Aloha Hawaii! Our 10 Day Cruise to Hawaii on the Disney Wonder, September 7, 2015 Trip Report completed 07/31/2016 - Page 5 - PassPorter - A Community of Walt Disney World, Disneyland, Disney Cruise Line, and General Travel Forums
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Aloha Hawaii! Our 10 Day Cruise to Hawaii on the Disney Wonder, September 7, 2015 Trip Report completed 07/31/2016
Hello everyone! (Or should I say Aloha )
I've been away from the boards for a criminally long time. I'm so behind on TRs that I started, they'll be my official summer reading! After finally finishing the trip report from our September trip, I had to sink my teeth down into some serious study for a certification. I finished a 90 credit course and passed the test for the course in May. My certification exam will be in July, so I've gratefully put the books down for now... To plan for a new trip!
First a bit of background:
I'm Angela - lover of Disney World and Disney cruises. Homeschooling mom of a teen and tween boys. Trying to finish crocheting a graphghan blanket I started last July - I am Sisyphus and that never-ending blanket is my rock.
"D" is my hubs - close acquaintance of Disney World, becoming fast friends with DCL. Very private, thus the "initial", lol. Would be an awesome football/basketball coach if it weren't for his stressful career.
Max is my 13 year old - BFF with Disney World, but just like all teens looking for new friends, interested in a new hang out buddy - Universal Studios. Well, specifically Harry Potter Land or whatever that is over "there". Second home is the Edge club on the Dream.
Titus is my 10, almost 11 year old - BFF with Disney World, but sometimes wishes it could come outside more and play some more extreme sports, i.e. faster, scarier, wilder rides. Fav cruise thing to do: After swimming, gets pizza and goes back to the stateroom to watch Disney movies - solo.
New additions to the gang: D's mother, Martha and her best friend Anne. They are two "seasoned" ladies with almost opposite personalities. Martha is a riot - outgoing and loves to laugh, but nervous to try new things. Like being on a cruise ship, or Hawai'i, lol. Anne is more reserved, but very sweet and LOVES to travel (esp. the Caribbean and Vegas!) and try new things - Hawai'i has been a dream for her for a long time. As soon as D presented the idea of going with us, Anne wrote a check on the spot. Martha, well let's just say there may be some sedatives involved when we get on the plane. They will miss having a casino onboard the Wonder, but hopefully there will be a lot more fun things to do that they won't miss it
On May 3rd, we got the official "Paid in Full" by DCL, woot! We learned late in the game that we could use Disney Gift Cards to add to a Disney Vacation Account. We also learned that we could save almost 4% by buying them at BJs Warehouse. (Yes, I tried Target, but for some reason, they wouldn't let me buy stacks of cards using a Red debit card, even though it was my money. I will not bore you with that frustrating, vein in forehead inducing experience. ) We ended up saving about $400 by paying for the cruise that way. Another lesson learned: You can get $20 back on each thousand but ONLY if you've had the savings account for more than 3 months, dang! We could've made $180 off of that
We are Silver Castaway Club members, so we can't check in or book shore excursions until June 9, but that's ok. We're looking into doing our own thing when we dock, but more on that later. We have 2 staterooms, directly across from each other (thank you to my travel agent, Chris ) Our stateroom is a category 5A on deck 7, we have an ocean view with a veranda. The ladies will be in a cat 11A, standard inside. We considered an ocean view for them, but we saved some money by getting them a cat 11, plus Martha would've been nervous with all that ocean out there to look at
Here's a quick and dirty itinerary:
Fly to Seattle the day before, then take the train to Vancouver the next morning. Board the Wonder, sail for 6 days at sea, then stop at 4 Hawaiian islands. Stay in Aulani for 3 days, then fly back home with a stopover in Las Vegas.
I've been researching shore excursions and reading Cheryl Pendry's amazing Hawai'i trip report. More coming soon!
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About This Page: 
(Or should I say Aloha 
)
After finally finishing the trip report from our September trip, I had to sink my teeth down into some serious study for a certification. 
I finished a 90 credit course and passed the test for the course in May. My certification exam will be in July, so I've gratefully put the books down for now... To plan for a new trip! 
Second home is the Edge club on the Dream.
Anne is more reserved, but very sweet and LOVES to travel (esp. the Caribbean and Vegas!) and try new things - Hawai'i has been a dream for her for a long time. As soon as D presented the idea of going with us, Anne wrote a check on the spot. Martha, well let's just say there may be some sedatives involved when we get on the plane. 
) We ended up saving about $400 by paying for the cruise that way. Another lesson learned: You can get $20 back on each thousand but ONLY if you've had the savings account for more than 3 months, dang! We could've made $180 off of that 
) Our stateroom is a category 5A on deck 7, we have an ocean view with a veranda. The ladies will be in a cat 11A, standard inside. We considered an ocean view for them, but we saved some money by getting them a cat 11, plus Martha would've been nervous with all that ocean out there to look at 
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