I was on the Wonder before its last major drydock and at the time, found a few deficiencies. After having been on the Magic last summer, I noticed that Disney has been spending a bit more time taking care of the Wonder and the ship appears to be in great shape for a 20-year old ship. This cruise featured a relatively unique Southern Caribbean itinerary for Disney, where they spend less than a month a year. Stops included Antigua, Bonaire, Aruba and St.Marteen. Most islands had their charm - with the potential exception of St.Marteen which is still in rough shape one year after Irma. Service in the main dining room was beyond excellent. Great attention to details, and allergy concerns. I made a comment around the food not being to its usual standard on night 3 and let's just say that food quality (and quantity) was not an issue on any other nights afterward. I found the buffet in Cabana to be a little better on the Magic during a European cruise. Food at Cabana's was generally quite overcooked - although no complaints on overall quality and quantity. Our main server team was one of the best we have had. We also met throughout the ship other dining staff that we had on previous cruises and they remembered us. We had brunch and dinner once at Palo and the experience was excellent as always Kids club on Disney is always excellent. This particular cruise had a little less programming than usual - with a bit more open house time. Still plenty to do for kids though. Both the Club and Lab are very modern and have been regularly updated throughout the years. The main Disney shows were good, with the highlight being Frozen. The non-Disney entertainers on this group were ok but I have seen better on other DCL cruises. Photography staff were very friendly and efficient. We recognized a few staff from a previous cruise, and they did recognize us as well - and this led to some great memories. The one area where the Wonder is a bit weaker is on board water activities. Only one main, relatively small pool (for families) and one water slide. Adult area is well maintained with good entertainment and drink options. Loved this DCL cruise and already booked on next year's version of this cruise. Very adequate gym, forward, on Deck 9 with great "bridge-like" views The port of San Juan as an Embarkation port is a bit underwhelming but check-in was very quick and so was boarding once it started. The port is in the midst of major renovations so it will probably look great in a few years from now. On shore excursions, we had 1 excellent one, 2 very good ones, and one so-so. Value for money on some of those wasn't great, but this is typical of cruise lines booked port adventures. Read Less

We loved pretty much everything about the cruise we went on. We were a little worried, thinking, how much better can it be over Royal Caribbean. The price was more than double what we could have done on RCI, but our daughter really wanted to go on a Disney cruise, so we gave it a shot. Well, the saying, you get what you pay for, totally fits in this situation. We flew to San Juan a day early and stayed at Marriott's Stellaris Resort & Casino. The reason we chose this hotel is because it is the hotel that Disney offers transportation from. We met at the Disney desk in the morning, when told to meet, and were relatively quickly put on a tour bus heading to port. When we arrived at port, we were told to NOT get into line. Once everyone was off the bus, we were lead around the huge line of people, directly to the front of the security line. That was a great perk for the transportation. The whole boarding process was WAY smoother than we have ever experienced on RCI or NCL. Mickey and Minnie made an appearance for photos too. The ship, although ~20 years old, was extremely well maintained. It looked pretty much perfect all over. While we were onboard, there was activity from the staff to fix random things, keeping everything looking good. Their activity was never in the way though. Our cabin was 6142. The cabin itself was great. The layout was really nice, with plenty of room. The bed was a lot better than any other cruise for us. Our daughter slept on the pull out sofa, which was actually quite comfortable. This cabin has the Navigator's Verandah, so it was surrounded by metal walls and did not have a glass railing, but metal. It was still very nice, with plenty of room to see around. The only negative I have about the cabin was the noise. We never herd noise from other cabins, but we heard noise and felt a lot of vibration each time we came into port and left port. I am pretty sure it was every time the side propulsion was used to move the ship sideways. Our cabin host was fantastic, and always figured out our schedule to get in when were not there and be done before we came back. A few days, we had pretty odd schedules and assumed we would run into her, but we never did. Our dining attendants were also fantastic. Not only was the service impeccable, but the food was also amazing. Our waiter pretty much demanded that we order everything that we think we might like, so we had several meals each night. Everything we had was very good, and we are pretty picky eaters. Our daughter became a big fan of Pete's Boiler Bites, so would sometimes skip dinner, but was still with us. They made her feel right at home and did not make her feel bad for not eating in the dining room. The entertainment was a lot better than we expected. The acting/singing/dancing was similar to what you would see on Broadway. The character experiences were really great as well. Not only the planning/intervals of them coming out, but also the actual characters. They didn't just stand there and be in a pic. They interacted with each person as they came up through the line. The southern Caribbean is great, and the ports are very nice. We had a great time at each port. We made excursion plans through Disney on all but one port. During the St. Maarten excursion, which was through Disney, the only complaint I have is that we were handed off 3 or 4 times to different representatives, who didn't really make it clear what we were doing. We were just following them, but during the hand-off, communication would have decreased the confusion. We absolutely loved it, did the $250 future cruise booking, and are already planning another. That should speak for itself. Read Less

