Reviews of Overall Cruise Experience Summary

Reviews

12

Rating

9.92 / 10

Recommended By

100%



Reviewed by Jade Review Date: 11/12/2020

Rating: (10)
Recommended

We had an incredible four night adventure on the Disney Wonder in January! I was blown away by how amazing this entire experience was and highly recommend DCL to anyone who loves Disney that is looking to be pampered and treated like royalty.

The experience starts with you being greeted warmly in the terminal at Galveston and as soon as you walk on the ship your family name is announced! You don't even need to take your luggage in by yourself! Disney delivers it straight to your stateroom for you! On embarkation day you are free to explore the ship which is like a horizontal skyscraper with multiple restaurants, a sports deck, movie theater, bars and lounges, shopping and of course your stateroom! We opted for an ocean view with private verandah room on deck 6 midship. We loved our stateroom! It was wonderful to watch the sunrise/sunset from our own balcony. The bed was so soft and comfortable and I love that they have a separated shower/sink and toilet/sink set up for the restroom. The room has so much storage space and even comes with a mini fridge and a TV with Disney movies on demand! Our stateroom host was excellent! He went above and beyond normal housekeeping by folding and hanging up our clothes, organizing our belongings, making towel animals for us and even leaving chocolate surprises on our pillows before bed.

Each night on DCL you are assigned a different themed restaurant to eat in and your server team rotates with you. We enjoyed all three restaurants: Animator's palate, Tiana's place and Triton's. My personal favorite was Triton's which serves breakfast, lunch and dinner every day! The menus each night were varied, inventive and yummy! I enjoyed something from every meal and our thoughtful servers made sure we had everything we needed for an excellent meal each time. Highlights for me were the beef satay skewers and king salmon at Triton's, and the caramel macadamia nut cheesecake from Tiana's on pirate night! You definitely don't want to miss Animator's palate and Tiana's which have live entertainment while you eat. And if the three restaurants weren't enough they also had a buffet and fast casual food like hamburgers, pizza, and French fries on deck 9 near the pool. Don't forget the unlimited soft serve at Eye Scream and the free room service! We ordered room service several times and each time our food came quickly as requested. Pro tip - it's not on the menu but you can ask for Mickey bars!

On the ship there are so many activities to keep everyone busy. There are programs for everyone from kids, adults and families to enjoy. Each days activities are featured in the daily navigator available on the cruise line app, in paper format at guest services and on your stateroom TV. The captain and cruise director also make announcements to keep everyone in the loop. Highlights for me were the Art of the theme walking tour, bingo, watching Star Wars: Rise of Skywalker in the movie theater, officer pin trading and the Pirates in the Caribbean deck party complete with fireworks! We also greatly enjoyed the live theater shows that they have every night! Our favorites were Frozen and the Golden Mickeys. Everything from the music, costumes and elaborate sets makes you feel like you are watching a play on broadway!

In true Disney fashion every staff member we encountered was courteous, helpful and welcoming! We were greeted throughout the day while walking around the ship and the atmosphere is so full of joy! You might think that a Disney Cruise is just for kids, but it's not! Yes there are a lot of kids. However there are also several adult only areas including quiet cove swimming pool and hot tubs, the spa and fitness center, as well as a cafe and bar that are exclusive to adults. If you want to get even more exclusive you can elect to dine in the 18+ restaurant Palo that serves an Italian Thebes brunch and dinner (at an extra charge). There are also activities just for adults including trivia and even dance parties.

As you can tell, I had a phenomenal experience on Disney Cruise Line. Bottom line if you are a Disney fan you need to do it. You will love it! Last tip: book your cruise through Small World Vacations for on board credit! We were able to get $100 just for booking with them!

Pros:

Great service, mostly all-inclusive, inventive and delicious meals, nightly entertainment, comfortable staterooms

Cons:

Can be expensive, not EVERYTHING is included
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Reviewed by Anonymous Review Date: 01/12/2020

Rating: (10)
Recommended

Once you've cruised Disney, you will never cruise any other line.

