Disney Wonder is the second cruise ship

Cruise ship

A cruise ship or cruise liner is a passenger ship used for pleasure voyages, where the voyage itself and the ship's amenities are part of the experience, as well as the different destinations along the way...

 operated by Disney Cruise Line

Disney Cruise Line

Disney Cruise Line is an American cruise line company owned and operated by Walt Disney Parks and Resorts, a division of The Walt Disney Company and is headquartered in Celebration, Florida. The business is run by President Karl Holz. Disney Cruise Line operates the Disney Cruise Line Terminal,...

; it was launched in 1999. It is nearly identical in construction to its sister ship, Disney Magic

Disney Magic

The Disney Magic is a cruise ship operated by the Disney Cruise Line, a subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company. Its sister, the Disney Wonder, was launched in 1999....

. Both ships have 11 public decks, can accommodate 2,400 passengers in 875 staterooms

Cabin (ship)

A cabin or berthing is an enclosed space generally on a ship or an aircraft. A cabin which protrudes above the level of a ship's deck may be referred to as a "deckhouse."-Sailing ships:...

, and have a crew of approximately 950. Activities on board are separated into areas for children, teenagers, and adults. Wonder has three main restaurants (Tritons, Animator's Palett, Parrot Cay), one specialty restaurant (Palo), and three public pools. The ship's horn sounds the first seven notes of "When You Wish Upon A Star

When You Wish upon a Star

"When You Wish upon a Star" is a song written by Leigh Harline and Ned Washington for Walt Disney's 1940 adaptation of Pinocchio. The original version of the song was sung by Cliff Edwards in the character of Jiminy Cricket, and is heard over the opening credits and again in the final scene of the...

".
Disney Wonder currently sails week-long Mexican Rivera cruises out of Los Angeles

Los Ángeles

Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...

 from October to April, calling Puerto Vallarta

Puerto Vallarta

Puerto Vallarta is a Mexican balneario resort city situated on the Pacific Ocean's Bahía de Banderas.The 2010 census reported Puerto Vallarta's population as 255,725 making it the sixth-largest city in the state of Jalisco...

, and Cabo San Lucas

Cabo San Lucas

Cabo San Lucas , commonly called Cabo, is a city at the southern tip of the Baja California peninsula, in the municipality of Los Cabos in the Mexican state of Baja California Sur. As of the 2010 census, the population was 68,463 people...

, and also sails Alaska cruises out of Vancouver

Vancouver

Vancouver is a coastal seaport city on the mainland of British Columbia, Canada. It is the hub of Greater Vancouver, which, with over 2.3 million residents, is the third most populous metropolitan area in the country,...

 in 2011, and out of Seattle for 2012, from months May to September, calling Ketchikan, Skagway, and Juneau. The Seattle voyages scheduled in 2012 will make an additional stop at Victoria on the last night of each voyage to satisfy the Passenger Vessel Services Act of 1886.

Disney Wonders Captain is Guus Verhulst; her "godmother"

Ship Sponsor

A ship sponsor, by tradition, is a female civilian who is invited to "sponsor" a vessel, presumably to bestow good luck and divine protection over the seagoing vessel and all that sail aboard...

 is Tinkerbell

Tinkerbell

Tinker Bell , is a fictional character from J. M. Barrie's 1904 play Peter Pan and its 1911 novelization Peter and Wendy. She has appeared in multiple film and television adaptations of the Peter Pan stories, in particular the 1953 animated Walt Disney picture Peter Pan...

.

History

Disney Wonder had its first voyage from the Fincantieri

Fincantieri

Fincantieri - Cantieri Navali Italiani S.p.A. is a shipbuilding company based in Trieste, Italy. It was formed in 1959 and is the largest shipbuilder in the Mediterranean, and one of the largest in Europe...

 shipyard in Italy, stopping in Southampton

Southampton

Southampton is the largest city in the county of Hampshire on the south coast of England, and is situated south-west of London and north-west of Portsmouth. Southampton is a major port and the closest city to the New Forest...

, U.K., arriving in Port Canaveral, Florida two weeks later. Its maiden voyage

Maiden voyage

The maiden voyage of a ship, aircraft or other craft is the first journey made by the craft after shakedown. A number of traditions and superstitions are associated with it....

 was a four-night Bahamian

The Bahamas

The Bahamas , officially the Commonwealth of the Bahamas, is a nation consisting of 29 islands, 661 cays, and 2,387 islets . It is located in the Atlantic Ocean north of Cuba and Hispaniola , northwest of the Turks and Caicos Islands, and southeast of the United States...

 cruise that commenced on August 15, 1999.

Disney Wonder originally sailed three- and four-night cruises to The Bahamas. In 2011, the Disney Dream

Disney Dream

Disney Dream is the third cruise ship operated by Disney Cruise Line, part of The Walt Disney Company, which entered service in 2011. The Disney Dream currently sails 3-, 4-, and 5-day itineraries to The Bahamas. The Captain of Disney Dream is Tom Forberg...

took over these itineraries and Wonder was repositioned to the Pacific Coast. On March 22, 2011 while on a Mexican Riviera cruise, a Disney Wonder cast member, 24 year old Rebecca Coriam, went missing from the ship. During an August 8th, 2011 port of call in Juneau, one of Wonders passengers, a 67 year old man kayaking near Spuhn Island in Fritz Cove

Fritz Cove

Fritz Cove is a bay on the northwestern coast of Douglas Island in the City and Borough of Juneau, Alaska, United States. Lying in Stephens Passage, it is northwest of the city of Juneau....

, was found dead.

Recreation

The Disney Wonder's aquatic layout consists of 3 pool areas. The Mickey Pool is designed for kids from 3 months to 3 years and has a depth of 1.5 ft, with two hot-tub like 'ears' and a winding enclosed slide. The Goofy Pool is designed for families. In addition to the pool, it has two whirlpool spas. It also consist of a state-of-the-art 24-by-14 foot LED Jumbo Screen referred to by Disney as "Funnelvision" due to its location on the rear of one of the ship's funnels. The Quiet Cove Pool is designed for adults 18 or older.

For the athletically minded, there is the Wide World of sports, where you can play basketball, soccer, volleyball, ping pong and more. This area contains a net enclosed basketball court (sheltered from the wind by a large glass screen -- it is located on the second highest deck at the bow of the ship) and other sports accouterments.

For the kids (3-10) there are a few choices -- the Oceaneers club, and the Oceaneers lab. The club provides a slide, multiple TV's (with Disney shows, naturally), dress up clothing, and tons of counseler-led activities. The lab provides video games, computers, cooking classes, and TV time geared towards the older end of that age bracket. Your child is tagged with an RFID badge when you sign them up -- and then you can drop them off to play when ever they (or you) choose. Only registered people can take them out -- and then, only with a password. The current cost for not returning the badge is $US50. If your child needs your attention, the counselers can send you a message to your stateroom phone (WavePhone) which will work in most areas of the ship.

External links

• Disney Wonder from the company's website