Travels of the Rennhack family
🧭 Journey · 3 parts 1/26/2018 – 2/11/2018
Part 1 of 3 ⚓ Cruise 1/26/2018 – 2/4/2018
shipASL interpreters: ASL interpreter 1 (name unknown), ASL interpreter 2 (name unknown), Unknown
Ship friends: Eddisson (shops, 2nd sailing together, first in 2017), Marco (2nd sailing together, first in 2016)
Crew: Captain Robert Olmer · Natalie Bailey (cruise director)
Our dining team: Harry (server)
Stateroom: 2079 · 10B - Deluxe Inside
Firsts: first time in Saint Lucia, Bonaire and Aruba
We left home Friday evening at five, the four of us and the car packed for a trip that would carry us through three cruises back to back to back. We drove north to Glenview, outside Chicago, and checked into the Baymont Inn and Suites for the night, a park-sleep-fly stop so we could leave the car there and catch a shuttle to the airport in the morning.
There was no pool or restaurant stop, just getting settled by nine and the kids into bed early. We had an early start ahead of us the next day.
Flight #1. New York here we come. Then on to San Juan.
One more flight.
On the shuttle to our next gate.
When your sister gets upgraded to first class and you are in Comfort Plus, the flight attendant hooks you up with all of the snacks.
We're here!!!!
Enjoying the hotel pool. We can see the cruise port from our room and should have a good view of the Disney Wonder when it arrives tomorrow morning.
The water is cold. Hence, I am not in there. They don't seem to mind.
Bar food at the hotel for dinner because it is windy and pouring rain. The kids gave their pizzas two thumbs up and this club sandwich was fabulous. Not sure what happened to Michael's cheeseburger. I believe it was inhaled.
We left home Friday evening at 5:00 for the Baymont Inn & Suites in Glenview, a park-sleep-fly stop before the trip. A taxi got us to O'Hare by 4:55 the next morning. The gate agent upgraded Kathy, Lisa and Thomas to Comfort Plus, and I flew first class; the flight attendant moved Lisa up to sit with me for the flight to JFK. We connected there, and the landing in San Juan was bumpy in high winds.
A taxi took us to the Hyatt House beside the Pan American Pier, all four of us in matching shirts that said we were going on a Disney cruise. We stopped for a family photo in front of a Puerto Rico welcome sign. At the hotel we cooled off in the pool, though it was cold and it started to rain after twenty minutes. Dinner was at the hotel bar: a cheeseburger for me, pizzas for the kids, a turkey club for Kathy, then foosball and pool with Thomas before the kids were in their pajamas and ready for bed by nine.
Ready to get this Mickey party started. Lisa is sporting our embarkation shirts. It's so nice, we're doing it thrice!
The view from our hotel window. There she is. Front and center. Looks like a good day for a walk to the ship. Have luggage. Will schlep.
Woot!!!
Our home for the next 14 days.
We woke up in our San Juan hotel and got into our matching Back to Back to Back cruise shirts. After breakfast, Thomas played foosball in the lobby while we finished packing. From our window we caught our first look at the Wonder sitting at the pier.
We checked our boarding passes and made our way to the cruise terminal, joining the crowd waiting to check in. Around noon we walked up to the Welcome Aboard tent and stepped onto the ship for the first time.
Inside, we found the atrium and the world map table, then let the kids show us around a little. We walked through the Oceaneer Club, past the Toy Story playroom and the Marvel Super Hero Academy, and into the Animator's Studio, where Lisa sat down at the drawing table. We had our first lunch aboard, mac and cheese with ham and green beans, then checked into our stateroom.
In the afternoon we went up to the pool deck for the sail-away party, with the crowd gathered around the big screen as the Wonder pulled away from San Juan. An ASL interpreter signed the whole party from the edge of the stage. We stood at the rail and watched the skyline go by.
Back in the cabin that evening, our stateroom host had left a towel animal folded on the bed next to the room keys.
