Vacation Recap & Review: All Aboard the Disney Wonder!

Last month, Matthew and I took a spontaneous cruise on the Disney Wonder- the only Disney Cruise Line ship we hadn't been on. We first sailed on the Dream, got engaged on the Magic, and honeymooned on the Fantasy.

While looking for spring break vacation ideas, Matthew stumbled upon a three-night itinerary on the Wonder. We just had to book it! So, three weeks before we would set sail, we booked a trip on the Disney Wonder. With less than a month to plan, we did a lot of research on the ship's restaurants, bars, pools, etc., by reading a ton of blogs and reviews. The Wonder had just come out of dry dock in November (basically it was remodeled and upgraded) and we were so excited to explore a brand new (to us) ship!

The wondrous Disney Wonder.

Our cruise left Port Canaveral on a Thursday. We took a 6 am flight to Orlando so we could be in the airport, and thus on the bus to Port Canaveral, super early. We got to the port around 10 am and they started letting folks on around 11:30. Unfortunately, we were in boarding group 21 so we had a while to wait before we could board the ship- about another half hour after boarding started.

When we boarded the ship, we were immediately impressed with the new chandelier, designed to mimic the flower in Ariel's hair. We also were struck with how "small" the atrium was. I think because we'd just gotten off the Dream in January, the atrium seemed smaller than it really was. However, it was still incredibly beautiful and the Ariel statue was simply perfect!

This trip, we had planned on getting a drink at every bar on the ship- seven in all. We made a beeline for Promenade Lounge, grabbed a few mojitos, and took an unofficial tour of the third and fourth decks- all the restaurants, shops, info desks, etc. Then we decided to skip our traditional embarkation day lunch at Cabanas, the buffet on deck nine, and opted for a sit-down meal in Triton's.

Check out that gorgeous Little Mermaid mural!

The rest of the afternoon was spent enjoying our room, lounging at the pool, and touring the ship. We were so impressed with so many things on this ship, including the adult-only area, "After Hours." Featuring a gorgeous nightclub, "Azure," a meticulously-themed bar, "Cadillac Lounge," and a proper English pub, "Crown & Fin." To say these spaces were gorgeous is an understatement.

We dominated 90's music trivia in Crown & Fin. 

Check out the details in this lounge- so neat!

Definitely one of our favorite areas on the ship.

This trip, we chose a different type of room to stay in- a Navigator's Veranda. Typically, we get a room with a traditional veranda/balcony. The Navigator's Veranda is a little different in that it's almost like a screened-in porch without the screen. It's hard to describe but hopefully the pictures below will help illustrate it. We really liked this style of room and will probably book this again- especially since it saved us some money as it is less expensive than a traditional veranda.

View of the ocean from the veranda. There were also some navigation tools built into the ledge of the veranda.

There was a bench on the right-hand side, a chair on the left-hand side, and a table in the middle.

View from inside the stateroom looking out.

Our first night on the ship included meeting our table mates for dinner in Triton's (three other childless couples) and checking out a fantastic singer in Cadillac Lounge. We really loved the options for adult-only entertainment on the ship- there was trivia, singers/piano players, game shows, and so much more. Anyone that thinks Disney cruises are just for kids needs to come on vacation with us 😄

The itinerary for this trip was embarkation day, day at sea, Castaway Cay, then back to Port Canaveral for debarkation. 

Our sea day started with complimentary room service: coffee, fruit, yogurt. Then we went for a run on the "jogging track" on deck four. I got to try out my new Altra Torins (which I LOVE!) while getting in about 2.5 miles. 

Sunrise at sea.

Altra Torins- awesome on land and sea.

I'd like to dine like this every day, please.

After our workout, we headed back to Triton's for a sit-down breakfast. On Disney ships, there are always two options for each meal; Cabanas buffet and a traditional restaurant. This trip we definitely took advantage of the sit-down meals more often than we usually do.  

Spending much of our day at sea at the adult-only pool was incredibly relaxing. We grabbed another set of drinks from Signals, the pool bar, and explored the upper decks of the ship. One of the cool things about the Wonder is that Cove Cafe (coffee shop near the pool) is actually on two levels and features some beautiful panoramic views of the ocean. 

18+ pool and hot tubs. Cove Cafe's second floor is in the upper-left corner of this picture. 