Jan 27-Feb 3 Southern Caribbean. This was one of the best Disney Cruises we have been on. The service, food, entertainment, ports and condition of ship are all top notch. This is a smaller boat in the DCL line, however it lacked nothing (except the crowded feeling of larger ships). The shows on this boat are not to be missed, especially Frozen. The kids club does an excellent job of making the kids feel not only entertained ,but comfortable. Our children are 5 and 12. Our oldest enjoyed every minute of Edge and our youngest fought us to leave the kids club at pick up time as she was having such a good time. We met so many wonderful people on this boat and felt that was due to the intimacy of the smaller ship. We visited Aruba, Bonaire, Antigua and St. Maarten. We did not care for Antigua as we felt the area right off the ship was full of people haggling us for a taxi, braids... you name it. I would highly recommend booking an excursion in this area or staying on the boat. We enjoyed all the other ports and felt very safe. We cannot wait to book another cruise on the Disney Wonder. Read Less

They cost more than a “normal” cruise so we wondered if it would be worth it... The ship is apparently smaller than the newer ones. That said, it was the perfect size for our family with small kids. I think about 2700 guests and almost 1000 cast members weee onboard. There were always new people to see, but we also saw the same people numerous times. It was constantly being cleaned and always immaculate. Cabins were bigger than other ships - a real treat for us with kids. We were also able to get adjoining rooms...a nice feature I hadn’t done before on a boat. Full bath tub was great! We loved the rotational dining! They were able to easily accommodate gluten allergies and special dietary restrictions which can be very worrisome if you’re the one with the issue. Additionally, the servers were amazing and so was the food. We got what we paid for - duck, steak, prime rib, lobster, foie gras, sashimi, truffles...and this was the main dining that was included. The classic dinsey shows were exceptional. The movie theater was a nice touch with movies not yet out and 3D options for others. Kids Club YES!!! My kids loved it...it was huge with so many activities. Spa was run of the mill. Prices were reasonable, but treatments and service were meh. Why do they always have to give their sales pitch at the end? I hate that! We just paid to relax and now you’re going to come at me with $650 worth of herbal supplements? Welcome back, stress. Service was outstanding all around. Obviously, you’ll encounter a grumpy staff member wherever you go, but even with these people working 80 hours a week, a complaint was rare. Ports were great. Shore excursions not really worth it. Overpriced and lacked enthusiasm. We enjoyed the days we hailed taxis best. So we had a slight hemorrhage of funds, but it really was quite magical. Being treated with respect and having to worry about nothing, knowing your kids would be safe for a few hours so you could hang by the adult pool, turning a corner and running into Mickey Mouse...exhausted from the excitement that filled our souls. Read Less

