Aloha Hawaii! Our 10 Day Cruise to Hawaii on the Disney Wonder, September 7, 2015 Trip Report completed 07/31/2016 - Page 9 - PassPorter - A Community of Walt Disney World, Disneyland, Disney Cruise Line, and General Travel Forums
As of January 1, 2019, we have closed our forums. This is a decision we did not come to lightly, but it is necessary. The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk. The server software itself must be updated, and it cannot be without removing the forums.
So it is with a heavy heart that we say goodbye to our long-running forums. They came online in 2000 and brought together so many wonderful Disney fans. We had friendships form, careers launch, couples marry, children born ... all because of this amazing community.
Thank you to each of you who were a part of this community. You made it possible.
And a very special thank you to our Guides (moderators), past and present, who kept our forums a happy place to be. You are the glue that held everything together, and we are forever grateful to you. Thank you aliceinwdw, Caldercup, MrsM, WillCAD, Fortissimo, GingerJ, HiddenMickey, CRCrazy, Eeyoresmom, disneyknut, disneydani, Cam22, chezp, WDWfan, Luvsun, KMB733, rescuesk, OhToodles!, Colexis Mom, lfredsbo, HiddenMickey, DrDolphin, DopeyGirl, duck addict, Disneybine, PixieMichele, Sandra Bostwick, Eeyore Tattoo, DyanKJ130, Suzy Q'Disney, LilMarcieMouse, AllisonG, Belle*, Chrissi, Brant, DawnDenise, Crystalloubear, Disneymom9092, FanOfMickey, Goofy4Goofy, GoofyMom, Home4us123, iamgrumpy, ilovedisney247, Jennifer2003, Jenny Pooh, KrisLuvsDisney, Ladyt, Laughaholic88, LauraBelle Hime, Lilianna, LizardCop, Loobyoxlip, lukeandbrooksmom, marisag, michnash, MickeyMAC, OffKilter_Lynn, PamelaK, Poor_Eeyore, ripkensnana, RobDVC, SHEANA1226, Shell of the South, snoozin, Statelady01, Tara O'Hara, tigger22, Tink and Co., Tinkerbelz, WDWJAMBA, wdwlovers, Wendyismyname, whoSEZ, WildforWD, and WvuGrrrl. You made the magic.
We want to personally thank Sara Varney, who coordinated our community for many years (among so many other things she did for us), and Cheryl Pendry, our Message Board Manager who helped train our Guides, and Ginger Jabour, who helped us with the PassPorter-specific forums and Live! Guides. Thank you for your time, energy, and enthusiasm. You made it all happen.
There are other changes as well.
Why? Well, the world has changed. And change with it, we must. The lyrics to "We Go On" for IllumiNations say it best:
We go on to the joy and through the tears
We go on to discover new frontiers
Moving on with the current of the years.
We go on
Moving forward now as one
Moving on with a spirit born to run
Ever on with each rising sun.
To a new day, we go on.
It's time to move on and move forward.
PassPorter is a small business, and for many years it supported our family. But the world changed, print books took a backseat to the Internet, and for a long time now it has been unable to make ends meet. We've had to find new ways to support our family, which means new careers and less and less time available to devote to our first baby, PassPorter.
But eventually, we must move on and move forward. It is the right thing to do.
So we are retiring this newsletter, as we simply cannot keep up with it. Many thanks to Mouse Fan Travel who supported it all these years, to All Ears and MousePlanet who helped us with news, to our many article contributors, and -- most importantly -- to Sara Varney who edited our newsletter so wonderfully for years and years.
And we are no longer charging for the Live Guides. If you have a subscription, it's yours to keep for the lifetime of the Live Guides at no additional cost. The Live Guides will stay online, barring server issues and technical problems, for all of 2019.
