A 4 Day Cruise On
The Disney Wonder

Julius and I had never been on a cruise, and with the DVC incentive, we shipped out on the Disney Wonder 4 day Bahama voyage with stops at Nassau and Castaway Cay.

Disappointments:

I have heard for years from cruisers that I have met that the food on a cruise is abundant and delicious. Not so, but certainly adequate once we adjusted to the Disney schedule. Food was good, but not always available. Also, I need plenty to drink and I had a hard time finding enough non-alcoholic liquid. There was the typical Disney drink refill station on the 9th floor, and it was the only one I found and it closed during the night. The only other drink available was tap water.

As Adults WithOut Children (AWOC), we found the activities limited. Disney is designed for families, and should be, but I had hopes of dancing cheek to cheek, hitting some golf balls, and swimming. None of these came to fruition. The pools on the Wonder are very small, more of a soaking area than a swimming area; and even with the ship capacity short by 400, the pools were too crowded. The weather was beautiful, 80’s with a breeze, thank goodness. I can see where the 9th deck of the Wonder could be miserable if the 90 degree mark was hit. All of the outdoor activities are on the 9th deck, with 3 pools (soaking tubs), and of course, all the children. The forward section of Deck 9 is reserved for passengers over 18, but other than the overcrowded soaking tub, there wasn’t much happening there.

The food was excellent, the service was superbly Disney, and the stateroom was tight, but comfortable. Disney far exceeded cleanliness, there is not a germ on that ship. And the shows were spectacular.

Castaway Cay was worth the trip. I expected a day on a deserted island with not much happening and limited services. Wrong. This day will long be remembered. Julius and I enjoyed the adult beach, even though a hurricane had just passed and there was a lot of seaweed, no big deal because the water was gorgeous and the beach was ideal. We waded out quite a way and still the water was below my waist, and the sand was soft and I could see my feet easily. The wind, though, was still cool, so we didn’t linger long in the water. Disney servers made frequent passes to take drink orders, the chairs/umbrellas were abundant and well kept.

We rented bicycles in the afternoon for $6 each and biked the paved path to the observation tower where could see most of the island and the Disney Wonder off in the distance. It was a spectacular day, relaxing with a little exercise. As we left, though, we took a quick look around at the family beach and realized that we had missed some great opportunities. There is a very interesting looking water slide, a stingray pool, boats, parasailing, all sorts of things to do and see there. Castaway Cay is the highlight of the Disney cruiseline, and I can’t wait to get back there. The Wonder was docked there from 8 to 5, and I could have stayed for 3 days.

Nassau, was pretty much what I expected. An older village with shopping available, but risky.