I was lucky to have a tour recently on the Disney Wonder which sails from Galveston this winter season. Disney provides a unique experience because of it entertainment focus versus other cruise lines. The ship’s focus on family entertainment provides an ideal environment for a family getaway. Additionally, the ship also offers adults-only areas for relaxation while the children enjoy their activities. There is something for everyone!
The Disney Wonder is decorated in the Art Nouveau style. The ship features 11 decks and can accommodate 2,400 guests. In 2016, the Disney Wonder underwent a renovation to update the restaurants, entertainment and accommodations.
The Disney Wonder sails various lengths of itineraries (2, 3, 4, 5, 7 & 14 nights) from Galveston, San Juan, Port Canaveral, San Diego, and Vancouver.
Check out the photos below to get an inside look at what this ship has to offer.
There are several adult-only areas including Crown & Fin Pub, Cadillac Lounge, Azure, Palo Restaurant and Senses Spa. The Crown & Fin Pub, Cadillac Lounge and Azure are located in “After Hours” an area exclusively for adults. The Crown & Fin Pub is a classic British pub with dark woods, leather furniture and large TV showing the latest sporting events. The Cadillac Lounge is a sophisticated 1950s piano bar. Azure is a nightclub with a bar, dance floor and lots of seating.
Another adults-only area is the Senses Spa & Salon. This is an excellent place to relax and unwind either in the rainforest steam room, sauna, spa villa, or enjoying a treatment. The Spa Villas can be reserved for a day to enjoy by yourself or with your partner. They are Mediterranean-inspired suites with a hot tub on the balcony. Also located within the Spa is a well-equipped fitness center with amazing ocean views where you can workout by yourself or in a group class. There is a small section of the Spa designed for teens aged 13-17, the “Chill Spa,” where they can get treatments specially designed for teens.
One of the most popular staterooms is a Deluxe Family ocean view Stateroom with Verandah located on deck 8. This stateroom can sleep 5 people in a queen size bed, single sleeper sofa, a wall pull down bed and an upper berth pull-down bed (which is pulled down over the sofa bed at night to create bunk beds). It also has a split bath, which means the bathroom is split into two rooms: the first room has a sink, shower and tub while the second room has a sink and toilet. This arrangement can be very useful if someone likes to take long showers. The stateroom including the Verandah is 304 square feet.
If you are looking for something bigger, the Disney Wonder has one bedroom, two bedroom, and Royal Suites on the Concierge level. The photos above show the Walter E. Disney Suite, which is a Royal Concierge Suite. This suite can sleep 7 people in two bedrooms (one with queen-size bed, one with two twin beds and two pull-down upper berths). It also has two and a half bathrooms including whirlpool tubs, living room, media library with wall pull-down bed, dining salon, pantry, wet bar and walk-in closets. The stateroom including the Verandah is 1,029 square feet. Concierge level rooms also have access to the Concierge Lounge with a daily selection of complimentary hors d’oeuvres and drinks, and the concierge team to help assist with dining, spa, and shore excursion reservations.
The above photos show the Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique. This is a special salon where children can be magically transformed into princesses, princes, and pirates!
There are three pools on the Disney Wonder: Cove pool, Goofy’s pool and the AquaLab. The Cove pool is a quiet adults-only pool located forward on desk 9 near the Sense Spa. Goofy’s pool is the main pool located in the center of deck 9 and is for all ages. The pool located aft on deck 9 is the Aqua Lab (pictured above) which has a twist ‘n’ spout water slide and a water play area where Huey, Dewey and Louie have concocted a series of water “experiments.” Additionally in this area is Dory’s Reef, a covered splash pad for infants and toddlers 3 years of age and younger.
Disney has a unique approach to dining. Instead of staying at the same restaurant each night you rotate through the main restaurants at least once during each cruise. Don’t worry, you will have the same servers as they will rotate with you.
The Disney Wonder features three main restaurants: Triton’s, Animator’s Palate, and the Tiana’s. Triton’s is named after the Little Mermaid’s father and is an American-French fusion restaurant. Animator’s Palate is a magical experience where the walls come alive with hand-drawn characters. This restaurant features Pacific island, Asian and California foods. Tiana’s, inspired by The Princess and the Frog, is set in New Orleans during the 1920s and features live jazz music. This restaurant serves mouthwatering southern, home-style food. Note, if you are staying in the Concierge Suites, you can have lunch here on embarkation day!
The Disney Wonder also has a casual restaurant and an adults-exclusive restaurant. The casual restaurant, Cabanas, is a buffet during breakfast and lunch featuring over 10 diverse food stations. At dinner it turns into a table-service restaurant. The adult-exclusive restaurant, Palo, is located at the front of deck 10 with amazing ocean views and serves Italian food. Additionally, there are a few snack places: Pete’s Boiler Bites, Daisy’s Delites, Pinocchio’s Pizzeria, and Eye Scream treats.
The child care aboard the Disney Wonder is fantastic. There are 5 clubs for different ages. The youngest guests, aged 6 months to 3 years, can play and rest in It’s A Small World Nursery. Children ages 3 to 12 are lucky as they can hang out at the Oceaneer Club and the Oceaneer Lab. The two facilities are interconnected by a back hallway that is only access through the Lab and Club. The children can move freely from one to another without having to leave the monitored area. The Oceaneer Club is all about interactive play areas with games and storytelling. There are four different themed play areas: Andy’s Room, MARVEL Super Hero Academy, Disney Junior, and Frozen Adventure. My favorite is Andy’s Room with the slinky dog slide and Mr. Potato Head.
The Oceaneer Lab has a pirate theme and features an animator’s studio, captain’s workshop, craft studio, and the wheelhouse. There are also many guided group activities like baking chocolate chip cookies, making crafts, and have the ultimate slumber party with Pluto.
The Edge is a dedicated area for tweens and teenagers aged 11 to 14. On the Disney Wonder it has a boiler room theme. While the tweens hang out they can play video games, do arts and crafts, watch Disney movies and even have a dance party.
For teens ages 14 to 17 there is Vibe, a laid-back urban loft located in the iconic red forward funnel. The teens can play video or board games and have dance or karaoke parties.
LBL Travel’s Principal Travel Advisor Laura Carlson is a graduate of Disney’s College of Knowledge with the expertise to make your Disney cruise magical. Contact us today to plan your next cruise vacation!