Disney Wonder 4: Nassau

 Dec. 11 Nassau was cloudy and a cool 60 degrees.  We stayed on the ship while the Warrens were determined to get a beach day! They had a great time at the beach letting the waves hit them while lying in the warm sand.  Then, we were off for two more days at sea!

See Grandpa looking on in reflection?

 That evening we had Mardi Gras in Tiana's Place.  We had beads, a parade, jazz music and delicious New Orleans inspired food.  The children's menus were shaped like instruments which the kids loved.

Disney Wonder 3

 Day 3  (Dec. 9) was Key West.  We stayed on board since Dave wasn't feeling well enough to go ashore. We went to the Medical Health Center where he was prescribed another round of antibiotics. The weather was in the 80's so we had lunch outside on the deck and enjoyed the weather.

 That night the little boys had 2 treats at dinner:  corn dogs and Mickey!

 Day 4 Castaway Cay Day---didn't happen.  We had all been looking forward to getting some beach time, but the winds didn't co-operate.  After multiple tries, the captain had to give up.  So, we had another "Day at Sea".  Fortunately, our room was so spacious, it was an alternative place to go.  Anna loved that we were just below the Buffet deck---she often popped up for a beverage, cookie or ice cream cone.  She was one of our "room-mates".  She loved making her own space with the curtain and "coffee table".

 That evening was Pirate Night---always a fun event ending in a deck party with fireworks!

Disney Wonder 2: Anna's Birthday

Saturday Dec. 8 was our first day at sea and Anna's 9th birthday.  Her mom and brother decorated our door for her!  We started off the day in Animator's Palate for the "Character Breakfast" with Vampira, Doc McStuffin and Mickey Mouse.

After breakfast, Anna went to the kids' club, but she didn't last long, so Grandma took her shopping: new t-shirt, a watch and a tin of mints.   After lunch, Mom and Grandma took her up to the Bippity Boppity Boutique for a "make-over":  make up, manicure, hair do and new outfit.

That was our first formal night,and we had a rare  window table at Triton's where we could watch the sunset.  After dinner, the staff came over to sing happy birthday to Anna and the kids celebrated with Mickey Bars.

Disney Wonder Part 1

 We left St. Louis on Wed. and was surprised that all maps and AAA had us going through Missouri down a secondary road instead of an interstate, but it saved us 60 miles and other than the lack of rest stops was a great way to go (US 67 to Poplar Bluff).  We spent the night in Texarkana and drove into Galveston where we were staying at the Marriott Courtyard on Seawall Blvd.  At first I wasn't very impressed---it was isolated and not close to other restaurants or shops like the Hilton.  But, we really liked the friendly staff, smaller size and the Bistro there.  It was still across from the Gulf and had a parking garage where we could leave our car for the cruise.  The van used to take us and the Warrens was small and we filled it, but the driver was helpful and friendly.

 The embarkation went very smoothly.  We arrived at 11 with no line to check in.  Our boarding number was 7 but it went very quickly.  Before we knew it, we were having lunch on the deck.  The Warrens explored the kids' clubs and I made a spa appointment for my nails later in the afternoon.  The ship is such a great size, that we often saw people we had met at the hotel including a family who was from Lee's Summit.  We were in our room by 1:45 PM.  The room  (handicapped) was quite spacious for Anna, Eli, Dave and I.  The balcony was quite small and with the white wall, we couldn't really sit out there and enjoy the view, though.

 That evening we ate at Tiana's Place, a New Orleans themed restaurant.  The first night, we had appearances from Tiana and listened to a Jazz combo. It was a definite improvement over Parrot Cay in terms of menu, entertainment and ambience.