Thank you for joining me as I recounted my family’s coast-to-coast adventure through the Panama Canal. I realize that I’ve been downright neglectful when it comes to responding to your comments. I promise that I’ll get to them. I was trying to get this trip report completed while all of the details were fresh in my mind. There’s a lot to remember after an eighteen day vacation!
Here’s a wrap up of my overall opinion of our trip:
Airline: We flew Southwest Airlines. We were very satisfied with them. We took advantage of their 50,000 point credit card deal. We were able to get all four of our round trip flights from Detroit to San Diego for 37,000 points three months in advance. Yes, they were red-eye flights, but we felt that they were a great deal. Southwest also allows two free checked bags per passenger. We saved so much on airfare that we were willing to pay for Early Bird Check-In. Boy, were we glad we did! The convenience was definitely worth it. I would recommend Southwest Airlines to anyone.
Alamo Car Rental: I was a little wary to rent from Alamo again. We’d had an unpleasant experience with them in the past. However, they had, by far, the lowest rental prices when I booked. In the end, I was glad we rented from them. Alamo has a brand new building at Port Canaveral. The much larger building, number of representatives, and vehicle selection made the rental process much faster and more convenient. They were also incredibly accommodating when our luggage didn’t fit into our first rental. I would recommend Alamo Car Rental.
San Diego: While the port itself is little more than a large warehouse, we enjoyed sailing out of San Diego. The Hampton Inn San Diego Downtown was conveniently located and very accommodating. We loved the park across the street and the ships along the shoreline. Also, despite the fact that we didn’t take advantage of them, there were numerous food options available with menus online to check out in advance. I wouldn’t hesitate to sail out of San Diego again.
The Classic Wonder: We loved this beautiful lady in her original glory. I am both sad and excited to see her get a makeover. I often see questions on forums asking whether someone will be disappointed sailing on the Wonder after sailing on the Fantasy. As someone who sailed on the Fantasy twice before stepping foot on the Wonder, I can assure you that we were NOT disappointed. In fact, we preferred the size and layout of the Wonder to the Fantasy. Not that I’m criticizing either ship. They were both incredible. I would sail on either of them again in a heartbeat.
Stateroom: We’d booked IGT and received a sideways category 11B cabin, #5509. On our last Wonder cruise, we had a deluxe inside cabin. I’ll be honest. There were times when we all missed having the split bathroom. However, as I’m sure you noted from my report, we spent very little time in our cabin. So this wasn’t a huge deal to us. Overall, we were very pleased with our sideways cabin. If we book this category in the future, I would try to get another sideways room. The layout made it feel larger than the traditional layout.
Service: The service on
DCL is incredible! We wanted for nothing. Every cast member we encountered was pleasant and helpful. Claudius and Nicha made dining an event. Our room hostess, Nerissa, made coming back to our cabin each night feel special. The entertainment staff was lively and tons of fun, especially Brett. His energy added to every activity he hosted. Other than having my own personal lady-in-waiting, I couldn’t imagine having better service.
Entertainment: Another common thread I see on forums is “Will I be bored on a Panama Canal cruise with all of those sea days?” I can assure you that we were NEVER bored. If anything, we were too busy on some days. If you enjoy light-hearted, family-friendly entertainment, you will have a blast. If you are looking for a wild party boat, you are on the wrong cruise.
DCL’s entertainment is second to none. There’s a reason Cruise Critic’s Editorial picks have chosen DCL as the best in family entertainment this year.
The children’s programming and staff is phenomenal. Jimmy loved that he could switch between the Oceaneer Lab/Club and the Edge. Emily felt the same way about the Oceaneer Lab and Club. The fact that there were so few children onboard allowed my kids to build closer friendships and receive more individualized attention. The character breakfast, princess tea, and campout definitely added to their enjoyment. (Mine too!) Also, the character experiences onboard were far more plentiful than on any of our previous cruises. The variety was like being at one of the holiday parties at Walt Disney World without the long lines.
Another great feature is the early evening family entertainment. As a homeschooling family with a father who spends most of the year travelling for work, it is important for us to find balance on our vacations. The kids and I need time apart, James and I need alone time, and we also need time together as a family. This cruise allowed the perfect balance for all of that. We loved going our separate ways during the day and then coming together for meals and evening games.
