Trena & Rob's WONDERful Anniversary Cruise

[Trena]

My sweet DH and I celebrated our 16th wedding anniversary on the Feb 5, 2009 Disney Wonder Cruise. We had more fun that I thought possible. Here is a little trip report for your entertainment!!


Wednesday (2-4-09)

We got the kids off to school and drove about 6 hrs to Cocoa Beach. We checked into the Raddison Hotel. We had dinner at Applebee's (had a gift card saved from Christmas) and then went to see the movie "New in Town". (The movie isn't that great, but Harry Conick Jr. is still cute.) Rob needed new swim ware so we went to Ron Jon's Surf shop. Its open 24 hrs. There were only 3 or 4 other customer shopping that time of night. Rob bought 2 swim shirts and a pair of trunks. I looked for a swim suit cover up, but couldn't find one that covered much. We finally called it a night and went back to the hotel.

Grandma Helen was staying at our house with the kids while we were gone. Logan did very well with out us. Papa was in charge of getting the kids to church on Wednesday night and piano lessons on Friday afternoon. Everything went smoothly and we are indebted to them for taking care of the kids for us.

 

[Trena]

Thurs (2-5-09)

Thursday
We slept in and then had breakfast at the Omelet Station. Rob had the surfer's breakfast. It was basically Eggs Benedict with crab meat added. (YUCK! He loves seafood, I don't)

We drove our car to the port, paid $45 for parking and headed into the terminal. It was alot like going through security at the airport. We checked in and got our "Key to the World" card--room key, and charge card. You must have this key (and a photo ID) every time you get on or off the ship.

We had time to pose for photos with Mickey and Goofy and admire the model of the ship. About an hour later, A cast member announced " please welcome aboard the Stone Family". We walked into the atrium to the sound of a welcoming thunderous applause (or at least a polite applause given by a dozen cast members who were probably tired of smiling and clapping by then).

Parrot Cay Restaurant was full so we were directed up to Beach Blanket Buffet for lunch. After that it was time to explore the ship. We took a few pictures while we walked around. It was cold enough that we had to wear our jackets out on deck. Apparently someone invited the cold front to come along on our cruise with us. It followed us all the way to the Bahamas. It was warm before we got there, and it warmed up right after we left! I'll never cruise in February again.

It was time to meet my buddies from the DisBoards (an internet discussion group for Disney junkies like myself). We had been chatting on line for a few months prior to the cruise. We visited for 20 to 30 minutes and took a photo. I did see, and chat with a few of them later in the cruise. We were participating in a gift exchange.

Outside of each door is a metal fish. You can tuck notes behind it. Each cabin hangs a "Fish Extender" (usually a custom fabric organizer with a pocket for each person). There wasn't any cute Disney fabric in Panama City, and I didn't want to buy one off Ebay (yes, go look them up on ebay and you'll see what I'm talking about.)....so I went with a "no sew" option. I put iron on name tags on 2 little canvas tote bags. For my gift, I made a monthly, 2009 calendar with images from the Disney Cruise Line, and Castaway Cay. This calendar fits inside a music CD case. The case, if you take it apart and put it back together backwards makes a display easel. I also made little goodie bags with candy and Disney items from the dollar store for the kids. (What kid appreciates a calendar, even with Mickey Mouse on it?) I also printed out a few custom magnets with Disney graphics for our state room door.

We were in cabin 6008 on deck 6. We had been given a complementary upgrade from category 12 (inside room with no window and thus, the cheapest) to a category 8 with a large window. Category 8 rooms have a split bathroom design to make getting showered and dressed a little easier. Our queen bed could be pulled apart to make 2 beds, our sofa could be made into a single bed, and there was a pull down bed in the ceiling over the sofa. We had plenty of room for the two of us.

Next was the safety drill. We had to put on our life jackets and meet at a designated location by life boat #6. It was cold up on deck and I was grateful to be in a crowd to block the wind. We put our jackets on and went up to deck 10 to watch the sail away party. It was fun to watch the ship leave the port and head out to sea. Then it was time to get dressed for dinner.

We had dinner reservations for Palo that night. This restaurant is only for adults and has a required dress code. The food was fine, but I enjoyed the view, and my companion the most. Palo is on the very back of the ship with lots of windows to take in the ocean view. We had a table for two by the window and a picture perfect sunset. Our waiter, Michael was very nice and attentive. He is from the Philippines. He had a noticeable accent and we had to listen carefully as he talked to us so we could understand him. He noticed Rob's entree was small and offered to bring another. Rob declined, wanting to save room for dessert. We had both ordered the chocolate soufflé for dessert so he brought us a vanilla fruit dessert to try as well. (All food is included on the cruise. However, there is an extra $15 charge per person for Palo.)

