Preparations Underway as Disney Wonder Sails to Cadiz for Dry Dock

On Friday, the Disney Wonder completed her Eastbound Panama canal sailing when she docked at Port Canaveral’s Cruise Terminal 6. The Disney Dream was berthed at the DCL terminal requiring the Wonder to use the adjacent terminal for disembarkation.

Wonder Dry Dock Prep Pc Arrival

As passengers disembarked deck preparations were underway with crew members covering the pool deck with plywood and removing the nets from the sports deck.

Wonder Dry Dock Prep Pc Bow Wonder Dry Dock Prep Pc Pool Deck Wonder Dry Dock Prep Pc Quiet Cove 2 Wonder Dry Dock Prep Pc Quiet Cove Wonder Dry Dock Prep Pc Sports Deck

In addition to sharing the photos, Luke Galloway, shared some additional information learned during the EBPC voyage. This was the Disney Wonder’s final transit through the old Panama Canal locks as she will indeed be getting a duck tail during dry dock like the Disney Magic.

Disney Magic Ducktail Closeup

When asked about the final Toy Story show I was surprised to learn the show was not performed during the EBPC cruise. As it turns out, Disney offloaded the Toy Story sets in California and loaded some of the Frozen show. A backstage tour was offered during the cruise and Luke mentioned that some of the Frozen set pieces looked similar to those from the Frozen show at Disney’s California Adventure. Unfortunately, photos were not permitted during the tour.

The final ‘Til We Meet Again show featuring twin staircase was held on September 8th. Similar to the Disney Magic, the chandelier all be changed and the starboard staircase will be removed. The landing outside Triton’s will be larger than that on the Magic to provide more elevated stage space.

Wonder Dry Final Til Meet Again Show Dual Stairs

The Disney Wonder spent the night in Port Canaveral and relocated to the Container Marine Terminal (NCB5) where cargo containers were loaded on to the open decks.

Wonder Dry Dock Prep Pc Ncb5

In the following picture you will see the Of Course I Still Love You, the autonomous spaceport drone ship used by SpaceX.Wonder Dry Dock Prep Pc Spacex Barge

In the early afternoon, refueling operations were underway.

Wonder Dry Dock Prep Pc Refueling Barge Wonder Dry Dock Prep Pc Refueling Barge Stern

Special thanks to @CrimsonTideDan for his live reports from the Carnival Magic.Wonder Dry Dock Prep Pc Correspondent Dan

As the Disney Fantasy departed on Saturday for an Eastern Caribbean cruise, the ships had a bit of fun.

As the Fantasy sails by us, we decide to have a horn-off. #DisneyWonder #DisneyFantasy

A video posted by dallego (@dallego) on

Just after 5:30 PM the Disney Wonder dropped lines and set a course for Cadiz, Spain.

Wonder Dry Dock Prep Pc Departure

The reported arrival time in Cadiz, Spain is September 19th.

The Disney Wonder is scheduled to return to service on November 10, 2016 with a 4-Night Western Caribbean Cruise departing from Galveston, Texas. For more on the Disney Wonder dry dock enhancements check out the original announcement post and the additional details derived from the revised deck plan.

51 Replies to “Preparations Underway as Disney Wonder Sails to Cadiz for Dry Dock”

  1. Linda Neeley

    Scott, I was on the Disney Dream, and Trent, cruise director, did confirm that they will be adding a duck tail to the Wonder due to the extra weight being added on the ship.

    Reply
    1. Jeff

      If the Wonder will no longer be able to fit through then canal with the duck tale then how is it going to get back to the west coast for the planned cruises next year?

      Reply
        1. Jeff

          One more question. Is the lock now big enough for the Dream and the Fantasy to fit? If so do you know of any plans for them to make west coast appearances?

          Reply
          1. Barton Gates

            The New Panama Canal Lock will be able to fit ALL of Disney Cruise Line Fleet of ships including the 2 new ships planned for 2021 and 2023.

            Reply
      1. Lex

        I was on the EBPC and I can assure you the preparations DID affect the cruise. That ply was screwed down to the deck on Thursday, closing off entire sections of decks 9 and 10, and the noise of it shook the cabins on 8 late that night (I had to call guest services to tell to knock it off so my kids could sleep.) The sports deck was shut down. The arcade was closed on Weds, without notice, for “maintenance” and then they began emptying it. At 5:00 Thursday they yanked all the board games from the Kids’ clubs saying they all had to be thrown away – the kids were freaked out. The inside doors to outside deck 4 were removed on weds. Deck chairs were packed up and stacked on Thursday leaving no place to sit. They cranked up all four engines after leaving Cozumel in order to arrive at port by 3:30 am to load the containers you see on crew deck. We were doing top speed (roughly 24kts) into a stiff headwind that meant we had an apparent wind of 40kts (gale force) on deck – sunny gorgeous day, but spray blowing off pools and cushions blowing across deck.

