Our first Disney Cruise - a ‘wonder’ful experience!

By: Allison FlynnMarch 13, 2018What happens when a Walt Disney World Resort fanatic decides it’s time to take her family on a cruise? Well, she books a Disney Cruise Line cruise, of course!My family was fortunate to be able to go on our first cruise in 2017, and it exceeded our expectations on every level. I’d always heard that cruising was a relaxing vacation, and beautiful to boot, but I was still a little skeptical. What if I got sick? What if I wanted off the ship? What if we didn’t like it?My husband shared these concerns, so we opted to take a short three-night sailing onboard Disney Wonder to the Bahamas. Our itinerary included a day at sea and a day on Disney’s private island, Castaway Cay.We arrived at port ahead of our boarding time, and efficiently moved through the customs and security process seamlessly. (Disney has been the gold standard for me when it comes to moving people!) We didn’t have to wait too long before our boarding number was called and it was time for us to go onboard.My boys thought it was way cool that as we entered the ship a cast member announced “Now welcoming the Flynn family onboard!” And the lobby - wow!! I’ve stayed at Disney resorts, but nothing could’ve prepared me for the elegance that surrounded us in the Wonder’s lobby. I truly felt as though I had been transported back in time to the early 1900s when oceanliners first began to set sail.Because we couldn’t yet go to our stateroom, we decided to venture to find lunch in the ship’s buffet restaurant, Cabanas. There were so many options for lunch from chicken nuggets and fries for my picky preschooler to peel-and-eat shrimp and crab legs for my adventurous tween. I wish I had eaten more during this meal, but since I was still nervous about if my stomach would have sea legs, I basically snacked.Next our stateroom was ready, and we met our stateroom attendant who we learned was from Jamaica. Most of the cast members we encountered were from countries from around the world - including our cruise director, who was from England. We enjoyed chatting with her and hearing her accent!Because we had a balcony, we opted to stay in our stateroom during the sail away party and wave from it instead. I have to admit, leaving land made me a tiny bit anxious, but I quickly forgot all about it as we began to take part in activities onboard.If you have ever wondered what you’d find to do on a cruise, especially with one that has days at sea, don’t. We honestly couldn’t fit in everything we wanted to do!! We did manage to see two different stage shows, including the new “Frozen” show. It was amazing! We visited the pools and kids water play areas; we participated in crafts; we shopped; we walked the ship and just took it all in. And still we didn’t do it all!One memory I will most treasure is that my preschoolers first movie theater experience was onboard the Wonder. Due to his age, we hadn’t yet taken him to the movies, and so we hadn’t seen “Moana.” When we found out it would be playing onboard, we decided why not? So he took his blankie with us, and we watched the movie as a family. I will never, ever forget that that is where he had his first movie theater viewing.Our day at Castaway Cay was incredible, if not a little cool. While the air was warm, the water in March in the Bahamas wasn’t warm enough for me. My husband and boys didn’t mind it, so I used the opportunity to relax and wander around the island. Because we booked our trip last minute, we didn’t book port excursions, but we didn’t need them! With floats to rent, games to play, a 5K trail, and more, we had plenty to do.Remember earlier how I mentioned the dining at Cabanas was so good? Well, the evening dining experiences were EVEN BETTER. Disney Cruise Line uses rotational dining, meaning that during your sailing you will rotate through each of the feature restaurants. On the Wonder this meant we would eat once in each location - Tiana’s Place, Triton’s, and Animator’s Palate. Each had its own unique flair, and I have to say, all very, very tasty. My favorite of all was Triton’s - I just enjoyed the design of the dining room and the food! My children very much enjoyed the vibe of Tiana’s Place because it was interactive.When we returned to Port Canaveral, we were all sad that our first cruise was over. We had an amazing trip, and cannot wait to go again. Our first cruise experience with Disney was truly “wonder”ful. If you have questions about what to expect or cruising with preschoolers, please reach out to me at allisonf@wishesfamilytravel.com!