Almost "Live from" Disney Wonder to Alaska! My Second Disney Experience

[Ex techie]

Absolutely! I thought the food on my 2012 Disney Magic cruise was extremely uneven and disappointing. One course would be delicious, the next would be really bad, then the next would be passable, etc. I thought the lunch buffet in Parrot Cay was downright awful, but our breakfast in Cabanas was surprisingly good. I was very surprised by this.

 

OTOH, I've had nothing but absolutely delicious meals across the board on all of my 4 QM2 cruises, with all four of my meals in Todd English to be undoubtedly the best I've ever had, hands down.

 

Definitely to each his own!

 

KK

 

I hope the hotel manager on the ship and shoreside were informed?

Lloyd would be so upset at this variation in quality and taste, unless it was just a personal taste difference.

 

ex techie

[matondo]

I hope the hotel manager on the ship and shoreside were informed?

Lloyd would be so upset at this variation in quality and taste, unless it was just a personal taste difference.

 

ex techie

 

Our family was on the Dream and we were not overly impressed with the food. Our previous cruising experiences were on HAL, where the majority of the time the food was excellent. However, the rest of our experiences on the Dream far exceeded our expectations so the fact that the food was mainly just OK had no impact on our overall cruise.

 

We are hoping to take another Disney cruise someday. Just waiting for our grandbaby to be old enough to enjoy it.

[KitKatK]

I hope the hotel manager on the ship and shoreside were informed?

Lloyd would be so upset at this variation in quality and taste, unless it was just a personal taste difference.

 

ex techie

 

I was traveling with friends and we all agreed about the so-so food, as well as the ship being way too crowded, especially the dining rooms, for our tastes.

 

IIRC, we made special note of the things we loved as well as our specific disappointments on our cruise surveys.

 

KK

[KitKatK]

Our family was on the Dream and we were not overly impressed with the food. Our previous cruising experiences were on HAL, where the majority of the time the food was excellent.

 

I've had excellent meals on all four of my HAL cruises as well. I only commented here because I found it interesting that Sarah has cruised the same 3 lines I have and thought DCL's food was the best, while I thought just the opposite. So glad there are so many lines to choose from so each can find their favorites!

 

KK

[AF-1]

looks like everyone had a great Disney Cruise. Thanks for posting; your pictures are very clear and the food pics are nice.

[retiring soon]

HI all!

 

Sarah ~ nice review so far.:D I'm really interested in your comparisons/opinions. I was on a HAL Alaska cruise from Aug 24 - Sept 7 & wasn't that impressed with the food nor was I with it on Wonder in the Caribbean. Never having been on Cunard can't comment on that but so far my fav has been Celebrity. Different strokes eh?

 

Also differ on which Glacier I like better.;) We did see the Wonder at Tracy Arm on Aug 27, was that when you were there?

 

A little correction if you don't mind but the new Royal Princess plays the Love Boat theme.

 

Disney also used to be the only line setting off fireworks but now NCL does on it's 2 new ships.

 

Anyhow, loving your report. BTW was it your relatives' 1st cruise & how did they like it & Alaska? My DSIL loved Alaska & wants to go back some day.

 

~ Jo ~ :)

[travelplus]

And reach the elevator & escalator area:

 

 

*Note: There are no escalators going down.

 

After riding the escalator to the top, you come across this view:

 

 

From here, there are 2 methods to get to Canada Place to board your cruise ship.

 

Method #1: Turn right and exit the building. From there, you turn right again and walk forward through the sun or whatever weather condition is present. After a few blocks, you turn right again and head straight for Canada Place.

 

Method #2 (which we took): (NOTE: THIS METHOD IS NOT WHEELCHAIR ACCESSIBLE AS THERE ARE NO ELEVATORS AT ONE POINT. When coming back, there are no escalators going down either, so we struggled a little in carrying our things down the stairs.) This second method is the short cut we discovered. When taking this method I am about to show you, it’s quicker and shorter, but you must remember to keep your train ticket on you in case you get stopped by transit police. You will be re-entering the Fare Paid Zone.

