LIVE from Wonder of the Seas Transatlantic April 2022

[perfect match]

On 4/18/2022 at 1:12 PM, DELTABLUE said:

ADVENTURE: Tornado Tanya Yates Tongue #116

 

ALLURE: Chris Brown #51 >>> Corey Rogers #118, please confirm

 

ANTHEM: Joff Eaton #2019, Cecelia (CiCi) #98

 

BRILLIANCE:

 

ENCHANTMENT: Bobby Broughton, >> 5-27-22 #56, then August>> end of year #Me

 

EXPLORER: Elvis Pinto #2103

 

FREEDOM: Clo O'Connor #48

 

GRANDEUR: David Bradshawe #51

 

HARMONY: Jeff Arpin as of 4-18-22, #126

 

INDEPENDENCE: Rickey Matthews #35

 

JEWEL: Susan Adams Nov. #2028

 

LIBERTY: Paul Rutter #82

 

MARINER:  Marc Walker through 6-18, then return 8-8/11-26  #95

 

NAVIGATOR: Mey Lau #104

 

OASIS: Mike Whitte, #31

 

ODYSSEY: Mitch Merucci, effective 10-23-12 #2026

 

OVATION: Dan Whitney #2001

 

QUANTUM:  Steve Kinsley 'From Canada' #40 & #50

 

RADIANCE:

 

RHAPSODY:

 

SERENADE: Bill Brunkhorst #2027, John Blair in May for Alaska #52

 

SPECTRUM: Bonnie Bai #88

 

SYMPHONY: Dennis Sciortino #85

 

VISION: Carly Boileau #77

 

VOYAGER:

 

WONDER: Mike Szwajkowsk #2026

Mike is on Wonder now. This post is quoted from the current cruise directors thread.

[Reina del Mar]

On 4/23/2022 at 11:41 AM, laurieal said:

Someone mentioned the drinks package earlier in the thread and I found this in Playmaker’s. I’m day one, they had a Buy One Get One 50% off discount, but nothing more exciting than that. 

 

We are debating the Drinks’ package…seems very expensive compared with Princess Plus package—-take note RC !!!

 

Where did you see it was buy One, get one half price on the first day, please ? Think I’m not looking carefully enough.

[bobmacliberty]

18 hours ago, laurieal said:

What is everyone’s favourite breakfast spot on the Oasis class?

 

What is your #1 thing you must do on every cruise and that makes you go “aaaw yes I’m on a cruise”?

 

Loved Park Cafe for breakfast on Harmony recently.  Easy in and out for an egg sandwich, bagel, etc.

 

Drinking a Miami Vice during sailaway is my "I'm on a cruise" moment.  For some reason, I rarely drink a Miami Vice anywhere but on a cruise.

[laurieal]

13 hours ago, cruiselover04 said:

Fellow Canadian here. Just got off the Wonder as you were getting on. It’s going to be fun following along with you on the cruise. 
I discovered two new cocktails to me on the cruise- Aperol Spritz & an Amaretto Sour. 
If you haven’t already discovered the table/desk in your cabin will move. So if you wanted room service it could be moved over to the sofa if that would be more comfortable for you. 
Safe travels! 
Jenni 

That’s good to know about the table! Mine is a bit of a mess at the moment with all the snacks and documents that keep accumulating, but I’ll make some room because I plan on trying breakfast room service at one point. 
 

Aperol Spritz is so good! Feels like such a vacation drink, too. 

[laurieal]

19 hours ago, Semi Retired said:

Was hesitant to follow your journey because we had to cancel last minute due to hubby getting a mystery health issue. He is immune compromised and in an electric chair. But now glad I am because it helps feel like we are there. Thank you.

We also had 2 sailing/ship shifts to get on the Wonder. Happy Sails to you🌊🙂

I’m so sorry you had to cancel. I hope you get to go on a Wonder cruise very soon. 

[laurieal]

9 hours ago, perfect match said:

I was looking at the pictures of your surprise snacks in your cabin, and it was apparent that your cruise director is impressed with your review! The note on the bottle said it was your cruise director Mike. I believe that Mike S is still on Wonder, and it doesn’t surprise me at all that he would do something like that. We met him on Symphony before the pandemic and both DH and I were very impressed with him. 
 

