by Sean McCumber

As we boarded the Disney Wonder on December 21, 2014, we were set for a Christmas adventure to Cozumel and Castaway Cay. The Wonder was bedecked for the Very Merrytime Cruise theme this year, and the joy of the season filled the ship. The one thing I have always wanted to do was take a tour of the bridge. But that experience only comes along when Tink shakes a lot of fairy dust. Truly, a bridge tour is not impossible, but neither is it guaranteed. So, after spending Christmas Day on Castaway Cay, which was an absolute dream (no pun intended) when spent in a private cabana, I was shocked when one of our cruise buddies shouted, “Can you be ready in 15 minutes? They just called me and told me we’re getting a bridge tour!!”

I wasn’t sure I believed him. But just in case, I rushed to the shower to freshen up and grab a camera. We strolled up to Deck 8 Forward and waited. And waited. And waited. I began to believe that we would not be seeing the bridge. We checked both sides of the corridors, just to make sure that we did not miss someone … and there we found Tannith, one of the bridge crew, who ushered us through an “authorized personnel only” door to meet Kevin, a bridge officer. Turns out that Captain Guus Verhulst opened his bridge to our party of seven, and to my amazement, Kevin obligingly offered, “Take all the pictures you want.”

Our little group was warmly welcomed. All of the bridge officers smiled and wished us a happy holiday. Not one moment was rushed. Of course, everyone knows that the thing to see is where the horn is. It has its own special place on the main console and it just begs to be pressed. (No one pressed it for fear of being ushered out of this magical experience). Kevin explained the way the horn works and everything that goes into making the big announcements.

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