{"id":31992,"date":"2013-02-22T08:54:16","date_gmt":"2013-02-22T13:54:16","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.bahamasb2b.com\/news\/?p=31992"},"modified":"2013-02-22T08:54:17","modified_gmt":"2013-02-22T13:54:17","slug":"cast-away-on-a-disney-cruise","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.bahamasb2b.com\/news\/2013\/02\/cast-away-on-a-disney-cruise","title":{"rendered":"Cast Away On A Disney Cruise"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>The glint of his gold tooth matched the one in his kohl-rimmed eye. \u201cMy ship \u2013 that makes me captain. Savvy?\u201d he grinned. I blinked, taking in Captain Jack Sparrow\u2019s chiselled features, leather hat, beaded accessories and long brown hair.<\/p>\n

I don\u2019t know why I was so surprised there was a pirate on board \u2013 our ship was heading for the Bahamas in the Caribbean, after all. So who better to sail the\u2028seas with than a Johnny Depp lookalike? My ten-year-old son had the answer. \u201cLook,\u201d Deme said, pointing to the top of the red funnel. There, ready to fly down a zip wire in full pirate regalia, was Mickey Mouse, complete with an eye patch and bandana.<\/p>\n

There was a collective gasp as the most famous mouse in the world launched himself into the air and flew over our heads while a firework display that can only be described as magical exploded all around him.<\/p>\n

\u201cNot bad me hearties,\u201d my son said, brandishing his plastic sword as Captain Jack and Mickey were joined by Captain Hook, Mr Smee, Minnie and Goofy.\u2028\u2028We were at the Pirates In the Caribbean party on the top deck of the Disney Wonder as we headed from Miami on a four-day cruise to Nassau, Bahamas. But this was no ordinary voyage. As you can imagine, Disney brings its own brand of magic to family cruising.<\/p>\n

Its four award-winning ships boast state-of-the-art luxury and entertainment including Broadway-style shows, a deck of children\u2019s activities, 3-D film premiers at a private cinema, fine dining and a coterie of your favourite cartoon characters. Plus, it\u2019s the only cruise line to have firework displays at sea.<\/p>\n

So far, so splendid. Which is why when someone mentioned spotting a competitor\u2019s huge ship alongside us in port, entertainment director Ray laughed, \u201cThey might have a bigger house, but we\u2019re cruising with Mickey Mouse.\u201d<\/p>\n

Believe me, it doesn\u2019t come much better than that. From the moment we stepped aboard in Miami \u2013 to claps and cheers along with a name check from the liveried staff no less \u2013 we knew we were in for an amazing adventure.<\/p>\n

\u201cLook, Ariel,\u201d Deme said, pulling a face as we passed a golden statue of the flame-haired mermaid in the lobby, and, \u201coh cool, the latest Disney movies\u201d flicking on the TV in our family-sized sea-view stateroom.<\/p>\n

The cruise line shows the newest Disney films the moment they\u2019re released, so we had Total Recall and the latest Bourne movie in our cabin and Lincoln in the Walt Disney cinema below deck before it was even here in the UAE. \u201cWell we own the movies so why not?\u201d Ray said.<\/p>\n

Even at first glance it was obvious there was something for everyone to enjoy on board. From a dedicated nursery, catering to babies as young as three months, up to 17-year-old teenagers with their own Vibe club, there were loads of activities for kids.<\/p>\n

My son could even choose which club he wanted to belong to \u2013 the Oceaneer Club (ages three – ten) with arts, crafts, storytelling, music and dancing, or the science-themed Oceaneer Lab (ages three \u2013 ten) where he could make flubber (green rubbery goo), take part in karaoke, make a racing car out of soap or go to a pyjama party. And because he was ten, he could also join in with the tweens in Edge (ages 11- 14) in their chill-out lounge if I gave him written permission. There were\u00a0 even complimentary wave phones so we could stay in touch, but first\u00a0 we wanted to explore.<\/p>\n

The golden age of shipping I\u2019d imagined the ship would look very Disney Channel \u2013 all primary colours and aimed at toddlers and small children. But in fact it was uber glamorous, with more than a nod to the golden age of shipping.\u2028\u00a0\u2028It was, explained crew leader Steve, who gave us a guided tour, inspired by the Titanic. That wasn\u2019t exactly the most reassuring name to hear on board a 40-million-kilogram ship miles out at sea, but Steve quickly explained that Disney had adopted the art-nouveau style from the doomed liner to give the Wonder its classic elegant finish.<\/p>\n

There are sweeping staircases, Venetian glass, marble finishes and beautiful carpets. In one of the corridors there are even original sketches and stills from the Disney film archives to buy as the ultimate holiday souvenir.<\/p>\n

In our stateroom \u2013 which was as big as the average hotel\u2019s and had a childproof-locked balcony \u2013 there was a black and white picture of Walt Disney with his wife on deck.<\/p>\n

I stared at it closely, looking for a peek into the mind behind Mickey Mouse and all the other characters that have spawned a billion-dollar business.\u2028\u2028The company\u2019s cruise line is so popular it is responsible for a quarter of the overall profit growth in Disney\u2019s multi-billion-a-year parks and resorts division. It\u2019s easy to see how \u2013 apart from the prow to stern cartoon characters to pose with and pet \u2013 Disney always does things better and that\u2019s because it literally thinks of everything.<\/p>\n

There\u2019s a split bathroom in the cabin with a dinky bath, shower and sink in one half and a toilet and sink in the other so two people can get ready at the same time. You also get to visit your very own private island, Castaway Cay, with its powdery white beaches, and even a yours-for-the-cruise waiter who moves with you from restaurant to restaurant for the entire voyage (\u201cso they know your likes and build up a rapport,\u201d says Steve). With nothing to worry about, that left us to meander the Wonder\u2019s 11 decks. And we hadn\u2019t even thought about stepping ashore!<\/p>\n