Shirley Heights and the Block House. Holy windy day Batman. Gorgeous views of Eric Clapton's house. Oprah has a house on the island too.
Antigua
The Wonder called at St. John's from 9:00 in the morning until 4:45 in the afternoon. We started out on deck taking in the harbor as we came in, docked among the fishing boats and cargo ships crowded along the waterfront.
Ashore, the four of us went up to Shirley Heights Lookout. It had started to rain by the time we reached the hillside, so we rode a shuttle the rest of the way up to the old fort. From the lookout the whole of English and Falmouth Harbours spread out below us, boats scattered across the water below the hills. Thomas leaned against the stone wall for a look down, and we finally got a shot of all four of us together.
From there the tour brought us down to Nelson's Dockyard, past a stand selling Admiral Nelson's rum punch and under tall palms next to the old naval buildings, before we made our way back to the ship by mid-afternoon.
That night was formal night. We had dinner at Tiana's Place, where Louis the alligator worked the room in his tuxedo while the kids ate in their own black and white. Later we caught The Golden Mickeys and posed for a photo at the step-and-repeat before heading back to the stateroom, where housekeeping had left a towel animal waiting on the bed.
We were in the gift shop last night and all I heard was a scream of, "Mom!!! Eddisson is here." My kids' most favorite cast member ever was transferred from the Magic where we sailed with him in Europe back in June to the Wonder. He remembered all of our names and gave us the biggest hug. He made the kids promise to come see him every day. You sling pins and stuffed animals. I don't think dragging them in there will be an issue. And this is why we cruise with Disney. The people make it great. I hope he is here next year when we sail the Panama Canal itinerary. My kids would be over the moon.
Last night was formal night and the Golden Mickeys. My crew cleans up pretty well. We had a great time bouncing between all of the photo sets, eating at the new Tiana's Place (hello yumminess) and attending the Golden Mickeys. The show was beautifully interpreted by the ASL interpreters as was the show in Tiana's. Today it's off to SNUBA in beautiful St. Lucia and add a magnet to our collection, a tradition for our first visit to any country. It's getting pretty extensive.
Good Morning from beautiful St. Lucia.
Thomas loved SNUBA. Lisa loved collecting shells and some sand for her science teacher.
Life is better in the ocean.
The Wonder was alongside at Castries by eight in the morning, and I had coffee on the verandah while Kathy took in the view of the harbor before we got moving.
Ashore, we went to Pigeon Island for the morning's Snuba trip, breathing off a surface air line instead of full scuba tanks. Both Lisa and Thomas completed the dive and earned their own SNUBA certificates. By early afternoon we were back on the beach, the gear lined up on the sand, and Lisa came up out of the water holding a conch shell she had found. She and Kathy dried off on the beach a while before we made our way past the welcome sign and back down to the pier.
Back aboard, I spent some time up on the pool deck with the 360 camera while the ship sat at Castries into the afternoon. That evening we had a towel animal waiting in the room, this one wearing a pair of sunglasses. After dinner we caught the evening show, the ventriloquist Taylor Mason. He called Thomas up on stage with his penguin puppet, to the whole theater's delight. Later I went out on deck and caught the ship's lit funnel against the dark.
A full day at sea. I had coffee by the porthole before the ship woke up, then found crew working high near the funnel by the water slide.
At breakfast Pluto, Minnie, Goofy and Mickey each stopped at our table, and Lisa and Thomas got a hug and a photo with every one of them. The pool closed for part of the afternoon, not reopening until six, so we found other ways to fill the time.
At dinner in Animator's Palate we each drew a character on the activity board and watched it come to life on the screen. Lisa put on a paper crown before bed.
Dinner
We are official Disney animators. I love this show at Animator's Pallette.
