Disney Cruise Line - A Trip Report by Steve Burns - StartedByAMouse.com Features Section


©Disney My wife and I had talked about taking a cruise with the Disney Cruise Line for some time, and we finally decided that the time was right. So through their web site, I ordered one of their free vacation planning videos, which came a few weeks later. Watching the video only strengthened our desire to go on one of their cruises. Everything looked so wonderful and relaxing, and we could easily see ourselves enjoying it. The Cruise Line offers 3-night cruises, 4-night cruises, and 7-night cruises, as well as 7-night Land and Sea vacations. After looking at all our options, we decided that the 7-night Land and Sea vacation would be best for us. The Land and Sea vacation can be either 4 nights at Walt Disney World and 3 nights on the ship, or 3 nights at Walt Disney World and 4 nights on the ship. We chose 3 nights at Walt Disney World; we had been there several times before, and we wanted to have a little more time to spend on the ship, especially since it was our first experience. Our next choice was what room type we wanted. We chose one of the less expensive rooms, mainly because we didn't see ourselves spending that much time in the stateroom. We imagined that we would want to spend as much time as possible exploring the opportunities on the ship. We also decided that we didn't need a room with an ocean view, which saved us a little money. Our reasoning was that if we wanted to see the ocean, we could go out on one of the decks and look out from there. So we ended up with a deluxe inside stateroom. One of the Walt Disney World hotel choices with this particular room type was Port Orleans Riverside, formerly known as Dixie Landings. This also suited us because it was where we spent our honeymoon, and we had enjoyed the hotel every time we stayed there. Making our reservations was quite easy. Once I knew everything that we wanted and what dates we wanted to go, I went back to the Disney Cruise Line web site and entered everything in, and our reservations were made. I'm sure some people prefer going through a travel agent or at least talking to someone on the telephone, but I found the web site to be easy to use and understand. Soon enough, the time came for our vacation. We decided to drive our own car instead of fly, which would affect a few things later on in our trip. Our vacation began at Walt Disney World, where once again we found Port Orleans Riverside to be as enjoyable as we remembered it. Our package included 4-day Ultimate Park Hopper Tickets, which we enjoyed by visiting Typhoon Lagoon as well as all four theme parks. When we checked in at the hotel, we also checked in at the Cruise Line desk there in the lobby. This would simplify things in a few days when we would go to Port Canaveral for the cruise. After fun-filled days at Walt Disney World, we loaded up the car for the drive to Port Canaveral. Because we were driving, all we had to do was load up the car and go when we wanted to. Guests who didn't have their own car could have their bags picked up from their hotel room and then board the Cruise Line bus for the ride to the port. On our way there, we saw several of the buses going in each direction. The drive took about an hour, and the Cruise Line terminal was easy to find, mainly because the huge ship docked right outside was hard to miss. We dropped off our bags and then went to park our car. Parking at Port Canaveral is $10 a day. That seemed like it might be a little high to me, but that was our choice, and I felt like the car would be relatively secure. Upon entering the terminal after going through the security check, we saw Mickey Mouse standing in front of a large model of the ship; Mickey was posing for pictures with guests. I later noticed that a Disney photographer was taking pictures, and those pictures could be purchased later on the ship. A model of the ship. This model is actually of the Disney Magic, although the two ships are mostly identical. Because we had already checked in, all we had to do was go board the Disney Wonder. At the end of the gangway, a photographer took our picture, and then we entered the large atrium lobby. As we entered, a crew member asked our family name. As we proceeded, she said over the speaker system, "Announcing the Burns family," and other crew members applauded. I know they do this for everyone as the entered, but we thought it was an exciting touch to the beginning of our cruise. The entrance to the gangway resembled a familiar figure. We next found our stateroom, which was on Deck 2, so that we could put down our carry-on bags, and then we proceeded to find a restaurant for lunch. We first went by Parrot Cay, but a crew member said that Beach Blanket Buffet on Deck 9 was also serving lunch and that it might be a little less crowded, so that was where we dined. It took us a little time to get used to the fact that all meals on board the ship were included in our fare, so it seemed odd not to have to pay for the meal. We had several kinds of salads, as well as some fresh fruit. The only downside was that all the indoor tables were taken, so we had to eat outside in the sun. But we did enjoy looking out on the area from high above, noticing that the Disney Wonder seemed to be bigger than all the others in the port that day. One of the ship's towers, bearing the Disney Cruise Line logo. We went back to our stateroom to rest a bit before the mandatory safety drill. Once the alarm sounded, we grabbed our life vests and proceeded to our designated assembly area on the Deck 4 Promenade. This drill is required of all passengers, even those who have cruised before. Once the drill was over, we returned our life vests to our stateroom and made our way up to Deck 9 for the Sail-Away party. The party was held at the Goofy pool, where the cover over the pool was closed to create a dance floor. The party included music and dancing. We were introduced to Teresa, the cruise director. There was also a performance by Mickey, Minnie, Pluto, Goofy, Chip and Dale, who performed a few songs. Once the announcement was made that we were underway, the ship's horn blew, which played the first seven notes of "When You Wish Upon A Star," another nice touch. As the party continued, we took some time to watch the scenery go by. In the distance we could see the large Vehicle Assembly Building and launch pads 39A and 39B from the Kennedy Space Center. The Sail-Away party, featuring appearances from the Disney Characters. After we left the party, we went to explore the ship. We ventured out to the Deck 4 Promenade, which eventually became one of our favorite places on the ship. Whenever we had some time to relax, we always found ourselves back on the Promenade, sitting in a deck chair watching the ocean, perhaps seeing a sunset or a passing storm. There never was a large crowd on the Promenade, which always gave it a peaceful feeling. The Deck 4 Promenade, one of our favorite places to relax on the ship. We later returned to our stateroom to find Janet, our housekeeper, had turned down the bed and made a swan out of towels. We later found that towel animals were a tradition on the cruise, and there was a different one on our bed each night. We also found that our luggage had been delivered. This was fortunate because it was time to dress for dinner. A swan, our first towel animal of the cruise. There are two serving times on board, 6:00 and 8:30. We were assigned to the second seating, which was fine with us because it gave us more time during the day so that we didn't feel as rushed to get to dinner. For the first night of the cruise, our assigned restaurant was Tritons, which requested a slightly more formal attire than the others. We had some spare time before our seating time, so we went back out to the Promenade to view the sunset. Sunset as seen from the Promenade. We arrived at dinner to meet the family we would share a table with for the cruise, the Blackburns, as well as our servers for the cruise, Zion and Sandor, as well as our head server, PJ. All were kind and curteous. At the end of each meal, Sandor would give us a rundown of the next day's activities, as well as some suggestions of things he liked to do there. It was fun to get to know new people, to find out about their activities of the day and to tell them about ours as well. After dinner, we explored the Disney Wonder some more before retiring to our room to watch some television. The offerings included a Disney movie channel, another movie channel aimed more at teens and adults, an ABC affiliate, CNN, and ESPN. There were also channels showing the ship's position, heading and speed, as well as maps of our current position. And I enjoyed checking the channel that showed the view from the bridge. We really didn't have a desire to make it to one of the shows in the clubs that night, or to see a movie in the theater, so we just stayed in the room, although there was plenty to do elsewhere. We eventually rested for the next day's exciting activities.
Up Next: Nassau - The Bahamas!

