I went on my first Disney cruise when I was 9 years old. In all the years of cruising since, I’ve never been as excited about boarding a ship as getting on that one…until I booked a ride on the new ship. Disney’s Wish. I can’t wait to experience the brand new restaurants, modern Broadway shows, and elegantly designed staterooms.
Being a platinum Castaway club member (Disney’s loyalty level is for travelers who’ve been on 10 or more cruises), I’ve been on all of Disney’s ships. My last Disney cruise was in 2020. Even though I’ve tried every other major cruise line, Disney Cruise Line is still my go-to destination because I love exceptional food, top-notch entertainment. high quality and exciting port cruises of this brand.
Disney Wish promises to deliver all that and more. I can’t wait to experience this long-awaited new Disney cruise ship.
To my surprise, Disney Wish didn’t work wonders for me the way its older ships did. Here’s why.
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Crowds everywhere
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KYLE OLSEN/THE POINT
Between guests and crew, Disney Wish carries 5,500 people. While the ship’s capacity is on par with the Disney Dream and Disney Fantasy, Disney Wish doesn’t seem to handle crowds the way other ships can.
Narrow passageways through the bustling public spaces on decks 3, 4 and 5 and at the Marceline Market buffet create bottlenecks that I have not encountered on other ships of the line. In particular, the corridor leading from the rear elevator into the lobby was no more than 10 feet wide, congested when passengers tried to pass while other guests were waiting for the character’s turn to appear. The location of the elevator relative to the important public spaces downstairs is different on the Dream and Fantasy, with not many narrow aisles to impede the flow of traffic.
Another problem in this area is that the centrally located lounge called The Bayou, the lobby on Deck 3 and the area around the guest service on Deck 4 lacks seating. As a result, passengers will leave these spaces and sit on the stairs in the ship’s grand lobby as they wait for loved ones to ask questions or pick up something in the store. These people not only block others from entering the central stairwell, but they also create a safety hazard that cannot be addressed by staff.
Up on the outer decks, the wait time for the famous AquaMouse water slide was up to 60 minutes on my cruise. The devoted cruisers eagerly awaited their turn for the 760-foot thrill ride in winds of more than 20 mph. It’s a long wait, especially when there are so many other activities you want to partake in on a quick three-night cruise.
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If you want to try the attraction, do not randomly visit. You’ll need to strategically plan when the rows will be shortest and decide if it’s worth the wait. It’s a calculation that reminds me of many trips to Space Mountain. But unlike at Disney World, there are no Lightning Lanes and the Disney Cruise Line app doesn’t show wait times.
Even docking days don’t alleviate the crowds as so many passengers stay aboard the Disney Wish, prioritizing the ship’s attractions over land-based excursions.
The problems also extend to the main dining room. With no more than a few inches between my family’s table and the one next to us, a passenger at the table next to me accidentally placed her elbow on my armrest – a demonstration that dining tables how close each other is. Plus, waiters frequently bump into tables and spill glasses as they negotiate tight spaces.
These problems were not simply due to the ship being too large. I sailed on relative size Royal Caribbean And Norwegian Cruise Line ships where crowds don’t detract from the fun of the journey and passenger traffic is not an issue. In the case of Disney Wish, the specific layout of the ship, with its narrow corridors and inadequate venue-to-hallway space ratio, did not provide enough room for people to travel and sit in public areas. most crowded.
Related: Disney Cruise Line’s Ultimate Guide to Cruises and Cruises
Dining and entertainment don’t go well together
Overall, the food on board Disney Wish is excellent. High-quality options on the buffet include Alaskan crab legs, chicken tikka masala, and falafel salad. Pappardelle and pesto gnocchi for adults only on cruise Palo The restaurant is top notch, as is the service. While my trip didn’t offer Disney’s lobster tails in the main dining room, the duck casserole was a solid premium alternative.
Furthermore, the evening entertainment at the Walt Disney Theater is one of the best I have ever seen on a ship. In particular, “The Little Mermaid” and “Aladdin” are hit movies.