Pixie Dusted by our stateroom attendant last night while we were at dinner. Lisa had Frozen sheets on her bed. Thomas was surprised to find The Good Dinosaur on his. Yes folks. It's the special touches that keep me coming back. Nobody does it better than Disney.
Good Morning from Bonaire! Today's excursion is snorkeling off the uninhabited island of Klein Bonaire, known as one of the best dive/snorkeling destinations in the world.
We're on a Siamese sailing ship! We tendered from the pier to the ship in an inflatable Zodiac. How cool! Making memories with my people.
Simply gorgeous day. The Samur is an awesome vessel and we had fun snorkeling in Klein Bonaire. Now back to the ship for lunch and pool time before Pirate Night and fireworks at sea. It's 82 degrees here
The Wonder called at Kralendijk, Bonaire, from 8:00 in the morning to 4:45 in the afternoon. Ashore we boarded a wooden sailboat for the day's port adventure, the Samur Sail, Beach and Snorkel tour, 8:45 to 11:45. The kids sat up front on the towel-piled benches while the crew raised the orange sails, and we watched Klein Bonaire's turquoise water slide by. Kathy and I had drinks once we anchored.
Back aboard the Wonder we had lunch out on deck, looking down over Kralendijk's harbor and its rows of yellow and orange buildings along the water.
Thursday was Pirate Night. Up on deck Thomas got to meet Captain Hook and Mr. Smee, both in full pirate rig with Bonaire in the background. Lisa dressed up in a ruffled blouse for dinner, going along with the evening's "Pirate or Cruise Casual" attire. After dinner we caught Marcus Monroe's juggling show before the Pirates IN The Caribbean deck party started up on Deck 9, an ASL interpreter signing it from the side of the stage. Back in the stateroom a fresh towel animal was waiting on the door, and the moon came up bright over the water as the Wonder sailed on toward Aruba.
Good Morning from Oranjestad, Aruba. It took me 6 days, but I finally grabbed a sunrise shot. Today we are off to an all-inclusive resort for swimming, beach time, water slides, zip lining, banana boat rides in the ocean and a Sea Trek helmet dive. The weather forecast is sunny, windy and 82 degrees. We are in port until 1:45 tomorrow morning! Time to grab breakfast and wake up my "I Hate Mornings" crew. Tomorrow is a sea day. They can sleep in.
Beautiful day at De Palm Island.
My view today. Aruba gets two thumbs up from this traveler and her crew. All of us LOVED the Sea Trek helmet dive. Pictures coming as soon as we can upload them from my laptop back on the ship. De Palm Island is a winner in our book. What a fun island paradise.
Tonight's dinner rotation finds us back in Tiana's Place. Love the Crawfish Crooners live band and the atmosphere here. My new favorite restaurant.
Beignets with chocolate espresso dipping sauce. Delish!
The Wonder called at Oranjestad, from 8:00 in the morning to 4:45 in the afternoon. Ashore, we spent the day at De Palm Island on the Beach and Snorkeling tour, 8:15 to 3:15. The kids started at the water park and then took turns on the bungee trampoline and the zip line strung out over the beach.
In the late morning the whole family went down together on a Sea Trek helmet dive, walking along the sea floor in the diving helmets while fish swam past the glass. Lisa got to hold a hermit crab that one of the guides handed her. Afterward we cooled off in the shallow water along the beach before heading back to the ship.
That night at dinner a couple of costumed dancers came through the dining room, in keeping with the evening's Coco theme, and posed for a photo with Lisa. Dinner was prime rib. Back in the stateroom a towel animal was waiting for us, and Thomas found his bunk decorated with a Happy Birthday banner.
Dinner
Another day at sea. In the evening the ship's photographer took portrait after portrait of us: formal wear in front of a blue backdrop, casual shots in our navy Disney Cruise Line shirts, and a pirate-costume set left over from the same sitting.
Somewhere in the middle of it all we caught a shot on deck with the sun going down behind us. Kathy picked up a framed print that read 'It All Started With A Cruise, 2018' as a keepsake.
