Disney Wonder
Ever since the Disney Cruise product was introduced, there have been skeptics. Is Disney really for adults? Are there too many kids? Is there enough to do? Is it too "Mickey Mouse"? Can Disney really make a cruise product work? Will it be like a floating theme park, or worse...Chuck E. Cheese at sea? What will I do at night if there is no casino? Will it work for an incentive program? Hey, don't feel bad if you asked those questions too, because I certainly did. But after experiencing the product a few years back, I was convinced that it could work for both adult only and family incentive programs. I have been a big supporter of the Disney Cruise Line since then, and felt it was time to revisit and see what changes/progress the company has made. So, I took a small group of incentive buyers on the Disney Wonder.
Before I say more, let me mention something to you. There are some that will say "Disney is definitely not for me. Even if the demographics and specs fit, it would NEVER work for our company. To all of those people, I ask you to think about this, and ask yourself if you fit into this category:
If even looking at a child (no matter who he or she belongs to) makes you break out in hivesIf you can't stand the holiday season - and seeing houses all lit up does not give you any joy
If Halloween makes you hibernate
If you can never appreciate a magic show and always have to know "how the trick was done"
If a really good joke does not make you laugh
If you liked Scrooge and thought he was a nice guy, before the ghosts appeared
If you applauded when the Grinch attempted to steal Christmas
Then maybe you are right...a Disney Cruise is probably not for you. It's just too happy and too much fun. But, for all of the rest of you, who are willing to try something a little different, who want to have a magically fun experience, who want to find your inner child, and are able to grasp the concept that Disney is not just for kids....then I offer you this:
THE DISNEY WONDER
I would like to begin by telling you that Disney has built the nicest and most functional cruise terminal in the business. Easy on and easy off. Embarkation and disembarkation are a breeze here. Forget what you know about your experiences in Miami. This is very different and very good. If you do embark early (around 12:30 pm - 1:30 pm) - instead of being escorted to your cabin, you are taken to one of two dining rooms for lunch. Both offer a massive buffet, complete with jumbo peel and eat shrimp and carved tenderloin! It is a great way to start the day. And, the sailaway party was awesome! Complete with streamers, bubbles, an amazingly talented band, and yes, a few Disney characters - it was an absolute blast!
The ship is an art deco masterpiece from top to bottom. Who does themes better than Disney? Don't get me wrong, the ship is not decorated in Mickey Mouse - although there are subtle reminders here and there. She is an elegant and beautifully decorated vessel with all of the amenities you would expect in today's cruise industry.
The cabins:
By anyone's standards, this ship boasts particularly large cabins. The outside cabins are 226 square feet. Veranda cabins are 268 square feet (including the balcony). The suites range from 304 square feet to 1,029 square feet. All cabins are done in blonde wood with an inlaid trim. They are elegantly furnished with rich colors - red, blue, green - no pastels here. The most ingenious thing Disney did in the cabins was to divide the bathrooms into two. One room has a toilet and a sink, while the other has a fully tiled bathtub/shower and another sink. The sinks are stainless steel with granite tops. Each cabin also has a full size couch, that converts into a twin bed. All are equipped with a safe, mini bar, hairdryer, desk, and TV. Storage space was plentiful. I promise you, there is not a 3/4 night ship in the business with these kind of cabins.
The restaurants:
There are three main dining rooms each accommodating 442 guests, and passengers have the opportunity to eat in all of them. This is the only ship in the world where passengers and their wait staff rotate each evening to a different venue. And, I have to mention that this is the only mass market product that I know of where soft drinks are included with meals. Yes - all the soda you can drink at no charge!
Animator's Palate offers continental cuisine. When you enter the dining room, everything is black and white. Throughout the course of your meal, color is added on the walls, the ceiling and in the lighting. Various cartoon cells are displayed on the monitors around the room. At the end of the meal, you are treated to video excerpts of Disney favorites, and the wait staff change into colorful vests as they serve dessert.
Parrot Cay is a Caribbean restaurant, done in bold colors, ceiling fans and artificial birds. It is charming and bright. There were some very unique (and good) items on the menu - crab cake, coconut encrusted shrimp with onion rings, jerk steak - to name a few.
Tritons is a salute to The Little Mermaid. Certainly, this is the most formal of the three, with the most upscale menu. The escargot were the best I have had on a ship. There is really no formal night on the ship - but most people get dressed up on the evening they dine in Triton's.
Palo's, which seats 120 passengers, is an adult-only alternative restaurant located at the top of the ship. There is a small ($5) cover charge to dine here and reservations are required. Northern Italian cuisine is served in a chic "Wolfgang Puck" setting, surrounded by a sea of windows. Food and service here are exquisite - much like eating on a Radisson ship.