 

We turn left and start taking our short cut.

 

 

*Side note: In Vancouver, you do not need to scan, nor beep your train tickets at any of the stations. The gates are always open. You just need to buy it and keep it with you at all times. Transit police pop up randomly.

 

 

We walk and walk

 

 

Until we come across this:

 

 

Even if I had free parking at the airport I would much rather take a car service with lots of luggage just to make it easier. I mean at least wouldn't it be easier for you to take a cab from YVR to the port with all that luggage?

 

Here in California its much better to get a car service and keep your car safe and sound in the garage than at some lot.

[lovely_serenity]

Following along with your review, which is great so far!

 

I am going to be on the Wonder for the first time next year from San Diego to Ensenada & Cabo.

 

Thanks!! :) && Thank you for following!

 

Wow! Sounds like a great itinerary, I hope you have as great a time on board as I did! ^^

[lovely_serenity]

(Note: Sorry I've been so MIA, university just started and it's my first year ^^" I will update as much as I can on day I don't have school!!)

[lovely_serenity]

Absolutely! I thought the food on my 2012 Disney Magic cruise was extremely uneven and disappointing. One course would be delicious, the next would be really bad, then the next would be passable, etc. I thought the lunch buffet in Parrot Cay was downright awful, but our breakfast in Cabanas was surprisingly good. I was very surprised by this.

 

OTOH, I've had nothing but absolutely delicious meals across the board on all of my 4 QM2 cruises, with all four of my meals in Todd English to be undoubtedly the best I've ever had, hands down.

 

Definitely to each his own!

 

KK

It's actually so fascinating because according to the reviews I've read, for some odd reason, the food is rated much better on the Wonder to Alaska than on some of the other ships! o_o && I agree that the Parrot Cay lunch buffet was pretty pitiful, but terrible. I found I didn't care too much for the Wonder's buffets, but I thoroughly enjoyed the majority of their sit-down meals!

 

I've actually never been on the QM2, so let me correct myself. I found the food on Cunard's QE too be below expectations. ^^" Next time I must definitely check out the QM2 to see for myself if there's a difference! (Side note, Disney Wonder's extra fee restaurant Palo was one of the best meals I had ever had :D)

[30scruiser]

(Note: Sorry I've been so MIA, university just started and it's my first year ^^" I will update as much as I can on day I don't have school!!)

 

Hi Sarah! Please don't apologize. Its so nice of you to do thorough report this in the first place. Any of us who want to read it can be patient. Just relax and enjoy university.

[lovely_serenity]

looks like everyone had a great Disney Cruise. Thanks for posting; your pictures are very clear and the food pics are nice.

 

It was! We had a wonderful time ^^. && No problem! Thanks for following! :)

[lovely_serenity]

HI all!

 

Sarah ~ nice review so far.:D I'm really interested in your comparisons/opinions. I was on a HAL Alaska cruise from Aug 24 - Sept 7 & wasn't that impressed with the food nor was I with it on Wonder in the Caribbean. Never having been on Cunard can't comment on that but so far my fav has been Celebrity. Different strokes eh?

 

Also differ on which Glacier I like better.;) We did see the Wonder at Tracy Arm on Aug 27, was that when you were there?

 

A little correction if you don't mind but the new Royal Princess plays the Love Boat theme.

 

Disney also used to be the only line setting off fireworks but now NCL does on it's 2 new ships.

 

Anyhow, loving your report. BTW was it your relatives' 1st cruise & how did they like it & Alaska? My DSIL loved Alaska & wants to go back some day.

 

~ Jo ~ :)

 

Hi Jo! (:

 

Thanks! :D Well, I found the food on my last Alaskan HAL cruise was quite good! Huh! && I don't know about the Caribbean, but my Disney cruise food was also quite impressive. Maybe the level of food on each ship varies? I thought my cruise with Celebrity was one of my best (Celebrity Mercury), but alas, that wonderful old vessel has since been sold to another cruise line. From what I heard, the newer ships these days have become more modernized and less classical, so I don't think I can comment on them just yet!

