Disney Wonder
 Disney Wonder docked at Castaway Cay. |
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| Career | |
|---|---|
| Name: | Disney Wonder |
| Owner: | Disney Cruise Line |
| Operator: | Disney Cruise Line |
| Port of registry: | Nassau,  Bahamas[1] |
| Route: | Mexican Riviera, Alaska, West Coast of the United States |
| Builder: | Fincantieri Marghera shipyard, Italy[2] |
| Maiden voyage: | August 1999 |
| In service: | 1999-present |
| Identification: | IMO number: 9126819 |
| Status: | In Active Service as of 2012 |
| General characteristics | |
| Type: | Cruise ship |
| Tonnage: | 83,000 gross register tons (GRT)[2] |
| Length: | 964 ft (294 m)[2] |
| Beam: | 106 ft (32 m)[2] |
| Draft: | 25.3 ft (7.7 m)[2] |
| Decks: | 11 |
| Speed: | Cruising 21.5-knot (39.8 km/h), maximum 24 kn (44 km/h)[2] |
| Capacity: | 2,400 passengers |
| Crew: | 945 |
Disney Wonder is a cruise ship operated by Disney Cruise Line. The second ship to join the Disney fleet, it was launched in 1999. It is nearly identical in construction to its sister ship, Disney Magic. Both ships have 11 public decks, can accommodate 2,400 passengers in 875 staterooms, 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 Palate, 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".[3]
Disney Wonder's Captain is Thord Haugen; her "godmother" is Tinkerbell.[3]
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[edit] History
Disney Wonder had its first voyage from the Fincantieri shipyard in Italy, stopping in Southampton, U.K., Ponta Delgada (Azores), arriving in Port Canaveral, Florida two weeks later.[citation needed] Its maiden voyage was a four-night Bahamian cruise that commenced on August 15, 1999.
Disney Wonder originally sailed three- and four-night cruises to The Bahamas. In 2011, the Disney Dream took over these itineraries and Wonder was repositioned to the Pacific Coast. Disney Wonder currently sails week-long Mexican Rivera cruises and Pacific Coast cruises out of Los Angeles from October to April, calling on such ports as Puerto Vallarta, Cabo San Lucas and Ensenada in Mexico, as well as San Fransciso and San Diego. On sailings in April and October 2012, the Disney Wonder will make its first-ever calls on Hawai'i, with stops at Hilo, Kahului and Honolulu.
From May to September, the ship sails Alaska cruises, out of Seattle, Washington, although its voyages in 2011 departed from Vancouver. These sailings normally call on Ketchikan, Skagway, and Juneau. The Seattle voyages scheduled in 2012 will make an additional stop at Victoria, British Columbia on the last night of each voyage to satisfy the Passenger Vessel Services Act of 1886.[4]
It was announced on Junary 24th, 2012 that the Disney Wonder will make Miami, FL its home port for about 5 months, with four and five night sailings to the Bahamas and the Western Caribbean starting in late Decemeber of 2012 and continuing until May of 2013 when she will return to the west coast. Also new in 2013 the Wonder will make Vancouver, British Columbia her home port for the Alaska sailings.[5]
[edit] Recreation
The Disney Wonder's aquatic layout consists of three pool areas. The Mickey Pool is designed for children 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 children (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. Children receive an RFID badge when registered that allow the cruise staff to always know the child's location in the activity areas.
[edit] References
- ^ Asklander, Micke. "M/S Disney Wonder (1999)" (in Swedish). Fakta om Fartyg. http://www.faktaomfartyg.nu/disney_wonder_1999.htm. Retrieved 2009-03-12.
- ^ a b c d e f "Ship Facts". Disney Cruise Line. http://disneycruise.disney.go.com/dcl/en_US/onboard/about/listing?name=ShipFactsListingPage. Retrieved 2008-07-23.
- ^ a b Disney Wonder facts - Disney Cruise Line website
- ^ Jason Garcia (2009-03-30). "Disney will homeport a ship in Los Angeles". Orlando Sentinel. http://blogs.orlandosentinel.com/business_tourism_aviation/2009/03/disney-will-homeport-a-ship-in-los-angeles.html. Retrieved 2009-03-30.
- ^ "Disney Cruise Line Unveils New Itineraries and Ports for 2013". Disney Cruise Line. 2012-01-24. http://dclnews.com/2012/01/disney-cruise-line-unveils-new-itineraries-and-ports-for-2013. Retrieved 2012-01-25.
[edit] External links
- Disney Wonder from the company's website
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Disney Wonder |
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