©Disney

My wife and I had talked about taking a cruise with the Disney Cruise Line for some time, and we finally decided that the time was right. So through their web site, I ordered one of their free vacation planning videos, which came a few weeks later. Watching the video only strengthened our desire to go on one of their cruises. Everything looked so wonderful and relaxing, and we could easily see ourselves enjoying it.

The Cruise Line offers 3-night cruises, 4-night cruises, and 7-night cruises, as well as 7-night Land and Sea vacations. After looking at all our options, we decided that the 7-night Land and Sea vacation would be best for us. The Land and Sea vacation can be either 4 nights at Walt Disney World and 3 nights on the ship, or 3 nights at Walt Disney World and 4 nights on the ship. We chose 3 nights at Walt Disney World; we had been there several times before, and we wanted to have a little more time to spend on the ship, especially since it was our first experience.

Our next choice was what room type we wanted. We chose one of the less expensive rooms, mainly because we didn't see ourselves spending that much time in the stateroom. We imagined that we would want to spend as much time as possible exploring the opportunities on the ship. We also decided that we didn't need a room with an ocean view, which saved us a little money. Our reasoning was that if we wanted to see the ocean, we could go out on one of the decks and look out from there. So we ended up with a deluxe inside stateroom. One of the Walt Disney World hotel choices with this particular room type was Port Orleans Riverside, formerly known as Dixie Landings. This also suited us because it was where we spent our honeymoon, and we had enjoyed the hotel every time we stayed there.

Making our reservations was quite easy. Once I knew everything that we wanted and what dates we wanted to go, I went back to the Disney Cruise Line web site and entered everything in, and our reservations were made. I'm sure some people prefer going through a travel agent or at least talking to someone on the telephone, but I found the web site to be easy to use and understand.

Soon enough, the time came for our vacation. We decided to drive our own car instead of fly, which would affect a few things later on in our trip. Our vacation began at Walt Disney World, where once again we found Port Orleans Riverside to be as enjoyable as we remembered it. Our package included 4-day Ultimate Park Hopper Tickets, which we enjoyed by visiting Typhoon Lagoon as well as all four theme parks. When we checked in at the hotel, we also checked in at the Cruise Line desk there in the lobby. This would simplify things in a few days when we would go to Port Canaveral for the cruise.