Later that night we passed a poster for that evening's show, a magician named Marcus Monroe.
383 pictures taken of our family by the shipboard photographers over 7 days. Worth the $300 we paid for unlimited hi-res digital images? Absolutely! Be still my heart. I love my people. These are a few of my favorites. There are so many more. The final cut will be tough.
The Wonder returned to San Juan and we headed ashore in the morning, wearing our matching "Back 2 Back 2 Back" shirts for this middle leg of the trip. In Old San Juan we stopped at a plaza fountain, posed with one of the street performers dressed as a living statue, and walked past the row of bronze president statues near the Capitol building.
At Castillo San Cristobal we climbed up onto the fort's walls and lookout towers for the view over the bay and the old city. Lisa filled out a Junior Ranger booklet and a park ranger swore her in and pinned on her badge. We finished the morning by a statue group down along the bay wall.
Part 2 of 3 ⚓ Cruise 2/4/2018 – 2/8/2018
shipASL interpreters: ASL interpreter 1 (name unknown), ASL interpreter 2 (name unknown)
Ship friends: Thomas (photographer, first sailing together)
Crew: Captain Robert Olmer · Natalie Bailey (cruise director)
Our dining team: Harry (server)
Stateroom: 2079 · 10B - Deluxe Inside
Firsts: first time in the U.S. Virgin Islands
Good Morning from beautiful San Juan, Puerto Rico. These are the views you get at 6 a.m. We are back in port and half-way through our vacation. Seven days have flown right by and so many incredible memories have been made. Today we are taking a private tour of the forts and Old San Juan before re-boarding the Wonder for our 4-night re-positioning itinerary. St. Thomas tomorrow, a day at sea, Castaway Cay (Disney's private Bahamian island) and then Port Canaveral, Florida.
We are back on the ship after a tour of Old San Juan and Fort San Cristobal. I'm glad we took a tour. There are over 400 of us doing the back-to-back. It took awhile to process everyone off the boat and back on again. We walked off and came back on without any waiting. It was easy peasy. The kids also earned junior ranger pins and certificates at the fort by completing an activity book. Sneaking in some education. What a fun day!
Who ate the centers out of an entire basket of dinner rolls? The Carb Queen. Another night of delicious fare at Tiana's Place. Bring on the Crawfish Crooners.
We boarded the Disney Wonder in San Juan for the second leg of the trip, this one a relocation cruise straight to Port Canaveral. The ship sailed at 5:00 pm.
Lisa and Thomas signed in at the kids' club soon after we got settled, in between a first lunch onboard. They went through the Marvel Super Hero Academy, watched a Lion Guard show, and got to meet one of the characters afterward.
That evening we had donuts for a treat, and came back to the stateroom to find the first towel animals of the cruise waiting for us on the bed, wearing sunglasses.
Dinner
Good Morning from sunny St. Thomas! Off to Maegan's Bay for some beach time.
Beautiful St. Thomas.
Beautiful views.
Pictures don't do this island justice. What a great day of fun in the sun.
I have taught her well. We dip our fries in mayonnaise.
Patiently waiting for the pool to open.
Goodbye St. Thomas. We are pulling out of port now. Tomorrow is a day at sea on our way to Castaway Cay on Wednesday!
The Wonder was already docked at St. Thomas by 7:00 am, and the harbor came into view early, red-roofed buildings and sailboats sitting still in the marina.
After breakfast we caught an open-air safari bus up into the hills to Drake's Seat, the overlook where you can see the whole curve of Magens Bay laid out below. We got the family photo everyone takes there, Thomas and Lisa sitting on the rock wall with the water behind them, and I tried a panorama to fit all of it in one frame.
