What do you do when Disney calls you to check out their Disney Wonder cruise ship in town for the day on their 2012 west coast cruise tour? Do you drop everything and go?! Well…of course you do! Now you should know by now that Mama is not really a snob (well…maybe about something things like changing the toilet paper roll when it’s empty) but when it comes to traveling with the family, it should always be a vacation for everyone and not just a “trip.” Remember the infamous spring break trip to Hawaii where it was much, much more work than it was worth. While one shouldn’t at all complain about being able to even afford to go on a nice vacation but sometimes…just sometimes you want more than just being in gorgeous location like a friendly service and at least one night where you and your hubs can enjoy the night away from the kids and know they’ll be entertained and safe.
Everyone has been asking Mama for years if we’ve been on a Disney cruise. Sorry to say…we haven’t because of one previous cruise experience that was less than stellar. Mama should have known better than to go on a ship named after “carnies” but that is neither here nor there and Mama shouldn’t have let it spoil the experience of sailing out on the open waters discovering new exotic lands. Plus, we all know that no-one…no-one does it better than Disney.
Mama did get that call (well, an e-mail really but Mama imagined it was Mickey himself calling…) and got to hop aboard the Disney Wonder ship last week when it made it’s inaugural call in the port of San Diego and of course, it was love at first sight. The Disney Wonder is one of their smaller liners holding 2,700 passengers, has 887 staterooms and 10 decks.
Now while all these details are fabulous, the only thing Mama heard during the fabulously led tour of the ship was this…“The nursery for infants 0 to 3 years and the kids club for kids 3 to 12 years is open until 1 a.m. Also, if we are at capacity, we call in more staff. We never turn away a child because we want the parents to enjoy their vacation too.”
WOW DISNEY, Mama couldn’t have said it better! You heard every parent out there that has ever been on a “trip vs. a vacation.” After spending thousands of dollars to take the family on vacation, we want to enjoy it too.
So now, Mama bows down to Disney’s fantastic attention to detail, programming, stellar service and the fact that every night on board the ship they do fireworks (apparently the only cruise liner that does that and not on the Alaska route because of possibly causing a glacier meltdown). Not just any fireworks but ones that when the shell hits the water…it has FISH FOOD IN IT! Talk about being environmentally friendly…now I can just imagine all the little fish in the sea wearing Mickey Ears and following the ship around 9 p.m. every night because if Mama was a fish, Mama would. Enough imagining Mama as Nemo…
Here’s just a few more nuggets of why you should be booking your Disney cruise like tomorrow…
- Each room on the ship sleeps five people. You heard Mama…FIVE! Most packages around the world are always catered to families of four. So thank you, thank you Disney for thinking of us with way too many kids like three and how we can all possibly fit into one room. In the standard cabin there is a queen bed for Mama and the hubs, one double pull-out couch and a bunk bed that flips down and flips up when not in use. While you know Mama was like…”where’s the suite?!” There are also other options available like booking adjoining rooms and of course, the upgraded family suites for a bigger price tag.
- Disney also has made the rooms accommodating by having a split bathroom so that one person can go to the “potty” while others are bathing in a bathtub. Yes, thank you for that because we all know how hard it is to wash a baby in a shower…a teeny shower when you’re so tired.
- Oh, one more thing about rooms…you get to decorate the door to your cabin. Mama had never seen anything like it. People had decorated with magnets and pictures…it was amazing and truly personalized their vacation experience. Mama captured it on a photo below.
- You have the same Disney crew member serving you each night for dinner. They remember you, they remember your family, remember all your names and whether or not you like tomatoes, how you like your steak cooked and if you have any allergies or dietary restrictions. No, seriously…they do. In fact, they’ll have your favorite drink waiting for you upon your arrival at dinner…now that’s what Mama calls “service with a smile.”
- We all know that cell phones don’t work out over the open sea. However, leave it to Disney to provide families with “Wave Cell Phones” to keep connected while on the trip. Each cabin comes with two and families can reach each other and so can the kids club should they need you. Just fantastic…!
- What’s a cruise without a glass of wine at sunset?! Alcoholic beverages are not included in the price but Disney is the only cruise liner to allow you to bring on one bottle per person (of drinking age) for your enjoyment. Mama almost stopped listening at this moment because they had Mama at BYOB…
There’s much, much more like family and adult entertainment shows, movie premieres, princess and pirate training, character visits, a sports court…but really, it just comes down to the details that only Disney can think of to accommodate a large family. As much as Mama would love to give away one of these fabulous cruises…Disney isn’t that crazy. So Mama’s suggestion…start thinking about where you want to cruise to and just book it because it isn’t going to get any better than a Disney cruise friends. For more information on booking a Disney Cruise visit disneycruise.com.