Restaurant entertainment? Not much.
When I was a kid, when I was sailing Disney, the only dinner show was at Animator’s Palate, one of the three main dining rooms on the company’s old ships. Passengers can design their own cartoon characters, and after the meal, the cartoon characters will appear on screens placed throughout the restaurant. It was fun, striking the right balance between enjoying food and engaging in entertainment between courses.
Fast-forward to 2023. In the “Frozen” themed Arendelle restaurant on Disney Wish, the stage show is the main event. Although I have had no issues with the dine-in cinema, I have noticed that the meal is treated as a later meal, which affects the quality and service of the food. For instance, all the servers disappear when the singers and dancers take the stage. My dinner was cold, but I didn’t have a chance to find my waiter to ask to reheat or replace.
I expected that Disney would know how to create an experience that combines great (or at least acceptable) food and service with a live show, but in my journey, it balance has not been achieved.
Some families love dinner at Arendelle, but personally I don’t feel the show makes up for the terrible food. After all, I don’t have many other options for dinner; if you skip your alternate dining location on Wish, your only alternatives are a sit-in buffet or pay-to-eat at an adults-only restaurant. At the same time, I have plenty of other opportunities to see great shows and movies elsewhere on the train.
Unfortunately, I don’t know if I can escape this phenomenon by going back to my beloved old Disney ships. I’m very disappointed, dinner shows are trending in Disney restaurants. During the refurbishment, Disney Magic’s Parrot Cay was replaced with Rapunzel’s Royal Table, another example of the cruise line focusing on dinner entertainment instead of food. I’ll have to ride that ship again to see if the place is more balanced.
Related: A beginner’s guide to choosing an itinerary
Less functional layout
I usually figure out my way on a cruise ship for a day or two, but I couldn’t grasp the composition of Disney Wish during my long weekend excursion.
For example, the ship’s adults-only area is on Deck 13 aft. Although there are eight elevators in the back elevator lobby, not all of them go to Level 13. Also, the back stairs mysteriously end at Level 12. As a result, I had to walk through. kid’s pool and AquaMouse area and go up a flight of stairs to enter the adults-only area. I can’t go there directly.
The same lift combination holds true for the Chip ‘n Dale group on Deck 14 forward. I had to switch from one elevator to another on Deck 12 to get to Deck 14.
Another layout issue is that Disney Wish doesn’t have a boardwalk around the ship. The smaller Disney Magic and Wonder offers a 0.3-mile walking circuit on Deck 4, where I enjoy an uninterrupted workout on beach days between buffet rides. Disney Wish has a gym, but every time I go to the gym, the staff wants to take my footprints to sell me orthotics. I want a path to walk or jog in peace.
Related: The 5 most attractive cabin positions on any cruise ship
Is this the new Disney Cruise Line?
I realized I was a different traveler with my first Disney excursion.
Today, Disney Cruise Line doesn’t get my endorsement for Mickey Mouse. Instead, a cruise for me is all about charm, great food, superior service, and attention to detail — and Disney Cruise Line often excels in all of these areas.
But my experience on Disney Wish was not as expected. While I love Palo’s mouthwatering food and Broadway-style evening shows, the cruise ship is mostly like a floating theme park – but where the crowds, the entertainment The lack of food during mealtimes and the plethora of retail outlets overwhelm the attractions’ allure.
I can’t get my bearings on board. Some passengers and crew members were clearly overwhelmed by the crowd, which changed the mood on the plane. I missed the occasional, impromptu exchanges with the ship’s staff and guests that I had grown to enjoy on other ships.
After that, my sailing trip didn’t feel like a stress-free vacation. Disney Wish is clearly a Disney ship, but it’s not the old Disney Cruise Line I know.
I miss the relative tranquility and charm of Disney Magic and Disney Wonder. On those ships, the cruise line has mastered the balance between fairy dust and family vacations.
Disney is still my favorite cruise line, and I know I’ll be back on board soon. But next time I go on a cruise with Disney, you can bet it’ll be on one of the firm’s older, smaller ships.
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