It's no secret that our travelling family loves Disney. Loves it. So when we found a phenomenal rate for a 3 night Bahamian cruise on the Disney Wonder, well, we couldn't pass it up.
It was the shortest cruise we've ever been on – only 3 nights – but it was the most awesome cruise I’ve been on. While short, 3 nights was a great introduction to cruising for the kids. Unfortunately, Disney has spoiled us for any other cruise lines. There is so much to tell that I have laid it out in segments below.
We left on Wednesday, Nov. 14 and drove 12 hours to St. Augustine, FL where we spent the night. I normally would not recommend doing that. The next morning we drove 2 hours to Port Canaveral to board the ship. Disney has its own terminal and when you see it, you know you are in for a Disney experience. It definitely sets itself apart from all the other terminals in cleanliness, décor, etc. We left our car in the lot there ($36 – pay in advance).
Check-In
Check in began at 10:30 so we were among the first people to check in. The process took less than 5 minutes. They looked over our documents (which we filled out online) and gave us our room keys which would also serve as our onboard charges as well.
After we checked in, we took the kids over to the check-in with the kids’ club. We registered online for it, but needed to actually check them in. More on the kids’ club in a bit.
We were originally told that boarding began at 1pm, but we were allowed to board at 11:45. As we walked up the gangplank, we had our pictures taken (standard on any cruise). What really set things apart was that they announced us as we entered the ship, “Everyone, please welcome the XXXX family.” In typical Disney style, we were greeted effusively by several crew members. Seriously, my daughter thought we were royalty.
Our room wasn’t going to be ready until 1:30, so we took that time to go up on deck and have lunch.
Every cruise is required to go through the safety drill. It is mandatory for all passengers to don their life vests and go to their muster stations which are where they’d meet in the event of a real emergency. This was at 4pm promptly. At 5pm, the ship set sail with a sail away party on deck.
Staterooms
Since Disney is so family-oriented, staterooms are larger than the average stateroom on most cruise lines. As you entered our room, there was a split bathroom on the left. One portion had a sink and toilet and the other had a shower/tub and another sink. To the left were the closet and dresser. There was a queen bed and two nightstands plus another armoire for clothes. Then we entered a sitting area with a couch, coffee table that could rise up for dining, a tv and desk. The couch turned into a single bed at night with another bed pulled down from the ceiling. That was a hit with the kids. The sitting area could be partitioned off from the bed for privacy.
Our stateroom was oceanview. We had a very large round picture window which gave us some nice views.
All staterooms are tended to by a room steward who is there to take care of all your needs. This, again, is standard on all cruise lines. Twice a day the room was serviced. Oliver, our steward, wasted no time in making up the room in the morning. In the evening, we’d come back to a cozy turned down bed. The couch and upper bunk would be made up and chocolates and towel animal would be set up. Fresh towels were in the bathroom. Each night, a “Personal Navigator” would be left for us. This highlighted all the of the next day’s activities.
Dining
Included in the price of the cruise were all meals and snacks. For dinner, guests ate in a system called “rotational dining.” This meant each night we ate in a different themed dining room to which we were assigned. The Wonder has three – Animator’s Palate, Triton’s and Parrot Cay. The bonus was that our wait staff rotated with us so each night we had the same servers who quickly learned our likes and dislikes.
We ate at the late seating which was 8:00pm. I do not recommend this if you have young children. Of course, it depends on the child, but we noticed that by the end of the meal, most children in the dining room were fading fast. We would have preferred the 6:15pm seating, but since we booked last minute, it wasn’t available.
The food was outstanding and plentiful. There were a couple of meals where my husband ordered more than one appetizer and entrée. And that’s ok. I cannot say enough good things about Salomie and Ericson, our servers. They were fantastic. One moment that stood out was the last night when both of my kids were so exhausted that they fell asleep at the table. Salomie and Ericson pulled up extra chairs to the table and made beds for the kids, and even covered them with tablecloths.
For people that want a child-free experience, there was an adults-only restaurant, Palo’s. This was an extra $20/pp charge. Other dining options for all meals included 24 hour room service, the Beach Blanket Buffet up on deck, as well as other food stations near the pools. A real bonus was that sodas and ice cream on deck were included in the price. Many cruise lines charge extra for that. Alcoholic drinks were extra.
Kids’ Club
I cannot say enough good things about the kids’ clubs. There are different levels of clubs - Flounder’s Nursery for the youngest ones, Oceaneer’s Club for 3-7, Oceaneer’s Lab for 8-12 and Aloft for 13-17. My kids were in the Club and Lab.
As I said, we checked-in with the club at the terminal. The kids were given wristbands that they had to wear the entire cruise. No band, no club. We were given pagers for the duration of the cruise and we had to activate a password that we’d use to check the kids out. Kids 8 and up can check themselves out of the club if permission is given by the parents. We wouldn’t allow our daughter to do it. I don’t know where she would have gone anyway by herself.
I don’t know how many youth activities staff there was, but there were a lot. We saw at least 8-10 at each club each time we walked in. People had to be buzzed in and out; no one could just walk into the clubs. When we picked our kids up, they had to check our room keys with our names, check the kids’ wristbands and ask our password. I was incredibly impressed with the safety and cleanliness of the club. Each time a kid entered, they had to automatically wash their hands.
There was no shortage of activities. The Oceaneer’s Club had a pirate ship play area, stage, craft area, computer room, and tv area. The Lab had kitchen areas, lab tables, computers, a tv area, and games.
