Sydney and the South Pacific, February 2025

By Michael

We landed at Sydney Airport that morning and dropped our bags at the Holiday Inn Express by the airport, our base for the two nights before the cruise. Then we made our way into Sydney, riding past the city's streets and towers before walking into the Royal Botanic Garden along the harbour.

From Mrs Macquarie's Point we got our first real look at the Opera House and the Harbour Bridge together across the water. We took turns with photos at the sea wall, and Lisa signed I love you in ASL for the camera more than once. The three of us got a shot together with the bridge behind us.

The garden kept giving us things to look at: a huge old fig tree, honeycombed sandstone caves worn smooth by the weather that Lisa climbed into and posed in, a golden orb spider spun into the shrubs, an ibis working the lawn, magpies, and a pair of wood ducks by the pond. We found the carved inscription at Mrs Macquarie's Chair, a statue of a boy pulling a thorn from his foot, a bronze horse and foal, and the Oriental Garden with its bright red gum blossoms. We stopped at an outdoor table for a toasted sandwich, a pastry, and gelato.

In the early afternoon we walked right up to the Opera House steps, watched a big cruise ship slide out under the Harbour Bridge, and passed a pair of lion dancers working the crowd near the quay.

Back near the airport that evening we had dinner at La Boca, steak and gnocchi, before heading back to the Holiday Inn Express for the night.

By Michael

We had breakfast at the hotel, then headed to Darling Harbour and WILD LIFE Sydney Zoo. Lisa posed by the entrance in a pair of painted butterfly wings before we went in. Inside we found echidnas, a Goodfellow's tree kangaroo, wombats, cassowaries and a case of Australian snakes, and Kathy and I stuck our heads inside a giant crocodile's open jaws for a photo. The koalas on the rooftop were dozing right at eye level in the trees.

From the zoo we went next door into Sea Life Sydney Aquarium. We walked through the glass tunnel while sharks and manta rays passed overhead, and Lisa signed 'I love you' for a photo there. We watched the penguins for a while before we headed out.

After lunch we spent the afternoon at Madame Tussauds, posing with Steve Irwin, the royal family, Marilyn Monroe and a room full of superheroes. We wandered up through the city afterward and stopped in the Lego store, where the staff spelled Lisa's name out in bricks on the wall. We went up the Sydney Tower Eye for the view over the harbour and the city before the light started to fade, then passed by the tower again from the street on our way back to the hotel by the airport.

By Michael

We spent the last morning at the hotel packing up, with the city towers and palm trees out the window. Lisa wheeled her suitcase down to a bench on the street while we got ready to head for Circular Quay.

The Disney Wonder was already at the dock, black hull and gold scrollwork, with the Opera House right behind it. We took turns getting photos in front of the ship, walked past a coffee truck and under a Bon Voyage sign, and the ship photographer caught the three of us together just after we came aboard. Our home for the next two weeks was stateroom 6074, a Deluxe Oceanview Stateroom with a Navigator's Verandah.

By Michael

Another day at sea, this one clear enough for a sunrise Lisa caught through the balcony door. Coffee came with Mickey and Minnie drawn in the foam. Lisa went to an animation drawing class and came away with a sketch of Nick Wilde, then we lined up for the Royal Gathering and she met Ariel and Belle.

After lunch I took a turn at Chip It Golf in the atrium while Lisa watched, and we spent the afternoon lounging on the top deck with drinks. Dinner was at Animator's Palate, capped with an ice cream sundae. That night Lisa filled out another ASL interpreter request form for the next day's activities.

By Michael

The Wonder came into Nouméa early, New Caledonia's coast grey under low cloud, cargo ships and red-earth hills sliding past while we had breakfast on board.

We had booked Disney's Best of Nouméa tour, so we met our group in Azure on Deck 3 at a quarter to nine and rode out along the bays, past the container yard and into town, to Aquarium des Lagons around nine. We stayed a long time there: mangrove crabs, seahorses tucked in coral, a tank of jellyfish drifting under blue light, a diver hand-feeding fish in the big reef tank. Lisa laid out a little mosaic of sea glass she found on a table outside. In the open-air lagoon out back we watched green turtles and reef sharks swim right past the glass.