From Drake's Seat we came back down to Magens Bay itself and spent the rest of the morning on the beach. Lisa flexed for the camera the second she hit the sand, and later buried herself up to her shoulders while Thomas waded out into the turquoise water and got caught in a few waves along with her. I wrote our name in the sand under a palm tree. Kathy got the four of us together for one photo out in the water before we packed up.
We stopped for a family photo at the St. Thomas welcome sign near the port on the way back, and grabbed a snack for the ride. The Wonder pulled away from St. Thomas around 3:30 that afternoon.
That night was Pirate Night, with everyone asked to dress up in pirate gear or cruise casual for dinner and the deck party after. There was a towel animal waiting for us in the room when we got back, a little dragon curled up on the bed.
A quiet day at sea aboard the Disney Wonder, our one full day between St. Thomas and Castaway Cay. In the afternoon there was a deck game going on down in the atrium, with kids taking part on a red mat while a crowd leaned over the railings on several decks above to watch.
That evening the show was Frozen: A Musical Spectacular, and I caught Kathy and Lisa together beforehand.
Ready to rock this 5K!
The course was beautiful and the rain held off until after we crossed the finish line. Now it's pouring. Lisa came in 6 minutes faster than I did and I beat my goal time by 8 minutes. I'm proud of us both
An overcast day and our jet ski excursion was cancelled. It's still paradise and we'll be back here on Saturday for a do-over . Fingers are crossed for warm breezes and sunny skies. It's hard to believe we've been on the Disney Wonder for 10 days. Only 4 more sleeps until we are back to reality. No!!!!
Well, that turned around quickly. The sun decided to make an appearance. What a beautiful day.
The Disney Wonder called at Castaway Cay from 9:30 am to 4:45 pm, docked right at the island's own pier. Kathy and Lisa ran the Castaway Cay 5K in the morning, race bibs 34655 and 34654, and came back with medals to show off before we had even properly started the day.
After the race we walked the island together, stopped for pictures with Olaf, and caught part of a dance party with the characters out on the dock. Thomas and Lisa posed with the big Mickey and Donald heads on the beach too.
In the afternoon we settled onto the sand. Lisa waded in the shallow water with a bucket, and I spent a while doing nothing much in a beach chair. Kathy got some photos of the Wonder from the beach before we headed back for sail away.
By the time we cleared the pier it was dark, and the ship's lights were the last we saw of Castaway Cay for this stop.
The Disney Wonder returned to Port Canaveral this morning, ending our four days at sea. We cleared out of the stateroom and walked off the ship to close out this leg before the day's next adventure.
No one stopped to photograph the walk down the gangway, so this page is text only for now.
Part 3 of 3 ⚓ Cruise 2/8/2018 – 2/11/2018
shipASL interpreters: ASL interpreter 1 (name unknown), ASL interpreter 2 (name unknown)
Ship friends: Tyler (photographer), Eddisson (shops, 3rd sailing together, first in 2017)
Crew: Captain Robert Olmer · Natalie Bailey (cruise director)
Our dining team: Harry (server)
Stateroom: 2079 · 10B - Deluxe Inside
Off the boat and getting our learn on.
Napping at NASA. So not a morning person.
It's been 4 years since we walked through the ears. Embarkation is extra special in Port Canaveral. Miami, San Juan and Copenhagen just don't compare.
We got off our last cruise early that morning, and before boarding the Wonder we spent the day at Kennedy Space Center. Lisa, Thomas, Kathy and I wore matching Space Center shirts and had our photo taken by the big NASA globe sign at the entrance.
Inside we tried the photo booths, floating with a space shuttle backdrop and posing in astronaut suit cutouts. I sat down at a recreation of Mercury Mission Control. The bus tour took us out past the launch pads and the Vehicle Assembly Building to the Apollo/Saturn V Center, where a real Saturn V rocket is laid out end to end and you can walk underneath its five huge engines. Thomas tried on a kid-sized astronaut helmet, and we looked at capsule replicas from the early space program.
