Disney Wonder - Mexican Riviera

I had the most amazing time on the Disney Cruise. I am a big fan of Disney so this was an extra special trip for me and one that I will remember forever.

I arrived a day early to see a bit more of Disneyland and the California Adventure. For my first night, I stayed at the Ramada Plaza across from the park - about a 10-minute walk to the park gates. The hotel was a clean, nice looking property, with a great front desk staff.

The next day, I moved into the Disneyland Hotel and met up with the other travel agents on this trip to begin our walk through of the Disneyland resort property. The hotel is undergoing some significant construction inside and out, but the rooms look fantastic. We walked over to the Grand Californian and Paradise Pier. The convenent location of all three of these properties is great for getting to the parks and Downtown Disney.

After supper, we took in the “World of Color” water show at California Adventure. This was fantastic, combining water and lighting effects with Disney media. It is similar to “Fantasmic” at Disneyworld but with its own unique features.

The next morning, we enjoyed a delicious character breakfast, including Aladdin, Chip & Dale, Pluto and Goofy, at Goofy’s Kitchen, located at our hotel. From there, we took coach transfers to the Port of LA, where we boarded the ship. This is where we experienced that extra-special touch that Disney incorporates for its customers, when they actually announced every single family boarding the ship, followed by applause to make you feel very special. Then we were greeted by two lines of crew staff in their crisp white uniforms awaiting our arrival.

After boarding, we immediately toured some cabins before they were occupied by guests and had a look at several staterooms, all pretty standard, as shown in the brochure. Deluxe rooms have separate shower/toilets, whereas with standard, it’s all together. We had a very simple and efficient life boat drill, including a video shown on our stateroom TV, demonstrating the process. Next was the “Sail Away Celebration”, where entertainment staff and, of course, lots of our favorite characters came up on the main deck before we left port. It was really fun to see everyone come together, singing and dancing and waving streamers to help set the ship to sea. They sounded the “Disneyfied” horn as we left and even the crew on land were waving with their one signature Mickey glove as we pulled away.

The rest of the day was dedicated to finding your way around the ship and getting used to the schedule of events. I attended the first welcome show that evening, and was not disappointed by the quality! We enjoyed a late dinner - one of several wonderful meals we would be treated to, with several choices every day.

The next two full days we were at sea, which provides an opportunity to take advanatge of all the activities available on in the ship – or to just sit back in one of the lounges or sitting areas and listen to a piano player or singers. There really is programming for everyone, from Bingo and trivia question times (i.e. TV theme show trivia, movies, music etc.) to Champagne tasting, character meetings, towel folding, appetizer making, Karaoke, guest comedians, ship tours, live bands and even watching the world series games in the Diversions Lounge. There was also a special red-carpet type event that took place during the “Golden Mickey’s” preshow. As everyone arrived, they were interviewed, while the people already inside the theatre watched these interviews on large screens. During one interview, a couple from Japan actually got engaged and they were met with a huge applause as they walked into the theatre!

Movies are constantly playing on the Funnel Vision above the pool on the main deck, as well as in the Buena Vista Theater. I also took in an art-of-the-theme-ship tour, which provided details about the ship, and a two-part series offered by a Disney supervising animator, Andreas Deja. This was a favourite for me because I grew up watching a lot of the movies he has animated and are dear to my heart.

Dining

The dining with Disney is unique. It’s called rotational dining – same table, same wait staff, but you rotate through the restaurants during the course of the cruise. You are given a ticket in your stateroom with the schedule of your dining throughout the week and end up dining at each location twice, if you follow the schedule. Animators Palate is the most unique of the three formal dining rooms, with its black and white decor and walls made up of artist’s sketches of Disney characters. Throughout meal time the frames on the wall, as well as the paint brush pillars and paint palates on the ceiling, sporadically light up in color. The show starts mid–meal. Triton’s is the more formal dining room with a beautiful mosaic of the Little Mermaid and King Triton. Parrott’s Cay is the third dining room which, as the name indicates, has tropical theme.