        Maintenance workers were on board the entire trip doing work on plumbing and electrical which led to AC shutdowns throughout ship so bad that Palo closed their doors and cranked their AC so high they had condensation dripping from the ceiling. An awful stench permeated the ship the last week. On Thursday water started pouring down walls on 7 due to an accidentally broken pipe.

        In addition, a group of contractors took over a guest area nightly, with buckets of beer. They spoke loudly and insultingly about the crew and ship. They regularly left a mess that we guests would clear tha included bottles, bottle caps strewn over deck, and even a booster seat used as a makeshift beer bucket.

        As another guest put it, “This was a great 12 day cruise. Too bad it lasted 14 days.”

        Reply
          1. Lex

            Scott,
            Wasn’t condemning you at all. Just wanted to make it clear that a large number of guests were, at the least, annoyed by the activities, and many were actually bitter. Everyone I encountered referenced it and most intended to send not so nice letters upon returning home. There were jokes about it the last day – “do you get the feeling we’re in the way?” and “maybe we should swim the rest of the way to port.”

            Even the staff seemed bewildered. Servers, youth counsellors, and even guest services staff remarked discretely that it didn’t feel right and this wasn’t how they felt the company ought to behave. They said it diplomatically, but the implication was clear that they were dismayed. When I spoke to guest services about the arcade closing abruptly I asked why there hadn’t been any notice (they had delivered arcade cards for our kids two days before and our tradition is to go there on the last cruise night.) She apologized and said there hadn’t been any warning because they (staff) hadn’t been told until the morning of the closing. They were as surprised as guests. They had been told that nothing would be changed that might affect guests’ activities until they reached port, but suddenly everything changed.

            I do know I heard several outside workers saying things weren’t progressing at the expected rate and the time frames might have to shift. At the time I assumed they were referring to a shift once they reached Cadiz, but it seems it was a problem with work scheduled during the cruise.

            I’m certain there were guests who experienced none of these issues, but I honestly didn’t come across one. It seemed to be what everyone was talking about.

            Reply
            1. Scott Sanders Post author

              I realized that. I just wanted to be clear, I was only commenting based on a conversation I had with one person which I should not have taken as representation for all passengers on the sailing. I’m thankful, you have taken the time to share your experience and add to the conversation.

              Reply
        1. Jeff

          Yeah, we were shocked by the closing of the arcade. The last night they were using a rotary saw/metal grinder above our room. When to guest services and finally had to go up to talk to the person doing it. They finally stopped when another passenger with small kids yelled at them. This was after we both call guest services. It was 11:45 at night at the time. The worker seemed worried about his schedule. At that time most of the top deck was not available and a bannister was removed. I was disappointed. But the rest of the cruise was great!

          Reply
  2. Larry

    Sorry, what do you mean by “The landing outside Triton’s will be larger than that on the Magic to provide more elevated stage space”?

    Reply
        1. Barton Gates

          He’s referring to the Atrium lobby, they often have performances by characters and the Til We Meet Again performance on the last night of the cruise in that space. Also they sometimes do performances for holidays or during inclement weather in that area too. The larger platform would result if they removed one of the grand staircases to free up more space.

          Reply
  3. disneydreamin

    We sail on Wonder March 2 and again for Alaska on July 3….SO EXCITED to see the changes!!! What is life without a Disney Cruise on the horizon!!!

    Reply
  4. Jeffrey Langdon

    I am a little surprised that this dry dock appears not to include adding a AquaDunk or something similar. Since the Fantasy/Dream have the AquaDuck and the Magic has the AquaDunk the Wonder would come up short in the water feature area.

    Reply
    1. Brent

      Remember, Wonder spends much of its year in Alaska, Spending that amount of money on something that would not get used much of the year probably doesn’t make sense.

      Reply
  5. Cheryl

    Staff on the Magic told us that the Wonder wasn’t getting an Aqua Dunk like the Magic has because of no duck tail. If the Wonder is getting the duck tail after all, is there a chance she’ll get the Aqua Dunk? My kids would be thrilled!

