Disney Cruise Line Disney Wonder

Overview

This cabin was comfortably sized for two, and not too tight for a family of three, with its sofa converted into a bed by the steward each evening. Some of these units sleep four, using a pull down bunk that hides in the ceiling during the day. In addition to having a bathroom split in two compartments, a curtain could be pulled to cordon off the main bed from the couch, providing a measure of privacy while sleeping. One annoyance was that, at check-in, we found the ashtray on our balcony soiled with ashes and cigarette butts.

Bedroom

The queen size bed was a fine Sealy Posturepedic mattress. It was actually two twins, pushed together, but the plush pillow-top made the split negligible. With 300-thread-count Egyptian linens, we slept very well. We did wish upon a star for brighter bedside lighting, but the Blue Fairy did not grant our wish.

Bathroom

Disney’s innovative bathroom provides two separate stalls—one with a sink and toilet and a second containing another sink and a shower/bathtub, each with its own door. Combined, they offer more square footage than non-suite bathrooms on most cruise ships. A family sharing this cabin can minimize some of the dressing and time-crunch issues faced when heading out for the day or evening at the same time.

Measuring about 40 inches from head to toe and 12 inches deep, the tub was hardly full-size, but ample for bathing children—bring your own (Donald) duckies. Used as a shower, it was definitely larger than what is offered in most cruise ship bathrooms. There was a retractable laundry line for our wet bathing suits. In addition to hand soap, there were Disney-branded bottles of H2O+ Spa bath and body products—shampoo, conditioner and body butter. We found these amenities to be above average compared to what is supplied by most cruise lines.

We did have a few issues with the bathroom. The shower curtain included a synthetic liner and the liner had a mildew stain several inches across; on the third day of the cruise our cabin attendant replaced the liner, without our prompting. We found the adjustable showerhead to be difficult to rotate to its various settings. A sign hanging on the towel rack invited us to “Be a friend to the earth and oceans” by re-using our towels to save water and energy. Although we always left our damp towels on the racks, as instructed, they were still replaced daily.

There was no makeup mirror in either stall, but the shallow sink counters allowed us to get close to the wall mirrors (a near full-length mirror is in the bedroom). There was not enough shelving in either stall to hold average size travel kits; above each sink was a single glass shelf about 4 inches deep, while four small triangle-shaped shelves were sandwiched into a corner of the toilet stall. There was an outlet for a shaver in both halves of the bathroom; on the toilet side of the bathroom an Elite brand hair dryer was mounted to the wall.

Features

Naturally, the cabin was designed with families in mind, and one of the unique features was a pair of Wave Phones, an amenity Disney introduced on its ships in 2010. These are Philips G955 handsets that can be used by families to stay in touch with each other throughout the ship. With a kid in tow, these would allow us to keep tabs on each other by voice or text. We could call from one Wave Phone to the other, or call a Wave Phone from our fixed cabin line, effectively giving us three phones to work with (additional phones can be rented from the Guest Services desk for $3.50 per day). These are nifty assets, but parents, take heed: There is a $250 charge for phones that are lost or damaged.

Fronted by sliding wood doors and 60 inches wide, the closet had good storage space for a party of three. There were sufficient hangers on the rod extending the width of the closet, plus a shelf above, where we found three life jackets. Additional storage space for luggage was located under the bed, and there was a cabinet with four drawers next to the closet, a couple shelves above the TV, plus two sets of smaller drawers on either side of the desk.

Cabin lighting was nicely diversified. There were two main sets of overhead lights, controlled by switches at the entry door: one in the entry area and above the bed, another illuminating the couch area. Each of these had a second switch (one bedside, another above the desk). There was also a pair of vertical lights that framed the mirror over the desk and a pair of lamps on either side of the bed—these were a bit dim for nighttime reading. The closet had its own lighting, which went on when the closet doors were opened. The balcony had a pair of lights on each side, at waist level.

There was an oval-shaped coffee table that could be used for meals; under it was a knob that adjusted the height by about 8 inches. There was an empty mini-fridge we could use. At the desk was a crescent-shaped padded stool; it was cute, but uncomfortable to sit on for any extended period.

In-room entertainment channels were fairly broad. In all, 12 channels showed a total of 17 movies at pre-set times throughout the day and night (generally repeating every 2 hours). All of these were releases from the last year, and rated PG or PG-13; about a third were Disney or Touchstone releases. Additionally there were channels devoted to Disney animated features, Pixar fare, live action Disney releases, and Disney Channel content. Our TV was an LG 22-inch flat-screen model, but considering the extent of in-room entertainment, a larger screen would have been nice.

Our balcony was a nice place to while away the day, but unlike most cabins with verandahs on Disney Wonder, which have see-through railings, ours was enclosed by the ship’s metal exterior rising to waist level. When seated we couldn’t see the sea over the railing.