M-I-C-K-E-Y M-O-U-S-E!

As a little girl I took my first cruise – {to the Bahamas} – with my family.  We traveled on the “Big Red Boat” by Premier Cruise Lines and it was a DISNEY themed cruise!  What a treat that was for me!  The pool, the movie theater, and the characters on board!  There was (a lot) less to do than today’s standards and yet I still remember and think of this trip fondly.  My sisters, older than I was, also enjoyed the trip so don’t be fooled when you hear – Disney -you think “KID SHIP”.  That wasn’t the case then  and that most CERTAINLY isn’t the case now either!

My beautiful picture

Just a little history for you!  This ship began service in 1965.  At the time of our cruise it was operated by Premier Cruise Lines and was often referred to as “The Big Red Boat” although the ships name was StarShip Oceanic.  In 2012 she took her last sail and then awaited scrapping.

A few weeks back I had the opportunity to travel to Florida; Miami to be exact.  I was on a mission.  A mission to see… “the mouse!”.  Well in all truth I was there to see his boat!  {Confession} It has been YEARS since I’ve stepped foot on anything remotely Disney (the theme parks or the cruise line…).  I was really excited to have the opportunity to explore the Disney’s Wonder.

My Delta flight was on time and I arrived into Miami at 6 PM.  I spent one night in the Sheraton at the Miami Airport.  I love Starwood Hotels & Resorts brand and properties {Westins, Sheratons, Four Points, St Regis, LeMeridien, and more}.  This particular property was {as expected} a very clean property and a very nice room.  I had a “pure air” room which is great for those with severe allergies or who want to breathe “clean air”.    I spent the evening on their in room wi-fi working.  I ordered room service.  While not the fastest service the food was good and they were attentive!  In the morning I ate at the restaurant and had their continental breakfast buffet which hosted a wide variety of fruits and bakery items in addition to the eggs, potatoes, bacon, yogurts, pancakes and waffles options.  After checking out and safely storing my bags at the hotel I met my transfer to the cruise port and away we went.

Beautiful dusk view from my room

LOVE their heavenly beds!

Disney Wonders was in port for the day picking up her new passengers for the next 5 days!  The itinerary departed Miami, spent a day at sea, a stop at Grand Cayman (ONE OF MY FAVORITE cruise ports!) and then spent another day at sea before returning to Miami.  As I sat and awaited clearance to board I watched families embark on this adventure.  They walked through the doors and got in lines to “check in” and board their cruise ship.    These weren’t just any families!  They were Disney Lovers!  Mommies, daddies, boys and girls ALL decked out in Red, Black, and White shirts.  Some had mouse ears on them.  Some WORE Mouse ears!  Some had glittered facial paint on their cheeks.  Some carried Disney bags.  And SOME just came as they were with big smiles on their faces and cameras dangling around their neck to catch their children’s delight and pleasure as they boarded the ship and were GREETED by the Disney staff and characters!
OK so folks you probably expect me to say this ship is AWESOME!  Well!  I am pleased to say that NOT ONLY was it AWESOME but it FAR surpassed my expectations.  I can honestly say I don’t know that I’ve ever been so impressed by a ship at inspection time.  I like them don’t get me wrong but to leave me wanting to book a cruise then and there isn’t normal for me!  As I walked through the ship and toured the different rooms there were Disney songs playing in the background.  Even as an adult I wanted to skip or dance or break out in song!  Craziness!  I know!  Disney has a way of bringing – the kid in you- back again!

Disney Wonder first sailed in 1999- to some that means – “an old, outdated ship”.  I have been on “older” ships and you can usually tell they are old- but this ship- WOW!  As our ship guide said, “Disney ships are never old, they are just classic.”   Disney Wonder & Disney Magic are two smaller class ships each carrying around 2,000 passengers.  The Disney Dream & Fantasy are larger class ships and carry up to 4,000 passengers each.

So let me tell you just some of why I love the NEW Disney cruise lines!  Let me tell you this is NOT the big red boat that I sailed as a little girl.