We booked a Mixology class for the afternoon and got to enjoy five hand-crafted drinks with Ivan, the Cadillac Lounge head bartender. We absolutely love the tastings and mixology classes offered on Disney cruises. Not only do we learn a ton about the history of the drinks we're making, but we also typically meet some cool people. 

Ivan, making the most delicious chocolate martini.

Our second night of the cruise included seeing "Disney Dreams- An Enchanted Classic," playing a fun round of trivia in Crown & Fin, eating dinner at Animator's Palate, and watching an incredibly awkward game show in Azure. Well, the game show wasn't awkward, but there was one couple playing the game that had broken up years earlier and were trying to rekindle their relationship with a trip on the Disney Wonder. It was so uncomfortable but still funny. I bet those two had some awkward conversations afterward.

We make a pretty good team.

Fancy martinis in Azure.

Our last day on this cruise was our favorite: Castaway Cay! We started the day early with room service as we got ready for the Castaway Cay 5k. After enjoying coffee on our Navigator's Verandah (this is the classification of the stateroom we were in- basically, it's a type of balcony room), we headed down to Azure to get our bibs and get in line to disembark the ship. I decided to dress as my favorite Disney character for this race. It just so happened that she had her own statue in the atrium. 😊

Yup. I brought a dinglehopper with me and ran with it the whole time.

We got off the ship and walked the half mile to the start line of the race. The weather was perfect- we knew it would be a great beach day once we finished the race. We ran using 30:30 second intervals and finished the race in about 36 minutes, roughly 12 minute miles. 

 Tropical mid-race selfies.

Caution runners, rough road ahead.

Torins + the beach = heaven.

After the 5k, we made our way up to the adult beach where I did a yoga class and Matthew napped in a hammock. For real, can we just do this every weekend?! 

We hung around the beach until lunch. Then the clouds started rolling in... and in a matter of 20 minutes, it was pouring down rain! So much for our perfect beach day! We headed back towards the ship, stopping at the "Conched Out" bar to get a drink and wait out the rain. Eventually, the rain did stop, though it felt like the temperature dropped 20 degrees. We spent the rest of the afternoon snorkeling and relaxing in hammocks. 

Not a bad view.

That night, we got to see "Frozen,  A Musical Spectacular," which was incredible, and then ate at Tiana's Place, the newest restaurant on the ship. As you might know, I am a huge fan of Princess Tiana. She is my absolute favorite Disney Princess- I trained for my first half and first full marathons listening to "Almost There" and "Dig a Little Deeper" on repeat. You can imagine how damn excited I was to actually be eating in the legit, real-life Tiana's Place. 

It exists!

!!!

Can you tell I'm super pumped?!

Not only is the level of detail exquisite (lily-pad trivets, frogs on the dinner plates), but the food is damn good! From the sausage fritters and shrimp and grits appetizers to the cajun spiced sea bass to Tiana's "man-catching beignets," everything was amazing. I even ordered a Purple Haze beer- brewed by Abita Springs in New Orleans. I had authentic New Orleans meals and authentic New Orleans beer in Tiana's restaurant. It was like I was inside the "Princess and a Frog" movie! The desert menu even had light-up fireflies on the outside cover. Light-up fireflies!

These shrimp and grits were so, so good.

!!!

But the absolute best part of Tiana's Place is Tiana herself. She personally came around to every table during dinner and said hello/posed for pictures. I might have almost cried when she came to us. After dinner, Tiana and Louis and the Crawfish Crooners- the brass band playing throughout dinner- actually lead us on a second line/limbo line through the restaurant. It was so magical!

BFF's 4 EVA.

Magic!

Probably the best Disney restaurant we've ever experienced.

After our super-fun dinner at Tiana's, Matthew and I spent our last night on the Disney Wonder in the adult pool, just hanging out and soaking in the last few hours we had on board. 

Seriously, how beautiful is this pool?

One last selfie on the Wonder.

Overall, this was a fabulous trip and we absolutely adored the Disney Wonder. The upgrades they made are simply stunning and in some ways, this ship feels brand new. While we didn't experience them, we heard that the kid's clubs areas had also been refurbished and received significant upgrades. 

This trip came at the perfect time for both of us- we've both had extremely busy semesters at work and have been under a great deal of stress. It was awesome to get on board the ship, turn off our phones, and just hang out with each other (and Mickey!) for a few days. 

Will we sail on the Wonder again? Most definitely! I don't know when, but we'll definitely be back on this ship in the future!

