This was our 7th cruise on Disney (or any other CL) and our 1st as just a couple of old married folks. Our son (in college) had classes so he stayed home and my husband & I were celebrating our 30th anniversary! We were on the May 16th sailing of the Wonder. It was our best cruise yet! We arrived at port a little too early (9:00 - because I woke up at 5:30 and just was too excited to wait) and were requested to return around 10 as guests from the previous cruise were still disembarking. We went toward the beaches and passed the time at a McDonalds and returned to the terminal by around 10:05. Our luggage was collected by porters (tipped) and my husband parked in the temporary parking lot (the parking garage is nearing completion) at $60 ($15 per night). I went up to check-in and our check-in process went smoothly (we had prechecked-in online). Our boarding number was 3 - it definitely pays to arrive early!

We boarded the ship by 12:30 and were routed to Parrot Cay (deck 3 aft) for lunch. You had the option of going up to Beach Blanket (deck 9 aft) but we prefer the indoor comfort of PC. The buffet (same as Beach Blanket) consisted of various meats, salads, sides, desserts, and the always popular cold steamed shrimp. While at PC, we saw a server from our 5th cruise 7 years ago, Vit, who (much to our surprise) recognized us and even inquired as to how our son was doing - what a memory (or maybe we're too memorable...humm?)! Staterooms are not usually ready until after 1:30 so we passed the brief wait time by sitting on the port side promenade deck - facing the other 2 cruise ships in port (RCL-Oasis & Carnival-Sensation) and just being happy about once again being onboard this fabulous ship. One of the comments we've heard from friends and other cruisers is that there is much more drinking (inebriated people) and raucous behavior on the Carnival ships. They have also commented that their shows are much less 'kid/family' friendly - scantily clad dancers and more 'adult' humor. It's a shame that many of the balcony areas have had to be screened in to keep fools from falling overboard. But - I digress. Suffice it to say that we've never encountered drunken or inappropriate behavior or sleazy shows on Disney cruises. There are adult areas and shows that may not be appropriate for children (adult themes - but not foul), they are clearly stated as such and children are not permitted.

We arrived in our clean and ready stateroom by around 1:35 and were delighted to discover that because our room was so far forward and due to the curve of the bough, we had about 20 added square feet of floor space plus another 12 sq. ft. in front of the large porthole window. Compared to our cat. 4 stateroom last year - we felt like we had as much or more floor/storage/living space. The only thing we didn't have was a balcony - but we really didn't miss it as our window was large and being on deck 2 - we were close to the water. Another thing we like about this room as opposed the the others (balcony) in which we've stayed, is that its a/c is cooler and less humid. If you are traveling with children and staying in a cat. 9 on deck 2 - request rooms 2000, 2002, 2004, 2006, 2008 or 2500, 2502, 2504, 2506, and 2508. All of these have extra floor/window space and a place the kids can sit and look out the window. Our wonderful steward (Sakol) said that many children like to put pillows in the window ledge and sleep there by the window. Our bed was pillow-top and very comfy. Sakol kept us well stocked with ice (2x per day-prearranged), clean towels, towel critters, and many other 'niceties.' Read more