Aloha Hawaii! Our 10 Day Cruise to Hawaii on the Disney Wonder, September 7, 2015 Trip Report completed 07/31/2016 - Page 10 - PassPorter - A Community of Walt Disney World, Disneyland, Disney Cruise Line, and General Travel Forums
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Hi everybody! I apologize for the long break - thanks for hanging in here with me! (New career, new hospital, new hours. New schedule, new homeschool co-op, new lifestyle. Thanksgiving. Christmas prep.)
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I woke up around 7:45am and I was looking forward to another day at sea. Having only been on 4-night cruises, I was so happy to have so many sea days to look forward to! There were so many different activities to choose from, but I knew I couldn't go to them all I also wanted to attend some of the Facebook group's planned activities, oh yeah AND spend time with my family! Decisions, decisions....
This was the list for Hawaiian themed events for the cruise. (Isn't the artwork adorable! ) It came with the Navigator which had even more things to do listed. If you're interested, I think someone has already uploaded the Navigators for this cruise on the Disney Cruise Line Blog's website.
The kids slept in while we got ready for a morning in the Rainforest Room. About an hour later, Dh and I were in the Vista Spa fitness room getting an easy workout in. I don't know why I was so surprised, but there were a lot of people in there! They were the more athletic/fit types and making good use of the equipment. Thankfully there were plenty of treadmills and we got two sort of facing the front... ahem "bow" of the ship.
The ladies locker room.
The attendant will show you how to program your code in for your locker. (Razors, hair dryers, facial cleaner and toner, lotions, cotton balls, towels and robes - regular and Pooh sized. I'm a 2x or 18-20 and they were roomy on me. ) There are 2 (or3?) restroom stalls and sinks separate from this curtained off room. There's also a dimmed lounge area with chaise chairs to relax in and a dry sauna. There was even a big beautiful Pixar coffee table book - I wanted to just sit and leaf through that!) There are 3 (or 4?) shower stalls. I liked having the convenience of a shower there, but there was no place to put your own stuff actually inside the stall. I had to hang my towel and things on the hook across from the shower. Just be warned if you're shy . There is a soap dispenser inside of the shower.
The view during my walk
The view outside the fitness center. I don't know what was going on at the cast member's pool
Wooo! I really worked out hard! lol The treadmill software is neat: you can virtually walk just about anywhere in the world. I choose a lovely little burg in Germany.
After our nice little walk, we used the weights for a bit. I usually like to have my headphones on while exercising, but there was your typical disco/workout music playing overhead, so I didn't need them. When we were done, it was time for why we were really there, the Rainforest room We had one of the bananas there for the guests since we hadn't had brekkie yet. There were oranges too, I think.
We went into our separate locker rooms and rinsed off, then met in the Rainforest room. I knew that it hadn't been refurbished in maybe a long time, just like the rest of the ship. I had already set the bar pretty low so that I wouldn't be disappointed, and I wasn't disappointed in there. In fact, we were pretty darn impressed! I had been to a spa a few times before, but Dh had never been. We felt very indulged and pampered as we experienced the separate rooms and showers. We started with the mild, kind of dryer sauna room. The curved, hot tile lounging benches almost immediately started to melt away any stress. After a while, we tried the showers - a little awkward since there's no door, but with our swim suits on it wasn't entirely weird. I kept my shower shoes on... We then tried the aromatherapy room, which ended up being our favorite. Lightly scented clouds of lavender steam, aahhh... It's a tiny little room. Nice for two, intimate for three, crowded for four. Later in the week when they had refreshed the lavender smell, it was just on the side of being overpowering , but for our first time in it, it was mild and just right. Ummm... I can almost feel/smell it... Then we rinsed in the showers again - I think I liked the one that was hot and then you hit the "cold" button and get shocked The final steam room was magnificent! It said "mild steam" on the plaque outside the glass door, but it was like walking into a hot, wet, white out! Seriously, when I opened the door clouds of steam billowed out. I literally couldn't see anything in there at first! I crept over to a bench, hoping that I didn't look too silly (there was one other person in there) - I'm glad I had my contacts in or it would've been funny. I found a bench and tried not to wilt. Dh came in next. "Are you in here?" I could only hear his voice! I talked him over and we sat there on the tiles for a while, like two happy clams.