The main theater performances were all exceptional. Well, except for Liverpool Legends, but like I said, I’m not a huge Beetles fan. Don’t hold my opinion against them. There was excellent variety from Broadway-style shows and entertainers to magicians to comedians. There was something for everyone.
James and I loved the adult entertainment options onboard. From the lectures, cooking classes, and dance classes during the day to the performances and games at night, we had a blast at them all.
Needless to say, boredom was never an issue. If anything, next time, we will probably slow down a bit.
Food: Cruise Critic’s Editorial picks have also named DCL best in dining this year. I can see why.
Now I know, dining can be a touchy subject. It is so subjective. Personally, my family loved the food on this cruise. Were there things that we didn’t care for? Sure. Did our orders ever get messed up? Yup. Did our food ever get overcooked or undercooked? Once. When this happened, we simply sent it back and were immediately brought something else that was delicious. That’s going to happen once in a while when you try new things. What matters is that we always left our dining experiences full with smiles on our faces. I’m still dreaming about a few of those dishes….
If you don’t want to take my word or Cruise Critic’s word for it, I’ll give you another professional opinion. Our tablemate, Don, happens to be a professional chef. He told me that he was very impressed with DCL’s food quality, presentation, and seasoning. The whole dining experience was exceptional. So there you have it, an experienced chef agrees with me that the food on this cruise was scrumptious!
Of course, dining is about more than just the food. The rotational dining, character appearances, parades, and having an extraordinary dining team all added to the experience. Let’s face it, one of the best things about cruising is the food!
Odds and Ends: There are a few odds and ends I wanted to touch on that didn’t fit into any of the above categories. First off, the climate. If you are from a relatively cool part of the world and you want to partake in outdoor, non-water-based shore excursions, I do not recommend taking this cruise at the end of August/Early September. It was oppressively hot. Of course, the only reason the EBPC cruise was so early this year was because the dry dock. I’m sure the weather would be much more pleasant in the spring and the autumn.
I realize that every child is different, but if you are travelling with children and you are considering visiting Disneyworld or
Disneyland before or after this cruise, you may want to think twice about it. My children are pretty hardy, theme-park-experienced kids with a ridiculous number of Disney World vacations under their belts and they never could have handled it. We have theme parked both before and after seven day cruises without incident. But adding a theme-park trip to this one would have sent them over the edge. Let's be real, once the kids go over that edge, our enjoyment goes out the window!
Also, please, please, please wash your hands regularly and utilize the hand sanitizing wipes offered onboard. This was the first cruise we’ve ever taken where Emily did not get sick onboard. I’m sure it had to do with there being less kids in the clubs, but having everyone remain healthy definitely added to the enjoyment of our vacation.
If you have any propensity toward motions sickness, be sure to bring the necessary remedies with you. The ship rocked a lot more on this cruise than it did in the Caribbean, even in good weather.
Finally, this comment is about to go into the TMI category. Possibly the WAY Too Much Information Category. So if you aren’t interested in getting personal, skip ahead to the last two paragraphs.
Okay, for those of you who are still with me I want to have a brief discussion about toilet paper. This is the one thing that DCL skimps on. I’m sure it’s because of their delicate septic system onboard, but still. Let me just say that fifteen days of rich food and cheap single-ply toilet paper make for an unpleasant combination. It reminds me of the parody commercial for Quilted Northern Rustic Weave.
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If you’ve never seen it, here is the link. It is hilarious!
Anyway, if you feel that this may create discomfort for you, I recommend bringing a remedy to this problem with you. Okay, enough said about that.
Again, thank you for reading along. This was hands-down the best cruise we have taken to date. I would recommend it to anyone. I am happy to answer any questions that you may have.
Oh, and to those of you who will be on the WBPC cruise in April 2017, we will be joining you! Since we were on the last Panama Canal cruise on the old Wonder, we felt it would only be right to be on the first Panama Canal cruise on the new Wonder. I look forward to repeating our ultimate adventure in April!
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I've been waiting for a panama trip report from this cruise! Thanks for doing it!!
Glad you made it to San Diego without problems and got such a nice upgrade!
we are so excited about this cruise and all the sea days. Thanks for such a great trip report.
