How is the Disney Wonder?

[mocodis]

The Wonder is my favorite. Been on the Fantasy, Dream, Magic and the Wonder many times. Love the PC cruise on the wonder.

 

[anricat]

I can see that the majority of the time would be spent in pool areas so for us the Acqua duck is essential.

I would adjust your expectations. The line can be long (45-60 min or longer) and the ride itself is about a minute long. It's fun, I guess, but not like amazing. Maybe worth riding a handful of times, but of ALL the incredible offerings on a cruise, I've never found it to be essential and in terms of water park amusement style rides, fairly tame. It's not like a huge thrill or anything. My family can take it or leave it. And my daughter (currently 14, who loves rides) has felt that way since our first cruise in 2014.

 

[Mommytofourkids]

We LOVE the Wonder! We have never been able to do all of the things available even on the smaller ships. Disney keeps up all of their ships very well. We find the dining rooms to feel much more cramped on the Fantasy. You will have a great cruise.

Ohh, so the dining rooms on the larger ships are the same size as the ones on the Wonder?

 

[Mommytofourkids]

I really wonder where people get these ideas from that small equals boring or bad.

One search around Disboards will probably show that the majority prefer smaller ships. And the Wonder especially has a very loyal fan base.

Disney has done a refurb on the Wonder recently, and to your negative connotations, the answer is probably no to all.

OP, what do you think you will miss?

I like the spaciousness and the more “modern” feel of the bigger, newer ships. I don’t know if the Wonder will feel outdated since it’s very 1990-2000’s in style, also I saw the lobby is considerably smaller and more cramp than the Dream or Wish

 

[Mommytofourkids]

The only thing I miss on the smaller ships are Aquaduck and mini golf. I prefer the restaurants on the smaller ships! Better service too. The wonder is my favourite, I hope you love her too!

Ooh why do you prefer the restaurants on the smaller ships?

 

[Mommytofourkids]

Any cruise can be boring - depending on the Cruise Director and Activities staff. We did a Transatlantic crossing that had very few activities scheduled. We also didn’t have children who could have enjoyed time in the kids’ clubs.

And, yes, what do you think you will miss?

My first time on the Dream, I thought its cabins were more cramped - especially as you enter the walking space between the bathrooms and the closets.

Magic and Wonder are great for having venues closer together (as in walking distance. Wonderful when chasing 4 kids.

I never thought of it that way, I guess having venues close together can be a plus,
More convenient I guess with the little ones. I was just worried it may feel cramp or claustrophobic since it’s 50% smaller than the Wish or the Dream

 

[Travel60]

The Wonder is WONDERFUL; the Magic is MAGICAL.

 

[Mommytofourkids]

I have never been on any Disney Cruise, but I'm currently trying to plan for one for 2024. I have four kids aged 11 to 3 so I know EXACTLY what you mean. My kids need to be entertained whole the time!

I can see that the majority of the time would be spent in pool areas so for us the Acqua duck is essential.
Looking at the reviews of the Wish I still haven't found one from people with multiple children. All the complaints are about not enough adult spaces, but for us that's a plus not a minus!!

Anyway we have decided against the Wonder, even if my son wanted to go to Alaska, because of the lack of the Aquaduck I can't justify that cost knowing that my kids will be missing something they would love.

I showed my kids videos of the water slide that the Wonder has and they seemed impressed. Maybe your kids won’t mind not having the aqua duck since there’s a pretty large water slide on the Wonder?

 

[Mommytofourkids]

We've Sailed on the Magic, Dream and Fantasy. Scheduled for the Wish in Nov. Hoping for the Wonder in Alaska next year!

Out of the three? The magic is our favorite. The Wonder has about the same popularity and people LOVE her. I've read some reports of less than stellar food a few times in the last few months but other than that, If you were to do a poll on here, I feel confident saying the Magic and Wonder would come out on top of the 5 ships.

Usually, people are more limited to a specific ship based on the itineraries. If you live on the West coast, you are more likely to have better opportunities to Sail on the Wonder and getting to the ship is easier.

Yes that’s the exact reason why we’re doing the Wonder because we’re in Cali. I actually would prefer the Magic over the Wonder for the Rapunzel dinner

 

[Mommytofourkids]

Our Favorite....we've done 6 cruises on the Wonder and three of those were the PC (13 & 14 day)

Ohh, how come the Wonder is your favorite?

 

[Mommytofourkids]

We've only sailed once, on the Wonder. Kids loved the Frozen show, the kids clubs, and Tiana's. We weren't bored at all but it was an Alaska itinerary and we were quite busy in the ports. I would happily sail on the Wonder again even to a different destination. I love the classic design of the ship, it doesn't feel tacky and like a floating Vegas hotel like some other cruise lines.

I’m glad to hear they liked Tianas, I was afraid Tianas would be boring for them, because when I compared it to the Rapunzel dinner on the Magic, it doesn’t seem as geared towards kids, I saw the Rapunzel dinner as character interactions and a parade etc.

