Disney Cruise Line Disney Wonder

Vista Spa

Sequestered in the forward reaches of Deck 9, just past the adults-only Quiet Cove, the Vista Spa was a pampering retreat—another area of the ship where parents could dodge familial obligations for a couple hours. The Tuscan-décor facilities are beautifully conceived, with extensive use of mosaic tiles and a lush color scheme we’d call Floridian lite. Overall, a very restful space to chill out.

As with many of the spas as sea, this one is managed by Steiner Leisure. Prices were on par with what we’ve seen on other cruise ships, but still a bit higher than we find at most quality resorts (rates were discounted on port days, and other specials or multiple appointments also availed discount for some treatments). The primary skin care line in use was Elemis and Steiner, and Phyto and Bliss products were also for sale.

Treatments included a variety of massages—seaweed, hot stone, bamboo, chocolate, lime and salt, reflexology, Thai herbal poultice, etc.—ranging $118 for 50 minutes to $249 for 100 minutes. Several treatments are available for couples. Most of the treatment rooms have sea views and there were three also Mediterranean-style spa villas, oversized rooms with whirlpool tubs, foot soaking, tea ceremonies and day beds (starting at $150 for one person, 105 minutes; $449 for two, 120 minutes).

The spa also included a Tropical Rain Forest, which has heated ceramic benches, aromatic steam rooms, and mist fog showers; a pass to use these facilities throughout a seven-day cruise was $99, or $148 for couples. There was also a couples massage workshop held one evening, $60 per couple.

There was a bright full-service salon, where hair and nail services were performed. A new one for Disney Wonder was Ice Cream Manicure and Pedicure, priced $50 and $60 respectively, treatments using various ice cream and sherbet for soaking, buffing, exfoliating and massage—bring your own sprinkles. We’ll try that one next time.

Sports and Fitness

Although the Vista Spa’s gym is not huge, it covered the basics quite well, in a well-maintained crescent-shaped room that overlooked the bow of the ship. We never had to wait to use the Life Fitness cardio equipment, which included the usual array of bikes, treadmills, elliptical machines, etc. (headsets were available for listening to the TVs mounted on these). There were also free weights and exercise balls.

There was a good selection of fitness classes, and a number of them—yoga, spinning, pilates—did not carry a surcharge (there was a fee for the 45-minute boot camp workouts—$69 for two sessions, $120 for four). Arrive early for these classes; space limitations meant a couple of them filled before the start time.

Wide World of Sports Deck

Sitting at the forward end of Deck 10, this netted area of the ship had equipment for basketball, soccer, table tennis and Foosball. For most of the day and into the evening it was fairly packed with kids, with various tournaments announced in the daily Personal Navigator newsletter.