Almost "Live from" Disney Wonder to Alaska! My Second Disney Experience

[lovely_serenity]

Today’s show was “All Aboard: Let the Magic Begin!”

 

 

We waited for a bit and eventually, the clock ticked 8 and we were let in!

 

We went halfway down and found our favourite seats from the last time I cruised the Wonder! Here’s a right, center, left view of it!

 

 

 

 

Halfway down, the seating area is kind of split but this walkway and railing. We like to sit just below the railing so:

 

1.) Nobody’s legs are going to kick us or our chairs because we’re too far away from the people behind us

2.) There’s a railing that we can lean our heads against! It’s very comfortable!

 

We sit in the middle of that row! We located to middle relative to the ceiling decorations LOL

 

 

The peak! (There are 2 exactly middle seats btw ^^)

 

[lovely_serenity]

Most of my relatives sat in the upper chunk of the theatre. Here’s a photo my 20s girl cousin took of us from her seat! You can see the 3 of us sitting just below the railing, as well as me, pointing my camera right back at her! ^^ My brother’s to my left and my sister’s to my right:

 

 

Before we knew it,

 

 

The show began! :D Here are some random photos I took of the show (And yes, I know there’s an audio message that forbids us from taking videos/pictures, but I did it for you guys!! I basically just leaned against my sibling that was seated closer to the middle and held my camera to my chest and took random snaps, hoping they would be clear. LOL I just aimed the lens in the general direction of the stage and hoped for the best. I flipped my viewfinder so the photo preview wouldn’t pop up and light up. :P I was so scared of getting caught, the first few shows I did my random attempts at secret pictures (which often resulted in blurry photos ^^”). I used this method for the first few shows … until a crew member said something to me that changed everything.. but more on that later ;) You’ll see why I suddenly have MUCH more picture that are of better quality. (Hehe, according to my cousins, the super obvious people in the upper level got scolded by the crew members … of course, not me! ^^)

 

Note: There may be some spoilers because I took a lot of pictures, you basically will know the gist of what happens in their musicals.

 

As the show opened, there began a musical all about a young sailor, striving to become the captain of the vessel. Eventually, once that sequence finished, I whispered to my siblings how “Be Our Guest” from Beauty and the Beast probably would have been a better choice for the opening show of the cruise, when suddenly. THIS HAPPENED! :O

 

Be … Our … GUEST, BE OUR GUEST PUT OUR SERVICE TO THE TEST!!!

 

 

Our faces: :DDDD

 

BUT THAT IS NOT ALL!!

 

Suddenly, a curtain on the upper right hand inaccessible-opera-seat-box whips open and lo and behold … LUMIERE!!! … WITH … BUBBLES!!!!

 

 

The other characters come out and dance with the kitchen ware people ^^

 

 

And it ends off with a bang! (which I kind of missed because well … my pictures were shot blindly.)

 

 

After that, our Cruise Director closed off the show and we slowly made our way out.

 

(Note: It was great! :D Disney has by far, the best night time show entertainment on the seas. I have not cruised a single ship that has been able to beat it. They spend so much money on their productions, it’s crazy LOL. I highly recommend you go to EVERY SINGLE SHOW if you are onboard. Their musicals are SO GOOD, they are fantastic. And for a Disney fanatic like me, our eyes SHINE SO BRIGHTLY LIKE A CHILD’S WHEN WE WATCH, so, I imagine even non-Disney fanatics will enjoy it quite a bit. I CANNOT STRESS THIS ENOUGH. DO NOT MISS THEIR MUSICAL NIGHTS. THERE ARE 4 INCLUDING THE WELCOME ABOARD ONE. AND THEY GET BETTER AS THE CRUISE PROGRESSES. DO. NOT. MISS. THEM.)

Edited September 26, 2014 by lovely_serenity

[vrogers]

A big thank you for such a comprehensive review and what great photos, Disney is not well known here in Oz as they don't come down this way, but what a wonderful cruise line for the whole family. A big thank you for all your time and effort. :)

[7leagueboots]

Great pictures...thanks.