From the aquarium we climbed to Ouen Toro, where paragliders were launching off the ridge and two old coastal guns still point out over the bay. Lisa and I signed I love you for a photo with the harbour behind them.

We walked on to Notre-Dame du Pacifique, the twin-towered church on its own hill, with a grotto of Stations of the Cross and a shrine to Mary looking down over the Wonder in port.

Back aboard for a curry at lunch, then an afternoon by the pool before we sailed. Kathy found a towel animal on the bed. We had asked the ship for ASL interpreting at Lisa's onboard activities that day, including the evening's Emperor's New Game Show. Dinner was at Tiana's Place, where Lisa posed with a frog. We met Mickey Mouse and the Captain before the show.

By Michael

The ship celebrated my birthday today. Guest Services left a note and a Magical Moments certificate for me, along with a birthday pin, and breakfast came with warm sugared doughnuts and a Mickey-shaped latte. Lisa sat at her own table coloring while Kathy and I ate.

We spent the late morning finding character photos. Kathy and I posed with Black Panther near the Disney Theater, and later with Bluey and Bingo. For lunch we had cones from the Eye Scream stand and a burger with fries.

In the afternoon we checked a screen for the crew pin trading schedule and browsed the Disney Cruise Line shirts in the shops. That evening the ship's photographer gave Bob, Lisa's stuffed husky, his own portrait session with her.

We had dinner at Triton's. Lisa and I had our photo taken there and she signed I love you for the camera. The dining room sent out a dessert with a small Happy Birthday card tucked beside it. Afterward, Kathy and Lisa had their picture taken with the ship's senior officers in the atrium.

Housekeeping had made up our room with a heart folded from swan towels, a rose, and a card from the Captain, officers and crew wishing us a happy Valentine's Day. Before bed, Lisa filled out the request form for ASL interpreters at tomorrow's Generation Quest event and the pajama party.

By Michael

We spent the morning at sea, watching the Fiji coast slide into view from the deck, and had a swim in the pool while the Wonder eased into Suva around midday. There was a coffee with a mermaid drawn in the foam.

Kathy stayed near the port to look around Suva, while Lisa and I set off on a tour we had booked on our own, not through Disney. We drove out past Suva's waterfront market and a hillside cemetery, along a river and through green cattle country to Pacific Harbour, then went out by boat to snorkel. The reef was covered in staghorn and plate coral, full of blue and yellow fish, and we even found a crown-of-thorns starfish on one of the coral heads.

The boat brought us back to the dock at Pacific Harbour, and we walked over to Lagoon Resort. The staff welcomed us in, I found the pool with a hibiscus flower tucked behind my ear, and we had a snack looking over the gardens. Because it was not a ship's excursion, I was nervous the whole way back that we would not make it to the ship in time. We made it.

Dinner on the ship was a beet and goat cheese starter, scallops with pea risotto, a soup, and lobster tail with asparagus. Afterward we met Goofy and Pluto in the atrium, then Mickey in his captain's uniform with Donald, posed with a Captain America shield, and had our pictures drawn among the Disney villain sketches on the wall. Lisa filled out her ASL interpreter request forms for the days ahead: Bingo, the boat building bash, an ice cream social, learning to draw Captain Hook.

By Michael

February 16 happened twice for us, the day we crossed the International Date Line. On the first one we started slow, looking out at open water from the cabin window before the pool deck emptied out for the morning. Breakfast came with Disney character art drawn into the coffee foam and a plate of beignets. On the Grand Staircase we met Mickey, Minnie, Donald, Goofy, and Chip and Dale for photos, then found Captain Hook and Mr Smee waiting nearby for more. The afternoon was quiet, open ocean in every direction from the open deck. That evening we dressed up for dinner at Palo, the adults-only Italian restaurant, working through a tomato and cheese starter, bread, soup, gnocchi and a steak before dessert.

By Michael

The Disney Wonder sailed into Pago Pago early, and Kathy's coffee came with Mickey drawn in the foam while the ship worked its way past the container harbor. Once we were ashore, a big blue banner said Talofa, welcome to American Samoa.