Let’s start with the cabins!  Parents and couples and individuals will LOVE these SPACIOUS staterooms!  And I’m not just saying that!  Look at the facts!!  Disney’s interior rooms are 184 sq ft.  Comparing the same passenger sized ship for Royal Caribbean with the same room category and their rooms vary from 109 to 144 sq ft.  That’s 75-40 more square foot with Disney!  And the Norwegian Gem, another similar sized cruise ship – their BALCONY suites are 204 sq ft.  Disney’s OCEANVIEW suites are 214!   Seriously- there were about 19 agents looking at these rooms and the murmurs were all the same-  WOW these rooms are much bigger!   Besides the “spaciousness” of it all they did a really good job of utilizing the space.  They have couches that lay flat to make a single bed- instead of pulling out into the room and hindering your walkways.  Pull down hideaway wall beds and bunk beds.  And my favorite!  The main beds were 1 mattress (not two singles pushed together) but 1 REAL mattress and a REAL bed frame.  This bed frame is TALL allowing for easy storage of your suitcases underneath!  Now you don’t need to stuff them in the skinny closets that are already full with your clothing and other belongings! I can’t tell you how GREAT this is!  Here are some more reasons for why Disney staterooms are so great for kids and families!  For those of you that have sailed before you know that the stateroom bathrooms leave alot to be desired!  And HOW in the world are you to “shower” a 14-month old (in my instance).  With Disney- they take the hassle out!  They have the first BATHTUBS at sea!  Yes little bathtubs just perfect for your little small fry and room for you to wash them!  AND most of the staterooms even have a double bathroom feature so you can have a family member showering and the others using the extra bathroom to finish getting ready. And if these reasons aren’t enough- I have two more.  Parents- want a little privacy but don’t want to splurge for the 2 bedroom suite… YES PLEASE!  Disney has privacy curtains that can be drawn between you and the children allowing you a little bit of privacy.  And if that’s not enough- keep costs low and book two staterooms next door to each other with a connecting door!  Now THAT’s a great option!  Even the “balcony” has a little “connecting” gate that can be opened so you have a larger 2 -stateroom balcony for the family to come and go as they wish!  To see pictures of the suites and cabin options on the Disney wonder you can click here!

Next I want to mention the dining options.  Disney is the only cruise line to do rotational dining.  And I am EX-CITED about this feature!  How many of us love the sit down dining room option with the same wait staff?  Raise your hands!  {ME ME ME!}  Some people don’t like this but I loved getting to know the wait staff.  So Disney combined the two!  Rotational dining allows you to eat in each of the three different restaurants (rotating nights in each restaurant throughout the cruise) but here is the BEST part – your wait staff moves with you!  That means for those with strong food allergies- your wait staff will know what you need and will be with you every step of the way!  You are safe, there is no hassle, and no need to re-iterate your food allergies every night!  And these dining rooms aren’t the same- far from it!  Disney wonder has; 1) Tritons.  {Theme: Little Mermaid} 2) Animators Palate {I cannot WAIT to try this one!} and 3) Parrots Cay {tropical theme}.  OH!  And did I mention- soft drinks are included!!  On other cruise ships you would have to buy the soda package!

Tritons beautiful mosaic wall

Entrance to Tritons

Animators Palate- see the paint brushes going up to the palates on the ceiling?

For those thinking this is all about the kids and “cartoons”.  You are wrong!  Disney didn’t make everything cartoony and silly– everything was very tastefully done!  Check out route 66 on your way to the “entertainment” zone of the ship!

Keep in mind that Disney also has many “adults only” features like the restuarant Palo.  Several night clubs/bar areas might be “family areas” by day and adults only areas by night. There is an adults only pool area also.

There is plenty to do on board the ship. Spa services for the adults. There are clubs for every age group and I wish you could’ve seen the children’s play area!  Amazing!  Plus they have a nursery!  They even have a teen center that has everything your difficult-to-please teens might want!  Plus every night enjoy fantastic broadway style shows in the Walt Disney Theater.    They have lots of theme nights; don’t forget to come dressed up for pirate night!  One thing you won’t find on board a Disney ship is a Casino.

Disney is the only ship at sea with lifeguards on duty!

More entertainment! Enjoy movies under the stars while at sea!

Sailing with Disney in the future?  Let me recommend something!  Download the Disney Cruises app.  This app allows you to mark all the “events” on board” the ship that you don’t want to miss or that you might want to go to and when the appointed time comes  for that activity it will send you a notification reminding you when and where to go- you don’t have to miss a thing!

This blog was already a little long so if you have questions or are interested in more details, contact me today!  I would be more than happy to tell you so much more about this great ship!  Disney has lots of itinerary offerings and fascinating destinations but there are only 4 ships in the fleet so their sailings tend to sell out quick!

Until next time- safe journeys!
Megan