 

[Mommytofourkids]

Did wonder in 2017 … Tiana’s is hands down my favorite DCL restaurant (of this ship/Dream) and definitely love the atmosphere of animators better here as well

We were adults so can’t say much on the kids clubs but we definitely enjoyed how intimate the ship was with certain “friends” even remembering us from day to day enhancing the magic

That’s a relief! I was afraid tianas would be boring, as I saw some videos online and not sure if my kids would enjoy it, did the ambiance feel nice?

 

[Mommytofourkids]

We've been on the Magic once, Wonder twice and the Fantasy 4 times. My family prefers the Magic and Wonder, better restaurants and shows. Only reason we've done more cruises on the Fantasy is because we do 7 night cruises in Jan and the Fantasy was the only ship doing them. The Aquaduck, mini golf, and midship detective game on the Fantasy are fun, but not things that we spend a ton of time doing. There's a lot of other activities to do that are offered on all the ships. No matter which ship you choose, you'll have a great time.

How does Tianas place compare to the Rapunzel dinner on the Magic? Also what kind of activities did your kids enjoy on the Wonder?

 

[Mommytofourkids]

The Wonder is my favorite. Been on the Fantasy, Dream, Magic and the Wonder many times. Love the PC cruise on the wonder.

What makes the Wonder your favorite compared to the other ships?

 

[o&smom]

Ohh, so the dining rooms on the larger ships are the same size as the ones on the Wonder?

No, I think they are still larger, but with so many more people the spacing between tables is really tight.

 

[Budzooka]

Have done 4 DCL cruises on Magic (2), Fantasy, and Dream. Magic is my favorite. Love the smaller ship and not feeling as crowded. Easier to get around. We went on the larger ships first and didn’t miss anything when sailing Magic.

Planning on Wonder next for Alaska.

 

[auntlynne]

I never thought of it that way, I guess having venues close together can be a plus,
More convenient I guess with the little ones. I was just worried it may feel cramp or claustrophobic since it’s 50% smaller than the Wish or the Dream

First, the Dream is about 55% bigger than the Wonder - which makes the Wonder about 30% smaller (not 50%). Part of that will be 3 more decks of cabins, which gives no one more public space. It does mean more passengers, Wonder 2400, Dream 4100. (If those numbers are correct in the article i am reading, that is 70% more guests. Hmm.). Bottom line, more people. But still going to the same main 3 restaurants and evening entertainment twice a night.

The area where I feel has the most significant space is the adult entertainment zone. Doesn’t help for the kids.

I found this article from several years ago that compared the Wonder and the Dream. Especially check out the section on the kids’ clubs.


This is not a link, just the Google page listing.

Cruising decisions were easier when I started in 2007; there was just the Magic and Wonder. The choice was short 3- or 4-night) v long (7 nights) for cruises out of Port Canaveral. (TA, AK, and PC cruises were not yet pin our sights.)

 

[auntlynne]

No, I think they are still larger, but with so many more people the spacing between tables is really tight.

More cruisers, but still 3 restaurants with two seatings. They did break up the restaurants into smaller areas so that it’s less like a giant school lunchroom. But still loud. That’s when the escape to Palo or Remy is an acoustic relief.

 

[Keyser]

We we booked to go on the Disney Wonder this year, I really wanted to do a bigger newer ship like the Fantasy or Wish, but ended up doing the Wonder. My question is, is the Wonder boring? And does it feel claustrophobic or cramp? And outdated? Compared to the other Disney ships? We plan to stay on the ship during port days, we have 4 kids ages 8 to 2. Is there enough to do on the ship to not get bored of staying on the ship for two ports?

Thanks so much!

Our family has been on 6 cruises: 3 on the Wonder, and 1 each on Magic/Fantasy/Dream. We like the Wonder a lot, but we also enjoyed the Fantasy/Dream. Our most recent trip was last Christmas on the Wonder, and it was a little different due to the Covid protocols, but as our first cruise since the Fantasy, we wondered if we would miss some of the extras of the bigger ships, but we still loved it just as much.

To address a couple of your questions directly, I really don't think you would find Wonder claustrophobic, cramped, or outdated; I'm not sure I've ever heard those terms applied to it (more than any other cruise ship). It is smaller overall, but as you can see from most responses, most people see that factor (independent of other things) as a good thing. It's not as though rooms are smaller (I don't think?) or there's less space at tables or anything.

The other questions (boring, and comparing to other Disney ships) are trickier.

I don't think the kids clubs are any worse on the Wonder vs. the others (I can't compare to the Wish). They are different, though. It's hard to compare when you only go every few years (since kids' interests change...), but I actually think my kids had the best times in the Wonder's kids clubs of any of the ships. The larger ships were almost too "electronic" for one of my daughters, for instance (though this might be a selling point for others), and they seemed to have better interactions with the counselors on the Wonder. In any case, I don't think I'd say the kids clubs are worse on the smaller ships than the larger ones, just different.

