Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). In a mixing bowl, combine crushed vanilla wafer cookies with melted butter until you achieve a consistency similar to wet sand. Press this mixture firmly into the bottom of a greased 9x13-inch baking dish. Bake this crust for about 10 minutes until it’s lightly golden.

While your crust cools, blend the softened cream cheese and powdered sugar in a bowl until smooth and creamy. Spread this creamy mixture evenly over your cooled crust.

Layer sliced bananas on top of the cream cheese layer, then spread the whipped cream over the bananas. Drizzle with chocolate syrup and top with chopped nuts, maraschino cherries, and sliced strawberries if desired.