Pros:

Best cruise line. Even if you are in the least expensive cabin, ypu are treated like royalty!

Cons:

Expensive
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Reviewed by d3boyz Review Date: 04/19/2019

Rating: (10)
Recommended

My family has cruised with Disney 10 times, Royal Caribbean once, and National Geographic once. In our experience, nothing compares to Disney. Attention to detail and customer-oriented service is second to none!

Our sons have grown up knowing Disney cruises (our first was SEP 2001) and at their current ages, in their twenties and all on their own, they STILL implore us not to take a cruise without letting them know so they can also go! Our next is the Westbound Panama Canal in March 2020. (So excited!!)

We have sailed the Magic, Wonder, and Fantasy, and we find that we much prefer the smaller ships due to the more 'intimate' appeal. (also, I'm less likely to get lost … I have NO sense of direction!)

When I grow up, I want to work for Disney!

Pros:

Customer-oriented cast members Attention to detail (constantly cleaning/repairing/etc. and usually at night!)

Cons:

Cost (but that kind of service isn't cheap!)
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Reviewed by bellebookworm9 Review Date: 02/12/2018

Rating: (10)
Recommended

I took my first ever cruise, Disney or otherwise, on the Disney Wonder for a 3-Night Bahamian sailing 2/8-2/11/18. We booked this nearly a year ago as a casual get together for the travel agency I work for, and I ended up bringing my mom with me, and she had some friends come along as well!

We used port transfers from Disney World and to MCO; all very easy. Our cruise representative called our hotel room to let us know when and where to meet, gave us a summary of info (truthfully some of her info was incorrect), and our bus went right onto the port after our resort pickup.

Since Disney decides when you'll check in when using their transfers, there's no worry about picking a check in time. Security was quick and painless, the check in line was not long and moved quickly, and they were already in to open boarding by the time we arrived around 1pm.

The return trip was just as easy and we were back to MCO by 9:30am to pick up our rental car. The Wonder looked great after her 2016 dry dock. We had a wonderful experience overall and can't wait to cruise again in the future!

Our only negative was the quality of the food during our disembarkation breakfast: the "Belgian" waffles were basically limp, soggy toaster waffles and our friend's scrambled eggs were cold. Blueberry pancakes were reported to be "okay" and the fruit bowls were good. Our server and dining team weren't as upbeat and personable as at dinners - kind of like "We got our tips and we're about to kick you out so we don't have to provide great service anymore."

Pros:

Speedy check in, lots to do, super clean, everyone was friendly!

Cons:

Disembarkation breakfast
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Reviewed by mamandragon Review Date: 11/01/2017

Rating: (10)
Recommended

Sailed on the Disney Dream Oct 13 to 16 of 2017. This was our first cruise. We were unsure of what to expect. It was an awsome experience!! The crew takes very good care of everyone and the attention to detail - well just amazing. In fact we booked our next cruise before we got off the ship!! Thank you to all of you for all the great service you provided!

Pros:

Food, Entertainment, Crew Members

Cons:

Nothing
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Reviewed by Juliet73 Review Date: 07/22/2017

Rating: (10)
Recommended

We took the Magic repositioning cruise from NYC to Puerto Rico because the price was great given that it was a one way trip. We weren't sure we'd like cruising, even though we've been to Disney many times and love it. This turned out to be our absolute favorite family vacation! Our kids loved the kids clubs and the freedom to check themselves in and out as they liked. We loved the wave phones that allowed us to keep tabs on them. While they were off playing games, doing science experiments, and loving the Marvel Avengers Academy my husband and I enjoyed the spa, the beautiful adults only pool, and some time in the lounges enjoying really great music and entertainment. The Magic was just the right size--didn't feel overwhelming, but we never got bored. The shows each night were great, but our kids loved the family game shows, magic shows, and other smaller entertainment events even more! I will say that while we liked the spa, we didn't wind up using it enough to make the sauna & steam room worth the cost. However, the showers in the spa/gym are really large--much larger than the stateroom, so a few times I went down just to enjoy a more spacious shower. The service was phenomenal and every cast member made us feel special. Honestly, I could go on for hours about all the wonderful experiences. It was a Merrytime Holiday cruise and the special holiday themed events were fantastic. The tree lighting ceremony in the atrium was a lot of fun, if crowded. We have fantastic pictures with Mickey and Friends in fun holiday attire. And the gigantic gingerbread house in the atrium was unbelievable (smelled even better than it looked). We loved it so much we immediately booked another for the same time the next year. We are counting down the days until our Marvel Day at Sea cruise coming up.

