disney-wonder4

Note - this page contains multiple reviews.

Name: Rachel Hickson
Email: rhickson@monmouth.com
Age: 41
Occupation: social scientist
NumberOfCruises: 1
TravelAgent: No
Ship: Disney-Wonder
SailingDate: 7-30-00
Itinerary: Bahamas
Cabin: 8044/Family Cabin
FoodDiningRoom: 80
CruiseDirector: 100
CabinComfort: 85
FoodRoomService:
CruiseStaff: 95
CabinAmenities: 85
FoodLidoDeck: 90
DiningRoomService: 95
CabinQuietness: 95
FoodMidnightBuffets:
CabinSteward: 90
ShoreExcVariety: 90
FoodVariety: 90
DeckService: 90
ShoreExcValue: 85
GoodForHoneymoon: 0
CasinoStaff:
PrivateIsland: 90
GoodForFamilies: 100
LoungeService:
TenderService:
GoodForSeniors: 85
BeautySalonStaff: 90
EntertainmentLounges:
WheelchairAccess:
ExerciseFacilities:
EntertShowLounge: 95
OverallPortsofCall: 85
BeautySalon:
EntertainmentPoolside: 90
CruiseActivities: 95
Casino:
AirSeaProgram:
MedicalFacilities:
ShipCleanliness: 95
EmbarkDisembark: 95
DiscoNightclubs:
DeckSpace: 95
Stabilization: 99
ShopsOnBoard:
SpaceRatio: 75
OverallCruiseValue: 85
Submit: Submit Review
Date: 04 Aug 2000
Time: 10:27:18
Remote Name: 205.148.63.217
Remote User:

Comments

I am eager to review on this site because I found it so helpful in planning my own cruise.

We are first-time Disney travelers and first-time cruisers. We had three days at Disney World before
boarding the ship for the four-night cruise. I was skeptical about Disney World and pleased to find
how much I liked it, especially Epcot. The Millenium events, especially the Tapestry of Nations
parade, were sensational. I traveled with my husband, two daughters 11 and 6, and my parents (in
their seventies, very healthy and fit). We all enjoyed the trip, and we had come with few expectations.
Our hotel (Disney Beach Club) was great, but everyone I talked to stayed in a different place and all
loved their hotels. This is a real credit to Disney. They obviously treat you right no matter what part of
the park you stay in.

This is a cruise for people with children, period. Couples traveling without children should go on a
different cruise. For grandparents and/or parents traveling with kids, though, this is a trip designed to
be fun for the young ones. My husband and I agreed that based on this experience, we want to
cruise again, but by ourselves next time.

The ship: The Disney Wonder is a gorgeous Art Deco ship. Every single area of the ship is
beautifully decorated and equipped. I liked every space we visited -- the restaurants, the clubs, the
theaters. The children's areas, Oceaneer Club and Lab, are sensationally designed. I have never
seen nicer indoor spaces for children. There are stairs, elevators, and restrooms for every part of
the ship you might need. We never had to walk far to find what we needed.

The cabin: We had a family cabin with verandah on Deck 8. The girls slept in bunk beds which pulled
out of the wall. Of course they had to take turns on top, since both wanted to try both beds! Our bed,
which seemed to be an oversized queen, was very comfortable. The cabin was well appointed, with
enough storage space for our four days' clothing (more than two bags per person worth of
possessions would have had some storage limitations -- the ship says two bags per person only).
The cabin was designed to maximize space. Even so, space was limited, especially in the bathrooms!
My husband and I are big, tall and long legged. (You cannot sit down on the toilet, for example,
without closing the door first.)

I should note that bathrooms everywhere on the ship were rather cramped. I got tired of small
bathrooms. The one exception was up by Palo, where the bathrooms were big and beautiful. (But
many people never see Palo.)

Another note on cabins. There were many cheaper categories of cabins than ours. Having seen the
ship, I would not be afraid to take a Deck 1 or 2 cabin. We peeked in a few and they would be more
than adequate, especially if you want to economize. You get the same good cruise activities no
matter where on the ship you sleep.

