7-Night Southern Caribbean Cruise from San Juan

By Michael

The Disney Wonder called at St. George's from 7:00 am to 4:45 pm, and we spent eight hours touring the island. The first stop was Fort Frederick, high on the hill above the harbor. The mountain road up to it looked back down on the ship, and from the fort's walls we could see the whole town with the Wonder beyond it.

By Michael

Before going ashore in Bridgetown, Lisa and Thomas met Captain Hook and Mr. Smee, Pluto, Chip and Dale, and Daisy Duck. The Disney Wonder was in port from 7:00 am to 4:45 pm, and we took a 4x4 tour of the island with a monkey encounter, riding out to the Barbados Wildlife Reserve in an open-air Island Safari truck.

At the Barbados Wildlife Reserve the first monkey sighting was only the beginning: by the end of the tour we had probably seen 200 monkeys in the reserve alone. Deer, tortoises and peacocks wandered among the visitors, and it was possible to get within a few inches of the monkeys, close enough to touch, though everyone was advised not to. At feeding time one monkey let Lisa film him eating from less than a foot away, and a mother monkey stayed very protective of her baby. The tortoises came right up onto the brick paths, close enough to photograph face to face. The reserve also has a giant python, 20 feet long and 300 pounds, along with other snakes, turtles, an iguana, parrots, a duck pond and a large bird exhibit.

The tour finished on the east coast of Barbados, where we stood on the grass looking out at the big rock formations offshore. Back on the ship that evening, the kids ran into Buzz Lightyear ahead of the night's show, Toy Story: The Musical, at the Walt Disney Theatre.

By Michael

The Disney Wonder called at Fort-de-France, from 7:00 am to 4:45 pm, and the family went snorkeling at Anse Noire. We went out by tour boat in life vests, threading past hills before the cove opened up: sheer black cliffs and sea caves cut into the rock on both sides, the water turquoise underneath. We swam into the caves and back out. Kathy found a starfish in the shallows and we passed it around in a bucket before letting it go. Looking back across the water we could see the Wonder at anchor.

Once we were aboard again I found the ship's Martinique sign for a photo.

By Michael

The Disney Wonder called at St. John's, from 7:00 am to 4:45 pm. Lisa was up early, watching the harbor come into view from the balcony with a toy spyglass. Ashore, the family went to Jolly Beach, a long stretch of white sand with a roped-off swim cove of calm, turquoise water.

Thomas dug in the sand in his red, white and blue swim trunks and gave a thumbs up next to his sandcastle. Kathy and the kids built more sandcastles together with a bucket and shovels while I settled into a beach chair under the shade. Lisa floated out past the swimmers in a clear inner tube. We picked up shells along the water and spread them out to dry on a towel.

On the way back we stopped at the Quay, the shopping area by the pier, and stood the kids in front of the welcome sign for Antigua and Barbuda. Once we were back aboard, St. John's Cathedral, with its two stone towers, was visible from the ship as we pulled away.

That evening Bob turned up on the bed, propped next to the stateroom's towel animals.

By Michael

The Disney Wonder called at Basseterre, from 7:00 am to 4:45 pm, and the family toured St. Kitts. The first stop was Fairview Great House, with its water feature, period bedrooms and a view across the island. Back on the bus, a monkey in a diaper sat on Lisa's head, and then she got to hold it. It went from her to Kathy and then to Thomas, before Lisa held it again.

At Romney Gardens and the Caribelle Batik Studio stands the bell that told enslaved workers when it was time to stop for the day, from the years when St. Kitts was a British slave colony. We watched a woman painting wax patterns in the batik studio. The drive up the mountain to Brimstone Hill Fortress, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, was terrifying, but the fortress was really impressive. The family walked all the way up to the top, where Lisa posed as a British soldier and commanded the troops to fire the cannon. Thomas found his own cannon on the ramparts and threw his arms up.

Back in Old Town Basseterre they bought shirts and magnets before returning to the ship. On board, Mickey's Mates was Lisa's favorite shop. She went every night and spent a little of the $200 she had saved by doing chores and taking cans back to Meijer. On the last day on the ship she and Thomas danced in Friendship Rocks in the Walt Disney Theatre, on stage with Mickey, Minnie and all of the other friends they had made during the week. That evening we went to DREAMS, An Enchanted Classic, the farewell show before sailing to San Juan. A card outside the theatre listed the ship's sign language interpreting services in English, ASL and Spanish.

This was the cruise where interpreters first came into our lives. On one of the bus tours we noticed people at the back of the bus signing, and it was novel to see another deaf person on a Disney vacation. The interpreters noticed us noticing them, and told us Disney Cruise Line would provide an ASL interpreter for Lisa if we asked. It is also where we first met Marco, a deaf fellow traveler we still run into on Disney cruises today.