DisCruiseFam33
Earning My Ears
- Joined
- Jul 22, 2022
We just returned from a 4-night trip on the Wish with stops in Nassau and Castaway Cay last week. This is our 4th Disney cruise overall (Wonder x2, Fantasy, Wish) and would consider ourselves pretty stubborn defenders of DCL compared to the rest of the cruise industry. I don't want to rehash things that have been covered a 100 times here so I will summarize what we thought was important when our cruise was complete before you decide where to spend your hard earned money.
Overall: Our recommendation is to hold off on the Wish for now. The ship is clearly still in the dress rehearsal phase. If your expectation is for the Wish to already be on par with the other ships in all phases, you will probably be disappointed. Give the ship at least 3 more months to work out the issues and it should be ready for prime time.
Entertainment: As previously stated, Aladdin was cancelled pre-cruise and DCL admitted it wasn't ready. The two broadway shows that remained were Disney Seas the Adventure and Little Mermaid. Disney Seas was the most solid performance and had a variety of characters that should be enjoyable for all ages. Little Mermaid was a different story. It wasn't ready either, and was a tough night for a clearly frustrated cast. They had to stop the show once for several minutes because of technical difficulties with getting a ship sail out of the shot. There was another moment where Ariel had wardrobe difficulties while hooked to a harness. The most frustrating part of the performance could be attributed to whoever was running the spotlights. We lost count on how many times one of the performers started their lines in the dark.
On the positive side for Little Mermaid, I believe the show has a lot of potential. The lead musical actors playing Sebastian and Ariel have great vocal talent. I could not help but thinking the same actor playing Sebastian could bring the house down as the Genie in Aladdin. I hope DCL sees the same. Little Mermaid has clearly evolved since the maiden voyage. Our MDR table mates were on the Wish for the second time and told us Little Mermaid looked completely different on our cruise vs. their previous sailing. They described a number of elements that have been added in just a few weeks. Clearly, this is a work in progress.
Stateroom: We had a 10th floor inside stateroom. We liked the amount of AC outlets and USB ports. We liked the extra wardrobe lockers. The lights and USB port above the kids' bunk bed was a nice touch. We aren't fans of the bulk soap/shampoo/conditioner but understand that is an industry trend. The HVAC in the cabin is similar to other DCL ships where you don't see a typical thermostat or temperature reading. If you like a cold room, you better pack a fan and ask the stateroom host to override the governor. The tv placement is a head scratcher as others have described.
Pirate Night: This was a huge disappointment for us. No bandanas. No parade in the restaurant. The deck party was turned into a 80's music pirate party (?) and the old skit was completely shelved. I will admit pirate night is one of those things that has grown on me. One of the biggest reasons is you see how much effort guests put into pirate night. Some of the guests' costumes rival the staff's costumes. To be fair, the staff was rehearsing the deck party out in the open just before it started and ordered guests to not take photos or video. Perhaps, this is one of those areas that has suffered while attention is given to other priorities. Hope to see Pirate Night back in its full glory soon.
Grab and Go Fare: We appreciated the changes here. The pizza is improved and the addition of the BBQ restaurant is a good one. Thumbs up for the ribs and the sweet potato fries.
Guest Services: I really hope they can work out their issues here. Guest Services is busy on all the ships at the beginning and end of the cruise, but I have never seen it like it was on the Wish. If you needed anything from Guest Services, you were in line for an hour. That was for the duration of the cruise. They have added Guest Services to the app, but the queue was over 20 and they ended up sending us to the counter. If the app is done right, 99% of issues should be able to be resolved via the chat function.
Arendelle MDR - We felt this was the best of the rotational restaurants for the show/music. Our favorite appetizer was the baked scallops, the ribeye for the entree, and the Troll chocolate bar or Elsa's sundae for dessert.
Worlds of Marvel MDR - Fans of Paul Rudd will appreciate the show. Nothing memorable here but lots of potential for this area.
1923 MDR - The restaurant is split into two sections, Walt Disney and Roy Disney. The food is a notch above here. The rack of lamb and filet mignon were the favorite entrees and the churros for dessert.
Lava Cake - We are big fans of the lava cake and were disappointed to see it has been removed from all the menus.
Fresh Fruit - This seems to be the most notable absence from the switch from Cabanas to Marceline. Hope it is brought back.
