Disney Magic at Sea on the Disney Wonder - Part 1 of 4
I know it sounds cliche to say that the 3 days my family and I spent onboard the Disney Wonder were magical, but it's really the only way to explain it!
435 days prior to embarking the Disney Wonder on Friday 8th December 2023, I was awake at 1.30am to do the biggest single booking day in my 23year career as a travel agent. It had been announced a week earlier that Disney Cruise Line was FINALLY coming to Australia as part of their 25th year of cruising celebrations, and I was not missing the chance to get my family onboard. That early morning while the whole house slept, the first booking I made was the most important in my eyes, and it was to be kept secret from the kids for over a year.
The day was finally here and the Murphy Family were embarking on a Magical Experience at Sea onboard the Disney Wonder. Not much sleep was done by most of the family the night before, but the excitement was certainly bubbling.
Let the Magic begin!
When the Disney Wonder arrived in Australia for its inaugural Down Under, Australian & New Zealand Cruise season, there was alot of hype and excitement surrounding it. I mean the sailing I had booked my family and I on, on the Disney Wonder was very highly anticipated, I mean cruising is my life and has been for over 2 decades, and I've sailed on many ships, so my expectations are always high. I was so excited to get onboard this cruise line as I've wanted this for so long, excited to see the magic of Disney come to life through Callum and Elliana's eyes, but I had a little fear of what if it didn't live up to what I'd dream't and hoped for.
DISNEY CRUISE LINE - CHECK IN & EMBARKATION
The online Check in for the Disney Wonder started exactly 1 month before sailing and at the precise time that the clock struck midnight on the east coast of the USA, it was live. The check in process was pretty similar to other cruise lines asking questions in regards to your personal details, what Government Issued photo ID you will be using, emergency contacts information, security photos and onboard payments. This could all be done either on the DCL website or on the Disney Navigator App. Also during the online check in process, there was the option to start pre-booking additional services like The Royal Gathering with the Princess', locking in the Adult Only Palo Brunch or Dinner, and getting the spa treatments lined up just to name a few.
Once at the Brisbane International Cruise Terminal, the process ran seemlessly, from when you arrive at the terminal precinct you see this beautiful lady in all her glory standing above the buildings. As you head towards the terminal, it was a matter of collecting your baggage tags from the allocated desk next to the baggage drop off location. From here you need to wait until your Port Arrival Time (PAT) is called to line up before heading inside the terminal to complete the registration for all passengers and collect the Magic Band for any kids travelling with you, this is required to be worn by children at all times on the cruise for not only security purposes but also for them to gain access to and from the kids clubs. If the magic band isn't collected at the time of check in, in the terminal, it needs to be picked up from one of the kids clubs on embarkation day.
As the excitment builds more, it was time to finally board the ship. Not to spoil the first of many surprises, but it is certainly worth getting your phone out and recording walking into the Atrium. Not only are you greeted by a character on the grand stair case, ours was Pluto who was very playful and cheeky like a puppy, but each family is personally welcomed onboard the Disney Wonder.
DISNEY CRUISE NAVIGATOR APP
When onboard, it is a must to have the Disney Navigator App downloaded onto your smart phone or tablet. Not only is it great prior to your sailing, where you able to keep track of your cruise countdown before time (that is with the help of some famous faces) but once onboard it is vital to have as it is your day to day activity guide, for example when character experiences are happening onboard and the location, what time certain restaurants and bars are open, when the kids can access the pool and waterslide, what your table number is and
the restaurant you are dining in each night, and to be able to use the free chat feature with our travelling companions. I found this feature priceless with keeping track of our kids (or husband) with an old iphone which was attached to a lanyard that Callum kept with him at all times.
DISNEY WONDER STATEROOMS
The Disney Wonder has 10 different varieties of Staterooms, ranging from an imaginative Inside retreat, all the way up to spacious multi-room Concierge Suites, all are world-class accommodations. We are not normally an inside cabin family but for this voyage, we were trying new things, as the plan was to only ever be there to sleep and shower, and in saying that we were all very pleasantly surprised. Our Deluxe Inside Stateroom was very spacious and had everything we needed and more. It contained a split toilet & bathroom as you entered into the cabin, both were on the smaller side and I personally think would have worked better if the internal wall was removed and it was open, it would have been larger, but I do get the concept of having it separate. The thought was there, but the space was not. This is the same layout for the Deluxe Inside cabins, as well as all the Oceanview and Balcony cabins.
The rooms contain Disney flare everywhere from classical nautical motives, Mickey Mouse ear cutouts in the lamp shades and a porthole mirror on the back wall, which made the room feel bigger. Running along one side of the cabin is plenty of storage space from a double door hanging cupboard, 4 sets of low draws/cupboards (one including a mini fridge) as well as a highset double door cupboard space, desk drawers before a full size dresser, which had a vintage Donald Duck print above it. The cabin also not only contained a desk, but a large couch which was turned into our 3rd bed each evening with the folded down bunk with stars on the roof, with a starry constellation in the shape of Peter Pan characters. We did love that every morning the top bunk was folded away and the bottom bed was turned back into a couch to be utilised as it should during the day and again each night, the bedding would re-appear turned down, with a Towel Animal and delicious Whitmans Chocolates to acccompany the change.
FISH EXTENDER & PIXIE DUST
The world of Fish Extenders or otherwise known as FE and Pixie Dust, was a whole new concepted for our family (me at first but everyone eventually got on the bandwagon). We grasped it with two hands and ran with it. Fish Extender Groups are huge on Disney sailings out of the USA and we had no idea how it would be taken here in Australia, but it is certainly a big hit. They are hanging personalised mail boxes that hang off a small metal fish hook located directly outside of your cabin door.
This is not something that is compulsory, passengers need to opt-in, and has absolutely nothing to do with the cruise line, it is completely passenger driven. Guests register to be part of an FE group and it is organised through Disney message boards or Facebook groups, as early as a sailing can be booked, most of them over a year before the cruise even departs. Once confirmed, you are placed in a group with 9 other cabins/families and you exchange a small gifts to each other. You buy gifts for 9 cabins and recieve 9 gifts in return.
After boarding, as soon as we had access to our cabin, the kids hung our FE in excitment and decorated our door with magnets I had made before our cruise. Now was time to wait to see what would roll in from the families in our group. The first evening after dinner and our show, the kids headed off like little elves to deliver the first of our FE presents for the cabins on the same deck as us. The next morning we all headed off to deliver the last of our FE presents, BUT when we returned we had received our first one.... To say there were screams in the halls of Deck 2 was an understatement, this was more exciting than I thought it would be. Everytime we would return to the cabin, we had to check our pockets to see if there was anything new waiting inside. More times than not, there was something. Some of the amazing gifts we received were, waterbottles, personalised hats, jewellery, Mickey Ears, pens, character keyrings, notebooks, desk organisers & a T-shirt with our FE group details on it, Tiana's Squad!
Pixie Dusting cabins is random gift exchange to cabins around the ship that you might either like how they have decorated their cabin door, or you like what they have done with their Fish Extender Hanger. Pixie Dusting one cabin, does not mean you will recieve a favour in return, but if you include a tag with your cabin details, you might just find someone magically dusts you back.
Keep an eye out for Part 2 of the Disney Magic at Sea Blog for details on the Sail-A-Wave Party, Rotational Dining and some of the amazing foods you will come across onboard.