Go west<\/strong><\/p>\n

As I watched The Lion King on Funnel Vision \u2013 a giant cinema-style screen on the side of the funnel \u2013 while floating in one of the three heated pools, I realised that most of the 2,400 guests on board would be happy just to be sailing around for four days without leaving the ship.<\/p>\n

It was as if our first stop the next day at Key West, with its pretty pastel clapboard houses and Key West Museum of Art & History\u2019s Giant Ballroom Dancers statue \u2013 based on Renoir\u2019s Dance in the City painting \u2013 was an inconvenience; precious time away from our new nautical home.<\/p>\n

But we forced ourselves to head down the pretty boulevard, peer into the souvenir shops and ponder whether we should go on an eco-friendly shark-viewing trip. But one look at the teeth on the pictures outside the booth made up my mind, even though the tour guide insisted it was perfectly safe.<\/p>\n

Instead of being shark bait, I opted for the quirky stores lining the quay. Shopaholics can pick up diamonds, tanzanite, pearls and anything you\u2019d care to grab made of bamboo. We could have spent eight hours ashore, but why go shopping when there\u2019s the ultimate liner waiting for us?<\/p>\n

So we scurried back, grabbed some delicious pasta salads and sweets at Blanket Bay, the top-deck buffet diner, then lay our towels next to the main family pool to soak up the Florida sun. Dads splashed their children, mums read their Kindles and kids helped themselves to all-inclusive soft drinks and ice creams while catching their favourite movies on Funnel Vision or watching the poolside sing and dance shows.\u2028As the sun began to set, there was time for a quick wave to Chip and Dale and the Disney princesses before heading back to our stateroom to shower and change for the pre-dinner evening theatre show.<\/p>\n

The first night was a magic show by Scott Pepper, who made cutting his pretty assistant in half hilarious. Luckily there was no blood, but I, along with all the other adults in the 977-seater theatre, craned forward to see exactly how he did it and came away mystified.<\/p>\n

Next up was a formal dinner at Parrot Cay, one of the three post-show restaurants. A fourth, Palo\u2019s, is available at a small extra cost and worth every dollar if you love Italian food like we do. But there\u2019s really no need if you don\u2019t want to dip into your on-shore spending money \u2013 Parrot Cay has a Caribbean feel and flavour, Tritons serves American and French cuisine (try the Chef Louis French onion soup, it\u2019s delicious!), and Animator\u2019s Palate is enchanting.<\/p>\n

The food is amazing, but you\u2019ll be too busy, like us, staring at the Disney characters magically appearing and lighting up on the walls (more brand magic) as the night goes on.<\/p>\n

After dinner it was time for a moonlight stroll and an early night, as we would be able to disembark early at Nassau. If we\u2019d wanted we could have taken part in family karaoke, watched a film at the cinema or my son could have been entertained or made lava flow (whatever that is!) in one of the three kids\u2019 clubs.<\/p>\n

Instead we headed to our stateroom to watch the moon outside our window and be lulled to sleep by the gentle waves.<\/p>\n

That set the tone for the rest of the cruise \u2013 tearing ourselves away from the ship when we docked in the Bahamas (who would ever think that would seem like a chore!) and grinning as we stepped back on deck at the end of the afternoon. Then it was down to the theatre for The Golden Mickeys, a toe-tapping tribute to the Disney\u2019s classic films that wouldn\u2019t have looked out of place on the West End. All the stars have genuine talent and experience in theatre and it shows.<\/p>\n

As well as The Golden Mickeys, we also saw Disney Dreams and Toy Story The Musical, which was humorous, original (though we all know the story) and totally captivating.<\/p>\n

Buzz, with his plastic hair and swingy arms, was so amazing that Deme kept asking if he was a robot. There are two shows a day \u2013 one pre- and one post-dinner \u2013 and we loved it so much we wanted to go to both! \u201cThat was the best show ever,\u201d Deme said, as we headed off to our cabin.<\/p>\n

Sandy paradise<\/strong><\/p>\n

It was hard to imagine that anything could top the show until I woke up the next morning and looked out my window. White sandy beaches fringed with swaying palms and lapped by azure waves filled the view. Disney\u2019s Castaway Cay is a private piece of paradise, where you can swim with stingrays, snorkel among brightly coloured fish, splash in the lagoon, slide down the Pelican Plunge or simply relax on one of the three family (or one adults-only) beaches.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s the beauty of a Disney cruise; they take the best from the ship ashore. All the clubs hold activities all day, and the catering crew set up a beachside barbecue so you can tuck into burgers, hot dogs and corn on the cob while being serenaded by an island band. Bliss. So blissful in fact that while Deme took part in a Whale Tooth Dig I nodded off on my sun lounger.<\/p>\n

There was just one more night before we set sail back to Miami, but it was the perfect ending to a magical four days. It was rather fitting that the favourite characters, including Captain Jack Sparrow, were waiting to say goodbye as we left the ship. But we can\u2019t wait to set foot on deck again, this time as the Disney Magic cruises the Med.<\/p>\n

\u201cWill there be another pirate party?\u201d Deme asked, his eyes gleaming. I nodded, making a note to pack our bandanas and some kohl.<\/p>\n

After all, you can\u2019t on a Disney cruise and not be ship-shape. Savvy?<\/p>\n

By Karen Pasquali-Jones<\/span><\/em>
\nEditor, Friday Magazine<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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