This is a quick summary of our great Disney cruise. Getting to the ship in Galveston was easier than I remember from previous cruises. Could be that the smaller Disney Wonder was the only ship there. I dropped my group off at the dock and zipped over to EZ Cruise parking, caught their shuttle and was able to caught up with my bunch as they were going through security. Had one problem in that the porter did not pick up my roll-on bag and no one caught it till he left. Probably could have given it to another porter, but didn’t. My wife was very generous to “allow” me drag the bag to the ship. There was an opportunity to take your own pictures with painted Disney characters in the typical cruise background and we did take numerous shots. Overall it was a fantastic cruise with and for young kids. Lots of activities and playrooms for kids so parents can do their own thing for short periods of time. Kids need to be at least 2 yr old to be left in an activity room. Younger than that, a person has to pay a $9/hr babysitting charge or limit somewhat what you do. Not sure why someone would want to go on a Disney Cruise with a under 2 yr old child since it is so geared toward kids and an under 2 year old just does not experience the fun of a Disney cruise. Not sure what the upper age limit for kids would be but think it would not be very exciting for a 16-17 year old teenager, although there were teenage activities and area on board, and shore excursions to enjoy. It is just that I did not see any teenagers taking pictures with Mickey or Donald or Goofy or any of the Princesses, but did see a lot of parents doing so, along with Grandma and I. There are adult areas on the ship to escape to while the kids are involved in activities, but I can not attest to the adult area other than I walked through or peaked in them, since as Grandpa, I had to do a lot of help shuffling kids to pictures and dancing with all the Disney characters, Princesses, hair makeup, splashing in the kid pool etc. I can say for a 3 to 10yr old, it was overwhelmingly exciting and our 15 month Grandson was constantly hyper, and surprised seeing a giant duck, mouse and dog. Without kids, I would opt for a cheaper adult cruise cause a person is paying for all those kid activities that Disney makes available, and there are a lot of them. I was overwhelmed at all the kid cool play and activity areas. Wish I was still a kid. Off ship tours in Cancun and Grand Cayman are the same as I had on several other cruise ships so there was nothing special that I was aware of. For this cruise we had to pull Grandparent duties and pick tours our Grandkids would enjoy while the parents did more adventurous tours. Dining room dining on the ship was fun and interesting. Disney has it set up that you rotate between the three different themed dining rooms. The rotation was enjoyable and made for interesting dining and you got to experience the different dining rooms. The food and service as you would expect, was great. You have to be sneaky to get the Mickey ice cream bar since only kids get it. I made sure I sat next to my 15month old Grandson who I insisted wanted one each night. Only made the formal dining room for breakfast one time since the kids had activities. It was nice and relaxing. The buffet line for breakfast and lunch had an excellent variety of items and my favorite, butter pecan ice cream, which I tried to eat the ships supply. This was the first cruise I have been on that Soda water (Cokes+ others) was free and I tried to drink my money’s worth! During the 6 day cruise, there were two outstanding night performances and the Mary Poppins 2 movie. The kids just went crazy during FROZEN and Disney Dreams and really enjoyed Mary Poppins 2. These are shows you do not want to miss. The only complaint I voiced to the ship crew was that one individual consistently would wait till 5 minutes before they opened the doors to the Disney theater and cut in ahead of everyone. There were always good seats available but I just did not accept that as good behavior after many of us waited in line for 30 minutes. I can offer these tips. If you take a enjoyable Disney cruise, be sure to download the Disney app before you get to the ship. I do not think you can download it once on the ship. It enables you to Text to other member of your party on the ship although you can use the ship wireless phones to call each other. We used both methods to stay in touch. Bring several empty water bottles so you can refill them on the ship. Bottled water on the ship is expensive and you want water when you go ashore. We brought 2 empty bottles each. Need suntan lotion for laying around the pool and on shore. Band-Aids, I can’t go anywhere without needing them. Disney has one theme night where everyone dresses like a Pirate or something. It was listed among the travel info, but we did not see it. Bring one of those big tote bags to carry cloths, shoes, towels if you plan to tour off ship. All in all, the Disney cruise was outstanding. The service was unbelievably great, food excellent and all kid activities had excellent supervision with lots of demonstrations to amaze them. It is something a kid would remember for a long time. I was told Grandpa would get to relax by the pool most of the time with small kid duties, and, like a fool I believed them. I was exhausted at the end. Would I do it again? Our group is already planning for a Disney Christmas cruise in 2 year. Read Less

We took our granddaughter on the cruise of a lifetime. Ship was incredibly clean, well organized and the staff was unbelievable. The only reason for the less than 5 was due to the subpar food on the formal dinners. Everything seemed rushed and the Meals seemed to be prepared and served after cooking under a heat light for hours. Avoid the oysters Rockefeller and the lobster tail. The characters were very accessible and the meet and greets with frozen girls and the princesses were heavenly. Our cabin seemed brand new with everything working and fresh linens daily. Cabin staff were incredibly nice and remembered our little ones name (nice touch). The dolphin excursion in grand cayman was very well organized and not too pricey. Negotiate the cost of prints they want to sell them! Cozumel was mostly a bust - rain and didn’t feel safe wandering around too far from the ship. The sales folks are very aggressive and tries more than once to lure our little one with toys etc. just not comfortable. All in all this was a trip of a lifetime. Get the meals right guys. Read Less

