Disney Wonder, January 10-14, 2010 review

[Life in a nutshell]

My husband and I (mid-30s) took our not-quite two year old son for our very first Disney Cruise, sailing on the Wonder, January 10-14, 2010. Having stayed with friends in Orlando for a few days prior to our sailing date, we opted to take advantage of Disney’s shuttle service to the port. Our friends dropped us at the airport, and we proceeded to the shuttle pickup point. This proved to be a bit of a hassle, as the Disney reservation agent told me on the phone that morning (as we were arriving at the airport) to have our friends drop us on the “A” side, lower level. Unfortunately, we were informed by a rather snippy airport employee that we were actually supposed to go to the “B” side, which involved quite a bit of luggage dragging and a ride on the airport tram. The check in procedure for the shuttle was a bit disorganized as their computer printers were not working, but once we made it through the line and given our boarding group (we were Goofy!) we sat down for just a few minutes and were on our way. We watched a video of Mickey and his friends boarding the ship as we made our way to the port, and the time passed very quickly.

 

Once we made it to the cruise terminal, the check in and boarding was extremely efficient, smooth, and speedy. In no time we had our boarding photo taken and were on the ship and enjoying the warm welcome and applause as they announced our family name. Our little boy really got a kick out of it!

 

If only the weather had cooperated. It was cold, windy and a bit rainy, so we elected to not take our extremely crabby toddler (had to wake him from his nap for the muster drill and he threw an enormous fit!) to the sail away party. There was no shortage of things to do, so we chose to acquaint ourselves with the ship, while the brave souls on deck 9 most certainly had a blast.

 

I have to say, this was by far the best vacation we’ve ever had! The level of service and splendor that Disney provides is second to none. The ship is beautiful and classic, the staff warm and accommodating. They somehow manage to make you feel as though you are the most important person on the ship, wherever you go. The food was great, and the rotating dining schedule was really a lot of fun. It was so nice to stay with the same dining staff throughout, as you really get to know each other. Our waiters, Arlan and Daniel, were the best! They were so kind and the service was excellent! I’m not kidding when I say that we really miss them.

 

It’s all of the little things that Disney does that makes all the difference. It seems that just when you need a little extra help, someone seems to magically appear at your side. My son and I left my husband at the muster drill, since our son was throwing such a huge fit, and as I struggled to get him out of his survival suit (toddlers have to wear this thing with arms and a hood) and into the cabin, he threw himself on the floor and bumped his head. An employee came by at just the right moment and helped me get my door open, and stood at the doorway to make certain we were okay. During our day at sea, my husband went off to do something and I took our son shopping. He’d had his eye on a Mickey basketball all day, so we went to get it. Well, once he had it in his hands, he wanted nothing more than to play, while I wanted to get a little shopping done. Out of nowhere, this kind cruise employee came along, sat down on the floor and started playing catch with him. She said “There, now your mum can get some shopping done!” It’s the things like that which will really stick with me.

 

Nassau we could take or leave (we ventured out to do a bit of shopping) but Castaway Cay was a great time! All we did was hang out on the beach and play in the sand and surf, but we had a fantastic time. Our son got to meet Mickey and Pluto along the way to the beach (don’t take the tram! If you do, you’ll miss all the characters, and it really is a fairly short walk). He’s still talking about it!

 

Have no fear if you’re leaving your child at Flounder’s Reef Nursery. It was my son’s first experience in a daycare setting (I’m a SAHM), and we were really worried about how he’d do. He had a blast! The counselors were engaging and fun, and he hardly noticed we were gone. It was also nice to learn we could take him to the Oceaneers Club to play (we just couldn’t leave him there), which he very much enjoyed.

 

I highly recommend dining at Palo. The food was amazing, and it was so nice to dress up and have a date night on the ship. We had booked our reservation online, but needed to switch it, which was quite easy. I went to Wave Bands once we were onboard, and it took all of about five minutes to change.

 

Our dinner on the last night was at Animators Palate, and was very memorable. It is such a neat restaurant (the pictures on the walls change from black and white to color as dinner progresses, and by dessert the waiters have changed out of their black and white vests into brightly colored ones), and the last night tribute to the dining staff they do was lots of fun. Normally when we take a vacation, as much fun as we have, we’re still ready to go home by the end. Not this time. I actually teared up a bit at dinner the last night when we were applauding our waiters.

 

Getting off the ship was a breeze. It literally took about five minutes to walk off and clear customs. Incredibly efficient. We left our luggage outside our room the night before, and it was waiting for us in Minneapolis when we got there! It was so nice not having to bother going to check in at the airport and drag luggage along.

 

My husband was on the fence as to whether he’d really enjoy the cruise or not, but we had such an amazing time that he immediately started talking about when we are going to go again.

 

It really was magical.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[szubieta]

So nice to hear it was so much fun and so happy you enjoyed Palo. I can't wait til next year. :D

[grand isle joe]

Glad to hear you had a great time. That problem about level A and leval B happened to us also and it is quite irritating. I would guess if you are local you know but a traveler would never suspect.:o

[mom x4,grandma x4]

Loved reading your report and the pictures.

 

Glad you had a good time.

 

kathy

[bonvoyage15]

Thank you for sharing your experience and pictures! My husband and I are going on a Disney Cruise in April with our 3 year old son and it was nice to read about the superior Disney service. I wasn't going to entertain the idea of leaving my son at the Nursery but I may reconsider:)

Glad you enjoyed your holiday!!!

[Life in a nutshell]

I was extremely nervous about leaving him at the nursery, so we booked a "trial run" time before our dinner at Palo. It was literally the first time he was watched by anyone other than my husband and myself, or my mom. We figured if he was going to freak out and hate it, it was better to have him do it then, rather than in the middle of dinner (they give you a pager, so they can get in touch with you if there are any problems). Turns out we had nothing to worry about. They have lots of toys, great counselors, and if your little one is a fan of Playhouse Disney, he'll be happy to see the tv running episodes of the shows. I would say you should definitely give it a try- Palo is not to be missed!

[HWC_Mom]

Thanks so much for posting this. I've been lurking to find just this kind of review. My husband and I are cruising with our almost 2 y/o son in February and I too am a SAHM. I now feel less worried about leaving our little guy at the nursery while we have our grown up, child free dinner. :)

[lovecary]

Thanks for your post. We are travelling Feb 22nd on the 4 day wonder.

When was 'dress up night' for your trip?. I am trying to decide what to pack for the evenings....Will a black gown look out of place?

[kath00]

Thanks for your wonderful review. We just booked the Holiday cruise for 2011 on the Wonder to Mexico and I was having second thoughts about actually spending Christmas on a ship instead of being with my extended family. We've never done anything like that before and I knew it would be met with a LOT of resistance from my family.

 

Reading your post made me reassured that this is not going to be just another random cruise -- hopefully it will be an amazing and memorabe trip that my children, DH and I will remember forever.

 

Katherine

[Life in a nutshell]

After double-checking my Navigators, the second night (Monday) was dress up night, and the last night (Wednesday) was optional dress up. We were actually at Palo on Monday night, so we didn't actually see how people were dressed for the dining rooms that night. I don't think a black gown would be out of place. While the cruise was rather casual (and on the four night there is no "formal" night), people were dressed in all manner of outfits. There was even a lady (mid-forties) at the table next to us in a princess dress on the last night.