Wish Day 1 Planning

[Disneyland_emily]

Yeah no.. time has “no meaning” onboard

I’m exhausted just reading that-

Get on, have lunch, wander, do muster/sail a way/show/dinner.

The best & most important parts of a cruise are the ones that unfold and aren’t planned

 

[dreamer17555]

Something I don’t think you’re considering is that the whole embarkation process especially with kids is exhausting before you add in must dos

Also, I bet the kids aren’t going to be as on board with your time windows. They might come in and be given a wand and want to do the wishing ceremony or they’re super excited about the slide down to the kid club. And once they check out the kid’s club, they might not want to leave so quickly.

Same for once you get them in swimsuits and have them playing at the aqua mouse and\or pool (which I highly recommend hitting first, if you can, and getting food at Festival foods and skipping the insanity that is the buffet on embarkation day)

There are going to be character meet and greets that they might want to do.

I really suggest saving the Star Wars lounge for another day and I say that as a Star Wars loving family. It’s cute, but it’s not that amazing. The best thing are the smoke bubbles.

Aqua mouse, Register for kids club, Sail Away, and evening show would be my only priorities until you actually get on board and figure out what they are drawn to.

 

[randomguymike]

Alright, I think I am down to Lunch, Aqua mouse, Register for kids club, Sail Away, and evening show.

I've 100% cut both Mercaline (We'll grab Goofy's for the kids first thing and Smokestack for me & the wife) and Star Wars Lounge. I also did, totally, forget about accounting for the muster drill. How much time does that eat out of my day?

 

[dad of 3 addicted to DCL]

Alright, I think I am down to Lunch, Aqua mouse, Register for kids club, Sail Away, and evening show.

I've 100% cut both Mercaline (We'll grab Goofy's for the kids first thing and Smokestack for me & the wife) and Star Wars Lounge. I also did, totally, forget about accounting for the muster drill. How much time does that eat out of my day?

Usually they're pretty quick; maybe 15 minutes or so (give or take). I remember one, pre-COVID, where a family didn't show and didn't show and...you get the picture. They were passing the word on the announcing system for the "Smith Family to please report to muster station A". We were there a looooong time for that one.

 

[Mango7100]

I appreciate having a plan, but I think you are going to have to accept that the time frames are not realistic. 30 minutes for the Aqua Mouse—you may be in line for more than that before you get a ride. Then if the kids are already in their swim suits, they may want to just play in the pools or ride the Aqua Mouse again. And keep in mind that a significant portion of people will have the exact same priorities as you—lunch, pool, kids club, sail away. There is no way to realistically keep to a time frame like that because you don’t know what the crowds will be. We are going on the Wish in July. We plan on eating at whatever MDR serves sit down lunch since I hate the chaos of the buffets and pools on embarkation day, register for kids club, and do Sail Away. Those are the only things I have planned for the whole day aside from dinner. The rest we will just see what we feel like doing based on our exploration of the ship.

 

[Flying Fish]

I also did, totally, forget about accounting for the muster drill. How much time does that eat out of my day?

The muster drill will eat a solid 30 minutes out of your day. Pretty quick or not. You have to get to your station around 4pm, then you have to wait for the stragglers, then you have to listen to the briefing, and then you will be released along with everyone else. Waiting for an elevator or hitting the stairs with that many people is a mess. The drill itself isn't so long, but it's the rest of the operation that eats the time.

It sounds as if you're already starting to relax the planning a bit on day one. You'll be glad you did. The cruises are different from parks and every day life. They are best enjoyed with nothing much in mind. It's why so many of us love cruising so much.

 

[kateandy08096]

If my husband had me on a schedule I would toss him over board

 

[sponica]

I booked a cruise to get away from the scheduled park planning, so my plan with a 3 and 7 year old --> wrangle the kids on board and convince them they need to eat, while trying to convince them they can't go to the kids club and the pool at the same time. Adult go to the spa to get rainforest passes. Sail Away party? Maybe, then first seating. then either a show or up on the pool deck.

But really, I just want to be on that pool deck with a fruity drink in my hands.

 

[MomOTwins]

Too many vloggers all have the “pro tip” of riding the aquamouse first thing. We went around 1pm on embarkation day and the line was 75 minutes. Longest wait of the cruise. Waited at most 30 mins the next day and was walk-on afternoon after castaway cay. Plus once you get all cold and wet on the aquamouse you won’t want to do indoor things until the room is ready so you can get changed, which can sometimes be late (on our cruise not until 2pm). If I were you I’d skip the aqua mouse and do the following:

12-1pm — lunch. You can do it any venue but give yourself a solid hour takes time to get food, get a table and what’s an embarkation day lunch without dessert?

