Disney Cruise Line: Making WONDERful Fit Family Magic on the High Seas

Disney does is all, and Disney does it all to perfection. My family and I just spent four magnificent days and nights on Disney Cruise Line’s ship Disney Wonder, and couldn’t have had a better time. My husband Rob, our 9 year-old daughter Ginger, 7 year-old son Parker and I are pretty hard-core with our expectations of a fun vacation. We want to play hard and laugh hard as much as possible, and we can all agree that Disney brought it. Big time!

I’ll start by telling you that the ship is stunning, and no stone was left unturned with its design. Parked in a large port next to other massive cruise ships, it was easy to feel a bit snobbish as we boarded the Disney Wonder. The rooms were spacious, decorated with chic bedding and offered separate toilet and showering areas. This toilet/shower separation idea? Brilliant. Our whole family fit quite comfortably in our stateroom and enjoyed the relentless attention it received by our stateroom host (housecleaning). He arrived three times a day to clean, refresh towels and leave little treats. “Sleepy the Dwarf” chocolates on our pillows each night are something we’ll surely miss when we return home.

The common areas on the Wonder bring forth the warmth, excitement and comforting memories of every Disney movie and character you’ve ever loved … without making you feel like you were strolling down Main Street USA (Magic Kingdom) for an entire week. Beauty, sophistication and joy are the three words that come to mind when thinking about each restaurant, hallway and entertainment facility on board.

Beyond elite design though, is something we should all be basing our vacation destination decisions on – FUN! Cruising gets a bad rap because so many people board a ship hell-bent on getting their money’s worth out of the buffet. Enough with the buffets! My family and I, instead decided to participate in every active option available and pursue belly laughs with a vengeance. In fact, we played so hard each day that the kids couldn’t handle being awake past 9:30 pm. Rob and I were pretty happy to hit the hay around that time as well.

Even though we really only participated in about a tenth of the options offered on our ship (because so much is offered), I wanted to highlight some of our favorite activities, both on board and off.  They’re listed in no specific order.

• Swimming – Three fun pools.; one for kids, one for families, one for adults only. Awesome! A few hot tubs too.
• Basketball and soccer on the top of the ship. I enjoyed a short streak of three-pointers, which gives me bragging rights for at least a few weeks. Must have been the Disney magic.

• Fitness Center – My husband and I loved dropping the kids off to play in the kids-only “Oceaneers Lab”, so they could make Flubber and we could work out. The gym is high-end with a ton of great cardio machines, free weights, Nautilus style machines, stability balls and more. The cardio equipment faces out the front of the ship, so the view is exceptional. If you’re not mesmerized by the view – all cardio machines play host to private television screens. Sweet. Fitness classes like yoga and boot camp are also offered daily. No excuses!
• Family games. We shared some of our biggest laughs playing Pictionary, Disney charades, “So you want to be a Pirate” and “How well do you know your family?”  My kids are now begging me to land them a spot as a contestant on a game show. Super.
• Broadway style entertainment.  Each night, we were treated to what can only be described, as the best both Broadway and Disney have to offer. The talent amongst the cast was tremendous, the sets were unreasonably elaborate and the stories combined all that you already know and love about Disney. The Golden Mickey’s, Toy Story – The Musical and Disney Dreams – An Enchanted Classic, all fall in to the category of “things you should not miss”.  Special props to the talent who played both Peter Pan and Pocahontas. They blew us away. Did you know mega-star Jennifer Hudson used to perform on the Disney Wonder? Mmmm, hmmmm. This ship is fostering some more heavy-hitters for sure.

• Castaway Cay – Disney’s private island is the epitome of five-star travel. You can only get there via a Disney cruise ship and the only people who live there are those that were hired to take care of it. Upon arrival, you’ll find an immaculate island jam-packed with endless amounts of sea and land-based fun. We did the following things while docked there.

