Location: Western Hemisphere
Posted on: 14-04-14 14:11:41
We just returned from a cruise on board the Disney Wonder. In short, it was fabulous and enjoyed every moment of it 
It was a four night trip from Miami with a day stop at Disney’s private island, Castaway Cay (Bahamas), followed by sailing to Nassau and Key West (with all-day stops at each), before returning to Miami.
Disney cruises tend to be a bit pricier than the Carnivals and the Royal Caribbeans and sorts, but, as a first time cruisers, we found the experience and the quality of customer service on board to be simply fantastic.
Of course, food was abundant and everywhere. Everything but alcoholic beverages was free. Beverages and ice cream are on stands spread on the top open deck at a couple of locations.
There are plenty of activities to do, or attend to, on board. There are also a number of port adventures at extra cost as they are not part of the cruise ship. Most of the crew were foreign nationals – their name badge carries their country of origin (noticed the same at Disney World too). I kept a mental tally of who attended/served us and the list is – Trinidad, Mexico, Chile, Peru, Phillipines, India, Indonesia, France, Canada, Italy, Hungary, Turkey, Jamaica, England, Australia, and more. Most, if not all, live on the ship 4 months at a time and get 2 months off. And, they repeat the cycle. They must have received a stringent training and vetting before and after hire, for, everyone (I mean everyone) knew how to treat the guests by going above and beyond.
A lot of activities for kids, especially teens. The place is safe and every kid below a certain age is trackable via a RFID band. So, the parents need not hover and can relax on their own. Castaway Cay was just gorgeous. The white sand beach and plenty of snorkeling and swimming opportunities. Me and my son did the Aquatrike (a pedal based tricycle of sorts - three wheeled oversized “boat”). It was fun getting on it, but took the last piece of my energy trying to keep the darn thing straight in the water with the wind blowing.
Things to be aware of – the cruise and flight tickets do not include the gratuity (to the head server, server, assistant server and the room host/hostess), alcoholic beverages, theater concession stand food (popcorn, soda, etc), gift shop purchases, port adventures, and the trinkets we all end up buying at the local stores. On Disney boats, most of the charges can be charged to the key card which is attached to your credit card. This way, we didn’t have to carry anything other than our key cards and a picture ID.
Bahamas does not have any immigration or customs while entering Nassau. The ship however, had security check each and every time we returned to the ship. That included 2 to 3 layers of key card and ID checks plus X-ray screen of all belongings. Also, the ship restricts entry of food into the ship from outside, especially at Key West. Key West prohibits entry and exit of certain items.
The other part is the diligent attempt toward cleanliness. The whole place was always clean. Plus, they make you use wipes and towels before re-entering the ship and before entering the restaurants/dining areas.
US immigration was done at Key West as that was the first POE. The US agents board the ship and we all had to present ourselves at the designated location inside the ship for the check. The Customs was done at Miami.
If you are prone to motion/sea sickness, the rocking of the ship may make you sick. On the first night of sailing, I had motion sickness which disappeared after one night. We took the glass bottom boat tour in key west (which I shouldn't have) and the ocean had 3 to 6 foot swells. Well, that got me sick with nausea. So, I had to stand in the front of the little boat with cold fresh air blowing on my face while I was bobbing up and down on the rocking boat. That was the only way for me not to lose control over my guts
That night, while sailing back to Miami, we could feel the shudder of the waves on the ship every few seconds, despite the monstrosity of the size of the ship.
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Dimple2001
I have a few good questions here. What were the expenses incurred, per person, on an average.
What were the tips given, each day, or at the end of the voyage.
Did the children have a room of their own.? Or did they stay in the same room?
Any Indian Vegetarian Food made available to those who look for such a meal? If so what was the menu?
Did they give you a guided tour of the SHIP and if so what is the best part of the ship and any comments about each opf the sections that you viewed?
Was there a duty free shop and if so how well the prices compare to the ones we buy here or at the borders here. Was there a great selection?
The shudder you felt is due to the stabilizer fins correcting the sway of the vessel due to the waves. Imagine a HUNDRED foot wave over the top deck? Some one told me that they asked them to tie a string to a raw bacon strip and swallow and hang onto the string..
I am glad that you all enjoyed the DISNEY CRUISE. Welcome back to TERRA FIRMA.