Oddly enough, we found we liked the water areas on the Wonder a little more. The Wonder has a good water slide (adults can ride too....). It doesn't have the aquaduck, which I thought was fun, but wasn't a huge factor overall. The family pool on the Wonder felt bigger (I think it is? again, hard to compare when trips are a little separated) - I know we've actually used the family pool a few times on the Wonder, but not so much on the Dream/Fantasy. There was the splash zone (I forget the name) on the Fantasy, but my kids didn't actually care for it much when we went. Overall, I actually consider the water areas somewhat "even" (again, I can't compare to the Wish).

That said, there really are differences that you get on the larger ships but not the smaller ones. There's Midship Detective Agency, which some kids (including mine) will find to be a lot of fun (I don't know why they haven't tried to add this to the smaller ships during a refurb...). There is mini-golf (though to be honest it's not that great - it was a 1-and-done for our family). And, there are the virtual simulators (but you have to book and pay for these). Plus there's the additional-cost ice cream/candy parlor that our family enjoyed. I know there are some families that will find they miss those things, and would really prefer the larger ships as a result.

As for whether it's "boring" - I really don't think so; we've never been bored! I've also never spent a trip where I didn't get off at any port, though, and so I wonder a little about how things will seem if you never leave. In port, the activities onboard are significantly reduced, so if you are going to have a lot of those days, I could see wanting a bigger ship just so there are a few more options. Part of the reason we've sailed Wonder more is that the itineraries were ones that were good for us - that's not an issue for you, though!

That was a way longer response than I intended. tl;dr is that I think the Wonder's great and not something to be worried about. But, if people compare, there are some who will prefer the larger ships.

 

[Mommytofourkids]

Our family has been on 6 cruises: 3 on the Wonder, and 1 each on Magic/Fantasy/Dream. We like the Wonder a lot, but we also enjoyed the Fantasy/Dream. Our most recent trip was last Christmas on the Wonder, and it was a little different due to the Covid protocols, but as our first cruise since the Fantasy, we wondered if we would miss some of the extras of the bigger ships, but we still loved it just as much.

To address a couple of your questions directly, I really don't think you would find Wonder claustrophobic, cramped, or outdated; I'm not sure I've ever heard those terms applied to it (more than any other cruise ship). It is smaller overall, but as you can see from most responses, most people see that factor (independent of other things) as a good thing. It's not as though rooms are smaller (I don't think?) or there's less space at tables or anything.

The other questions (boring, and comparing to other Disney ships) are trickier.

I don't think the kids clubs are any worse on the Wonder vs. the others (I can't compare to the Wish). They are different, though. It's hard to compare when you only go every few years (since kids' interests change...), but I actually think my kids had the best times in the Wonder's kids clubs of any of the ships. The larger ships were almost too "electronic" for one of my daughters, for instance (though this might be a selling point for others), and they seemed to have better interactions with the counselors on the Wonder. In any case, I don't think I'd say the kids clubs are worse on the smaller ships than the larger ones, just different.

Oddly enough, we found we liked the water areas on the Wonder a little more. The Wonder has a good water slide (adults can ride too....). It doesn't have the aquaduck, which I thought was fun, but wasn't a huge factor overall. The family pool on the Wonder felt bigger (I think it is? again, hard to compare when trips are a little separated) - I know we've actually used the family pool a few times on the Wonder, but not so much on the Dream/Fantasy. There was the splash zone (I forget the name) on the Fantasy, but my kids didn't actually care for it much when we went. Overall, I actually consider the water areas somewhat "even" (again, I can't compare to the Wish).

That said, there really are differences that you get on the larger ships but not the smaller ones. There's Midship Detective Agency, which some kids (including mine) will find to be a lot of fun (I don't know why they haven't tried to add this to the smaller ships during a refurb...). There is mini-golf (though to be honest it's not that great - it was a 1-and-done for our family). And, there are the virtual simulators (but you have to book and pay for these). Plus there's the additional-cost ice cream/candy parlor that our family enjoyed. I know there are some families that will find they miss those things, and would really prefer the larger ships as a result.

As for whether it's "boring" - I really don't think so; we've never been bored! I've also never spent a trip where I didn't get off at any port, though, and so I wonder a little about how things will seem if you never leave. In port, the activities onboard are significantly reduced, so if you are going to have a lot of those days, I could see wanting a bigger ship just so there are a few more options. Part of the reason we've sailed Wonder more is that the itineraries were ones that were good for us - that's not an issue for you, though!

That was a way longer response than I intended. tl;dr is that I think the Wonder's great and not something to be worried about. But, if people compare, there are some who will prefer the larger ships.

Wow thank you for the detailed response and analysis! I feel a lot better now about the Wonder, although the midship detective agency sounds super fun, I guess we will have to try that one next time. I think either way, my kids will enjoy it, as this will be their first cruise, they’re gonna love the kids club and water slide. Thanks again for writing this all out for me! Did your kids like the rotational dining?