Disney Does It, but is it Worth it?
Disney Wonder Cruise Review to Mexico
Contributor Level:
Staff Captain
Cruises: 7+ cruises
Reviews: 25
Helpful Votes: 503
5 Night Halloween Of The High Seas Baja Mexico (San Diego Roundtrip)
Sail date: October 16, 2022
Ship: Disney Wonder
Cabin type: Inside
Cabin number: 6549
Traveled as: Couple
Reviewed: 2 years ago
Review summary
I have been waiting to try Disney for the longest time. They were finally cheap enough to do it. Most Disney reviews are from Disney fanatics, and we know their reviews cannot be trusted. (If Mickey poked them in the eye with a stick, they would swear it was the greatest thing ever) I like Disney OK and have the most expensive season pass but only because of my wife. So, I hope I can give a fair opinion. We really liked it, and I certainly would pick Disney over any other line if price were not an issue. But if the price is three times the cost of others, it is not worth it. Twice the cost, maybe. That said, we have already booked another Disney cruise and are taking our kids and grandkids. So, I guess that speaks to how much we enjoyed it.Embarkation
San Diego is a small port so pretty easy. I parked at Columbia Garage a couple blocks away for $10 per day through ACE Parking. You have to reserve in advance. When you pull in, take a ticket and park. When you leave, push the button and someone will either come out to help or ask for your reservation number over the speaker. Disney is pretty strict with boarding time. We had 12:15. Got there at 10:30. We dropped off our bags and were told to come back at 12:15. We just sat on a bench nearby and watched the boats in the harbor. Came back at 12:00 and they were allowing 12:30 people to board so could have got on 30 minutes early. Very smooth inside the terminal. On in about 20 minutes. Awesome how they announce your name as you board and cheer for you.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
Disney costs about 3 times what other lines charge and I heard the food was amazing so I had high hopes. When we first went to the buffet, I could tell it was a cut above. Small ship so small buffet but had lots of great looking choices. They have peel & eat shrimp that were huge, a big pile of Crab, lots of kid food but even that was good. The chicken strips are great. Soda machine is included. The Lido food was just OK. The pizza, hamburger, and hot dog stuff is the same as you would get in the parks. So decent but nothing memorable. The saving grace for me was the Shawarma/Gyro stand. I had at least one lamb Gyro every day. Not the best I've had but pretty awesome to eat by the pool. The room service had a decent menu and it was free. Bad thing was it could take 50 minutes to get your food. I had the room service chicken wings twice. The first time was OK but the second was bad. It consisted of 4 dried, shriveled wing tips. I was surprised they served it and yes, I tipped. The MDR was a treat with the rotating themed dining rooms. The menus were similar to any cruise line except Tianna's Place which had a lot of New Orleans fare. I had steak twice. Both were tough and sinewy. Nowhere near as good as Carnival or RC. Other dishes were pretty good but nothing above average cruise MDR food. My favorite was the Mickey Ice Cream bars. They are only available in the MDR and room service though. Overall, the food was good but I expected better for the amount Disney charges.
Onboard Activities
We did not have kids so we were free to do whatever. The adult section is nice. The Jacuzzis were hot and the pool was heated. We did a few daytime activities like trivia. The baby races were a hoot. The nighttime gameshows and even karaoke were really fun. They have deck parties for Pirate night etc. They mostly consist of Characters dancing and a DJ yelling for everyone to make some noise! But they were fun to watch the kids. Be on the starboard side on the top deck at the end of the Pirates show (when Mickey zip lines in) to see the fireworks.
Entertainment
The shows were really great. Of course, they were kid oriented (Frozen, etc) but you could tell the whole production was really a quality show. Once in each MDR you will have some kind of a show. Not just the waiters singing and dancing but something really nice. If you are in that dining room more than once in your rotation, you only get one show.
Children's Programs
We peeked in on the kid clubs a couple times and they look amazing. These really appear to be way above other cruise lines. There were lots of kids on board of course but I never felt overwhelmed by them, maybe because most of them were in the kids clubs.
Service and Staff
Staff were amazing. The staff were willing to engage in conversations. Their English skills were very good compared to other lines. They seemed very caring and invested in you having a good experience.
Ship Quality
Always looked in perfect shape. The decor is not all Disney themed. Much was very elegant. The themed lounges were really classy. I was surprised that dishes in the Lido were not removed sooner. They have convenient booths to put your dishes/trash but when people left their dishes on tables or deck chairs, it was not cleaned up as fast as other ships.
Cabin / Stateroom
Inside cabin. Quite a bit larger than other lines. Bed was comfortable. They have a bathtub/shower combo in every room. Good storage for two people; I don't know if we had kids with us. Room was cleaned twice a day. Towel animals and chocolates nightly.
Ship tip
Pick Disney for the ambiance, service, entertainment, and kids club. Don't expect the food to be much different from other lines.
Thumbs up
0
Ports of call
Disembarkation
We were scheduled at one of the MDRs for breakfast with our regular waiters. The breakfast meals in the MDR are very small so order extra.