We changed into our jeans and t-shirts and headed to the Walt Disney Theater for the 8:30 Golden Mickeys show...a "Disneyfied" version of the Academy Awards. Its 60 minutes of live song and dance combined with filmed segments. It includes songs from the Hunchback of Notre Dame, Pocohantas, Mulan, the Little Mermaid, Toy Story, Snow White, Sleeping Beauty, 101 Dalmations, Lady and the Tramp and my favorite, Tarzan. I enjoyed the show so much that it seemed liked it was over in 5 minutes instead of 60.

The night was still young so we went to the adult club, WaveBands for the "Match Your Mate" game show at 10:00 with Cast Member Luke. This very similar to the old Newly Wed game show from TV. Two of the three couples were a little too honest with their answers. It made a for quite a few good laughs!

Next we hit the gift shop. Rob bought sunglasses and I bought a swim suit cover up. I looked for something for the kids, but nothing seemed just right.

 

[Trena]

Fri 2-6-09

We were awake and had the curtain open as we docked in Nassau. I was still watching out the window a short time later as another cruise boat docked beside us. I was like a kid on Christmas morning. I was seeing things I'd never seen before, and I was soaking it all in. We went to breakfast in Tritions. I had french toast stacked between grilled pineapple. Sounds good doesn't it? It wasn't. We had some time before our tour so we went back to the room. I took a much needed nap, Rob couldn't sleep so he watched TV.

We booked an off road segway tour in a 162 acre nature preserve called Earth Village. We meet our group on the ship and then we were guided off the ship to a waiting taxi. It was an exciting drive as cars are driven on the left side of the NARROW roads. There were lots of pedestrians where a sidewalk should be. It seemed like the largest car, that honked first, had the right of way. It thought for sure we would crash! Our driver was talkative and gave us a little history of the island as we drove through town.

It was still windy and cool so we kept our jackets on while we suited up in knee pads, elbow pads and a helmet. We were given a brief explanation of how to balance and drive a segway. Then we had 20 mins or so to practice in the paved parking lot. Rob took to it quite well. I was nervous, but managed to do all right. It was hard at first to balance perfectly straight to keep the segway still. Some of the parts of the path were narrow, sandy, rocky, and/or up hill. There were a few areas that were paved and level. These paths run along the antiquated aqueducts which once provided Nassau with fresh water. We were told that this wasn't a segway surfing tour so we had to be careful not to end up in the water. Half way through our tour we came to an obstacle course. It had a few cones and a few hills. The tour guide set us free. Rob took off a full speed and was "catching air" on the hills. I decided to stay out of the way. Right next to the obstacle course was a shaded area with a few wooden benches. We were provided with a cold bottle of water. It was warm enough now to take off our jackets. It felt good to sit down for a few minutes. I didn't know what was more fun, trying to get my "sea legs" so I could walk on the ship, or get my "segway legs". On the last stretch of our tour the guide showed us how to lean forward, place our knees on either side of the handle bar and drive with no hands! I said "no thanks". Most everyone else felt comfortable enough to try this. I just didn't feel the need. At the end of our tour we were taken back to the port by the same taxi. Rob and I walked through some of the gifts shops and enjoyed some live music. We crossed the street and had our passports stamped. I can prove I have been out of the country now. Its even dated, Feb 6, which is our anniversary. We got back to the ship just before Beach Blanket Buffet closed for lunch. We sat out side with our lunch and admired the view.

We saw Toy Story the Musical in the theater that evening. It was a cute show. I know Logan would have loved it. (You can see clips of it posted on YouTube.)

--Pirate Night-- Our assigned dinner was in Trition that evening. A photographer came around and asked us to give her our scary pirate faces, and hold up our finger like a hook. The photo made us laugh so much that we bought it.

Next was the Pirates IN the Caribbean Party on decks 9 & 10. The party started at 10:00 it was COLD outside! I had on my jacket with the hood up and my gloves on. There was singing and dancing. Everything was great until Captain Hook showed up. He took over the party and said we'd do things his way from now on. Pirate Mickey came came down a zip line from the very top of the "smoke stack" just in time to save the day and start the fireworks. Fireworks over the ocean was an amazing site to see. Disney is the first cruise line to have fireworks. It had never been done before, so Disney set the safety standard for the rest of the cruise lines.