Food: Food on the ship was always good but not exciting. I thought some of the food we had in
Disney World was better. Triton's is the Ariel-decorated restaurant, actually the most continental and
understated restaurant. I enjoyed a lunch in Triton more than our dinner night there. Parrot Cay was
our third night's dinner location. In many ways we enjoyed it best. The food was very good and I
loved the colorful tropical atmosphere. We went to Animator' s Palate on our second night. (My meal
was better than in Triton's, but not as good as at Parrot Cay.) The décor in Animator's Palate begins
all in black and white, then changes slowly into color as the courses progress. I had the strong sense
that this is the restaurant the help like working in best. Our waiter urged us to be sure to be on time
to that meal so as not to miss a thing.

A note on all these restaurants: they are too noisy. At Animator's Palate, where the color show is
going on, diners do less talking and more looking. But overall these restaurants are too noisy.
People with hearing problems beware.

Palo was our dinner location on our final night (the girls had dinner with their kid groups). Palo is at
the very top of the ship in the back, and the location is great. It is also very quiet at Palo as no
children are invited and the atmosphere is deliberately slow and calm there. The décor is tasteful and
attractive. I had some problems with Palo, though. It has an air of pretension about being special and
different from other experiences on the ship that I think spoils it. The rest of the ship is so relaxed
and lacking in pretense. I felt a bit uncomfortable about this aspect of Palo. The food was good there,
as promised. The preparations are quite rich, I should warn readers, and after the appetizer and
other goodies that were put on the table for us (bread with olive sauce, sample size special pizzas), I
could eat only part of my rack of lamb main course. I did not order dessert -- I rushed off to collect my
children before the Disney Dreams show -- but my father ordered cassata and said it was yummy.

Food around the ship was always plentiful and handy. Nearly every meal was available at the Beach
Blanket Buffet on Deck 9 -- most people at the buffet take their food outdoors, so when the weather
was good this was a good place to eat. I had just a few meals there. This was the least interesting
food on the ship, but it was handy. There is also a constant flow of free snack food around the pools
-- the chicken tenders at Pluto's were our family favorite. We had them every afternoon on the ship.
My girls also enjoyed the pizza at Pinocchio's, and frozen yogurt at Scoops, also on the pool level.

Based on advice from this review site, we brought bottled water along and stored it in the cooler in
our cabin. If I had it to do over I would not have bothered. Yes, we paid for some soft drinks and
alcohol on the ship, but for us it did not amount to large sums. My parents, who like wine and booze
more than we do, had a much larger bar tab.

The entertainment: We attended all three of the live theatrical shows. The theater is stunning.
Production values were Broadway quality in every case. I have a music and performing arts
background so I am fussy about this. Different people in my group liked different shows best. We had
heard a lot about Disney Dreams, the final show, but I actually found that a saccharin re-tread of
Disney production numbers. I preferred the first two, Voyage of the Ghost Ship, and Hercules.

The pools: We used all three pools. I understand that ships cannot have large pools, for technical
reasons, but I need to note that all the pools were nearly always too crowded. This is especially a
problem for the children's pools, Goofy and Mickey. The Mickey pool was in a state of overcrowded
mania for most of the day, with kids jumping all over each other, that none of us would have tolerated
from any kiddie pool back home. (And there are no lifeguards at the ship pools.) My six year old
seemed to take it in stride most of the time, though she did hit her head twice on one of the
afternoons.

The activities: There were great things going on all the time on the ship -- you couldn't begin to do
them all. Because we were busy with the children we did not visit much of the adult entertainment on
the ship. But there was plenty. There were lots of dancing lessons and everyone seemed to love
those. I enjoyed Bingo in Wavebands one day, and also enjoyed the Newlywed-style game show in
the late evening.

Nassau stop -- Most of my group got off the ship for a few hours of shopping. My husband and older
daughter took one of the snorkeling excursions and loved it. In the afternoon I took her into town for
hair braiding.

Castaway Cay stop -- We did not luck out on the weather. A tropical storm right at lunch time
interrupted many people's plans. But I think everyone enjoyed the Disney private island in spite of
the weather. Most people spent the morning in the beautiful water, snorkeling or swimming. It was
fabulous, like a giant swimming pool. No surf (I am used to the Atlantic surf, which makes ocean
swimming much more challenging). Beautiful turquoise water. There were fish right in the swimming
area.

