Vacation on the Disney Wonder

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We finally did it.  We decided to cruise with Disney. We have previously cruised with Carnival and Royal Caribbean.  We have enjoyed our previous cruises, but, if I am being honest, I was bored.  The food was great on both, (we actually enjoyed the food on Carnival more), the entertainment was really good for one show on RC, (Saturday Night Fever).  Overall, our time on these other cruise lines was just ok.  We opted for other cruise lines simply because of the price.  Since we live close to New Orleans and Galveston, those ports are our first choice to cruise from.  Our other cruises traveled from these ports and that convenience made them a good choice for us.  Disney only sails from Galveston during the months of Nov-Jan.  In fact our sailing was the final one from Galveston until November 2018.  Future sailings in the month of January, on the Wonder, will be out of San Juan, this the reason we disembarked there.  It is referred to as a repositioning cruise.  

I have said it before, we are a Disney family.  We love going to Disney World.  We go often.  We like the fairytale world.  We enjoy the movies, the music, the singing, the dancing, the characters, the rides, the shows, THE FOOD, we love it all!  Each time we travel anywhere else, we compare it to Disney.  I know it sounds silly to some, it is just what we enjoy.  There is just something about watching the faces of people light up, especially your children and grand children, when they experience Disney.  So, all that to say, it was time to go on a Disney Cruise.




We made this decision in February 2017.  We booked our cruise online and originally had plans to go in September 2017.  A few weeks after booking we saw that the cruise was going to be a Halloween on the High Seas Cruise.  We decided we wanted to experience a non-themed cruise.  So, we called Disney Cruise line and the cast member changed our cruise to the new one and helped us choose a cabin and we were set.  The price on a repositioning (open loop) cruise, was comparable to our original (closed loop) cruise with more nights on board.  All of the money we had paid so far for the cruise was transferred to the new cruise.  Easy, peasy!   Until.... 

The next day I joined the Facebook group for our cruise.  I was casually browsing the posts and noticed someone asking about spending the night a few nights when the ship arrived in San Juan.  I began to wonder how they planned to get home, if they wouldn’t be on the ship.  Panic began to set in pretty quickly....
One of the main reasons we chose the second cruise was because we would cruise out of Galveston.  A quick four hour drive for us.  We like the Galveston port.  A little investigating showed me that our chosen cruise wouldn’t be returning to the mainland.  I looked up airline prices from San Juan and since they were very reasonable, we decided to continue with our plans.  We had almost a year to plan and pay for this cruise. One of the best benefits of Disney is the ease of logging onto your account and making payments whenever convenient.  We had to pay for the cruise in full by October, 2017 and then we were all set.  Another benefit is the interest free promotion if you choose to pay with your Disney (Chase) credit card.

Disney cruises are a bit more expensive, but I think I understand why now.  But, more on that later.  They serve coke products as well as coffee and tea all day, and they are included in the price.  There was also milk and juice available at the drink station. We typically drink water with our meals, but it was a nice change to have a soda or tea mixed with lemonade with our meal.  This applies to all Disney ships.  There are currently four ships in Disney’s fleet.  There are plans underway to add three more.  I know this has been a very welcomed announcement for Disney Cruise Line fans.  We met plenty of them recently.  Our cruise ship was the Wonder.  She is a smaller ship, but she is beautifully decorated and we loved her!  



There are hidden (and not so hidden) Mickeys everywhere.  (This is the carpet in the hallway where our cabin was located).  Disney touches abound.  The dishes are specific to each dining room and there is even specific dishware for room service.  My favorite part about cruising is the elegant feel, with the cruise casual attire.  


I got to travel with this handsome fellow.  We are celebrating our 20th anniversary (it isn’t until September 14) all year!  

I will share a few more photos of the ship here and then over the next few days provide my thoughts on rotational dining, activities, kids club, Fish Extenders, and the entertainment on our cruise . I hope you will come back to hear all about it.  


Notice the arrow (Mickey) pointing out the floor.





Beautiful artwork adorns the ship all around.  


We had to take photos of John’s favorite character.


This is from the Disney Cruise Line app.  We found it to be very helpful each day of our cruise.  

I can’t wait to tell you all about our trip and maybe help you decide if a Disney Cruise is for you!

***Update: I am now an official Disney Planner.  I am an affiliate with Academy Travel at www.mickeyvacations.com.  Contact me today if you want more information on a Disney Cruise Line vacation for your family.  Email Danna

Until we meet again

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