After the fireworks, there is a midnight buffet on deck. One line has food, one line as dessert! We hit the dessert line and each got two kinds of chocolate cake. We took the cake and some drinks with us to the movie theater. We saw Bolt in 3D. The movie started at 11:00. My tummy was full, I finally warmed up and I had to fight hard to stay awake during the movie. Rob was going to take me back to the room, but I was determined to stick it out.

 

[Trena]

Saturday 2-7-09
Saturday morning we were docked at Castawy Cay before we woke up. Rob put on his new swim suit, and I had on my swim suit with my new cover up on. We had good breakfast at Beach Blanket Buffet. We wanted to sit out side but it was just too cold. Rob went back to the room to put his jeans on and grab his jacket before we went to the island. I some how thought that by not giving up (putting on warmer clothing) that I could make it a warm and sunny day from sheer desire. (Note to self--continue to work on controlling the weather.) The sun did eventually come out and it wasn't too bad. We rode the tram over to Serenity Bay, the adults only beach. We made ourselves comfortable in the hammocks and watched the yoga class at the end of the beach. (Yoga, even on a tropical island, is not part of my vacation planning, thanks.)

Rob and I talked for hours. I could barley reach the sand with my toes to keep my hammock swinging. Rob eventually moved a chair and sat right next to me. Then he kept my hammock swinging! Isn't that sweet? (I'll wait right here while you go get a tissue.) Before I knew it, it was noon and I was finally motivated by hunger to leave my hammock and find the Bar-B-Q lunch that was provided for us. There were burgers, hot dogs, fish, Bar-B-Q ribs, salads, chips, fresh fruit and cookie dough ice cream. Yummy! It was good to get out of the sun and wind too. Serenity Bay is not as protected from the wind as the family and teen beaches are.

After lunch we took the tram back to the family beach. There were plenty of kids and adults in the water. There is a nice play area out in the water for the kids to play on an jump off of. We had planned to go snorkeling, but the water was just too cold for me. So we rented a 2 person kayak instead. We were able to go out pretty close to the back side of the Flying Dutchman. I had a disposable waterproof camera with me and got a few shots. I haven't gotten those developed yet. I was hoping to use that camera while snorkeling. I'll just have to go back again when its warmer. The water was pretty shallow. I could have gotten out and walked back to shore...but I might have frozen before I got there. I bought the kids a beach towel from the gift shop on the island. Logan got a Nemo towel. Harrison's towel has the seagulls, from Nemo, that say "Mine, Mine, Mine". Emily's towel has pink flowers, is shaped like a surfboard and has "Castaway Island, Bahamas" on it. We decided to walk back to the ship and take some photos and video along the way.

I was determined to go swimming. We dropped off our stuff in the room and went to the heated adult pool. Both hot tubs were full, so we jumped into the pool. The water was 80 degrees. We had the pool to ourselves. 20 minutes later, 2 spots in the hot tub opened up so we moved there. The water was great, but I was sure we'd freeze before we could get dried off and back to the cabin.

Tonight's show, Dreams, was by far the best show on the ship. "Disney Dreams" tells the story of a little girl named Ann-Marie who wished to fly to the place where things come true. The Blue Fairy overhears her and sends Peter Pan and Tinkerbell to give a little help. What follows are musical numbers from such classics as Aladdin, Cinderella, Beauty and the Beast, The Little Mermaid, and the Lion King. Ann-Marie learns that it takes a little bit more than pixie dust to get your feet off the ground.

Dinner was at Animator's Palate. This $3 million dollar restaurant transforms itself from black and white to full color as the meal progresses. Our table-mates joined us and we talked about our day on the island.


After dinner we went to WaveBands (adult club) to see "Wonder Quest". CM Luke divided the audience into teams. He would call for items...like a set of keys, anything red, white, and blue, or a shoe lace. The first team to the stage with the item earned points. One team, who must have all been wearing sandals, grabbed a waiter and took his shoe off and removed his shoe lace. The look on his face was was priceless. He was really taken by surprise. He was a good sport and seemed pleased to be part of the monkey business. Luke also called for a picture of the DJ. Six people ran to the back of the dark room and flashed the DJ with their cameras. The DJ said he liked the attention, but he might not be able to see for a while. The game was pretty entertaining. I was tired and that made everything more funny.