1-2pm explore the lower levels. Your original idea of hyperspace was a good one, but you won’t need a full hour for that. So also walk around a bit to get your bearings and know where things are, plus all the artwork is fun to see.

2-3pm the kids club should be open around them for open house and to get their magic bands synced and locked—do this now as the lines get crazy after muster drill.

Then go back to the room before muster and sailaway.

 

[disnygirl55]

I wouldn't stress out about Aqua Mouse on Day 1 if the lines are too long. Don't let it take up valuable Day 1 time when there is so much to wander around and look at. We were on the Wish in December - it was cruise #12 for us. We eventually went on the Aqua Mouse on Nassau day shortly after it opened for the day. It was great - no line and only saw one other couple there riding at the same time. We did three rides back to back with no lines. I would have been upset with myself if I'd stood in line over an hour on Day 1.

I completely understand the planning gene - I've got it in spades, and I, too, tend to plan nearly every move we make when we visit the parks. You'll be amazed at the difference on the cruise. Much more fluid. Nowadays, I plan specialty dinners, brunches, and beverage tastings - and everything else just naturally falls into place and we go with the flow.

Don't forget the magical "down time" on a cruise. Stop by the railing and watch the waves, watch for dolphins as you're sailing out of Port Canaveral, stand in the middle of the grand hall and absorb the beauty of the space. Take the family for long walks looking at stateroom door decorations. Detour for character interactions when you have the chance. It's really a far superior experience than racing around the parks.

 

[randomguymike]

Too many vloggers all have the “pro tip” of riding the aquamouse first thing. We went around 1pm on embarkation day and the line was 75 minutes. Longest wait of the cruise. Waited at most 30 mins the next day and was walk-on afternoon after castaway cay. Plus once you get all cold and wet on the aquamouse you won’t want to do indoor things until the room is ready so you can get changed, which can sometimes be late (on our cruise not until 2pm). If I were you I’d skip the aqua mouse and do the following:

Interesting to hear that all the online tips saying to ride the Aquamouse have swung the pendulum. Only reason I had that on Day 1 was since I wanted to avoid an hour wait on later days. Seems like maybe there's not enough history for things to have reached a predictable state, but we'll check the line and move on if there is one, I guess.

Also, don't worry everyone I'm not disregarding the downtime suggestions. That's the main reason I had wanted to get what I thought were high wait activities out of the way on Day 1, during what I had read were non-peak times. My goal is to avoid wasting an hour of relaxation (or fun) time in line for Aquamouse or waiting to get into other venues. Sounds like other than avoiding Mercaline for Day 1 lunch, though, there may not be sure fire ways to avoid lines. Days 2-4 are no agenda (as every single onboard and most port activities were sold out 30+ days out, and so far only 1 seat for a 8pm bourbon tasting have opened up at any point. Bleck.).

 

[sparrow10_]

When I was on the Magic, during the port day I was able to ride almost non stop both of the water slides.

 

[Flying Fish]

Embarkation day finds most people waiting for their rooms, so they are almost all centered around the top decks, eating, swimming, doing the Aquamouse, or soaking up some sun. There is no way for you to get it until you get there and see it. The best time to do Aquamouse is impossible to predict, so you just have to either pick a time and wait in a long line or jump in line when there is a short one. Last time we did it, there was no line, but it was cold.

You're going to have a great time. I can already see you relaxing a bit from the first post.

 

[revdon64]

You forgot potty breaks and the muster drill.

But seriously, if that's how you roll then go for it. Nobody can really tell you how to manage your family and their needs. Personally I think your plan is a little too regimented for me. DS and I were on the Wish in January and our first day consisted of boarding, lunch, exploring, muster drill, dinner and show - in that order and at a casual pace. There's never enough time to do everything, so prioritize.

 

[ArtemisPhoenix]

Lol. You sound exactly like me on our first cruise. DH and I had a lovely fight in the middle of that due to my need to schedule everything. It is a vital skill in the parks (I like to give my family that same “white glove” experience), but the ships are different and the emphasis really seems to be on enjoying whatever you happen to be doing rather than making sure to do it all. So if your family is vibing with that, you may find them a touch more resistant to your attempts to guide the experience. But every family is different, so maybe not!
I agree with other posters about Aqua Mouse. If you’ve got the later dinner seating you will have a lovely chunk of time where all the early diners leave (most of the families with young kids who want to ride Aqua Mouse all da will have the early seating) and you’ll get a nice short line to enjoy a ride or two before you go to your show.
Have fun! There’s literally too much to do to do it all and still relax. Just means you’ll need to book another cruise. The horror!