Overall, the food is very good, and the variety is remarkable. Perhaps they offer such a wide array of food product so that the children won't be bored? But let's face it...kids are happy with hot dogs and chicken nuggets - it is the adults that easily get bored with the same thing every day. This is the first ship I have been on where they offer hot dogs, burgers, chicken, bratwurst, several kinds of pizza and fries from late morning until early evening. In addition, the ship has an ice cream stand called Scoops, where they serve three flavors of freshly made ice cream - with all the toppings - throughout the afternoon. And you can get a variety of "wrap" sandwiches there as well. Let's put it this way - you won't go hungry. As much as I thoroughly enjoyed the food, I found that the real difference was the service. I have to say that this ship has some of the best dining room service that I have experienced on any large ship. No, it's not white glove - but the servers speak perfect English. They are very attentive and accommodating. They are sincere - and want to make sure you leave happy. Actually, this attitude carries over to the rest of the ship.
Beach Blanket Buffet seats 332 inside and 294 outside. Here, you can enjoy a casual breakfast or lunch. The one afternoon that I dined there, in addition to a variety of hot and cold items, I was happy to find two complete taco bars, huge bowls of fresh fruit topped with tons of blueberries and raspberries and a huge array of desserts. One day, I am told they had crab legs on the buffet!
As a side note: there are two other choices for breakfast and lunch - Triton's is table service, and Parrot Cay is buffet-style, however the wait staff will carry your plate to your table and you can order certain items from the kitchen.
A note on incentive group dining - you never have to worry about getting late seating dining, as all of the families beg to have main seating. What a pleasant change!
Public Rooms:
The Spa and Fitness Center offer 8500 square feet of exercise and relaxation options. You will find the usual workout equipment and spa treatments and therapies. The most unique feature is the Tropical Rain forest - where you will find saunas and steam rooms which surround a lowly-lit fully tiled room featuring a center fountain and several lounges. It looked like the perfect place to escape and unwind.
The Walt Disney World Theater was by far the best theater at sea I have ever seen. First of all, it seats 977 passengers in completely unobstructed view, "rocking" cinema seats. The acoustics and equipment are top notch, as are the production shows. Yes, they are done ala Disney, but do have lots of adult content. Currently, they offer Disney Dreams, Hercules and a new one called "Who Wants to be a Mousketeer?" - which is of course a Disney takeoff of the Millionaire show. All shows were technically wonderful and very entertaining.
One thing to note: Late seating dining passengers attend an early (6:30 PM) show, whereas the main seating guests attend the late (8:30 PM) show. If you are on late seating, it give you more time to enjoy the other activities after dinner.
The Buena Vista Theater is a superb 268-seat cinema that plays first run movies. This is a terrific venue for an award ceremony for a group not large enough to use the theater.
In the Promenade Lounge, you can enjoy cocktails as you watch the world float by. In the evening a wonderful jazz ensemble played for listening and dancing.
The Conference Center has three rooms that join to form one large facility. Total square footage is 1387 square feet. If a group were to need a additional meeting space, Disney is happy to offer them the three venues on Route 66, which seat 251, 153 and 78 passengers.
Route 66 is the adult only entertainment plaza - which is similar to Pleasure Island (if you have been there.) There are three lounges - Barrel of Laughs currently offers a dueling piano show It's refreshing to see the comedians poke fun at Disney a little bit here and there. The Cadillac Lounge is an intimate piano bar, with seats against the windows offering personal headsets for passengers to listen to a variety of music. Wave Bands is a rock and roll venue featuring a DJ and all kinds of upbeat dance music. One night, they had passengers participate in a takeoff of "The Newlywed Game". (Yes, my husband and I played...and yes, we won...)
The ESPN Sky box is located in a "faux" funnel in the middle of the ship. This is a great place to watch any sporting event. There is an area with actual stadium seating, plus a more traditional sports bar room.
Studio Sea is a 294-seat facility that features game shows, trivia programs, karaoke, etc. It's about time a ship had an exclusive place to host these types of programs.
If you have not figured it out already - it would be hard to get bored on this ship. I felt that our cruise was way too short, considering the number of options we had on board. We were only able to sample each of them, and could have easily stayed on for the next cruise to fully enjoy them.
The pools - there are three of them, all suited to different types of passengers:
Mickey's Pool is designed to look like "you know who's" face. It features a huge yellow water slide that is being held up by Mickey's white glove. Of course, this is where you find most of the junior cruisers.
Goofy's Pool (which incidentally has a sliding wood cover for nighttime dancing on deck) is provided for use by families of all ages.
Quite Cove is an adult-only pool and hot tub complex.
