BartmanLA

For those that want to bring wine with you on your trip, we recently found on Amazon a bubble wrap bottle holder called Vino Lock, it's a sleeve of bubble wrap with a double zip lock style seal, along with a velcro fold over flap that seals the sleeve so even if the bottle does leak it won't get out of the bubble sleeve. I think we got 6 of the protectors for $20. The worked great, the only thing to remember is if you fly you have to pack them in checked luggage, then when you get to FL before you board the ship you have to move them into your carry on luggage. If you leave them in your checked baggage DCL can and will remove them from your bags and keep them until the end of the cruise, you won't be able to "pick them up" from guest services during the cruise. So be sure to take them on with your carry on bags!

7558 is a standard Deluxe Oceanview stateroom with Verandah, it doesn't have a connecting door, it does have the split bathrooms. Queen high floor bed (to store luggage) and a flip over soft converts into a twin bed. I don't believe it has a drop down upper bunk. It is mid-ship Starboard side, it's relatively close to the laundry room on the deck and close to the mid-ship elevator bank.

Yes the Wonder was the first Passenger ship to transit the new locks! We were on board and it was amazing! Lots of fanfare (mostly on the Pacific/Panama City side) Karl Holtz flew down and boarded the Wonder at the Cocoli Locks and exchanged plaque and keys with the Panama Canal Authority officials. The new locks are really nice, the transit was very smooth, the Captain elected to use the new tugs that manage the ships in the locks to keep the ship centered in the lock chamber and not have it be tied up to one side of the lock wall as originally intended. The entire process for each of the 3 chambers took about 30 minutes, although it could have been slowed down by the fact we had a massive MSO Container ship in the locks ahead of us and it seemed to take longer to lock it through.

Our 1st and last cruise on the Wonder, 4th Disney cruise. Out of 3 nights we only slept 1 and that's because the ship was not even moving.

 

We had an aft cabin that had the Navigators Verandah, but we were about the 4th one from the back. At night the ship would sway side to side so hard that you could feel it stop. The cabin was creeking all night. There was a horrible tremble all during the night. When the ship got to port, the entire back trembled very hard.

 

We have cruised more than 30 times already and have never experienced this. I know some captains like the sway the ships at night, which is nice, but this was uncomfortable, especially because it felt like the sway went too far and then hit a stop. We looked outside and the weather did not look bad at all. This happened the first night going south from Cape Canaveral and the last night coming north to Cape Canaveral.

 

The ship looked in good condition inside, is there a problem that causes it to function like this?

I suspect the "stop" you experienced was the ship being stopped from rolling too much by the stabilizers that deploy from the forward portion of the sides of the ship, since you're so far aft the rolling motion might be more pronounced until the stabilizer stops the roll and rights the ship, and the creaking is just a byproduct of an older ship in this case the 18 yr old Wonder flexing during the rolling and torquing the interior bulkheads and supports down the length of the ship. As has been stated, the shuddering/shaking is most likely occurring during port docking procedures or when the ship is turning around in the harbor basins in preparation to dock when the ship is using it's side thrusters and rudder to change direction or move sideways.

They have CHANGED the process last (March) month, now the NEW port check in form you print out does not have a signature line, if you printed out the form before the new ones went online you can still use it or you can go back online and reprint the new form. It doesn't require a signature anymore.

Also be sure to turn off automatic updates to apps or software on the phone those can eat up data in the background and you won't even notice it.

I have taken bottled water on board previously but on our 5 night trip on the Magic that just ended a few days ago, I decided to go with a metal vacuum bottle to keep my beverages cold. I found many different sizes and types on Amazon, I got very cold water at the drink station on board when ever I wanted it so I didn't want for anything to drink and the bottle kept it cold even if I left it in the stateroom over night. Save yourself all that lugging, and consider that. I should mention I don't drink carbonated beverages at all, but use powdered drink mix single packets I bring along, much lighter than hauling cases of bottled water on board.

In 2015 on the Wonder for a 5 night Western Caribbean trip we were in a group of 15 and they seated us at one big table in all 3 dining rooms. So they can accommodate groups of at least that size. Unless you contact DCL and request different seating arrangements.

The fact that the vibration was so pronounced in the video and as related by the OP, I suspect there is something wrong with either one of the props or maybe the thrusters, something's out of balance or bent. I just hope it wasn't damaged or affected in the drydock, I would hate to think they would have to put it back in drydock to fix the problem.

