet Onion Soup, Grilled Rib-Eye Steak, and Kentucky Bourbon Pecan Pie (very good). Last time I cruised with DH, Parrot Cay was by far our favorite restaurant. I also had the Rib-Eye last time, and I thought it was much better then. This time is was very fatty and covered in gravy. It just did not taste nearly as good as it had the first time.
Our last night was at Tritons for the Best of Menu. I had Artichoke and Garlic Dip, Florida Spinach and Baby Spinach, Filet Mignon of Beef and Lasagna Roll, and Celebration Cake (strawberries layered with cheesecake). Mom had Seafood Medley, Crawfish and Lobster Bisque (thumbs down too salty), Filet Mignon of Beef and Lasagna Roll, and Chocolate Decadence.
For lunch the first day we were directed to the Beach Blanket Buffet on Deck 9 Aft. It was a zoo in there. We had to walk almost to the other end of the ship to even find a table. If I had to do it over again I would have just gotten something at Pinocchios Pizzeria (Deck 9 Midship) or Plutos Dog House (Deck 9 Aft) instead. The other days we did have pizza at Pinocchios Pizzeria or cheeseburgers or the delicious chicken tenders at Plutos Dog House. I wanted to try the lunch at Tritons on this cruise, but we never made it there.
We had breakfast (coffee, orange juice, and English muffins or pastries) delivered to our stateroom on two days. Both times we filled out the card in the stateroom the night before and placed it on our door handle. Both days the trays arrived promptly at our requested time. One day we went to the buffet at Parrot Cay. We saw both Febin and Tunde there. We were sat with two nice women from Orlando who were on the cruise without their DHs. We also saw one of them later in the cruise at Serenity Bay on Castaway Cay.
Nassau and Ardastra Gardens and City Tour Shore Excursion
When we arrived in Nassau we disembarked and took the courtesy bus over to the Festival Place shops across the street. I would have walked, but my Mom has knee problems, so that worked out well. I bought a small print of a painting at one of the shops in Festival Place. It is a regatta scene with some pretty painted houses and sailboats. We were put off by all the hair braiders (one supposedly named Marilyn Monroe even grabbed my Moms arm and started pulling her along), taxi drivers, and vendors constantly asking us to buy things that we ended up just going back to the ship for lunch and to wait for our afternoon shore excursion.
Prior to sailing, we had booked the Ardastra Gardens shore excursion in Nassau. Our tickets were waiting for us in our stateroom on the first day when we arrived. We met in The Cadillac Lounge at 1 pm where we turned in our waiver forms and were given Pinocchio stickers to wear. From there we were led out of the ship where we were met by an Ardastra Gardens employee who walked us over behind the Festival Place where our group split up and boarded two separate buses that took us on our way.
Ardastra Gardens was pretty nice. There are lots of different animals there, including a pot-bellied pig that is not even in a cage, peacocks, parrots and other birds, reptiles, etc. The marching flamingos were by far the most interesting part and I got a lot of up close pictures of them. For the city tour part of the shore excursion, our driver showed us several spots, including Fort Fincastle, the Water Tower, and the Queen's Staircase. We were able to get off of the bus and explore this area for a little while. I was able to get some nice photos of the Wonder in port from this vantage point.
This shore excursion seemed a little rushed. We were only able to spend about an hour at Ardastra Gardens, and at least 20 minutes of that was the flamingo show. We got to see most of the animals, but not all of them. If you want to spend more time there, you might be better off getting a taxi and going in the morning when it might be a little cooler.
See my photos (link at top of thread) and the Ardastra Gardens website at http://www.ardastra.com.
Freeport
My Mom stayed on the ship in Freeport. I only disembarked to look at the little straw market directly across the ship. There were around 20 shops and it was less than a five-minute walk from the ship. They sold most of the same items we had seen in Nassau, including shirts, hats, and other clothing, baskets and bags, etc. I looked around and was back on the ship within 10 or 15 minutes. The vendors in Freeport were much less pushy than the ones in Nassau, so if that bothers you I would recommend saving your shopping for Freeport.