That said, PassPorter is not going away. Most of the resources will remain online for as long as we can support them, and after that we will find ways to make whatever we can available. PassPorter means a great deal to us, and to many of you, and we will do our best to keep it alive in whatever way we can. Our server costs are high, and they'll need to come out of our pockets, so in the future you can expect some changes so we can bring those costs down.
Thank you, thank you, thank you for your amazing support over the years. Without you, there's no way us little guys could have made something like this happen and given the "big guys" a run for their money. PassPorter was consistently the #3 guidebook after the Unofficial and Official guides, which was really unheard of for such a small company to do. We ROCKED it thanks to you and your support and love!
If you miss us, you can still find some of us online. Sara started a new blog at DisneyParkPrincess.com -- I strongly urge you to visit and get on her mailing list. She IS the Disney park princess and knows Disney backward and forward. And I am blogging as well at JenniferMaker.com, which is a little craft blog I started a couple of years ago to make ends meet. You can see and hear me in my craft show at https://www.youtube.com/c/jennifermaker . Many PassPorter readers and fans are on Facebook, in groups they formed like the PassPorter Trip Reports and PassPorter Crafting Challenge (if you join, just let them know you read about it in the newsletter). And some of our most devoted community members started a forum of their own at Pixie Dust Lane and all are invited over.
So we encourage you to stay in touch with us and your fellow community members wherever works best for you!
Welcome! We're happy you've found the PassPorter Community -- the friendliest place to plan your vacation to Walt Disney World, Disney Cruise Line, Disneyland, and the world in general! You are now viewing the PassPorter Message Board Community as a guest, which gives you limited access. As our guest, feel free to browse our messages by selecting the forum you want to visit from the list below.
To post messages and ask questions, join our FREE community today and you'll get access to tools and resources not available to guests, such as our vacation countown timers, "living" avatars, private messaging system, database searches, downloads, and a special PassPorter discount code. Registration is fast, simple, and completely free. Just click the Join Our Community link.
If you think you've already joined, log in below now. If you don't remember your member name or password, please visit our Member Name and Password Recovery page. You are also welcome to contact us.
I think the dining aspect is one that Disney most needs to improve, in terms of food quality and consistency, and staff interactions. It really is too hit or miss for such an expensive vacation. Your kids sound like my DD - love the nightlife, and freedom they have onboard.
I think the dining aspect is one that Disney most needs to improve, in terms of food quality and consistency, and staff interactions. It really is too hit or miss for such an expensive vacation. Your kids sound like my DD - love the nightlife, and freedom they have onboard.
You're so right about that You know, whenever we are sitting around reminiscing about the trip, their most favorite part was their time on the ship. Really guys?
You know, whenever we are sitting around reminiscing about the trip, their most favorite part was their time on the ship. Really guys?
That's so funny! Glad my daughter isn't the only one!happily my 19 year old talks more about what we saw. My daughter's second favorite part of the trip was high-fiving 2 members of the U.S. women's soccer team!
Registered Message Board Members save 30% off PassPorter guidebooks! When you register you'll have access to a discount coupon good for 30% off the list price of PassPorter books in our online store.
We woke up early the next day, Tuesday. When we've cruised down to the Bahamas, the first thing we do is go out on the veranda in our pjs and soak in the beautiful sun and views of the water. The Pacific was totally different - wind! drizzle! fog! cold! I shut the door immediately, lol.
Looks can be deceiving - it was windy out there!
Taking the picture from the inside where it was safe
We were still near Washington even after sailing all night. I noticed that the captain had us pretty well off course. We figured it was to avoid all of the bad weather from Ignacio (downgraded now from hurricane to tropical storm).