 

Haha, it's just my personal glacier preference ^^~ We were actually at Tracy Arm on the 20th I believe!

 

&& Oh! That's so interesting! I had no idea other ships were starting to adapt the musical horns onto theirs! Thanks for showing me :) Before when I first boarded the Wonder a handful of years ago, Disney was still the only cruise line with musical horns! Had no idea that things changed!

 

Ah! Cool! I had no idea that other lines did the fireworks thing either LOL, I feel so out of date now :D :D :D

 

Thanks! I'm glad to hear that!

 

Actually, none of my relatives are cruise rookies, but I believe it was their first cruise in a while! I believe all of them have at least cruised once before, but I think it was my 10 year old cousin's and her mom's first time in Alaska. Everyone else had been to Alaska before as well! We all had a blast and this was definitely one of our most memorable and enjoyable vacations because everyone was there to enjoy it with us (:

[lovely_serenity]

Even if I had free parking at the airport I would much rather take a car service with lots of luggage just to make it easier. I mean at least wouldn't it be easier for you to take a cab from YVR to the port with all that luggage?

 

Here in California its much better to get a car service and keep your car safe and sound in the garage than at some lot.

 

LOL Well, it's exclusive employee parking, so we're relatively comfortable leaving our car there since there's indeed security who makes sure only those with employee decals can park there and everybody else gets towed.

 

I don't know, I guess it's just a personal preference. We prefer to do it this way because (besides the fee of using a taxi to get there), it feels a little weird to use a taxi when you're a local? We know the place inside out and don't feel the need for a taxi! We simply sit on the train all the way to the last stop (the doors will stay open longer because it's the last stop). We typically have it so that everybody only has one main piece of luggage (hehe thanks Bro & Dad for switch luggage with me because it was too heavy for me ^^ <3) which we just take up an escalator, roll it through a platform, up another set of escalators, and POOF! We're there :D It's actually not as much luggage as it appears. If everyone holds their own designated piece, it's not bad!

[lovely_serenity]

Hi Sarah! Please don't apologize. Its so nice of you to do thorough report this in the first place. Any of us who want to read it can be patient. Just relax and enjoy university.

 

Hi! :) Aw, thanks for understanding!! c: Even so, I will do my best to update as much as my schedule permits!! I don't want to keep everyone waiting too long! :p

[lovely_serenity]

The Potage Parmentier (Potato & Leek Soup):

 

 

(Not bad, not too salty. 7.0/10)

 

The Red Wine Bosc Pear Salad:

 

 

(Which was alright according to my aunt. 7.0/10)

 

The Ahi Tuna Niçoise:

 

 

(This was pretty good, my guy cousin thought it was pretty good! I tried some ahi tuna and it was quite delicious. 8.2/10)

 

The Roasted Rack of Lamb Medium:

 

 

(I ordered this. It. was. so. good. By the way, FYI, I LOVE Rack of Lamb. It was delicious. 9.5/10)

 

The Chateaubriand-Roasted Filet Steak:

 

 

(Sis got this. She said it was very tender and very delicious. She had it cooked medium rare. She said it (and I quote) “cut like mashed potatoes”. Yeah. Mashed potatoes. LOL. Anyways, according to her, 9.4/10)

 

The Lobster Macaroni:

 

 

(In general, Disney does their pastas pretty well, though they are quite filling and hard to finish. The cream sauces aren’t bad, and the toppings are pretty okay too. My brother got this, I tried it as well. 7.8/10)

[lovely_serenity]

As we enjoyed our meals, there were nice instrumentals of classic Disney songs playing above while the ceiling changed colours:

 

 

After we had finished our main courses, it was then on to dessert!

