Wonder-ful Disney Cruise - May 3 - 7, 2009

[Wonder2008]

This is my first time doing a report. I don't have the means to post pictures, but I have lots to say. Please feel free to ask questions about anything I type.

We (my sister, Lori, and I, Robert) re-booked during our first cruise last year for early April. Then, we moved it to May 17 (a little less expensive). Then, we moved it to May 3 in February. Since we were driving to the terminal, we were a little flexible on timing. We got room 6014 (category 8, forward). A few days before we left, AAA called to tell us we got an upgrade to a verandah room! I don't know what we did to deserve that, but we were very happy after that phone call!

5/3/09 -

We drove to the DCL terminal and arrived later than I had wanted (and we got stuck at the drawbridge nearby). They had already began loading when we checked in. We got our Castaway Club lanyards and boarded right away. The cast member announced our names as we boarded (last year they butchered our last name) and we gave ourselves a ship tour. We knew that the space shuttle Atlantis would be on the lauching pad, so we tried to see it (you can - ask someone for help if need be). At 1:30 our room was ready (7098, aft). We got lots of Castaway Club goodies on our bed, and went directly to our verandah! Our luggage was delivered just as we were leaving to lunch at Beach Blanket Buffet. We have food allergies, so we asked a crew member to get a chef for us. They are very good at telling you what is safe for you and what isn't. After lunch, we went to the Nassau shopping presentation. We got some good information, even though they spoke mostly about diamonds and watches. When that ended, it was time for the lifeboat drill. After that was the sail-away at 4:30, even though we didn't leave the dock until 5:20. We stayed on deck 10 until we were at sea, then changed for dinner. Even though we had seen the shows last year, we went to them again. This night was "The Golden Mickeys". Even if you've seen it, see it again. I'm surprised at how much of the show I didn't remember from last year. Before dinner we went to Mickey Mania in Studio Sea, then it was off to dinner at Animator's Palate. Our servers were: Murat from Turkey (asst.) , Branel from India (sever), and Witt from Indonesia (head). With our food allergies, we were "stuck" ordering from the lighter fare portion of the menu, but we ordered our next night's dinner that night so they have time to modify it (that worked very well). After dinner we went to the shops then turned in a little early to get ready for our big day at Atlantis.

 

[Wonder2008]

5/4/09 -

We used the wake-up call on our room's phone, and got up at 7:00. We were done with breakfast (Beach Blanket Buffet) before we even docked. The night before, Witt had given my sister soy milk boxes for our breakfasts. That saved a lot of time instead of having to find a chef each morning. It was very interesting to watch the ship turn around before docking at Nassau - and we got a great view from our verandah! We took a walk before the gangway opened and could see crew members loading the fireworks for that night (above Palo, starboard)!

We left the ship around 9:45 and easily found the taxis to Atlantis (thank you to the board members who answered my questions about taxis). The architecture at Atlantis is almost an attraction in itself. The lobby was filled with sculptures, murals, waterfalls, aquarium displays - it is definitely overwhelming at first. We bought the Aquaventure day package at the casino nearby (it was $110/person, less than DCL and less than getting a room at a nearby hotel since it was just two of us). Once we found a door outside, we just followed the pathway which took us to the Mayan temple. The lockers are sort of nearby (#51 on the map they give you). The smallest locker easily held our Castaway Club bag ($5). We began on the part of the property with the underwater viewing tunnel - definitely don't miss that. Also in that area we did the lazy river and a nearby pool. The lazy river is a bit too lazy, I think. It doesn't have any waterfalls or anything along the way. You'll waste a lot of time criss-crossing the property, so try to do everything you want in one "area" before continuing on. Our lunch was just cereal boxes we brought from the buffet. We knew the food at Atlantis was very expensive, and we didn't want to bother them with our allergies. We spent the rest of the time at the Mayan temple. I'm not a strong swimmer, but I enjoyed the Serpent Slide (to the right of the steep one). We didn't get a chance to do the Power Tower area like I had wanted to, but we still had a very full day. We left the resort around 4:00, got our Diamonds International free bracelet then went back to the Disney Wonder.

If you are going to Atlantis, go to their website and download the resort map. Try to memorize it before you arrive - it will save you time. Their map isn't great, but you'll get an idea of where things are located. Also, be off the ship early to maximize your time.

