KaseyB

After taking a cruise on the Dream in September, I was totally excited to do this cruise from Miami. But flying into Miami and getting onto the ship is not as easy as it is from MCO/Port Canaveral.  I was also struck by how old the ship looked.  The Wonder is over 10 yrs old but wow. I saw rust outside our window and the room was not pristine, like I was expecting from my previous three Disney cruises!  Plus the adult pool was looking rundown. 

The staff also seemed to be the "B" team. I had a good experience with the head server but we had communication challenges with the servers and the whole cruise was very multilingual.  Mainly it was geared towards spanish-speaking guests.  Which is fine if I had known that... it was a bit of an unwelcome surprise to find that out when we got there.

Also, the weather was horrible.  I never get seasick, but we ended up taking dramamine every day just to get through it.  We didn't even get to dock on Castaway Cay and I cannot tell you how disappointed I was. I LOVE Castaway Cay. I will always remember watching the ship sail away from the dock after trying twice to get in, and I am still in disbelief.  It's YOUR island, Disney! Make it happen at any cost!  The tender from Georgetown was insane going back to the ship because it was storming and the waves were super high. I honestly thought we were going to capsize.

Over all, just skip the January sail dates. It can be chilly and the weather not nice. And if you have a choice, try the newer ships.  The smaller size is nice, but overall the bigger ones will be way more fun.

My kids had never been on an Oasis class ship before and loved every minute. So much to do and see. The dive shows were fantastic. We missed the “spinny guy” on this one... I was hoping my older daughter would see him do his stuff but no luck. My 7 year old was less than half an inch too short for the flow rider, but the 11 yr old and my husband went on it multiple times and had a blast. I liked all the pools and my kids enjoyed the water slides. The Windjammer is completely too small - this is a recurring theme on many reviews and I totally agree. We only went there three times the whole week- it was enough. I love the Park cafe with its Kummelweck sandwiches and salads. Breakfast there is good too. We only did the main dining room twice so we missed out on getting to know our servers but it was still ok. Food was good. Our kids loved Chops but I would say the server we had there was my least favorite. We had Julieta in 150 Central Park and she was my favorite- she learned our names and even remembered them when we saw her the next morning. Super nice. My kids are already wondering when we will go on the Harmony again:)

Pleasantly surprised that this smaller ship had everything I wanted and more. This solarium is fabulous... so much better than Oasis class with its huge pool and big whirlpools. The tiling was also pretty. My kids loved the kid activities and water slides. The mini golf was fun too. Over all, id do this trip again in a heartbeat

Loved everything about this cruise. Would go again in a heartbeat. Might even take kids next time! The kids stuff looked like so much fun, I would recommend this highly to anyone looking for a great cruise vacation.

We took our kids on their first week long plus cruise on Freedom of the Seas. They had tried a three day on Disney, and I was nervous they would get sick or not like this as much... they loved it! We had a tiny interior room... wow, so small! But the kiddos loved the Pullman bunks... only the older RC ships seem to have these in interior rooms and it’s nice that they, the kids, can be separated. But for me, sleeping under one, I felt it was just a little too claustrophobic. Anyway, the kids loved the rock climbing, water park and pools, flow rider and kids club. The food was pretty good. I’ve been on several other RC ships, incl Oasis and Harmony, and I would say those ships had slightly better quality. Still, the choices were always good, I enjoyed our trip to Sabor and Chops. Tip: if you like, have you kids eat at these restaurants too because it’s free for kids under 8 and just $10 for the older ones up to 12. (Or something like that) But I wouldn’t fault you for sending them to eat with the kids club counselors either;) We were apprehensive about going to St Maarten and San Juan so soon after the devastating hurricanes the previous fall but I felt like the areas we went to were pretty much back to normal. We liked our beach trip at St Maarten and we just spent time wandering San Juan. Spending just a few hours in port means you’re pretty rushed. My youngest was a pain- she just wanted to swim at the pool on the ship, so we did just a bit of shopping (found great sun hats) and then went back. St Kitts’ Dolphin experience wasnt very long, but it was fun, and the shopping there was expensive. Labadee was fun- we just get off right away, found some chairs in the shade and had a great beach day. Get a Labadoozie! Yum. I don’t recommend the shopping area if you hate to be bothered... and with kids it’s a little stressful. I was disappointed in the lack of family shows at night... Disney is the best at this, but even the ships in the Oasis Class ships offer more options for the whole family. Over all, we had a great time and already have the same cruise booked for next year:) (with a bigger room lol)

This ship is amazing.  It was our third Disney cruise, but our first on the Dream.  It's so much bigger and fancier than the other two older, smaller ships. My husband and I just go by ourselves  - the kids stay home! I enjoy the superior service and the quiet Adult areas. A tip we have learned: get on the ship as soon as possible, eat at the lunch buffet and hit the adult pool.  You get great seats and it's so peaceful. The entertainment is fabulous. We happened to go on a Halloween on the High Seas cruise, so we brought our Halloween costumes! We didn't win the costume contest, but we did get on stage and it was so fun! The food is good, the snacks are good, the rooms are always spotless and the staff are excellent.

On the less positive side, it's a big ship and there were always lines. Lines, lines, lines! The family pool areas can be crowded and insane on an at-sea day. Definitely try the AquaDuck, though. And alcoholic drinks are expensive. Beware of the before-show treats if you have kids. That will set you back a major amount over the cruise.  Still, it's a vacation so live it up!  We so love all the adults only restaurants.  We didn't get to go to Remy's but we've always loved going to Palo on every ship.  If you think your normal servers are excellent, these ladies/gentlemen are over the top. 

On a later cruise, (January) we went on the Wonder again and it just wasn't the same. The Dream is amazing, and I can't wait to go on the Fantasy some day.

We sailed on Oasis on Oct 1st, right around Hurricane Matthew! We weren't really affected by it, and I give the Captain full credit for making sure our cruise had a smooth sailing. 

Oasis was BIG. If you've never been, you will be surprised how big it actually is once you get inside. If you have been on RC before, it's very similar to other Freedom class ships but just... more. We sailed on Independence of the Seas (Dec 2015) and the Promenade was very similar. The boardwalk area was really nice, as well as the Central Park area. Good seating choices in Central Park. I liked that the fancier restaurants were there. I highly recommend the 4-course pairing from 150 Central Park. So good. One thing about the food- even in Chops and Giovanni's the food was just ok. The meals we had on the Independence were just a bit better. I couldn't help but wonder if the sheer size of the ship affected the quality everywhere. 

The Solarium was huge as you might expect with a sailing of 6000 ppl, but we always found chairs and could take a dip in the pool for a few minutes. 

Go see the shows.  Make sure you get tickets online ahead of time. And get a specialty dining package! They really are worth it. I would almost recommend a drink package too- something I usually wouldn't do. One pina colada was $14, so if you like 3 or more drinks a day, might as well spring for the pkg. 

We chose the chocolate factory tour at Nassau- Fun, unique. A good thing to have when you've been there on multiple sailings. Loved Smiths Bay in St Thomas. Beautiful, relaxing. Saw 3 weddings on the beach- it's that remote and picturesque. Had fun sweating on the Race in St Maarten. We solved our clues fastest. Ut got caught on the questions at the end- my advice: don't skip a single thing! 

Overall, very good cruise. Just the sheer size of it all felt a little less personal and not as nice. The ship is still gorgeous though, even after seven years! 

Went as a couple and felt sorry for the people with big strollers and kids- getting around the ship is trickier because the neighborhoods are on different levels. Beware the elevators! I never paid attention to Starboard and Port till this cruise!