See ya real soon, Disney Wonder!

Vacation Recap & Review: All Aboard the Disney Magic!

Last month, Matthew and I set sail on the Disney Magic for five glorious days cruising in the Bahamas! We sailed on the Disney Dream last year for my surprise birthday trip and loved it so much that we booked this latest trip as soon as we got home from 2014's cruise.

The cruise we chose was a five night Bahamian itinerary that is actually only available once a year. It had the following schedule: Embarkation Day, Key West, Day at Sea, Nassau, Castaway Cay, Port Canaveral. Since we loved our three night cruise last year, we booked a longer cruise on a different ship for this year. The Dream is 40% larger than the Magic so we were a little bit worried that we would be bored or feel cramped on the smaller ship.

Our "smaller" ship. 

We totally didn't! This cruise ship was just the right size and honestly, I think I loved it more than the Dream. Because it was smaller, it took less time to get in between decks, to restaurants, to shows, etc. It wasn't a big deal if we had to run back to the room to grab something in the middle of the day because it only took a few short minutes to get around the ship.

And because this was a longer cruise, we had more time to explore the ship and do some other activities that we didn't get a chance to on the Dream- go to the movies, eat at the adult-only restaurant, spend more time in the spa, hang out in the bar/night club areas, take fitness classes at the gym, etc. The Magic was completely gutted and refurbished in 2013 so it was like being on a brand new ship with brand new places to explore!

This movie theater was AMAZING. We saw Big Hero 6 and Monkey Kingdom on the ship.

As a way to organize this recap- and so it's not infinitely long!- I figured I would share the highlights of our trip and all the things we would recommend for the Disney Magic cruise ship and the different ports we visited.

Key West: Having never been to Key West before, I wanted to see as much of the island as possible and also learn a bit about the history of Cayo Hueso (the original name of the island- it literally means "bone island"). So, we booked an excursion through Disney with Key Lime Bike Tours. For $40 each, we got to ride around the island on beach cruisers for three hours with an experienced tour guide who showed us all the favorite tourist spots and shared lots of information about Key West's history, geography, and more. And then we got to have an authentic piece of Key Lime pie at the end!  This tour was so much fun- we would definitely recommend it to anyone visiting the island of bones :-)

Key lime bikes and Key Lime pie!

Enjoying the Ship: This trip, we stayed on the ship for two full days- the "Day at Sea" and the "Nassau" day. We got off the ship last year in Nassau and with no planned excursions, there really wasn't much to do. So this year, we stayed on the ship and experienced all the fun things our "floating resort" had to offer like the gorgeous movie theater, swimming in the beautiful pools, the thrilling AquaDunk slide (that Matthew rode 17 times!), and taking advantage of the many tastings/classes the different bars offered. On the day the ship was docked in Nassau, we chose a class called "Mixology" where for $20 each, we made and then drank five (5!) cocktails in an hour- it was most definitely one of the highlights of the trip!

Enjoying a"cocomojito," making said "cocomojito," and my awesomely poured and layered B52 shot.

Couple's Choice Spa Treatment: A few months before the trip, Matthew and I booked a simple couple's massage for our "Day at Sea." We had hoped to book the ultra-indulgent "Couple's Choice" option, but it wasn't available for the time we wanted. However, when we got onto the ship and took a tour of the spa, they were able to upgrade us to the super-deluxe, two-and-a-half-hour, private-deck-and-hot-tub Couple's Choice. This spa treatment consisted of a foot exfoliation and massage, 30 minutes in a private hot tub on our private deck (within the spa), an hour and fifteen minute massage of our choice, followed by another 30 minutes relaxing on our private deck with hot tea and chocolate-covered fruit. It. Was. Amazing. Seriously, it was absolutely wonderful watching the ocean float by as we relaxed on our little deck. And our massage therapists were so talented- it was insanely relaxing. While expensive, it was a unique experience that I'm so glad we got to share together.

I think we could live on this deck with this view every day.

Castaway Cay 5k: Just like last year, we chose to start our day on Disney's private island by running a 5k. However this year, it was so much hotter and sunnier than last year! Seriously- it was one of the toughest 5ks I've ever run. Luckily, Matthew stayed right with me the whole time and we ended up running near some of our dinner table mates/new friends, Angela and Chris from Glasgow, Scotland. Side note, on this cruise, we were seated with three other couples (who we're now friends with on facebook) and had an absolute blast at dinner every night. So back to the race- after the incredibly hot run, we were rewarded with some beautifully redesigned medallions. They were colorful and even had the year printed on them- so much better than last year's generic "winner" key chain-looking medal.