After a while, I couldn't take it anymore and escaped into the "cool" air. I showered in my favorite alcove, and settled into one of the tile chaises after getting some cold water to drink. There's only four of the chairs, but there were two available for us. Actually, Dh sat for a while on the cooler bench on the other side of the fountain to cool down a bit before he came over. I was surprised at how comfy those chairs were, I mean they were hard tile, but curved to hug your body and warmed. For a while, all was right with the world and we relaxed there for a while just listening to the soft music. Occasionally, I felt the boat rock a bit, but it just added to the sensation of "floating" and "warm" and "relaxing". When we were both ready to go, we sipped on some cool lemon water before heading to the real showers and getting dressed.
Great to see you writing again and thanks for sharing the list of Hawaiian activities, they all look so neat. I'm so glad they got that aromatic steam room working again, that was the one we had problems with on our cruise, right before yours.
The Rainforest sounds so relaxing reading your description! I probably should have done that same attitude adjustment you did, as I just found them so subpar in comparisson to the Dream & Fantasy. It also sounds like they were less crowded than what I found in Alaska.
Now I also wish I'd tried the treadmills - the software sounds pretty neat in being able to select your location!
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Great to see you writing again and thanks for sharing the list of Hawaiian activities, they all look so neat. I'm so glad they got that aromatic steam room working again, that was the one we had problems with on our cruise, right before yours.
There have been big changes for us since October. I'm so thankful that we got in this long vacation before it all started!
Quote:
Originally Posted by benchley
I like the look of the treadmills. Hope they have similar on The Fantasy
I'm sure they have the latest and greatest stuff on the Fantasy!
Quote:
Originally Posted by cubfancolleen
The Rainforest sounds so relaxing reading your description! I probably should have done that same attitude adjustment you did, as I just found them so subpar in comparisson to the Dream & Fantasy. It also sounds like they were less crowded than what I found in Alaska.
Now I also wish I'd tried the treadmills - the software sounds pretty neat in being able to select your location!
I knew the spa would be subpar compared to the newer ships. We had stars in our eyes but on the next visit we could see some flaws.
Quote:
Originally Posted by xwewhisper
Your morning sounds simply wonderful!!
Yes it was!
Quote:
Originally Posted by Cam22
The Rainforest sounded like a wonderful way for you two to start your sea day!
(I saw Star Wars: The Force Awakens this past weekend. OH MY GOODNESS, OH MY GOODNESS.)
We floated our way back to our room after checking out of Vista Spa. I'm sure we looked pretty goofy and sleepy to the cast members, lol. I forgot to say that if you didn't know already, you receive a wristband that allows you into the Rainforest Room. You have to give up your room card for it and they give it back when you're done. After changing, it was time for some lunch at BBB. I took some pictures of the wide open sea from our veranda.
facing forward
facing aft
...and down
I'm loving life so much right now!
My second go 'round - Mediterranean theme today: grilled lamb chop, an assortment of spreads, stuffed grape leaf, felafel, spicy tomato soup, assorted desserts (that's mango panna cotta, I think)
Another assortment of sweets
Our view for lunch. North America is back there somewhere...
I have to say I was beginning to be pretty impressed with Beach Blanket Buffet. There was a nice variety of things to choose from, they all seem fresh and the cast members kept everything tidy and clean. What I liked was that there was some heat and spice to some of the foods - a pleasant surprise! I know Disney in general tries to keep foods in the middle of the road to please a large and diverse crowd with different dietary needs, but sometimes it can come off as slightly bland for my tastes. (I mean no offense to anyone! ) The foods that we sampled from the buffet were flavorful and eclectic. I also like seeing how they repurposed foods that weren't used the day before (the stuff in the galleys, not on the bar) like roasted chicken for chicken salad, or crabs for seafood dips, vegetables for soups, etc. Feeding a few thousand people a day for almost a week without restocking takes some imagination for sure. I'm probably way off, but as a budget-minded person, that's how I'd do it!
After a great meal, we walked around for a while, just touring the ship.
Getting the maypole ready for the Frozen fun later that night.
I love this chandelier! The pieces seem crowded, but later on in the week when it was very choppy at sea, the glass was moving quite a lot but they never touched. I should've recorded it - each individual "flower" moves independently.
Next: one of my favorite parts of the cruise, the WDI talks with Bob Zalk
(sorry so short, it's much easier for me to punch up a quick update rather than the longer ones I usually hork out. )
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I'm loving your TR so far! Thanks for sharing your adventure. We have contemplated a cruise to Hawaii but I'm just not convinced that I would like cruising - so I'm interested in hearing how your days at sea goes Btw - as a Vancouverite, I have to say that Vancouver is a great city! We are lucky to have the mountains and the ocean so close
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I fought my wife for years and years to go. Finally told her I was taking the girls and going and she is welcome to come with, or stay home. But we are going! And she went, and would go several times a year now I we had the funds to support our DCL habit.