I tried to quote just the picture from your post, but I couldn’t get it to work. It was all or nothing and I didn’t want to quote the whole long post, so I gave up and didn’t quote anything. Go back and look at your of the bottle with the bow on it.  Oh, and don’t ask me to spell Mike’s lengthy last name. I’d fail miserably!

Oh yes, it’s definitely him. I was very pleasantly surprised. Now that I think about it, it makes sense that someone from RCI is checking this forum, but I wasn’t expecting that level of recognition. 

[laurieal]

2 hours ago, Reina del Mar said:

 

We are debating the Drinks’ package…seems very expensive compared with Princess Plus package—-take note RC !!!

 

Where did you see it was buy One, get one half price on the first day, please ? Think I’m not looking carefully enough.

They had a kiosk set up in the Promenade on day 1 from drinks packages. A friend of mine checked it out and she saw the Buy One Get One 50% Off discount. 
 

For me, a drinks package doesn’t make sense. I’ve had it included in my cruise fare with Celebrity before and I loved having the peace of mind to order anything at any moment. However, there’s a limit to how much I can justify paying for that peace of mind and $60+ USD is just too much for me when I sometimes struggle to use all four of my Diamond vouchers. 

[Merion_Mom]

8 hours ago, perfect match said:

 Oh, and don’t ask me to spell Mike’s lengthy last name. I’d fail miserably!

 

Szwajkowski  😄 

[Jason12]

1 hour ago, Reina del Mar said:

 

We are debating the Drinks’ package…seems very expensive compared with Princess Plus package—-take note RC !!!

 

Where did you see it was buy One, get one half price on the first day, please ? Think I’m not looking carefully enough.

Do not wait until you board before buying,  book it in the online planner it will be a lot cheaper a lot👍😎

[Reina del Mar]

12 minutes ago, Jason12 said:

Do not wait until you board before buying,  book it in the online planner it will be a lot cheaper a lot👍😎

Thanks. We’ve been watching it on the planner but seems expensive. Going as a family, package seems easier.

[laurieal]

Day 5

 

Hello from the ocean (but more specifically deck 16). 

 

Yes, I do realize that the ship has loads of other decks. But on such a beautiful day deck 16 feels like the place to be. 

 

I got a later start that morning since I had gone to bed after 1am the night before. Feeling confident (and a bit groggy), I tried a new coffee recipe: cappuccino, but with an extra shot of espresso. Ladies and gentlemen, we have a winner! There’s usually between 1-5 people waiting to use the espresso machines and with two of them in operation the line moves quickly and I don’t find it’s a bother to make the detour to the Diamond Lounge every morning. 

 

I took my coffee to the Aqua Theatre where it was time for the Crown & Anchor Top Tier event. They actually split the C&A members into two groups: Diamond Plus and Pinnacle members had their event on Day 4, so it wasn’t quite “Top” tier today (I’m kidding, please don’t cancel my review). It was fun to see some of the aqua show performers in action and a day that starts with mimosas always feels festive. 
 

 

It looks like the Aqua Theatre has an elevator/lift thing that could bring a wheelchair (and the person in it) to the front of the theatre. If anyone enjoys watching a show while being wet, I think you could probably ask someone to use the lift. If I decide to try it, I’ll let you know how it goes. 
 

 

 

And while I’m on the topic of the Boardwalk, I realize I mentioned the accessible swan on the carousel but didn’t show pictures. 

 

 

 

There was an origami workshop in the Schooner bar after the top tier event, so I went to that and learned that I am terrible at folding paper. Here’s a before and after picture of my box and t-shirt. 

 

 

 

They were doing the Love and Marriage show in Studio B, so I headed over there. I usually find that show quite funny and this time was no exception. I mentioned yesterday that I think it would be a good idea to have some reserved seating for people with mobility issues and their companions in the Royal Theatre and I feel the same for Studio B. 

 

 

 

It also looks like Studio B had an elevator/lift platform thing that could bring someone to the front. It would be a prime bra throwing spot for The Quest, which we’re not having on this sailing and I don’t think it would be appropriate during the ice show. 

 

 

After that, I went to Superheroes vs Villains trivia, which was well attended and super fun. They were showing a very small part of a character and we had to guess who it was. While I am terrible at folding paper, I am quite good at recognizing superheroes from a small part of their groin. Everyone has their own special talent, I guess. We stayed for Dingbats and wow I am terrible at that. Even worse than paper folding. 

