An Easter Weekend Trip on the Wonder with (most of) the TCD Gang

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

14 minutes ago, DaveInTN said:

Yes, the service and experience on DCL is phenomenal.  No argument from me, and you know I have loved my DCL cruises.  But keep in mind...you experienced all of that on a CM rate.  Over the past 2-3 years, as I have considered taking my entire family on another Disney cruise, I've seen the prices literally skyrocket.  So much so, that for us to book 2 cabins for 8 people (1 Oceanview and 1 Interior) for a 7 night Caribbean cruise on the Fantasy we'd be paying between $11-15k depending on timing!  The only conclusion I can make is that Disney is handling DCL similarly to how they are handling WDW....too many people want to vacation with them, so keep raising the prices until demand levels out a bit.  So far, demand seems to have kept pace with the increases, because many of the sailings fill up.  And those that don't get offered up with CM and Travel Agent rates to sell the remaining cabins.  It's a beautiful business plan.  But it kinda stinks for those of us who want to take their family on vacation but think spending a year's worth of college expenses on a 1 week vacation is stupid.    

That is a very valid point. I would not pay full price for a Disney cruise. Don't forget that another trick Disney uses is offering a discount and an onboard credit for future cruises that are booked during your cruise. Another genius move on their part. It seems that a lot of repeat cruisers take advantage of this. 

TCD 

[WannaBeImagineer 98]

23 minutes ago, Tri-Circle-D said:

That is a very valid point. I would not pay full price for a Disney cruise. Don't forget that another trick Disney uses is offering a discount and an onboard credit for future cruises that are booked during your cruise. Another genius move on their part. It seems that a lot of repeat cruisers take advantage of this. 

TCD 

 

41 minutes ago, DaveInTN said:

Yes, the service and experience on DCL is phenomenal.  No argument from me, and you know I have loved my DCL cruises.  But keep in mind...you experienced all of that on a CM rate.  Over the past 2-3 years, as I have considered taking my entire family on another Disney cruise, I've seen the prices literally skyrocket.  So much so, that for us to book 2 cabins for 8 people (1 Oceanview and 1 Interior) for a 7 night Caribbean cruise on the Fantasy we'd be paying between $11-15k depending on timing!  The only conclusion I can make is that Disney is handling DCL similarly to how they are handling WDW....too many people want to vacation with them, so keep raising the prices until demand levels out a bit.  So far, demand seems to have kept pace with the increases, because many of the sailings fill up.  And those that don't get offered up with CM and Travel Agent rates to sell the remaining cabins.  It's a beautiful business plan.  But it kinda stinks for those of us who want to take their family on vacation but think spending a year's worth of college expenses on a 1 week vacation is stupid.    

I agree with you both.  The service and cruise is amazing but I am priced out of their normal prices.  My only option is to wait for a GT rate on an off season cruise.  It stinks but Disney keeps the ships full so they can charge what they want.  I've had people ask about going on a Disney cruise during the summer or spring break and are shocked by the price.  Then on the other hand your read online about the people that will only book concierge so they can give DCL more money for a private cabana on Castaway Cay.

Here's my current problem though...we love cruising, we want to cruise all the time, but the kids are both very young and now they expect to see mickey on the every cruise.  I really want to go another cruise line but it's hard to try something new.  Plus I'll be explaining the whole cruise why Mickey isn't there...  When they are older though I'll definitely be shopping around more.

WBI

[AC in A2......Aaron 693]

In!

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

Update time. 

We left off with the muster drill, which is quick and painless, and was even more so for us, since all we had to do was go down one deck beneath our cabin to Animator's Palate. We have been on cruises where we had to hike to the muster station and stand outside in the hot sun. Not this time. Sweet. 