Our port adventure was The Village Way of Life, 12:45 to 4:00 pm: an open-air island bus took us out to Fatu-ma-Futi (Flowerpot Rock), then the Leone Missionary Monument, the old capital of Tutuila where Samoa's first missionary, John Williams, came ashore in 1832, then Vila's Village. It rained hard the whole afternoon and we all had ponchos on for most of it. At Flowerpot Rock we walked the shoreline past an enormous old tree and looked over the rocks at the snails and shells while the rock stack sat out in the water. At Leone, the missionary monument's plaque spoke of healing after the 2009 tsunami. At Vila's Village, under an open pavilion, a couple of men gave a craft demonstration, a table of food was laid out, and dancers in traditional dress performed, one of them a young girl Kathy got a photo with.

Back near the pier, a local posed for a photo with Lisa before we reboarded. As we sailed out the green mountains closed back up around the harbor, and the clocks went forward an hour that night. Lisa filled out her ASL interpreter request form for the next few days' onboard activities. That evening we had dinner, met Bluey and Bingo, then Mickey and Donald in their sailor outfits, and Captain Hook and Mr. Smee, and had our portraits taken out on deck under a painted moon.

By Michael

Another full day at sea, this one built around getting dressed up. Kathy's coffee arrived with hearts drawn in the foam to start the morning. Mid-morning the character line was going in the atrium: Mickey, Minnie, Donald, Goofy, Chip and Dale together for one big family photo, and later Lisa got her own turns with Woody and Jessie in the Toy Story room and at the Marvel wall with Wanda and Groot.

I spent part of the afternoon flat on a deck lounger doing nothing at all. That evening we ate at Animator's Palate, its murals shifting color through the meal, working through a beet salad, seared fish, a steak, and a chocolate dessert. Afterward we lined up for family portraits in front of a snow-forest backdrop, ran into Tiana in her green gown in the atrium, and the character line kept going: Mickey, Minnie and Donald in sailor whites, then Pluto, Chip 'n' Dale and Goofy for another round of photos. Later we caught Frozen playing on the pool deck screen.

Kathy watched the sunset from the rail before we turned in. Late that night Lisa filled out the ship's form requesting ASL interpreters for Bluey, crew pin trading and Four Square the next day, and for an ice cream social later in the cruise.

By Michael

Today we crossed the equator. The pool deck sign made it official around midday: King Triton's Royal Trial of Equatorial Passage. Kathy came back later with a certificate for swimming the line.

Lisa had put in a request the night before for ASL interpreters at a couple of today's events, Bluey and Bingo at one o'clock and crew pin trading at half past three. We met Bluey and Bingo on the pool deck stage first, then traded pins with the crew at a counter near the shops. In between we picked up matching shirts and sat for a round of formal portraits, then found Mickey Mouse for one more family photo.

Dinner was at Tiana's Place, where the kitchen sent out a fish course, and the restaurant's own sign lit up the hallway outside afterward. Back in the room, the stateroom host had folded a towel animal next to Bob on the bed.

The night ended on the pool deck for the Crossing the Equator Countdown Party, music and characters on stage, Lisa swimming after dark while the rest of us watched, then fireworks over the water and a costumed group jumping straight into the pool to finish it off.

By Michael

Another day at sea. We did laundry, then had cappuccinos with foam art and beignets at Cove Cafe. On the pool deck a party called Crush's Totally Awesome Pool Party was going, and we all got photos with Mickey, Minnie, Donald and Daisy, plus a round of ring toss on deck.

In the evening we caught the sunset from the open deck, and the ship photographer took our picture by the railing. Dinner was at Triton's: soup, a fish course, risotto and prime rib, finished with dessert. Afterward we sat for a full portrait session in the photo studio, with backdrops of the moon over the water, a starry curtain and a painted Hawaiian sunset, ending on the grand staircase.

Back in the room a towel dog was waiting on the bed, along with the notice for our Sunday customs inspection in Nawiliwili. In the atrium a guitarist in a lei played, and later two drummers and dancers performed. Lisa filled out her ASL interpreter request for tomorrow: the officers' hide and seek, towel folding, pin trading, the family game show, the soccer challenge and the comedy magician.

