REVIEW: Royal Caribbean’s first The Wiggles cruise from Sydney to Vanuatu was — mostly — a wiggly success

It’s a wonderful time of the evening when the child is in bed and the husband and I get the chance to chat, uninterrupted, about the stuff we’ve been meaning to say to each other all day. It was during one of those 8pm chats that a bottle of red was opened. And it was during that bottle of red that we decided “Bugger it, she’s only going to be a kid once”. And it was during a subsequent phone call to a travel agent that we were absolutely sure we wanted to part with our cash. And that’s how the three of us ended up singing Hot Potato on a cruise ship next to Henry the Octopus and Dorothy the Dinosaur 18 months later. We used to be cool. Now we are on Royal Caribbean’s Anthem of the Seas, with Dorothy, Henry, Wags the Dog and Captain Feathersword and thousands of cruise passengers, for an eight-night Wiggles-themed cruise from Sydney to Vanuatu in November. Many hundreds of young children with questionable personal hygiene occupying the same space for nine whole days. What can possibly go wrong? We boarded at Sydney Harbour, noticing our three-year-old appeared to be one of only a handful of children dressed as a Wiggle. The branding was subtle — no “Wiggles” logo on the side of the ship, no high-fives from the characters while boarding — in fact very little to say we were on the right ship. In many ways this felt a tad like a missed opportunity, slightly dampening the first-day excitement — this was definitely not a Disney cruise. But with 14 Wiggles-themed events spread over the next week or so, there would be more than enough to keep a three-year-old busy, which might be a relief for those hoping for something a little less full-on. What made this a Wiggles cruise? Sail away parties are the best way to get in the mood at the start of the holiday. The Wiggles-led party was a total fever dream. It was almost an hour of Dorothy the Dinosaur on the decks spinning doof-doof versions of bangers including The Wheels On The Bus, Fruit Salad and Hot Potato. The other characters bopped around by the pool with the kiddos and we were introduced to the “Wiggly Friends” — performers dressed in Wiggles gear who got the crowd revved up. For those who hadn’t booked for the Wiggles stuff (and there were a few), there was a “normal” sail away set of party music. I might also point out the actual Wiggles were not present on this cruise, nor were they advertised as part of it. We did, however, get the costumed characters, Wags the Dog, Dorothy the Dinosaur and Henry the Octopus, and Captain Feathersword may not have been the bloke we’re used to on the TV show but he was a remarkably good impersonator (so good we initially thought his voice was a recording!) Two “green Wiggles” were also fantastic and were polished professionals, even managing to handle a young stage invader during their inaugural live show. Two Wiggly Disco Parties were also offered during the cruise. Like an extension of the sail away party, held on a sports court in the SeaPlex, they were a great chance for the kids to burn off some energy and get up close to the characters. Other events included a “dance class” with Dorothy, which even included a signed certificate sent to the room for the kids — a very sweet touch. There were also several photo opportunities, which were a 30-second chance to get some happy snaps with the characters. Hot tip: Arrive early for these, because the queues grew very quickly and those at the back missed out because of the strict half-hour time slot. There were also a handful of paid events, where guests copped an extra fee to take part. We didn’t want to fork out $100 to have the characters visit our table during breakfast, and we heard it wasn’t worth the fee, especially since brekkie was already included in our cruise fee). The same applied for the cupcake decorating class with Dorothy which was another $100 for two of us to decorate a cupcake. Yes, it’s a chance to get a more private audience with the Wiggles characters, but perhaps a little on the pricey side. Then there was the grand finale I wish I didn’t have to talk about — the Wiggly Family Balloon Drop. More on that later. The destinations We didn’t book this cruise to visit anywhere in particular, but we were treated to stops at Noumea, Port Vila and Mystery Island. All three destinations were picture-perfect, offering snorkelling and beaches. Because of damage from the Port Vila earthquake in 2024, tender boats were used to get passengers to the port. It resulted in long waits to get on and off, but it was worth it. We booked a Waterfalls Beach Escape which included a drive and a short walk to Mele Cascades which offered a rare moment away from the ship’s party vibe. Then, a visit to a beach on the way back was like stepping into a Microsoft screensaver. Palms, white sand and glassy water — even the chance to spot a dugong if you’re lucky. The food Like most passengers, we made the mistake of hitting up the Windjammer restaurant for breakfast on the first morning, which was not the place to be if you don’t like it too busy. The main dining rooms were much quieter, with table service taking away the mess of having to tag team going to the buffet so your little one isn’t left unattended. We barely needed to pay for a speciality meal, but when we did, Wonderland was excellent at keeping our daughter entertained. Think Heston Blumenthal meets Alice in Wonderland, with meals resembling works of art you almost feel guilty eating. From “magic painting” the menu to candy floss for a starter, she was as much in foodie heaven as we were. Hygiene Speaking to other parents, hygiene is the most common issue raised whenever I talk about a cruise. Most of us have learnt through day care it only takes a few hours hanging out with a snotty toddler to make sure it’s a whole-of-family experience. Credit to the Royal Caribbean staff for doing their darndest to keep those germs away. Hand-washing was not only encouraged, it was enforced. Everyone visiting the buffet is directed through hand-washing stations, and dancers singing about “washy washy or no yummy yummy” made it all part of the experience. Sickness was taken very seriously and as on most cruises, a visit to the medical area runs the risk of a quarantine stint for part of your stay. We saw ourselves how quickly the staff swooped after a puke incident in the outdoor pool. A child had obviously swallowed too much pool water, with the resulting vomit seeing dozens of swimmers evacuated from the pool in seconds. The pool was drained and refilled before anyone was allowed back in — very reassuring for those of us hoping to avoid the pukes ourselves. The pain points Wiggles fanatics will have noted Shirley Shawn the Unicorn wasn’t on board, despite featuring in most of the advertising for the cruise. Thankfully, our little one didn’t notice but I’m sure some did. In what felt like a super-spreader event waiting to happen, hundreds of parents and toddlers were crammed into a shopping and eating arcade on the promise of having balloons dropped on them from the ceiling to Wiggles music. What ensued was 45 minutes of keeping wriggly toddlers still while the cruise director counted down excitedly to the main event, mostly playing music way too old for our young children. There was booing, there were tantrums, tears, and a lot of parents were frustrated at the lack of ability to “read the room” before we finally got our hands on a balloon. A reminder, however — this was the inaugural Wiggles cruise, and Royal Caribbean sources tell us balloon drop experiences have been made significantly shorter for future sailings. Hot tips It’s much easier if your kids are toilet trained. It’s no easy feat, I know, but lifeguards were strict and sent kids into a shallow splash pool if they spotted they were still wearing swimming nappies. Children in nappies will also be refused entry to the kids’ club. Remember everything is in US dollars. That $30 piece of Wiggles merch might seem reasonable, but as with everything on Royal Caribbean, it’s important to remember it’s all in US dollars, as are the drinks and everything else. Buy your photo packages early. Discounts were offered on the photo packages, which we wished we’d done. After queuing for 20 minutes, you’re going to want to buy that keepsake pic of your kiddo with Dorothy, and they’re not cheap if you wait until check-out. If you can stretch the budget to a balcony — do! We saw dolphins and flying fish, and topped it off with sunrise over Sydney Harbour for a peaceful end to our cruise. Fact file There are eight more scheduled “Wiggly-themed” sailings leaving from Sydney and Brisbane between February 2026 and March 2027. The trips range from four to nine nights, including destinations in Queensland, Tasmania and the South Pacific. For summer 2026-27 sailings, Royal Caribbean is running a promotion offering free trips for children under six named Dorothy, Henry or Shirley.