Guest Trip Report: February 7, 2020 7 Night on the Disney Wonder from New Orleans – Day 4

Last night, we noticed in the Navigator that the French Quarter Lounge opens at 7:30 each morning.  Beignets for breakfast?  Yes, please!  The beignets served here are an additional charge, but they are yummy!  If you are familiar with Café du Monde, the FQL beignets are denser and served with less powdered sugar.  We only got them for breakfast once during the cruise because other options are available for no additional charge, but I’m glad we had this experience!

 

We docked in Nassau about 9 am.  We have been to Nassau ten times, so we usually treat this stop as an extra sea day.  We have left the ship numerous times on previous itineraries.  Our favorite excursion in Nassau is touring the Graycliffe Chocolate Factory.  We’ve done that multiple times, and I look forward to doing it again when Michael is older.  Another great excursion experience in Nassau is the aquarium at Atlantis.  We’ve always thought the water park wasn’t a great value because of the high price and limited time available to enjoy the facilities.  Several resorts nearby offer day passes, and there is no shortage of shopping options within easy walking distance of the port.

 

Since we were making the most of the day on the relatively empty ship, we planned a couples’ massage in the Senses Spa to start our morning.  We dropped Michael off in the nursery to play for while we headed up to the spa.  We love the nursery facilities on DCL ships, but we are very much looking forward to our next cruise when he will finally be old enough to go to the kids’ clubs, which are free.  The nursery is quite reasonably priced ($9 per hour for our most recent sailing), but over a seven-night sailing, those charges tend to add up very quickly!  The nursery staff provided this helpful information about nursery policies and activities just for toddlers.

 

We try to work the couple’s massage splurge into every cruise.  Frankly, we could do this for less money at a local spa, but the fact is, we never do.  It is easier to plan when we know we will have the time available and babysitting options.  The massage therapists on board are all very good at what they do.  We have always had fabulous experiences in the Senses Spas onboard.  If you enjoy a spa treatment, be prepared to say no to the inevitable upsell after your appointment.  We are polite but firm in our refusal, and they respect our wishes.

 

After the massage, we picked Michael up from the nursery.  He and Dad headed to the Oceaneer Lab to enjoy open house hours, and I did the most unglamorous thing ever:  laundry.  I strategically chose this day to wash clothes since I knew a lot of people would be off the ship, enjoying Nassau.  It proved to be a great strategy.  All washers and dryers were available when I arrived at the laundry room on deck 2. Laundry is now $3.00 per load to wash and dry ($6.00 total), and that is an increase in price since the last time we washed clothes on the ship.  The DCL app will text you when your laundry is ready, and this is quite helpful to keep the machines available.  You are not allowed to bring irons (or steamers, which I learned years ago when they confiscated mine at the port for pickup after the cruise) onboard, but there are irons in every laundry room. Soap and fabric softener are available for purchase; however, we always bring our own. I took a picture of the metal doorframe because that is the easiest way to spot the laundry room from a distance. (click here for more about laundry options on DCL)

 

Once I got the laundry started, I joined the boys on the pool deck for a light lunch.  We really like the shawarma offerings at Pete’s Boiler Bites (they have both chicken and a beef/lamb mix).  Michael got pizza from Pinocchio’s Pizzeria.  Just as we were finishing lunch, I got a text that the laundry was finished washing, so I headed there to move the clothes to the dryers.  Steven and Michael spent the afternoon playing in the kiddie pool and Aqualab.  This was a huge deal for us because this is the first time Michael has been potty trained onboard, and swim diapers are not allowed in the kiddie pool or in the Aqualab. Swim diapers are allowed in Dory’s Reef, a splash pad for the little ones.  Michael still enjoys playing there as well.

 

Once our afternoon of laundry and water play was over, we headed back to get ready for dinner.  Tonight was pirate night, and we found ourselves in Tiana’s Place yet again—this time to enjoy the Pirate Menu.  We all have full pirate gear.  Since we cruise so often, Michael has actually been a pirate every Halloween so far in order for us to get as much usage as possible out of his costumes.  One day, he’ll insist on being something or someone else for Halloween, but for now, he still doesn’t care.  On the way to dinner, we ran into Chip and Dale in their pirate gear.

 

Once again, we hurriedly bathed Michael before the show.  Tonight’s show in the Walt Disney Theater was the movie Frozen II, which we had already seen at our local theater.  We were excited to see it again, and as usual, Michael fell asleep pretty much as the lights went down.  Since the movie was longer than a normal stage production in the theater, we went straight to the room afterward to get ready for bed.  This awesome pirate creation was waiting for us there.