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Capturing the Wonder
Discover the Magic of a Walt Disney Cruise
By Jill Weinlein
Up at the Topsider's Buffet, lunch was waiting. Our daughter was handed a child's tray, divided to keep foods separated. Iced tea, lemonade, fruit punch, water, milk, coffee and hot tea were complimentary. For those who crave sodas, drink mugs purchased for a one-time fee of $20 can be used at any restaurant or bar onboard, or on the line's private island, Castaway Cays, for unlimited refills.
After lunch, small kids splashed in the Mickey Mouse pool with its yellow curved slide, while older children swam in the Goofy pool. Teenagers checked out Common Grounds, the teens-only hangout, as adults enjoyed the solitude of the Quiet Cove pool. We chose to relax in the spa next to the Goofy pool before enrolling our daughter, Elizabeth, in the Oceaneer's Lab.
After completing a registration form, she received an information bracelet and we received a pager, which operates anywhere on the ship. The children's activities on the Disney Wonder were well organized and ran smoothly.
Since we had the early dining seating at 6 p.m., we watched the sunset and then strolled back to our cabin to prepare for dinner. Disney offers a rotating dining schedule. Our first evening meal was at Animator's Palate restaurant (Disney spent more than $5 million to create this room). As we ordered our entrees, the "paintbrush" pillars slowly turned from black and white to pastel colors; Disney theme music swelled as various screens on the walls came to life, showing the famous Disney animation stars and short films. After dinner we visited the Walt Disney Theater to watch the live stage show Hercules the Muse-ical, a knee-slapping, vaudevillian comedy.