 

I felt like I hadn’t enjoyed the outside enough, considering how lovely it was, so I went up to my secret quiet spot on deck 16 and assembled my review for Day 4. The internet continues to be pretty consistently good with the occasional error message when trying to upload a picture, but refreshing always seems to work. I also managed to stream some of Encanto from my stateroom, which I thought was impressive. 

 

We had an early dinner booked at Izumi’s hibachi. Even before the cruise started, we could see that only the 5pm and 9pm spots were available and it was the same when we checked right after boarding. If you want to dine around 7pm at the Hibachi, book early!

 

I’ll get the disappointing bit out of the way before I move on to more pleasant things. The restaurant section of Izumi has a few steps to get into it. It was also the case at Wonderland, but they could take me to an elevator backstage. Sadly, they can’t do that at Izumi. If someone wanted to get sushi, they could get it to go. However, they can’t do takeout ramen, which is what I was hoping to get at some point for lunch. 

 

There are several things I expect to be out of reach to me on a cruise ship: slides, zip line, climbing wall, the suite deck…etc. But food? Honestly, I was surprised! I didn’t think to get a picture, but I’ll swing by later to get one. It’s just a couple of stairs, so it would probably be manageable for people who can walk a bit, but for me there’s really no difference between 2 and 100 steps. 

 

The hibachi, however, is completely accessible and while that kind of experience often has higher tables, this one doesn’t and I was very pleased about that. 

 

If you have a dining package, there is a 10$ upcharge for the hibachi experience (not sure why?). You can get the classic (one protein) or premium (two proteins) menu items and it will not affect the cover charge. 

 

I got the samurai combo, which included tiger shrimp and beef tenderloin. Everyone also gets edamame, salad, fried rice and a dessert. The beef was incredible. It was cooked in loads of butter and some soy sauce and oh my! Chef kiss, as the youths say these days (I think). The rice was also very good, especially when mixed with the beef’s butter and soy sauce cooking jus. The shrimp was also excellent, but the star of the meal was the beef tenderloin. For dessert, I had the ice cream mochi, which was nice and not too heavy. I also had two of the She’s a Geisha cocktail, which were tart, but also a bit sweet. I enjoyed them very much. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Just like Wonderland, this is an experience I’m glad I tried with other people. There isn’t as much theatre involved as in Wonderland, but still a lot of interaction with the chef and feel like for me that’s more fun when there’s other people to share the conversation with (my friends are like social shields). It would still probably be super fun solo, especially if the other parties around the table are willing to include a solo diner in their dinner antics. 

 

Keep in mind that it’s not a quiet experience. Once all three grills are going at the same time it gets quite chaotic and rowdy. I spoke with a couple who had dined in the other section of the restaurant and they could hear a lot of the noise coming from the hibachi. 

 

After dinner, I checked out the comedy juggler Pete Matthews. I usually skip jugglers on cruise ships, but I was intrigued by the comedy part and I was not disappointed I went. I thought he was hilarious, in a slightly hyper way, but he also took me by surprise with a more emotional segment. Overall a very good show that I recommend to anyone who likes comedy and watching people being extremely skilled at ridiculously complex things. 

 

 

Before the show, I was approached by one of the theatre staff who showed me that there are two elevators, one on each side of the stage, and that I can use them anytime I want by myself if I want to sit in the front of the theatre. I didn’t do it, because the last thing I want is to leave for a bathroom break when there’s a comedian around, but it I do in the next days I’ll document my adventure. 

 

I met up with my friends for some pre-party drinks. I got a mudslide, which I had been eyeing since day 2. We then went to the LGBT party which was followed by the Hush silent party in the Solarium. I had seen a Hush party from afar on a Celebrity ship, and I was excited to be a participant. 

 

It was loads of fun and I stayed for a while doing my version of dancing (some swaying with bonus weird arm stuff). I think the Solarium was a good venue for the party, because it allowed people to spread our more, but it was quite warm and eventually with the heat and all the people the whole thing became a bit overwhelming and I returned to my stateroom. 

 

For those tracking vouchers, I only used three. I could have gotten an unopened Truly to bring back to my cabin, but honestly the snacks and drinks situation is a bit out of control at the moment so I decided to just let it go. It’s all part of learning how to be a good Diamond member. 

