We just returned from the 4 night cruise on the Wonder. We had 2 adults and 2 boys, one 18 and one 11. We had a good time but I wouldn't say it was a trip of a lifetime. Sorry. Getting on the ship was easy for us. We arrived from the airport using Quicksilver (great service and easy to use) and filled out all our paperwork. GiGi at the desk was very helpful and seeing we were catagory 4 she went over the the concierge checkout to see if she would slip us in. Barbara did! It was terrific because the regular line was really long and we would have been standing there for a long time. We boarded a little after noon. Cabins were not available until 1:30 but Parrot Cay and Beach Blanket Buffet were open for lunch. Our first taste of the food was great and we were really looking forward to the trip. Be aware Disney will try to sell you a bottled water package and a wine package for the trip. The water is convenient if you are on a lower deck but water is available for free at the beverage station on Deck 9 24 hours a day. They also have sodas, coffee, tea, hot chocolate and milk at the station. It is on the starboard side (near the Mickey slide) outside of the Beach Blanket Buffet.
Our stateroom was great. My husband and I are both larger people and our boys are older so we went with a larger room for convenience. Not knowing how much time we would spend there, we knew it would be a risk but it worked out well. We had a queen bed, a sofa bed and a choice of a Murphy bed or a bunk. We used the sofa bed and the bunk for the boys. Very nice. The queen bed was very comfortable as well. Everything was very clean and new. They were just redone in October and you can tell. We had three large suitcases and there was plenty of room to unpack them and stow them in the closet. Kosana was our hostess, she was very friendly and helpful and made great towel animals! That was fun to see what would be waiting each evening at turndown.
Our dining servers were O'Neil and Evandro. We loved them both! They were terrific, fun and always ready to pull a prank on the boys. Their service was excellent. The food was great with good choices each evening. The seafood choices were wonderful, the steak was good but the pork and veal choices were a little tough. One evening I had the roast duck which wsa melt in your mouth delicious! My husband had a cream of mango and papaya soup in Parrot Cay which was the best thing we tasted. It was like melted ice cream and so refreshing. The desserts were good with nice choices. One evening I asked for just strawberries which were not on the menu but were brought out to me anyway. They were fresh and sweet and just right for the end of a big meal. The first night my 11 year old answered 'nothing' when asked what he wanted for dessert. O'Neil brought him a plate covered with a silver server and when the lid was removed the plate had 'Nothing' spelled out in chocolate! It was great. The 11 yo could also order from the child's menu or the adult menu or a combination of both. He asked for the meat with no vegetables and the servers were a bit puzzled by that until I told them he was on vacation and didn't have to eat vegetables. On debarkation morning, the head waiter, Ibrahim, brought over a covered plate and this time it contained a pepper and 2 tomatos in a very familiar shape. The men announced, "Vacation is over! Eat your vegetables!" We loved it.
I guess our disappointment with the cruise could be more personal preferences than a fault of the cruise itself. Our 11 yo went to the Oceaneers Lab the first night and left within an hour and a half. He did not want to go back for the rest of the cruise. He said he felt like he was being treated like a baby and it was too much like school. My husband observed an activity later in the cruise and got the same feeling. We talked to several other children during the trip and they all said the same thing. This is only anecdotal because children who enjoyed the room would be in it, not standing out where we would see them to chat with them. It appeared to me that the room was much more suited to children under 9. The teems we talked to loved their program and my 11 yo said he would enjoy going back to try that instead.
Our second surprise was how much alcohol is pushed on this cruise. The bars are quite prominent, the wine packages are heavily promoted the first night and each day there is a drink of the day and by noon, hostesses are strolling the deck with trays of drinks and asking to take your drink order. We are not big drinkers so this seemed out of place on a Disney cruise. Just an opinion. It is easy to say no and no pressure to buy one, just seemed like a lot of it.
We did some excursions, the glass bottom boat in Nassau and several things on Castaway Cay. Nassau was okay but we are not shoppers or gamblers so there was little of interest once we got finished with our tour. We really enjoyed Castaway Cay and would have liked 2 days there. There is much to do and one day was not enough. They boys did the banana boat, dad and son did the bottom fishing and other son was going to try parasailing (something broke and it was cancelled). The boys also rented a water trike and floats for the beach. The beach is clean, the water is clear and the sharks are on the outside of the net! We didn't even make it down to the far end of the island - we ran out of time. Lunch was provided and was very good.
The day at sea was okay. There were lots offerings. Be sure to do the chef's talk and the napkin folding. I can make a tuxedo out of my napkins now! Older son did the ship tour, we played the trivia games ( we won the family game and older son won 'So you want to be a mouseketeer). We went to the movies twice and saw The Incredibles and National Treasure. They also showed Around the World in 80 Days, Mr. 3000, The Life Aquatic and Ladder 49.
We enjoyed all 3 shows but we skipped the ventriloquist for the movie. The shows are very Disney productions, the cast is very skilled. We actually liked the Hercules show the best because of all the corny jokes! Hades was really funny and the cast didn't take themselves too seriously in the show. The 4th muse was terrific... They obviously put a great deal into the shows and are well worth going to see.
The night entertainment was good too. The bars do get smoky after 10 so if you have smoke allergies you may have to skip those. The pianist was excellent and we also enjoyed the comedian. Again you will have lots of opportunites to drink. The drink of the day being $3.50 and all other drinks are $4.75. Paying with your key can add up really quickly... At the debarkation talk, Jackie the cruise director, said some people's bills would be slipped under the door, others would be the phone book leaning against it!
If you love to have your picture taken with the characters you have come to the right place. Characters are abundant and varied. The photos are all done by professionals and look great. It can be hard to turn down that candid shot of little Susie getting a hug from Cinderella. Be prepared! 6x 8's are $9.95 and 8X10's are $19.95. They do have picture packages which will save you some money for volume. And you can use your own camera as well, no problem.
The daily Personal Navigator is your guide to activities and is really great. Each kid's club has there own navigator for the cruise which is also great. The staff was always ready to help and offered great suggestions for activies as well.
After reading over this my husband said it sounds like we are really boring people because we don't really drink much and we don't shop! Our kids are no longer into the characters and the kid's club didn't work out for one and wasn't available for the other. We still managed to spend just over $800 on activities and excursions in just 4 days! We had a great time together so it was definitely worth it and worth trying once. I think for us, we enjoy the parks much more than the cruise.
One last wonderful thing. The weather was perfect all 4 days. On Castaway Cay day I got up early and went out on deck as we were docking at the Cay. It had rained and occasional showers passed nearby. As I came up on deck 10 I looked over and there was a complete rainbow! It started in the ocean and ended in the middle of the water off of the Teen Beach on the Cay! It stayed for probably 20 minutes - so beautiful and perfect. It was a wonderful experience. At one point though the thought went through my mind "I wonder how Disney did that?"
That one thing made the day so much more special and was my favorite part of the cruise.