Shows
The shows presented in the Walt Disney Theatre (Deck 4 Forward) were: Disney Dreams, The Comedy and Juggling of Benji Hill & David Di Muzio, Hercules the Muse-ical, and The Golden Mickeys. All shows were presented at 6:30 pm and 8:30 pm, except for The Golden Mickeys, which also had a 3:15 pm matinee. Since I was a return cruiser, I had already seen Disney Dreams and Hercules the Muse-ical, but I still enjoyed them. We really liked The Comedy and Juggling of Benji Hill & David Di Muzio. It was very funny at times and they are both very talented jugglers. This was probably my favorite show since I had not seen it before. My Mom really enjoyed The Golden Mickeys on the last night. I liked it, but not as much as I thought I would. I also had too much sun at Castaway Cay earlier in the day, so I was really tired for that show which may have been part of the problem.
Culinary Demonstration and The Art of Napkin Folding
The Culinary Demonstration was held on Freeport Day in Studio Sea (Deck 4 Midship) at 10:00 am. Chef Alberto Martinelli from Palo made Mushroom and Pumpkin Risotto and we were given the recipe so we can try it at home. At the end we were all given a plate to try the risotto and a glass of white wine. The risotto was delicious. My Mom thought some of it was a little undercooked, but he said it was supposed to be al dente. We were also given a recipe for Artichoke and shrimp salad with butter crouton and an herb and olive oil dressing.
The Art of Napkin Folding was held immediately afterwards in the same location, at about 10:45 am. We received a handout explaining how to make Mulans Fan, Palos Tuxedo, and Belles Rose. Surprisingly Belles Rose had the longest directions, but was the easiest one for us to make. I do not think we ever got Mulans Fan to come out right. We felt that they were sort of rushing through the directions and we were not sitting right up front, so it was a little difficult to follow along. It was still fun trying, though.
Animal Towel Folding
Animal Towel Folding was held on Freeport Day in Wavebands (Deck 3 Forward) at 3:45 pm. We were given a handout explaining how to make a dog, a swan, an elephant, and a lobster. Two stateroom hosts led the demonstration and there was another to help the audience. They demonstrated several animals quickly and then a few animals more slowly so we could make them, too. We found the animal towel folding to be much easier than the napkin folding that we attended earlier in the day. We were able to make a cute pig, an elephant, and a monkey body. Unfortunately since we were not given a washcloth, our monkey had no head! See photos at http://community.webshots.com/album/92102050IeNMHD.
Bingo
Bingo was held throughout the cruise, but we only attended on Freeport Day in Wavebands (Deck 3 Forward) at 5:00 pm. I am not a bingo fan, but my Mom plays bingo at home a lot, so she was looking forward to this. She felt the cost was too much, especially since it probably lasted less than 20 minutes total once we started playing. The cost was $20 for three cards for each of the five games or $35 for six cards for each of the five games. They did not play regular bingo, but each game was a specific thing they were looking for, i.e. a postage stamp (four in one corner), five around the corner, coverall, etc. Also, they do not use markers. The cards are perforated and you push the numbers though the back of the card. If anything is torn you cannot win. Neither one of us won anything, but we were both really close a few times. They did give away a lot of money for each game (the amount varied each time) and several raffle prizes, too (books and a Mickey Mouse hat). By the end of the cruise, the jackpot was approaching $1,500.
Internet Café
I visited the Internet Café (Promenade Lounge, Deck 3 Aft) several times during the cruise so I could communicate with my DH who was at home all alone. I never had any problem getting a computer. Unless you plan to use the Internet Café a lot during your visit, I would stick to the $0.75 per minute rate instead of the unlimited $39.95 plan. I visited four times and spent only $21.75.
Movies
Unfortunately we were never able to make it to the Buena Vista Movie Theatre. The movies that were playing were: Pirates of the Caribbean, Bringing Down the House, The Lizzie McGuire Movie, Spy Kids 3D: Game Over, Holes, Finding Nemo, Cold Creek Manor, Freaky Friday, and Open Range. There were also a lot of movies playing on the television in the stateroom.