Our night began with the movie "Earth" in the Walt Disney Theatre. I was hoping they would show that, and I'm glad they did. After the show we just hung out until dinner. We watched as we pulled away from the dock (very nice sunset), then just waited in the atrium. Our dinner was at Parrot Cay, and it was a lot better than the night before. They have wheat-free brownies (maybe the same as Walt Disney World's) - just ask for them. We aren't really dancers, so we just watched the Pirates in the Caribbean party. We really went for the fireworks. They were serving turkey legs at the pirate buffet and as much I wanted one I had just eaten. But they did have hand-scooped ice cream, to my surprise. I stayed up to watch all of "Pirates of the Caribbean", but my sister couldn't make it. I went to bed around 1:20.

Next - our first day at sea.

 

[Wonder2008]

5/5/09 -

Last year we were on one of the special 4-night summer cruises that went to Castaway Cay twice, so we didn't get a day at sea. This being our first one, we didn't really know what to expect. Our day began with a special docking at Castaway Cay. It seems that on our cruise was a family who won a day at Castaway Cay by themselves last year during the Year of a Million Dreams, so we docked to let them off, then sailed away (at noon we were told that we were 20 miles west of Castaway Cay). We began with breakfast at Beach Blanket Buffet (we enjoy having breakfast outside), then took the morning easy. We got our AAA bike and float rentals from the shore excursion desk (10% off), then went to an animation class at the Promenade Lounge at 10:15. We drew Mickey Mouse which was fun, but I already know how to draw him. After that we went to the shops a little which were open all day, then spent some time at the quiet cove pool until lunch. It was a little crowded there - actually, all pools were crowded, especially since there wasn't a cloud in the sky (which would explain our sunburns). We went to the Beach Blanket Buffet for lunch (again, so we can eat outside). While we were there we saw our assistant server from last year, Jorge from Chile. I must say that I'm extremely surprised at how some of the crew members remembered us. I'm sure they see thousands of people a month, so it's really saying something to remember some of them later on. As we were talking, we found out that our head server from last year (Carina from South Africa) is now on the Disney Magic. My sister went through the buffet line and wound up with an empty plate (again, food allergies). After a moment of panic, we saw a chef nearby and explained to him about her allergies. He said, "What would you like?" Not only that, but we went back to our table (near the Goofy pool) and they brought her special meal to us. We saw that being done to others too, especially when they have too many plates to carry - I almost felt bad for them having to carry our plates! During lunch we heard a strange loud noise - it turned out to be an ice carving demonstration! We couldn't watch, but we saw the finished product (two fish).

After lunch we went back to the quiet cove pool and relaxed some more. Then I went on the Art of the Theme Show ship tour. I can't recommend that tour enough. They didn't take us anywhere off-limits, but we were told things and shown things we never would have seen or known otherwise. Our tour guide was Melanie, and she did a great job. I won't give away anything I learned from the tour, except this tip: On the floor in the guest room halls are blue and red anchors in a yellow circle. If you are unsure of which way is forward and which way is aft, the "R"ed part of the anchor faces the "R"ear of the ship (easier than using the room numbers)! The tour was an hour long, so we got ready for our dinner and show. Tonight was "Toy Story - The Musical". They showed it earlier in the day as well, but we couldn't go then. This being formal night, we took our pictures with Mickey and Minnie all dressed up, then we started talking with the officers in the atrium who were trading pins. The officers are very friendly and talkative - one of them actually remembered us from last year as well. Our dinner was in Parrot Cay which was a little strange since the servers were wearing their flowery shirts and we were in our formal wear. Again, we had ordered the night before and we had a great dinner. We didn't do much that night after dinner. We went to Shutter's to try to figure out which pictures to buy and went back to the shops to decide what to have the captain sign the next day. We turned in a little after midnight.

 

[Wonder2008]

5/6/09 -

Castaway Cay day! We docked around 8:30, and we watched the entire process from our verandah. We saw deliveries, the gangway being positioned, the ship's lines being tied to the shore, and a parade of about 10 towel racks coming off the ship! We lost track of the time, and went to breakfast at 8:30 - we didn't get off the ship until 9:30. Captain Jack Sparrow was taking pictures near the Flying Dutchman, and he took my sister's hat and put it on himself! He looked ridiculous, but we had a good laugh over it. The family beach was pretty crowded since it was already 10:00, but we found beach chairs near-ish an umbrella. I got my inner tube, then tested the water - a bit chilly, so we did our dry activities first. We rented bikes and did the whole bike path (very enjoyable), then went to the game pavilion and played pool, miniature golf (one hole) and giant connect four. It was getting near lunch, so we flagged down our head server, Witt, at Cookie's as he told us to the night before. We waited a few minutes, and what we ordered was given to us. The only downside to the meal was that they only had cookie dough and strawberry ice cream - I wanted vanilla or chocolate, but they have that next to Goofy's Galley.