In the center of the island there are large covered picnic areas. (We needed the covering, as the rain
was starting!) They do a barbeque lunch that is served outdoors -- ribs, burgers, chicken, and
various trimmings. This was a great picnic and everyone really seemed to enjoy sitting around at
picnic tables, dripping in their bathing suits and eating this big picnic.

My husband got me a massage (as a birthday present) at the outdoor area at Castaway (the spa
people from the ship do the massages on Castaway, at special tents). I enjoyed this, especially the
feel of breezes blowing across me as I was being worked on. My parents rented bikes and went all
over the island.

I wish Disney would reprogram this stop to allow us to stay in Castaway until at least 8 or 9 at night.
The stop was too short -- they made us get back on the boat by about 3:30 pm. It would have been
fun to go swimming and have dinner on the beach and just enjoy it there until sunset. It was the only
opportunity for extended beach time on this trip.

Children's program: There were supposedly 800 children on our ship. From what I could tell, only
about 50 were in the children's program at any one time. The facilities and activities seemed very well
organized. My children made limited use of the program. My older daughter was in for one day, the
last full day on the ship, once she became bored with her parents and wanted to meet some kids her
own age! We had intended for my younger daughter to spend most of her time in the kid program,
but that did not work out. She was there the first day, but had some problems socially and did not
enjoy it. So we took her out for most of the rest of the trip, returning her there just while we ate dinner
in Palo the last night. I note this partly because not every kid can dive into these kinds of activities
while on vacation -- some kids are more comfortable staying with their own families. (Parents be
prepared.)

We have been to two of the family Club Meds. There, nearly every child is in the kids' program. Here
on the ship, not the case. I think it is because the cruise is so kid-oriented anyway, that kids can swim
and have fun on the ship without ever going to camp on the ship.

The service: Service on the ship was abundant. Our cabin host, Arnel, was very quiet and we didn't
really get to know him. However, his service was very efficient and he always made up our room
immediately. We always had plenty of clean towels (we were always running through towels quickly).
He turned down the beds when we were out at the show. He was very creative in involving my
daughters' stuffed animals in the turndown scenarios. In one case, he made an origami swan out of a
towel, then made it look like my daughter's stuffed cat was stalking the swan! Another night he made
a Noah's Ark with the animals and pillows. Great.

My favorite service on the ship came from our waiter, Glenn. As you know from reading this site, the
Disney ship rotates the waiter and assistant waiter with the family, so Glenn and Oral waited on us
each night. (Also at breakfast the final day.) The entire ship is filled with handsome and charming
young waiters from every country -- I found it real eye candy -- and Glenn is handsome and charming
as any of them.

This site has included complaints about the English speaking level of some staff. I want to note that
everyone we met working on the ship had very good English.

The motion: Our trip was extremely smooth. The only detectable motion on the ship I found to be
quite pleasant. At night, lying still in bed, I found it to be pleasant rocking to sleep. We slept well. I did
notice people on the ship wearing motion sickness patches behind their ears, but there really weren't
any queasy sensations on the ship.

Other: The spa appointments fill immediately. By the second day I could not get an appointment I had
wanted, for the Surial Bath, and was out of luck for the rest of the trip. IF YOU WANT spa
appointments you must get them the first afternoon on the ship, immediately after the safety drill
(about 5 pm they start taking appointments). My parents went the first day and got several spa
appointments, which they really enjoyed during the cruise. Also. There are laundry rooms with ironing
equipment at three places on the ship. We used the laundry instead of using the laundry service, but
I saw other people using the laundry and dry cleaning service with success. This can be important,
for large groups of people who are coming from Disney World already have a lot of dirty laundry by
the time they get to the ship!

It was such a busy week that I think it will take me a few weeks to "process" all that we did at Disney
and on the ship. But for people traveling with children, who want a cruise experience, this is definitely
a nice experience.

