Disney Cruise Lines - Disney Magic & Disney Wonder |
| They look alike, and they both sail
alike too, but Disney Wonder has a feel all it's own. The 83,000 ton ship
made it's inaugural debut in August 1999, and upon stepping aboard we
immediately took note of the Wonder's Art Nouveau-style lobby, which
features sycamore wood, blue glass and polished nickel railings. Noted
artist and designer Dale Chiluly has created a gorgeous Venetian art glass
chandelier that graces the atrium. The ship is stunning, featuring a
customized artwork designed exclusively for the Disney Wonder. This cruise, in our opinion, is probably best suited to those traveling with children, extended families, and true die-hard Disney fanatics. Setting the industry standard for children's cruising activities, you will find more square footage designated for different age groups of children than you'll find aboard any other ship afloat. Those of you familiar with the resorts at Walt Disney World know their obsession with iconography, and the Disney sister ships haven't escaped unscathed. You'll find "hidden" (and not so hidden) Mickeys on the soaps in the bathroom, curtains, bedspreads, railings, artwork, etc. You get the idea. We found a wide variety of adult-oriented activities available during my latest cruise. I attended a very classy food demonstration, prepared by one of Disney's executive chefs from Epcot's Germany pavilion; experienced line-dancing with instruction; attended jackpot bingo; and plunked down an additional $12 for the wine tasting seminar. I also saw two first-run movies, enjoyed the rainforest themed sauna, and treated myself to a beachfront massage on Castaway Cay. There is no library or casino, but I found many were enjoying adult-only nightspots with live entertainment. |
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Disney Wonder also has the same innovative dining concept as Disney Magic. Passengers, along with their table wait staff, rotate to a different restaurant each evening. Parrot's Cay features vibrant colors and tastes of the Bahamas serving breakfast, lunch and dinner. Everyone loves Animator's Palate, a dining room that starts out black and white, transforming into a rainbow of color. Triton's is the ship's main dining room and features a hand-crafted sea-inspired wall mosiac. This is your chance to dress up as you are presented with a continental menu in a sophisticated setting. An elegant adult-only restaurant, Palo, does require reservations, and there were problems in the past in obtaining them. However, the reservation system has been fine-tuned, and it is rare to hear that adults are turned away from enjoying this dining experience. Palo offers a panoramic view of the ocean and an open view of the kitchen. A casual breakfast and luncheon menu is served each day at the self-service Beach Blanket Buffet. Our favorite lunches were here, where glass beach balls and larger-than life surf boards predominate the decor. One may also dine from menus at Triton's during lunch. Scoops soft-serve ice cream, Pinocchio's Pizzeria and Pluto's Dog House are great for snacks by the pool. |
The Wonder's three-story Art Nouveau lobby, decorated by famed NY designer Adam D. Tihany, greets passengers with an "under the sea" theme. Everyone poses for a photo with the bronze statue of Ariel from Disney's Little Mermaid, located just outside Triton's Dining Room. The Wonder boasts hundreds of original artwork, including oils, prints and sculptures by international artists. Additional facilities include two shops filled with Disney Cruise Line merchandise including one for adults with pricey clothes and European glass; self-service laundry rooms; conference rooms, a medical center.
