My in-laws took us to Alaska on the Disney Wonder this past June for a fabulous, 7-night cruise. We totalled 15 in number with age ranges from 9 to 79. Built in 1999, the Disney Wonder features 11 decks with almost 900 staterooms.
Itinerary
Day 1 – Depart Vancouver, BC, Canada
Day 2 – At Sea
Day 3 – Dawes Glacier (but really at sea since the ship doesn’t dock)
Day 4 – Skagway, AK
Day 5 – Juneau, AK
Day 6 – Ketchikan, AK
Day 7 – At Sea
Day 8 – Disembark Vancouver, BC, Canada at 7 am
When I first saw the itinerary I thought, “Okay, 7 nights and 4 stops. That’s not too bad.” Unfortunately, I didn’t realize that what appeared to be a stop – Dawes Glacier – was really another day at sea.
Disney can technically list Dawes Glacier as a port of call because you can take an excursion. The $260 per person Glacier Explorer allows visitors to go straight from the ship to a high-speed boat that spends 3 hours exploring the Endicott Arm Fjord and Dawes Glacier.
So you need to wrap your head around the fact that you’ll be on the ship for almost 3 days before your first stop in Skagway. Then, each stop is one right after another until another day at sea followed by the disembarkation day.
The Ship
Because we departed from Vancouver, we had to go through customs and security during the boarding process at Canada Place. For whatever reason, it wasn’t as smooth as Port Canaveral when we sailed on the Disney Dream to the Bahamas. My sister-in-law felt it was more complicated because we were departing from Canada and all of our ports of call were in the US.
I was ready to get on the boat. We entered the ship’s atrium lobby on Deck 3 – the same level we found the guest services, port adventures, and two of the full-service restaurants – Triton’s and Tiana’s Place.
Most of the daytime activities occurred on Decks 9 and 10 with three pool areas, a walking/jogging track and multiple quick bite restaurants. At night, Deck 4 hosted most of the evening theatrical programs and lounges.
The Stateroom
Despite being an older boat, the Wonder’s oceanview staterooms are nicely laid out – just like on the Disney Dream. Upon entry, the two bathrooms were on the right, then the king-size bed, followed by the sitting area. At night, the sitting area converts to two bunk beds – one above the other.
Another thing Disney does well is the bathroom space. Each stateroom has two bathrooms. One has the shower/tub and sink. The other offers the sink and toilet. This is especially helpful when a family of four is trying to get changed and ready at the same time.
Stateroom on the Disney Wonder
Another thing I like is the curtain that can separate the bedroom and sitting areas. On the other side from the two bathrooms is a sliding-door closet space with a safe. The television sits on the desk with multiple pull-out drawers across from the couch.
Lounges, Gathering Areas & Entertainment
You’ll pay money at all of the bars and lounges on the ship. The Promenade Lounge served as a central gathering spot for our family. Conveniently located on Deck 3 above our staterooms, this area opens to the indoor promenade linking the stern to Triton’s restaurant and the main lobby. We used this mostly during the day when the servers weren’t there and had fun people watching.
The Crown & Fin Pub was the adult family favorite, mainly because it hosted most of the afternoon trivia events we attended. I will say that Disney uses the exact same trivia questions as they did on the Dream almost four years before. No matter, we still had fun at the British-themed pub.
Other lounges offering nightly entertainment included Azure, D Lounge and Cadillac Lounge. Because I enjoyed rising early, I didn’t experience much nightlife on board. Cove Cafe served drinks, coffee and light food near the adult-only pool. On the last day, I discovered the Cadillac Lounge. With its burgundy leather chairs next to large porthole windows, it was the perfect reading spot during the day before it started serving beverages.
After dinner, the ship hosted shows in the Walt Disney Theatre. Again, many of these were the same shows we saw over 3 years before on the Disney Dream such as “The Golden Mickeys” and a magic show. However, a new production, “Frozen – A Musical Spectacular” was a welcome addition to the line-up.
Also, the cruise boasted a Frozen Deck Party mid-week. Light up snowflake necklaces showed up in our stateroom for us to wear to the Frozen-themed dinner. This was the one night I didn’t like the food as it tasted too much like convention food. After dinner, we went to the top deck to watch characters dance and sing songs from the musical for about 30 minutes. Short and sweet – just like I wanted. Fun Fact – no fireworks for the deck party because it disturbs the Alaskan wildlife.
The Gym
In the forward area of Deck 9, I found the gym. The facilities were clean and they provided guests with fresh towels, fruit and water. The pre-moistened washcloths in a refrigerated cooler provided welcome relief after intense workouts.
Although they offered many complimentary yoga, pilates and other fitness classes, I didn’t have a chance to attend. They were wedged between the treadmills and weight machines.
Kids Clubs
What sets a Disney cruise apart from its competitors is the variety of kid-centered activities. Disney music plays all over the ship and character visits offer numerous photo opportunities. Younger kids can participate in the Oceaneer Club while tweens can play video games at Edge. High schoolers have their own program called Vibe, located on the top deck.
One of my daughters enjoyed Vibe because she could get a little time away from her younger cousins. She met teens from other states and enjoyed fostering new friendships with them. My other teen wanted to spend time playing with her cousins so she spent more time at the pool or watching Disney movies in the theatre.
Swimming Activities
On Deck 9, we found three swimming areas. Goofy’s pool and the Aqualab catered to families, while the Quiet Cove pool provided a respite for adults.
Although it was summer, we only experienced a few days it was warm enough to swim. On the positive side, we never had an issue finding deck chairs and the boat provided blankets. The day sailed up to Dawes Glacier, the crew served complimentary hot chocolate to everyone.
Service & Cleanliness
We received top-notch service on the Wonder. In fact, I felt the staff hovered over us for the first 2 days. I read that they have 950 staff for 875 staterooms. As my husband explained, “Kids are messy. So the extra staff is there to clean up after all the kids.” Our dinner servers couldn’t have been nicer. The only thing I didn’t like was on the last night they told us how important it is for them to get good reviews. Even though we would have automatically given them high scores, I felt pressured after their speech.
Our housekeeping staff was equally attentive and we enjoyed seeing what new towel designs they came up with. Although we didn’t attend, Disney offered a class on folding towels and napkins.
In Conclusion
Overall, the Disney Wonder was a great experience. However, since we had previously sailed on the newer Disney Dream, the Wonder was a bit of a letdown. I preferred the layout (especially the Aqua Duck water coaster and Rainforest Spa) on the Dream. I also felt disappointed that most of the live theatre performances and trivia questions were identical to the Dream from 3 years before. But if you haven’t been on the newer Dream or Fantasy, a cruise on the Wonder would be fabulous.
Hands down, a cruise is a great option for large groups and multi-generational travelers. If you have kids with broad age ranges, then Disney is my top choice.
For more information, go to Disney’s cruise site. The website is large and a bit cumbersome to navigate, so be patient with it.
See separate posts regarding Disney Dining and the Rainforest Spa.