Name: Trish Cavestany
Email: ltcavestany@earthlink.net
Age: 30
Occupation: Registered Nurse
NumberOfCruises: 1
TravelAgent: No
Ship: Disney-Wonder
SailingDate: 7/30/00
Itinerary: 4-day cruise
Cabin: Category 9
FoodDiningRoom: 85
CruiseDirector: 86
CabinComfort: 85
FoodRoomService:
CruiseStaff: 88
CabinAmenities: 85
FoodLidoDeck: 88
DiningRoomService: 88
CabinQuietness: 82
FoodMidnightBuffets: 75
CabinSteward: 88
ShoreExcVariety: 82
FoodVariety: 90
DeckService: 80
ShoreExcValue: 85
GoodForHoneymoon: 80
CasinoStaff:
PrivateIsland: 88
GoodForFamilies: 92
LoungeService:
TenderService: 90
GoodForSeniors: 80
BeautySalonStaff:
EntertainmentLounges:
WheelchairAccess: 80
ExerciseFacilities:
EntertShowLounge: 90
OverallPortsofCall: 85
BeautySalon:
EntertainmentPoolside: 90
CruiseActivities: 85
Casino:
AirSeaProgram:
MedicalFacilities:
ShipCleanliness: 90
EmbarkDisembark: 95
DiscoNightclubs:
DeckSpace: 85
Stabilization: 90
ShopsOnBoard: 85
SpaceRatio: 85
OverallCruiseValue: 90
Submit: Submit Review
Date: 04 Aug 2000
Time: 18:51:50
Remote Name: pool1142.cvx21-bradley.dialup.earthlink.net
Remote User:

Comments

Just came back from our first cruise ever. It was on the Disney Wonder and we were all pleased with
our experience. We chose the four-day cruise only to try things out. We have an eight-year-old and a
16-month old and didn't think it would be easy to handle the land-sea package. First, just a
suggestion: if you are coming the night before the cruise (like from the West Coast for example) and
need to stay in Orlando, stay at the Hyatt Orlando Airport. It is connected to the airport, and you
have to catch the Disney Cruise Line bus at the airport anyway, you don't have to mess around with
taxis or anything. Very convenient. Both embarkation and debarkation were incredibly efficient and
well-organized. The room was ready and our bags were in the room when we got there at 1:30PM. It
was a little small (Category 9 outside room) for the four of us but it suited our needs. There is a small
refrigerator but it doesn't get very cold so it was a good suggestion to ice the drinks first before
putting it into the refrigerator. We brought bottled water and ginger ale (good idea to bring your own
stuff to have in the room). You can buy those soft drink cards for $14 for all day soda but we only got
a soda here and there which didn't add up to that for the entire cruise. I had brought a lot of
dramamine and ginger stuff because of the thunderstorms (we got a flash storm off and on
throughout the cruise) but I was pleasantly surprised to find that none of us needed it except for me
the first day. It's only now I feel the sea rocking as I sit here. It was actually a pretty smooth time, my
daughter gets motion sickness fairly easily and she didn't feel a thing, and neither did my husband,
who tends to get more motion sickness at sea. But it is always a good idea to bring it just in case. It
seemed like they took into consideration all the things previous reviews said, because we saw Mickey
Mouse quite a bit as well as the other characters, for example. I know that was a previous complaint.
The only problem was Shutters, the photo place, seemed to have trouble getting pictures out on time
or having them available! We took a family portrait (as was suggested in previous reviews) the third
night and it still wasn't there on the fourth night, and you just forget the last morning because you're
busy getting off the ship. So we were a little bummed that we didn't get a chance to see and/or
purchase those pictures. The lines for the buffet and other things you had to line up for weren't
nearly as bad as we thought they were going to be. We took the advice of one reviewer and had
woken up early to have breakfast in the dining room the first morning which was nice, but you could
also have continental breakfast delivered to your room every morning if you really want to avoid the
buffet, but the buffet extended until 1:00 PM at Parrot Cay. While the food there wasn't outstanding, it
was decent and the lines weren't bad. Other lines, like Flounder's Reef Nursery and Palo, well, there
really weren't any. I don't know if it was because we were there on time but we didn't have trouble
booking any babysitting. For those of you who have children who aren't toilet trained yet: they have
limited babysitting, which is the daycare, like two hours each day and up to five hours in the evening,
at $6 an hour. Becky, the head of the center, was wonderful. Our son did fine there the first time but
then cried like crazy every time after that. We did leave him the first night because we were going to
Palo (the adult only restaurant)but then after trying to leave him one more afternoon with him
screaming we gave up. It wasn't a big deal because the hours in the afternoon didn't really coincide
with any activities starting for adults only so we didn't have anything planned. I did make that
suggestion to the cruise line. For instance, any first-run movies didn't start until 3:30 which did us no
good. And they had kids menus in the dining rooms in the evenings which made it easy for us to
bring him along. Food: It was so weird to be able to order whatever you wanted. I agree with a
previous reviewer: exchange your night at Parrot Cay for a night at Palo. We took a guess when we
signed up at Palo and luckily one of those nights fell on the Parrot Cay night (we signed up for two
nights, cancelled one). It is really, really hard to get reservations for the last night so try for another
night. The food there was exquisite and well worth the extra $5 per person. Animator's Palate was
fun, Triton's had the best food of the three other restaurants. We ended up at Triton's the third and
fourth night and they changed the menus for the last night. The food bars on deck weren't all night
bars, but there was a pizza bar and a hamburger/hot dog bar which were really good. My daughter
was in heaven. She is a very picky eater and definitely didn't go hungry ever during that cruise.
Activities for kids: Your kids will love this cruise. The pools were great, although the slide in the kids
only pool doesn't end in the pool as I originally thought. You slide down and then get off and then get
into the pool. My daughter loved the times she was with the other kids at the activities clubs, but she
also wanted to go swimming so she was torn. The nursery is rather loud from the air blowing (not
really air conditioning, I don't know why they don't regulate the temperature the same way because I
think that threw off my son a bit) and if it weren't for the staff I don't think I would have felt comfortable
leaving my son there. It is built more for much younger children but when my son wasn't crying there
he still had a lot to do. Great family activities, shows (especially the one on the last night) were great.
We had fun in Nassau, we didn't take any excursion trips. The people there are rather pushy when
you get off the ship which was a little annoying. We had been in Aruba for our honeymoon and they
were trying to sell stuff but those in Nassau were rather aggressive. Shopping was okay. Some
people went to the Sheraton to their beach to swim which they said was open and nice. Castaway
Cay was a really nice island, unfortunately we had thunder and lightning so we didn't get much time
on the island itself. They are starting a seven-day cruise to the US Virgin Islands which looks pretty
nice. Overall we were really happy with our experience and can't wait to do it again. We'll probably
wait until the toddler is a little older so he can do some of the other activities too and we can have a
little more 'adult' time. I would highly recommend this to anyone!