    Reply
      1. Cheryl

        What a bummer. There were lots of kids using the Aqua Dunk on the Magic, even though it was pretty cold on the Iceland/Norway cruise in June. My kids would have been thrilled to see it again on the Alaska cruise we’re taking on the Wonder next summer. 🙁

        Reply
      2. Jeffrey Langdon

        I was pretty sure there were no plans for an AquaDunk which is kind of my point. Newer non-Disney ships have water slides all over so I was just hoping for some new water feature besides the Twist ‘n Spout which isn’t open to adults.

        Reply
    1. Lex

      There will be a ducktail. There will be no new slide, though the Mickey slide is changing. The ducktail is being added to improve fuel efficiency and to counterbalance weight of a new 16 ton aux generator being placed on deck 7, aft – where the “secret veranda” was. Palo is being gutted and refurbed. All rooms are being gutted and refurbed. Arcade becoming Edge. Tianas replacing Parrot Cay. Glass creens being added port forward to shelter from wind for smoking section there. Kids club gut and refurb. Lots of mechanical changes including new high pressure mist, fire suppression system in engine room. AC and plumbing changes. Buffet becomes Cabanas. I believe there will be a concierge lounge but no confirmation.

      Reply
      1. Sharon

        Shoot… we always like to take pictures from the “secret veranda” when we departed Castaway Cay. 74 days will we sail!

        Reply
      2. Emily

        Oh I highly doubt ‘all staterooms are being gutted and refurbed’ – that was what they said about the Magic and that did not happen. I’m sure she’ll look beautiful though!

        Reply
        1. Lex

          According to staff the staterooms are being gutted. They replaced beds in 2015 to accommodate luggage, but are pulling all the beds to put in ones with rounded corners to prevent the dreaded “shin bash.” The furnishings are going as well. The linens are even being pulled, despite being new. We were told the linens would transfer to one of the other ships. Again, much of this news came from staff, but some came from contractor higher-ups who were on board for the cruise, and who have been involved in planning for the last year.

          Throughout the cruise there were often crew meetings where staff was informed of changes. Some of the staff would then pass on info to us.

          Reply
          1. Barton Gates

            Lex as Scott has referenced multiple times, the Wonder did have state room refurbishing in 2015, I know because on our 2015 Feb Western Caribbean trip, sections of Deck 6 and Deck 5 were closed off due to staterooms being redone, Unless you’re talking about the Concierge Suites being gutted… That I can understand as they are unable to do them while underway, since they’re a huge seller every trip.

            Reply
        2. Cris

          What do you mean? From what I’ve seen all cabins on Magic got new carpet, new furniture, new bathrooms, mattresses, linens etc not 100% sure of deck 8 though

          Reply
  6. Derek

    I was also on the Eastbound cruise, but I sure didn’t feel the impact that that Lex did, and we were out quite late on the last evening, as we were on most others. It really wasn’t an issue. Lex makes it sound like the last couple of day were a disaster, but we had a wonderful time on our fifth Panama crossing on the Wonder.

    Reply
    1. Katie

      For the most part, we had a wonderful time as well. I have to agree, the last two days were pretty much a disaster. I was ready to get off at the end and felt a little like they were ready to get rid of us, and get to work, as well.

      Reply
  7. Michelle Norton

    Let me start this comment by saying that the cruise staff on the EBPC cruise was fantastic. That being said, I had much the same experience on this cruise as the one Lex describes. The smell in the cabin areas during the last few days was terrible. As we were on deck 7, we personally experienced the water feature he describes coming out of the ceiling and the down the walls outside our cabin. The air conditioning in our cabin was something only slightly better than non existent the last 3 days of the cruise and the construction noise at night was unbearable. We experienced several total power losses in our stateroom and had to be given an air freshener to keep the cabin from smelling. I’m sure that most of the passengers did not have the same exposure to the contractors as some of us did. They congregated mostly in the very small smoking area designated up on deck 9. They were loud, obnoxious and the mess they left was disgusting. Additionally, I think it should be noted that the smoking area only had 4 tables in it for guests and that the contractors routinely occupied at least 2 of these tables.

    As someone who has cruised numerous times with Disney, I have to say I was very disappointed in this one. I really feel like this cruise should have been advertised as Panama/Construction cruise and sold at a discounted rate. Advanced warning of the construction would have given us the opportunity to decide whether we were willing to deal with the possible issues. Additionally, I don’t feel like any of the passengers should have been exposed to the contractors, particularly if they clearly did not share the same level of courtesy and professionalism as the Disney staff members.