definitely very disappointed ! An expensive and bad cruise. It is not worth the price paid . Poorly organized cruise.. The port adventures White House Beach in Grand Cayman and Cabo San Lucas by Sea were a scam. the food of low quality. Only two good shows in 14 nights. the parties of pirates and frozen were very poor . and the worst was the mistreatment received in front of an inconvenience with our luggage upon disembarkation. It was our fourth Disney cruise and I do not recommend it. is not at the level of the Fantasy or the Magic .. The staff works discontent and often does not treat the passenger well. The new system of selling the photos on board is a scam. positive: the activities of the children were good as always, and they enjoyed them, but the adults felt cheated (there were three families and we had three cabins) Read Less

Geez where do I start. This was our 8th cruise on Disney. For Halloween, they only brought out 4 characters for 2 hours dressed in Halloween attire. The first day and rest of second we’re in traditional attire. The 4 characters were Mickey, Minnie, Pluto, and Goofy- no villains. Trick or treat was at 2p for 30 mins at 7 stations on Deck 3,4. Trick or treat bags were delivered to rooms but many did not not receive them. The cruise line seems like they are getting really cheap. We use to receive a welcome letter from Cast a way club when we arrived in our room Day 1- or any more. In the past we always sailed Concierge. We always felt the services were below par so this cruise we were in a 4a room which was so small with a tiny shower for a short person. On a past cruise we saw the Concierge attendant come down with a group of guest and let them off first for Walk off. They filed to tell us about this and we were knee deep in a crowd waiting to get off. Sadly, the same happened on this cruise to a concierge guest waiting disembark for walk off. At the same time I was telling her family what happened to us, the concierge attendant comes down with a group of guests and let’s them off while they were waiting in line. I also noticed none of the concierge guest had a lithograph. Disney has gotten so controlling and cheap. The first day there were only 2 characters in the lobby. We did not relieve tip sheet and comment card until 10p the night before we disembarked. The ship was still showing Golden Mickey (zzzzzz) and Frozen. No music acts. Time for a change. Read Less

Disney gone cheap. Halloween bags not delivered to room, only four characters appeared once each in Halloween outfit over a 2 hour period, 2p trick treat at 7 stations on deck 3,4, no Halloween on Day 1 and only 2 characters in lobby. Cat room 4a very small. Characters were common 4..no villains or scary ones. Boring. Concierge guests did not receive lithograph and had Stich at Private meet and greet. Shows were Frozen and Golden Mickeys. Time for a change. Concierge guests were not told of private escort for walk off. Little upset when they were standing in line and saw concierge escort group off so htem. Same happened to us on the Magic. Checked in online first day, first minute but was assigned group 9 at cruise terminal. First to check in at port. Tip sheet and comment card were delivered to room at 11p. No bag tags were ever deleivered . Read Less

