Sunfinder Vacations

Writer Eric Amrine based this independent review on his 4-night Bahamas cruise departing from Port Canaveral, Florida.

Disney Wonder’s proprietary banana-yellow tenders, twin red funnels, and navy blue hull combine whimsy and the classic style of famed ocean liners, fascinating young and old alike. Understated elegance, represented by the inlaid wood trim of cabin furniture and deco contours throughout public spaces, impart sophistication and dignity to a ship more easily associated with the sounds and sights of children.

Why Disney Wonder?

• Kids on endorphins: Few other venues drill down so earnestly and completely the point that it’s all about the children, from copious quantities of comfort food to waterslides to fantasy characters coming alive.
• Favorite shows, familiar themes, all G rated: There’s never a discouraging word or hint of ironic adult humor during any of the shows on deck or in the main theater. It’s strictly princesses, dreams, imagination, and pixie dust.
• Value: Disney’s ships compete with luxury lines in the arenas of impeccable service, cleanliness, cabin size and quality, and strong brand identity, justifying fares that are higher than families on a budget may otherwise consider.

Who should go
Three- and four-night roundtrip cruises make the perfect introduction for first-time cruisers. They’re short enough to return within a reasonably quick time, but long enough to soak up the at-sea, in-port vibe. These shorter cruises also combine well with touring Disney World and other Orlando-area attractions. Disney Wonder attracts a diverse group, largely from the East Coast and midwestern states, and those fond of children exercising their rights to congregate and express themselves freely (during holidays and summer months, there can be a thousand kids onboard).

Who shouldn’t go
Those searching for a pacifying cruise will not appreciate the upper decks’ omnipresent soundtrack of party music, or sounds of laughter from children and other revelers in any of the three pools. Disney Wonder is a mid-size ship, meaning she’s potentially too small for mainstream cruisers and way too large for the mega-yacht set.

Heard on the deck (from an eight-year-old): “I love the fresh air they have in these countries.”

Hits and misses

• Don’t miss: Disney Dreams, the farewell show -- Tinkerbell’s pixie dust finale alone makes it the talk of the ship.
• Best part of the ship: Oceaneer's Lab and Oceaneer's Club house the exclusive areas for children 3-12. The mix of programs and talented staff makes the center indispensable.
• Best experience: Watching a parent’s face when Snow White called her daughter by name, or when crew members address each little girl as “Princess.”
• Best shipboard activities: Everyone loves the ad hoc photo ops, when Disney characters meander through dining rooms at meal times looking for likely suspects for posing.
• Needs improvement: For guests with young children, late-night noise restrictions should be posted in hallways.
• Activities to skip: Unless you need to update your Disney merchandise, you won’t miss much by skipping the onboard shopping area at Treasure Ketch.

How to meet the captain
All passengers are invited to attend the welcome aboard party, at which the captain will pose for family portraits, if time allows. It began at 8 PM on our cruise, so some late-seating diners missed out. Repeat Disney cruisers also receive exclusive invitations to a catered cocktail party in which senior officers (and sometimes the captain) make themselves available for hobnobbing.

Disney’s innovative rotational dining plan allows passengers to sample each of the three main dining rooms, while servers and dinner mates travel with you night after night. Service is swift and courteous. Tables typically seat nuclear families of four alone, while larger tables accommodate extended families or those traveling with friends. For a mainstream cruise line, the food on Disney Wonder constantly impresses in style, flavor, freshness of ingredients, and table presentation. A small but popular amenity other cruise lines might do well to emulate: All fountain soft drinks are complimentary and available 24/7 near the buffet line. Espresso and anything from a can or bottle incurs an extra charge.

Triton’s
Compared to the other dining rooms, Triton’s is gimmick free. A large mural portrays the mythic undersea figure (and his daughter, Ariel, the “movie star”). But the formal attitude, if not the dress code, communicates a traditional buttoned-down approach in a blue-, gold-, and silver-hued room. The menu primarily caters to meat eaters, with beef, duck breast, lamb shank, and veal selections, plus a few options for vegetarians and the low-calorie/low-salt seekers.

Parrot Cay
Decorated in the ornately carved, half-timber style of a pirate ship, with bright Caribbean colors used throughout, Parrot Cay provides a built-in source of amusement for the young. What passes for savory Caribbean food begs for more spice and liveliness. On the other hand, it’s more palatable for the many older children who prefer using the main menu to escape their usual fate of chicken strips and macaroni and cheese.

