By way of background, this is the 3rd cruise my wife and I have been on and second with my 11 year old son (my wife and I took a short Carnival cruise nearly 15 years ago, and our family sailed on RC's Enchantment of the Seas this past summer). We had a good time on this cruise, but have come to the conclusion that the extra money you pay for the Disney name probably isn't worth it for us. Cruise was a 5 night Mexican Riviera cruise with stops in Cabo and Ensenada. I should probably also mention that as Southern California residents we've grown up with Disneyland and have made a few trips to Disneyworld, which we love. I wouldn't say we're Disney fanatics, but Disneyworld is definitely our favorite vacation spot. Ship: We liked the layout of the ship, particularly the fact that it was a manageable size. It rarely felt overly crowded. A few parts of the ship (like the main theater) look a little dated, but the renovated areas like the kids' clubs and adult clubs (the pub, the Azure theater) look good as new. I liked the decor of the lounge areas, particularly the Crown and Fin pub. Dining: Eating in 3 different dining rooms was cool. The changes of scenery were nice. The food was underwhelming. A few dishes were really good (like the sea bass at Tiana's), but in general the dishes weren't as good as they looked in the menu descriptions. Service was fine, not exceptional. One thing that would frustrate me was their insistence that the main server present you with the dishes, which often meant food would be brought to the service station and sit there getting colder while the main server was attending to another table. This would happen despite the fact that the head waiter or assistant server were available to serve the food. I was tempted at times to just go and get my own food from the station while it was still warm. Cabanas buffet had decent options and we didn't have too much trouble getting a table. I was more impressed by the service in some of the lounges, where the servers quickly learned what you liked to drink even if you weren't a very regular customer. We ate brunch at Palo, and while the food was very good the service was surprisingly slow. Maybe it was just our server. If I sailed with Disney again I would probably dine there again. Entertainment: We went to most of the major shows. "Frozen" is an excellent show. Matt Baker (juggler/stunt performer/comedian) was great in both his family and "adult" shows. Golden Mickeys had a weak story line and some odd song choices (being on this cruise would make you think "Princess and the Frog" was the most successful film in Disney history. I've never seen it.) We walked out of the magician's show, we just weren't into it. We missed the Enchanted, um, whatever it was. But we heard it was pretty similar to the Golden Mickeys so I don't think we missed out. Trivia and the game shows were definitely highlights. The cruise activities staff were funny and entertaining throughout, and the games were fun. Kids Stuff: Our son spent a fair amount of time at the Edge, and I think he enjoyed it? It was hard to tell. He had no complaints about it, and said he enjoyed the activities. But often when given the choice between doing something at Edge or playing an "adult" trivia game with us (note- they don't seem to enforce the "adult" part at all during the day) he would usually choose to stay with us. He said he liked the counselors. Maybe it's just part of being 11, but it was hard to get much information out of him about the kids' club. He was technically also allowed to go to the Oceaneer Lab, but only went once (he liked the activity, which was science-based). He liked the water slide. Spa/Fitness Center: This was the first time I tried going to a fitness center on a ship. It seemed a bit small (maybe they all are?) but pretty well equipped. My wife and I got a couple's massage at the spa which was nice. The only weird thing was that at one point we tried to go into the massage room from our verandah and found we had been locked outside with no way to communicate with the staff. Good thing neither of us had fallen overboard... I also got the Rain Room pass which had some nice amenities but seemed a bit expensive for what it was. Excursions: We didn't go through the cruise line for either of our excursions. In Cabo we took a snorkeling trip on the Buccaneer Queen, which was cool. It got a little racy at the end when they started pouring shots into people, but for the most part it was a fun trip and the emcee/snorkeling leader was cool. The port at Cabo was fun to walk around once you got past the 5 million people offering you a tour or water taxi. In Ensenada we took a taxi out to Las Canadas Campamento for ziplining and ATV riding, which was my son's favorite part of the whole trip. We practically had the place to ourselves. The zipline/rope bridge course was a blast, and the guides (who were fully bilingual) were nice, very focused on safety and took tons of great pictures with my phone while my son and I did the course. I highly recommend it. Cabin: See review below. All things considered we had a good time, but we came to the conclusion that for our particular family we probably won't sail with Disney in the future. If the cruises were similarly priced then sure, we would do Disney again. But for our family it doesn't make sense to pay a premium for the Disney aspect of the cruise. We don't take pictures with the princesses (which seemed to be happening all hours of the day). If my son was younger then we'd probably consider it, because the atmosphere on the ship is a bit more family-friendly and there are a lot of kid activities. (The flip side of that is that there are a LOT more kids- they are EVERYWHERE on that ship.) But now that my son is more interested in trivia games then taking his picture with Mickey I'd rather save some money and sail with a less expensive line (hopefully with better food) going forward. Read Less

