Disney Cruise: Q and A

What was your favorite part of the cruise?

Allie: "Everything, really."

Deef: "Meeting all of the Disney characters."

Sue: "I was really impressed with all the kids activities and counselors that were available both on board the ship and on the island. And while the kids were having their own fun, there was plenty of activities for the adults. The shows were great and the food was great. It was the perfect family vacation."

Jason: "The private Disney island, Castaway Cay."

What was your least favorite part of the cruise?

Allie: "Nothing."

Deef: "On the beach, it was windy and the sand hit my legs."

Sue: "We wasted precious time going on a shore excursion in the Bahamas. I would have rather stayed on the ship that day and taken part in more on board activities."

Jason: "The Bahamas."

Did you get seasick?

Allie: "A little bit, my tummy felt funny."

Meredith: "No. It was fun watching the waves."

Sue: "Yes, the first night on board, the sea was very rough. I had to go to bed early that night. Also, when we got home, I had 'sea legs' for several days. It felt like I was still on the ship, swaying back and forth."

Jason: "No."

Did you go to the Oceaneers Club?

Allie: "Just once."

Deef: "Yes, I went there a lot."

What is the Oceaneers Club?

Deef: "The Oceaneers Club was kind of like preschool except they didn't have the sharing bag or circle time or clean up time. They did have crafts, face painting, games, computers, and lots of other activities for kids. You could go there without your mom or dad."

What was your favorite activity in the Oceaneers Club?

Deef: "Singing on the big stage. We sang a song called Friendship Rocks!"

What does it feel like to get stung by a jellyfish?

Sue: "The jellyfish we saw were very small and transparent so I didn't even notice them until Jason pointed one out and it was right in front of my face! They were all around, you couldn't avoid them. You never felt them actually sting you but once we were out of the water and back on the boat, everyone had itchy spots on their arms and legs and those were the places where the jellyfish had stung you. It itched for a while, maybe even slightly burned, but the feeling gradually went away. But still, it sounds cool to say you survived being stung by a horde of jellyfish!"

Who was your favorite character(s)?

Allie: "Stitch."

Deef: "Mickey and Stitch."

Why did you like Stitch so much?

Allie: "He was really funny."

What did the stingrays feel like?

Allie: "Soft and smooth."

Deef: "I didn't touch them."

Sue: "They felt soft and velvety and their mouths were like a vacuum cleaner. Their stingers had been trimmed down, like fingernails, so they were not able to sting."

Why didn't you touch the stingrays?

Deef: "I was scared that they would bite me. And because Grandpa said, 'Look behind you!' and there was a stingray behind me. I'm just not used to them."

Would you go on a Disney cruise again?

Allie: "Yes, totally!"

Deef: "Yeah!"

Sue: "The savings account is already in place. I'd like to go again in about 3 years."

What would you do differently the next time?

Allie: "I'd like to meet the captain of the ship."

Sue: "I would avoid staying at the Disney Resort hotels before and after the trip. I'd also avoid traveling during spring break time. With the money we'd save on airfare and cruise prices by going at an off-peak travel time and staying at a less expensive hotel, we could do a 7 day cruise instead of a 4 day cruise. I'd also wear the patch for motion sickness."

Anything else you'd like to share about your vacation?

Allie: "The glass bottom boat ride was really cool. I got to see the fish and we fed them dried oatmeal."

Deef: "I had lots of fun. It was my first time riding in an airplane. I also liked sitting in the hot tub and sleeping in the top bunk in Grandma's room."

Sue: "If you're at all considering a trip like this...it's well worth it!"

Disney Cruise: Castaway Cay

On our third, and last full day at sea, the ship was docked at the private Disney island called Castaway Cay.

Just imagine...all the comfort, convenience, and service you've gotten used to on board the ship has now followed you onto a tropical island paradise!

We had two excursions planned for the morning.

Grandma took the girls on a glass bottom boat ride...

...while Grandpa, Jason, and I headed out to the same area of the reef to snorkel.

We saw a lot of pretty fish (just think "Finding Nemo") including a school of baby jellyfish. And yes, we all got stung and lived to tell about it.

In the afternoon, we all went to Castaway Ray's to learn about and feed the stingrays.

Allie could hardly believe that she was going to have the chance to actually snorkel.

Meredith, on the other hand, was like "You want me to touch what? No thanks".

I have to admit, I was a little freaked out by the stingrays. But I'm glad we all had the chance to experience it (or not).

Grandma, Grandpa, and Meredith headed back to the ship in the mid-afternoon. Meanwhile, Allie and I had fun floating in the ocean while Jason worked on his tan. On our way back to board the ship we came across the most unlikely island inhabitant...a cat!

Up Next: It's question and answer time!

Sue, Allie, and Meredith answer blog readers questions about our Disney Cruise vacation. So if there is anything you'd like to know, now is the time to ask!

Disney Cruise: Something for Everyone

Go to a show...

...or a 3D movie!

Learn the art of animal towel folding!

Get your face painted!

Get a tan!

Meet your favorite characters!

Stitch

Peter Pan

Daisy Duck

Chip and Dale

Or in Grandpa's case...meet your hero, Captain Jack Sparrow!

Dress up like pirates, go to a Pirates in the Caribbean party, and see a fireworks show at sea!

Our server, Rose


Coming Up: They saved the best for last!

Disney Cruise: All Aboard!

We finally arrived at Port Canaveral around 2 pm on Sunday. We presented all our necessary paperwork and our passports and, in return, we were given our Key to the World cards. Once we completed the registration process for the kids to take part in the on board youth activities and passed through security, we were announced on board the ship..."Please welcome the Majernik Family aboard the Disney Wonder"!

Our stateroom was number 5502 and it was located on deck 5 in the front of the ship.

It wasn't real spacious but we did have a porthole window.


Our room slept 4 people. The sofa pulled out into a twin bed and another twin bed popped down from the ceiling above the sofa. Since the girls both wanted to sleep on the top bunk, Allie slept in our room and Meredith slept with Grandma and Grandpa in their stateroom.


This room had a sink and a toilet.


And this one had a second sink and a tub and shower.

One thing about cruising that I figured out right away was to read the ship's daily newsletter, The Personal Navigator, to find out what's going on and where it's happening. Click on each Personal Navigator image to enlarge.

We all had our own priorities during this vacation. All Jason wanted to do was lie all day in the sun.

But I didn't want to miss a thing. Here I am multi-tasking...scouring the Personal Navigator while trying to catch some rays.

Up next: Activities Galore!

Disney Cruise: Getting There is Half the Fun!

But getting there also took a LONG time.

We headed out of town on Saturday morning on our way to the Milwaukee airport for our 3:00 pm flight. I'd highly recommend this airport for any future travels, it was easy to get to, smaller than your average international airport, and the staff seemed very friendly.

Here are the girls waiting eagerly for their first ride on an airplane. It was Grandma's first airplane ride too. They all did great, no need to use the little white bags in the seat pockets.

We arrived in Orlando 3 hours later and boarded the Disney Magical Express bus to our hotel, Disney's Caribbean Beach Resort.

We had a few hours to enjoy the pool and a pizza before bed. The next morning we grabbed some breakfast and headed back to the pool, we had all morning to play and shop before our bus left to take us to the cruise ship at Port Canaveral.


Next stop...The Disney Wonder!

Happy Easter from Allie, Meredith, and...

...Mickey Mouse!


We are back from our Disney cruise and we had a wonderful time! Grandpa and I took tons of pictures. Once I have them all organized, I will post about all the fun we had during our four magical days on the Disney Wonder. Until then...here are some of the professional pictures that were taken on our trip.