A WONDER TR - 5 Nite Western Caribbean from Miami; Jan 28-Feb 2, 2013 About This Page:

[ctsmom116]

Great start! Can't wait to read about the rest of your trip. Love the pictures

[MayraLR]

Your room is amazing! What a wonderful way to travel.

[shazza]

Originally Posted by iloverags2

We prefer the one-bedroom suites on the classic ships over the Dream class as well! More well-thoughtout and better layout.

Love all your pictures!!!

Thank you - agree, the suite on the Wonder was special.

Originally Posted by iloverags2

I posted at the same time as your dinner review at PC came up. We love the decor in Parrot Cay, but the selections leave something to be desired as of late. It helps you had a great dining team!

The staff on the Magic class does seem much more friendly than on the Dream. Not sure if that is due to the size of the ships or not. Hmmmmmmmmm....

I also liked the decor in Parrot Cay, just the combo of noise, closeness to the next table, and the quality of the food made it slightly less than perfect

Originally Posted by lauriep

Beautiful photos around the ship. The skies so far have been very dramatic! I like your rating system and, unfortunately, would agree with your judgement as well. It very much depended on what you ordered each night. Next time I think I'll ask the servers what items others have liked-- assuming there's even a choice for a veggie meal. I've only sailed on the Magic and Wonder, so can't make a comparison about the crews, but have enjoyed the friendliness and quality of service on both of these ships.

The skies were good for photography. My style of processing the photos brings makes them somewhat more dramatic, but not too much (you'll recognize it when I go a little crazy). I agree, listening to the servers is a good idea. AND, we had the friendliest staff I've ever seen.

Originally Posted by rlb38

love the CM photo We didn't really like Parrot Cay either but I do remember enjoying the banana bread.

Yep - the banana bread was tasty.

Originally Posted by chezp

Sorry dinner wasn't better. It's interesting that the servers tried to steer you in certain directions. We noticed that on the Fantasy, more than any other cruise we've taken, so I wonder if that's something they're now consciously training their servers to do?

I think it may also be the personality or experience of the server - they know if you don't like something, you're less likely to have a good feeling about the dinner. They never, of course, say something is bad ...

Originally Posted by dutchdisneyfamily

Love the CM! That's great that they are so friendly. Good to know about the food. I'm just beginning to learn about how cruises work. Did you have a choice of where to eat?

Please don't judge all the food by this first dinner - it gets better. You are assigned to one of three main dining rooms for each dinner - you rotate to a different restaurant each night (repeating if necessary due to the length of the cruise). Your servers move with you, so it's easy for them to get to know your wants. I like the system.

Originally Posted by WishIwasinDisney

I love your report so far and your pictures are amazing. Looking forward to more!

Thank you very much. More is coming, just got busy today.

Originally Posted by ctsmom116

Great start! Can't wait to read about the rest of your trip. Love the pictures

Thanks. I will probably have lots of pictures by the time we're done. Good thing I didn't do a 14 day cruise!

Originally Posted by MayraLR

Your room is amazing! What a wonderful way to travel.

Thanks, Mayra - we were really fortunate to have such a nice room.



I've started another update about 5 times today, but real life keeps interrupting. Should be able to get a couple in tomorrow. Thanks all, for joining in.

[shazza]

Day 2: Tuesday, Jan 29th, Part 1


An Early Morning Photo Interlude ...

After falling asleep just after 10pm, I found myself wide awake by 4am. I decided to wander around the ship to see if I could get some interesting photos. This is where having the suite came in handy, since I didn't have to worry about getting up early and waking up the sleeping bear.

A word on the photos in this section - these have been processed using the HDR method. This involves shooting multiple exposures of the same scene (5 in this case), then using software to combine them to improve the overall exposure and bring out some of the detail. I used my tripod, not sure if it would work on the moving ship, but it was fine. For fun, I also experimented with some different post processing techniques - I often do this when I get bored while processing tons of photos.

I didn't go down to Deck 3 for better shots of the lobby area, because there was a frenzy of cleaning activity going on, and I didn't want to get in the way. I did see some of the cleaning staff on Deck 4, and they were friendly and offered to move out of my way - I told them just to keep on doing what they needed to do.

I stepped outside briefly - what is this crazy guy doing jogging before 5am?






Then I headed to Route 66, where I played for an hour or so. This area interested me, not only because of the nostalgia and bright colors, but because we drove part of Route 66 this past summer and have plans to spend more time on this route next time we drive cross country.

I could have spent another hour, but didn't want to chance hearing an alert about the crazy lady on Route 66.





