Disney Wonder Makes an Unplanned Albeit Brief Return to Ensenada, Mexico

After leaving Ensenada, Mexico earlier today, the Disney Wonder made an unplanned, but brief return. A few reports surfacing online pointed to an unusual vibration attributed to one of propellers. The Disney Wonder was briefly anchored in All Saints Bay for about 40 minutes.
Disney Wonder Ensenada Map 20151005

The Disney Wonder pulled anchor and resumed sailing around 9:00 PM here on the east coast.

Disney Wonder Ensenada Map 20151005 Underway

The Disney Wonder slowly gained speed and at the time of publication passed 20kts heading towards Cabo San Lucas.

Disney Wonder 20151005 20kts Underway

The Disney Wonder is now on day two of a 5-Night Baja Cruise on Disney Wonder – Itinerary A from San Diego. Tomorrow is a scheduled sea day followed by a call in Cabo San Lucas on Wednesday.

12 Replies to “Disney Wonder Makes an Unplanned Albeit Brief Return to Ensenada, Mexico”

  1. Pam

    Hey Scott! My friends are currently on this sailing. The report I received pretty well matched your report. They did say that at the time the Wonder was at anchor Disney had divers in the water doing what they needed to with the propeller. Also, it was mentioned that there was some consideration towards returning to San Diego. I am not sure if that was an official announcement or just their guess. If I hear more I will pass it on.

    Reply
  2. JA

    We were sailing at that cruise! We watched the divers check the propellers (with a life boat on standby for them) from our verandah due to unsual vibration. Now back on land but had a magical cruise nonetheless. Exceptional entertainment, service & food. We booked our 3rd future cruise while on board. Till we meet again! ?

    Reply
    1. Scott Sanders Post author

      Did the vibration continue or did it stop after the divers entered the water? I am just wondering if there was something hung up on the prop that the divers were able to remove.

      Reply
      1. JA

        The vibration continued till halfway through our dinner time. We were at 1st rotation dining (5:45 pm). It was smooth sailing from then onwards.

        Reply
  3. Robbie

    We were also on the cruise. We got several different stories but the captain came over the loudspeaker (into the rooms, too) and said that due to the unusual vibration, we were going to a shipyard in Ensenada so that divers could check out the propellers. It didn’t take very long, maybe an hour? and then we were on our way. We had been told by other staff that it was routine yearly maintenance, which didn’t make sense after the captain’s comment. In any event, we never did hear what the actual problem was with the props, only that it was fixed. With all the noise going on in the atrium (which is where we were when the announcement was given), it was very difficult to understand him. There had been talk about returning to San Diego so I was very relieved when we continued on with the cruise. :o) Also, when we were first due to leave San Diego, it took over an hour for the captain to spin the ship to calibrate the GPS. Seems odd that you would have to do that with a cruise ship like it was a vehicle. But indeed, we did spin in circles…one and a half revolutions, I believe. All in all, it was still a wonderful trip. We never even got off the ship; all our fun was on the Wonder!

    Reply
  4. Paul Higgins

    The announcement from the captain was that we were returning to an anchorage outside Ensenada (not a shipyard) because there was some concern about vibration and one of the propellers.

    After the inspection dive was complete, the captain made a much briefer announcement. He said that the dive was complete and that we were proceeding to our next port of call, Cabo San Lucas. He did not say that the problem was fixed, nor did he say what the problem was.

    Those of us in my party continued to notice a vibration for the remainder of the cruise. It was particularly obvious in Parrot Cay and our staterooms (which were almost directly above and below our table in Parrot Cay on the port side). We did not notice the vibration further forward. Perhaps that vibration is normal in that area of the ship; it was the first time we’d had a stateroom there.

    Speaking of Parrot Cay, both times we had dinner there the lights went out, though just for a few seconds. One night, they went out three times.

    Reply
  5. Robbie

    I thought the weather was too hot. I’m the type of person who really enjoys crisp, cool Fall weather (and tons of cold and snow in the winter) – which I wasn’t expecting on this trip. However, it was really hot in Cabo, I thought. We never even got off the ship. With all the difficulties for tender tickets, we just ended up swimming. It was very relaxing and refreshing in the water. Ensenada was cooler but still warm for my taste. Also, I can never get enough a/c in the stateroom. I understand the mechanics of how it all works but I’m always too hot on the ships. However, after being outside on deck, the interior was definitely cooler! :o)

    I saw all types of dress in all the restaurants. Lots of shorts, nothing risqué or too extreme. I went in jeans shorts (to my knees) and my daughter also was in respectable shorts. I never saw anyone turned away or given even a second glance at what they were wearing. I loved it. We go on Princess a lot and they still have traditional formal nights, which I don’t like. I don’t want to pack all that weight and take up all that room in my suitcase for only 2 nights of dressing up. Not my style. I was really glad to see Disney relax their standards on the shorts in the dining room issue.

    Reply
    1. Rod

      @Robbie, I was on this exact cruise. What difficulties was there for tender tickets? I didn’t have any issues. We did our excursion came back to the Wonder and went back out again.

      Reply
  6. A

    I was on this cruise as well. The captain told us we had turned around and were putting down anchor just away from the dock so that divers could take a look. He said he would give us an update but he didn’t. We were at dinner at animators palate when it seemed they had started the propellers multiple times and the vibrations continuted Maybe 3-4 times. On the 5th time it was much smoother and we seemed to be sailing again after that. Staff we asked did not know anything. They continued working like nothing was going on. I never heard anything about returning to San Diego early.

    Reply

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