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Cabins are among the largest in the industry, and 74% of them are outside. You'll find them well laid out, and decorated with hand-crafted wood trim, gray, red and blue fabrics. Once again, you'll find Mickey ears everywhere. Standard outside cabins have large round windows, and the verandah cabins have teak-floored private verandahs. Parents will be happy that these can be locked to keep youngsters from going out unsupervised. Most cabins have a bathroom with child-size tub, shower and sink as well additional half bath, a Disney innovation. The staterooms have ample storage and lovely inlaid-parquet wood furniture, as well as a large steamer trunk. Additional amenities include swival color TV with movies, bridgecam, CNN, The Disney Channel, cartoons, and music videos; a mini fridge; telephone w/voice mail and hair dryer. All cabins accommodate three or four passengers and family suites (291 sq. ft) hold five. These family suites feature queen or twin beds, convertible sofa and pulldown beds. Basic inside cabins are 173 square feet and cabins with private verandahs are 253 square feet with convertible sofa as well as queen/twin beds. One bedroom suites (591 square feet) holding four or five people and two bedroom suites sleeping five with two and a half bathrooms, whirlpool tub, TV/VCR, walk-in closets, wet bar are also available. Suite accommodations have a private concierge service which assists in booking shore excursions, spa appointments, dinner at Palo and bring a full breakfast each morning. |
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The adult entertainment district, Route 66, consists of WaveBands, a live music and dance club; Barrel of Laughs for a popular dueling pianos show; and The Cadillac Lounge, an intimate piano lounge. The family entertainment area called Studio Sea was hopping every night, with lots of scheduled activities. We found the adult-only areas more crowded than on the Magic. Different theme nights were offered, including Rock 'n Rolly Party. Sports fans will enjoy multiple screen viewing of the latest sports events at the ESPN Skybox. First-run movies as well as Disney classics are featured in the Buena Vista Theater. Broadway-style entertainment, ala Disney of course, are presented nightly in the Walt Disney Theater. Disney fans will not want to miss Disney Dreams. Rounding out the performances was Hercules, The "Muse"ical", another Disney extravaganza. While the ship is in port in Nassau, Disney's throws a "Dancing Under the Stars" deck party. First a DJ, then live music....the deck was crammed with folks have a grand old time. From time to time on the cruise, you'll find different bands playing on the pool decks, along with interactive games and prizes. On our day at sea, Goofy threw a Pool Party, with streamers and gifts for everyone. |
The children's program is organized and run by dozens of caring youth counselors, along with scheduled character greetings (and many surprise visits too) throughout the day. The inclusion of a brand-new nursery, Flounder's Reef, fills a void for parents looking for childcare for their infants through age three. Spanning nearly an entire deck, Disney's Oceaneer Club is a supervised programs for children aged 3-7 spilt into age groups of 3-4 and kids 5-7. The Oceaneer Lab; split into groups for kids aged 8-9 and kids 10-12, where they will expereience high-tech interactive programs, hands-on science experiments, and ship-wide treasure hunts. Kids 11-12 can compete in a marine biology knowledge quest game show and send digital post cards to friends. Teens (13-17) have their own private club, Common Grounds, a New York-style coffee house plus competitive sports and nighttime activities. Children's facilities are open from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 a.m. Flounder's Reef Nursery is for the infant set, with afternoon and nightly hours available on a first-come, first-served basis according to babysitter availability. Rates are $6.00 per hour for the first child ($5.00 for additional children). Once signed in onboard the ship, your children are automatically enrolled in the children's programs on Castaway Cay. There are supervised games for the individual age groups and bike riding. However, take note they do not take the children swimming. Disney character appearances are scheduled several times daily to appear in children's area on the private Island. |
Primarily families, with a mix of adults ranging from the 20's on up. Since Walt Disney World is the honeymoon capital of the US, there were plenty honeymooners on board. I was also told that up to 45% of passengers on my cruise were part of an extended family holding family reunions on board. You'll find children onboard throughout the year. 
The attire is casual for the most part. No shorts, T-shirts or jeans are acceptable in any of the restaurants in the evening. On the new seven-night Caribbean cruise two formal nights will be added requiring "black-tie optional" attire and tuxedo rentals will be available in advance. 