This is from the weather forecast for Vancouver that day (CBC British Columbia weather archives)
It figures that our first trip to Hawaii would be threatened by a record hurricane season in the Pacific Ocean . I can't remember if I mentioned it before, but Martha had had some concerns last year about there being hurricanes during September and was nervous literally all year about it. I scoffed and laughed it off saying, "Pphhhttt! That only happens in the Caribbean. There hasn't been a hurricane in Hawaii in a very long time, don't worry!" Did I know what I was talking about, uh, no. But was I going to let some sliver of a chance of a rare hurricane ruin my fantasy vacation planning? Nope . Now we were facing THREE hurricanes. Yeah, oops . Over the last few weeks before the trip, Dh became an expert at weather patterns, hurricanes, and tropical storms, depressions and cyclones. He did this by watching the weather channels and the local news on the internet, very late at night. (We also picked up the Hawaiian language, quizzing and challenging each other all the time. "King Kamehameha's name is pronounced Ka-MAY-yuh-MAY-yuh, NOT Kah-may-ha-may-HA, I mean really." ) The local news was not very comforting: Hawaiians were experiencing record heat, humidity, and flooding. Of course they were - WE were coming to town! Sorry guys... There was no use being depressed so we just made "gallows humor" jokes about it.
The Pacific Ocean - featuring 3 named hurricanes, yay!
We decided to go for a walk around the Promenade before breakfast. The kids were still sleeping, so we got dressed and headed out. By the time we started our walk, the sun had started shining and the clouds were breaking up. It was still windy, but it was nice and brisk for our walk. We walked a mile around and then went to get ready for breakfast. I think the boys were finally up and at 'em, getting ready for whatever fun they had planned for the day.
This was my first time I'd ever actually walked all the way around!
It felt more natural to walk this way anyway
Cool! Some inner workings "backstage".
I always wondered about this... (Don't worry, it was empty and clean.)
I have no idea what we ate for breakfast, but it probably consisted of some of our breakfast buffet favorites. After eating, we caught the last 30 minutes or so of The Art of Lei Making presentation in the Walt Disney Theater. I regretted not getting there earlier as Mr. Keoni Atkinson and his aunt (Aunty) were giving a great presentation of the history of the hula and leis with powerpoint slides to go along with it. We missed the hula history but got to see and hear all about leis. Their family is very involved in Hawaiian culture, crafts and entertaining and I loved hearing them talk about their family and funny stories. Fortunately, we'd see them more during the cruise. By the way, the story of the lei flower necklace is fascinating - it's way more than just a garland of flowers. (After hearing "get lei'd" a hundred times, you become desensitized to it. Getting lei'd in Hawaii means being presented with a lei of flowers or other materials around your neck in a spirit of giving and Aloha... Aloha is more than just hello and goodbye, it's more of the spirit of doing something . Mr. Keoni gave another fascinating talk on the spirit of Aloha later on in the week.)
After the presentation, I wanted to catch up on some notes and maybe read a little bit. I had never been to the Cove Cafe on the Dream, so I wanted to check it out. I got my book (Hawaii by James Michener) with intentions of really digging into it. Dh went off somewhere maybe to take some more pictures, who knows?? I found the Cafe, which was indeed cozy, but crowded. (It remained crowded for the entire cruise. The early bird does get the worm. ...and the best seats and also ALL the lounge chairs by the pool, ALL day long... ) The upstairs was also crowded, but I eventually found a barstool at the window facing the adult pool. I caught up a little on my PassPorter notes while watching the crazy people in the pool and jacuzzis. (I found out that the water was nice and warm, but it was still breezy out - brrr!) It was a little too uncomfortable to read sitting on the stool, so I went to see if a more comfortable chair had been freed up. I found a nice one at the window and tried to settle in there, but I guess I was too keyed up to relax and read. This was prime spot to be in as there was an electrical outlet on the baseboard, perfect for charging a device. Eventually I got my distracted self up and took a stroll.
I think they were about to start ukulele lessons here in the Promenade Lounge.
Shutters. This place would start to get packed towards the end of the cruise.