    Reply
    1. Katie

      The cruise staff was, as usual and as you said, fantastic on the cruise. I have to echo your sentiments about the contractors. The first week of the cruise there were two or three men out on deck early in the morning having a drink at the end of their night shift. The men were friendly and considerate of others with whom they were sharing space. Towards the end of the cruse, the crowd of contractors grew. One morning at about 6 am I got coffee and went to deck 9 forward to watch the ocean and the sunrise. This morning there was a group of 6 or so contractors, male and one female on the deck, they were clearly intoxicated. I was treated to a very rude, drunken conversation. Highlights of which included a deep discussion of whether or not it was okay to use the word “retard” to describe someone that was mentally disabled and how it was easier to just say “midget” rather than little person. After this incident I was quite uncomfortable around them and if they were in the area I would wait until another male passenger arrived before I would sit in same area with them.

      I noticed on this cruise that there were Disney security out walking the decks some of the time. This was not something that I had noted on other cruises. Perhaps this should have made me feel better, but it only made me feel like there was something/someone on board that posed a security risk.

      Our stateroom was high enough and far enough aft that we did not notice the smell and heat as much as some other passengers, except when we tried to venture forward or lower into the ship. We were “treated” to the construction noise on deck 9 and disappointed by the closure of the arcade and remove of some of items from the sports deck and kids club. I went to pick my daughter up from the club one evening and she had an unfinished craft, a pillowcase that was colored with fabric markers. She wanted to stay and finish and I told her that she could finish the next day. The staff in the club told her that the supplies that she needed to finish might not be there the next day as things were being thrown away and they didn’t really know what might go that night. She gave my daughter a handful of markers to finish the craft. I really appreciated the gesture, and is an example of the excellent experience that we had with all of the DISNEY employees on board. However, this gesture shouldn’t have been necessary. Nothing, NOTHING, not even craft supplies, should have been removed from that boat prior to the end of the cruise. As a guest, we should have had full access to all areas and activities for the entire length of the cruise.

      On other cruise line, I probably would have blown off the experience, but for Disney, I felt like this was totally unexpected and unacceptable.

      Reply
  8. June

    I am in full agreement with Lex and Michelle. While the cruise staff wanted to assist us there wasn’t anything that they could do. The water was running down the walls on deck 6 although not to the extent of deck 7. We did not have but a few intermittent power outages but we did have 2 while at dinner. The contractors were rude loud and did not clean up after themselves at all. The removal of the decking around the family pool and closing of the arcade while we were still on board was not what one would expect when on vacation.

    This cruise was most definitely not up to the usual Disney standards.

    Reply
  9. Susan Taylor

    I will preface this also with saying the staff and crew on the EBPC cruise were superb. However, I also, had the same experiences as Lex and also Michelle. In fact, I am sure there were several of us who did. I did not witness personally the leaks on deck 7 but I will say that during the last three days of the cruise, the stench was unbelievable on deck 6. The carpet was wet everywhere so if you were barefoot, your feet were wet.
    I was extremely disappointed to see them closing things, like the Arcade on Wednesday, removing the tables and chairs from the pool area on our last full day on the ship, the doors on deck 4, to mention a few. Also, I was extremely disgusted with the crew of contractors who took over the smoking area every morning and evening. They were loud, obnoxious, and often drunk. They were extremely disrespectful about the ships’ crew, making fun of the room stewards for doing their jobs and helping to make the “paying customers”, comfortable.
    Had I known when I booked this 14 day cruise, that we would be exposed to all the construction and contractors, I might not have booked this particular trip. It was not at all what I would have expected from Disney.

    Reply
  10. Lori

    Yes the staff was awsome no complaints there. We chose Disney for our 30th anniversary cruise because our last one with them was so good,this time however not so much. The cascading water fall on deck 7 resulted in soaking wet feet when walking by,the drips from the ceiling in random places but my favorite was in the restaurant on deck 4 during dinner. The smell of sewage was very unplesant,paid $900 to upgrade to a veranda and was treated to the fire department barging in to check for a fire, complained to front desk,were given chocolate covered strawberries as an apology and told they would stop however it continued,we were told not to open our veranda door or it would continue, WOW glad we blew that $$$$.Went to play Foosball at 9pm the last night only to find out the tables were already being dismantled. Yes we
    it felt like we the guests were in the way by the beginning of week 2.So many more little things that added up to a very big disappointment this sailing, Sorry Disney not what we expected from you.

    Reply

Leave a Reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.