Making magic on the Wonder: Join me on my 68th Disney Cruise Line voyage to Nassau and Castaway Cay

April 26, 9:42 PMOrlando Theme Parks ExaminerBarbara Nefer

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My Disney Cruise Line addiction continues unabated. Today my husband and I embarked on the Disney Wonder for our 68th Disney cruise since September, 1998. Back them, we sailed on the Disney Magic's 11th voyage, little knowing that we would fall in love with cruising in general and Disney Cruise Line in particular. We've also done four Royal Caribbean cruises, and they were fun in their own way, but for us Disney is the ultimate way to sail the salty sea.

Generally we take four day cruises, which go to Nassau and Disney's private island Castaway Cay, although we slip in a seven day or special itinerary once a year or so. This was one of our usual four day getaways. Even though it's hard to readjust to a shorter cruise after a week on the Magic, or better yet, two weeks repositioning from Europe or through the Panama Canal, we love the Wonder because it's our home away from home. People return to the same timeshares, cabin, or vacation home regularly, and that's how the Wonder is for us. We even have a favorite stateroom, 5650, on the butt end of deck 5. It's my favorite spot because there aren't many staterooms back there, meaning there is little foot traffic. Deck 5 is also home to the movie theater and kids' clubs, so if you have little ones it's a very convenient spot. Aft, my "home" of choice, also puts you close to the restaurants. A good way to remember where things are located is the slogan "Forward fun, aft eat." The main theater is located on deck 4 forward, and the night clubs are right below it on three. Up on deck 9 forward is the best fun of all, at least for me: the spa. Aft you'll find Palo (the adults-only restaurant) on deck 10, the buffet on 9, Animators Palate on 4, and Parrot Cay on 3 (Triton's, the other main restaurant) is also on 3, but mid-ship.

There are also staterooms on decks 1, 2, 6, 7, and 8. 8 is home to the concierge suites and category 4 rooms. The other decks have a mix of categories 11 through 5.

Sometimes we get to the port right when it opens so we can board ASAP, but we were having a lazy day today. We left the house around 12:30 and were on the ship before 2. The drive is a little over an hour from Disney World when traffic is at a dull roar. If you're driving, you drop off your luggage at the terminal building (pictured above right), then park the car. I went in to check us in while hubby did parking duty. We managed to arrive inbetween buses, so the security and check-in lines were minimal. The biggest wait was to have our security photos taken right before boarding. I was in that line when hubby returned from parking the car. Soon enough we were done there; we had our embark photo taken and strolled on board the ship. Disney makes a big deal out of embarkation, announcing each family's name as they step into the atrium.

Eating was the first order of business. We ate at Parrot Cay, although the same buffet is also served in Beach Blanket Buffet in deck 9. Parrot Cay is convenient because when we're done, we simply go up two decks and we're nearly at our stateroom door. My husband focused on the cold jumbo shrimp, while I indulged in salad and tilapia, with a side order of strawberry soup. Keeping with the theme, I also had strawberry ice cream with sprinkles and marshmallows. I saw some little kids getting it, and the sight of all that condensed sugar brought out the kid in me.

When we were done, we headed up to our stateroom. The rooms are ready for occupancy by 1:30 (embark typically starts by noon). Since it was already well past that, we were able to go right in. Every looked just the same as we'd left it two months before, even though I'm sure many other families had occupied it in the meantime. The next major order of business was the safety drill, which takes place at 4 p.m. Everyone has to attend, donning bright orange life vests and trooping off to the assembly stations. Since we're almost always in the same stateroom, our station is almost always the same too: Station Q in the Animators Palate restaurant. There are also meeting points in the Walt Disney Theater and outside on deck. I like being inside, since the afternoon sun can be brutal on the eyes, and our room is just above the back staircase. While the masses are still confused, we can make a beeline for the stairs and be up and at our door before most of them realize the drill has ended.

We sat through the demonstrate of donning a life vest and the safety instructions. Then everyone was dismissed, and we trooped upstairs to wait for sailaway. There is a big blow-out deck party up on deck 9, but having sailed so frequently, we usually just relax on our verandah and watch Port Canaveral roll by. You pass the cruise terminal, businesses, restaurants (one is pictured above right), a gambling boat, and finally the campground at Jetty Park (pictured above left) before heading out to the open sea, where you might spot Homer Simpson and his gang holding illegal monkey knife fights in international waters.
 

My husband loves the onboard shows, so he was looking forward to seeing "The Golden Mickeys," a variety show with a loose Disneyesque plot about a shy backstage crew member who gets roped into hosting the show. Her attempts to keep things together are interspersed with tributes to heroes, villains, love stories, and the like. The mix includes Quasimodo, Mulan, Stitch, Ursula, Cruella DeVil, Princess Aurora, and more. If you have kids, arrive about 15 minutes before showtime and they might get interviewed on the big screen by Rona Rivers. Disney has great performers...Academy Award winner Jennifer Hudson actually comes from among their ranks. Click here for my article on Jennifer.
 

I was in more of a mood to relax, so I had booked a spa appointment during showtime. The shows are great, but I've seen them many times so a soothing reflexology session was more appealing. I've been busy with work (click here for details on my new book, which just completed its final phase and is available for pre-order), so this cruise will give me some time to kick back and be brain dead. Actually this will be a working cruise, too, but I'll still be able to spend some quality verandah time and sip a few fru-fru drinks inbetween. Working isn't so bad when the ocean is just beyond your door.
 

Click here for Part Two of our report, which details our Segway adventure. Want to learn how to get a bargain verandah room on Disney Cruise Line? Click here. Read more of my articles by clicking here.