Animator’s Palate
Here, the room that takes center stage. Columns shaped like artists’ inverted brushes dip upside down into vast lighting fixtures on the ceiling that change hue gradually throughout dinner. The glass bulbs that form the brushes do the same, just as black and white wall panels depicting famous Disney characters begin to light and blossom into their full digital glow. Music is timed with the meal, making delivery of each course a production. It’s just the sort of magic passengers gobble up with their meals. Menus mimic those at Triton’s, and delivery often includes additional entrées and desserts regardless of what you’ve intentionally ordered (all children will likely receive a Mickey-shaped ice cream bar in addition to, or in place of, what they ordered).

Palo
Dining at the adult-only Palo is the best opportunity for couples to enjoy a romantic, elegant dinner or late brunch without the children. The remarkable Italian food is made to order and served without pretense. Floor-to-ceiling windows provide 180-degree views -- especially wonderful at sunset. Most popular entrée? Super tender filet of beef. Dessert? Save room for the chocolate soufflé in addition to your pick of desserts (they’ll order one soufflé serving for each pair at your table). Watch in amazement as the server pours on two rich toppings to seal the fate of your waistline. Palo charges a very relaxed $10 per person dining fee.

Other dining options

• Beach Blanket Buffet: Open only for breakfast and lunch, the buffet line caters to eaters on the go. Seafood salads and stewed beef, sliced ham or turkey, and baked cod are mainstays. The dessert table is huge and ample.
• Pluto’s Dog House and Pinocchio’s Pizzeria: This fast food is done right, and done fast. Lines move quickly for pickup of cheeseburgers, French fries, hot dogs, nachos, tacos, pizza, and skinless grilled chicken sandwiches.
• Scoops: Longer lines form for soft serve ice cream and toppings (including sliced fresh fruit).
• Quiet Cove Café: This adult-only bar and lounge stocks a few sweet treats, like fruit tarts and cream puffs.
• Room service: Always free, and always open, the best room service option is to start your day off early with continental breakfast.

Heard on the deck: “I have no problems standing in line to see characters, but I half expected at breakfast to look over and see Mickey and Goofy eating at the next table.”

Best dining

• Dish: When dining in Parrot Cay, order the “Treasure of the Seas Grilled Shrimp and Seared Scallops.” The latter were cooked ever so lightly, preserving their delicate texture and subtle briny flavor.
• Dessert: Palo’s melt-in-your-mouth tiramisu is hard to beat, but in terms of sheer popularity and transfer rate from tray to mouth, the ship’s famed chocolate chip cookies win top honors.
• Restaurant: Palo scores highest, even though prime time reservations can be hard to come by. The quiet room, the easy-on-the-eyes warm woods and glass art, the fine wines… (Try to get a reservation for the delicious brunch.)
• Dining seminar: Disney’s “Art of Entertaining” series includes gourmet cooking and napkin folding demonstrations during one of the at-sea days. You can also reserve a space at wine and beer sampling events.

How to…

• Get a table for two: There are so few couples traveling without families that tables for two are difficult to arrange, but not impossible. Ask the head server or maître d’ for assistance.
• Celebrate a birthday or anniversary: Nary a dinner goes by without at least one observance of a birthday or anniversary handled by a large group of servers and assistants. Note the celebration date when you book, or arrange it with the maître d’ when you board.
• Change seating: Passengers are pre-assigned dining times (6 or 8:30 PM), but it’s common to change them upon boarding. Just talk to the maître d’.
• Dress for formal night: Called “dress-up night” on Wonder, men often wear dark suits or jackets and slacks. Dresses or pantsuits for women will suffice.
• Dress for casual night: Every other night, resort casual translates liberally as no shorts, T-shirts, tank tops, or jeans in the dining rooms at dinner.

Tip: Dress-up attire for little girls may be a party dress, but the more popular option is a Disney Princess costume. Buy your daughter’s before you leave for your cruise.

Heard on the deck: “It’s our first cruise, and I’ve been overwhelmingly pleased by all the food. Last night, I think that was the best steak I ever had… anywhere.”

Recognizing the needs of families, Disney Wonder accommodates with standard cabins that are more like mini-suites. They sleep four comfortably, with a convertible sofa and drop-down upper bunk separated from the main bed(s) with a curtain (cribs can also be set up). The one drawback is that the kids’ side includes the window or balcony, making that amenity difficult to enjoy when the moon’s shining bright over the night waves. Most balconies are just roomy enough to accommodate two seated adults with two small children standing. Storage is ample, including large closet space, a vertical steamer trunk with shelving, dresser drawers, and a desk. Rooms come with a small, empty beverage cooler that’s a real plus for storing your own drinks. The television lives on the children’s side of the minisuite and broadcasts a variety of recent animated and live action features on several channels.

