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Disney Wonder: fresh from a makeover that added three age-specific areas, Disney Cruise Line's second vessel is an even more wonderful choice for both families and adults.

Article Excerpt
You're going on the Disney Wonder without kids in tow? Why?" exclaimed a friend, who seemed almost alarmed--as if she had seen a mouse.

She was merely expressing the perception held by many that Mickey Mouse's cruise line, a leader in the family cruise business, is a natural choice for those vacationing with children--and it is indeed ideal for families, attracting a very healthy number of them, routinely 1,000-1,100 children per voyage.

But I, who had previously sailed on both Disney Cruise Line ships--the Disney Magic and the Disney Wonder--know the ships are also great for adults sans children. Inspired by the elegant ocean liners of the 1920s, with elongated black hulls, twin red funnels, and yellow scrollwork and lifeboats (Mickey's colors), both ships have separate areas for families with children and for adults.

"I meet many guests who confess they are without Children and loving it," said Kara Calla, cruise director. "We have everyone covered." Adult passengers, she added, cite the themed nights and the piano bar in the ship's adult entertainment district as big favorites. And what is not generally known--kind of like a magician's secret--is that those adults-only areas, which are by the way, handsomely decorated, in Art Nouveau-style with fine blond woods, are (drum roll!) generally uncrowded.

For instance, on many occasions during our recent four-night Disney Wonder Bahamas cruise, my husband and I had adults-only lounges, like Cove Cafe and Diversions, practically all to ourselves--and they were far from crowded the rest of the time. Staff at both lounges--two of the three new age-specific areas added during the ship's fall 2004 makeover--got to know us and our beverage preferences, something one expects only on upscale vessels.

The Cove Cafe on Deck 9--located next to the Quiet Cove, the adult pool with two whirlpools, a blissful area where we never had a problem finding a deck chair--is a pleasant lounge we often retreated to after a stroll on the promenade (Deck 4), which encircles the ship, and after hours in the tropical sun. The Cove Cafe is perfect for enjoying gourmet coffees and specialty drinks, and for reading, socializing, watching television, surfing the web, and accessing e-mail.

Diversions, in the ship's adults-only Route 66 entertainment district on Deck 3, is...