There are a few shopping venues with mostly Disney merchandise. I am glad to see that the Wonder is more concentrated with great entertainment facilities than stores. This is certainly not a "Mall at Sea."
Castaway Cay (Private Island):
This is the best, and certainly the largest private island in the business. First of all, instead of tendering, the Disney Magic docks at Castaway Cay. No other ship docks at their private island. (On any other ship, if the seas are choppy, you may miss the private island experience all together.)
You have a choice of walking or taking a short Disney tram ride to the beach. There are three separate beaches - one for families, one for teens, and one exclusively for adults. If you want to go to Serenity Bay (the adult beach) you can walk 20 minutes or take a five minute tram ride. There is a central barbecue buffet (featuring chicken, shrimp, ribs, hot dogs and burgers) and several bars and shops on the island. The beaches are dotted with beach umbrellas, lounges, chairs and hammocks. Never a problem to find the right spot to sit and enjoy the sun, sand and surf. There is plenty of "indoor" seating for lunch under large cabanas. A smaller buffet is offered at Serenity Bay for adults only. A calypso band plays throughout the day. There are several shops, restrooms, showers and a first aid station. There are even massage cabanas, for those who really want to relax. You can rent all kinds of water equipment and bicycles to explore the island on your own. Disney has created an underwater preserve for snorkeling. Here, you can see sea turtles, lobsters, barracuda, and a variety of tropical fish. What a fabulous experience for everyone!
Now, at this point you must be asking yourself, "What about the children's programs?" On our cruise, there were about 700 children on the ship - and the amazing thing about it was that they did not overpower the ship. First of all, Disney has the most extensive children's program anywhere. The kids have a place to be, with full programming from 9:00 AM until 1:00 AM that night. The counselors will even feed the children lunch and dinner in the Beach Blanket Buffet - so you don't see too many of them in the dining rooms. Teens have their own "coffee house" lounge called Common Ground. There is over 18,000 square feet of kids-only space on the Disney Wonder. Even at Castaway Cay, there is a private kid's only facility called Scuttle's Cove, where children are welcome from 9:00 AM until 3:00 PM.
Here is what you need to consider: On all other 3/4 night cruises - Carnival, NCL, RCCL - there will be children - and sometimes lots of them. No other ship has private adult-only facilities - so kids show up at the pool, on the beach, in the nightclub, etc. Only on the Disney Wonder, can adults completely escape the younger cruise crowd, in a dining room, at a pool, on a beach, in the fitness center and Spa, and in three nightclubs.
So, can an adult-only incentive program work on the Disney Wonder? Absolutely! I am a blackjack player, and I did not have time to notice the lack of a casino. If a passenger wants to gamble, he has all day and night to go to several hotels in Nassau and Paradise Island. There are so many unique things to do on this ship that it almost becomes a non-issue. The Wonder is truly a 7-night ship that just happens to be on shorter itineraries.
Is the Disney Wonder worth the higher per person price, as compared to Carnival, NCL and RCCL? If you consider the size of the cabins, the Spa, the entertainment options, the quality of the vessel and the Castaway Cay experience - the answer is absolutely - yes! Haven't incentive groups been going to Orlando and Disney World for years? Why not take it a step further, and sail on a truly "Wonder-ful" vessel....the Disney Wonder.
Some comment from our clients who participated in this fam:
"My best experience on a 3/4 night cruise...in terms of Food and Beverage and Service...nothing matches it...."
Victoria Pritchard, Account Executive - Reward Worldwide - Toronto, Ontario
"After sailing on the Wonder, I would not hesitate to use the ship for a non-family group. The ship is so well designed that the children sailing with their families are not an issue at all. Matter a fact, the manner in which Disney offers children activities and dedicated space for families vs. adults only, makes this ship more desirable to sail on for non-family groups than any other ship. The Disney quality in food, accommodations and service at all levels is outstanding. I strongly recommend using Disney Cruise Lines."
Patricia Dobosz, Vice President of Sales - Sunbelt Motivation - Dallas, Texas
"The attitude, appearance and manners of the staff (Cast Members) aboard the ship are definitely Disney! They have a smile for everyone and are cooperative and eager to please. The ship is beautiful inside and out. You'll see a tasteful reminder that you're on a Disney vessel, but it will no way feel like an amusement park. I would recommend a Disney Cruise for any groups, whether with or without children. The experience was unforgettable; wonderful (and plentiful) meals, beautifully appointed and roomy cabins, plenty of fun activities, and terrific entertainment. Don't forget Castaway Cay...what a beautiful island paradise!"
Beth Steinbauer, VIKTOR INCENTIVES & MEETINGS - Traverse City, Michigan