Before we get to far along, here's the list of fun that Twin #1 created for this cruise. Some of the old favorites were retired, and new items were added, all of which seem to relate to alcohol consumption. RIP:

After the muster drill, we headed to Deck 9 for the sail away party. It was a lot less crowded up there than it was on our recent Dream cruises, and I went right to work making sure that I was shown on the Funnel Vision. Look at that old guy waving the captain's hat in the crowd in this photo, and then look up on the screen. Check:

As corny as it is, we all still love the sail away party. There is nothing that compares to the part where they countdown and then you hear the ship's horn for the first time, and you feel the ship start to move. Here's a few more sail away photos:

After we started to move, we headed up to Deck 10 to watch us travel down the channel and out to sea. There's the DCL terminal in the distance:

It's always interesting to see what there is to see along the channel:

A bunch of new cars had been unloaded here.  I couldn't tell what make they are:

This next ship was interesting looking. If you Google the name, you'll learn that is a self unloading cargo ship. Look at the elaborate conveyor belt system constructed on land. I wonder what the cargo was on that ship?

Here's the happy TCD gang:

Here's something fun-  there's a webcam that streams the Port Canaveral sailaways. They archive the videos here: 

http://www.portcanaveralwebcam.com/replay.php

if you look up the Disney Wonder sail away for March 29th, and wait until the 3:30 mark, you will see some familiar faces. Here's some screen shots:

It was pretty funny up there because the girls' dresses kept blowing up. They had their bathing suits on underneath, but still. 

We finished up with some hearty waving to the folks at Jetty Park:

And then we left the channel:

We stayed up top for just a bit more, then headed down to our cabin to unpack and get ready for the first night of our cruise. 

TCD

[mmfancipher 31]

Neat, I want to camp at the Jetty Park sometime we are in Florida.  It looks fun!

 

[Grumpy and Grandma 740]

28 minutes ago, mmfancipher said:

Neat, I want to camp at the Jetty Park sometime we are in Florida.  It looks fun!

You have to usually book many many months out though for a full hook-up. If you want to boondock(sites in the pic) those are more readily available as are 30 amp with water.

[WannaBeImagineer 98]

That's a great looking LOF!

I don't think there's anything wrong with all the drinking related items!

WBI

[thegooftroopfla 18]

Sweeet. A tcd trip report 

[Tony 27]

I'm late but i'm in , Great Start! Looks like a great time on the way!

Thanks for sharing

[GaDawgFan.....Kelly 799]

I’m in late but in! We’ve only done the big ships so far, but I’d love to check out the Wonder and Magic.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[dblr....Rennie 224]

On ‎4‎/‎6‎/‎2018 at 2:29 PM, Grumpy and Grandma said:

You have to usually book many many months out though for a full hook-up. If you want to boondock(sites in the pic) those are more readily available as are 30 amp with water.

Do they offer any kind of a deal to park your rv if you go on a cruise?

[Grumpy and Grandma 740]

Nope. 

www.portcanaveral.com/Recreation/Jetty-Park-Campground

[Seals 111]

On 4/5/2018 at 3:18 PM, Tri-Circle-D said:

Your daughters are so cute.  I love the coordinated outfits. Love the Wonder too. And count me in on the priced out of Disney cruises but don't really want to try another cruise line because it might not compare category. 

[mouseketab.....Carol 1,261]

5 hours ago, Grumpy and Grandma said:

Nope. 

www.portcanaveral.com/Recreation/Jetty-Park-Campground

Love the T@B symbols on their rate sheet :)

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

On 4/6/2018 at 2:02 PM, mmfancipher said:

Neat, I want to camp at the Jetty Park sometime we are in Florida.  It looks fun!

 

I keep saying that I want to visit Jetty Park too. The beach looks nice, and the location is awesome. 

On 4/6/2018 at 2:29 PM, Grumpy and Grandma said:

You have to usually book many many months out though for a full hook-up. If you want to boondock(sites in the pic) those are more readily available as are 30 amp with water.

We normally cruise in the summer, so it was interesting to see how many of those boondock sites were occupied. Those spots would be brutal in the summer. 

On 4/6/2018 at 2:35 PM, WannaBeImagineer said:

That's a great looking LOF!

