Boarding the Ship
The morning of our cruise, we had a quick breakfast and got a cab to take us to the Miami Port. Waiting for us there was the Disney Wonder! We had an early port arrival time (10:30 AM), but probably showed up at around 10:00 AM. We handed our luggage off to the porter (along with a tip) and headed to the terminal. We waited outside the terminal until 10:15 AM, when the terminal opened. We went through security and were soon checking in for our cruise. There are multiple lines inside the terminal building depending upon whether you are a returning cruiser or new to Disney Cruise Lines (there’s a separate line for Concierge guests as well). We entered the returning cruisers line and soon had our Silver Castaway Club lanyards and Key to the World Cards.
We were in the third boarding group (although they called boarding groups 1-3 immediately after boarding Concierge and Platinum Castaway Club members) and were soon hearing our names called as we entered the atrium. If you haven’t sailed on Disney Cruise Lines before, they get your family’s name as you enter the ship for the first time, and make an announcement to welcome you to the ship as you board. We made a quick stop at the Port Adventures desk to register Nancy for the Castaway Cay 5K, which is a relaxed 5K they hold in the morning on Castaway Cay. We then headed to Parrot Cay, one of the dining rooms on the Disney Wonder. We had a quick bite to eat from the extensive buffet and briefly visited with our waiter from our Alaska cruise. After eating, we headed right up to the pool deck. The kids had worn swim suits under their clothes, so they jumped into the pool. Nancy and I plopped into some deck chairs and started looking over the Navigator we picked up in the terminal. The Navigator is the guide you receive everyday that tells you all of the activities on board the ship.
After a few hours of relaxing by the pool, we decided to go check out our room. The rooms are generally ready by 1:30 PM, although it may take a couple more hours for the luggage to be delivered. We made our way to room 7610, which was only two floors down from the pool deck.
After checking out the room, we were off for a complete walk through of the ship (pictures saved for a future post), then headed back to the room to get ready for the mandatory lifeboat drill. Our Key to the World cards gave us our lifeboat station, so we headed there. Although it’s not our favorite part of the cruise, the lifeboat drill is critical so that everyone in your traveling party knows what to do and where to go in case of an emergency at sea.
Once we completed the lifeboat drill, it was time to party! We broke into groups for the Sail Away Party. Two of us don’t want anything to do with the party held on the pool deck. One of us loves it, but needs adult supervision. The Sail Away Party features dancing and entertainment, character appearances, and exotic frozen drinks for purchase. The top decks are generally packed, as you can see from the picture below.
The family members who didn’t attend the Sail Away Party hung out on the balcony of the ship and enjoyed the scenery leaving Miami.
Once we lost sight of land, we headed back to our room to get ready for our first night of dinner at Parrot Cay, the same dining room we had lunch in. We met our waiter (Joel) and our assistant waiter (Tricia). Disney Cruise Line uses a unique dining rotation for dinner — you visit each dining room for one or more nights of your cruise, but your wait staff will rotate along with you. This is nice because your servers get to know you and your preferences. Joel and Tricia were both excellent servers and great to interact with every night. We requested Tricia again for a future cruise, and Nancy has connected with her via email. She was really personable and friendly.
After dinner, the kids went off to their clubs — Oceaneers Club for the younger one and the Edge for the older one. Nancy and I headed up to the Cove Cafe for a late night drink before calling it a night.
Planning | Boarding | Castaway Cay | Nassau | Key West | Going Home
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