After the show wanted to go see the movie "Bedtime Stories" but it was late and we had to be packed, out of our room, and down to breakfast by 7:45 the next morning. All of our luggage (except for one small bag) was packed an put in the hall by 11:00 pm.

We had breakfast and took our time leaving the ship. If I hadn't been missing my kids, they would have had to drag me off the ship kicking and screaming. Our luggage was waiting for us in the terminal. It was a quick walk through customs and we were on our way home.

 

[1stdisneycruise]

Thank you for the tr can not wait to hear more. We are leaving in just a few days

happy Anniversary!

I have a few questions!

What time did you get to the terminal?

Can we see your mickey calendar or how to make them they sound very cool.

Did you book the segway rides on Disney or on your own when you got to Nassau? The reason I ask is. That we may like to do parasailing there. We would have to do it when we get there. Did you see any one selling parasailing

Thank you!

 

[john970]

Great review! Glad you had a great time... we are looking forward to our first Disney cruise next month, and we're a little anxious as we are two adults who have cruised many other lines... but not disney.

A few quick questions:

-Is it true that the music in for the shows are prerecorded? Does this take away from the shows?
-Was there any fly-on entertainment... magic shows, comedians, etc.?
-Were there any bands or singers by the pool or throughout the ship?
-Do you know what time is the earliest time we can board?

Thanks.

 

[1stdisneycruise]

Some how I missed the Castway and last night before posting my questions.
So thank you for the TR.

I am glad you had a great time.

I can not wait to hear your answers from my questions above.

 

[Trena]

Thank you for the tr can not wait to hear more. We are leaving in just a few days

happy Anniversary!

I have a few questions!

What time did you get to the terminal?

Can we see your mickey calendar or how to make them they sound very cool.

Did you book the segway rides on Disney or on your own when you got to Nassau? The reason I ask is. That we may like to do parasailing there. We would have to do it when we get there. Did you see any one selling parasailing

Thank you!

Around 10:30 (I think)

let me see if I can find a way to post a link or a photo of the calendars. I'll get back to you on that.

We booked it on the ship. We meet our group in the Promenade Lounge and were escorted off the ship as a group. You can book these kinds of things on line, or at the Port Adventures Desks on Deck 3.

Looking at my Navigator, I don't see any parasailing listed as an excursion for Nassau, but it was offered at Castaway Cay.

 

[Trena]

Great review! Glad you had a great time... we are looking forward to our first Disney cruise next month, and we're a little anxious as we are two adults who have cruised many other lines... but not disney.

A few quick questions:

-Is it true that the music in for the shows are prerecorded? Does this take away from the shows?
-Was there any fly-on entertainment... magic shows, comedians, etc.?
-Were there any bands or singers by the pool or throughout the ship?
-Do you know what time is the earliest time we can board?

Thanks.

You will have so much fun! I can't wait to go again.

1. Most of the main characters in the shows had tiny microphones taped to their faces. I think it was preformed live. If any singing was prerecorded, I sure couldn't tell. Dreams was my favorite show. The Lion King segment at the end brought the house down. That just had to be live.

2. There were no extra performers. I would assume that to be more common during longer cruises. Ours was only 3 nights.

3. No live music by the pools or in the clubs at night to my knowledge.

4. Boarding usually beings around 12 noon. Characters appear around 11:00 for photographs.

 

[Trena]

if you do a search on "CD Case calendar" you will get a few results and some easy to follow instructions and templates.

If you like the photos that I used, you are welcome to copy them.

you can go to my photobucket page and see all of them

http://s607.photobucket.com/albums/tt152/Trena112171/

 

[1stdisneycruise]

Thank you for taking the time to send us that. I will have to make one. Thank you for letting us use the Disney photos you have found.

I know about the parasailing. I do not know what we are going to do about that yet. But thank you for looking. I do not know if we will parasail or just shop. We are not big shoppers But we have to get off so we can say we were in nassau

 

[Luv2Travel]

Happy Anniversary!! And thank you for the very entertaining trip report - GREAT pictures!! Love the calendar idea - very creative.

I have a few questions for you, if you have the time, please:

(1) On the Segway tour: would you happen to remember how many Segways were available? My group has this tour booked through an outside vendor (not DCL) for March and I hope they haven't overbooked us (we have a group of 11 ).

(2) Did you enjoy the Segway tour? How about your husband? Think teens would enjoy it?