Disney's brochure recommends a per person, per cruise tipping amount of $31 for a three-day cruise and $41.50 for a four-day sailing and $114 for a seven day cruise. |
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| What continues to intrigue about a
cruise aboard Disney Magic is that it blends the traditional elegance of a
vintage ocean liner with a kid-friendly environment. Entering on deck
three, adults' eyes go right toward the massive chandelier-esque glass
sculpture by Dale Chihuly in the three-story atrium, while kids are more
interested in being welcomed by Goofy or Pluto, who wait at the door to say
hello. Huge portholes line walkways through common areas on decks three,
four and five. Lovely fabrics, inlaid wood, and marble are used to great
effect. In fact, my first impression on entering the ship was "it's too
nice for kids!" Disney Magic's biggest attribute is its ability to please families of all ages and backgrounds, no easy task. One of the most joyful sail-away parties I've ever experienced involved Goofy and Pluto "getting down" to "Y-M-C-A." Absurdly comical and strangely moving, parents and kids, from three year-olds swinging in dads' arms to too-cool-for-words teens, all danced together, mouthing the words and wildly outlining the letters. Easily the most popular scheduled "events" were character appearances (autograph and photo opportunities) by Mickey, Minnie and the gang, generally held before and after dinner in the Atrium. Another popular photo op was the five five-foot high bronze statue of Mickey. Be prepared to spend money at Shutters (the on-board photographers) and opt for one of their packages! Since the 83,000-ton ship was launched in 1998 to tremendous criticism that Magic offered little enticement for cruisers who happened to be child-free, Disney has attempted to highlight existing and new offerings with middling success. There is, of course, the ship's adult-only Beat Street, an evening entertainment district with clubs offering country music and karaoke, cigars and cognac, and comedy. We met very few couples who were sailing without kids except our dinner tablemates, admitted Disney fans, who were celebrating their 25th anniversary. They were disappointed with the lack of quality activities although Disney has attempted to add more traditional onboard fare, such as bingo, skin care clinics, fitness workouts, volleyball games and belly flop contests. On our four 7-night western Caribbean cruise, Castaway Cay was the trip's biggest hit. Castaway Cay, Disney's private, 1,000-acre Bahamian island has its own dock (you just walk off the ship) and passengers head for beaches (adults only and family), underwater snorkeling trails, open-air massages and rental sailboats, bicycles, kayaks and paddle boats. Outdoor bars, most designed to look like Caribbean shacks, abound. Barbecue lunch is served. Scuttle's Cove is the outdoor version of the Oceaneer Club and Oceaneer Lab; while teens can participate in dedicated shore excursions |
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A highlight of the cruise was Disney's unique rotation dining scheme. Cruisers are assigned to a table number (with the same tablemates and wait-staff) and then revolve around the ship's three dining rooms, all different in style and, supposedly, cuisine, although everything sort of tasted alike. Lumiere's is the most elegant but a trifle boring. In Animator's Palate, conversation comes to a complete halt as diners watch the walls, which feature portraits of Disney characters and cartoon sketches of famous scenes, change from black and white to color. At the end of the evening, the waiters parade around the room, having changed from black and white vests to colored ones -- and the audience applauded. It was the first time on a cruise that the audience cheered for the decor. Our favorite was Parrot Cay, a Caribbean-themed restaurant that was colorful and casual. If you are on a four-night cruise, you eat twice at the last restaurant but all passengers, whether they're in Lumiere's or Animator's Palate or Parrot Cay, order off the same menu. One night was a Mexican theme night, another had an international theme. We found the food in the dining rooms to be quite good and better than we were expecting. There's a great kid's menu and crayons/activities are provided while they wait. Our wait-staff was very good, particularly in entertaining children, performing magic tricks, making hats, making Mickey faces with the ketchup and keeping them happy so the adults had an enjoyable meal. During the day, there were plenty of choices, from the Topsiders Buffet, which opened at 6:30 a.m. and nearly always had lines and is unfortunately feels very cramped inside, to poolside options like Pinocchio's Pizzeria, Pluto's Dog House and Scoops, an ice cream bar. Two of the restaurants were open for breakfast and lunch. Lumiere's offered traditional cruise menus and formality (eggs Benedict, etc.) while Parrot Cay offered a buffet with beverage table service. |
Aside from the Deck 3 Atrium, which was used mostly for captain's parties and character appearances, the Magic had a wide variety of lounges, from themed bars to theaters. We loved The Walt Disney Theater -- just like Broadway! Before dinner, it was fun to sip an aperitif in the Promenade Lounge, amidships, where a duo played popular tunes and kids and adults danced. ESPN Skybox "sports now, all the time," tucked into one of two (this one cosmetic) smokestacks, featured two big screen televisions surrounded by a dozen smaller ones. It was never crowded but wasn't terribly pleasant -- the continual sports-on-television was too loud to foster any kind of conversation and the cigarette smoke was unpleasant. Sessions, an adult-only bar on Beat Street, was a lovely and elegant hideaway with deep purple armchairs tucked next to oversized portholes. One warning: wines by the glass were expensive, by cruise standards, with the cheapest starting at about $7. Two big omissions for traditional cruisers: no casino, or library. It's very difficult to find a quite space anywhere on deck to read with constant Disney music being piped in. Disney has added a cybercafe.
