Looking back now, I have to admit that at least initially, I was a little nervous while preparing for my family’s Disney cruise.
Don’t get me wrong, the trip itself sounded absolutely wonderful, I’d heard nothing but rave reviews from Disney Cruise veterans and we weren’t at all bothered by the idea of taking a water-based vacation. Simply put, as first-time cruisers, the only real concern my wife and I shared in getting ready for this trip was in making sure we had followed proper protocol in filling out the necessary paperwork that would ultimately allow all four of us to smoothly board the ship, when the time came to do so. I’m happy to report that we completed that task without incident, thanks in large part to our AAA Travel contacts who patiently responded to the boat load of questions (sorry) we continuously set sail (sorry again) in their direction.
Passenger’s Logue, Day 1:
We made it! Getting on board today was a piece of cake and speaking of food, immediately upon entering the magnificently impressive Disney Wonder in Port Canaveral, FL we proceeded upstairs to the ship’s Beach Blanket Buffet for lunch. In brief, it was both delicious and plentiful.
Our only regret is that we didn’t follow Disney recommendations and pack a pool-friendly carryon bag that would have allowed the kids
to swim after dining since we had a 45-minute window of time to fill before we could actually check into our cabins (shame on us). The wait wasn’t long however, and familiarizing ourselves with the ship was certainly a good alternative but believe me, Preston and Alaina repeatedly reminded us of the missed opportunity.
Immediately after leaving port, we headed up to the pool deck for the ship’s “Adventures Away! Sail Away Celebration” bon voyage party where music, dancing and entertainment was abundant. Dinner this evening at Animator’s Palate was both wonderful and entertaining as animation scenes from classic Disney films that cover that particular restaurant’s walls “magically” turned from black and white to color throughout the meal. Later, we visited the 977-seat Walt Disney Theatre for “The Golden Mickeys;” a show that combined theatrical song and dance, animated film, video and special effects to create what Disney describes as “the most technologically advanced stage show at sea.”
Passenger’s Logue, Day 2:
This morning, we awoke to the soothing sounds of nearby ocean birds and gently rolling waves (wow, I sound like a writer). Nassau, the Bahamas, our port of call for the day, was already in sight as we made our way out onto our
room’s balcony. After a highly anticipated onboard breakfast buffet, we disembarked for a self-guided walking tour of the duty-free shop-filled streets of Nassau.
The afternoon was spent mainly poolside while back on board and after a delightful dinner in the Wonder’s Caribbean-flavored Parrot Cay restaurant, we enjoyed what was truly one of the best theatrical performances I’ve ever seen . “Disney Dreams: An Enchanted Classic,” is an stage production about a little girl who discovers the power of her dreams through various Disney classics. It was magnificent! And yes, the kids were given yet another opportunity to swim before bedtime.
Passenger’s Logue, Day 3:
What an absolutely gorgeous day this was, from start to finish. Most of the day was spent off ship while at Disney’s private island, Castaway Cay, an exclusive port just for Disney Cruise Line guests.
Clear water. Clean beaches. Friendly staff members. I felt like I was in Neverland, minus the Peter Pan green tights, of course. It really didn’t matter that Preston and Alaina realized their swim goggles were back in our on-board cabin after we had already left ship, walked to the beach and found primo real estate for the day because the casual stroll I had to make all the way back to fetch them honestly wasn’t that far. In fact, with the quantity of quality food I had already taken in since first leaving Florida, I probably needed the exercise anyway.
Seriously, the turquoise water and white sands were very relaxing as was the four-person paddle boat we rented to tour the bay area near the ship. We topped the day off by watching another great production in the Walt Disney Theatre;
“Toy Story-The Musical” and then partaking in a poolside pirate-themed party. Arr!
Passenger’s Logue, Day 4:
Today was spent at sea while heading back to reality but don’t think thoughts of this wondrous vacation coming to an end put a damper on our spirits.
In the morning, believe it or not, we swam again and later, Preston and Alaina spent some “alone” time in the ships’s private, kids-only clubs while playing video games, making crafts and doing whatever it is that kids do, supervised of course, while away from their parents. Alaina sampled Disney’s Oceaneer Club for 3- to 7-year-olds while Preston
went to Disney’s Oceaneer Lab for 8- to 12-year-olds.
Following some on-board shopping, mom and dad (us, not our parents) accidentally took a brief nap while sitting deck-side in a pair of very comfortable chairs. Once the family was reassembled, we collectively enjoyed a towel-folding class which ultimately motivated Preston to buy a book on the subject matter. His progress in just two hours was amazing!
A French-themed dinner at Tritons and yet another late-night swim were our final activities of the day.
Passenger’s Logue, Day 5:
Admittedly, leaving the ship this morning was difficult…not because of the process itself, which was surprisingly quick and simple but rather, because we just didn’t want the excursion to end. But now, armed with knowledge and experience, I’ll be readily prepared to enjoy even the planning process itself for our next Disney cruise, which will most certainly be soon.