Dueling Pianos
Dueling Pianos is held in Barrel of Laughs (Deck 3 Forward) and was put on by Jimmy from New York City and Joel from Sydney, Australia. We attended one family show and one adult show. For the family show we each had a daiquiri. I had peach and Mom had strawberry. For the adult show I had a Rum Runner (coconut rum, dark rum, crème de banana, blackberry brandy, orange juice, pineapple juice, a dash of grenadine with a Bacardi 151 rum float) and Mom had a Bahama Mama (dark rum, coconut rum, crème de banana, orange juice, pineapple juice, with a splash of grenadine).
The Family Show Set List included: Bad Bad Leroy Brown, Doe Rae Me (Sound of Music), She Was Just 17, Jeremiah Was A Bullfrog, My Bonnie Lies Over The Ocean, Yellow Submarine, Im a Believer, Life Goes On (Oh Blah Dee), Crocodile Rock, Johnny B Good, Feelings (as a joke), Close To You (another joke), and Great Balls of Fire.
The Adult Show Set List included: Eight Days A Week, Runaway, Brown-Eyed Girl, Those Were The Days (Archie Bunker Song), Country Roads, Jeremiah Was A Bullfrog, Friends In Low Places, Daydream Believer, Piano Man (with Joel on harmonica), Sha La La La La?, Old Time Rock and Roll, I Say A Little Prayer For You, Mrs. Brown You Have A Lovely Daughter, Elvira, Bobby McGee, Fly Me to the Moon, I Aint Got Nobody, Life Goes On, Close To You (another joke), and Great Balls of Fire.
Castaway Cay
We stood out on our verandah and watched as the Wonder backed into port at Castaway Cay. We saw the little post office right outside our stateroom. The island looked beautiful and we could not wait to get outside. We left the ship after the announcement, picked up some towels, and made our way to Serenity Bay via the two trams. On the way during the second tram ride we saw some very unhappy looking people who had decided to walk to Serenity Bay. It was a lot farther than it looked on the map, so avoid doing that unless you are in really good shape.
When we arrived at Serenity Bay there were plenty of chairs and umbrellas left and we found a place to sit (When we had passed the Family Beach earlier there were also plenty of chairs and umbrellas left there, too.). The water and the views were beautiful and after taking some photos we spent some time swimming and relaxing in the water. It was surprisingly shallow, even very far away from the beach area. The water was really salty and the bottom was rough, but not too bad. We spent some time relaxing in our chairs and then started heading over to Cookies BBQ for lunch.
The food at Cookies BBQ was very good. They had BBQ ribs, cheeseburgers, hot dogs, lobster burgers, corn on the cob, pasta salad, potato salad, potato chips, fresh fruit, huge chocolate chip cookies, and cookie dough and strawberry soft-serve ice cream cones nearby in the seating area. There were plenty of seats and we had a nice relaxing lunch. After lunch we started heading back to the ship and stopped along the way for some photos and shopping. It started sprinkling a little on the way, but it was still a beautiful day.
Castaway Cay was bittersweet for me because I really wished DH had been there to see it. On my first Wonder trip with DH in February 2002, we were unable to dock at Castaway Cay because of high winds. It was very depressing as we watched the ship try to make several attempts at docking. Finally the captain gave up and ultimately we had a day at sea. I know DH would have loved the island and I wished he could have been there.