Basketball court and Ping Pong - DCL vets have all played a game of basketball or ping pong on the upper deck where the wind is your biggest competitor. Well, that is no more. The Wish moved the court and tables indoors and the facility is nice. The only negative is someone forgot to order a new net for the rim.
Overall: Our recommendation is to hold off on the Wish for now. The ship is clearly still in the dress rehearsal phase. If your expectation is for the Wish to already be on par with the other ships in all phases, you will probably be disappointed. Give the ship at least 3 more months to work out the issues and it should be ready for prime time.
Entertainment: As previously stated, Aladdin was cancelled pre-cruise and DCL admitted it wasn't ready. The two broadway shows that remained were Disney Seas the Adventure and Little Mermaid. Disney Seas was the most solid performance and had a variety of characters that should be enjoyable for all ages. Little Mermaid was a different story. It wasn't ready either, and was a tough night for a clearly frustrated cast. They had to stop the show once for several minutes because of technical difficulties with getting a ship sail out of the shot. There was another moment where Ariel had wardrobe difficulties while hooked to a harness. The most frustrating part of the performance could be attributed to whoever was running the spotlights. We lost count on how many times one of the performers started their lines in the dark.
On the positive side for Little Mermaid, I believe the show has a lot of potential. The lead musical actors playing Sebastian and Ariel have great vocal talent. I could not help but thinking the same actor playing Sebastian could bring the house down as the Genie in Aladdin. I hope DCL sees the same. Little Mermaid has clearly evolved since the maiden voyage. Our MDR table mates were on the Wish for the second time and told us Little Mermaid looked completely different on our cruise vs. their previous sailing. They described a number of elements that have been added in just a few weeks. Clearly, this is a work in progress.
Stateroom: We had a 10th floor inside stateroom. We liked the amount of AC outlets and USB ports. We liked the extra wardrobe lockers. The lights and USB port above the kids' bunk bed was a nice touch. We aren't fans of the bulk soap/shampoo/conditioner but understand that is an industry trend. The HVAC in the cabin is similar to other DCL ships where you don't see a typical thermostat or temperature reading. If you like a cold room, you better pack a fan and ask the stateroom host to override the governor. The tv placement is a head scratcher as others have described.
Pirate Night: This was a huge disappointment for us. No bandanas. No parade in the restaurant. The deck party was turned into a 80's music pirate party (?) and the old skit was completely shelved. I will admit pirate night is one of those things that has grown on me. One of the biggest reasons is you see how much effort guests put into pirate night. Some of the guests' costumes rival the staff's costumes. To be fair, the staff was rehearsing the deck party out in the open just before it started and ordered guests to not take photos or video. Perhaps, this is one of those areas that has suffered while attention is given to other priorities. Hope to see Pirate Night back in its full glory soon.
Grab and Go Fare: We appreciated the changes here. The pizza is improved and the addition of the BBQ restaurant is a good one. Thumbs up for the ribs and the sweet potato fries.
Guest Services: I really hope they can work out their issues here. Guest Services is busy on all the ships at the beginning and end of the cruise, but I have never seen it like it was on the Wish. If you needed anything from Guest Services, you were in line for an hour. That was for the duration of the cruise. They have added Guest Services to the app, but the queue was over 20 and they ended up sending us to the counter. If the app is done right, 99% of issues should be able to be resolved via the chat function.
Arendelle MDR - We felt this was the best of the rotational restaurants for the show/music. Our favorite appetizer was the baked scallops, the ribeye for the entree, and the Troll chocolate bar or Elsa's sundae for dessert.
Worlds of Marvel MDR - Fans of Paul Rudd will appreciate the show. Nothing memorable here but lots of potential for this area.
1923 MDR - The restaurant is split into two sections, Walt Disney and Roy Disney. The food is a notch above here. The rack of lamb and filet mignon were the favorite entrees and the churros for dessert.
Lava Cake - We are big fans of the lava cake and were disappointed to see it has been removed from all the menus.
Fresh Fruit - This seems to be the most notable absence from the switch from Cabanas to Marceline. Hope it is brought back.
Basketball court and Ping Pong - DCL vets have all played a game of basketball or ping pong on the upper deck where the wind is your biggest competitor. Well, that is no more. The Wish moved the court and tables indoors and the facility is nice. The only negative is someone forgot to order a new net for the rim.