I finished the night on deck with a couple of new friends, tossing a glowing ball around by the pool in the dark.

By Michael

Another day at sea, and Lisa had ASL interpretation lined up for most of it. We started with cappuccinos, Ariel drawn in the foam, and a plate of beignets at Cove Cafe. Goofy left Lisa a paper cutout of the sign for I love you, signed and dated, to go with her request for the officers' hide and seek.

That hide and seek ran mid-morning: the officers lined up on a stage with a green backdrop, then guests found them scattered around the ship, some in costume, including one in a banana suit, and we stopped to meet Belle along the way. After that came the Boat Building Bash, where Lisa built a boat and earned a certificate, and we ran into Mickey too. I got my own moment with Donald Duck.

In the afternoon we watched a towel folding demonstration, the shapes going from a simple fold to an elephant. Lisa also had ASL set up for crew pin trading and the evening's Family Time Game Show, Soccer Game Challenge and the Adam Dean comedy magic show.

Dinner brought shrimp and pasta, a salad and a parfait for dessert, and a photo with Rachelle, one of the ship's photographers. Before bed, Lisa filled out the next day's ASL request: the Diaper Dash, napkin folding and a ukulele lesson.

By Michael

Our last full sea day before Kauai. Kathy's coffee came with Mickey's face drawn into the foam, and we saw the track for Jack-Jack's Diaper Dash laid out in the atrium below; Lisa had ASL interpretation lined up for it. At noon we watched a napkin folding class, the napkins going from a simple fold to a lily, another activity on Lisa's ASL request.

Midday the atrium turned into a dance party, with Minnie, Daisy, Mickey, Goofy, Chip and Dale out in Hawaiian shirts and dresses, and a crowd packed onto every level of the staircase. Lisa also had ASL set up for a ukulele lesson and for the 1820 Society farewell and game challenge later on.

Dinner brought a seafood course, and Lisa wore her Beignet All Day t-shirt to the table. A rabbit-eared towel animal was waiting in the room, and our pin trading collection was laid out on the table.

That evening we thanked our photographer Ayush with one of our own Rennhack Family Magical Moment cards, the ones I make for each cruise to give the crew who make it special, and traded I love you signs with him. Jenna and Alex were the two ASL interpreters who signed for Lisa most of that week. Lisa had ASL set up for a storytelling session too, and we caught the Crew Talent Show at the Walt Disney Theatre before ending the night with friends under the stage lights.

By Michael

We docked at Nawiliwili on Kauai this morning. We were booked on the Wailua River Cruise and Fern Grotto Tour, a 10 am departure from Deck 3 Forward. We rode out to Wailua River Marina and boarded one of Smith's riverboats for the trip upriver. Lisa signed I love you for a picture on the ride out.

At the Fern Grotto we walked the jungle path past bamboo, red ginger and broad philodendron leaves to the amphitheater, a lava rock wall hung with ferns. A trio of local musicians played and sang there while we looked around. Kathy and Lisa posed together at the grotto entrance, and I got a few pictures of myself among the red ginger.

The boat brought us back to the marina, and from there we drove up to the Wailua Heritage Trail overlook at Opaekaa Falls, with its view down the river valley to the falls. A flock of wild Kauai chickens had the picnic area and parking lot there to themselves.

Back near the ship we had lunch, a burger and fries, and did some shopping in Nawiliwili. That evening we had dinner onboard, served by I Gede Eka, with lobster tail and apple pie a la mode for dessert. Afterward we ran into costumed characters near the elevators, a pirate among them, and stopped for pictures before the Wonder sailed on toward Oahu.

By Michael

The Disney Wonder pulled into Honolulu Harbor at sunrise, and from the ship we could see Aloha Tower and the whole downtown skyline turn gold. Lisa was up early, and out on deck she signed I love you before the sun was properly up. We had one last breakfast onboard, Mickey waffles for Lisa and a fruit plate, with a coffee that had Moana drawn into the foam.

We said goodbye to the ship under a Welcome Back sign in the terminal, past a hula dancer statue and our tagged bags waiting on the pier.