I went up to Deck 9, grabbed a hot cup of tea (can't take the Nescafe Coffee), and continued my expiration. (Note - I continued my "exploration" - thank you, Apple autocorrect). It was a beautiful morning - warm enough to be out without a sweater, and breezy but not howling.






The moon was still out. Being alone on the ship in early morning is nice. I do have an over abundance of stacked deck chair photos, but a small price to pay for the solitude:






The Quiet Cove adult area was ..................... Quiet






Obviously, I was fascinated either with the stairway to the Outlook Cafe, or Signals Bar, because I have way too many photos of this area in my downloaded files:

This is just a sampling of my morning stroll. I sat on Deck 9 to drink my tea, and did some reading until signs of other lifeforms began to appear. Back to the cabin to download my photos. I ended up napping, waking just in time for our first activity of the day.

Coming up Next: How to Spend a Relaxing Day at Sea - there will be info on activities on the ship, in case you clicked on this report to see details about the Cruise, and not just to view my photo album ...

[pamcarey]

Wow, you really had the ship to yourself that morning (except for crazy jogging guy!).

[lfredsbo]

I for one am enjoying your photo album!!

Beautiful shots!!! It must have been so nice to wander around with no one in the way!!

[rlb38]

How nice to be up and about and have the ship almost to yourself. I need a nap just thinking about it. I like the pool & moon shot. Also I think the glass outcrop with the staircase inside is quite Reminds me of an outdoor light. Looking forward to more photos and commentary

[chezp]

Oh wow, I absolutely love your photos from your early morning stroll!

[Russi01]

Wow. your pictures are amazing!! That is awesome how you had the ship to yourself that morning.

[lauriep]

I always wish that Outlook or Cove Cafe were open VERY early, so I could have real coffee right when I get up, but I guess they wouldn't have much business! I love this group of photos. My favorites are the one of Walt, and the moonlight and adult pool shot. Amazing. I love the architectural details of all the stairways on the ship, and the artwork on all the landings. Glad you could get up and out without waking the hibernating bear! Also glad you didn't expire as you explored!

[JKnott17]

Thanks for sharing all of those great pictures, they are beautiful! It must have been so peaceful walking about the ship with no one else around.

[QueenmotherofprincessMary]

WOW - such incredible pictures, THANK YOU! What camera are you using???? And thanks for the info as well!!! Looking forward to more!!!!

[shazza]

Originally Posted by pamcarey

Wow, you really had the ship to yourself that morning (except for crazy jogging guy!).

Thanks, Pam. I did see a few people wandering around looking for coffee, but not til after 6am.

Originally Posted by lfredsbo

I for one am enjoying your photo album!!

Beautiful shots!!! It must have been so nice to wander around with no one in the way!!

Thanks - it was enjoyable.

Originally Posted by rlb38

How nice to be up and about and have the ship almost to yourself. I need a nap just thinking about it. I like the pool & moon shot. Also I think the glass outcrop with the staircase inside is quite Reminds me of an outdoor light. Looking forward to more photos and commentary

That staircase seemed to mesmerize me

Originally Posted by chezp

Oh wow, I absolutely love your photos from your early morning stroll!

Thanks, Cheryl.

Originally Posted by Russi01

Wow. your pictures are amazing!! That is awesome how you had the ship to yourself that morning.

Thank you.

Originally Posted by lauriep

I always wish that Outlook or Cove Cafe were open VERY early, so I could have real coffee right when I get up, but I guess they wouldn't have much business! I love this group of photos. My favorites are the one of Walt, and the moonlight and adult pool shot. Amazing. I love the architectural details of all the stairways on the ship, and the artwork on all the landings. Glad you could get up and out without waking the hibernating bear! Also glad you didn't expire as you explored!

I'm with you on early morning coffee. A couple mornings, the Cove Cafe did open at 6:30am.

Originally Posted by JKnott17

Thanks for sharing all of those great pictures, they are beautiful! It must have been so peaceful walking about the ship with no one else around.

It was a nice way to start our first full day on the ship.

Originally Posted by QueenmotherofprincessMary

WOW - such incredible pictures, THANK YOU! What camera are you using???? And thanks for the info as well!!! Looking forward to more!!!!

Thanks for joining in. I use a Canon 5D Mark III DSLR. The only lens I used on this trip was a wide angle - 16-35mm f/2.8. That's why some of the angles will seem strange on some photos, but this lens is very sharp and good in low light. It worked well on the ship.

Should be back with an update tomorrow.

[MayraLR]

Beautiful pictures!

[shazza]

Originally Posted by MayraLR

Beautiful pictures!

Thank you.