I don't think there's anything wrong with all the drinking related items!

WBI

The truth is that the twins are big talkers when it comes to drinking. Fortunately, nobody got out of control on this cruise. 

On 4/7/2018 at 12:30 AM, thegooftroopfla said:

Sweeet. A tcd trip report 

Thanks. It was a sweet trip, so I had to post a report. 

On 4/7/2018 at 9:36 AM, Tony said:

I'm late but i'm in , Great Start! Looks like a great time on the way!

Thanks for sharing

Thanks for reading and posting. And you're not late- it's still the first night. 

21 hours ago, GaDawgFan.....Kelly said:

I’m in late but in! We’ve only done the big ships so far, but I’d love to check out the Wonder and Magic.

If you get the chance, you should. I was surprised by how much I liked the Wonder after three cruises on the Dream. 

15 hours ago, dblr....Rennie said:

Do they offer any kind of a deal to park your rv if you go on a cruise?

No deals, but there is RV parking in the Disney lot. 

13 hours ago, Grumpy and Grandma said:

Nope. 

www.portcanaveral.com/Recreation/Jetty-Park-Campground

Thanks for the link. Those rates look good. 

9 hours ago, Seals said:

Your daughters are so cute.  I love the coordinated outfits. Love the Wonder too. And count me in on the priced out of Disney cruises but don't really want to try another cruise line because it might not compare category. 

Thanks. The coordinated outfits were the girls' gimmick. You'll see some more in the next update. I'm sorry to hear that you're priced out. It's amazing that Disney can still command prices so much more than other cruise lines. 

8 hours ago, mouseketab.....Carol said:

Love the T@B symbols on their rate sheet :)

LOL. Those sure do look like Tabs. 

TCD 

[twiceblessed....nacole 433]

Ha!  Jetty Park... good to know that's there, as that might be where I'm staying... if Tom takes the kids on a cruise someday.  LOL  

[dblr....Rennie 224]

Thanks for the Campground info, I was just thinking if we ever did the cruise while out in the rv, I see they even say in the rules no unattended overnight units, guess if we ever cruise we will have to empty the fridge and restock afterwards

[Grumpy and Grandma 740]

43 minutes ago, Tri-Circle-D said:

Those spots would be brutal in the summer.

.........

 It's amazing that Disney can still command prices so much more than other cruise lines. 

TCD 

The breeze from the ocean probably helps a lot with those sites.

What other cruise line usually gets all 10's when it comes to cleanliness, service and family friendly?

 

 

[Beckers 1,136]

10 minutes ago, dblr....Rennie said:

Thanks for the Campground info, I was just thinking if we ever did the cruise while out in the rv, I see they even say in the rules no unattended overnight units, guess if we ever cruise we will have to empty the fridge and restock afterwards

I’ll come and stay in your camper for you 😂 I mean I wouldn’t want you to go through all the work of emptying the fridge and all. 

[dblr....Rennie 224]

1 hour ago, Beckers said:

I’ll come and stay in your camper for you 😂 I mean I wouldn’t want you to go through all the work of emptying the fridge and all. 

I thought that's what your parents camper is for.....I mean Squishes camper!!!!!!!

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

Update time. 

We left off with the sail away. From there, we headed back to the cabin. 

For the first time ever, we requested a specific dining rotation on this cruise. The girls were excited to try Tiana's Place, and they asked that we eat their on the first night. We saw that this request had been granted when we received our Key to the World cards in the terminal, so we were excited for that first meal. 

On our most recent cruises, I have skipped a lot of the big shows that Disney puts on in the theater. The girls were determined to do the opposite- they wanted to see all of the shows. Tonight's show was the Goden Mickeys. I agreed that I would go to this one, but I requested that we make a stop at the Crown and Fin pub first. I wanted to check out the chicken wings and vat of bleu cheese that DIT and WBI talked about in their recent TR's. 