__________________
WDW August 1987 (wife), 4 trips before kids (married), Oct 2012, April 2013, Nov 2013, March 2014, Sep 2014, Nov 2015. DCL March 2014. DL May 1985 (me..Senior Trip), plus 4 trips or so before kids (married), June 2015.
I love the leisure of an at sea day! Lunch looked so yummy.
Nice, isn't it?
Quote:
Originally Posted by cubfancolleen
Your lunch options looked yummy!
Thanks! I had more, but I ate before I remembered to take a picture.
Quote:
Originally Posted by chezp
Now that's what I call relaxing!
Oh yes...
Quote:
Originally Posted by Timon-HakunaMatata
I fought my wife for years and years to go. Finally told her I was taking the girls and going and she is welcome to come with, or stay home. But we are going! And she went, and would go several times a year now I we had the funds to support our DCL habit.
It IS a habit! We need a yearly fix now
**********************
Wed 9/6 continues...
The Walt Disney Imagineering talks for the week featured Bob Zalk. This soft-spoken man had some super cool, amazing stories to tell us. I took a pictures of almost every slide, but I won't post them all here. It was a packed house again, but I got there 15 minutes early and found a good seat. I had my pashmina shawl with me (Buena Vista Theater = cold!) and maybe even a cookie Today's talk was about Spaceship Earth. Bob talked about how they built it and how concept art is taken from paper and ink to reality. He mentioned something called "hero art" which is a piece of work that is the "big sell". It showcases the overall scene of the attraction, hotel or whatever.
Here's Bob showing an example of some hero art for Spaceship Earth.
He talked about how models are made from drawings. He said if you like to build toy models, then the Disney company is a great place to work.
He showed us a lot of slides of the scenes inside SE. I was fascinated by the idea that an artist with incredible imagination draws and paints an idea onto paper. Then that is formed into a 3D model. From that model, an attraction scene is born.
For each scene, Bob had a story to tell of how it came "alive" so to speak.
My mind blown, I went back to the room to chill for a bit. Dh meanwhile had been busy getting in some culture.
Here's the magnetic sign on the back of the stateroom door. It was a FE gift. We tried using the DCL mobile app, but it seemed it was still easier to use the old fashioned way.
Here's where we were by Wednesday. It seems like the Captain is getting us back on course. All that earlier bad weather business was over hopefully.
Hey! We aren't alone out here
Dh came in and we relaxed on the veranda for a while. There were now warm breezes and I thought it was a good time to try to do my nails. Well long, sob story short, they came out terribly! I wanted to immediately go up to the spa and get them done professionally, but it seemed like it was too expensive. At least I had a nice view.
By your description of lunch I was thinking "wow I wouldn't expect that out of a buffet" and then you mentioned how varied it was! That's such a nice touch that there was some variety throughout the trip!
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I also wanted to attend some of the Facebook group's planned activities, oh yeah AND spend time with my family! Decisions, decisions.... 
) It came with the Navigator which had even more things to do listed. If you're interested, I think someone has already uploaded the Navigators for this cruise on the Disney Cruise Line Blog's website.
) There are 2 (or3?) restroom stalls and sinks separate from this curtained off room. There's also a dimmed lounge area with chaise chairs to relax in and a dry sauna. There was even a big beautiful Pixar coffee table book - I wanted to just sit and leaf through that!) There are 3 (or 4?) shower stalls. I liked having the convenience of a shower there, but there was no place to put your own stuff actually inside the stall. I had to hang my towel and things on the hook across from the shower. Just be warned if you're shy 
. There is a soap dispenser inside of the shower.
The treadmill software is neat: you can virtually walk just about anywhere in the world. I choose a lovely little burg in Germany.
We had one of the bananas there for the guests since we hadn't had brekkie yet. There were oranges too, I think.
It's a tiny little room. Nice for two, intimate for three, crowded for four. Later in the week when they had refreshed the lavender smell, it was just on the side of being overpowering 
, but for our first time in it, it was mild and just right. Ummm... I can almost feel/smell it... Then we rinsed in the showers again - I think I liked the one that was hot and then you hit the "cold" button and get shocked 
PassPorter Guide Author
) The foods that we sampled from the buffet were flavorful and eclectic. I also like seeing how they repurposed foods that weren't used the day before (the stuff in the galleys, not on the bar) like roasted chicken for chicken salad, or crabs for seafood dips, vegetables for soups, etc. Feeding a few thousand people a day for almost a week without restocking takes some imagination for sure. I'm probably way off, but as a budget-minded person, that's how I'd do it!
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