Name: Cheri Andrews
Email: cheri_andrews@yahoo.com
Age: 21
Occupation: Recruiter
NumberOfCruises: 1
TravelAgent: No
Ship: Disney-Wonder
SailingDate: 7/2/00
Itinerary: Nassau/Castaway Cay
Cabin: Standard Inside Stateroom
FoodDiningRoom: 95
CruiseDirector: 92
CabinComfort: 95
FoodRoomService:
CruiseStaff: 90
CabinAmenities: 95
FoodLidoDeck:
DiningRoomService: 85
CabinQuietness: 100
FoodMidnightBuffets:
CabinSteward: 90
ShoreExcVariety: 0
FoodVariety: 80
DeckService: 75
ShoreExcValue: 0
GoodForHoneymoon: 95
CasinoStaff:
PrivateIsland: 100
GoodForFamilies: 99
LoungeService: 95
TenderService:
GoodForSeniors:
BeautySalonStaff:
EntertainmentLounges: 90
WheelchairAccess:
ExerciseFacilities: 85
EntertShowLounge: 99
OverallPortsofCall: 70
BeautySalon:
EntertainmentPoolside: 85
CruiseActivities: 85
Casino:
AirSeaProgram: 99
MedicalFacilities:
ShipCleanliness: 99
EmbarkDisembark: 99
DiscoNightclubs: 85
DeckSpace: 99
Stabilization: 99
ShopsOnBoard: 70
SpaceRatio: 99
OverallCruiseValue: 89
Submit: Submit Review
Date: 06 Sep 2000
Time: 16:01:48
Remote Name: wan.asher.com
Remote User:

Comments

This cruise was for my honeymoon, and it was the first cruise I had ever been on. In spite of the
numerous reviews I had read indicating it was 'not good for honeymooners' we had a great time. After
four days on land we were eager to get on the boat. The boat was the nicest looking one at cape
canaveral, and because we had already signed in at the hotel check-in basically involved just walking
onto the ship. (The transfer package is well worth it, our luggage was in our rooms shortly after we
arrived, and the bus trip to the boat was very relaxing). The room was very nice, especially considering
we selected an inside standard stateroom. In spite of it being the lowest category on the ship, the room
was spacious enough for the two of us, and it was very clean, with a fold out couch, table, and plenty
of closet space.

