March 12th, Saturday ~ Day at Sea

March 12^th, Saturday ~ Day at Sea

Our last full day on the Disney Wonder

Today we plan on staying busy. We want to make sure we see and do things we have not yet had the chance to do.

We got up early and went to breakfast. Once again we ate at the Beach Blanket Buffet. Good food and a great view are the reasons. Also the service there is wonderful even if it is a buffet. When you pick up your tray at the beginning of the food line you are greeted with a smile and a welcoming word. As you get your food people are there to help you if you need help. At the end of the food line when you pick up your tray to head off to find a table often one of the crew who is cleaning off tables, sweeping floors and making sure things nice will offer to carry your tray to your table. On deck 9 at the aft of the ship there is a wonderful view out of all the windows and from the outside eating area. What is not to like?

After breakfast we hurried off for the last of the Art of Disney Entertainment classes. Chef Marcel showed us how to make Braised Prime Rib and Horseradish Foam. Once again his lesson was full of humor and kept simple. After the class we stepped up and thanked him for his lessons and said met his beautiful wife.

Next up was the last of two Behind the Scenes discussions with Leslie Iwerks. This time she showed her documentary movie about her grandfather Ub, The Hand Behind the Mouse. After the class she did another Q&A. We did not stay for the entire Q&A because we headed off to our next adventure of the day.

Off we went to a wonderful tour of the ship. The tour is called The Art of the Theme Ship Tour. I recommend it for anyone who wants to know about the décor and how it affects the different areas of the ship. It is interesting to know that each area is designed and decorated to attract the group of people it is intended to entertain. The kid’s areas are designed with lower ceilings and bright colors with plenty of Disney characters around. The adult areas are designed to be a encourage relaxation and involvement in what is offered in that area. In the adult areas there are subtle Disney touches all around. Even the carpets in each area are designed to enhance the experience of that area.

We learned two really funny things on the tour. One is about the picture of Walt Disney in the Walt Disney Theater Lobby, it has been altered! If you look close at the picture you will notice his fingers look funny, They cut off the end of his fingers with his cigarette. They left the smoke and you can see it if you look close! Walt did not want pictures of him smoking published. This was before smoking became unpopular with the public.

One other funny fact is there are over 300 different carpet patterns throughout the ship. In the halls in front of the cabins the carpet has split anchors on them. The anchors are red and blue. They were designed so you could look down at the floor and by looking at the colors know if you were headed toward the aft or bow of the ship. Problem is during the last dry dock when they replaced the carpet the carpet installer was not informed and the carpet direction of the anchors was not kept consistent.

Dinner tonight was a bitter sweet event. It was time to give our tips to our servers and say good bye as we may not see them again. It is hard to believe that tomorrow we arrive home.

We decided not to go to the show tonight. We wanted to see it but we delayed packing. We had to have our luggage out by 10:30 p.m. if we wanted Disney to take our luggage off the ship for us. Whatever we do not put outside our door we have to carry it off the ship ourselves. We have way to much luggage to carry ourselves and put 6 bags outside. Our room host gave us tags to put on our bags. We wrote our names and room number on them along with contact information. We left 6 bags outside and that left 6 bags to carry.

After putting our bags outside we went to the Quiet Cove pool to spend a few minutes in the hot tub. Our friends were still busy pack and one of them was feeling the movement of the sea. While we were sitting in the hot tub the water seemed stable and calm. Looking over at the pool it was very different. The water was sloshing so high it was going up the 3 steps that lead down from the main deck into the pool and over onto the main deck.

When we got back to our room we checked the TV channel that gives the ships status. It said we were going through waves of 8-14 feet! No wonder the water was splashing out of the pool!

Before going to sleep we sat and reflected on the fun we had on the ship. We did not wish the trip to end. We looked at some of our pictures on the computer and then drifted off to sleep to dream of sailing away on another Disney Cruise as soon as possible.