I think it was about this time that I met up again with Dh and I dropped off my book in the room. We called the other room to check to see if the ladies were ready for some lunch. We had given them 2 day passes each to the Rainforest Room and they had just come back from checking out the fitness center and spa. They were surprised when they found the passes on the fish extender as they had decided not to get them before the trip. They were indeed ready to eat and we wanted to give the Parrot Cay lunch buffet a try. I wasn't disappointed, it was very good!
Our door. I would add a Mickey that we received in our FE later in the week. I had to use tape to secure the magnets (shhh...) Yes, that's the same FE that I used before, I just love it and I just didn't feel like making another one. Or I ran out of time. Kind of both really, lol. Our stateroom door theme was "Maryland Meets Hawaii With Some Pirate-y Stuff Thrown In". I got a lot of compliments on it and found out that there were a pretty good number of Marylanders on board
I didn't want the ladies to feel left out, so I put a little something something on their door. Again, my cheap magnet paper was stymied by all the layers of paint, so the little tiki dudes and flowers kept falling off until I secured them with tape.
On the way to lunch, we saw the kids playing shuffleboard and of course there was fierce competition. I was glad that they were making friends already. I snuck some photos so they wouldn't see me taking pictures and "embarrassing" them. I asked Titus what they did all that day. He said, "played lots of games and stuff, eat pizza and ice cream, played soccer in the rain, and just ran around and had fun." Well ok! That sounds like a fun day
Lunch at Parrot Cay was delicious and there were plenty of items to choose from. My theory on buffets is to try new things, especially stuff that I wouldn't or couldn't make at home. I liked everything and of course, ate too much
On the way out of the restaurant. I loved this painting for some reason and I found out later about its significance.
I had seen on the Navigator that there was going to be an Imagineer talk and I had forgotten about it. I remembered then and went up to Buena Vista Theater. That was the last time I was late! The theater was totally full, and people were standing in the back and on the stairs. I'm lazy, so I found a spot by the rail and sat on the floor. The Imagineer was Bob Zolk, who had been involved in many awesome projects, but I missed most of what he said! Actually, I've forgotten most of what he was talking about, but while he was wrapping up, he summed up all the Disney projects and parks around the world. He would hold four more talks during the week, this one was called, "Behind the Magic".
I took a photo of the Buena Vista movie listing for the cruise. STAR WARS - THE ORIGINAL 3 EPISODES OMG!!!
I didn't want to see the Golden Mickeys as I had seen it before and it wasn't Dh's proverbial cup of tea, so we went to the room to relax. I think worked on some FE gifts. ...or watched something on TV or napped maybe, I don't know for sure. What I do know is that Dh and I were treated to a beautiful sunset. Of course the phone couldn't capture just how gorgeous the colors really were, but trust me, it was beautiful. We spent some time, just soaking it all in.
When I zoomed in, it showed more of the colors.
The kids came into the room around the time we were supposed to be ready for dinner and announced, "It's formal night!" "What?!" Dh and I had totally missed that. So if you can imagine 4 people changing, finding clean socks, washing up, making a trip to the laundry room to iron, then dressing and checking each other out for dinner in 30 minutes, then you know what was going on in stateroom #7562 that evening . We were only a few minutes late. The ladies were already there waiting for us at table #15. (I don't know why I don't have any pics of Dh and the boys?? )
The view from our table.
Breaded and Deep Fried Brie with an Orange and Cranberry Chutney
Tasty. (I agree with chezp - I don't know what the little Mandarin orange was for because it didn't really add anything to the dish. Maybe color? The chutney was good though.)
Chateaubriand-Roasted Filet Steak with Crushed new Potatoes and Shallots, Buttered Green Beans, Red Wine Jus, and a Béarnaise Sauce on the Side
Nice.
