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We chose this cruise because we wanted a different cruise route and so that we could visit Disneyland in CA first. I'd done my research and knew about the troubles happening in Mexico and knew that Mazatlan had been dropped because of it, but I have to say that after being there, I would not recommend it right now, based on what we saw. People have different levels of comfort with these things, but when I vacation, I am not a fan of uneasy feelings.
I really hoped to love this Disney cruise-but, I did not. I traveled with seven other family members, two of which, were kids.
I'll start with IF this had been my first cruise, I would have been much more impressed. My husband and I have sailed on other cruise lines, and we've been to Disneyworld enough times that I've lost count. I honestly think that I set myself up to be blown away with a Disney cruise, because every visit to Disneyworld has exceeded my wildest dreams. Each visit just gets better thant he last. I expected over the top WOW from the Disney Wonder, but that is not what I experienced.
The ship is clean and nice. Having been on other ships, the one thing that I noticed repeatedly on the Wonder is how poor the traffic flow is in restaurants, buffets and shows.
The food was just okay-typical chain restaurant type stuff. Having dined in some of the park restaurants in Florida, we expected that type of dining experience. We did not go to Palo because the times just did not work for our schedule, so I can't speak to that. Triton's was probably the better of the three venues. The wait staff were fabulous-Emma and Claudius rocked!
The fast food areas were probably a bit better-the kids chicken fingers were probably the BEST quality food of the week. (unreal, huh?) The sandwich area near the ice cream machine was good, IF it's freshly made. A lot of the time, the wraps had been sitting and were soggy.
The entertainment was okay-again, not really Disney-ish like at the parks. The Dreams show was nice, and the fireworks at sea were a fun experience. The daily activities left a bit to be desired-the offerings were either feast or famine-unless you want to watch a movie or listen to a DVC presentation, not much was offered. Luckily, I like to sit in the sun. I had hoped for a ship tour, a galley tour, some cooking classes, some good aerobic or zumba classes, etc. Nothing. There is a ship tour-but it shows the hidden Mickey stuff.
We used Disney for shore excursions-see port review for those details.
I used the spa services for a massage-nice, not pushy sales like on other trips.
The gym was okay-small, but never really crowded. I did notice that it was in an odd spot. You actually have to go through the spa to get to the gym. There's no private entrance.
I realize that comparing ships really isn't fair, however, I just went into this expecting that Disney would top it off and that I'd never want to sail on any other cruise line. We did have a nice family trip, but we all agreed that it really was not what we'd hoped for. I guess the bright side is that I can now cruise on another line and it'll be like getting a two for one sale!!!
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