N2DVD
Ready to cruise again in 2011!
- Joined
- Apr 14, 2006
We've just gotten home (5 p.m.) to Virginia. This is our report for the Wonder cruise that just pulled in to Port Canaveral this morning (May 21)
My DW and I selected this cruise to celebrate our 25th anniversary. She's 47 and I'm 46. We've never done anything like this before, and we're already looking at a 7-10 cruise for our 30th anniversary.
Here's my report. I will be creating a website with the 250+ photos we took during the course of the cruise, and will post a link as soon as I get it done.
Thursday, May 18, 2006
Had stayed Weds night at the Best Western Airport Inn because they had a shuttle to MCO.
9:15 a.m. Arrived at MCO Terminal A to catch DCL bus to PC. We were on the bus and on the road by 9:35! Arrived at PC at 10:25. Whipped through check-in (FILL OUT ALL FORMS ONLINE! IT HELPS ALOT!), and settled in to wait to embark. We were in Group 2.
11:50 Embarked the Wonder. Headed directly to Parrot Cay for the lunch buffet. We were eating by 12 p.m.! Food was great, quite a selection. I am diabetic, and my wife eats no sugar, wheat, or flour products, and we had NO problem getting food (and too much of it!). Sat with a nice couple, Steve and Tina from Maine, who own ice cream shops.
After lunch, we just walked around the ship until 1:30, when it was time for our stateroom, 2032, to be ready. It was a Cat 9 room with a large porthole. It was practically next to the forward elevators, which was perfect! You could get anywhere in five minutes or less!
For us, the size of the stateroom was perfect. Queen bed configuration, with a steamer trunk. Our cooling box actually worked! Loved the split bath set up - it came in handy for us several times. With the exception of a door handle that came loose, and a couple of drawers that were sticking (all fixed promptly!), I would say our experience with our room surpassed those of large hotels we have stayed at in the past.
For those who want to know, the in-room movies (which started every 30 minutes) were King Kong, The Pink Panther, Hoodwinked, Last Holiday, Fun with Dick and Jane, and the Producers. We were, frankly, too busy, to watch any TV.
After settling in our room, we zipped up to Quiet Cove, the adult pool, for an hour. When buzzed down to the room to prepare for the lifeboat drill, which took all of 15 minutes. After putting our life vests away, we went all the way forward on Deck 10 as the ship pulled out and headed to sea. We also watched a bit on the Departure Party at Goofy Pool. We walked aft to Pluto's to get a hamburger and fries. The fries were great, the hamburgers were okay.
We went to see Hercules - The Muse-ical at 6:15. I loved it, my favorite show. DW enjoyed the Golden Mickeys more (Saturday show). After Herc, we rushed to our stateroom to shower and prepare to our first dinner aboard at Tritons.
We had the 8 p.m. seating, which we had changed from 8:30 as soon as we got on board. Good decision for us. Dinner still took us until nearly 10 p.m. each night! We were never rushed. We had a great wait staff - Charlie and Grace - who were attentive and wonderful. Charlie was very meticulous with our food requirements, and adjustments were made to meet our needs. The head waiter, Jean Yves, took special interest in us when he found out our food needs and the fact that it was our anniversary. We were seated with a nice family from Orlando - Tim, who works for Disney in their convention food dept., Kim, his wife, and their two kids, Patrick and Shelbi.
BTW, DW had the beef tenderloin, and I had the herb-encrusted halibut. DW also got a brand-new diamond wedding ring set.
After dinner, we had our pictures taken with the white background (which we bought!). Then we toured the various clubs along Route 66, and retired for the evening. Our towel animal was a swan.
Friday, May 19, 2006 - Wonder in Nassau
Up at 8:30, breakfast at Triton's. Decided on here because breakfast was made to order. After breakfast, we puttered around a bit, then debarked around 10 a.m.
I was station in Puerto Rico with my family back in the late 80s, and had been to Saint Thomas a couple of times, so we really didn't spend a lot of time in Nassau. DW did buy a Hard Rock Cafe pin and T-shirts at the Nassau location, and I bought a Bahama Starbucks cup. We visited the Straw Market, which was crowded and LOUD, and picked up some Blue Mountain ground coffee at a grocery store (the gift shops charged way too much). We were back on the Wonder by 1 p.m., and at lunch at the Beach Blanket Buffet. Nice selection, and they had a taco bar!
