Greetings from the beautiful Disney Wonder, our home for the next 8 nights. We embarked at Ballantyne Pier and arrived just a little before our 11:00 Port Arrival Time. The line to get through security seemed long at first, but I think that's because they didn't start moving people through until that time. The process went very smoothly once we got to the front, and we were excited to be on our way.
Beth had received a camera for her 14th birthday just 3 days ago, so when Richard and I grabbed a Personal Navigator and made a beeline for the check-in desk determined to make it into an early boarding group, she and Chuck called us back to take photos with the Disney Cruise Line (DCL) display. I mentally grumbled a bit, Richard proceeded to accidentally knock down the display while we posed, and I feared we were off to a bad start. Here are the photos for posterity:
We finally got to -- and through -- the line to a super-excited Cast Member (CM). I responded with matching enthusiasm and started going over paperwork with her. Meanwhile, another CM came up to us and asked if we'd like to be Family of the Day. Of course we would! She said she had chosen us because she could tell we were excited since we had been taking photos earlier. So a huge thank you to Beth and Chuck for making us do that.
At the same time, Chuck spotted his parents in line behind us. (Their Port Arrival Time was 30 minutes after ours.) Beth and Richard ran up to say hello and to tell them the news about being chosen. We were thrilled when we were told they would be allowed to join us.
Once they finished checking in, we were given this certificate:
We were escorted to the front of the line to take photos with Minnie Mouse. I felt a little rude for cutting the line, but we were Family of the Day, gosh darn it. (And yes, that was our family motto for the entire cruise.)
We were then escorted to sign-ups for Youth Activities. I realized that both kids were the perfect age: at 14, Beth is able to visit both the Edge tween club and the Vibe teen club, while Richard at age 11 has access to the Oceaneer Club, Oceaneer Lab and the Edge.
Kids in the Club and Lab have to wear RFID bracelets like the one above for the entire voyage. Although they look better and are much less unwieldy than the old bands, the same safety processes apply. Adults can only check out the children whose RFID bands are linked to their room keys. They also need to provide a family password each time they check their child out. Older children are permitted to do self-check ins and outs if their parents allow, but even then, they need to wear the bracelet. The wristband is very similar to Walt Disney World's MagicBand. It may be kept (for a fee of $12.95) or it may be returned at the end of the trip.
Wristband acquired and Youth Activity questions answered, we were next escorted through customs, where the only other people being processed were those who were sailing back-to-back voyages. (Lucky ducks!) Once we cleared customs, we were allowed to board immediately. Oh, but first, another photo session.
We gave our names to the CM at the end of the gangway and were announced. I always love boarding the ship to the sounds of applause and this time was no different. But after that point, we were no longer the special Family of the Day. It was a little bittersweet to go back to being "normal" people. We shifted gears and went up to Beach Blanket Buffet, where we practically had the place to ourselves while everyone else boarded. What a civilized way to start our vacation!
We looked at our Navigators while we are and made plans for the afternoon. Here are photos of the pages:
After lunch, Chuck, his dad and I went to take care of Palo reservations and maybe sign up for a tasting or two. We ended up switching our previously booked Palo dinner to the third night of the cruise, our Parrot Cay night. The Parrot Cay menu is not my favorite, so it was an easy decision. And we scored the previously ungetable brunch for our last sea day. Mission accomplished!
We then proceeded to Guest Services, where we signed the four of us up for mixology. We added beer tasting for the men and champagne tasting for the women. Interestingly enough, our mixology class will take place right after brunch. So don't be surprised if I don't have much to say/remember about the last night of our voyage! Then, our wonderful CM, Carmen, asked if we would want to sign up for the character tea as well. I would have never known about it if she hadn't volunteered the information. There are only 100 spots, so I'm eternally grateful she said something. Chuck and his dad didn't want to do it, so we registered Beth, Chuck's mom and me to make it a girls' special occasion. When we met back up with the kids, Richard said he'd like to attend as well, so he and I went back to Guest Services immediately, where Carmen was able to add him to our seating. Whew! I had been afraid the last spot would have vanished while we were walking over. We also confirmed that Beth's birthday celebration had been noted for our dining team. Richard seemed proud to be trusted with the secret and did a great job of not spilling the beans.
The two of us next went down to check out the Edge. The first thing I spotted was a huge chessboard. While I checked in with one of the counselors, Richard roped the other into a game of chess. They gave each other quite a run for the money and I have a feeling they will have a number of rematches. (Richard is currently down, with 2 losses and 1 win.)
Here are some photos of the Edge:
I learned that kids need stickers on the back of their key cards in order to access the Edge and/or Vibe. Sorry the picture is blurry, but they kind of look like this:
We needed Beth's key for this, so I dragged Richard away from the chess game and we finally went to our stateroom. As Douglas Adams fans, we had selected stateroom 6042 (get it?), which is a Category 5C Deluxe Oceanview Stateroom with Verandah on the port side of the ship. Here are a few photos:
I was excited to see that our Castaway Club gift had been delivered already and even more pleased that it was a along backpack rather than the tote bag other recent cruisers had been offered. The goodies inside looked like this:
They were a magnetic dry-erase board and marker, a highlighter for use with the Daily Navigator and a game tin. Here are the contents of the tin:
Contents included a DCL version of Bananagrams, playing cards, a pen and pad of paper. Here's a sample of what those look like:
We met up with Beth and proceeded to the check out the Youth Activities spaces. Photos to follow in Part 2, so stay tuned!