Thrusters are used for lateral motion (sideways) in order to facilitate docking and movement in small port areas (rotation or making a sharp turn in a channel) the vibration you were experiencing was the sustained pounding of the props that are at the rear of the ship, the possible cause could be that one of the propellers was out of balance or one of the tine's was bent, which is odd since the Wonder just came out of drydock which is where they should have addressed any issues with the propulsion. When trying to make it to the next port during the night, typically the Captain will throttle up to around 20-22knots to give the ship the best speed. Definitely let DCL know your issues with the vibration I've seen a recent video of a cabin on deck 8 aft that was so bad a light fixture on the ceiling was shaking so badly the guests thought it was going to shatter. This seems like a significant issue they might have to address very soon or they're going to have a lot of complaints.

As for prescription meds, I can't speak specifically to FL law and how enforceable it is on a cruise, however I do know that some states do allow if you have some form of proof of valid prescriptions to be used in place of a bottle ie. I personally have photos of each of my prescriptions I take with my smart phone so I have ready access to them when ever I might need it. Just make sure you take snaps that include the medication name, dosage, script #, and dates filled on it. I too use a pill organizer as well as smaller containers since some of my meds are too bulky to carry in their original bottles and I don't want to bring my entire supply just for a short trip.

In addition to the rotational dining schedule, where you go to a different dining room every evening, your service team Head Server, Main Server, Assistant Server will follow you to each dining room each night, so you'll get to know them and they'll anticipate your dining needs and special requests (allergies or sensitivities or particular drinks etc) Also if you want to skip your dining seating that evening you can also go to Cabana's which is the buffet style restaurant at anytime (you don't need to keep at your scheduled time in the MDR), Or you can book a specialty Adult only dining at Palo or Remy for an extra charge. There is also the on deck quick service food stations you can utilize, and lastly you can also order from Room Service 24 hrs a day. (it's free but you are requested to tip the room service staff, usually cash) there are some items that are for an extra charge but they're listed on the Room Service menu. So you have many options for dining while on board.

If you can't change your Spa appointment time, you can let the rest of your party go to the dinner seating and you can after or before your appointment eat at Cabanas or order room service, that way you won't miss your evening meal. As has been said for first time cruisers, reservations for such things like a Beach Cabana at Castaway Cay, or Palo reservations and Spa appointments usually go to the people who can book their activities on the first available day ie, Platinum or Concierge level passengers. Keep sailing and your Castaway Club Status level will keep going up!

In addition to buying Disney Gift cards at a discount at places like Target (purchased with a Target Red Card for 5% off) and at Sam's Club for similar discount off full value price, you can also if you have multiple gift cards go to DisneyGiftCard.com and consolidate those cards into one card for simple redemption aboard the ship at guest services, or in the shops. People can also use them to pay for your onboard charges, tips and purchases. Prior to your Paid In Full deadline you can call DCL and use the balances on the gift cards to pay for your cruise fare. Many ways to use them!!!

Thanks Bartman. I don't think I was clear on the price negotiation issue though. We had paid for room 6654 which is a ADA veranda and quite a large room and deck because that was important to us. They wanted to move us to an interior ADA that was very small but would not discuss what they would be reimbursing us which I thought was only reasonable. Why should we still have to pay for the nicer room? At the least I wanted the cost difference if I had booked that interior. I was initially very hesitant to move since it did not seem fair at all to me. Then it got worse and we decided to go to that room only to find out the bathroom didn't work there so it didn't even become an issue.

My apologies for not understanding the original statement, I still hope you can get some kind of remedy from DCL about the situation, it's so sad that you had to suffer the wet floors and smells through out the cruise though that would have totally put me off the trip completely. Good Luck and hope your future cruises will be better than this one was!

Being on Deck 6 in the rear of the ship I am wondering with the work done to close off the "secret verandah" on Deck 7 at the back of the ship and installing the Aux Generating equipment if some of the plumbing above Deck 6 was affected and that is what caused the leaking and other problems for that part of the ship. Hard to say, but I sure hope that DCL will do more to make this right for you especially when they wanted to charge you to move to another ADA room, that seems like a little uncalled for, if the room you originally booked becomes uninhabitable they should relocate you elsewhere on the ship at THEIR cost not your's. The leaking obviously was a result of the Dry Dock work and they missed the leaks in the inspections after the work was done and through no fault of your own you shouldn't have been inconvenienced in such a way and then be expected to pay for it!