After lunch, we toured Deck 5, and stuck our head in the HUGE movie theater. BTW, for those who are interested, the movies playing in the theater were 8 Below, The Wild, High School Musical, Stick It, and Stay Alive. We never got to the movie theater for a show, either.
We crashed for a couple of hours (nap time!), and were refreshed and ready for The Golden Mickeys (after a few more Pluto fries!). Before the Mickeys, we did go forward again as the ship pulled out of Nassau. It was gorgeous.
BTW, our weather was perfect for the entire trip! Boat never rocked, we were absolutely comfortable.
We shopped at the two shops onboard at some point, but I don't remember when. I just know we spent some $.
After the Golden Mickeys, we wandered aft to Animators' Palette for dinner. If you've read any other trip reports, then you know what the deal is with the room decoration. This was our least favorite meal (not that it was bad, but we could have skipped it and gone to Palo. Palo is for our next trip.) I had the filet mignon, and DW had the roasted chicken. Service was, again, excellent! There were pirate bandanas on the tables for everyone, so that meant we went up to Deck 10 for the big Pirate party and fireworks after dinner. Lots of fun and energy. We skipped the pirate buffet, and headed back to the room around 11 p.m. Our towel animal was an elephant.
Saturday, May 20, 2006 Castaway Cay - our day in paradise!
When we woke up at 8 a.m., the ship was already docked at Castaway Cay. We dressed and went to Parrot Cay to try the breakfast buffet, which was fabulous. While at breakfast, Jean Yves, the head waiter, came to us and asked about what we were planning for lunch. He made arrangements for us to meet with one of his staff at Cookie's BBQ so DW could get some gluten-free bread to go with her meal! Personalized service!
We were off the ship by 9:30, and spent from 10:00 to about 11:30 snorkling off Family Beach. We also spent some $ on shirts at She Sells...
At noon, we grabbed our stuff and went over to Cookie's for lunch. We were both able to eat very well. After lunch, we hopped to tram to Serenity Bay, where we spent about 1 and a half hours in floats and just relaxing on the beach. (They had steak sandwiches at Serenity Bay, but not at Cookie's!)
We called it a day and were back on board around 2:00. I showered, took a quick nap, and went to the Customs presentation while DW continued napping. We packed until time for the Disney Dreams show at 6:15. Not our favorite.
We made our way to Parrot Cay for our dinner. The mom and dad of the other family went to Palo that night, and I guess their kids were involved with programs, so Charlie and Grace got to focus on just us that evening! And boy, did we feel like a king and queen. Grace had snagged two sets of each of the children's menus for the 3 and 4 night cruises after I had asked for one each for keepsakes. We had mix and match appetizers and salads, and two entrees apiece! I had the prime rib and BBQ ribs, DW had the grouper and prime rib. We gave all of our wait staff their gratuities that evening (and actually gave them about a third more than what was recommended because of the good job they did.)
After dinner, DW and I walked the decks to find a dark quiet spot to look at the stars (Deck 9, all the way forward). We got back to the room and put our luggage out by 10:30. Our towel animal was a lobster!!
Sunday, May 21, 2006 - Now's the time to say goodbye... (sniff)
We were up at around 7 a.m., and out of our stateroom by 7:50. We went back to Parrot Cay for made to order breakfast. We had a leisurely time eating, saying goodbye to our dining family, and again to Charlie, Grace, and Jean Yves. Karon *somehow* was slipped a costume hibicus pin for her hair.
We left breakfast at 8:50, and got immediately in the debarking line. We were off ship by 9:15, and through customs by 9:30. We were flying Delta back to Virginia, so we checked our bags at the PC terminal with the Delta rep, got our boarding passes, and were on the road back to MCOvia DCL by 9:40. We arrived at MCO by 10:30, more than two hours before our 12:45 flight.