(3) Is Disney still not giving out bandanas on Pirate Night?

Thanks again!

 

[LMO429]

great pics! subscribing

 

[1stdisneycruise]

Happy Anniversary!! And thank you for the very entertaining trip report - GREAT pictures!! Love the calendar idea - very creative.

I have a few questions for you, if you have the time, please:

(1) On the Segway tour: would you happen to remember how many Segways were available? My group has this tour booked through an outside vendor (not DCL) for March and I hope they haven't overbooked us (we have a group of 11 ).

(2) Did you enjoy the Segway tour? How about your husband? Think teens would enjoy it?

(3) Is Disney still not giving out bandanas on Pirate Night?


I hope they start giving out bandanas in a few days again that is when I am on. Come on Disney. We paid when you had bandanas and we want bandanas
sorry have to add bananas for the bandana sadness

 

[Trena]

Happy Anniversary!! And thank you for the very entertaining trip report - GREAT pictures!! Love the calendar idea - very creative.

I have a few questions for you, if you have the time, please:

(1) On the Segway tour: would you happen to remember how many Segways were available? My group has this tour booked through an outside vendor (not DCL) for March and I hope they haven't overbooked us (we have a group of 11 ).

(2) Did you enjoy the Segway tour? How about your husband? Think teens would enjoy it?

(3) Is Disney still not giving out bandanas on Pirate Night?

Thanks again!

1. We had 8 in our tour, plus the guide. I saw a few other employees riding around. I bet they could handle at least 11. Your group might fill the tour.

They had a morning tour about 8 or 9:00, and our tour at noon both were booked with DCL. They had a large shed, which could have held 20 or 30 segways. I DID NOT see inside it. So I don't know how many they actually have.

2. I do think teens would enjoy it. My DH loved it. Anyone who likes wave-runners, 4 wheelers, scooters, or motorcycles would love the segways. (Obviously segways aren't quite the same, and don't go as fast as a 4 wheeler or wave-runner.) I enjoyed it even though I was a little nervous and cautious at first. It didn't take me too long to get used to it.

You must be at least 10 yrs old. Ages 10 to 16 must be accompanied by an adult.

3. No bandanas! No menu that looked like a pirate map either. There was nothing at dinner that let you know it was pirate night. (We were in Tritions that night.) Bring your own costume or accessories it you'd like to dress the part!

 

[Trena]

thanks for the kind replies

feel free to ask more questions

I wanted to add that I used some old CD cases for the calendars. The new really skinny ones that you can buy in the electronics dept at Wal Mart weren't thick enough.

 

[Luv2Travel]

3. No bandanas! No menu that looked like a pirate map either. There was nothing at dinner that let you know it was pirate night. (We were in Tritions that night.) Bring your own costume or accessories it you'd like to dress the part!

Hi Trena,
Thank you so much for taking the time to answer my questions.
You wouldn't think a tour operator would overbook a tour, but you never know.

I'm hoping (and thinking) that you didn't receive the pirate menu because you were on the 3 night. My DH and I have done the 3 night before and I believe it was the same for us. HOPEFULLY they'll still have the pirate menu on the 4 night. But it's still a bummer that DCL doesn't give out the cheap little bandanas anymore. The servers really played it up with the bandanas and made it more fun for us.

Thanks again and take care!

 

[Trena]

Hi Trena,
Thank you so much for taking the time to answer my questions.
You wouldn't think a tour operator would overbook a tour, but you never know.
!

Unfortunately, you really have to watch out for yourself. Its seems like good customer service is the exception, not the rule these days. I would check with the tour operator and make sure. Don't leave it to chance.

 

[Luv2Travel]

Unfortunately, you really have to watch out for yourself. Its seems like good customer service is the exception, not the rule these days. I would check with the tour operator and make sure. Don't leave it to chance.

Isn't it the truth (about good customer service)!
I've been trying to figure out how to contact the tour operator directly, but the email address that I found on another board was old. I can't seem to find a telephone number either. I may just try calling the Cricket Club (isn't that where the tour begins?) directly to see if I can find any info.

Thank you again!

 

[Trena]

I don't know about the Cricket Club. We didn't stop there. I didn't even see a cricket club.

The little flyer that I picked up on the ship says "Caribbean Segway Tours" on the top. It does not give any contact information. No phone, address, or email. It just says " For bookings see your tour representative or shore excursion desk" and then has a blank space for the representative info.