[lovely_serenity]

Another note, from my recollection, the show actually started out with a brief cameo of this ventriloquist girl named “Lynn Trefzger“. She had this camel puppet. Anyways, I didn’t find her too funny, at least not funny enough to make me laugh out loud, but everybody else seemed to enjoy her short preview act ^^. She showed up briefly the next night too, advertising a kids and adults show she was going to have in WaveBands. (There were quite a few acts who would hold mini-shows in WaveBands the night before their performances in the theatre. Note: Don’t watch the hypnosis guy’s pre-show. Apparently it was super boring, but his actual theatre show was amazing).

 

After the show, my siblings and I decided to explore some more! We wanted to check out what was going on during the evening hours on board. We first relaxed for a little bit at “our spot” (If you can figure out where it is based on my picture above, you deserve to chill in that nice spot, as long as we aren’t there :P):

 

 

After relaxing for a bit, we decided to get a move on. We first went to check out if there was anything going on in Studio Sea:

 

 

 

 

 

 

At the moment, there wasn’t anything going on (I assure you, there were typically activities in here, but .. just not right now?)

[lovely_serenity]

We quickly lost interest and headed back into the Atrium:

 

 

 

 

 

Passed by the Disney Vacation Club counter:

 

 

And turned left to check out the Art Gallery:

 

[lovely_serenity]

It was filled with paintings that were actually quite lovely. Part way through the trip, some of the paintings got swapped out, although about half of them stayed there:

 

 

Here were our favourite ones:

 

The Little Mermaid

 

 

Beauty and the Beast

 

 

The Lion King

 

 

Peter Pan

 

 

And Tangled

 

[lovely_serenity]

And then here was the rest of the wall ^^

 

 

As you keep walking, you bypass the backdoor entrance to Studio Sea:

 

 

If you keep walking, you’ll enter Shutters (the photo place. Scan your card at one of these kiosks and you’ll be able to see your pictures, as well as the ID of your photo book location. There are shelves full of colours and characters, find your binder of photos there)

 

 

Side note: I’m not saying anything, but I suggest you hang out in this area sometimes because characters will definitely appear in this general vicinity … for sure (: Psh, it’s not as if I discovered the place characters get changed … I’m just saying … Shutters is the place to be. ;)

 

 

By the way, this place got upgraded since the last time we were here! They didn’t used to have these kiosks and whatnot; it was just the usual, make stacks of pictures on a wall full of slots.

 

 

We kept walking and found Animator’s Palate!

 

[lovely_serenity]

 

 

Here’s what the people eating at this venue ate tonight!

 

 

I had to go to the bathroom, so I handed my camera off to my sister (there’s a bathroom right between Animator’s Palate and Shutters). Apparently, while they waited for me, my brother went outside and pranced around while my sister took shots of him:

 

 

After I came back, I took my camera back and headed outside to take like … 30 pictures of my brother jumping around, trying to break dance and do what he typically does on a regular basis. I also took this shot of the nice night time scenery.

 

 

Near the elevators on that floor was this gorgeous, ginormous mirror with a fancy frame. After countless failed attempts at a photo of just myself (my siblings kept throwing themselves into the frame), I finally got one :D

 

 

We headed down one floor and started making our way back to Route 66 to check it out.

[lovely_serenity]

We passed by Parrot Cay and Triton’s, and walked the super long hallway:

 

 

 

 

And eventually arrived at the apparent party area for adults at night:

 

 

 

[lovely_serenity]

Unless there was a show, Wave Bands was typically empty:

 

 

 

We kept moving and proceeded down Route 66:

 

 

We came upon the Cadillac Lounge:

 

 

 

Which is basically a super quiet piano bar.

 

Edited October 11, 2014 by lovely_serenity

[lovely_serenity]

This was like … the only populated adult venue at this time of night (10ish pm?)