Bathrooms are tiled tastefully, are trimmed in stainless steel and glass, and include bathtubs (somewhat uncommon on cruise ships). Each bathroom contains bath and hand soap, shampoo, conditioner, and hand lotion. Most cabins also have an extra half bath -- an added benefit when traveling with a family.

Cabins for guests with disabilities
Passengers with disabilities can book one of over a dozen cabins with ramped doorways, handrails, open bed frames, telephones in the bathroom or by the nightstand, and other features upon request.

Heard on the deck: “Mickey’s still in charge, son. All those people in the vests are just helping him clean the cabins.”

Most of Wonder’s major festivities take place on deck by the outdoor stage, from the welcome aboard deck party to the scurvy pirate extravaganza (ending in fireworks). Scheduled character appearances, generally held in the atrium, are daily highlights for young girls and boys. Recent films run in the plush movie theater, but on a four-night cruise, it’s hard to keep people inside unless they’re dining or playing bingo. Seminars offer cooking demos and how-tos on folding towels into animal shapes, and games for the whole family are held in the Studio Sea or Wave Bands lounges. Minors cannot enter after 10 or 11 PM. After hours, patrons 21 and older fill Diversions, the sports bar; or the deco Cadillac Lounge for cocktails and piano sounds.

Bars, lounges, and casino
The Promenade Lounge, close to the atrium and adjacent to the laptops of the Internet café, makes a popular, easy-to-find meeting place. Cadillac Lounge, one of the bars along the Americana-rich Route 66 section of the ship, takes passengers back to the classic days of flashy and oversize chrome-trimmed automobiles. Outside deck bars operate at a steady clip, but because of all the children afoot, no one drinks excessively. Cove Café is an adult-only venue (and has a smoking section), and as evening falls, all nightclubs become 21 and over. The ship has no casino.

Swimming pools
The popular Mickey pool rates high for its lengthy curved waterslide and exclusive toddler area. The Goofy pool is a small rectangle of real estate for children and adults to share, while Quiet Cove is a child-free area. All pools have plenty of sunshine and deck chairs left, right, and one deck above, but it’s a lot harder to find any available space to plunk down near the Mickey pool, even if there’s a posted rule prohibiting saving chairs for extended periods. Teak bins store endless supplies of fresh towels.

Shows
Walt Disney Theater productions use high-end sound and light systems to take your breath away with every symphonic flourish in the familiar soundtracks -- nearly making up for having no live orchestra to accompany the songbirds on stage. Along with the follow-your-heart theme of Disney Dream, and the Oscar-inspired Golden Mickeys, command performances include crowd-pleasing comedy, magic, and ventriloquism acts. Our cruise featured the highly entertaining Michael Harrison, a guest performer who’s perfected the art of G-rated humor for the birthday party crowd.

Click to view a virtual tour

Shore excursions
With only two port calls -- Nassau and Castaway Cay -- shore excursions are naturally limited in number, but not in variety. Historic city tours and boating or beach trips proliferate in Nassau. Participants in early morning trips usually leave the ship as a group after congregating at an agreed upon location. Crowd control by the ship’s crew works seamlessly and always courteously, but in the end, all shore excursions by bus or boat depend on the efficiency of island staff, so delays can ensue once you’re off Wonder. On Castaway Cay, popular shore excursions include diving, snorkeling, short nature hikes, or small boat activities. Island staff rent bikes for a small fee, but there are not many places to go beyond an old air strip. Cruise staff manage a large and secure enclosure far away from the water’s edge that’s exclusively for children, with ample shade.

Weddings and vow renewals
For weddings, second honeymoons, and vow renewals, the cruise line employs a dedicated wedding consultant and offers up a fare-included package with a long list of amenities, including champagne, floral arrangements, photography, gifts, shipboard credit, and a card from the captain or hotel director. Please contact an Expedia Cruise Specialist for more information.

Looking for…

• Quietest spot: The adult-only Quiet Cove Café is a combination bar and reading room, complete with comfy chairs and magazines.
• Liveliest spot: The convergence zone of the Mickey pool, self-serve soft drink stations, Pluto’s Dog House, Scoops, and Pinocchio’s Pizzeria generate logjams of foot and food traffic. And Beach Blanket Buffet lies just a fattening few steps away.
• Most popular spot: Give youth the vote and the likely winner would be the Oceaneer’s Lab and Oceaneer’s Club children’s headquarters, a major source for hours and hours of arts, crafts, and sports activities. Adults prefer to get away to the Quiet Cove pool where children do not belong.
• Best view: Decks 7 and 8 each have small viewing areas looking out and over the ship’s wide wake.
• Best show: At the liveliest deck party, “Pirates of the Caribbean” match wits with über sweet Mickey and Minnie Mouse, who snatch victory (and celebrate with a long volley of fireworks shot into the night sky from atop the rear funnel).
• Best drink: The silky smooth Myers dark rum and crème de banana keep the bartenders busy with Bahama Mama drink specials.