Advice
If you are planning a Disney cruise, spend time at the following websites for a lot of great information:
http://disboards.com/
http://www.dcltribute.com
http://www.castawayclub.com
http://www.passporter.com/dcl/
http://disneycruise.com
Cast of Characters
Jott3 (29) from Indiana, 2nd-time cruiser on the Disney Wonder (1st was with DH in February 2002)
Mom (51) from Indiana, 1st-time cruiser and 1st-time vacationer for that matter
Photos
http://community.webshots.com/user/jott3photos
Itinerary
Sunday, 9/21 Arrive at Port Canaveral
Monday, 9/22 Nassau
Tuesday, 9/23 Freeport
Wednesday, 9/24 Castaway Cay
Thursday, 9/25 Depart
Stateroom
We had originally booked stateroom 7010 (Deluxe Oceanview Stateroom) on Deck 7 Forward, but were upgraded to stateroom 7134 on Deck 7 Aft. This is a Category 5 Deluxe Stateroom with Verandah. This was the metal verandah and I really preferred the Plexiglas verandah that DH and I had in 2002 because you could see out while sitting in the chairs. It was still great to have the metal verandah, though, and my Mom really enjoyed being able to go out there and look at the water and watch us pulling into port and docking. The room was smaller than I remembered, but when I cruised with DH in 2002, the room was set up as a queen size bed. This time it was set up as two twin size beds and that cut down a little on the walking space left in the room. Our Stateroom Host was Enrique R Uy. We did not see him very often, but our room was always clean and our two requests were handled promptly. One was just for him to leave extra towels. The other was to request a maintenance man for a wobbly bed leg. This was handled within a couple of hours.
Castaway Club Gifts and Reception
When we entered our stateroom at about 1:30 pm on the first day, my Castaway Club gifts for return cruisers were waiting for me. We got a big beach towel and two Mickey pins (Mickey has a rain coat and is steering the ship). I gave one pin to my Mom.
The Castaway Club Reception for return cruisers was held at Studio Sea (Deck 4 Midship) on Castaway Cay Day from 5:15 6:00 pm. We received our invitation on the evening before. We did not stay the whole time, but there were hors doeuvres and free drinks, and some officers and crewmembers, including Cruise Director Rachel from the UK and Captain Henry. We each had a small plate of snacks and two Bahama Mamas before heading off to dinner.
Dining
I tried to get Palo reservations for the last night, but I was put on the waitlist, even though I arrived at Wavebands to make reservations shortly after 1:30 pm on the first day. We had a voicemail the last day and it said unfortunately they were not able to accommodate us on this trip. I was disappointed, but not too disappointed. This was the one area where I left a bad remark on the comment card at the end of the cruise. I wish they had a better system for the Palo reservations, preferably the ability to book it ahead of time like the shore excursions.
Our rotation was what I had expected, Tritons, Animators Palate, Parrot Cay, Tritons (Best of Menu). We had a table for six at the main seating at 6 pm, which worked out great for us. The couple we sat with each night (Dennis & Diana) was also from Indiana. They were there celebrating their 24th wedding anniversary and did the land and sea package. The other two seats were empty until the last night when two female sheriffs from Chicago joined us. It took about an hour and a half for dinner each night, except for the Best of Menu night, which took a little longer, maybe because the two sheriffs had joined us. We always had plenty of time to get to the 8:30 pm show.
Our server was Febin George from India. At Tritons the first night, he came to talk to our table and he looked really familiar to me. I was almost positive it was the same server DH and I had in 2002. I asked him if he was there then and he was. What are the chances! He even said he remembered DH and me and hoped I would be cruising again with DH soon. Our Assistant Server was Tunde Persik from Hungary. She was very attentive and nice, even though the man at our table kept teasing her and giving her a hard time. She is married to a head server from Scotland on the ship. She said they are going home in January so he can meet her mother. Our Head Server was Rita Pimentel Pellegrini from Brazil. She talked to us a lot the first night, but less after that. She cannot wait to go on the Mission Space ride at Epcot. I think she said she might get to go in October. On the last night she came to our table and said it was really nice to see that we had all gotten along so well with our tablemates. She said she does not like it when people are really uncomfortable and barely talk to each other the whole time.
At Tritons, I had Deep-Fried Camembert, Cauliflower Soup, Garlic-roasted Beef Tenderloin, and the Crème Brûlée. Mom had the Baked Escargots (had never had them before, but since I teased her about it she got them), Mixed Garden Salad, Garlic-roasted Beef Tenderloin, and White Chocolate Dome with Raspberry.
At Animators Palate, I had the Artist Impression drink, Duck and Goat Cheese Flatbread, Creamy Butternut Squash Soup (thumbs down), Roasted Chicken Breast (very good), and Berry Shortcake (very good). Mom had Lobster and Shrimp Wrapper, Baked Stuffed Tomato, Maple-glazed Salmon, and New York-style Cheesecake (very good).