 

 

 

 

First up was the Grand Marnier Soufflé:

 

 

I kind of panicked when our head server Ericson was about to punch a hole through the top to pour in the sauce before I had taken a picture of it LOL. He got surprised when we freaked out when we cried “Waaitt!!! ><!!” and ran away ^^ hehe. After I had taken my picture, my 30’s girl cousin helped pour the sauce in for me as I snapped like 80 thousand pictures, praying that one would come out nicely. Here’s the best one ;)

 

[lovely_serenity]

Here’s the end result:

 

 

(This was quite good, not too sweet. It was warmed and the soufflé was nice and spongey. 8.8/10)

 

Here’s the Sweet Temptations: A trio of Peanut Butter Mousse, Mango Cheesecake and Tahitian Vanilla Crème Brûlée:

 

 

(Cheesecake on the left was alright, the crème brûlée in the middle was pretty good, and the peanut butter mousse on the right wasn’t bad either. My sister liked the peanut butter mousse the best. Overall score of 8.0/10)

 

The Raspberry Mousse Slice:

 

 

(That I ordered for our table to share, just because nobody else did and I wanted a picture LOL. It wasn’t bad, the green tea cream on the side was pretty interesting. 8.1/10)

 

And the Strawberry Shortcake Sundae:

 

 

(that my little cousin thoroughly enjoyed. ^^ 8.2/10)

 

After we were done our meals and completely stuffed and satisfied, Ericson comes over to our table and tells us that he has a puzzle for us. He takes out 5 crayons and arranges it into a shape that’s intended to be a horse (it doesn’t really look like a horse, but it’s okay LOL). He tells us to move 1 crayon and make the horse face a different direction. The entire population of our table is leaning forward, staring at the puzzle to figure it out. Suddenly, it hits me. My head perks up like a meerkat and I let out a little holler, “EY! :-D”. Ericson turns around and my table bursts out laughing. “I’ve got it!! :DD” I proudly show him the answer and everyone at the table cheerfully claps. He goes, “Okay, okay, you guys are smart, let’s see if you can figure this one out!” He removes a crayon and arranges the remaining 4 crayons into the shape of an American football goalpost. He then places a salt shaker in the middle and tells us to make the “football” outside the goal post by moving just 2 crayons. We all huddle and rack our brains to figure out the answer. Suddenly out of nowhere, Sis perks up, just as I did and cries out, “EY! ^^~”. We all laugh and Ericson scurries over with a defeated look. “Already? ^^”” My sister proudly shows him her answer and we all clap for her as well. He then tells us to prepare ourselves because he’s going to be thinking up some harder puzzles for us tomorrow. We reply that we are looking forward to it :P. One of us then pitches a great idea. We ask him to present the puzzles to the adult table. We all look at each other excitedly and quickly crowd around the adult table to see if they can figure them out as fast as we did.

 

 

(From left to right, my 10 year old cousin’s mom, the 10 year old, Ericson giggling as the adults try to figure out the puzzle, my sister and my brother)

 

Ericson shows the puzzle to the adult table and proudly exclaims that the kids table managed to complete each puzzle in under a minute. After a view minutes of the adults pondering, discussing, and almost arguing (LOL), they ultimately give up. This happens during both puzzles and my sister and I proudly demonstrate how to solve both of our respective puzzle-solves.

 

We wrap up our dinner and get going after thanking our servers and bidding them a temporary farewell.

 

Side note: Here are our 2 wonderful dining room servers. Ericson and Rita:

 

(Taken at Animator’s Palate partway through the cruise. I was actually trying to sneakily take pictures of them to avoid bothering them while they were busy, but I got caught and Ericson asked Rita to come over and pose with him for me :p Very nice of them.)

 

[lovely_serenity]

(Taken on the last night. I also took a selfie with them and my brother & uncle photobombed us, but I’m not going to show you guys that one :D)

 

 

They were in charge of solely our two tables (which is pretty impressive, because our total number of people to serve was higher than the regular size of a serving team’s section) and did a marvelous job in doing so. Occasionally there were some entrée mix-ups, but not enough to notice. It was already pretty low when taking into consideration our sheer numbers. They were both always cheerful, nice and fun to interact with. Ericson also always made an effort to either make puzzles for us after/during dessert or perform magic tricks for us to entertain us.