This cruise came at a very stressful and transitory time in our lives, and was exactly what we both needed. Now we are relaxed, refreshed, and ready for..... our next cruise in 5 years! (Cozumel, here we come!)
My DW and I selected this cruise to celebrate our 25th anniversary. She's 47 and I'm 46. We've never done anything like this before, and we're already looking at a 7-10 cruise for our 30th anniversary.
Here's my report. I will be creating a website with the 250+ photos we took during the course of the cruise, and will post a link as soon as I get it done.
Thursday, May 18, 2006
Had stayed Weds night at the Best Western Airport Inn because they had a shuttle to MCO.
9:15 a.m. Arrived at MCO Terminal A to catch DCL bus to PC. We were on the bus and on the road by 9:35! Arrived at PC at 10:25. Whipped through check-in (FILL OUT ALL FORMS ONLINE! IT HELPS ALOT!), and settled in to wait to embark. We were in Group 2.
11:50 Embarked the Wonder. Headed directly to Parrot Cay for the lunch buffet. We were eating by 12 p.m.! Food was great, quite a selection. I am diabetic, and my wife eats no sugar, wheat, or flour products, and we had NO problem getting food (and too much of it!). Sat with a nice couple, Steve and Tina from Maine, who own ice cream shops.
After lunch, we just walked around the ship until 1:30, when it was time for our stateroom, 2032, to be ready. It was a Cat 9 room with a large porthole. It was practically next to the forward elevators, which was perfect! You could get anywhere in five minutes or less!
For us, the size of the stateroom was perfect. Queen bed configuration, with a steamer trunk. Our cooling box actually worked! Loved the split bath set up - it came in handy for us several times. With the exception of a door handle that came loose, and a couple of drawers that were sticking (all fixed promptly!), I would say our experience with our room surpassed those of large hotels we have stayed at in the past.
For those who want to know, the in-room movies (which started every 30 minutes) were King Kong, The Pink Panther, Hoodwinked, Last Holiday, Fun with Dick and Jane, and the Producers. We were, frankly, too busy, to watch any TV.
After settling in our room, we zipped up to Quiet Cove, the adult pool, for an hour. When buzzed down to the room to prepare for the lifeboat drill, which took all of 15 minutes. After putting our life vests away, we went all the way forward on Deck 10 as the ship pulled out and headed to sea. We also watched a bit on the Departure Party at Goofy Pool. We walked aft to Pluto's to get a hamburger and fries. The fries were great, the hamburgers were okay.
We went to see Hercules - The Muse-ical at 6:15. I loved it, my favorite show. DW enjoyed the Golden Mickeys more (Saturday show). After Herc, we rushed to our stateroom to shower and prepare to our first dinner aboard at Tritons.
We had the 8 p.m. seating, which we had changed from 8:30 as soon as we got on board. Good decision for us. Dinner still took us until nearly 10 p.m. each night! We were never rushed. We had a great wait staff - Charlie and Grace - who were attentive and wonderful. Charlie was very meticulous with our food requirements, and adjustments were made to meet our needs. The head waiter, Jean Yves, took special interest in us when he found out our food needs and the fact that it was our anniversary. We were seated with a nice family from Orlando - Tim, who works for Disney in their convention food dept., Kim, his wife, and their two kids, Patrick and Shelbi.
BTW, DW had the beef tenderloin, and I had the herb-encrusted halibut. DW also got a brand-new diamond wedding ring set.
After dinner, we had our pictures taken with the white background (which we bought!). Then we toured the various clubs along Route 66, and retired for the evening. Our towel animal was a swan.
Friday, May 19, 2006 - Wonder in Nassau
Up at 8:30, breakfast at Triton's. Decided on here because breakfast was made to order. After breakfast, we puttered around a bit, then debarked around 10 a.m.
I was station in Puerto Rico with my family back in the late 80s, and had been to Saint Thomas a couple of times, so we really didn't spend a lot of time in Nassau. DW did buy a Hard Rock Cafe pin and T-shirts at the Nassau location, and I bought a Bahama Starbucks cup. We visited the Straw Market, which was crowded and LOUD, and picked up some Blue Mountain ground coffee at a grocery store (the gift shops charged way too much). We were back on the Wonder by 1 p.m., and at lunch at the Beach Blanket Buffet. Nice selection, and they had a taco bar!
