Disney Wonder Review
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Additional details
Choosing to celebrate a 70th birthday on a Disney ship was a Slam Dunk - based on all our previous experiences, Disney is absolutely TOPS in producing wonderful celebrations and glorious memories. Well, friends, Disney Cruise Line is NOT Disneyland or Disney World. The details of what went wrong here are not important to others who are thinking of sailing aboard the Disney Wonder. It is a greater service to pass along the caution against expecting Disney Cruise Line to come through for you on a pre-planned celebration with the same flawless professionalism, preparation, and attention to detail that people usually experience at the Disney parks.
Moving on, this was a West Coast repositioning cruise and, as sometimes happens on repositions, there was a certain lackluster quality to a number of things. For passengers on repositions, crew members can seem tired, slightly slack, even a bit let down or detached. The quality of the food, of service, and of entertainment is frequently somewhat below par. It is as if "Prime Time" on any cruise ship is specific to a given region where itineraries are repeated for several months, so that moving the ship between, let's say, winter and summer cruise regions upsets and diminishes crew performance, engagement, and morale. All of these "sags" were noticeable on this particular cruise.
The ship itself seemed clean, well-maintained and, other than equipment failures in the theater which disrupted the schedule of live shows, in excellent condition. My inside stateroom was large and comfortable, while the bathroom was really small (compared to other ships and cruise lines) and musty. As other reviewers have mentioned, the three main dining rooms feel cramped and crowded, with too much noise and distraction caused by too many waiter stations. Up on Deck 9, the casual Beach Blanket Buffet has far too few tables to accommodate the number of passengers on this ship and, as the ship moves North into colder regions, the fact that all swimming pools and surrounding seating areas are outdoors (no sliding roof) means swimmers, sunbathers, and people at tables (and their food) get unpleasantly cold, fast. The Wonder was just not designed to sail beyond warm waters!
Cabin Review
Standard Inside Stateroom
Cabin 6307 was wonderfully quiet, located forward and along a short, out-of-the-way hallway in between the two main hallways of staterooms. For an inside cabin, 6307 seemed spacious and very comfortable, although I should note that I was traveling alone. There was more than adequate drawer and closet space, and the lighting in the room was excellent. AND, one of my all-time favorites is that there was an alarm clock radio at my bedside that is an iPod / iPhone charger & dock, so my music could play through the speakers while also recharging. WooHoo! In contrast, the bathroom here is quite small, with too little counter top or shelf space for even a small number of the things we all use in a bathroom. The decor is somewhat dated in the bathroom, but do look up and laugh with delight at the Mickey Mouse ceiling lights shining down on your head!