Our room was maintained perfectly during our stay, every time we returned to the
room it was made up nicely with a new schedule of events on the bed. Because it was inside, the room
was very quiet and pitch black with the lights out. Unless you really want a window, I would say the
extra money for a larger stateroom is unnecessary. The only thing I would recommend is to ALWAYS
use the privacy sign on the door, even when going to bed for the evening. We are not early risers, and
we had a few afternoon naps, so we had frequent knocking on our door in the mornings and
afternoons. They had a knack for wanting to clean and do safety checks when we wanted to sleep, so
do use the "do not disturb" sign. When you embark off there are about a dozen people on deck
pushing drinks. They don't tell you that they cost over five dollars until they give it to you. The
pushiness for drinks was the primary annoyance on the ship. We don't drink alcohol, but even soda
and bottled water cost a few dollars each time. It is good to keep that in mind when budgeting. The
food quality was mixed.

Breakfast each day was a dissapointment. Greasy bacon and eggs, juice, and
a variety of muffins. If you ate in the dining room they served you the same food, the only difference
was that it came on a plate instead of a buffet format. Lunch Buffets had a large variety of rather bland
food. Food in the dining rooms for dinner was exceptionally good, and dinner at Palo was probably the
best food we have ever had. Service was outstanding in both cases. Definitely get in line for Palo right
away. For some reason everyone wanted reservations for the last night on the ship, I got reservations
for the first night and therefore had no line to wait in. The only bad thing was that even after we told
our waiters assistant we did not drink, he continued to push expensive alcohol products on us. The
adult activities on the ship were all in the same area, which made a lovely child-free zone. (Yes, even
though I am not a great fan of children we had a great time on the disney ship) The comedy show was
great but a bit short and it repeated every night.

The dance club was nice, and the piano lounge was a
great place to sit by the windows and chat. The bridge tour was nice, although they did not know how
long it would take to evacuate the ship (I asked), which disturbed me to a degree. One gentleman
asked if it was nuclear powered which was quite funny. (no, it is not) We saw two of the three shows in
the evening and they were both great. Disney dreams was the final and best one, definitely the
highlight of the entertainment. Frankly, we hated Nassau. It was quite dirty, the people on the street
were so pushy that we felt physically intimidated, and shopping was a mix of very expensive jewelry
and low quality goods. The drivers were very aggressive and crossing the street was a risky
enterprise. We walked up and down the main street twice early in the day, then went back to the ship.

Disney's private island was lovely. White sand beaches, blue water, just like a postcard. We took the
tram to the adult beach, which was relatively quiet, and enjoyed the sun for a few hours. We did not
participate in any of the planned excursions, so I cannot comment on them. Aside from the major
activities I outlined above, we enjoyed the music, spent a lot of time looking out to sea, and wandered
around the ship. Shopping onboard was very limited. We did have a very good time on the ship, and I
would give it a good general recommendation to anyone who wants to partner up a disneyworld
vacation along with a fun cruise. There were plenty of adult only activities and locations to make it a
good honeymoon destination as well, especially if you enjoy Disney. It was a very good experience
overall. I would say though, to experienced cruisers looking for a cruise-only vacation, expecially
adults, you may wish to try a different cruise line. This was a whole 'disney experience' along with our
land package, but for my next cruise-only vacation I will be trying another cruise line.