Pros:

Great family vacation; so much for everyone to do; awesome shows

Cons:

None!
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Reviewed by lauriemacneil Review Date: 03/25/2016

Rating: (10)
Recommended

My 15 year old son and I took a 4-night cruise on the Wonder from Miami, stopping at Castaway Cay, Nassau, and Key West. It was WONDER-ful! The food was fantastic in all restaurants and was very good at the quick service outlets, room service and buffet. I had a difficult time deciding which adult activities to participate in because there was so much to choose from, but everything was great fun. My son had an amazing time at Vibe and met lots of other teenagers. I really only saw him at dinner (because I made him), as there was so much for the teens to do. He said that it was the best vacation of his life! He HIGHLY recommends the "Wild Side Teen Adventure" at Castaway Cay.

Pros:

service, food, entertainment, spa

Cons:

none
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Reviewed by Ranger275 Review Date: 04/14/2015

Rating: (10)
Recommended

We went on the Miami 5 day cruise to Cozemul and Castaway Cay again this year for spring break. We had perfect weather and we had a great time. Since it was our 4th time on the Wonder we didn't go to any of the shows, we have seen them all many times. But we did see a few movies including McFarland which was very good. We stayed in a inside stateroom as the only time we are in the room is to sleep and change and it was fine. Our servers and room attendent were great as usual. No complaints and getting on and off the ship were very easy.

Pros:

food, sun, fun, ship

Cons:

can't think of any
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Reviewed by Ranger275 Review Date: 05/14/2014

Rating: (10)
Recommended

This is my wife's and I, seventh cruise and our kid's third. We sailed the first week of April 2014 for a 5 day cruise out of Miami. The last two cruises were on the Dream so we wondered if this would pale in comparision but it didn't. This was our 3rd cruise on the Wonder and it was great as always. Our servers were great, our room attendent was the best one we ever had and the weather for the cruise was very nice. We always get inside staterooms and with 7 people we get two connecting rooms. We get the inside staterooms because the only time you are in the rooms is to sleep and change your clothes and you can save your money for other things.

The crowd on the Wonder was much easier to handle both on the ship and especially on Castaway Cay. Castaway Cay didn't seem crowded at all and there wasn't any wait for anything.

The shows were great but we have seen all of them a few times now. The Magic show and Juggling was great. Our 7 year old loved the club and went every day.

We were able to watch the new Muppet Movie, Saving Mr Banks and the last night at midnight they showed the brand new Captain American movie that was just opening that day at 12:01 am. Very cool.

Miami is a very interesting port to leave from. A lot more to see than at Port Canaveral.

We booked another cruise while on board. Disney cruises are the best vacation and we always have a good time.

Pros:

ship size, service, weather, Castaway Cay

Cons:

none
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Reviewed by Dezraei Review Date: 04/23/2014

Rating: (10)
Recommended

We sailed Feb 21st through the 26th to Grand Cayman and Cozomel on the Wonder. It was the best, most perfect family vacation I have ever been on. We had went on a 3 day Bahamas cruise on the Dream a few years ago and this by far outshined that one. I know that the boat is smaller, and yes-there is no aquaduck(to the horror of my 2 teens) but it was a better experience all the way around. Easy to get to places-great entertainment. Wonderful waiters and staff. We all enjoyed every second we were on the ship-and off of it at the Excursions.

Pros:

Best Vacation We have ever had!

Cons:

Nothing
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