A last-minute opportunity came up to experience a "
Halloween on the High Seas" 5-night cruise on
Disney Wonder (round trip San Diego with stops in Cabo San Lucas and Ensenada), so off we went! It was our first voyage on Disney Cruise Line and I looked forward to checking it out.
Flights to San Diego were on sale on Southwest Airlines; we paid "cash" for our tickets by using residual travel funds left over from re-pricing previously purchased Southwest flights to a lower fare, redeeming Southwest gift cards from the
AMEX Platinum airline credit loophole, and charging the remainder to the
City National Bank Crystal Visa Infinite card. I planned the amounts to be small enough to trigger the airline credit benefit on the credit card to be fully reimbursed, leaving no balance. We also added
Early Bird on the return so we wouldn't have to worry about checking in 24 hours prior.
Our flight to San Diego was uneventful. We took a short Uber ride from the airport to the B Street Pier at the Port of San Diego, paid for with the monthly credits from the
AMEX Platinum Card. The embarkation process was well organized, with plenty of seating for passengers until their boarding number was called. Kaleb and I only had carry-ons for this short cruise, so I cannot comment about the luggage handling at the pier, but based on how smoothly the cruise check-in went, I'm sure the bag drop would be the same.
It was 12:30pm by the time our boarding number was called. The card we received said that the cabin wouldn't be ready until 1:30pm, and this was true. The hallways on each passenger deck were cordoned off - this was the first time I had ever seen this done on a cruise ship. Kaleb found this out the hard way when he schlepped our bags up the stairs (then down) while I went to the Promenade Lounge to secure reservations for brunch at
Palo, the adult-exclusive restaurant. (there were none available online)
We then headed to the buffet for lunch. The selections were decent and varied. As expected, the seating area was crowded with guests and luggage. We ended up finding a shady table near the pool.
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| seafood, lamb, asparagus |
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Food was also available at
Pete's Boiler Bites, serving the usual grilled/fried favorites. You could also get shawarma at the adjacent counter. Nearby were two self-serve soft serve (say that 10 times fast) machines.
During our meal, we signed up for a wifi account on our phones. Disney gives you 50MB of data free if you sign up on the first day of the cruise. Be sure to remember to log out so you don't use it all.
It was 2pm by now, so we headed to our stateroom. The hallways were open as all the cabins were ready. Ours was a standard inside stateroom with one bath, versus the deluxe inside, which offered a split bath (sink and toilet in one, sink and shower/tub in the other), great for when there are more than 2 people in a room.
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| free cellphones to use on the ship |
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| sofa turns down to become a twin bed |
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| pre-ordered shore excursion tickets already delivered |
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| Voyage Navigator page 1 |
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| Voyage Navigator page 2 |
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| Voyage Navigator page 3 |
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| Voyage Navigator page 4 |
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| Day 1 Personal Navigator page 1 |
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| Day 1 Personal Navigator page 2 |
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After the mandatory muster drill was over (our station was the Animator's Palate), we headed to the pool deck to watch the sail-away and check out the rest of the ship, some of which was decorated in the spirit of Halloween.
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| sailaway party |
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| bye bye San Diego |
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| salads at Daisy's de-Lites |
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| sandwiches and wraps |
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| fruit galore! |
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| just Disney art for sale |
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| photos available digitally |
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| board games available to borrow |
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| spa schedule |
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Our set dinner time was 8:30pm, so we went to the early showing of the Golden Mickeys inside the Walt Disney Theatre. It was a nice performance, especially if you recognized all of the songs.
After the show, we took part in a Disney Vacation Club "member preview presentation". Bottled water and rum punch were served, plus a chance to win $200 onboard credit. After watching a video, the sales pitch was offered with no obligation. If you are looking to buy into the Disney Vacation Club, there were nice discounts and shipboard credits offered.