Name: janet biaglow
Email: flynnigan@msn.com
Age: 30
Occupation: registered nurse
NumberOfCruises: 3
TravelAgent: No
Ship: Disney-Wonder
SailingDate: 9/14/00
Itinerary: Nassau, Castaway Cay
Cabin: 6544 category 6
FoodDiningRoom: 85
CruiseDirector: 85
CabinComfort: 90
FoodRoomService: 90
CruiseStaff: 90
CabinAmenities: 90
FoodLidoDeck: 85
DiningRoomService: 80
CabinQuietness: 80
FoodMidnightBuffets:
CabinSteward: 90
ShoreExcVariety: 80
FoodVariety: 85
DeckService: 90
ShoreExcValue:
GoodForHoneymoon: 75
CasinoStaff:
PrivateIsland: 95
GoodForFamilies: 95
LoungeService: 80
TenderService:
GoodForSeniors: 80
BeautySalonStaff:
EntertainmentLounges: 85
WheelchairAccess: 85
ExerciseFacilities:
EntertShowLounge: 85
OverallPortsofCall: 85
BeautySalon:
EntertainmentPoolside: 85
CruiseActivities: 85
Casino:
AirSeaProgram: 90
MedicalFacilities:
ShipCleanliness: 95
EmbarkDisembark: 95
DiscoNightclubs: 80
DeckSpace: 90
Stabilization: 90
ShopsOnBoard: 85
SpaceRatio: 90
OverallCruiseValue: 90
Submit: Submit Review
Date: 19 Sep 2000
Time: 22:27:26
Remote Name: 1cust41.tnt1.mercerville.nj.da.uu.net
Remote User:

Comments

We just returned from the 7 day land/sea vacation with two adults and two children ages 2 1/2 years
and 15 months. The land portion we spent at Dixie Landings and had a wonderful time. The resort is
beautiful although very spread out and very clean. It was a very busy 4 days and we looked forward to
relaxing on the cruise.

We drove ourselves to Port Canaveral and had no difficulty finding the ship. There are plenty of signs
and the ship is so large it is hard to miss! We dropped off our luggage, parked the car in the lot, and
were ready to begin. Embarkation was a breeze. We had already checked in at Dixie Landings so all
we did was swipe our Key to the World cards and we were on! We went straight to our cabin and found
it ready for us and our luggage arrived very soon after. The cabin was an outside cabin with verandah
which was very nice. There was plenty of room for all of us including a crib which the ship provided.
There is a beverage cooler which does not get very cold so we did put previously chilled things in
there and they remained cold during the trip. The cabin was very clean with plenty of storage space.
Having the extra half bath was very nice, the tub/shower in one room and the commode in the other
made getting dressed very easy. The cabin does not get very cool and if you leave the verandah door
open then you lose what cool air you had for quite a while although sleeping was comfortable. We had
a connecting room and it was definitely loud. We could hear the cabin next door whenever they were in
the room the same time we were. At night things were quiet however and we didn't find any trouble
sleeping.

The ship was slightly rocky the first night but after that, we never felt it move. There were seasickness
bands for sale in the gift shop but we never needed them.

The ship itself is beautiful. It is extremely clean and well decorated. The elevators however are quite
small especially when you get a stroller in there! But everyone was very nice and usually made room
for the stroller and we managed fine. All of the dining rooms, theaters, and lounges are large enough
to accomodate small strollers. We kept the 15 month old in the stroller as much as possible and never
had any trouble. The staff would park the stroller for us in the dining room and we could easily find
room everywhere else to stow it when we needed to.

The characters were everywhere! They are very nice and do not rush you at all. They take the time to
hug, kiss, give autographs, and pose for a photo or two without rushing you along. There were only
short lines to see them and there were always photographers there to grab that special moment. It was
lots of fun to see each of them in different costumes and take different pictures with them. They are
also never overbearing. Our two year old was a little afraid of them and would sometimes cry and they
never forced themselves on him but tried to joke with him and if that didn't work, they would simply
wave or blow kisses. The Personal Navigator they leave in your room is the best way to keep up with
the characters. It gives you the time and place of all their appearances. We never left the room without
it.