I did not take a photo of my Grand Marnier Soufflé. I was so excited and I kept building it up and talking about it from my heavenly experience on the Dream. I told the ladies that they MUST have it. I'm glad I didn't take a picture. I would have to relive the terrible let down and disappointment forever. It was not good y'all . When I saw the chef later walking through the restaurant, I instantly knew why - he was thin and fit. He does not love food, he merely tolerates it as fuel for the body. I sarcastically said that in my mind as I watched him walk around meeting guests. I know there are thin foodies, and I don't mean to offend you if you are thin and fit. I just want my main dining chef to look like he actually eats food ALL the time. I want my chef to look like Gusteau! Our soufflés weren't bad, they just weren't delicious. Sigh, sorry family!
As we left the restaurant, guests were still taking pictures with celebrities:
There was a comedy/ventriloquist show at 10:45pm and even though I really wanted to see the first Star Wars (Episode 4, A New Hope) I decided to hang out with the family and check out the night life instead. We went to Wavebands on Route 66. I really liked the themeing here because I love the American Southwest. There was a line to get in but we got to listen to some nice live music while we waited. When we got in, there was an empty table but it was in the back. I ordered a Godiva Chocolate Martini - WHOA doggie! That was good!
Oh yeah baby...
The view from our table.
The act was Michael Harrison who was super talented and hilarious. I initially thought when we first went to the show, "Comedy and ventriloquism on a Disney ship. Ok." But it was really fun and "adult" without any vulgarity - yay! The next show was "Match Your Mate" which Dh didn't want to do so we left. (We would totally win.) The ladies were having a great time so they stayed to see the fun and told us all about it later. It really did sound like fun.
We went back to the room (kids still out somewhere) and changed into some comfy clothes. We weren't ready to go to sleep, so we took a stroll instead.
(Can you tell that one of the kids had come back to the room? lol)
I remembered to set my clock back before bed, but not the date! I set my phone back an hour, but I must've done it around midnight, because the dates and times on my photos are off
Here's how far we had gotten. It doesn't look that far, does it?
From our nighttime photo shoot:
Deserted!
My obligatory restroom shot. I can't help it!
I know you all have seen these same scenes a thousand times before, but I just thought it was neat that we were the only souls out on the deck We were pretty tuckered out by this time and headed back for a nice sleep. I was really looking forward to going to bed - I LOVE DCL beds! I found a note in my Passporter for this day: "The Wonder MOVES." I did notice that the ship was really rocking that night. I knew that we would feel the motion more in the Pacific than in the Caribbean, but it was very noticeable, maybe because we were on the smaller Wonder. I got up in the middle of the night to secure the closet door shut because it kept opening and closing. Then I went back to bed and slept like a baby. Someone else wasn't so comforted by the rocking waves - Dh's mom. Martha had awakened in the middle of the night and made Anne call Dh to tell him do something! There was ice outside and we were sliding! Oh boy. When we teased her about it the next morning, she said she was awake, but clearly she was dreaming (I hope, lol.) But when I thought about it, it did kind of feel like we were "slipping". The boys came back in around 2am (playing card games!) and said I was snoring like a grizzly bear.
Next: another awesome day at sea, including: failed nails, magic and spaaaahhhh...
What a great day at sea! So sorry about all those hurricanes, but I've got no doubt that Disney probably did a great job at navigating around them, although it can't have been fun, knowing that was going on.
I can't wait to hear about the significance of the painting of the Magic in Venice. I absolutely adored that and, if prints of it had been for sale, I would've bought it in a shot, as it's one of the most beautiful paintings I've ever seen.
Wow - what a great full day! Love the pics (I too take pics of restrooms lol). I never realized all the different presentations and shows etc that one can go to on a cruise... Makes me think some more about trying a Disney cruise with my family
Registered Message Board Members Get Our Free Newsletter! When you register you'll have the option to sign up for our weekly PassPorter Newsletter. It's chock-full of feature articles; news; tips; contests; photos; and special offers in our online store.
Some of the dishes in the main dining rooms seem to be hit or miss lately. I totally get your "I want my chef to look like Gusteau" I mean, if I were a chef and made delicious food on a daily basis, I'd probably look like Gusteau myself!
