A Quick Trip into Nassau

After a night of 18-foot waves, we arrived in Nassau, The Bahamas. We felt the ship as it was docking in the port, but waited until they were finished to check out the view. This is what we saw from our verandah:

The view was amazing! The water was so clear and blue. It was extremely windy that day, as you can tell from the whitecaps and bent palm trees. But it was still breathtaking! In the distance, we could see Atlantis. From what we saw, it looked like a beautiful resort.

Atlantis

Atlantis

Atlantis

Marc and I had a wonderful breakfast at Parrot Cay, then went to the DisUnplugged Podcast that was being taped live. We saw some notable Disney people, including Jodi Benson, who was the voice of Ariel in The Little Mermaid.

Jodi Benson

Then, we decided to check out Nassau. We didn't go far into port, because it was a little chilly and very windy. We went over to the dock right in front of the Wonder to take some pictures of the ship. After getting splashed with huge waves that were hitting the dock, we decided that probably wasn't the best idea.

The Disney Wonder

We visited the Straw Market to check things out. Of course, there were lots of items made from straw, and they also had lots of jewelry. In the historical area of the market, they had a Junkanoo costume that you could "try on."

Nassau was very colorful! All of the buildings were painted in bright, summery colors. I'm glad we were brave enough to venture off the ship, because it was definitely something to see!

After spending a couple of hours off the ship, Marc and I were cold and ready to head back. The wind was blowing a mist onto the dock, so we were a little damp by that point.

Marc

Me

It continued to be so windy during the day that the captain of the ship decided to stay docked in the port until the next morning. Since we were supposed to arrive at Castaway Cay the next morning, the captain decided to change our Castaway Cay day with our At Sea day. However, there was still a very good chance that we wouldn't be able to dock at Castaway Cay when we arrived there, due to the high winds.

Later the same day...

The Golden Mickeys

After dinner, we went to see The Golden Mickeys. This show was amazing! It was Broadway show quality, and we got to see lots of characters.

The opening act

Snow White

Cruella de Vil

The Toy Story Gang

Lots of characters were dancing in this act.

Mickey!

The closing act with all the characters. The girl dressed as Belle was not really playing "Belle," but she was trying to gain enough confidence to host The Golden Mickeys.

It was part of the story. I hope that makes sense.

Dinner at Parrot Cay

Our first dinner on the ship was at Parrot Cay. The restaurant had a Caribbean theme and was very colorful. Unfortunately, I didn't bring my camera to dinner that night, so I didn't take any pictures of the restaurant.

Here's a picture I borrowed from Build a Better Mouse Trip:

We started off with appetizers. I ordered calamari, and Marc ordered a baked crab dip. Again, no camera, so here are some pictures borrowed from DisBoards.

Calamari

Baked Crab Dip Martinique

At this point, I decided to run back to our stateroom to get my camera. Next up, we had our entrees. I ordered a steak, and Marc had a seafood dish.

Island-Spiced Grilled Ribeye with Twice-Baked Potatoes

Shrimp and Lobster Risotto

Lastly, my favorite part...Dessert! We ordered three different desserts to share with each other.

Apple Tartlet with Vanilla Bean Ice Cream

Chocolate Creme Brulee

Pistachio Sundae (All for Marc!)

Our first dinner was WONDERful, with the exception of Marc's risotto. We loved our server, Marko! He learned our likes and dislikes and brought us his favorites to sample, and he took very good care of us for the remainder of our cruise.

Disney Wonder Stateroom 6622

Since this was my first cruise, I had no idea what to expect when it came to staterooms. I had heard people complain about how tiny and cramped they were, but that's all I had to go on. So, I was expecting the worst.

I was pleasantly surprised, though, to finally see our stateroom. It was huge, and I was happy to see that Marc and I wouldn't have to climb over each other for the next few days.

Our stateroom, looking back toward the entryway

The sofa and desk area

The lavatory

The bathroom

The closet (It was so much bigger than I expected!)

Turndown service complete with yummy chocolates

One of the views from our verandah

This little guy was waiting for us when we returned from dinner one night.

The ship was beautiful, our room was spacious, and I was going to be able to spend the next few days with my best friend. We were off to a great start!

The Wonder's Lobby

As we boarded the Wonder with lots of fanfare, we were blown away by how beautiful the lobby was. It was decorated for Christmas and was very festive.

The Christmas tree in the lobby

I loved this chandelier! It was so colorful!

Ariel!

Since our stateroom wouldn't be ready for about an hour, we grabbed a quick bite to eat and looked around the ship. It was WONDERful! We went back later that night to take a few pictures.

One of the hallways

A gingerbread house that was on our way to dinner.

As soon as our room was ready, we were anxious to go check it out. I was expecting a little, cramped room, but we were pleasantly surprised when we saw how BIG it was!

Arriving at the Disney Cruise Line Terminal

Yay! We're here!

After 18 months, the day we had been waiting for finally arrived. We left from the Swan and board a transfer bus that took us to Port Canaveral. I can't begin to describe the feeling that I had when we finally caught our first glimpse of the Disney Wonder! Chills, to say the least!

The terminal was decorated for Christmas. We quickly did all the required paperwork and got our boarding number. While we were waiting for the boarding call, I took some pictures around the terminal. Love the Disney details!

They teased us a little bit with a model of the ship.

So, they finally called our boarding number, and we made our way through the magical Mickey ears.

As we were walking through, they made it magical as only Disney can do. When we made it to the Wonder's lobby, our name was announced, and we felt like superstars! What a great start to our WONDERful trip!

Christmas at the Swan and Dolphin

Before the cruise, Marc and I stayed at the Swan and Dolphin for the first time. We loved it! It was such a modern resort with clean lines, and our room was HUGE! They had it all decorated for Christmas, so we took a walk around the resort before going to bed. Of course, I took lots of pictures. Here are a few of my favorites:

The big Christmas tree in the Dolphin lobby had a train going around its base.

Yum! A Christmas scene made entirely of chocolate

Chocolate Santa

The details were amazing!

This is the view from our room.

My only wish was that we would've been able to take the quick walk over to Epcot, but we didn't have enough time. We had a bus to board...a bus headed to Port Canaveral!

Celebrating Christmas in Orlando

Since Marc and I would be in Orlando for our cruise, and my parents were already there, we all decided to get together to celebrate Christmas. It was Kelli and Rob's first Christmas together, and his parents were able to come, too.

After Marc and I flew in from Huntsville and got our rental car, we went over to the Swan at Walt Disney World to check into our room and get our gifts put together. (Stupid TSA regulations said that they couldn't be wrapped when we were flying.) Thank goodness, we were able to get into our room immediately. We quickly got everything wrapped and freshened up a little bit, then headed over to Kelli and Rob's house.

Their first Christmas tree

They made a TON of food, and it was so yummy!

Playing a game before eating

Having a good laugh over the silly guesses

Rob wondering when we were going to leave

After the party, we were exhausted and headed back to our room to get a good night's sleep. Tomorrow morning....the cruise!