The family boarded the Disney Wonder in Port Canaveral that afternoon, and the ship sailed at 4:00 pm. Once we were settled in, a towel animal was waiting for us in the stateroom.
4th time at Atlantis and the first time we've seen sun!!!
He just made the height requirement and loved his day without a life jacket on the huge slides.
Such a gorgeous day spent in paradise with my favorite people. Deep water dolphin pics are coming soon. I've said it often and I'll say it again. The training and development years were tough. The payoff is two kids who travel the world like pros.
Farewell Nassau. Up next...Castaway Cay!
The Wonder called at Nassau at 9:30 in the morning. I was up early and walked the ship at sunrise while we came in, then we got off and went straight to Atlantis Paradise Island for the day.
At Dolphin Cay we all got in the water for the dolphin encounter we had booked. I got towed along holding onto the dolphin's fin, Lisa and Thomas each got their own ride and a hug from one, and Kathy took her turn too. Afterward the four of us posed together with the dolphin for a family photo before we toweled off.
We spent the rest of the day at the Aquaventure water park at Atlantis: hot dogs and fries for lunch on the patio, then walking the grounds past the waterfall grotto and under the arch at the Royal Towers, where we stopped for family photos. We were back aboard by 5:15 pm and watched the resort go by from the ship.
That evening was Pirate Night. Lisa was at dinner with the costumed crew, and later I was out on deck for the party after dark.
20,000 steps per day helps justify all of this food. It doesn't help that our server extraordinaire Harry brings us desserts from other restaurants. He knows my love of strawberry shortcake sundaes from Triton's and Michael's preference for beignets from Tiana's Place.
Nothing beats a Castaway Cay sunrise. Yes! It's sunny today! Beach and bike rentals, here we come.
Thomas was chosen as the Honorary Officer for the pin trading event last night. Several hundred kids onboard and he earned the role. He was nominated by his favorite cast member Eddisson on the merchandise team. He stood proudly alongside the ship's officers and rocked it. I received so many compliments on his demeanor and manners. The senior officer said Thomas was the best-dressed Honorary Officer they have had. We convinced him that wearing his suit made him look official and commanded respect from the audience. My mama heart was bursting with pride.
The Disney Wonder called at Castaway Cay, from 8:30 am to 4:45 pm. Breakfast came to the stateroom first, eggs and bacon and strawberries, eaten looking out at the water as the island came into view.
Once ashore we posed at the gate under the "No Guests Beyond This Point" sign, then found the "Captain Bob Iger Shrimp Distributors" sign for another family photo. A walk along the nature trail boardwalk gave us a view back across the mangroves to the ship anchored offshore.
We had a private cabana at the family beach, all day. The kids waded in the shallow water on the rented floats while the rest of us stayed on the sand.
Back aboard after the ship pulled away at 4:45, we dressed for a formal dinner and had dessert at Tiana's. We had photos taken against a ship backdrop and with Goofy in the atrium. Later Thomas met a group of the ship's officers near the Walt Disney Theatre, where one of them put a medal around his neck and made him an honorary officer for the evening's pin trading, a big deal to him, and the evening ended with a photo lined up with the whole group.
Dinner
Disney Cruise Line's newest Platinum Castaway Club member. 10 cruises under her belt in 6 years. Up next, 14 nights on the Wonder voyage from Port Canaveral, FL to San Diego, CA through the Panama Canal next February. Woot!!!
Well, it just got real. We are on the bus heading to the airport. Back to the land of snow and cold.
Until we meet again. Let the countdown begin!
The husband's view in first class vs. my view in coach. He gets drinks. At least my seat mates are awesome.
The Disney Wonder was back in Port Canaveral early, and we had Mickey waffles for one last breakfast on board before heading out. The family drove from Port Canaveral to Orlando and flew to Chicago O'Hare by way of Atlanta. The kids did some schoolwork on the plane. Coming in over Lake Michigan the ice below was cracked into long dark lines.