We chose a Disney cruise because we thought it would be an ideal vacation for a couple with toddler. It’s a tough age to keep actively engaged. While the character greetings and related events were spectacular, experiences for toddlers overall were really quite limited. That being said, this alone was not why the magic was missing for us. The stateroom was not in the best shape when we arrived. The safe lock had not been reset (we had to wait for maintenance to reset, which was fine if that was the only issue), the clock alarm had not been reset (getting us up much too early the next day), there was hair on the shower curtain, and a pair of eyeglasses were lost in the cabin (?). The cabin and ship was especially creaky the whole trip. This was not our first cruise...so found it annoying. It negatively impacted our sleep. The restaurant food was good but too hot for our toddler, every time. One would assume that this would be tested before plating. While the service itself was especially friendly, off-putting was the constant requests night after night for an “excellent” rating. It left us feeling soured. We didn’t need to be pushed so much. Maybe just say it once and leave it. As for the food quality outside of the restaurants and buffet, it was really bland. We needed cash for one of the excursions and guest services would only take personal checks (in 2019!). My son and I caught a bad cold by the last day! On balance, this was not the vacation that I hoped for and expected from the magical Disney. Read Less

We sailed the Disney Fantasy this past December. There was Disney magic at every turn, we loved it. We are seasoned cruisers, with 75+ cruises. The Disney Wonder, where do I begin? The excellent: The Golden Mickey, Frozen and Dream shows. The character experiences and the Kids Club. The Bad: Very poor service in dining room, luke warm food to cold food. The taste was terrible. We never had our drinks refilled, pepper offered, minimal interaction with our table. On the Disney Fantasy, the staff are calling your by name, doing magic tricks with the kids etc. The food was very good on the Fantasy and it was served hot. The Cabana's food was just okay, like at a Denny's. Our stateroom host was friendly and kind. Our stateroom 7067 had mold around the tub. Screws falling out from door stops. The walls were beat up. He could never remember what time we had dinner however. Our stateroom would get cleaned about 2:00 pm or after. We would come back after eating at 5:30 and the 8:30 dinner shows and our stateroom would not have been turned down or cleaned from showers taken before dinner. Our ports were Cabo and Ensenada. Our granddaughter did the kids dolphin encounter ($100.00) at Cabo Adventures. She loved it and we loved watching her. The photos's were $300.00 Embarkation and disembarkation were seamless. We have done the Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique at the parks, about six times. On the Disney Fantasy once, and on the Wonder this pass cruise. Oh my, not the experience you pay for on the Wonder. On The Fantasy we bought the three trips into BBB, the pirate day was so fun on the Fantasy. Speaking of Pirate show. The Wonder's pirate night is NOT what you get on the Fantasy. It is one short show and no pirate buffet afterwards. Yes, no turkey legs. On the Fantasy you have a Character pirate show, then a big production of Jack Sparrow and friends show. All pirate buffet. The fireworks were the same. They are now giving you large containers of soap, shampoo and conditioner. No cute pillows on the bed of When you wish upon a star. DCL commands at least a 50% premium. I would NOT sail on the Wonder. I would sail on the Fantasy. No comparison. Read Less