In our cabin, we got everything unpacked and put away, and got ready for the show. The show was at 6:15, and we popped in to the Crown and Fin at about 5:55, only to find the place deserted. I saw where the snacks were supposed to be, but there were none. Fail. We were the only people in the whole bar. The twins were not happy with me- I had made them rush to get here, promising that there would be pre-show snacks, but there were none. Oh well, we just had to pop up one deck to the theater, and we could get good seats. 

Just as we were walking out in defeat, a cheerful server emerged from nowhere and asked if he could help us. I told him that we were on our way to the show and had stopped by for some drinks and wings, but we were going to head out since there were no wings. 

The server told us that they were just getting ready to put out the snacks, as they were served nightly beginning at 6 pm. He invited us back in. He seated us and took our order. I ordered the special beer that Disney has brewed for just this venue, and as we waited for our drinks, we saw them setting out the food. 

When the server returned with our drinks, he told us that the food was ready, and we could help ourselves. 

We were still the only guests in the whole place. We helped ourselves. In addition to both Buffalo and BBQ wings, there were build your own nachos, and hot dogs, and a gigantic bowl of bleu cheese, with a giant serving spoon. It was everything DIT and WBI said it would be and more. 

The only bad thing was that we had to rush, since we were trying to make the show. But, we had time to eat a bit. We weren't done with our drinks though, especially me since I had a pint of beer, and I had been going hard on the wings. I asked the server if he had a "to go" cup. He told me I could just take the pint with me- it would fit in the cup holders in the theater. Sweet!  

So, we went up one flight of stairs and walked right in to the theater as the Cruise Director came out to welcome us and make an announcements before the show. Perfect!

One of the things cruise directors always do on the first night is to recognize the Castaway Club members and DVC owners in the audience. Our cruise director did this, and we were all surprised to see how few Castaway Club members there were on this cruise. First timers were by far the majority. Twin #2 pointed out that this cruise was one of only a few that was blocked out from returning cruisers using the onboard booking discount. Because this cruise was sailing during Easter week, it was full of kids and families and first timers. We were really lucky that Twin #2 had snagged that CM discount. 

The show was great. It definitely had been a while since I saw it, and the actress who played Ensign Benson wasn't annoying. That was a big plus. To top it all off, I got to enjoy my beer during the show. 

After the show, we returned to the cabin for a drink and to watch the sun set from our verandah. There were clouds on the horizon, so we didn't get to watch the sun disappear into the water, but it was still pretty:

The twins were Disney Bounding as Tiana tonight:

They had a craft night before the cruise and made those headbands and some other items we will see later in the report. 

After hanging out in the cabin, we headed down two flights of stairs to the Tiana's Place entrance. We really appreciated our aft cabin location! 

Tiana's Place was added to the Wonder during a 2016 dry dock. It replaced the Parrot Cay restaurant which was original to the ship. I liked Parrot Cay, but this change was a great move. The new restaurant is gorgeous, and the attention to detail is on the level of the way Disney used to do things. 

The twins loved the new dishes:

And the menus:

We had just been seated, and we were taking it all in when the proprietor of the restaurant appeared out of nowhere and greeted us. She had noticed the girls' outfits and she came right over to say hello and welcome us:

Twin #2 had her Tiana purse with her, and Tiana loved it:

That was a fantastic way to begin our first dinner. We met Tiana before we even met our servers. Right after that, we met our server team. They gave us Mardis Gras beads, and then got right down to business with taking our orders:

 

There were four appetizers on the menu, and we ordered one of each- the shrimp and grits were very good:

I've read mixed reviews of the boudin fritters, but we all thought they were pretty good:

We also tried the charcuterie board and a raw tuna appetizer.  Both of those were good, but we would probably skip the tuna next time- it didn't go with the theme. 

Next up was the soup/salad course.  I tried the pepper pot soup- I liked it a lot:

I kept going back and forth trying to decide on my entree, I have a hard time passing on prime rib, but I also wanted to try the sea bass.  I solved the problem by ordering both. I have no regrets.

