Wonder January 10, 2016

[lfishe3]

For any new members....I still have some room in the adult only FE...so far we have 8 rooms participating!

Hi! We thought were had to cancel this cruise but good news! We are def going! So excited. We would like to rejoin the Adult only FE.

 

[FireflyPR]

Just booked our first cruise! Super excited, traveling with our two little guys (will be 2&4 at sailing) to celebrate their birthdays! We're definitely interested in a family FE

 

[Donald & Daisy Duck]

Hi! We thought were had to cancel this cruise but good news! We are def going! So excited. We would like to rejoin the Adult only FE.

Great news! Just let me know your info again and you will be all set! Glad you can still cruise with all of us

 

[lfishe3]

Has anyone cruise this itinerary before? This is our 1st time in the Southern Caribbean. I'm curious what to expect at the ports.

 

[Donald & Daisy Duck]

We did in October and loved it. What would you like to know?

 

[jenny_nichole]

Hi everyone,

For some reason, I thought that I already posted on here...but I must have missed it.

My dh and I will be taking our 3 children on this cruise. I started a post in the main cruise forum awhile ago to have a place for all of the January 2016 cruisers to post questions and ideas. You can find it here:
http://www.disboards.com/threads/all-things-southern-caribbean-2016.3387071/

We can't wait to sail on the Wonder for the first time and the Southern Caribbean will also be a first for us.

Jennifer

 

[jenny_nichole]

We did in October and loved it. What would you like to know?

What was the embarkation process like? Do you recall what time you arrived at port and when you were able to board? I would like to get to the port as early as possible, but would rather not wait around too much.

(I read jedijill's southern Caribbean trip report from last year and she mentions that friends who arrived early waited 2 hours...I believe she was on the first Southern itinerary and things were delayed due to debarkation issues after the TA...I also recall S.Sanders reporting on his blog that embarkation on 10/11/14 was a breeze, so I just don't know what to expect.)

Thanks,
Jennifer

 

[Cloud92]

Does anyone know if the holiday decorations will still be up during this cruise?

 

[OKW Lover]

Does anyone know if the holiday decorations will still be up during this cruise?

Don't know, but I'm doubting it.

 

[jenny_nichole]

Does anyone know if the holiday decorations will still be up during this cruise?

We were on the 1/10/2015 Fantasy cruise and there were no Christmas decorations, so I would think that it will be the same for our 1/10/2016 Wonder cruise.

HTH

Jennifer

 

[Donald & Daisy Duck]

What was the embarkation process like? Do you recall what time you arrived at port and when you were able to board? I would like to get to the port as early as possible, but would rather not wait around too much.

(I read jedijill's southern Caribbean trip report from last year and she mentions that friends who arrived early waited 2 hours...I believe she was on the first Southern itinerary and things were delayed due to debarkation issues after the TA...I also recall S.Sanders reporting on his blog that embarkation on 10/11/14 was a breeze, so I just don't know what to expect.)

Thanks,
Jennifer

I believe the first cruise from San Juan had some embarkation delay issues, but not on our cruise. We arrived at the port around 12:30 and boarded pretty much right away after we checked in. We then had lunch and left the ship to tour Pld San Juan. We came back around 6:30 pm and reboarded as you would at any other port. We had to attend the second mandatory life boat drill which was held in the theatre since we were out sightseeing during the first one. Super easy.

Since we are the first cruise out of San Juan this year, I would expec some possible delays...I believe it has to do with customs clearing the boat. I'm just not going to be in a rush to get there early and hopefully that solves the problem. But since she is coming from Galveston, tx maybe we won't have that problem.

Anyone remember where the magic came from last year....was it from the Mediterranean? If so, that could have been the big problem. Different country.

 

[jenny_nichole]

I believe the first cruise from San Juan had some embarkation delay issues, but not on our cruise. We arrived at the port around 12:30 and boarded pretty much right away after we checked in. We then had lunch and left the ship to tour Pld San Juan. We came back around 6:30 pm and reboarded as you would at any other port. We had to attend the second mandatory life boat drill which was held in the theatre since we were out sightseeing during the first one. Super easy.

Since we are the first cruise out of San Juan this year, I would expec some possible delays...I believe it has to do with customs clearing the boat. I'm just not going to be in a rush to get there early and hopefully that solves the problem. But since she is coming from Galveston, tx maybe we won't have that problem.

Anyone remember where the magic came from last year....was it from the Mediterranean? If so, that could have been the big problem. Different country.

Great info - thanks! Maybe we should adjust our embarkation morning plans and arrive a little later too.

Also, was it easy to go back into OSJ after boarding? I know we're docked outside of OSJ, but was it fairly cheap/easy to take a cab?

Thanks so much,
Jennifer

 

[lfishe3]

We did in October and loved it. What would you like to know?

Did you do DCL excursions our use the local excursion companies?