At Parrot Cay, I had San Francisco Sourdough Loaf (cold pasta salad in a loaf of bread good, but kind of strange), Cream of Sweet Onion Soup, Grilled Rib-Eye Steak, and Crème Brûlée Cheesecake (very good). Mom had Hot Crab Newberg, Cream of Sweet Onion Soup, Grilled Rib-Eye Steak, and Kentucky Bourbon Pecan Pie (very good). Last time I cruised with DH, Parrot Cay was by far our favorite restaurant. I also had the Rib-Eye last time, and I thought it was much better then. This time is was very fatty and covered in gravy. It just did not taste nearly as good as it had the first time.
Our last night was at Tritons for the Best of Menu. I had Artichoke and Garlic Dip, Florida Spinach and Baby Spinach, Filet Mignon of Beef and Lasagna Roll, and Celebration Cake (strawberries layered with cheesecake). Mom had Seafood Medley, Crawfish and Lobster Bisque (thumbs down too salty), Filet Mignon of Beef and Lasagna Roll, and Chocolate Decadence.
For lunch the first day we were directed to the Beach Blanket Buffet on Deck 9 Aft. It was a zoo in there. We had to walk almost to the other end of the ship to even find a table. If I had to do it over again I would have just gotten something at Pinocchios Pizzeria (Deck 9 Midship) or Plutos Dog House (Deck 9 Aft) instead. The other days we did have pizza at Pinocchios Pizzeria or cheeseburgers or the delicious chicken tenders at Plutos Dog House. I wanted to try the lunch at Tritons on this cruise, but we never made it there.
We had breakfast (coffee, orange juice, and English muffins or pastries) delivered to our stateroom on two days. Both times we filled out the card in the stateroom the night before and placed it on our door handle. Both days the trays arrived promptly at our requested time. One day we went to the buffet at Parrot Cay. We saw both Febin and Tunde there. We were sat with two nice women from Orlando who were on the cruise without their DHs. We also saw one of them later in the cruise at Serenity Bay on Castaway Cay.
Nassau and Ardastra Gardens and City Tour Shore Excursion
When we arrived in Nassau we disembarked and took the courtesy bus over to the Festival Place shops across the street. I would have walked, but my Mom has knee problems, so that worked out well. I bought a small print of a painting at one of the shops in Festival Place. It is a regatta scene with some pretty painted houses and sailboats. We were put off by all the hair braiders (one supposedly named Marilyn Monroe even grabbed my Moms arm and started pulling her along), taxi drivers, and vendors constantly asking us to buy things that we ended up just going back to the ship for lunch and to wait for our afternoon shore excursion.
Prior to sailing, we had booked the Ardastra Gardens shore excursion in Nassau. Our tickets were waiting for us in our stateroom on the first day when we arrived. We met in The Cadillac Lounge at 1 pm where we turned in our waiver forms and were given Pinocchio stickers to wear. From there we were led out of the ship where we were met by an Ardastra Gardens employee who walked us over behind the Festival Place where our group split up and boarded two separate buses that took us on our way.
Ardastra Gardens was pretty nice. There are lots of different animals there, including a pot-bellied pig that is not even in a cage, peacocks, parrots and other birds, reptiles, etc. The marching flamingos were by far the most interesting part and I got a lot of up close pictures of them. For the city tour part of the shore excursion, our driver showed us several spots, including Fort Fincastle, the Water Tower, and the Queen's Staircase. We were able to get off of the bus and explore this area for a little while. I was able to get some nice photos of the Wonder in port from this vantage point.
This shore excursion seemed a little rushed. We were only able to spend about an hour at Ardastra Gardens, and at least 20 minutes of that was the flamingo show. We got to see most of the animals, but not all of them. If you want to spend more time there, you might be better off getting a taxi and going in the morning when it might be a little cooler.
See my photos (link at top of thread) and the Ardastra Gardens website at http://www.ardastra.com.
