8 Things Onboard The Disney Wonder That Just Make Sense

So, what is it? One-of-a-kind rotational dining gives you the chance to eat at one of the three main restaurants for dinner including Tiana’s Place, Animator’s Palate & Triton’s. Depending on the length of sailing will depend on what you get allocated but all of them offer a dash of Disney whimsy.

The restaurants serve up more than just dinner… it’s an immersive experience with fun menus, incredible food & service staff that stay with you throughout your sailing. The benefit? They know how you like your steak, your wine choice, the dessert the kids prefer… it’s all part of the signature Disney service.

Adults, stop reading. Kids only past this point. Deck 5 is home to the Oceaneer’s Lab & Oceaneer’s Club where you’ll find Andy’s room, Marvel Superheroes Academy & if you’re lucky – the Piston Cup Challenge with Dipstick Dave. Hidden to the naked eye but accessible through both areas, you’ll find a red-carpet hallway that connects them!

Prior to boarding, you’ll download the Disney Navigator app onto your phone – this will be the most important tool throughout your sailing. Each day, the character meet & greet timetables are released to give you locations of your favourite Disney characters – giving you time to plan ahead! We recommend getting there about 30 minutes early to snag a spot in line.

Everything onboard the Disney Wonder is an endless stream of one-of-a-kind offerings and the entertainment is one of the many highlights. Whether you’re a kid or a kid at heart, watching the magic of Disney storytelling come to life is one of those ‘pinch me’ moments. If you’re lucky enough to catch all three productions, you’ll have to let us know your favourite because we honestly couldn’t pick!

No kids? No stress! We booked this cruise without kids & wondered what our experience would be like. I don’t know if you read through points 1 to 4 but we LOVED it. The adults-only areas onboard transition you from the joy & laughter of the kids around Goofy’s pool to the ambience of a private adult-only pool & spa (with Cove Café within arm’s reach).

Pull up a chair at the Crown & Fin pub for a pint, sink into bliss at Senses Spa and you absolutely must book in the Palo brunch for Italian-inspired delicacies.

The size of these rooms will surprise most Aussie travellers – they are enormous! Here are the other 101 reasons that these staterooms are perfect for everyone. There is (big breath in): under bed suitcase storage, massive closet space, sitting area with couch & TV, Mickey faces on the towels & lamps, higher up latches for the doors in the Verandah rooms (no little hands allowed) and the list goes on. We loved staying close to the aft area for easy access to the complimentary hot chocolate but… you do what works for you.

If you are looking forward to meeting your favourite Disney characters, then get ready to see them in action! With seasonal productions rotating throughout the Disney Cruise Line, we were lucky enough to see the Marvel Heroes Unite event with Captain Marvel, Iron Man, Thor & more! For the 4+ night sailings, you’ll be part of the Pirates of the Caribbean event with a deck party (pending weather conditions) and themed menus/restaurant experiences. Did we mention EVERYONE dresses up – including the service staff & Disney characters? The buzz on the ship was electric – it was so much fun!

Let’s get into it – how does it work, how do you pay for things, what is tipping? Luckily, a LOT is included in your cruise fare but there are some things that aren’t. When you embark you’ll be given a Key to the World card which is what you’ll use onboard to pay for anything not included in the cruise fare (and access to your room). The currency onboard is the US dollar & you will be charged in US dollars for all additional purchases.

We loaded up our TravelMoney Oz Currency Pass with US dollars prior to boarding & put that down as our room card – that made sure we got a great rate! You can pre-pay for gratuities before you go – this will cover ‘tipping’ for your room steward & main service staff in the rotational dining experiences. If not, at the end you’ll be asked to tip & trust us, the signature Disney service is one you’ll want to tip for!

We’re lucky the Disney Wonder is coming back in 2024 for another season and let’s be honest – we absolutely don’t want her to leave! If you haven’t booked your spot onboard give your Cruise Expert a call and don’t miss out.