Great for families!!
Disney Wonder Cruise Review to Caribbean - Bahamas
Contributor Level:
Deck Hand
Cruises: 1 cruise (first)
Review: 1
Helpful Votes: 14
Sail date: March 01, 2007
Ship: Disney Wonder
Cabin type: Oceanview
Traveled as: Family (young children)
Reviewed: 14 years ago
Review summary
We are first-time cruisers and picked Disney because Wife doesn't like boats and believes if we were to go on only 1 cruise in our lives, might as well go with Disney. We went on the 3-night Disney Wonder cruise to the Bahamas. Check-in & embarkation was a breeze. The waiting area was very spacious, & seeing Mickey & Minnie there was a plus. When we stepped into the ship, everything was elegant & clean. Everyone we met were helpful & pleasant. We ate most of the time at the Buffet on Deck 9. Food was average, in my opinion, but I was very happy that I didn't have to cook it or do the dishes afterward :0)). My 6-yr old son loved the Mickey pool & Oceaneer's Club; he didn't want to leave the club whenever we'd pick him up! Maybe we're just lucky that since we have only 1 child who is used to daycare, he was able to get along easily with new kids and counselors. Son said he really enjoyed all the activities they had and always asked to go back there. On the last night, they had a "graduation ceremony" for the kids who participated in the clubs & it was awesome! They put together a montage showing the kids participating in different activities, and my husband & I thought that it was well organized and very sweet. Plus, son got a free DSeaU alumni t-shirt and mouse-ears graduation cap - nice souvenirs! We didn't do any of the excursions. Instead, we took a taxi to Atlantis ($4/pp incl. toll each way) and paid $29/adult, $21/child to see The Dig/Aquarium there. The aquarium was small, we thought the price was a rip-off. We just wandered around the pools areas and took photos. Nope, couldn't use the pool facilities unless you were a registered guest. We didn't care for it anyhow & my son was itching to go back to the ship. Total time spent at Atlantis: 1-1 1/2 hours tops. Dropped off Son at Oceaneer's Club & walked around the immediate dock area, didn't go to the straw market. I was 21 wks pregnant (but looked much bigger) & the walking was tiring me quickly. TIP: If you want to mail postcards, there's a post office right there in the Festival bldg which you have to go through to get out of the dock. We discovered this by accident while planning to walk a few blocks to the actual post office. Pirate night was fun, but we were disappointed that Capt. Jack Sparrow didn't appear. Since it was only a 3-night cruise, I don't think it was an all-out Pirate Party in comparison to the 7-night cruises (from what other reviews I've read). We dressed up in pirate costume (just for fun!) and I only saw another parent who was decked up in pirate gear like us. Again, I think most folks go out-and-out on the longer cruises. We were quite disappointed with Animator's Palate; only selected frames changed scenes, & although most of the frames lit up - it was more towards the end of the meal, not while waiting for your food, which would have been more entertaining. Palo's, on the other hand, was exceptional! Which made us wonder why they couldn't serve that kind of food in the regular restaurant, at least for the dinner menu for adults. The shows were funny & spectacular, loved them all! Overall, hubby & I feel that this cruise, although it was short, was an exceptional first-time experience that would make us come back again when 2nd child is old enough. We feel that Disney really caters to families with children and would go with them again while the kids are young. They really handled everything well, and to see my son exceptionally happy with their services makes Mom & Dad very happy too. Plus, Mom & Dad actually got to spend time alone without feeling guilty or worrying that our son was miserable - our pager never went off! Yey, Disney Cruise!Pros: Oceaneer's Club, Broadway-style shows, Palo's, stateroom decor, everywhere was clean!
Cons: Food was just okay (except Palo's)
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