• Biking – we all rented bikes and cruised around the island checking out birds and flowers with the most perfect breezes hitting our bodies from every angle. Amazing.
• Snorkeling – Disney has buried a submarine, statues of Mickey, Minnie, Ariel and a whole bunch of other interesting items under water. So not only did we get to enjoy the underwater beauty of the ocean and fish, we got to hunt for treasure – neat!
• Mid-ocean water-park – Yep. Disney built water-parks about 50 yards off shore, and it’s the coolest thing on the planet. Swirly slide down in to the ocean? Yes, please!
• Tubing – chilling out on a tube while my kids splashed around like lunatics was pretty thrilling for me.
• Beach volleyball, tether-ball and basketball. Awesome things to do when you’re fingers become too wrinkly.
• Whale Dig – Sounds silly, but we spent about an hour and a half searching for the bones and teeth of a large sperm whale with our paleontologist pal, “Find a Bone Bobby”. 49 sperm whale teeth were hidden in what turned out to be a massive sandbox and we were determined to find them all. Bobby, from Scotland, was the most fun person ever. “When I say fossil, you say WOSSIL!” We loved digging, and we loved Bobby.
• Castaway Cay 5K – When your ship arrives, you can start your day right by walking or running a 5k. This race comes with official race bibs and Disney Cruise Line Medals. Love. Love. Love
• Foosball and Ping-Pong on the top of the ship. Yep, our family battled it out for a couple of hours with these games. Ginger was hit in the eye with a ping-pong ball twice and my husband actually went rolling across the floor trying to save a ball. I almost fell over from laughing so hard. I told you we were intense.
• Stairs! This ship is tall and a commitment to taking the stairs EVERY TIME, will certainly help compensate for some of the extra calories you may consider indulging in. Plus – imagine leaving a cruise with a better booty than you had when you arrived? Meow! That’d be nice.
  Jet Skiing. This wasn’t a Disney-sponsored activity. However! Disney took us to Key West, which gave us the opportunity to rent some jet skis and experience that wet and wild two-hour adventure. It was the kind of crazy, screamy, bouncy, adrenaline-filled fun we live for.
  

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• Pirate Party with Fireworks! Argh matey! Disney be serious when they be plannin’ a blowout for the likes of Jack Sparrow. Half of the ships’ guests arrived in full-blown pirate garb, but no one was left out as everyone was provided with complimentary pirate bandanas and more. After all dinners were served, a loud and crazy pirate dance party took place around the pool decks. Disney’s awesome entertainment crew lead the funky fun. After the ship was taken over by villains like Captain Hook, Mickey Mouse came to the rescue lighting off the worlds’ only fireworks show at sea. Boom!
• The crew. I’ve been around the world quite a few times and have stayed at some of the nicest resorts as well. I have never, ever, experienced the kind of customer service Disney cast members provide. I find this true for every Disney Park, resort or restaurant. The crew of the Disney Wonder went above and beyond at every instance to make us feel at home, make us comfortable and make us happy. Our main dining servers, Jose (from Dominican Republic) and Melanie (from France), got to know us and our tastes on night one of our cruise. Each night after, we arrived at our table to the special drinks we enjoyed and particular foods as well. Our glasses were never left half empty, and Jose even visited other restaurants to get and bring back specially requested food items. Ginger and Parker were made to feel like the most special children on the ship. I almost burst in to tears as we said our farewells at our last dinner. Rob and I also had the pleasure of dining at PALO, the fine Italian restaurant for adults. Not only was the food extraordinary, we were certain our server, Sasha (from Croatia), would have swam to shore to please us if we’d asked. I tell you, the customer service on Disney Cruise Line is unsurpassed.
• The Cruise Director. I can’t leave Christian Abbot out.  This guy has a funny sense of humor, the kind of sarcastic nature everyone can enjoy and a laid back personality which I believe, encourages everyone around him to just chillax and have a good time. His focus on fun surely rubs off on the crew he directs and allows guests in his presence to really take every opportunity to have a superb time. Christian and I talked about how he stays fit while living on that floating buffet table. Check out our interview below!

• Obsessive Cleanliness! A whole ship full of sick people is no fun, so Disney has made it it’s mission to ensure absolutely NOBODY gets sick while on board. Of course this isn’t a 100% guarantee, but I assure you that they’re doing their absolute best. Antibacterial gel can be found absolutely EVERYWHERE and no one at all gets in to a restaurant or through a buffet line without first cleaning their hands with antibacterial wipes. Kids who enter the “Oceaneers Lab” must scrub with soap and water upon entry. I think DCL spend at least $500 a day on this effort. Amazing!
• Kid Clubs! Whether you’ve got an athletic teenager or a spunky one year-old, Disney offers safe and fun kids only areas they can all be happy in. Broken up by age category, you’ll enjoy checking your kids in to Flounders Reef Nursery, the Oceaneers Club, the Oceaneers Lab, Edge or Vibe to play – while you enjoy a quiet night of romance at PALO or some free time in the gym. Kids want to be there, so no guilt will be necessary!

Throughout our vacation, there was never a moment in which we felt bored, bothered or uncomfortable. This ship offered incredible comforts, entertainment, active opportunities and lots of healthy food. I normally end most vacations feeling “done” and ready to get home. Leaving the Disney Wonder, instead … made me sad and wishing we could stay. I’d highly recommend Disney Cruise Line as an ideal vacation for any fit family hoping to make some magical memories and some dreams come true.

This photo gallery is filled with a combination of family photos and official Disney photos. Enjoy!

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