 

-End of side note-

 

After dinner, we kind of split up. We all agreed to meet outside of the theater, just before 8:00pm (the theatre opens at 8:00pm, show starts at 8:30pm). While I ran off to explore with my siblings, apparently some of my other relatives spotted Princess Tiana as they left the dining room! (My 20s girl cousin’s camera)

 

 

(My siblings and I on the other hand, didn’t see her until the next day (where I also took a selfie with her. FYI this time around, selfies were my theme because I thought it’ be interesting, as basically everyone else has their classical way of taking pictures with Disney characters. I thought this would be more interesting ^^. P.S. I don’t call them “selfies”, I call them “selcas”, which is a term that existed prior to the term “selfies”. It originated in Asia and is short for “self camera”.)

 

Bro, Sis & I exited the restaurant via the main entrance (my relatives saw her because they had to use to back entrance to leave. The main one has stairs and my Grandma’s in a wheelchair, so they have to use the back one that doesn’t.) and passed by these two:

 

 

These 2 were frequently performing in the Atrium, usually singing very current songs that weren’t Disney. They were pretty good, the girl had a sweet voice. They also sang quite a few songs I knew and liked ^^! Their mics were hooked up to the speakers and therefore, all of the speakers in the immediate vicinity (including the area by the elevators) had them playing live!

 

 

The three of us headed up a floor to check out the shops by the Walt Disney Theater while we had some free time.

 

 

On the right was “Treasure Ketch”. It was the more adult store.

 

[lovely_serenity]

 

(I forgot to take a picture of it, but immediately to the right side, against the wall was a whole area dedicated to over-priced necessities you may have forgotten to pack. E.g. toothbrush, toothpaste, deodorant, Band-aids, everyday medicines etc.)

 

 

 

In the hallway was a lady doing pin trading:

 

 

While we were peering into Treasure Ketch, there were some staff members hanging around the hallway with us (it was kind of crowded). They were dressed in the full white navy guy suit. One of them pointed to the store across the hallway and urged us to check that one out because it was the “fun” store ^^. And evidently, he was right:

 

 

It was full of the stuff that I, had I been 10 years younger, would’ve blown all of my money on. (:

 

[beamqueen]

Very entertaining! Can't wait to read more!

[chamima]

The Potage

 

 

 

(Which was alright according to my aunt. 7.0/10)

 

The Ahi Tuna Niçoise:

 

 

(This was pretty good, my guy cousin thought it was pretty good! I tried some ahi tuna and it was quite delicious. 8.2/10)

 

]

 

 

 

 

(In general, Disney does their pastas pretty well, though they are quite filling and hard to finish. The cream sauces aren’t bad, and the toppings are pretty okay too. My brother got this, I tried it as well. 7.8/10)

 

 

 

LOVING your review.

This meal looks fabulous! (I love tuna!) but I've lost track of which night and which restaurant this is.

Thanks!~

[lovely_serenity]

Very entertaining! Can't wait to read more!

 

Thanks! I'm happy to hear that! ^^

[lovely_serenity]

LOVING your review.

This meal looks fabulous! (I love tuna!) but I've lost track of which night and which restaurant this is.

Thanks!~

 

Thanks!! :) && hehe I'm not very fast, this is the first night at Triton's :p

[lovely_serenity]

 

 

After that, we headed towards to theater. It was slowly approaching 8:00pm.

 

There was this little seating area outside of the Walt Disney Theater that occasionally had scheduled character appearances.

 

 

Walking past that, you can either turn left or right! On the left side is the beverage and alcoholic side of Preludes, on the right is the snack side of Preludes! Both sides cost money to buy things.

 

On that day, I had happened to go to the right side:

 

 

 

Next to the theatre entrances was a fancy elevator area that had a special Walt Disney theatre carpet :D