FH.
Location: Western Hemisphere
Posted on: 14-04-14 19:41:59
The price (USD) fluctuates based on the season and the type of room. There are inside staterooms, rooms with portholes and rooms with balconies. Each of those come in various sizes to accommodate small or larger family sizes. The room choices are automatically populated on the computer screen as you progress through the online booking system based on the number of people you have in your group.
In our case, we chose inside stateroom for the three in our family. Including travel insurance and Disney shuttle from the airport to the port, the cruise price was $720 per person.
Tips are calculated for you and noted in the booklet that is mailed to your address ahead of time. The tips are itemized for each guest and gives the breakdown for the four primary crew members – Server and the room host/hostess get the max while the asst server and the head server get the least. These four are assigned to your party for the entire trip. On the last night before leaving the ship, the tips are charged to your credit card or you can pay by cash. They do give the option to modify or add to the pre-calculated tip. In our case, it was $48 for each person for the four days ($12 per day per person). This $48 includes the tips for all the four servers and hostess.
We were assigned one stateroom with a bed and a couch that converts to a bed. This held all three of us.
Special requests for food can be made and they make every attempt to satisfy your request. We eat anything and everything, so diet was never an issue. Their fish and steak during dinner are fabulous. Having said that, our server surprised us with Indian food during one of the dinners. So, the other family at our table (who happened to be from Hamilton) also enjoyed the food with us.
There was a guided tour of the ship, but we didn’t opt for it since we were more hungry that afternoon and decided to head for the lunch buffet. I don’t recall any duty free stores in the ship, but then, we weren’t looking for it.
Our glass bottom boat tour was $42 per ticket. Trinkets and shirts and such at Key West and Bahamas was another $100 to $200. Airport parking about $50. Our flight was quite expensive since we opted for non-stop and on certain days - $700 per person.
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Dimple2001
Thanks for the information and the cost breakdown. That got me wound up. Now I am looking at the Mediterranean ones too. For me food is the best part and though not fussy, want it spicy and HOT.
I see two of them carry around 2700 and the other two around 4000 passengers. You must have got one of the newer vessels. It was good to know about the set up.
The reason I asked about the guided tour is to get to know the equipment and the storage facilities for provisions, fuel, the galley and the power source the cruise ship has for its operation and propulsion for the duration of the trip and how efficient the system is.
It sure is a money maker. Works out to be about Half a Billion bucks an year. Not Bad!! (For the big one.)
Memories are made of this.
FH.
Location: Western Hemisphere
Posted on: 15-04-14 16:20:40
Ours was Disney Wonder - a 83000ish tonner launched in 1998 or so. The Dreams is the 123000 tonner and the new and bigger one launched in 2010. Ours had about 2300/2700 or so passengers plus 1000ish crew.
The Wonder is sailing to Vancouver in summer to begin the 7 night Alaskan cruise in June, July, Aug and I believe Sep too. For July and inside stateroom, for three, it runs about $4200 plus air fare plus all the extras
If I had booked while I was on board, I could have gotten a 20% discount on the fare.
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Dimple2001
Nice detailed post, Dimple. We did our first cruise last year and it was an amazing experience as well.
We went with Carnival departing from Baltimore (saved on flight costs and drove there) and ended up paying approx. 700 per person for a 7 night cruise with 3 stops (one in Florida and two in the Bahamas). Very similar to what you described for Disney minus the characters. Only difference is we opted for a balcony room and this I would highly recommend, it was fun to hang out there with friends from time to time (we were 5 families in total).
Best part? You've completely unplugged (internet is available for hefty charge but most folks don't get it). This was one of the few places where I didn't see people on their phones or tablets constantly. The added benefit of not having to figure out where to eat everyday was Godsent. And for dinner, we ate Indian food literally every day.
Overall, one of the best vacation experiences I've had, especially considering how economical it was.
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Are you there?
This could be the best deal I've ever heard.
Quote:
Originally posted by BlueLobster
We went with Carnival departing from Baltimore (saved on flight costs and drove there) and ended up paying approx. 700 per person for a 7 night cruise with 3 stops (one in Florida and two in the Bahamas).
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The cowards never started,
The weak died on the way,
Only the strong arrived.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_yK1i9cLAMM