New friends and new medals!

This cruise was so good that we actually booked our next one before we got off the ship. In 2016 we will set sail on the Disney Fantasy for our honeymoon! Oh yeah, we also got engaged on this cruise so that probably fed into some of the "magic" we experienced on the Magic :-)

In all seriousness, Disney cruises have become our most favorite way to experience Disney and we can't wait to try out ALL the ships!

The future Mr. and Mrs. Sparkly Runner :-)

Have you ever cruised with Disney before? Would you do it again?

First Disney Cruise "Must-Do's"

If you've ever watched television in a Walt Disney Resort hotel room, then you've probably seen Stacey hosting a little show affectionately called "Must Do Disney." She runs through all the "must-do" rides and experiences at WDW every 20 minutes.

Source

In that vein, I present to you Sparkly Runner's "must-do's" for your first Disney Cruise Line vacation! Collectively, Matthew and I have been to Walt Disney World dozens of times but have only been on one Disney Cruise. What's outlined below is our experience of what worked and what we would absolutely do again on the next Disney Cruise. When most people think of Disney or a Disney Cruise, they usually think that everything is geared towards children. While that is part of what they do, there are plenty of experiences tailored to adults. This post will refer to what we- as a couple without children- would do again. If your family includes kids, I would highly recommend googling "Disney cruise kids activities" to get an idea of what's available for children.

1. Check in online as early as you can.
When taking a cruise out of Port Canaveral, check in online as soon as it's available- usually 45 days before departure date. You should get an email letting you know when you can check in. This early check in allowed us to get on the ship around 11:15 am in boarding group three. There were over 30 groups! By getting on the ship early, we were able to walk around and get acclimated without a ton of people on board.

There are also characters hanging out in the port as you wait to board.

This was pretty awesome!

The Disney Dream is gorgeous.

Getting on early means no lines for pictures!

Quiet Cove, the adults-only section of the ship.



Deck 11 with the Mickey and Donald pools and the Aquaduck behind us.

2. Visit Guest Services right away to sign up for unique experiences.
Right after boarding the ship, we went to Guest Services to sign up for a few things we didn't want to miss- the Castaway Cay 5k and a tequila tasting :-) We had read other blogs that mentioned there would be on-board tastings (beer, wine, whiskey, etc.) on various days of the cruise but that they often sold out even before they were listed in The Navigator (our daily activities guide).

We registered for the 5k (no extra cost) and a tequila tasting ($15 per person) on the first day we got on the ship so we were guaranteed the experiences we wanted to do.

Tequila!

I also got to get behind the bar and make strawberry margaritas for the group!

I make a mean margarita :-)



3. Don't be afraid to spend a full day on the ship.
With only three days to cruise, there is some perceived pressure to try and do everything. Trust me, you won't be able to. With a Disney cruise, there are literally five activities happening at the same time all day and night long. It can be really overwhelming.

But don't forget, you are staying on an amazing floating resort! Don't be afraid to miss out on some excursions to enjoy the ship. On the day our cruise was docked in Nassau, Matthew and I got off the ship, walked through the Straw Market and bought some souvenirs, and were back on the ship by 11 am. We spent the rest of the day riding the Aquaduck (the Disney Dream's water-coaster), laying by the pool, and relaxing. It was really fun and we felt like we were getting the most out of the actual ship. And because the majority of the cruise-goers were off the boat, we had a lot of it to ourselves.

Gorgeous pools.

4. Visit "The Rainforest."
On board the Disney Dream (just like all the Disney Cruise Line ships), there is a spa that offers massages, manicures/pedicures, acupuncture, etc. We had done some research and heard about "The Rainforest"- a sauna/aromatherapy/heated stone bed/private hot tub experience that was incredibly affordable: $16 per person per day.

It. Was. Awesome. There were three separate sauna rooms, four aromatherapy showers, a row of wonderful, heated beds, and two private hot tubs. We used it on Friday, the day we spent docked in Nassau. I had the best nap of my life on the heated stone beds. We also got to use the spa's locker rooms all day. So after we had enjoyed The Rainforest for a bit, we left our stuff in the locker and went to lunch. Then we came back and relaxed for a few more hours.