We were two adults traveling without children that stayed in an inside stateroom on deck 7 midship of the Disney Wonder. We had an amazing experience with superior service and I cannot wait for my next Disney cruise! -The main dining food was superb- many options on the menu! -Our servers in main dining were wonderful- best I’ve ever had on a cruise. They were personable, and very efficient. -Our inside cabin was very comfortable and clean. -Entertainment is high quality. The main stage shows are of a high caliber with Frozen the musical stage show being a highlight. - We enjoyed all the adult entertainment options on the ship! We liked trivia, bingo, crafts, adult only game shows, adult only pool area and the adult only restaurant, Palo. Cruise entertainment staff were very upbeat and personable! - Ports of call were Cabo and Ensenada. -In Cabo we took an excursion to the Breathless all inclusive resort! It was gorgeous and staff were wonderful. -Port of Ensenada we took a wine tasting tour that was fabulous! We LOVED our guide and the countryside was beautiful. This was an amazing cruise and you cannot beat the Disney experience. I have previously sailed on Holland America and Disney beats out Holland in the service and entertainment categories! Read Less

We sailed on the Wonder 10 years ago with our then 1 year old and had the most glorious time. We had since cruised on both the Fantasy and Allure of the Seas, so it’s interesting to compare experiences. The Wonder feels very small compared with those larger ships. I love that it’s quick to get anywhere on board. We never felt particularly crowded except around the pool. We all felt the ships movement much more than the larger ships but overall I quite liked the size. Just wish there was more space around the pool!! I LOVE the magical Disney touches. Disney music piped in the halls, the horn’s tune, entertainment, themed restaurants. It seemed like most people on the cruise were there primarily for the Disney-ness of it all. Service was good. Not as over the top as it was 10 years ago but still good. We had two major disappointments. Our kids hated the kids club! I couldn’t believe it. Especially my daughter who loves participation in kids activities. She said she couldn’t understand the staff because of their accents. Second was the wifi. My hubby needs to stay connected for work so he bought the highest package of 1000 MB that claimed “will suit all needs including streaming shows”. What a joke! He burned through that in just a couple days of periodic email checking and one hour’s worth of work. And yes, he logged out of the wifi each time. It was also insanely slow. We had perfect wifi when we cruised on the Allure so assumed it would be similar. Read Less