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The children's program is organized and run by dozens of caring youth counselors, along with scheduled character visits too throughout the day. Spanning nearly an entire deck, Disney's Oceaneer Club is aa supervised program for children aged 3-7 spilt into age groups of 3-4 and kids 5-7. The Oceaneer Lab; split into groups for kids aged 8-9 and kids 10-12, where they will experience high-tech interactive programs, hands-on science experiments, and ship-wide treasure hunts. All of the kids from 3-12 had time scheduled in the Oceaneer Lab, which they seemed to enjoy. Kids 11-12 can compete in a marine biology knowledge quest game show and send digital post cards to friends. Teens (13-17) have their own private club, Common Grounds, a New York-style coffee house plus competitive sports and nighttime activities. Children's facilities are open from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 a.m. We traveled with a 3 and 7 year old. The 7 year old had a blast, the 3 year old was a tad on the young side, however, she would have done better with a smaller kid to counselor ratio. For the 3-4 year olds there are 15 kids per counselor, which we felt was too many for that age when some of them need a bit more individual attention in a large group setting. I saw some tears and kids left on their own I the bathroom who needed help among the 3 year olds. The 8-10 year old program seemed good, however, we talked to teens who were bored and felt they were left too much on their own. The inclusion of a brand-new nursery, Flounder's Reef, fills a void for parents looking for childcare for their infants through age three. Flounder's Reef Nursery is for the infant set, with afternoon and nightly hours available on a first-come, first-served basis according to babysitter availability. Rates are $6.00 per hour for the first child ($5.00 for additional children). Parents are issued beepers which we thought was great. Our kids could have us beeped if they wanted to leave for any reason or if a problem arose. Keep in mind that kid's area at Castaway Cay is very sunny. |
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You expect more from Disney -- and by and large it delivers. The highlight of each night was the theatrical production. We enjoyed the Hercules musical, although there were brief scenes that were a little too scary for younger children (particularly when a leering devil rose from beneath the stage in a puff of smoke). Younger kids will enjoy Disney Dreams, a more traditional-style production about famous characters (Peter Pan, Beauty and the Beast, Hercules) that teach a young girl life's lessons. Our kids also really liked the ventriloquist, magician and the Who wants to be a Mousecateer show. The adult entertainment was particularly weak because, it seemed, the different performance venues were trying to please all passengers all the time. In Sessions, the sophisticated wine and cigar bar, a pianist usually played show tunes, which was lovely, but every once in a while would launch, jarringly, into a 1970s pop tune. Studio Sea featured more game show type entertainment geared towards the kids, however, there was a fun dueling pianos bar. Disney's onboard cinema, the Buena Vista Theater, is a big plus and features first-run movies such as Chicago on-board for all of the studios Disney owns -- not just Disney animated classics -- which are released on the ship the same day they are released nationwide. |
The 8,000 square foot spa offers massage/beauty facilities and a relatively small exercise area with glass wall with a view of the working bridge, located a deck below. The spa is off-limits to youngsters but fitness enthusiasts rued the small workout room. Three main pools are found on Sports Deck, the Mickey pool with a lengthy slide tube into the pool for kids, Pluto's pool one for families and the the one adult pool, the "Quiet Cove," offers nouvelle jazz and classical music instead of Disney tunes, however, it's hardly quiet, being in close proximity to the other pools. Mickey's and Pluto's pools are disappointingly too small for the large number of children on board who wanted to go in the pools. More traditional onboard fare, such as bingo, skin care clinics, fitness workouts, volleyball games and belly flop contests are available each day. A full promenade deck is designated for jogging and walking and additional activities include a batting and driving range and basketball court.
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Charming, comfortable, decorated in a classy nautical/ art deco-ish, detail with sleek fixtures, the standard outside cabin (with or without balcony) is clearly designed with families in mind. First you notice the "bath-and-a-half" concept; two rooms, one with a toilet and sink, the other a small tub and sink. Very convenient, though they do take up more space than the typical cruise bathroom. The only cabins that don't have the dual bathrooms are the cheapest inside accommodations. Beds convert from twins to queen and are cloistered in the middle section by a curtain that divides the bedroom area from the sitting area, which is particularly useful at night, after the kids are asleep. In the sitting area, there's a sleep sofa, coffee table, desk and color television, which features mostly Disney channels and CNN. Verandahs, pretty plentiful at 44 percent of outside staterooms, are equipped with two plastic chairs and a small table. We splurged for a family outside cabin with balcony, which had plenty of room for our family of four and can comfortably sleep 5. |
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