It's 2 bottles per guest of wine or 1 six pack of beer per guest and must be carried onboard in hand luggage, it may not be put in the checked baggage or it will be confiscated. No hard liquor ie. vodka or whisky allowed at all.

https://disneycruise.disney.go.com/faq/prohibited-items/carrying-alcohol-onboard/

If you're speaking about sailing on the Wonder for 14 days out of Florida you're talking about Westbound Panama Canal cruise from Port Canveral to San Diego. We're booked on that for April of 2017. This is one of the longer trips DCL undertakes and is often a bucket list cruise for many that love all things "Mouse". Obviously the activities and time spent on the ship play an important part of any vacation, however for myself this is not only a planned holiday it also will be illuminating and educational as well. One thing we've found so far is that social media is playing an important part of planning this cruise, it has let us connect with many other people taking this same cruise and has allowed us to get to know these fellow cruise mates so that the trip will be much more enjoyable and social for everyone. There are many things you can do and see on DCL, but keeping your expectations realistic and allowing some of the on board experiences to surprise and delight you might be the best part of taking a Disney Cruise Line cruise!

Yes, that's the mast/spire I was talking about, I guess the lighting requirements is why it's there. i just thought it was funny they removed it during the dry dock and then restored it once it was finished. Maybe it is retractable due to passage under some bridges, I know when we sailed in to San Francisco Bay on our 2013 LA to Vancouver trip I thought we transited under the Golden Gate bridge pretty closely.

I was one of the many fans here that followed the recent Dry Dock of the Wonder and all her many improvements and updates and was scouring the web for pictures and posts about it. I have a question though that has been nagging me since I saw the ship after it reached Cadiz and was stripped and the major work started. On the rear funnel, there is a spire that appears in all the pictures and other shots of the ship prior to dry dock, but during the refit the spire disappeared, but when the ship sailed for Lisbon, it had magically reappeared (Disney Magic pun not intended even though she has the spire too) Can anyone speak to what that spire is for? Does it have a function for the ships? And Why does it appear that the Dream Class not have this feature? Maybe this is something too esoteric for this board but I am definitely curious about this feature.

Because the ship is at sea (more than 12 miles from shore) you won't get Cell coverage for your phone, you have to wait until you get into port to use the phone, and that is if you have a international calling plan to do so. Same with WiFi access, the cost of the shipboard internet is horribly high, that plus it's pretty slow, you can't stream or do video conferencing with it, even if you could afford it. One alternative for in port WiFi (again this is where you have a cellular signal) is a company called SkyRoam, http://www.skyroam.com/index.php they offer hotspot devices that gives you unlimited WiFi (if you rent a device) where ever you go, it works in many countries and had no added costs. This is one alternative if you just have to have internet access. But again remember this for in port times, at sea you have to pay DCL for access for Internet or Phone, but the costs are really prohibitive.

That's what I was wondering, and if they do what you're saying, taking away a absolutely special viewing area in the Outlook Cafe to give it to the Concierge passengers it, I will be very disappointed. I have only sailed on the Wonder and used that enclosed area to really do some nice viewing and having a quiet moment during the cruise to relax and take in the stunning views while at sea, and also to enjoy ports of call when I didn't go ashore. I will miss having access to that space. Too bad.

So you're saying that they eliminated the Outlook Cafe completely? Will there be any out of the weather space to go and have a coffee or light snack in the Quiet Cove area of the ship at all? There are times when you don't want to sit out on the deck exposed to the wind or wet/cold weather in the early mornings or in the evenings. Where are the non-Concierge passengers supposed to go?

The Wonder returning to Port Canaveral this morning from her refit in Cadiz, Spain!

I'll grant you the new chandelier will take getting used to, I think the strong red color is a bit over powering for the palette of the rest of the atrium. However, I do think removing one of the stair cases in no way has ruined the atrium. Sailing on the Wonder twice (and I know many of you have sailed many many more times than I) I did notice on both trips that the usage of the staircases was limited to the one that was nearest the corridor on Deck 4, and the other one was rarely if at all ever used. I think the removal won't take away from the flow of the atrium, in fact I think it will enhance it since they'll have a much larger space to stage entertainment with out having to come down the steps into the main space itself and forcing the crew to cordon off valuable floor space that could hold more guests to view said entertainment. I for one am very excited to see all the changes when we sail on her in April for the WBPC re-positioning trip to Vancouver.