The kids didn’t stay in their clubs the entire time. Sometimes they went to one of the theaters to watch a movie, or one of the lounges for games with the entertainment staff. My son’s group sometimes went to the lab to make cookies or flubber. If a child didn’t want to be there anymore, the staff would page the parents. This happened with my daughter who is more reserved. She had fun at the club, but didn’t want to be there a long time. My son, however, couldn’t get enough of the club.
Kids could also eat lunch or dinner with the club. We had the kids eat dinner there since our seating was so late. That way they wouldn’t be starving. The staff would take the kids up to the buffet which my son thought was the coolest thing.
At the end of the cruise, there was a graduation ceremony for all kids registered in the clubs. They got special Mickey ears graduation caps and t-shirts. They then got to march across the stage in one of the theaters. That really made the club stand out for us. You just don't get that type of service with other cruise lines.
Activities
There is no shortage of activities on the ship. There were 3 pools – a kid’s Mickey pool with water slide (only 2 feet deep), Goofy’s family pool, and the Quiet Cove which was strictly for adults. The ship also had sports courts, arcades, and lounges, including ones exclusively for adults, a spa, and fitness center. If you didn’t want to do any spa treatments, you could still buy a pass to the rainforest which had relaxation rooms and saunas.
Of course, there were the standards on board such as bingo and an art auction. In fact, there were so many activities that there is no way one person can do a fraction of them.
Every sailing does a Pirates IN the Caribbean party. At dinner, all guests are given pirate bandanas. Guests are encouraged to dress up. Knowing this in advance, my husband and son packed their costumes. It was really funny because my husband was walking on deck and women were yelling “Look, there’s Jack!” Now let me tell you, they must have had one too many because my husband looks nothing like Jack Sparrow and looks everything like a scrawny German guy in a costume.
As part of the party, Disney shoots off fireworks. They are the only cruise line allowed to do this.
Entertainment
Entertainment was outstanding. I am very picky about my entertainment and can say that the shows on the ship easily met my very high standards. There was a different Disney themed show every night and each one was Broadway caliber. At the end, characters and staff do a special farewell show for the guests.
Shopping
Shops on board include a place to buy duty free liquor and tobacco and a couple of Disney merchandise shops (of course). As with all cruise lines, Disney operates on a cashless system. You set up an onboard account and all your purchases are charged to that via your key. Shops at Castaway Cay were also cashless.
Parents have the ability to allow their children charging privileges. That is a personal judgement and only you as the parent can decide if your child is ready for that. No way on earth were we going to allow either of our children that privilege. Not that there was anything they could buy. Drinks and stuff on deck were free, and they were never in the shops without us.
Ports
Since this was just a 3 night cruise, we only went to 2 ports – Nassau and Castaway Cay which is Disney’s private island.
Nassau has never been one of my favorite places. Overall, I find it a bit boring. But we amused ourselves nonetheless. Once we disembarked, we caught a cab ($4/pp) to Paradise Island to see Atlantis, the behemoth resort that once was Merv Griffin’s Resort and Casino. It was one of the most overwhelming places I have ever been to. There is an aquarium there which the kids loved. And the pools and Aquaventure park – oye! My kids are begging to go back there.
We then caught another cab and went to the pirate museum which is a small, but really well done museum with a replica ship inside. And of course, there’s a gift shop (did you really think we could get away without buying a pirate toy?). If you have kids, this is a good place to visit. Of course, after that, we walked along Bay Street to visit my favorite shops – Colombian Emeralds, Diamonds International, Tanzanite International. It was like the mother ship calling me home. All of these shops cater to cruise ships and always have little specials and giveaways. We went into Diamonds International to just get the little charm bracelet giveaway which we gave to our daughter. That was it. I had no intention of buying anything. However, my husband is an enabler and in the end, he bought me a lovely pair of aquamarine and diamond earrings.
We spent the rest of the afternoon on the ship at the Mickey pool. My kids have never met a water slide they didn’t like. The next day it was on to Castaway Cay.
This island is a mini-resort in itself. The ship docks right at the island. All other cruise lines with their own islands/beaches have to tender passengers in. Docking right there saved a lot of time. And right next to the ship? The Flying Dutchman from Pirates of the Caribbean. That was my main reason for going on the cruise. All I wanted was to see the Dutchman.
As you get off the ship, you can stop and sign up for sightseeing trips. And just a little further up, you can have your picture taken with Capt. Jack Sparrow in front of the Dutchman.
There are several different beaches – a family beach, one for teens, and an adults-only beach. Other activities include parasailing, boat rentals (we rented a 4-seater paddle boat - $10), kayaks, banana boats bike riding, treasure hunt, massages at the adult beach. There was also a kids’ club, a stingray adventure where you could feed and pet the rays, beach soccer and volleyball and a games pavilion. Food was a great barbecue restaurant which is included in the price of the cruise. In typical Disney fashion, there were also several shops. Oh, and hair braiding. By the end of the cruise, there wasn’t a girl on the ship that didn’t have her hair braided, including my daughter.
Castaway Cay was absolutely fabulous. We definitely could have used another day there. We were impressed with the safety. On the family beach alone, there were 3 lifeguard stands as well as 4 lifeguard platforms throughout the water.
Miscellaneous
I really cannot say enough about our experience. It was an amazing time. One thing you will notice on board is Disney’s obsession with cleanliness. Because there have been outbreaks of norovirus on ships in the past, Disney crew members hand out wipes to each passenger before boarding and before entering any restaurant.
That’s pretty much it for now. I’m sure there is something I’ve forgotten. My family is quickly sinking into a depression because we miss it so much. If you are looking for a great cruising experience and a way to introduce your children to the joys of cruising, then you cannot miss out on a trip on a Disney cruise.
DISNEY WONDER
