Tuesday, January 23, 2018

[UPDATED] Disney Wonder Photo Collection

A Disney Cruise is the perfect time to do new things, visit new places, meet new friends, and take photos, all of which I did.  Last week, I was on a WONDERful cruise, which just so happened to be on the Disney Wonder.  Before this, it was the only Disney ship my family hadn't been, and now we've been on all 4!  (Yaaay)  While on, I was able to get some great pictures.  I hope you enjoy!

The Disney Wonder in Antigua



If you ever go on the Wonder, look really closely at the two funnels.  After a while, you'll probably notice the blue on the forward funnel is a different, lighter shade than the blue on the other one.  Also, the real, functioning funnel is slightly taller than the forward one.  Why are there these small differences?  I have no idea.

Well, this is new!  In San Juan, we boarded the ship on Deck 1!  I think it was because the structure above on the right looks a little... unsafe.  The only real thing missing was that there wasn't anyone down there announcing to the ship that families had arrived.  It was a little sad, but the boarding process was faster this way.

The view of San Juan from the Wide World of Sports Deck
I prefer the placement of the sports deck on the Magic and Wonder to the Dream and Fantasy.  I'm not saying that Goofy's Sports Deck is bad, but the Magic and Wonder's equivalent, the Wide World of Sports Deck, offers better views for the kids (the Dream and Fantasy have an adults only area here), fairer games of Ping Pong because there is less wind, and an overall nicer experience.  Although, on our last night, I was at the sports deck attempting to play basketball with a friend (we weren't very good), and I noticed that the area in front of the big glass wall was blocked off due to extremely high winds.  Anything light left up there would certainly get blown away, so it was good it was closed off.

Also from the sports deck, a plaque from the builder in Italy.  I don't speak Italian, but I know that 'ANNO' means year.  1999 was when the Wonder was launched.

It's not a great picture, because my phone's camera isn't great either, but this is right in front of... the Bueno Vista Theatre!  No, just kidding, its near the Walt Disney Theatre, where live shows are done.  I didn't see any of the Disney Cruise Line shows, but I did see the Magic Dave Show, a great, funny magic show.  I also saw The Great DuBois, a show where they do crazy things like juggling crazy amounts of balls, hula hooping (surprisingly exciting), and riding a 6-foot tall unicycle.  All while the ship is rocking!
During the Wonder's reimagination in late 2016, many places around the ship were renovated and updated, including the D Lounge, which was formerly known as Studio Sea.  They also updated other places, including...


...Cabanas!  Cabanas used to be the Beach Blanket Buffet until 2016, when they changed the decoration, food, and flow of the restaurant.  The Wonder's version, though is slightly different from the rest of the ships'.  Right before you walk in, there are hand washing stations, a line of sinks on either entrance.  I think DCL was experimenting with these, possibly for the three new ships.  While not as efficient as hand wipes, the sinks probably did a better job.  If only they had the hand wash machines that they have in the Oceaneer Club and Lab.  Those would be awesome!

Hmm, I wonder what they serve here?


Well, this is different!  Instead of Frozone Treats on all the other ships, there's Sulley's Sips.  I think this goes along much better with Eye Scream, and it keeps the Monsters Inc. theme going.




On the Promenade, there is a cool area in the front of the ship.  Instead of the Dream and Fantasy having Vibe's entrance here, you can see the giant chains for the anchors and everything used when the ship is docking.  The only downside to it is that it is closed off when the ship is going into port.


If you go up to Deck 10 and walk to the back of the ship, you'll find Palo, the Adults-Only restaurant on every DCL ship.  I didn't go inside, but I did get a good picture of the entryway.  My parents went one night, and they said it was as good as every other time they'd been.  Especially the Chocolate Soufflé, one of my their favorite desserts.

A few years ago, when we sailed on the Magic, they had all the normal flavors of ice cream, (vanilla, chocolate, strawberry, and banana) and blueberry.  What's weird is that it was only on the Magic before this cruise.  Who knows, maybe it's a classic ship thing.

Updated Section









They changed the atrium a lot when they renovated the Wonder. 
The port in San Juan was right by an airport.



There were lots of tiny boats, aaaaaand the Wonder.

More tiny boats


The ship name is in a different place on the two older ships than on the newer ones.


This was a paper craft I made.

Vibe is inside this funnel.

We saw this iguana at the beach in Curacao.


Aruba's bright blue water



These photos are really out of order, but this is the AquaLab, almost identical to the Magic's.  The only difference is that the Wonder has Dory's Reef instead of Donald's Nephews' Splash Zone.

The entrance to the Wonder's only waterslide, the Twist N' Spout.  It used to be Mickey's Slide, which was similar, but a lot less twisty.

I was surprised that we couldn't get many good photos of Donald Duck on the back of the Wonder.  Maybe next time.


This is a little better.

So is this

We got all these photos when we were on a snorkeling tour boat.








Wow.


Great news!  I'm going on the Wonder again in 2019!  Our servers were amazing, the service was great, and they had BLUEBERRY ICE CREAM!  My long lost favorite!