 

 

When you turn right and keep walking, you will then find the alcohol duty free store:

 

 

To the immediate left is one of our favourite venues, Diversions:

 

 

(We were actually heading here because we were looking for our family (and our relatives). We had suggested coming to Diversions after the show, but we weren’t sure if any of them were actually going to show. As we slowly strode in, a few crew members who were loitering outside of the bar called out to us, “Are all of you over 18?” almost in sync, Bro and I chimed, “Yes!” as Sis kept quiet. So … technically we didn’t lie, right? :P)

 

 

This lovely family game room/sports bar with food transforms into a very quiet adult hangout at night (sometimes with some musical entertainment).

 

(centre)

 

 

(right)

 

[lovely_serenity]

(left)

 

 

We peered inside the place and didn’t see anybody we knew, so we left (well, not before I took a few quick pictures of the food that was available)

 

 

 

Directly across from Diversions was the side entrance to Wave Bands:

 

 

 

We briefly returned to our room to switch shoes (still wearing high heels at this point, pain is starting to grow), before going over to our 20s sibling-duo cousin’s room to ask them to play with us.

 

Here’s our sofa flipped over into a bed: (Bro sleeps here, Sis and I share the big bed)

 

[lovely_serenity]

After that, we ran over to their room and barged in. We asked if they wanted to eat a late night snack with us (ie. room service). They agreed, but before they even responded, we ransacked their room like pirates.

 

“WOW, OH YEAH, YOU GUYS HAVE A VERANDAH ROOM! WOAH LOOK A BALCONY, BRO OMG LOOK A BALCONY GUYS LET’S GO CHECK IT OUT, GUYS LET’S GO!!”

 

And check it out, we did.

 

(I literally took this shot within 2 seconds of entering the room LOL, Bro already flew across the room and is trying to open the screen door)

 

 

(Honestly, there was really no point in going out there, it was just cold and dark ^^”)

 

 

It wasn’t too big, its width could probably comfortably fit 2 people and its length could probably fit about 6-7 people (with some wiggle room), so … it was about the size of an egg carton, if well … people = eggs! :D

 

A feature I noticed that the verandah stateroom had that we didn’t, was the split bathrooms.

 

One had a sink & toilet:

 

 

And the other had a shower & sink:

 

 

Works very well if you have a few kids and one needs to potty while the other needs to shower :)

 

After we agreed to meet back at our room to eat, we headed back to our room and ordered room service while the sibling-duo cousins went to fetch the 10 year old to join us. After they grabbed her from her room, they met us back in our room, and in no time, the food was here! (my 30s girl cousin didn’t join us because she was too sleepy to)

 

(Here’s a pic my 20s girl cousin took of us eating, there was one of me squatting there in a nice cocktail dress eating a hot wing, but that is for our eyes only LOL)

 

 

Anyhow, here are the things we ordered!

 

Crispy Chicken Tenders: (served with Barbeque sauce)

 

 

(Always good, never disappoints)

[lovely_serenity]

Buffalo Chicken Wings: (with Blue Cheese and Honey Mustard Dip)

 

 

(I suggest you ask for the wings without sauce, it’s way too messy and overpowering. Still good though.)

 

As well as a Pepperoni Pizza:

 

 

(Yeah … don’t order pizza from room service. It’s the bad quality ones they feed the children on board from the kid’s menu. The pizza from Pinocchio’s Pizzeria, however, is quite good when it’s fresh and hot)

 

After that, we finished eating and chatted a bit before our cousins had to leave (the 10 year old has an early curfew and the sibling duo-cousins had to drop her off at her room before heading back to their own room).

 

*LARGE SIDE NOTE: Since we got to see our odd inside cabin that opens up sideways, as well as a bit of our cousin’s verandah room, let’s take a look at a few more of my relatives’ staterooms!

