Welcome aboard, Heather! I'm so happy to hear that you have been finding answers to your questions through the Disney Parks Moms Panel! We're so glad to help!
You must be excited to be setting sail to the far north on the Disney Wonder this summer! I'm happy to tell you that you may certainly use Disney gift cards onboard the ship. Disney gift cards are accepted in the gift shops onboard, or what we find even easier, is that guests can bring any Disney gift cards to Guest Services and have the balances added to their stateroom account. Then, simply use your Key to the World card to pay for any additional costs onboard, and have your charges organized in one place.
Some guests do prefer to give their children a Disney gift card with a specific amount so that they kids can purchase a souvenir or two for themselves, without having charging privileges on the stateroom account via the Key to the World card. Knowing my kids, they could rack up quite a hefty bill if they were free to charge at the gift stores onboard, so a set amount on a gift card is the perfect solution.
On the Wonder, you'll find two main
gift shops: Mickey's Mates and Treasure Ketch. Mickey's Mates is where the kids will have the most fun, as it contains costumes, plush characters, books, games, Vinylmation, pins, treats, ornaments and more! Treasure Ketch carries more for the adults, such as adult clothing, jewelry, watches, specialty products and an array of drugstore goods like sunscreen, diapers, medicine and other sundries.
Have fun as you continue to plan, Heather, and please let me know how else I can help!