This is the most amazing bed in the world.

Private hot tubs.

Different sauna rooms.

Aromatherapy showers.

These are the faces of total relaxation.

5. Dress up for Pirate Night.
On our cruise, Friday night was Pirate Night and costumes were encouraged. All the cast members were dressed as pirates- it was really fun. When we came back to our room on Friday afternoon to get ready for the night (show at 6:15, dinner at 8:15), our housekeeper had left us Pirate Mickey bandanas to add to our ensembles. Overall, this was incredibly spirited and fun night- I'm so glad we joined in the fun in costume!

Renata (one of our dinner tablemates) and I with Mickey Premium Bars!

Matthew and I on deck for the Pirates in the Caribbean party!

Simple pirate costume- hoop earrings, striped shirt, capris, winter scarf around the waist, and a bandana.



Our complimentary Pirate Mickey bandanas.

6. Get a room with a view.
There are a lot of opinions out there on whether or not you should get a room with a veranda on just a three day cruise. My advice- do it! I can't tell you how nice it was to come back to the room after a long day and sit out on the veranda, just staring at the ocean. Also, watching the sunrise in the morning was priceless. For a few hundred dollars, the view was 100% worth it. And it makes the room seem just a bit bigger.

Amazing skyline.

Can you beat this view?

Room- view from the balcony.

View from the other side.

All smiles with this awesome view.

7. Order room service.
Did you know that on a Disney cruise, room service is included in your total cost?! Pretty dang cool. Since Cabanas (the buffet and 24 hour drink station) was on deck 11 and we were staying on deck 6, sometimes we didn't want to make the trek up for a cup of coffee in the morning. So we ordered coffee to be delivered to our room each morning! We could enjoy coffee in bed or on our balcony- for no extra cost! I would highly recommend taking advantage of this- it made us feel like we were truly being pampered on a luxury cruise liner :-)

Does it get better than this?

Pre-run coffee on the balcony. AKA heaven.

8. Don't skip the entertainment!
If you've ever been to a Disney park or runDisney event, you know that the entertainment is top-notch. Now, multiply that by 10 and you'll have an idea of the entertainment presented on the ship. For a three night cruise, there are three separate shows; "The Golden Mickeys," an awards show honoring favorite Disney movie characters; "Villains Tonight," a comedy/variety show featuring Disney antagonists; and "Believe," an original production with familiar songs and characters. Each is about an hour long and full of magic. These shows rival most of the Broadway shows I've seen. Even more impressive, it's the same 20 actors for each show- they are crazy talented.

In addition to the stage shows, there are parties to celebrate the beginning and the end of the cruise and a pirate party complete with fireworks. Did you know that Disney Cruise Line is the only cruise line allowed to shoot fireworks off of a boat?! And that the firework remnants that fall into the ocean become a protein that fish can safely ingest?! True Disney magic.

The "Pirates in the Caribbean" deck party.



Fireworks on the starboard side. We were actually able to lay down on the deck to watch them- awesome.

9. Take full advantage of character opportunities.

What would a Disney vacation be without Disney characters?! Luckily, Disney cruises are full of characters- they appear in shows, for pictures, and will actually personalize items for you that you give a cast member ahead of time. When we first got on the cruise, we went to Guest Services and gave them two mats for a 5x7 picture frame. We asked for the characters to autograph them- one with the fab five, one with the princesses. On the last day of our cruise, they were delivered to our stateroom. Pretty cool, right? You can give them up to two items per stateroom.

We were also able to get pictures with lots of our favorite characters. They would publish times and locations in The Navigator each day so you could always know where they would be. Bonus- many were in "cruise attire" which was adorable.

Our finished picture frame mats.



10. Research, plan, but enjoy yourself!

This one seems really simple- you're on vacation! It should be easy to relax! But, if it's your first cruise, you may feel anxious about not knowing what to expect but still wanting to get the most out of the experience- I know I did. Matthew and I both did lots of research by reading blogs and asking questions of people who had cruised with Disney before. We planned each of our days and were pretty happy with the overall execution of those plans. However, there was always wiggle room to change course if needed. This allowed us to relax and be confident that whatever we chose to do would be fun and worth-while.

Looking back, we had a wonderful vacation and can't wait to do it again soon!

QOTD: Have you ever cruised before? With Disney? What's your "cruise must do?"