 

[Donald & Daisy Duck]

An assortment of both......we did two tours thru dcl...in Grenada nutmegs and waterfalls which was very interesting since I wanted to learn about the spice isle and in at. Lucia we did snorkel beneTh the pitons....that was kinda meh...but I mainly wanted a nice slow shady boat ride to see the pitons...the actual beach was horrible (more like a small rocky shoreline) but we enjoyed the boat and the views. In Antigua, we basically walked around port a bit and shopped....lots of shopping in local stall type markets and in regulars stores, in st. Kitts we did a group tour organized by one of our cruisers thru thenford grey which I would highly recommend. What a wonderful man.....courteous, considerate and very knowledgeable. Also kept our tour timely. A lot of folks on our cruise complained that their private tours always went way over the time limit. Thenford grey took us on a wonderful tour Nd we had plenty of time to site see....he even made a stop at the local firehouse when he found out my husband is a captain in the FDNY. in Barbados, we took a cab to the city and walked around....total waste of time in my mind and then went to mount gay rum .... It was interesting. I will choose an excursion or a beach in Barbados this time....city was way to commercial for me.

 

[Donald & Daisy Duck]

Great info - thanks! Maybe we should adjust our embarkation morning plans and arrive a little later too.

Also, was it easy to go back into OSJ after boarding? I know we're docked outside of OSJ, but was it fairly cheap/easy to take a cab?

Thanks so much,
Jennifer

Cabs were around $15 each way for the two of us and they were right at the port.....getting a cab coming back was quick and easy also...same price.

 

[lfishe3]

An assortment of both......we did two tours thru dcl...in Grenada nutmegs and waterfalls which was very interesting since I wanted to learn about the spice isle and in at. Lucia we did snorkel beneTh the pitons....that was kinda meh...but I mainly wanted a nice slow shady boat ride to see the pitons...the actual beach was horrible (more like a small rocky shoreline) but we enjoyed the boat and the views. In Antigua, we basically walked around port a bit and shopped....lots of shopping in local stall type markets and in regulars stores, in st. Kitts we did a group tour organized by one of our cruisers thru thenford grey which I would highly recommend. What a wonderful man.....courteous, considerate and very knowledgeable. Also kept our tour timely. A lot of folks on our cruise complained that their private tours always went way over the time limit. Thenford grey took us on a wonderful tour Nd we had plenty of time to site see....he even made a stop at the local firehouse when he found out my husband is a captain in the FDNY. in Barbados, we took a cab to the city and walked around....total waste of time in my mind and then went to mount gay rum .... It was interesting. I will choose an excursion or a beach in Barbados this time....city was way to commercial for me.

Thank you for all the great info! This is very helpful. We are starting to look into some tours.

 

[Donald & Daisy Duck]

Thank you for all the great info! This is very helpful. We are starting to look into some tours.

We are starting to look for excursions too...DCL finally posted some for Martinique.
Platinum castaway club members can start booking 9/12 if PIF

 

[Donald & Daisy Duck]

Adult only FE List ..... we have 9 rooms participating as of right now...if you would like to join, please let me know...thanks.

 

[Donald & Daisy Duck]

Okay...for anyone interested in an adults only FE for this cruise...please provide the following information and I will keep it updated - we will close out the list somewhere between 12-15 cabins & within a reasonable time so that everyone can get their gifts together:

Name and number of participants
Cabin # - can be sent in pm so that it is private until the cutoff date, then I will pm everyone the room numbers so we know where to deliver
Allergies/items prohibited alcohol/candy etdc
Favorite Characters

There are only two rules:

1. You must give a gift to each cabin on your FE list - individual or cabin gift is entirely up to you, but please be mindful of the allergy/prohibited list....we wouldn't want to give candy to a diabetic or alcohol to someone who can't/won't have it.

2. You must have fun .... that is the whole reason we do this FE exchange...to add a little extra magic and pixie dust to our cruise!

AND NOW.......here is our FE list so far:

1. Donald & Lee Ann - Allergy to Shellfish (not likely getting lobsters lol and No candy please - Donald & Daisy Duck are our favorites

2. Patrick & Emily - Allergy to Shellfish & GLUTEN (see note above) No alcohol/No candy -
Winnie the Pooh and anything Golf for the favorites

3. Terry & Mary - Goofy & Tinkerbelle are favorites
4. Ron & Jeanette - Allergy to Nuts and No alcohol please - Goofy & Winnie the Pooh are favorites
5. Marcus & Lisa - Sorcerer Mickey or Figment & Belle are favorites
6. Lorenzo & Martha - Stitch is the favorite
7. Bob & Kate Swanson
8. Greg & Cindy Shoop - Allergic to Gluten - Classic Characters are favorites & 39th Anniversary
9. Mike & Connie Mascherino - No alcohol please - Classic Characters are favorites

 

[lfishe3]

Today is the 4 month mark. I hope everyone is as excited as we are.