The WISH - The Good, The Bad And The Ugly (Review)

[tvguy]

I suppose that my biggest criticism of the WISH is that the designers did not consult with or listen to feedback from their guests, especially repeat long-time cruisers, as they initially said that they would. Had they done so, the positives of the the WISH could have extended to the entire ship. Remember, when DCL was first promoting its cruise line (and it appeared in many, many brochures), DCL was marketed as a cruise that the whole family could enjoy - families, kids, teens, tweens and, yes, even adults (who in promotional materials had their own oasis (i.e. Quiet Cove, reserved for guests 18 and older). The latter is lost on the WISH. The Quiet Cove area on the massive vessel is a tucked away afterthought, too small to be an oasis from anything. Stated in another way, if one is an adult and wants to enjoy the adult exclusive areas on Disney ships, one is much better served to book the Magic and Wonder, or even the Fantasy and the Dream.

One of the comments above mentioned the tightness of the cabins, which I did not mention in my original post. Yes, the staterooms are smaller, noticeably so, than certainly the classic ships but even the Dream and Fantasy. Well appointed and pretty in design as they are, everything from the split bathrooms to the stateroom itself has been miniaturized to an extent. For whatever reasons (likely space concerns), there are many fewer drawers for storage, having been replaced by shelves. Shelves in the stateroom, shelves in the closet, but no chest of drawers. Odd. To its credit, however, I thought that DCL plussed the beds - they were extremely comfortable.

I wouldn't necessarily cancel my WISH reservation based on my or any other review. After all, it is a DCL cruise that we all love and it is a beautiful ship that one likely needs to experience for oneself - once, and then make your own judgment. Having said that, DCL seems to have missed the opportunity to create an industry leading flagship. For all of its design, decor and technological marvels (no pun intended!), it does miss the mark on a lot of the basics that we have all come to know and love.

Oh I suspect guest feedback may be the very reason things are the way they are.

 

[CastawayCayLover]

Oh I suspect guest feedback may be the very reason things are the way they are.

I’d bet against that.

 

[tvguy]

I’d bet against that.

Disney doesn't do ANYTHING without extensive research. Not things 100% of the customers will like, but probably most.

 

[CastawayCayLover]

Disney doesn't do ANYTHING without extensive research.

Is that why DIS is the worst performing stock in the DJIA?

Look, I’m a Disney fan and shareholder, but I also am a realist. This ship is a fail. All indications from my experience on the MV is they let non-cruise people design it.

Who would put drink stations and deck food as far away as possible from the adult area.

Who wouldn’t include an adult only pool that was deeper than 2’.

Who would have so little shade in the adult only area.

Who would design venues that were too small for the events they’re intended to host.

I could go on but that’s representative of the physical design fails on this ship.

 

[Kwami]

Is that why DIS is the worst performing stock in the DJIA?

Look, I’m a Disney fan and shareholder, but I also am a realist. This ship is a fail. All indications from my experience on the MV is they let non-cruise people design it.

Who would put drink stations and deck food as far away as possible from the adult area.

Who wouldn’t include an adult only pool that was deeper than 2’.

Who would have so little shade in the adult only area.

Who would design venues that were too small for the events they’re intended to host.

I could go on but that’s representative of the physical design fails on this ship.

I don't think that your opinion is going to be the majority opinion. The Wish will be at least as successful as the other Disney ships and Disney will make tons of money sailing it. From a business perspective, that's not "a fail".

 

[CastawayCayLover]

I don't think that your opinion is going to be the majority opinion. The Wish will be at least as successful as the other Disney ships and Disney will make tons of money sailing it. From a business perspective, that's not "a fail".

That is your opinion and TBD.

 

[Kwami]

That is your opinion and TBD.

Obviously.

 

[johnnyblz20]

Yes this ship is very different but if they want to keep up and outdo these other cruise lines they should be worrying about updating Castaway. The new Coco Cay for Royal beats Castaway big time with that massive pool alone. We absolutely love Castaway, but going to that private island of RCCL beats it out.

 

[CastawayCayLover]

Obviously.

I did notice you didn’t have an explanation for any of the specific items I mentioned but I’m sure you just chalk it up to their research.

 

[tidefan]

Yes this ship is very different but if they want to keep up and outdo these other cruise lines they should be worrying about updating Castaway. The new Coco Cay for Royal beats Castaway big time with that massive pool alone. We absolutely love Castaway, but going to that private island of RCCL beats it out.

I’d add Virgin’s Bimini Beach Club…

 

[brentm77]

Disney doesn't do ANYTHING without extensive research. Not things 100% of the customers will like, but probably most.

California Adventuresome circa 2001 would like to have a word with you.. Literally a one billion dollar mistake that could have been avoided by talking to a dozen Disneyland fans and finding out what they liked about visiting Disney theme parks and what would interest them in a new park. A billion dollars to sem-fix it and it still suffers greatly from original design decisions.

On a side note, I'm a bit surprised how many here (not you in this case) act like every decision on the Wish MUST have had a really good reason because the designers couldn't possibly be subpar, when Disney has a track record of messing up huge projects from time to time. It's very possible they made some major design errors with this ship. It's a bit early to tell, but there are are troubling signs from early reports.