Day 2, Tuesday Jan 29th; Part 2







Fortunately, I woke up from my nap in time for lunch. And no, our lunch was not going to be at Beach Blanket Buffet ... this is a Sea Day, and that means ...

This may surprise you, but I didn't take my camera to Palo Brunch. We enjoyed brunch on the Dream in April, and I'd taken photos then. I also thought it would be nice for the two of us to just enjoy a nice leisurely meal. Lou is a good sport about the food photos, but it can get distracting.

Brunch was excellent. It wasn't crowded (we went at noon), and the food was just as good as we remembered. I will include a few photos from our Brunch in April, since the food was pretty much the same:

Lou started with a hearty appetizer plate with lots of seafood - he particularly enjoyed the tuna and the shrimp:





I tried some of the cheese selection and really liked the bread with walnuts and blue cheese. I will eat seafood, but shellfish isn't my favorite. I also had a nice salad. This went nicely with the "complimentary" mimosas:






I love the pizzas at Palo. I know some people say you can get a pizza anywhere, but these are really good. This pic shows the sausage pizza, but we tried the grape and gorgonzola pizza this time, and it was very, very good.






Neither of us ended up ordering an entree. Lou had a couple helpings of seafood, and I think there was some type of smoked trout he also liked. For dessert, I just sampled a couple of small pastries with some fruit. In April, we had a selection of desserts for the table:

We enjoyed brunch at Palo - It gets a 4.5 on my rating scale for this cruise. The only reason I knocked off half a point is because I didn't eat all that much



Back at the room, Lou settled in for his afternoon nap, and I checked the Navigator for something to do. I found it ... a seminar on Arthritis and Back Pain. It was in the Outlook Cafe at 2:15pm. When I arrived, I was the only one there besides Lisa, from Vista Spa. Lisa is a licensed nutritionist and also has a Master's Degree in Traditional Chinese medicine. She asked if I'd like to see what Acupuncture feels like - and stuck me with one of those little needles. Hardly felt a thing.

Lisa had a powerpoint presentation ready to go on the small screen. She started her presentation, and then two other ladies showed up. This made it more interesting, since they were quite happy to share all their aches and pains. The seminar was over after 45 minutes. I didn't sign up for any Acupuncture treatments, and I didn't purchase any Chinese Herbal Treatments



A few photos at the Quiet Cove Pool in the afternoon - this is about as busy as it got. Not too bad given it was a Sea Day and the weather was beautiful.

Mickey showed up, and people were having their photos snapped. It wasn't very crowded, so I decided to see about meeting Mickey myself. While I was waiting, the the CM did have to tell several folks with kids that this was the adult only area, and they'd have to see Mickey later.

This was a lot of activity already today! But, it wasn't over. We went to The Golden Mickey's at the Walt Disney Theater. As you know, you're not allowed to take photos of the performance, but I did snap this one before the show started. I had 3 of the biggest heads in the room sit down in front of me:

We enjoyed the show, and so glad we went. Now, I will share a funny moment with you. If you've seen the show, you may recall the way it starts. As the performers were running through the aisles and stopping to snap photos, Lou got upset - "Didn't they just hear them say no photos !!!" I laughed, because shortly after he realized the show had started ...

We had some time before dinner, so made our way to the Outlook Cafe ...






Dinner was at Triton's this evening. This is one of the prettier main dining rooms - I liked it better than some on the Dream.






Lou had the shrimp to start, and I had the bacon/mushroom tart (it was a quiche). The tart was good, and Lou said his shrimp were fine.











I chose the sea bass as my entree. It tasted okay, but was a little too dry. The mushroom risotto was not so good.






Lou had the duck. Nelson tried to steer him clear of this choice, but he was determined. He got a lot of duck on his plate, and he ate it all. Again, it was "fine." I think that means it was okay - not great, not bad.






Time for dessert - the Grand Marnier Soufflé is my most favorite dessert. Lou ordered one as well. Nelson also brought Triton's version of bread pudding (Lou ate it too).

The Desserts were Very Good And then ... we are surrounded, people are singing, and we get yet another dessert! Apparently, Jennifer (our concierge) had arranged an Anniversary celebration. She'd asked us about our recent trips to WDW, and asked if we were celebrating anything.

Triton's scores a 3.5 (out of 5.0). It was a good dinner, just a little shy of being very good.

We arrived back at our cabin to find an anniversary card and more "I'm Celebrating" Buttons. We also had our towel rabbit waiting for us:

Lou commented that he was startled when he first walked into the bedroom. At first, he thought someone had sneaked on board:

This was quite a day for us! We actually took in several of the ship's activities, and still managed to have a relaxing day.


Coming up Next: Lunch in Grand Cayman