Disney Wonder: Hugh

Where am I – a ship inspection on board the Disney Wonder (Port Melbourne.)

One of only six Disney cruise ships, the Wonder is heading off to Alaska after it’s final season here in Australia. Our closest option will then be the soon to launch Disney Adventure (coming 2026), which will be the biggest in the fleet with a home port in Singapore.

Highlight(s) – The kids precinct; it really is incredible what they’ve managed to achieve with this space, I’ve never seen anything at sea quite like it!

There are four kids clubs catering to various age demographics. Vibe is built for older kids, from 14 to 17yrs, and is more like a lounge to hangout.

But for me, it was all about Edge (11 to 14yrs) which was full of gaming systems and a dance floor. As well as the super impressive combination of Oceaneer Club and Oceaneer Lab, which cater to those aged 3 to 10yrs - a massive space for arts and crafts, immersive play and character interaction.

Kids from 6mths to 3yrs are catered to with the cute “it’s a small world” nursery (unlike the other kid zones, this is payable at approx USD$9 per hour, per child - suggest to book this in advance as spots are very limited.)

Disney Adults - There were heaps of spaces geared up to give time away from the hustle and bustle of the buffet and the main pool deck (and the kids!)

Quiet Cove is an adults only pool zone, for 18 and up (including a pool side bar.) And of course the obligatory spa - Senses, which had a nifty Rainforest Room (plunge pools and steam showers, which was a daily supplement of approx US$39.)

There’s an entire zone on deck 3 which is designated adults only in the evening - with the fun Cadillac Lounge, Azure nightclub and Crown & Fin (British themed pub.) And there’s even an adults only restaurant on board, Palo - Italian fine dining (reservations required, additional cost.)

Dining – The ship features “rotational“ dining, which essentially means just that: you rotate across the main dining venues. On a shorter 3 night cruise this means you get the chance to experience a night at all 3 of the main dining venues; Triton’s, Tiana’s Place, and Animator’s Palate. One great feature that you have the same servers each evening, so they do get to know your preferences.

Seating comes at either early (545pm) or late (815pm) which are booked ahead of time - can be changed when you’re onboard, but apparently it’s not the easiest thing to do. The evening entertainment is scheduled around these times, so with either you are guaranteed not to miss out.

Cabins - Very geared toward family travel (of course), with the majority of cabins offering the ability to interconnect. A very clever feature was the separate bathroom and toilet which would definitely make getting ready easier. We saw a few different cabins, and certainly my favourite was the Two Bedroom Suite - with a more contemporary look and feel, and stacks of space for a larger family travelling together.