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| 1 point = $188 at time of writing |
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| complimentary water and rum punch |
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Right after the presentation, we headed straight to dinner. On Disney Cruise Line, guests rotate nightly through three differently themed dining rooms. The order is printed on your key card. Tonight's rotation was at Animator's Palate. We were assigned to a table of four with another couple, Jerry and Melody. Our waiter was busy entertaining an extended family nearby, but still managed to spend a little time with us, offering puzzles to solve.
Since it was the first night of the cruise, all of the dining rooms served from the "Let the Magic Begin" menu instead of their themed offerings. Overall, the selections were good. I thought it was interesting that the bread basket was removed right before the mains were served. I am always used to the bread staying on the table until after the main course. I couldn't tell if it was just our section or was standard policy.
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| Let the Magic Begin menu page 1 |
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| Let the Magic Begin menu page 2 |
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| bread with a dipping sauce |
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| calamari |
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| chicken bastilla |
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| clam chowder |
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| arugula/spinach salad |
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| halibut |
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| pork tenderloin wellington |
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| move 3 crayons to make 3 squares |
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| Let the Magic Begin dessert menu page 1 |
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| Let the Magic Begin dessert menu page 2 |
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| dark chocolate bombe |
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| magical express sundae |
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Walking back to our cabin, we passed by many decorated doors for Halloween/Day of the Dead.
A towel turtle greeted us inside our room.
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| Ghirardelli chocolates |
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| Day 2 Personal Navigator page 1 |
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| Day 2 Personal Navigator page 2 |
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| special member gift was a baseball cap |
Monday was a day at sea. I was looking forward to enjoying brunch at Palo as many of my friends have raved about it.
Our server took us on a tour of the buffet and explained that we could order one main and enjoy a complimentary mimosa or bellini. It was hard to decide what to eat since everything looked so good and I only had one stomach. It was totally worth the $30 per person upcharge plus additional tip. ($40 now, at the time of this writing) We enjoyed the meal so much that after we finished eating, we made another brunch reservation on the next sea day.
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| Palo brunch menu |
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| mimosa and bellini |
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| all-you-can-eat caviar |
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| shrimp and crab |
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| cheeses |
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| parmigiano-reggiano with honeycomb |
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| charcuterie and fancy cut fruit |
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| baked goods |
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| dessert selection |
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| main entree display |
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| my 1st buffet plate |
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| 2nd buffet plate |
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| sea bass filet - incredible |
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| ham and cheese frittata |
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| dessert time! |
The ship was bustling with character meet-and-greets, plus Halloween was being held tonight including candy distribution. Kaleb and I weren't planning on dressing up or participating in any of today's activities, but if we were traveling with kids, we would have.
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| lining up for character meet-and-greet |
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| make way |
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Kaleb and I spent the day reading on shady lounge chairs. It was a warm enough day to enjoy the pool and water attractions. The soft serve machines were very popular.
In the evening, there were Halloween shows and trick-or-treating sessions held for the early and late dinner seating groups.
Tonight's dinner was at
Tiana's Place, with themed menu. I really liked the New Orleans atmosphere and food. There was also live music.
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| Tiana's Place menu page 1 |
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| Tiana's Place menu page 2 |
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| charcuterie board |
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| seafood pepper pot |
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| cajun spiced sea bass |
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| prime rib |
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| Tiana's Place dessert menu |
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| bananas foster sundae and beignets |
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| pecan nut tart |
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| Louis the alligator |
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Tonight's towel animal was a ghost - boo!
Tomorrow, the ship arrives in Cabo San Lucas...stay tuned for more!
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Another disclaimer: The intention of this blog was to remind Future Me in full detail about where I went and what I did. I could have made it private, but I frequently get questions from family, friends and internet folks about how I planned things, got deals, etc., so instead of repeating the story over and over, I direct them here. If you are offended by anything I say or do, save yourself the discomfort and kindly click away from my blog. Thanks for reading and have a wonderful day!
