First time Cruise - Disney Wonder

[superdeluxe]

family of four, this is our first cruise of any kind, but we are a huge Disney family.

We are doing a 5 night Baja cruise out of San Diego on the Disney Wonder. Looking for tips and tricks to make our first stay enjoyable!

We have a hold on a Verandah room mid deck, sixth floor, are there any other floors/rooms to think about?

Any tips or tricks for kids 7/12? Any good things to do in San Diego (we might have one day there pre and one day there post)

What about on the shore stops, any recommended excursions at Cabo and Ensenada?

How are the character interactions?

Really excited for this!

 

[lilsonicfan]

You'll have such a great time! We were on the panama canal cruise in March so character interactions were still somewhat limited then but I think they are less strict now.

Tips for kids - for your 12yo I encourage them to go to Edge on the first day/time available as they will likely enjoy it more than Oceaneers club where your younger one will be - and they will get to meet their counselors and other friends on the first day which is always a bit less awkward.

I think Deck 6 is good, I tend to prefer staterooms that are in between decks of staterooms, so less chance of noise above/below.

In Cabo, we took an independent whale watching tour that was excellent, though I think peak times to view the humpback whales are Dec to April or something. I believe we went through Cabo Trek. Super easy to get to.

 

[EilonwyWanderer]

@superdeluxe Which cruise? I just booked us on that one for the Feb 20th-25th for 2023. We'll have a 6 and an 8 year old!

 

[superdeluxe]

You'll have such a great time! We were on the panama canal cruise in March so character interactions were still somewhat limited then but I think they are less strict now.

Tips for kids - for your 12yo I encourage them to go to Edge on the first day/time available as they will likely enjoy it more than Oceaneers club where your younger one will be - and they will get to meet their counselors and other friends on the first day which is always a bit less awkward.

I think Deck 6 is good, I tend to prefer staterooms that are in between decks of staterooms, so less chance of noise above/below.

In Cabo, we took an independent whale watching tour that was excellent, though I think peak times to view the humpback whales are Dec to April or something. I believe we went through Cabo Trek. Super easy to get to.

Those are great tips, especially the tip of going to the edge for my 13 year old. Hope he meets some friends there! We are going April 3rd-8th, so whale watching might be on the docket!

@superdeluxe Which cruise? I just booked us on that one for the Feb 20th-25th for 2023. We'll have a 6 and an 8 year old!

We’re going during Spring Break April 3rd-8th 2023, interested in your thoughts as well (and when you come back!)

 

[happycamper47]

As was stated Deck 6 is good... In San Diego, the Zoo, Old Town, Midway Museum (right down from the pier), also the Maritime Museum right up from the pier.

 

[auntlynne]

First, congratulations and hope you have a great vacation.

Here are some rules I use when picking a cabin:

Have cabins above, below, beside and across from me.

- Which means look for gray areas on deck plans. They are crew areas that often have lots of work Traffic - principally an issue of doors slamming (not intentional; ship doors are heavy and easily make loud noise). Even a deck above you can be heard. I am not a light sleeper, but I notice.

- Activity venues and dining rooms are noise makers. There are cabins on Deck 6 (starboard / right side) that are above the Buena Vista Theater. There’s a late movie (11 pm) with strong bass speakers.

- Laundry room on Deck 6 is across from 6588 and 6590. People Will talking there and it has an open door when in use.

- If not needed, I go for a non-connecting cabin (Others say they have heard their neighbors through the connecting doors; I can’t remember, as I try to avoid them).

Other than a few spots, Deck 6 should give you a nice location.

 

[lilsonicfan]

Those are great tips, especially the tip of going to the edge for my 13 year old. Hope he meets some friends there! We are going April 3rd-8th, so whale watching might be on the docket!

Another tip is to orient kids to where the stateroom is and set some clear rules - for my younger two who were 9 and 10 on our cruise, they were old enough to have sign-out privileges but we said they had to go to the room first if they left kids club without us, and had to text us from there. For my older one, he was allowed more freedom, but our rule was no going to anyone's stateroom or bringing anyone to ours. Just basic stuff like that, older one carried his iphone with him.