I work in the travel industry and have heard nothing but great things about Disney, always mixed reviews with other cruise lines. I was dreading the boarding process, but to be honest it was super easy, I completed everything online so we zipped through the check in process and was aboard the ship in a few minutes. They really stress hand washing and sanitizing throughout the cruise which is great practice. As you board the ship your asked your names and they announce you on the speaker and you pass the line up of bridge crew clapping and welcoming you aboard. We made our way to deck 2, just down 1 level from main lobby. It was 120pm and there was a roping off of the area to the cabins until 130pm as they were still finishing off getting the cabins ready. There were a few impatient people who at 131pm thought it was appropriate to start a hissy fit in front of kids cause it’s now 131pm. There were several staff zipping by with stateroom gift delivery, etc. By 134pm they were finished and opened the way for us to the cabins. Some people were already saying their vacation was ruined cause they needed to wait!?!? They just needed to calm down. We had an ocean view cabin mid ship, it was clean and welcoming and a little larger than expected. There was a big porthole with a great view. Love the way they separate the bathroom, toilet and sink in one and sink and shower in another. The bed was squishy and so comfortable as were the pillows. Lots of subtle Disney touches and the furnishings were tasteful and well maintained. Loved that their was a fridge. Air conditioning surprised me, was turned on low for cold but you couldn’t really feel anything. Room attendant came by to introduce himself and I asked him about the air, he said their eco friendly system does not blow strongly, just set your temperature and it will work subtly which it did. Tv was flat screen and swivels between facing the bed and sitting area. Had lots of informative ship channels and then a dozen Disney movie channels. Dining Choices; Deck 9 had the casual dining choices, Pinocchio’s Pizza, open till midnight had several combinations, I noticed they made gluten free ones on request. There was boiler bites, they offer hamburgers, fish burgers, Vege burgers, chicken tenders, hot dogs, chili dogs, Bratwursts, fries, chili fries and a Chicken, beef & lamb Shawarma with lots of toppings and sauces to choose from, delicious. There was a self service ice cream place on deck, they had chocolate, vanilla, strawberry and pineapple / coconut flavors and cones. Daisey’s De Lights became my favorite place, they offer toasted sandwiches, wraps, fresh fruit, salads, sandwiches and what appeared to be make your own Pho Bowles. I loved their sandwiches, either roast beef or my favorite smoked ham, the rolls were fresh and crusty yet soft, ham was tasty, onion jam was incredible and the lettuce was crunchy and tomato perfect, they are making them out the back a few at a time so they are always fresh. I indulged way to much here but they were always fresh. Cabanas is the buffet restaurant right at the back of the ship. Breakfast is from 7 or 730am some days to either 1030 or 11am, varies depending if it’s a day at sea or a shore day. Tip. There is seating for 500 people, 9am I’m told is when most people start coming to breakfast. We dined at opening most times, no waiting or queues. Their scrambled eggs were yummy, always a plain one and a special one. Usual breakfast buffet stuff. Apple, orange, cranberry and orchid juices available. Lunch here was good however closed at 2pm, we are from Vegas so we know buffets and this one was really good. Nice selection, delicious noodles I couldn’t get enough off, meats varied daily as did the hot carving choices. Staff here were helpful and super observant if you needed a hand. Room service was 24 hours, small menu including a few salads, sandwiches, soups,tenders and wings, etc. steak sandwich was exceptional. Drinks you pay for, meals are included. There is a breakfast card to complete and hang outside on your door before 3am it’s only a continental breakfast, we used it mainly to get grapefruit juice as it’s not in the buffet, with cereal and coffee, all breakfast drinks included. It was our pre breakfast pick me up. Disney offers rotational dining, you get to move to different dinner themed restaurants each night, every night a different menu, but your same table mates and server, assistant server and head server. They know you by name, they know your preferences, they have your drinks ready, etc. Our serving trio were all fantastic, they go out of their ways to make sure they are happy. Adorable little girl at the table next to us was a little shy on night one, but by night 2 she adored the wait staff, making her feel special and cutting her meat and making her treats, it was magical to watch. As far as the meals went they were fantastic, lots of variety and if you can’t choose then get both cause the menu is going to be different tomorrow. Bars; I liked the Crown & Fin British pub, went there for a drink or two after dinner. Cozy place, live entertainment most nights. They also do a light snack buffet, quesadillas, chicken wings, vegetable sticks, slider sized sandwiches, bite sized desserts. Bar staff here were very good. Cadillac bar next door was dimly lit, reminded me of an old piano bar, they had wines and cocktails here. There were other bars but we didn’t have time for those. Cove adult only area; Nice sized pool and 2 spas on deck, bar and coffee shop in the Cove adults only area. Coffee shop was nice, I enjoyed my frozen Frappuccinos here, you do pay here but you get a coffee card with 6th coffee free. They also have a complimentary dessert / slice display with some yummy goodies. I was up early around 5am the second morning, I went to deck 9 to the self service area, free soft drinks, tea, coffee and hit chocolate, as I wandered the ship there were dozens of staff members cleaning, all of them super friendly and saying hello, checking if I needed anything. They are happy with what they are doing, I chatted with several of them, many have been with Disney 10-15 years and say they are a fantastic employer who reallly takes care of them, which I’m glad to hear about. Disney is known for their customer service, nobody does fireworks like them, their shows, parades, musicals etc are incredible. Disney cruises are more expensive than others, but in my opinion well worth it, I’d rather put a trip off another year to save more for a Disney Cruise. Read Less