After lunch, we toured Deck 5, and stuck our head in the HUGE movie theater. BTW, for those who are interested, the movies playing in the theater were 8 Below, The Wild, High School Musical, Stick It, and Stay Alive. We never got to the movie theater for a show, either.
We crashed for a couple of hours (nap time!), and were refreshed and ready for The Golden Mickeys (after a few more Pluto fries!). Before the Mickeys, we did go forward again as the ship pulled out of Nassau. It was gorgeous.
BTW, our weather was perfect for the entire trip! Boat never rocked, we were absolutely comfortable.
We shopped at the two shops onboard at some point, but I don't remember when. I just know we spent some $.
After the Golden Mickeys, we wandered aft to Animators' Palette for dinner. If you've read any other trip reports, then you know what the deal is with the room decoration. This was our least favorite meal (not that it was bad, but we could have skipped it and gone to Palo. Palo is for our next trip.) I had the filet mignon, and DW had the roasted chicken. Service was, again, excellent! There were pirate bandanas on the tables for everyone, so that meant we went up to Deck 10 for the big Pirate party and fireworks after dinner. Lots of fun and energy. We skipped the pirate buffet, and headed back to the room around 11 p.m. Our towel animal was an elephant.
Saturday, May 20, 2006 Castaway Cay - our day in paradise!
When we woke up at 8 a.m., the ship was already docked at Castaway Cay. We dressed and went to Parrot Cay to try the breakfast buffet, which was fabulous. While at breakfast, Jean Yves, the head waiter, came to us and asked about what we were planning for lunch. He made arrangements for us to meet with one of his staff at Cookie's BBQ so DW could get some gluten-free bread to go with her meal! Personalized service!
We were off the ship by 9:30, and spent from 10:00 to about 11:30 snorkling off Family Beach. We also spent some $ on shirts at She Sells...
At noon, we grabbed our stuff and went over to Cookie's for lunch. We were both able to eat very well. After lunch, we hopped to tram to Serenity Bay, where we spent about 1 and a half hours in floats and just relaxing on the beach. (They had steak sandwiches at Serenity Bay, but not at Cookie's!)
We called it a day and were back on board around 2:00. I showered, took a quick nap, and went to the Customs presentation while DW continued napping. We packed until time for the Disney Dreams show at 6:15. Not our favorite.
We made our way to Parrot Cay for our dinner. The mom and dad of the other family went to Palo that night, and I guess their kids were involved with programs, so Charlie and Grace got to focus on just us that evening! And boy, did we feel like a king and queen. Grace had snagged two sets of each of the children's menus for the 3 and 4 night cruises after I had asked for one each for keepsakes. We had mix and match appetizers and salads, and two entrees apiece! I had the prime rib and BBQ ribs, DW had the grouper and prime rib. We gave all of our wait staff their gratuities that evening (and actually gave them about a third more than what was recommended because of the good job they did.)
After dinner, DW and I walked the decks to find a dark quiet spot to look at the stars (Deck 9, all the way forward). We got back to the room and put our luggage out by 10:30. Our towel animal was a lobster!!
Sunday, May 21, 2006 - Now's the time to say goodbye... (sniff)
We were up at around 7 a.m., and out of our stateroom by 7:50. We went back to Parrot Cay for made to order breakfast. We had a leisurely time eating, saying goodbye to our dining family, and again to Charlie, Grace, and Jean Yves. Karon *somehow* was slipped a costume hibicus pin for her hair.
We left breakfast at 8:50, and got immediately in the debarking line. We were off ship by 9:15, and through customs by 9:30. We were flying Delta back to Virginia, so we checked our bags at the PC terminal with the Delta rep, got our boarding passes, and were on the road back to MCOvia DCL by 9:40. We arrived at MCO by 10:30, more than two hours before our 12:45 flight.
This cruise came at a very stressful and transitory time in our lives, and was exactly what we both needed. Now we are relaxed, refreshed, and ready for..... our next cruise in 5 years! (Cozumel, here we come!)