 

[auntlynne]

It is fun to put magnets on your stateroom door (not taped). Favorite Disney characters, etc.

 

[auntlynne]

We took my nieces to the San Diego Zoo when they were 11, 8 and 7. Also Sea World and Legoland. (We did Legoland 4 years later, too).

 

[superdeluxe]

First, congratulations and hope you have a great vacation.

Here are some rules I use when picking a cabin:

Have cabins above, below, beside and across from me.

- Which means look for gray areas on deck plans. They are crew areas that often have lots of work Traffic - principally an issue of doors slamming (not intentional; ship doors are heavy and easily make loud noise). Even a deck above you can be heard. I am not a light sleeper, but I notice.

- Activity venues and dining rooms are noise makers. There are cabins on Deck 6 (starboard / right side) that are above the Buena Vista Theater. There’s a late movie (11 pm) with strong bass speakers.

- Laundry room on Deck 6 is across from 6588 and 6590. People Will talking there and it has an open door when in use.

- If not needed, I go for a non-connecting cabin (Others say they have heard their neighbors through the connecting doors; I can’t remember, as I try to avoid them).

Other than a few spots, Deck 6 should give you a nice location.

Thank you. We just changed our suite to a better suite (non-connecting!). And further away from elevators/and kids club.

 

[superdeluxe]

It is fun to put magnets on your stateroom door (not taped). Favorite Disney characters, etc.

oh that is a neat idea!

 

[superdeluxe]

So just a follow up question, did people feel like there was enough to do for adults on the cruise? I saw some criticisms about how there were not many activities if any at all besides trivia, compared to how it was pre-covid. I'm hopeful that the experience is better by next April!

 

[superdeluxe]

We took my nieces to the San Diego Zoo when they were 11, 8 and 7. Also Sea World and Legoland. (We did Legoland 4 years later, too).

We are thinking about that! I think our plan is to fly in a day before we embark, so might have to be something a little smaller scale. But if we flew in two days before it might be doable!

 

[superdeluxe]

Do you guys advise on taking the extra disney vacation insurance? its an additional 500$, but just wondering the difference if you don't get the insurance.

 

[Mommb]

Do you guys advise on taking the extra disney vacation insurance? its an additional 500$, but just wondering the difference if you don't get the insurance.

If you want insurance, it will probably be less expensive to book it separately rather than through Disney Cruise. Insurance will reimburse you for fees/costs if you need to cancel for a covered reason (reasons vary by plan) and will pay for emergency medical treatment, among other benefits. It is up to you whether you want to deal with the risk of these events or buy insurance.

The insurance through DCL will cover only costs booked through DCL — if you want to cover flights, hotels, and medical care before or after you board the ship, you would need a separate plan. The one advantage the DCL plan has that others won’t is that if you cancel for a non-covered reason (e.g., pet sitter cancelled or car trouble preventing drive to airport) you can get a credit of 75% of your cancellation fees that can be used on a cruise within the next year. Note that right now, you can cancel due to having or being exposed to COVID shortly before a cruise and get a full refund without using insurance, but that policy could end at any time.

 

[tj48103]

Do you guys advise on taking the extra disney vacation insurance? its an additional 500$, but just wondering the difference if you don't get the insurance.

I buy ours separately through Allianz. It is usually quite a bit cheaper than the Disney insurance and the coverage amounts are higher. I've never had to use it yet though.

 

[auntlynne]

I have an annual insurance policy to cover all trips. Lots of companies offer these - Allianz is a big name (Delta Airlines offers their insurance for flights). Organizations you may belong could offer discounts (USAA, AAA…).

As previous posted said people, Disney is insuring your cruise.

 

[auntlynne]

Do you guys advise on taking the extra disney vacation insurance? its an additional 500$, but just wondering the difference if you don't get the insurance.

Rule of thumb is get insurance if the money you could lose is too much for you to regret.

This is definitely an area of debate. Definitely personal choice.

I bought the policy this year to cover Covid , especially emergency evacuations since I am now over 60.