[StanleyandGus]

I wish I could write like you! I am thoroughly enjoying your review. We have only cruised on smaller ships, but this review is making me rethink that!
 

[GlenG]

1 hour ago, Reina del Mar said:

Thanks. We’ve been watching it on the planner but seems expensive. Going as a family, package seems easier.

The current planner price for the return Transatlantic in October is $66/day. The photo provided here shows onboard price $88 + one half-off, which averages to $66pp, same price. But by keeping your eye on the planner pricing you may find it cheaper at some point. It’s a lottery. 

[Jason12]

13 minutes ago, GlenG said:

The current planner price for the return Transatlantic in October is $66/day. The photo provided here shows onboard price $88 + one half-off, which averages to $66pp, same price. But by keeping your eye on the planner pricing you may find it cheaper at some point. It’s a lottery. 

Also remember booking onboard in Spain will include Spanish tax of 22% 😮

[bobmacliberty]

I'm continuing to really enjoy this review.  We're a little concerned about having too many sea days in a row for our upcoming TP so this is helping us better understand what it's like.  Thanks again for taking the time to post.  I don't (yet) have any mobility issues so I don't typically pay much attention to accessible features on a ship.  I'm learning a lot.

 

[Oceansaway17]

interesting that the Love and Marriage show is in Studio B.  My Apr 8th cruise it was in the Royal Theatre which ironically was only half full.  Guess that is why they moved it.

I do not like the new style.  The couple stay and sit back to back and use a clipboard.

 

I liked the old way better.  Guess RCI decided to follow the way Carnival does it.  I miss seeing CD asks the questions to each person and the dialogue that goes with it.

[Biker19]

34 minutes ago, Oceansaway17 said:

I liked the old way better. 

Some ships still do it the old way.

[Nado44]

How are the seas? Any rough weather? We're on the Celebrity Apex TA leaving on Saturday and hoping for a smooth sailing.

[bobmacliberty]

1 hour ago, Oceansaway17 said:

interesting that the Love and Marriage show is in Studio B.  My Apr 8th cruise it was in the Royal Theatre which ironically was only half full.  Guess that is why they moved it.

I do not like the new style.  The couple stay and sit back to back and use a clipboard.

 

I liked the old way better.  Guess RCI decided to follow the way Carnival does it.  I miss seeing CD asks the questions to each person and the dialogue that goes with it.

 

Harmony did it the old way in the Royal Theater a couple of weeks ago.  Wives left, husbands answered questions with appropriate banter from the CD, wives return to reveal answers, and repeat switching roles.

[Oceansaway17]

9 minutes ago, bobmacliberty said:

 

Harmony did it the old way in the Royal Theater a couple of weeks ago.  Wives left, husbands answered questions with appropriate banter from the CD, wives return to reveal answers, and repeat switching roles.

aw good to know.  I shall see how Symphony does next week and Allure in June.

 

I never got to approach the cruise director as he was a slippery dude moving fast after each show or game.  

[cruiselover04]

19 hours ago, Semi Retired said:

Mike was on Odyssey before this. He is Canadian.

He’s from the city we came to Canada in 1981. Tried to speak with him when we were in Wonder last week but he was such a busy man. Hopefully will get to see him again on another cruise. 
 

Jenni

[Merion_Mom]

59 minutes ago, cruiselover04 said:

He’s from the city we came to Canada in 1981. Tried to speak with him when we were in Wonder last week but he was such a busy man. Hopefully will get to see him again on another cruise. 
 

Jenni

 

I have been very lucky.  After he returned to RC after an absence of several years, he spent a little time on Brilliance then a lot of time on Grandeur, where I cruised quite a few times while he was there.  On the small ships, the interaction is so much better.  Among other things, he would hold "Dad Joke" contests in the Centrum.  😄 

[tunisbridal]

I was originally on this cruise until it was switched from allure to wonder.  The dates wouldn’t work for us.  Wish we were able to go!

[patreke]

In the Solarium Bistro Catching up with your review.  Great job so far!!!  Are you sharing snacks and wine with fellow TA cruisers????

Sorry no kitty pics to share. 
 

[crewsweeper]

We saw Pete on our recent Odyssey cruise.  Glad he didn't try to juggle chainsaws.  But he was funny.

Asked for volunteers at least 6 ft tall and pick a 5"9" guy for one of them.😁