Now onto the food. I have to say it was just ok. There was a fair variety for the adults but the kids menu
was the same each night. A little difficult when your kids don't have varied appetites to feed them the
same thing each night. It was very nice to eat in three different dining rooms but we actually didn't
even notice the difference. Our table was in the corner and we never saw anything but the table next
to us so we could have eaten in the same place each night and it wouldn't have mattered. Animator's
Palate we did stand up to look around at the changing colors but unless you are in the middle of the
room, you can't really appreciate it. The food here was ok, the servers were very pleasant and offered
to get you anything you want or to bring something different if you didn't like your first choice. The food
was warm and pleasing to the eye but definitely not out of this world. Parrot Cay was certainly not our
favorite. The food here is supposed to have an island flavor which we just did not care for. Again the
server offered to bring something else but we opted not to. The bananas flambe is supposed to be the
specialty here but we never got to see the flambe part. Triton's was our final meal and a little better
than the other two. However we expected seafood and were saddly disappointed. There was only one
seafood dish and it was cajun which we did not care for. The beef tenderloin however was very good
but again the children's menu was the same as the previous two nights and our two little ones were not
in the mood for this meal. We did the buffet for breakfast each morning and found that to be very
satisfying. They had a good variety of hot and cold foods and we never had to wait in line for anything.
There also plenty of service people who were very helpful keeping the areas clean and assisting with
the trays etc. We also sampled the quick bites near the pool and found the pizza to be very good. The
room service was also very good which we did several times and only waited 20 minutes for our food.

As far as the ports of call, Disney definitely needs to stay in Castaway Cay a full day and cut the time
spent at Nassau. Not many people got off the ship in the Bahamas and those that did came back soon
after. Luckily there were activities onboard and the swimming pools were open. The pools are very
nice although small for the number of children on board. The children's pool is shaped like Mickey with
a large slide for the kids but only the larger children can go down it because of a height restriction.
The rest of the pool is only about 12 inches deep and packed with children most of the time but they
all have fun and don't seem to mind. The family pool was a little less occupied but still quite small. The
adult pool which we didn't get to was quiet and small with several saunas which always had people in
them.

Castaway Cay is beautiful but the stay is too short. They are still trying to fix up the island after the
hurricane last year but you really don't seem to notice that. There are separate beaches with plenty of
umbrellas and chairs for everyone. Sunscreen is certainly needed here. Only a short time out in the
sun and people were burning like crazy. There is a band that plays and a barbecue for everyone to
eat at. But time is cut short and you need to be back on the ship by 4:00. The characters are also on
the island which make for lots of photo opportunities.

The shows at night were ok. Our children did not care for them because they did not include the
characters so they were bored by them. It was also past their bedtime so maybe they were just tired
but we did find ourselves inattentive also. We found more excitement going on around the ship than in
the shows. We also saw a few movies in the theater and found them enjoyable.

Service was very good. Our room steward was excellent. He always seemed to clean our room the
second we left so it was always perfect when we returned. When we first entered the room, he was
right there to make sure everything was ok. When I asked about a crib, he was gone and back with a
crib and a diaper genie within minutes! There were always clean towels and each night he turned
down the beds and put our childrens stuffed toys in unique places that always brought a smile to our
faces. Our server in the dining room however was not so efficient. He frequently brought the wrong
food or never brought some things at all. We really didn't even see him much aside from taking our
orders and bringing the food. Unfortunately his assistant was not much better. The drinks often arrived
well after our meals and we were never offered refills. Aside from them, the rest of the crew on board
were always willing to help and had a smile for the kids all the time.

We never used the children's facilities but we did peek inside. Very large areas for the kids to play in
with lots of things to do. The kids who were signed in wore special bracelets and the staff seemed very
friendly to them. We were told that the kids need to be over three years and potty trained so
unfortunately we couldn't use the services but did hear rave reviews from other people.

Disembarkation was also quite easy. After breakfast you simply walk out the door to the terminal, find
your luggage and there are plenty of men around willing to help with your bags. They walk you right
through customs and drop you and your bags wherever you like. They were very pleasant and helpful
and made this very easy.

Overall, the trip was wonderful. The ship is beautiful and definitely for the children. Although our kids
were young, they enjoyed themselves and our two year old is still asking for Mickey Mouse. I would
take this cruise again but would stay perhaps in a category 9 or 10 because we really were not in the
cabin that much to need any extra space on such a short cruise. I hope to take the 7 day cruise at
some point when the kids are a little older and know it will be just as 'wonder'ful.

Back to Disney Wonder