 

[tvguy]

California Adventuresome circa 2001 would like to have a word with you.. Literally a one billion dollar mistake that could have been avoided by talking to a dozen Disneyland fans and finding out what they liked about visiting Disney theme parks and what would interest them in a new park. A billion dollars to sem-fix it and it still suffers greatly from original design decisions.

On a side note, I'm a bit surprised how many here (not you in this case) act like every decision on the Wish MUST have had a really good reason because the designers couldn't possibly be subpar, when Disney has a track record of messing up huge projects from time to time. It's very possible they made some major design errors with this ship. It's a bit early to tell, but there are are troubling signs from early reports.

I agree, California Adventure was a misstep, not so much in what they build but in that many of us Disneyland addicts assumed it would be a new land at Disneyland, not a separate park with it's own admission.

 

[tvguy]

Is that why DIS is the worst performing stock in the DJIA?

Look, I’m a Disney fan and shareholder, but I also am a realist. This ship is a fail. All indications from my experience on the MV is they let non-cruise people design it.

Who would put drink stations and deck food as far away as possible from the adult area.

Who wouldn’t include an adult only pool that was deeper than 2’.

Who would have so little shade in the adult only area.

Who would design venues that were too small for the events they’re intended to host.

I could go on but that’s representative of the physical design fails on this ship.

Well, Disney Cruise Line is such a small part of the Disney business not sure can blame the stock decline on the cruise line.
And as others have mentioned, the first cruise was NOT typical of the Disney passenger. Few children, and adults than will be normally cruising.
No, Disney Cruise Line is not perfect.
> For our family, having the late seating dinning shows BEFORE dinner was something we didn't like especially on port days. We look forward to a nap before cleaning up on port days, then a show after dinner. But it apparently works for the majority of Disney cruisers
> Disney was our kids second cruise, and they sorely missed a nightly midnight buffet. But is apparently works for the majority of Disney cruisers.
> And a cruise Vlogger could not believe that on the Wish that Disney continues with no casino. It was a deal breaking for him, but not for the majority of Disney cruisers.
Like I said, Disney isn't for everyone, but they are filling ships at above market rate fares, so they must be doing SOMETHING right.

 

[TestingH2O]

Yes this ship is very different but if they want to keep up and outdo these other cruise lines they should be worrying about updating Castaway. The new Coco Cay for Royal beats Castaway big time with that massive pool alone. We absolutely love Castaway, but going to that private island of RCCL beats it out.

I don’t know that outdoing other cruise lines is really their goal. While I haven’t sailed on the Wish yet, what I have seen suggests to me that they are doubling down on a target market: families with young kids and die hard Disney fans.

The lack of adventure type activities onboard suggests that teens and tweens are not who they are interested in catering to.

And I am guessing that they hope the Disney fans will be enticed by the increased visibility of the IP.

As my daughter (now 10) gets older and becomes more aware of other vacation options, she is starting to realize that DCL may not be where she wants to go on every trip. She recently saw a brochure for some other lines with rock walls and more water slides, and she was definitely interested.

 

[DLgal]

I agree, California Adventure was a misstep, not so much in what they build but in that many of us Disneyland addicts assumed it would be a new land at Disneyland, not a separate park with it's own admission.

Disney was always very clear that it would be a second gate. Not sure what you are talking about.

 

[DLgal]

California Adventuresome circa 2001 would like to have a word with you.. Literally a one billion dollar mistake that could have been avoided by talking to a dozen Disneyland fans and finding out what they liked about visiting Disney theme parks and what would interest them in a new park. A billion dollars to sem-fix it and it still suffers greatly from original design decisions.

On a side note, I'm a bit surprised how many here (not you in this case) act like every decision on the Wish MUST have had a really good reason because the designers couldn't possibly be subpar, when Disney has a track record of messing up huge projects from time to time. It's very possible they made some major design errors with this ship. It's a bit early to tell, but there are are troubling signs from early reports.

To think the original design concept was basically Westcot, until the bean counters got involved. It could have been so amazing.

 

[o&smom]

Only one hot tub on the ship? Yikes! What were they thinking?!

Oh, but of course there are two in the concierge area.

 

[DLgal]

Oh, but of course there are two in the concierge area.

And 2 in the rainforest room.

 

[brentm77]

To think the original design concept was basically Westcot, until the bean counters got involved. It could have been so amazing.

Yes. The concept art looked amazing.

Remember how the head dude was like, "no Disney characters in the park! We want this park to be for adults.". They missed why Disneyland worked - it appealed to all ages. I can't help but think they may have made the same mistake with the Wish, but in the opposite direction. Maybe it will work. Time will tell.

 

[Kwami]

I did notice you didn’t have an explanation for any of the specific items I mentioned but I’m sure you just chalk it up to their research.

I almost responded to each point separately, but then I figured that it would be a waste of time. You've made up your mind.

For what it's worth, I agree that there isn't enough shade in the adult-only outdoor area. Thankfully, that's probably not too hard to fix later. I disagree with the rest, especially the point about food being too far away. I'm glad that it's far away. Fewer kids, less overall noise.