There are two main dining seatings – early and late. You can also grab a snack or something more substantial at the main pool deck at Pinocchio’s Pizzeria, burgers and fries by the goofy pool or salads and wraps by Mickey’s pool. There is a notable program parents can take advantage of called Dine & Play, which only takes place at the late seating. You can register your children and have their meal brought out quickly. They have 45 minutes to eat before cast members from the kids clubs take them to the Oceaneer Club or Lab so the parents can take their time enjoying the rest of their meal.

Palo is an adults only restaurant, which requires an extra $20 fee to dine at. It’s a beautiful and formal, offering northern Italian cuisine.

Entertainment
Every night in the Walt Disney Theater, there were two shows - one early and one late to accommodate dining. Several of the shows are award winning and spare nothing from sets and costumes to lighting and effects.

Children's Programming
I talked to several parents as I was disembarking and they all agreed that the children's programming was top notch, with a lot of attention paid to the safety of the children:
1) Every child registered to the Oceaneer Lab or Oceaneer Club has a GPS bracelet. In the very unlikely event that a child ever got lost, they would know their exact location.
2) Every stateroom has two “wave” phones, which are like small cordless phones they you can take with you anywhere on the ship. If there was a problem with your child, the cast member can simply call or text you on your wave phone.
3) Every parent has a special password to pick up their child. If they do not know the correct password, the child cannot leave the area.

In the Flounders Nursery, for those aged  12 weeks to 3 years, there is one cast member for every three children. There is an extra per hour cost for this service because of the extra attention needed for that age group. The Oceaneer Club, for children age 4-7 years, looks like the deck of a pirate ship. Lots of areas to climb up and play on, as well as craft areas and a place where the kids can learn to dosey doe with Snow White or have a Princess tea party. The Oceaneer Lab, for those age 7-9 years, has a bank of computers where the kids can play educational games, as well as a lab area where they make Flubber and learn the science behind it. Kids can also make chocolate chip cookies in the kitchen area or take part in a scavenger hunt with Goofy.

In the Edge, for the “tweens” 10-12 years, you will see the kids having “Pajamarama” parties with pizza, watching movies on bean bag chairs, playing on computers, and enjoying board games etc. The Vibe, for 13-17 year olds, is set in one of the stacks on the top deck and includes a juice bar where smoothies are made, lots of chairs and couches to visit, games systems etc. There are lots of teen activities happening all the time from DJ training to video scavenger hunts and dodge ball or other ship wide games.

The fun continues througjout the ship with the netted basketball/court areas including ping pong and foosball tables, the arcade filled with a variety of games, and the Buena Vista movie theater.

A very important area of the ship is deck 9 aft, where the beverage station is located. Unlike all other cruise lines – you do not need to purchase a beverage plan. You can drink as much as you like here. There are several soda stations, as well as tea/coffee and hot chocolate machines. This alone will save you loads of money!

There is a Pirates in the Caribbean party on every Disney sailing so feel free to bring your own pirate gear! You are given a Mickey pirate bandana to wear at supper and the pirate deck party starts just after the late seating. Everyone gets involved in the festivities, which end with fireworks display. Disney is the only cruise line to do fireworks at sea.

Ports of Call – Puerto Vallarta and Cabo San Lucas
Activities at the Ports of Call can be booked at the excursions desk on the ship. In Puerto Vallarta, I signed up for a snorkeling excursion at the Marietas Islands. In Cabo, I took a coastal highlights tour, which took me to San Jose del Cabo. Getting on and off the ship was fast and easy.

The disembarkation process was also very simple. You are given characters specific to your departure plans. My roommate was in the Ariel category, which was for those with the earliest flight leaving at 12:25 from LAX. I was in the Goofy category, as my flight left around 3 p.m. You can either leave your luggage in the hall the night before to be delivered to your specific category area or you can take it with you.

To sum up my overall Disney cruise experience – the food was great, the shows fantastic, programming very diverse, and kids clubs excellent, with something for all ages and extra TLC from Disney. This was a phenomenal trip and I cannot wait to go again!