Early on in the meal, Tiana introduced her house band, and the Crawfish Crooners took the stage. These guys were amazing. It was a delight to dine with live music playing in the background. 

After the main course was served, we had another visitor:

Louis got up on stage and played with the band, then there was a big parade around the restaurant. What fun. 

Then it was time for dessert- our servers brought us menus:

Those menus weren't necessary, as we all knew that we wanted the beignets.  Those were fantastic- not as light as real ones, and more like doughnuts, but they were great considering how they had to be mass produced on the ship.

During dessert, Tiana went up and sang with the band, and invited guests up to dance.  The CM they had portraying Tiana was amazing.  She stopped at every table in the dining room, plus she was the MC for all of the entertainment.  She did an amazing job.

After dinner, we stopped to admire some of the details at the restaurant entrance:

We didn't have plans after dinner tonight, so we lingered and it was around 10:30 when we left. We headed back to the cabin to get in more casual clothing, and headed up top to look around. It was a beautiful evening with a bright full moon providing so much light that we could see the horizon. That was pretty cool. 

We popped in to the movie theater for a bit to watch some time of The Last Jedi. It was great that the theater was right down the hall from our cabin. 

Traditionally, we top off our cruise evenings with some room service, and the girls placed an order right after midnight. I laid down on the couch while we waited for the delivery, and that was it for me. I do remember the knock at the door and the server bringing the order in, but I was out. 

All in all, it was a great first night. 

Next up- our sea day!

 TCD 

[DaveInTN 3,247]

Maybe they've improved those boudin fritters.  They look similar though, so who knows.  Glad you enjoyed them.  

Good call on the beignets.  I think I might have had two desserts....the beignets and the bread pudding, and I think INC had the bananas foster sundae.  But since you had 2 entrees that was likely out of the question.  Especially if you were saving room for another Mickey bar later.      

I hadn't recalled what time they started serving the wings.  Glad that server caught you and you were able to get some.  

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

12 minutes ago, DaveInTN said:

Maybe they've improved those boudin fritters.  They look similar though, so who knows.  Glad you enjoyed them.  

Good call on the beignets.  I think I might have had two desserts....the beignets and the bread pudding, and I think INC had the bananas foster sundae.  But since you had 2 entrees that was likely out of the question.  Especially if you were saving room for another Mickey bar later.      

I hadn't recalled what time they started serving the wings.  Glad that server caught you and you were able to get some.  

I think the key is that I have very little experience with boudin, and I had low expectations. You and WBI have eaten real boudin from a real Louisiana place. The only boudin I've ever had was from a plate Feisty fixed for me years ago at the Fort.  I had never even heard of boudin before that. I don't know any better. 

You're right, after the multiple appetizers and entrees, there was no way I could handle multiple desserts. I ate all of my beignets though. 

I'm glad I got the chicken wings too. I was prepared to go back after the show, and late at night if necessary, but luckily that server caught us before we left. 

TCD 

[WannaBeImagineer 98]

1 hour ago, Tri-Circle-D said:

Update time. 

During dessert, Tiana went up and sang with the band, and invited guests up to dance.  The CM they had portraying Tiana was amazing.  She stopped at every table in the dining room, plus she was the MC for all of the entertainment.  She did an amazing job.

After dinner, we stopped to admire some of the details at the restaurant entrance:

 

 

 TCD 

 

Looks like a great first evening, glad you figured out the Crown & Fin snacks, I didn't know about the 6pm thing at all, maybe after the first day they are out more often?

That's the same Tianna that we had, and I agree she was great, the fact that she was in character and would actually sing too was perfect. I really liked the live music too and I think DCL knows how great this restaurant is considering they put a Tangled restuarnt on the Magic recently.

On another note, Bayou Rum is made right down the road from us on I-10.  They have great rum, but I haven't made it over there for the tour yet.

WBI

[GaDawgFan.....Kelly 799]

We love being aft as well. It's close to most things we do.

Tiana's looks amazing! I love that the twins dressed for the occasion.