Freeport
My Mom stayed on the ship in Freeport. I only disembarked to look at the little straw market directly across the ship. There were around 20 shops and it was less than a five-minute walk from the ship. They sold most of the same items we had seen in Nassau, including shirts, hats, and other clothing, baskets and bags, etc. I looked around and was back on the ship within 10 or 15 minutes. The vendors in Freeport were much less pushy than the ones in Nassau, so if that bothers you I would recommend saving your shopping for Freeport.
Shows
The shows presented in the Walt Disney Theatre (Deck 4 Forward) were: Disney Dreams, The Comedy and Juggling of Benji Hill & David Di Muzio, Hercules the Muse-ical, and The Golden Mickeys. All shows were presented at 6:30 pm and 8:30 pm, except for The Golden Mickeys, which also had a 3:15 pm matinee. Since I was a return cruiser, I had already seen Disney Dreams and Hercules the Muse-ical, but I still enjoyed them. We really liked The Comedy and Juggling of Benji Hill & David Di Muzio. It was very funny at times and they are both very talented jugglers. This was probably my favorite show since I had not seen it before. My Mom really enjoyed The Golden Mickeys on the last night. I liked it, but not as much as I thought I would. I also had too much sun at Castaway Cay earlier in the day, so I was really tired for that show which may have been part of the problem.
Culinary Demonstration and The Art of Napkin Folding
The Culinary Demonstration was held on Freeport Day in Studio Sea (Deck 4 Midship) at 10:00 am. Chef Alberto Martinelli from Palo made Mushroom and Pumpkin Risotto and we were given the recipe so we can try it at home. At the end we were all given a plate to try the risotto and a glass of white wine. The risotto was delicious. My Mom thought some of it was a little undercooked, but he said it was supposed to be al dente. We were also given a recipe for Artichoke and shrimp salad with butter crouton and an herb and olive oil dressing.
The Art of Napkin Folding was held immediately afterwards in the same location, at about 10:45 am. We received a handout explaining how to make Mulans Fan, Palos Tuxedo, and Belles Rose. Surprisingly Belles Rose had the longest directions, but was the easiest one for us to make. I do not think we ever got Mulans Fan to come out right. We felt that they were sort of rushing through the directions and we were not sitting right up front, so it was a little difficult to follow along. It was still fun trying, though.
Animal Towel Folding
Animal Towel Folding was held on Freeport Day in Wavebands (Deck 3 Forward) at 3:45 pm. We were given a handout explaining how to make a dog, a swan, an elephant, and a lobster. Two stateroom hosts led the demonstration and there was another to help the audience. They demonstrated several animals quickly and then a few animals more slowly so we could make them, too. We found the animal towel folding to be much easier than the napkin folding that we attended earlier in the day. We were able to make a cute pig, an elephant, and a monkey body. Unfortunately since we were not given a washcloth, our monkey had no head! See photos at http://community.webshots.com/album/92102050IeNMHD.
Bingo
Bingo was held throughout the cruise, but we only attended on Freeport Day in Wavebands (Deck 3 Forward) at 5:00 pm. I am not a bingo fan, but my Mom plays bingo at home a lot, so she was looking forward to this. She felt the cost was too much, especially since it probably lasted less than 20 minutes total once we started playing. The cost was $20 for three cards for each of the five games or $35 for six cards for each of the five games. They did not play regular bingo, but each game was a specific thing they were looking for, i.e. a postage stamp (four in one corner), five around the corner, coverall, etc. Also, they do not use markers. The cards are perforated and you push the numbers though the back of the card. If anything is torn you cannot win. Neither one of us won anything, but we were both really close a few times. They did give away a lot of money for each game (the amount varied each time) and several raffle prizes, too (books and a Mickey Mouse hat). By the end of the cruise, the jackpot was approaching $1,500.
Internet Café
I visited the Internet Café (Promenade Lounge, Deck 3 Aft) several times during the cruise so I could communicate with my DH who was at home all alone. I never had any problem getting a computer. Unless you plan to use the Internet Café a lot during your visit, I would stick to the $0.75 per minute rate instead of the unlimited $39.95 plan. I visited four times and spent only $21.75.