This was the first time I have sailed with DCL. The Wonder looked beautiful coming off its 2017 refurbishment. 14 nights was a gamble for a cruise line I have never sailed before but Disney lived up to it's reputation for excellence. Of note, this particular cruise had only 300 children aboard. It was a running joke among the crew. It made for what was probably a much quieter cruise experience than typical. Embarkation was simple and for the most part, everyone arrived at their assigned time so it was not insanely crowded. Debarkation was equally as simple and we put our luggage out the night before to have it taken off the ship. It was just myself and my husband on this trip. Food: highlights were the incredible service in the rotational dining and the high quality of the food both in the dining rooms and in the buffet and quick service stops. Was every meal and every menu item amazing? No, but most of them were between “outstanding” to “very good.” You can preview the dinner menus on the DCL onboard app or by stopping outside your dinner location - there's a menu posted. Our servers were so accommodating and friendly and worked extremely hard to deliver a four star experience. The buffet was strongest at lunch. Beautiful options every day and a different variety every day which is hard to do on a 14 night sailing. Breakfast was plentiful and had an omelette station where they would make your order and give you a number, then deliver it to your table. Nice to not stand in line. Cabanas staff was on top of clearing and cleaning. There were always tables available. The quick service and room service were abundant with options - Pete's boiler bites was excellent for shawarma and standard fried fare/burgers and served a specialty every day that was not on the regular menu (chili dogs, Philly cheesesteak, spicy chicken sandwiches), Pinocchios for pizza (it was average), Daisy's Delights for soups, fresh made sandwiches/wraps/paninis, salads and tons of fresh fruit. Truly amazing. Even the self service ice cream was really good - standard chocolate and vanilla and then new flavors rotate into the mix each day. Self-serve ice cream sometimes is icy or has a funny taste, but DCL’s was great. Room service was PLENTIFUL and included in your cruise, and it didn't take more than 20 minutes (although they quote up to 45 minutes.) The best items we had were the buffalo-style chicken wings, BLT, French fries, Mickey ice cream bars and he famous “All Hands On Deck” cheese plate. It was SO easy to pile on the pounds! Pools: the adults-only pool was very crowded on most sea days because there were so few children on board. Their pools and hot tubs have fresh water. I tried the waterslide and it was cute and fun. Cove Cafe is in the adults area and was always populated. They have complimentary pastries throughout the day including rice Krispy treats which I did not see anywhere else onboard. Can’t really comment on the kids areas because we did not have kids with us. Spa: the gym was not crowded - ever. It was well equipped and had all the expected equipment. Entertainment: there’s something for everyone. On this long cruise, there was multiple speciality acts plus their regular nightly shows like Frozen and Disney Dreams. The on board movie theater showed about 7 rotating movies that were all recent releases, some in 3D. There’s also the “Funnel Vision” which is the giant pool-side screen showing movies all day long. And of course, character meets every day. Unlike in the parks, the characters actually take time to meet with you! Can't comment on the kids clubs experience but we did tour them during open houses and they looked incredible. Accommodations: we were in a deluxe Oceanview stateroom on deck 2 aft. The mattress was very, very comfortable. I am a fussy sleeper and I slept so well on this cruise! The split bath is as awesome as everyone says. The room was spotless. Even the bunk bed was comfortable. We did not schedule any port excursions. They just weren't up our alley. We did go to Castaway Cay and it was as beautiful as expected. What really made it all worth it was the outstanding service, from our stateroom hosts to the staff at the pool. There’s literally nothing I had to suggest to make it a better experience (except that the Wonder, unlike all the other Disney ships, does not have the free in-room on demand movies.) We will definitely be back. Read Less

For the price, my family and I were disappointed with our first ever Disney Cruise. Pros: 1) We really enjoyed the shows. The Frozen performance, in particular, was spectacular! It was truly Broadway-caliber! 2) The rotating dinner was very special. You rotate between three restaurants: Triton's, Tatiana's Place, and the Animator's Palate. Each had a different type of cuisine and really amazing decor and ambiance. The multi-media show at Animator's Palate was a highlight of the entire cruise. 3) Overall, the food was better than other cruises we've been on. 4) The service was exceptional (minus the kids' programs) 5) Castaway Cay was breathtaking! Cons: 1) The children's pools were so tiny! My daughter, who loves pools, felt too overwhelmed to even go in them. 2) Now for our biggest complaint. We booked the Disney Cruise because we thought the children's programs would be an area of emphasis for them. We found, however, that they were run more like a babysitting service. There were always several crew members around, but they were extremely unengaged with the kids. My daughter is a very shy, four year old and when I peeked into the Oceaneer Club, she was almost always alone, with the staff just standing around, chatting amongst themselves. The scheduled kids events at the Club were pretty lame. The program on Castaway Cay was even worse! When I went to pick up my daughter, I counted NINE employees standing around, and none of them were interacting with any of the kids. This was not at all what I expected, and definitely not the magical Disney-way I have come to respect. Because of the lack of attention, I signed my daughter up for about 1/3 of the time that I was hoping to. Everyone told me the kiddos are not going to want to leave the Club, but my daughter, honestly, dreaded going and they didn't seem to do anything to help ease her anxiety the four times I dropped her off. Definitely would consider other cruise lines before Disney again, due to the cost and terrible experience with the kids' club. Read Less

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