We spent the rest of the afternoon in the water, both on the inner tube and on a pedal boat. It really is a pleasure to just float in the water and do absolutely nothing! We left around 3:30 because the Castaway Clubhouse was at 4:45 and we didn't want to rush. I bought a postcard and had it sent back home (we didn't get it yet and I'm not holding my breath). We were told there was a 20% chance of rain that day and there were actually some storm clouds as we left the island.

The Castaway Clubhouse was held in Wavebands. Our cruise director, Ray, commented that as we left the island, the storm clouds moved in - good timing! Again, I won't spoil anything if you haven't attended one of these. I'll just say there is a dessert bar and a raffle (and we actually won something!). We did as much packing as we could, then went to the "Disney Dreams" show. I don't know if it's the show itself or the fact that this was the last night, but I choked up several times during the show. As we left, Tisa from the cruise staff was at the exit asking if anyone needed tissues (too late for me). The captain signing was in Treasure Ketch, and he signed an ornament and what we won during the raffle (no, Captain John didn't remember us from last year). Again, we chatted with the officers until dinner, which was at Triton's. My sister likes their aqua tuxedos, so we had our pictures taken with our dining servers. We had a very good dinner, and at the end we twirled our napkins in honor of our dining team. "Till We Meet Again" was right after dinner and, believe it or not, we had our pictures taken with Cinderella, Mickey, and Aladdin in just 15 minutes! At the end we were showered with Mickey confetti and everyone was picking it up from the floor - even Stitch! Someone walked by and said that they won't have to vacuum that night! After I had a pocketful of confetti we went back to our room to quickly change and get our luggage in the hall by 11:00 (just made it). Next we made our picture purchases at Shutter's, did the gratuities form, then my sister turned in early. I watched the end of "Ratatouille" at the Goofy pool, took a couple walks, went back to the room, did the customs form, saw the debarkation video, and took some more walks (anything to make the night longer). I figured that 1:30 was late enough so I turned in.

 

[Wonder2008]

5/7/09 -

We woke up at 6:00 to see that we were already docked at Port Canaveral. Last year we were on the starboard side, and I could see the orange lights of the port move across the room's walls as we docked. The good news was that our breakfast wasn't until 8:15, so we were in no rush at all. I was quite surprised to see that Beach Blanket Buffet was open that morning - I certainly didn't expect that. I got some fruit bowls, just because. We weren't the only ones on deck 9 eating. I made a joke that everyone there were the ones trying to put off leaving the ship until the last possible moment! We re-booked onboard for a year from now. We don't know if we will stick with it or change it to a longer cruise next year, but there's plenty time to decide. I dropped off the questionnaire card - in addition, I always write a letter after I travel to detail what I liked and didn't like, and to personally recognize any cast members/employees who I feel did a particularly good job. 8:15 came around, and we had our breakfast at Triton's. I'm glad they give you this last breakfast, so you can say farewell to your dining team and hand them the gratuity envelopes. We were talking with our head server, Witt, and we mentioned our head server from last year (Carina) - he said "Oh - she trained me!" They both handled our allergies very well. After breakfast we left (we would have put it off longer if we could). At least one of our officer friends was at the gangway so we got a friendly farewell. We literally flew through customs, then left the terminal. As I gazed at the escalators, I realized how startlingly different my emotions were when I saw them four days earlier. The porter took our suitcases to our car and, once we could stop gazing at the Disney Wonder, we left.

All in all, we had a wonder-ful time. I really didn't have any complaints. I wish we had more time at Atlantis, but if we ever go back at least we'll already be oriented. I think there could be a little more to do at night after dinner, since we weren't interested in dance parties. Other than that, I'm certainly eager to do it again!

I look forward to reading your responses, and I'll do my best to answer any questions.

 

[LindaBabe]

Thank you for writing - a VERY nice report! It sounds like they didn't have any trouble handling your food allergies?

 

[Wonder2008]

Thank you for writing - a VERY nice report! It sounds like they didn't have any trouble handling your food allergies?

No, no problems with our food allergies. We had detailed them in the medical form that we faxed to DCL so they knew about our allergies prior to our arrival. Last year I just ordered from the lighter fare on the menu, but this time I ordered from the "regular" part of the menu and let them modify the entree as needed.

Thanks for reading my report - it helped me re-live the trip.
Robert

 

[PoohJen]

Thank you for the trip report, Robert! It's so great to be able to read other's wonderful cruise experiences while waiting for my turn to come!