Movies
Unfortunately we were never able to make it to the Buena Vista Movie Theatre. The movies that were playing were: Pirates of the Caribbean, Bringing Down the House, The Lizzie McGuire Movie, Spy Kids 3D: Game Over, Holes, Finding Nemo, Cold Creek Manor, Freaky Friday, and Open Range. There were also a lot of movies playing on the television in the stateroom.
Dueling Pianos
Dueling Pianos is held in Barrel of Laughs (Deck 3 Forward) and was put on by Jimmy from New York City and Joel from Sydney, Australia. We attended one family show and one adult show. For the family show we each had a daiquiri. I had peach and Mom had strawberry. For the adult show I had a Rum Runner (coconut rum, dark rum, crème de banana, blackberry brandy, orange juice, pineapple juice, a dash of grenadine with a Bacardi 151 rum float) and Mom had a Bahama Mama (dark rum, coconut rum, crème de banana, orange juice, pineapple juice, with a splash of grenadine).
The Family Show Set List included: Bad Bad Leroy Brown, Doe Rae Me (Sound of Music), She Was Just 17, Jeremiah Was A Bullfrog, My Bonnie Lies Over The Ocean, Yellow Submarine, Im a Believer, Life Goes On (Oh Blah Dee), Crocodile Rock, Johnny B Good, Feelings (as a joke), Close To You (another joke), and Great Balls of Fire.
The Adult Show Set List included: Eight Days A Week, Runaway, Brown-Eyed Girl, Those Were The Days (Archie Bunker Song), Country Roads, Jeremiah Was A Bullfrog, Friends In Low Places, Daydream Believer, Piano Man (with Joel on harmonica), Sha La La La La?, Old Time Rock and Roll, I Say A Little Prayer For You, Mrs. Brown You Have A Lovely Daughter, Elvira, Bobby McGee, Fly Me to the Moon, I Aint Got Nobody, Life Goes On, Close To You (another joke), and Great Balls of Fire.
Castaway Cay
We stood out on our verandah and watched as the Wonder backed into port at Castaway Cay. We saw the little post office right outside our stateroom. The island looked beautiful and we could not wait to get outside. We left the ship after the announcement, picked up some towels, and made our way to Serenity Bay via the two trams. On the way during the second tram ride we saw some very unhappy looking people who had decided to walk to Serenity Bay. It was a lot farther than it looked on the map, so avoid doing that unless you are in really good shape.
When we arrived at Serenity Bay there were plenty of chairs and umbrellas left and we found a place to sit (When we had passed the Family Beach earlier there were also plenty of chairs and umbrellas left there, too.). The water and the views were beautiful and after taking some photos we spent some time swimming and relaxing in the water. It was surprisingly shallow, even very far away from the beach area. The water was really salty and the bottom was rough, but not too bad. We spent some time relaxing in our chairs and then started heading over to Cookies BBQ for lunch.
The food at Cookies BBQ was very good. They had BBQ ribs, cheeseburgers, hot dogs, lobster burgers, corn on the cob, pasta salad, potato salad, potato chips, fresh fruit, huge chocolate chip cookies, and cookie dough and strawberry soft-serve ice cream cones nearby in the seating area. There were plenty of seats and we had a nice relaxing lunch. After lunch we started heading back to the ship and stopped along the way for some photos and shopping. It started sprinkling a little on the way, but it was still a beautiful day.
Castaway Cay was bittersweet for me because I really wished DH had been there to see it. On my first Wonder trip with DH in February 2002, we were unable to dock at Castaway Cay because of high winds. It was very depressing as we watched the ship try to make several attempts at docking. Finally the captain gave up and ultimately we had a day at sea. I know DH would have loved the island and I wished he could have been there.
Advice
If you are planning a Disney cruise, spend time at the following websites for a lot of great information:
http://disboards.com/
http://www.dcltribute.com
http://www.castawayclub.com
http://www.passporter.com/dcl/
http://disneycruise.com
Too bad I didn't get to meet you on the ship...I'm sure we passed by each other though...but then I don't know what you look like. Oh well, maybe next time. 