Yes indeed it was! I always feel like I never do all that I plan, but looking back it was a lot
Quote:
Originally Posted by Cam22
What an awesome at sea day!
I love sea days!
Quote:
Originally Posted by chezp
What a great day at sea! So sorry about all those hurricanes, but I've got no doubt that Disney probably did a great job at navigating around them, although it can't have been fun, knowing that was going on.
I can't wait to hear about the significance of the painting of the Magic in Venice. I absolutely adored that and, if prints of it had been for sale, I would've bought it in a shot, as it's one of the most beautiful paintings I've ever seen.
I'm sure it would look wonderful in your house
Quote:
Originally Posted by kcamozzi67
Wow - what a great full day! Love the pics (I too take pics of restrooms lol). I never realized all the different presentations and shows etc that one can go to on a cruise... Makes me think some more about trying a Disney cruise with my family
Sometimes I think there isn't enough going on, but then I find myself lamenting that I can't do it all I really HAVE to make time to just relax and chill on the ships - it's okay do just do nothing too!
Quote:
Originally Posted by pamcarey
What a great sea day! You looked great all dressed up for formal night!
Quote:
Originally Posted by Disneybine
Some of the dishes in the main dining rooms seem to be hit or miss lately. I totally get your "I want my chef to look like Gusteau" I mean, if I were a chef and made delicious food on a daily basis, I'd probably look like Gusteau myself!
Quote:
Originally Posted by stardust190
Sounds like a lovely day. Hopefully the weather doesn't impact your trip too much.
In just about a day or so, things turn around for the better
About This Page: 
Like
Thank
Pixie Dust
You know, whenever we are sitting around reminiscing about the trip, their most favorite part was their time on the ship. Really guys? 
I shut the door immediately, lol. 
. I can't remember if I mentioned it before, but Martha had had some concerns last year about there being hurricanes during September and was nervous literally all year about it. I scoffed and laughed it off saying, "Pphhhttt! That only happens in the Caribbean. There hasn't been a hurricane in Hawaii in a very long time, don't worry!" Did I know what I was talking about, uh, no. 
But was I going to let some sliver of a chance of a rare hurricane ruin my fantasy vacation planning? Nope 
. Now we were facing THREE hurricanes. Yeah, oops 
. Over the last few weeks before the trip, Dh became an expert at weather patterns, hurricanes, and tropical storms, depressions and cyclones. He did this by watching the weather channels and the local news on the internet, very late at night. (We also picked up the Hawaiian language, quizzing and challenging each other all the time. "King Kamehameha's name is pronounced Ka-MAY-yuh-MAY-yuh, NOT Kah-may-ha-may-HA, I mean really." 
What I do know is that Dh and I were treated to a beautiful sunset. Of course the phone couldn't capture just how gorgeous the colors really were, but trust me, it was beautiful. We spent some time, just soaking it all in.
)
. When I saw the chef later walking through the restaurant, I instantly knew why - he was thin and fit. He does not love food, he merely tolerates it as fuel for the body. I sarcastically said that in my mind as I watched him walk around meeting guests. I know there are thin foodies, and I don't mean to offend you if you are thin and fit. I just want my main dining chef to look like he actually eats food ALL the time. I want my chef to look like Gusteau! 
Our soufflés weren't bad, they just weren't delicious. Sigh, sorry family!
Someone else wasn't so comforted by the rocking waves - Dh's mom. Martha had awakened in the middle of the night and made Anne call Dh to tell him do something! There was ice outside and we were sliding! 
Oh boy. When we teased her about it the next morning, she said she was awake, but clearly she was dreaming (I hope, lol.) But when I thought about it, it did kind of feel like we were "slipping". The boys came back in around 2am (playing card games!) and said I was snoring like a grizzly bear. 
PassPorter Guide Author
Linear Mode