 

Here’s my 30s girl cousin + her parents’ verandah room: (She took these pictures plus a few extra cute shots of her room)

 

 

 

 

[lovely_serenity]

And this is a picture of my aunt and uncle’s normal inside stateroom that enters from the tip of the room instead of the side:

 

 

Personally, we found that the inside cabins that opened up from the side felt a lot bigger.

 

*END OF SIDE NOTE

 

After they left, we started getting ready for bed. Here was what greeted us tonight!

 

 

Tomorrow’s Personal Navigator

 

 

And some adorable Sleepy chocolates! ;)

 

 

Soon after cleaning ourselves and hopping into our PJs, we quickly drifted off to sleep ^^~

 

 

 

End of Day 1

[lovely_serenity]

A big thank you for such a comprehensive review and what great photos, Disney is not well known here in Oz as they don't come down this way, but what a wonderful cruise line for the whole family. A big thank you for all your time and effort. :)

 

No problem! ^^ I am very happy you like it! I definitely recommend it, especially if you are into this kind of Disney stuff (like I am)!

[lovely_serenity]

Great pictures...thanks.

 

Thank you! :) & It's my pleasure

[sail2sea]

Great report. Keep it coming!

[retiring soon]

HI all!

 

Sarah ~ glad you found time to come back here. Loving your report. How is university going, is it what you thought it'd be?

 

Happy Thanksgiving to you & any other Canadians viewing. We sure have a LOT to be thankful for.:D

 

~ Jo ~ :)

[lovely_serenity]

Great report. Keep it coming!

 

Thank you!! I will work hard! ^^

[lovely_serenity]

HI all!

 

Sarah ~ glad you found time to come back here. Loving your report. How is university going, is it what you thought it'd be?

 

Happy Thanksgiving to you & any other Canadians viewing. We sure have a LOT to be thankful for.:D

 

~ Jo ~ :)

 

Hi Jo! :D

 

Haha, I'm happy to hear that (: && university is going relatively well, thanks for asking! It's actually not as intimidating as I imagined! That being said, I am quite certain that midterms will be the death of me LOL (I HAVE LIKE EIGHT OF THEM!! ^^"")

 

Happy Thanksgiving!! :)

Edited October 12, 2014 by lovely_serenity

[zzed_41]

Argh, damn college. Haven't visited CC for a while, and as I return, what do I see? Another report from Sarah! I'll be doing my best to follow this, though reading the first 8 pages made me miss my camera... (I come from a province here in the Philippines, and I'm studying here in Manila, the capital city. Sadly I didn't bring my camera-worst decision ever :( )

 

Goodluck with the midterms! Coming from a college freshie, I thought they would be quite a challenge, but they're not that hard. I found my high school exams harder TBH :D

Edited October 20, 2014 by zzed_41

[lovely_serenity]

Argh, damn college. Haven't visited CC for a while, and as I return, what do I see? Another report from Sarah! I'll be doing my best to follow this, though reading the first 8 pages made me miss my camera... (I come from a province here in the Philippines, and I'm studying here in Manila, the capital city. Sadly I didn't bring my camera-worst decision ever :( )

 

Good luck with the midterms! Coming from a college freshie, I thought they would be quite a challenge, but they're not that hard. I found my high school exams harder TBH :D

 

Haha, thank you!! October was literally one of the worst months ever for me (that's why I've been MIA for the last while ^^") I literally had a midterm ~every 2-3 days. I have completed 6 out of 7 and my last one is next Wednesday. I have also basically written 3 out of 4 of my term papers, I need to write one more for Friday. I am almost free!! I've actually found that my average has dropped a bit since high school :/ I find these university exams a little more challenging because instead of testing for only one unit, it's like ... 6-7 chapters at once .____. So I swear as soon as I am free, I will be updating this report. Sorry for taking so long!!

[lovely_serenity]

Day 2: At Sea

 

Tuesday, August 19, 2014 : Formal

 

The Personal Navigator: