Its not exactly "luxury travel" but we just returned from a 3 day Disney Wonder cruise to the Bahamas and I know at least 1 or 2 people on this board were interested in how it was. So here's my 2 cents:
we went with 35 relatives (DH and I, my 6 brothers and sisters and their families and 11 members of my cousin's family) and we had a blast! The ship is beautiful and has quite a few unusual characteristics in addition to the roving characters. They shoot off fireworks from the deck one night which I was told is unique to Disney's ships.
There were, as you would expect, droves of kids but we found a number of spots on the ship that were relatively quiet and kid-free. So you could partake of the hub bub and enjoy the little ones' excitement or you could get away with out any effort.
They have a kiddie pool, a family pool and an adults only pool. There were a number of bars/clubs/cocktail lounges. I was really kind of surprised at how many but I didn't actually count them.
We were in a balcony stateroom which felt kind of small. It had a split bathroom (WC and shower separate) and altho this may be a convenience it also has the effect of making each side really tiny and somewhat tough to manuever in. But for 3 days it was not a problem. I have recently returned from a Princess "down under" for 11 days and was in a suite so this may have impacted the feeling of smallness on this ship.
I never once saw our room steward so I have to say he did a great job of apparently anticipating when we would be gone and when we would return.
The service was hands down the friendliest at sea in my opinion. I have sailed Silversea and Regent, well known for their customer service (as well as RCCL and Princess)and of course that is apples and oranges for the overall trip but I truly enjoyed each and every encounter with staff on the Disney ship both on the ship and ashore. I cannot say the same of any other line but to be fair this was the shortest cruise I have ever been on so I guess fewer opportunities to run into the rude or unhelpful individual. Nevertheless I stick to my statement, everyone on the Disney Wonder seemed genuinely happy to assist with whatever you wanted.
The shows were excellent and the theater was a sufficent size to accomodate everyone who wanted to go without problem.
The dining experience is unparalleled in cruising I think. It is traditional with a twist: each night you and your party go to a different restaurant but your servers and table #s remain the same. So you get the advantage of a waiter who knows what you drink and how you like your food prepared but have a different ambiance and menu each night. And for a mass market ship, the food was very good. They also had the usual buffet and pool grill and pizza.
Disney's private island was fantastic as only Disney can do it. Capt Jack Sparrow, sunken pirate ships and all. There is an adults only beach but we didn't go there. There was an abundance of loungers and hammocks. The beach servers were very efficient. The lifeguards were everywhere so no worries about the little ones.
So if you are kid friendly, this is great trip. It was fabulous the way they accommodated our large group. I would certainly recommend it for family reunions or a trip with the kids/grandkids that everyone can enjoy.

Thanks for your review! It does sound like a great family reunion choice.

Cheers, Anne

Thanks much Helen - it sounds like you really had a good time! We are excited to be taking our first Disney Wonder cruise this October and then going on Disney Magic in May 2008 cruising from Florida to California through the Panama Canal!

We realize there will be children on board, but there are many places for adults only and we love Disney! :banana:

Thanks Helen! Disney is definitely in our future at some point so it's good to know what it was like. Did you get to eat at Palo?

Masaki

No Masaki we didn't get to Palo and didn't even meet anyone who did. When there are only 3 nights and there are 3 rotating restaurants, I don't know how you would do it. I would have loved to but just not enough time. We all said it was too short but at the same time, aren't they all?! You really must take your little girl, it was really so much fun to see the little ones so excited and awestruck!
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Helen

To dine at Palo you miss one night of the rotation restaurants for a 3 nts cruise.

Also, you need to make a reservation ahead of time for Palo (as it fills up fast). Palo also offers a wonderful brunch and an afternoon tea certain days of the week on the longer cruises! ;)

Thanks for the info! Yes, if we ever get to Disney, Palo will definitely have to be one of the nights. :)

Masaki