Tips:

• For late-night desserts, head for the Cove Café. It’s open to adults only, but you can take out whatever you can carry.
• The atrium marquee lists daily Disney character autograph signings and photo ops. Bring your camera; otherwise, your children will badger you into purchasing photos from the ship photographer after each event. Also, expect long lines.
• On Castaway Cay, you may want some shade if you’re heading to the beach. Keep walking the shoreline until you spy vacant chairs with an umbrella.
• Bottled water is available for purchase on the ship, but if you can wait until you get off in Nassau, you’ll save money.

Heard on the deck: “The Palo cosmopolitan is the best I’ve had outside New York’s new Ritz-Carlton Hotel.”

Registering children at either the Oceaneer’s Club or Lab resembles nothing so much as signing up kids for school in the fall. That’s because children's center staff counselors take kids’ safety and security as seriously as any parent, so filling out a form or two with a secure password is no problem. After all, it’s the parents’ ticket to more independence, as children often prefer to stay out of the tropical heat during port calls and use their own imaginations with other groups of kids. Few cruise lines match the size and scope of the two kids’ camps. And none has the advantage of in-house Disney characters, who do not hesitate to make scheduled appearances or small performances exclusive to the kids areas.

Activities are planned for children ages 3-17, broken out into age groups: 3-4, 5-7, 8-9, 10-12, and 13-17, while a nursery charges $6 per hour to babysit each child under 3. Popular events include watching movies on a large screen, sea-themed craftmaking, basketball tournaments, animation exercises, coloring Disney characters, and karaoke on a soundstage. In the Lab, flubber manufacturing is an all ages delight, with parents “getting to” take the green goo home with them in baggies. With parents’ expressed permission, 8- to 9-year-olds may sign themselves in or out throughout the day. Feel free to leave your children with the staff during meal times. At the buffet, they’ll choose from such favorites as chicken fingers, PB&Js, and the ubiquitous mac and cheese.

Teens can search their own daily newsletter for self-directed activities, or hang out in the Common Grounds coffee house or Aloft teen center.

Tip: Be sure to have children participate in the “graduation” stage show on the last night of the cruise. They get to appear on Walt Disney Theater’s huge stage and receive a free T-shirt and Mickey ear mortarboard.

Spa and salon
Follow your nose to the Vista Spa, where steamy hints of eucalyptus and essential oils waft up and down a deck or so, even perfuming part of the deck just outside. Much of that is from the Tropical Rainforest thermal suite, a complex of steam and aroma therapy rooms available for $15 per day (discounts are available for weekly packages). Spend some well-deserved down time in the Gentle Steam room, so thick with piping hot steam it obscures the lights. His and hers complimentary saunas play a subtle soundtrack of spacey music at ambient volumes. A row of cushioned recliners are free for use by those with or without pending spa appointments. For the ultimate in pampered relaxation, try the hot stone massage.

Fitness areas
At the front end of the upper deck, the fitness area includes a line of treadmills and climbers that have the chief advantage of offering a view straight down to the command bridge, or beyond the ship to the turquoise sea. There’s not a huge variety of equipment, nor the space for much activity, but for a perch to burn calories it’s plenty.

Heard on the deck: “There was another salon cancellation so I decided to book a makeover for my makeover. No time like the present.”

Tip: When you board, make a point to tour the spa with the children if they’re curious. It’s the only time they’re allowed to enter.

Shopping is not a major emphasis on Disney Wonder; therefore, options are limited. Treasure Ketch sells some fine jewelry, though nothing’s priced higher than about $2,000. Head to Mickey’s Mates for a wide assortment of clothing and souvenirs imprinted with authentic logos, or cut to the chase and head for Radar Trap. There, stationed on Deck 3’s Route 66, a separate store dispenses tax- and duty-free fragrances and alcoholic beverages.

Click to view a virtual tour

Disney Wonder sails three- and four-night itineraries from Port Canaveral, Florida (most passengers fly into Orlando and take a shuttle from there). All sailings stop at Nassau and Castaway Cay, the cruise line’s private island playground in the Bahamas.

• Cruise line - Disney Cruise Line
• Ship name - Disney Wonder
• Type of cruise - Contemporary/Casual
• Ship length - 877
• Private balcony cabins - 384
• Decks - 11
• Passenger capacity - 1754
• Total crew - 950
• Officers nationality - International
• Ship size - Large
• Year entered service - 1999
• Tonnage - 83000
• Registry - Bahamas