When Chris Stead took his family on a Disney cruise, he knew the kids would have a good time; but what about the parents?
It’ll come as no surprise that there’s plenty for kids to do on Disney Wonder, the Mouse House vessel Captain Minnie sails to New Zealand shores each summer. For the best part of 100 years, the company has been the soundtrack to every child’s life, after all.
Disney Wonder is home to one of the biggest kids' clubs you’ll see anywhere, land or sea. There’s a splash zone, water slide, a basketball court, pools and spas. Mascots parade the decks, interacting and posing. There are dress-up parties, a full cinema, spectacular live shows, sing-a-longs, meet and greets, as well as a buffet teeming with tasty treats to tantalise toddlers’ tongues.
(The kids won’t tell mum and dad about the freely accessible soft serve machine and soft drink dispenser either ... shhhh!)
The sweet-spot is children aged 3 to 10, but all of my kids – aged 9, 11 and 13 – had a ball on our all-too-brief four-day Disney Wonder cruise. But what about the parents? Did we get a holiday?
A hard truth every parent has to face is that no matter where you are, your kids are still your kids. It’s very hard to put our feet up and relax even in the most glorious of locations if you’re still putting out spot fires and chaperoning offspring from activity to activity.
On Disney Wonder, we barely saw them. In all my travels, I can’t recall any other holiday I’ve done where all three children were so desperate to get to the kids' clubs. It’s all they wanted to do, and they were living their best lives doing it under full supervision.
We were emancipated. Free. A family holiday where parents wake each morning with the knowledge they don’t have to manage their kids? Sweet as.
The Disney Wonder swimming pool, complete with water slides.
Adult zones
But what to do? Thankfully, there’s a significant number of spaces on Disney Wonder you can go as a parent unburdened by your progeny and beyond earshot of pre-pubescent whinging.
There’s an ample adult’s-only pool area, featuring a bar, café and two spas. This area has notably better reclining sun loungers with proper padding, too. And no giant screens blasting Disney films. I found myself here quite a lot, watching the ocean and islands drift by for hours. Holidaying!
Parents can escape to the Rainforest Room, a spa with heated stone loungers and exotic showers. Photo / Chris Stead
Nearby there’s the Senses spa, with every treatment you can think of, and a full-size gym with spectacular views. In this area you’ll also find the Rainforest Room, to which you can buy a pass. It features reclined heated-stone lounges, two steam/sauna rooms and a range of exotic showers, immersed in a Zen-like setting of sound and light.
One of my most enjoyable moments of the cruise was spent here, detached from all my troubles.
Downstairs on the entertainment floor, the entire front end of Disney Wonder is reserved for adults. There are three great bars, and adult-focused experiences ranging from trivia and karaoke, to live music and alcohol-tasting sessions. My wife and I did the Chocolate and Liquor tasting in the Cadillac Lounge, which was great. Delicious, informative and not a kid in sight.
Fitness centre. Photo / Chris Stead
Your inner hungus
There’s food everywhere you look on Disney Wonder; you have no chance of going hungry. Disney has done a great job designing the ship so it’s really easy for kids to pig out on the kind of dining they only get while on holiday. From pizza to burger bars, to a buffet of fast food, pastries and desserts.
Pala dessert. Photo / Chris Stead
But there’s also plenty for parents who want to put on a good shirt, order a lovely drink, and have a conversation. My wife and I twice visited Palo, an adults-only restaurant looking over the ocean. It’s excellent. All class, with fantastic service, a great setting and delicious food that allows you to have a “date night/lunch” experience at a reasonable extra cost.
Pala brunch. Photo / Chris Stead
It’s also worth noting that there is no dinner buffet on Disney cruises. Each night you’re rotated – with your waiters – to a new à la carte sit-down experience. You’ll do this with your kids, but the service, food and sophistication still make parents feel like they’re having a holiday, too.
Family dinners. Photo / Chris Stead
In the cabin
Unfortunately, when it’s time to sleep there’s no way of getting away from your kids. However, the cabins on Disney Wonder do their best for parents. Even in our five-berth cabin, a curtain can be drawn between the Queen and bunks, providing some level of segregation. While the balcony provides another great place to escape the fights or TV.
Disney Wonder gets extra points for its alcohol policy, where each adult guest is allowed to bring in two bottles of wine, or one six-pack of beer, at each port. This simple, generous act means that if you do need to spend time on your balcony, you can do so freely enjoying a drink and those holiday vibes.
When I walked the plank, so to speak, up into the belly of Disney Wonder for the first time, I had resigned myself to providing a great holiday for the kids rather than a holiday for myself. But as you may have gleaned, the whole family enjoyed some well-deserved time off.