After fun-filled days at Walt Disney World, we loaded up the car for the drive to Port Canaveral. Because we were driving, all we had to do was load up the car and go when we wanted to. Guests who didn't have their own car could have their bags picked up from their hotel room and then board the Cruise Line bus for the ride to the port. On our way there, we saw several of the buses going in each direction. The drive took about an hour, and the Cruise Line terminal was easy to find, mainly because the huge ship docked right outside was hard to miss. We dropped off our bags and then went to park our car. Parking at Port Canaveral is $10 a day. That seemed like it might be a little high to me, but that was our choice, and I felt like the car would be relatively secure.

Upon entering the terminal after going through the security check, we saw Mickey Mouse standing in front of a large model of the ship; Mickey was posing for pictures with guests. I later noticed that a Disney photographer was taking pictures, and those pictures could be purchased later on the ship.

A model of the ship. This model is actually of the Disney Magic, although the two ships are mostly identical.

Because we had already checked in, all we had to do was go board the Disney Wonder. At the end of the gangway, a photographer took our picture, and then we entered the large atrium lobby. As we entered, a crew member asked our family name. As we proceeded, she said over the speaker system, "Announcing the Burns family," and other crew members applauded. I know they do this for everyone as the entered, but we thought it was an exciting touch to the beginning of our cruise.

The entrance to the gangway resembled a familiar figure.

We next found our stateroom, which was on Deck 2, so that we could put down our carry-on bags, and then we proceeded to find a restaurant for lunch. We first went by Parrot Cay, but a crew member said that Beach Blanket Buffet on Deck 9 was also serving lunch and that it might be a little less crowded, so that was where we dined. It took us a little time to get used to the fact that all meals on board the ship were included in our fare, so it seemed odd not to have to pay for the meal. We had several kinds of salads, as well as some fresh fruit. The only downside was that all the indoor tables were taken, so we had to eat outside in the sun. But we did enjoy looking out on the area from high above, noticing that the Disney Wonder seemed to be bigger than all the others in the port that day.

One of the ship's towers, bearing the Disney Cruise Line logo.

We went back to our stateroom to rest a bit before the mandatory safety drill. Once the alarm sounded, we grabbed our life vests and proceeded to our designated assembly area on the Deck 4 Promenade. This drill is required of all passengers, even those who have cruised before. Once the drill was over, we returned our life vests to our stateroom and made our way up to Deck 9 for the Sail-Away party. The party was held at the Goofy pool, where the cover over the pool was closed to create a dance floor. The party included music and dancing. We were introduced to Teresa, the cruise director. There was also a performance by Mickey, Minnie, Pluto, Goofy, Chip and Dale, who performed a few songs. Once the announcement was made that we were underway, the ship's horn blew, which played the first seven notes of "When You Wish Upon A Star," another nice touch. As the party continued, we took some time to watch the scenery go by. In the distance we could see the large Vehicle Assembly Building and launch pads 39A and 39B from the Kennedy Space Center.

The Sail-Away party, featuring appearances from the Disney Characters.

After we left the party, we went to explore the ship. We ventured out to the Deck 4 Promenade, which eventually became one of our favorite places on the ship. Whenever we had some time to relax, we always found ourselves back on the Promenade, sitting in a deck chair watching the ocean, perhaps seeing a sunset or a passing storm. There never was a large crowd on the Promenade, which always gave it a peaceful feeling.

The Deck 4 Promenade, one of our favorite places to relax on the ship.

We later returned to our stateroom to find Janet, our housekeeper, had turned down the bed and made a swan out of towels. We later found that towel animals were a tradition on the cruise, and there was a different one on our bed each night. We also found that our luggage had been delivered. This was fortunate because it was time to dress for dinner.

A swan, our first towel animal of the cruise.

There are two serving times on board, 6:00 and 8:30. We were assigned to the second seating, which was fine with us because it gave us more time during the day so that we didn't feel as rushed to get to dinner. For the first night of the cruise, our assigned restaurant was Tritons, which requested a slightly more formal attire than the others. We had some spare time before our seating time, so we went back out to the Promenade to view the sunset.

Sunset as seen from the Promenade.

We arrived at dinner to meet the family we would share a table with for the cruise, the Blackburns, as well as our servers for the cruise, Zion and Sandor, as well as our head server, PJ. All were kind and curteous. At the end of each meal, Sandor would give us a rundown of the next day's activities, as well as some suggestions of things he liked to do there. It was fun to get to know new people, to find out about their activities of the day and to tell them about ours as well.

After dinner, we explored the Disney Wonder some more before retiring to our room to watch some television. The offerings included a Disney movie channel, another movie channel aimed more at teens and adults, an ABC affiliate, CNN, and ESPN. There were also channels showing the ship's position, heading and speed, as well as maps of our current position. And I enjoyed checking the channel that showed the view from the bridge. We really didn't have a desire to make it to one of the shows in the clubs that night, or to see a movie in the theater, so we just stayed in the room, although there was plenty to do elsewhere. We eventually rested for the next day's exciting activities.

Up Next: Nassau - The Bahamas!

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