Wonder 27 Nov: Good not so Good

Smeece

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Aug 20, 2014
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My family and I went on our first Disney cruise 27 Nov-4 Dec on the Wonder out of Galveston and here are a few of the Good and not so Good (nothing was really Bad) observations that we made:


Good:
1. The check-in process went very smoothly. We drove up to the terminal, a very nice man helped us unload so I tipped him $5 and drove off to park. Once inside we got in line to check in and then took a seat and waited for our boarding number to be called.
2. All of the Disney personel were very nice and helpful onboard the ship. It all seemed very organized and they always had a smile on their faces and willing to help you.
3. The desserts onboard were delicious! I also enjoyed the self serve ice cream and soft drink bars. The cream cheese filled pretzels are a must if you've never tried them!
4. The heated pools and water slides were great! My kids loved them, and my wife and I loved that there are 2 lifeguards overlooking the pools at all times.
5. Castaway Cay!!! What a beautiful and relaxing place! I could have spent the entire cruise on that island.
6. Disembarkation day went just as smooth as the first day. We we're with the express group meaning that we carried off all of our own luggage without having to wait around for it in the terminal.
7. Oh yeah, I bout forgot. There are 2 shows you dont need to miss while on the Wonder. The Golden Mickey's and Disney Dreams. They were both great and I believe Dreams was the best Disney stage show I've ever seen.

Not so Good:
1. The muster drill is a joke. I know that it's something they HAVE to do but there's no way you can get any kind of info out of what they're trying to show you. You're herded like cattle to your assigned areas and crammed against a wall until everyone onboard is accounted for so while you're standing there sweating your butt's off there are people just gingerly walking around like it's no big deal! You were told to be at your spot at 4:00 people! Those that cant be there by that time should be fined by Disney. Ok, enough of that.
2. The food in the MDR's was a big let down. Every seafood item that I ordered was overcooked and even on lobster night which is supposed to be one of the highlights the lobster was like chewing on a balloon. The kids menu's were also terrible. If your kid likes mac and cheese though you're in luck because that's pretty much what they're going to have. They do throw sprigs of broccoli on there though just in case they need a vegetable. As I said before though the desserts were pretty tasty.
3. Right at first when you board things are a little hectic with people trying to get to everything and mom's pulling children by the arms trying to make this character greeting or trying to hurry to a show but it calms down after a day or so. If you plan on doing the character breakfast, princess meet and greet and Anna and Elsa meet I would suggest as soon as you get onboard one member of your family high tail it to Wavebands to get in line. The line is very long and very slow. It took me close to an hour to get my tickets. One thing that I kept reading on the Disboard is dont try to do everything and I strongly agree with that. It's way too stressful and I believe it would be impossible to do anyway.

So that's our cruise in a nutshell. Steve
 
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1. The muster drill is a joke. I know that it's something they HAVE to do but there's no way you can get any kind of info out of what they're trying to show you. You're herded like cattle to your assigned areas and crammed against a wall until everyone onboard is accounted for so while you're standing there sweating your butt's off there are people just gingerly walking around like it's no big deal! You were told to be at your spot at 4:00 people! Those that cant be there by that time should be fined by Disney. Ok, enough of that.

That is what muster drills are like.

They do NOT tell you to be there at "x hour". They tell you that the drill will start at whatever time it is on your sailing; if it were a real emergency you would go about your business until you heard the sirens/alerts and THEN make your way there. People who wait until the sounds are actually following the concept of the drill better than those who are there AT that hour.

Now, it's a conversation that goes around in circles like at the parks with counter service seating (seat your family then get food vs only get seats once everyone has food); there's no way to get everyone to do it the same. So those who insist on doing it your way (IMO the wrong way) will always be annoyed at those who wait for the signal to go to muster stations, and those who go to muster stations after the signals will always be irritated at those already there who are irritated at them.

Regardless, it's always noisy, it's always going to be hot IF your muster station is outside, you will always be rather squished in a line if your station is outside (if you have a muster station in the theater, well that's lovely). It is what it is.
 
Your kids could have ordered anything they wanted from Adult menu!

Lobster s@cks! Tuna is usually very good!
 
We're the opposite on DCL - love the food, meh on the desserts. (Except the chocolate soufflé at Palo - yum!)

On our last cruise on the Magic, I had some of the most beautifully cooked salmon I've ever eaten. Absolutely incredible. I'm sorry your experience in that arena didn't measure up.

I agree, though that the kids meals don't always measure up. My daughter ordered several of her meals (those nights when she didn't want mac and cheese - heh) off the adult menu and was very happy. She had a piece of salmon she loved and a steak she ate most of.
 

Only 3 not so good things. Not too bad! The question is, would you sail again?

We fall into the "we don't show up at the muster station until they actually begin the drill" group. No point in showing up at 3:55 for a 4pm drill which may or may not be one time. We may be busy unpacking, or off in a space somewhere. Besides, young kids can't stand still long enough, especially outside in the sun, when they know there are great things they could be doing, pools, slides, activities. We do certainly will move in a timely fashion once the muster drill commences.
 
We're the opposite on DCL - love the food, meh on the desserts. (Except the chocolate soufflé at Palo - yum!)

On our last cruise on the Magic, I had some of the most beautifully cooked salmon I've ever eaten. Absolutely incredible. I'm sorry your experience in that arena didn't measure up.

I agree, though that the kids meals don't always measure up. My daughter ordered several of her meals (those nights when she didn't want mac and cheese - heh) off the adult menu and was very happy. She had a piece of salmon she loved and a steak she ate most of.

This is us too. We loved the food, but the only desserts we liked were ice cream related.

It's going to be a struggle to get our kids to eat anything other than Mac & Cheese. That or a cheese pizza. We're going to attempt to get them to eat off the adult menu or at least maybe a ham and cheese sandwich or something.

I don't recall musters on any particular cruise line all that bad. That's because the alternative is a line at one of the theme parks. Now that's hot and miserable.
 
Also they will always bring a burger, dog, pizza or chicken strips. Most of the time fresh fruit plate, we always got a plate of pineapple. They can also bring a plate of veggies.

Just ask and they will do their best to keep your child happy and feed.

HINT, encourage child to try something new and order(at same time) child's favorite standbys food. Our DD is very picky, but will try new things even just a bite.
 
Also they will always bring a burger, dog, pizza or chicken strips. Most of the time fresh fruit plate, we always got a plate of pineapple. They can also bring a plate of veggies.

Just ask and they will do their best to keep your child happy and feed.

HINT, encourage child to try something new and order(at same time) child's favorite standbys food. Our DD is very picky, but will try new things even just a bite.
We made a deal with our youngest when we took him on his first cruise - he can eat the chicken tenders for every meal (chicken nuggets/tenders were his go-to at the time) BUT at dinner he had to try at least one "new" thing in addition.
 
I completely agree with your comment about the lifeguards. They take their jobs very seriously and do such thorough hand-offs (yes I am aware of previous incidents and that is why they do this). It's just great to see how professional they are.
 

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