9 Things Travel Advisors Should Know About Disney Wish

As the first ship in Disney Cruise Line’s Wish Class, Disney Wish brought a larger, more modern style of vessel to the fleet, featuring new restaurant concepts, spread-out adults-only spaces, and a swanky suite inside a fake funnel.

While sister ship Disney Treasure has an adventure theme and Disney Destiny embraces a heroes and villains vibe, Disney Wish focuses on enchantment and storytelling. A highlight is the Cinderella-inspired atrium with a stunning chandelier and plenty of opportunities to mingle with princesses like Belle, Tiana and, of course, Cinderella herself, as well as classic characters like Mickey, Minnie, Donald, Daisy, Goofy, Pluto, and Chip and Dale.

Disney Wish alternates seasonally between three- and four-night Bahamas sailings from Port Canaveral that include Disney’s two private islands – Castaway Cay and Lookout Cay at Lighthouse Point – and five- to eight-night Mediterranean voyages from ports that include Barcelona, Southampton, and Civitavecchia (the port for Rome).

Recently, TMR sailed on a four-night Disney Wish cruise to the Bahamas with a family group. Overall, it was a great experience, but there are some important aspects to note.

Here’s everything you and your clients need to know before booking.

1. The Ship Is Premium, Not All-Inclusive

Disney Cruise Line falls into the premium category. Although service is luxury caliber and all dining (except for two adults-only restaurants) and drinks like juice and soda are included in the price of a sailing on Disney Wish, cruisers still have to pay extra for Wi-Fi, crew gratuities, and alcohol. (Note that alcohol packages are not available, so all beer, wine, spirits, and cocktails are sold a la carte.)

One nice touch is that, near the end of each sailing, your clients will find a print-out in their cabin that shows the breakdown of the daily gratuities and how they’re divided among cabin stewards and waiters. The sheet’s perforated strips can be torn off and put into provided envelopes to present each person who has helped to make your clients’ sailings memorable.

2. Dining Is Rotational (and Often Loud)

One thing that’s difficult to find on Disney Wish is quiet, and that’s especially true at dinner, unless clients are willing to pay extra for a quiet meal in either the Palo Italian steakhouse or fancy French Enchante.

Disney Cruise Line’s rotational style of dining has carried over to Disney Wish, meaning that there are three restaurants through which travel parties rotate, taking their dining time, table number, and waiters with them. The system itself works well, but only one of the ship’s three complimentary rotational restaurants – 1923, which refers to the year the Walt Disney Company was founded and offers no entertainment – is similar to a traditional cruise ship main dining room. It’s also the only one that doesn’t cause sensory overload.

Disney Wish’s other two included restaurants are Arendelle: A Frozen Dining Adventure and Worlds of Marvel. The latter, like 1923, appears on other ships in the line’s Wish Class, but Arendelle is unique to Disney Wish. Both have passengers dining in dim rooms with blue-hued lighting, which can make it difficult to see when you’re eating.

At Arendelle, a live-action performance brings beloved “Frozen” characters, including Anna, Elsa, Kristof, Olaf and Oaken, to a central stage around which all tables are situated. At Worlds of Marvel, large TV screens surround diners on all sides, offering clips of Paul Rudd as Ant Man, Evangeline Lilly as The Wasp and a storyline that involves the ship and the Quantum Cores that are set on every table. There’s also a surprise visit by Spider-Man at the end.

There are lots of great call-outs for the dining options. The waitstaff is excellent; the food quality seems to have improved since the ship’s early voyages, with plenty of delicious food options for adults and for kids’ picky palates; and the shows in Arendelle and Worlds of Marvel really do hold children’s attention throughout each meal. However, the entertainment, the dim lighting, and the tightly packed table setup can be difficult for anyone who’s simply seeking a quiet dinner.

3. Cabins Are Thoughtfully Designed

For clients traveling with kids or multigenerational groups, Disney is always a solid choice for its accommodations alone. Even the least expensive cabins can sleep more than two people, and there are various layouts from which to choose. Depending on cabin type, several sleeping options include the main bed, pull-out sofas, pull-down bunks, and even murphy beds that tuck up into the wall to save space.

Disney Wish features 1,254 staterooms, most of which offer an ocean view, including 877 (70%) with a balcony. Additionally, 451 connecting doors create a shared accommodation for larger families.

All cabins offer dividing curtains so the room can be separated into two areas – one for sleeping and one for lounging – as well as a split bathroom concept that has one room with a shower (with a tub) and sink and another with a toilet and sink.

Storage is plentiful, with a closet and lots of shelves and drawers. However, one deficiency we found was that there aren’t enough hooks for hanging wet clothing, and the clothesline in the shower was painfully small.

Word of advice: Family clients, likely to have multiple wet swimsuits to hang up, would do well to bring their own camping clotheslines to hang with magnetic hooks.

One other gripe: During our sailing, we had a 2-year-old in tow, which meant Disney supplied a Pack ‘n Play. However, the mattress is basically a stiff board with a sheet on it. When we discovered this, we used one of the blankets from the bed to pad the bottom before bedtime. Our room steward mentioned to us later that many families bring their own mattresses onboard for that reason, so this is good for clients with babies to note.

Word of advice: Advise family clients traveling with toddlers to bring their own pads for the Pack ‘n Play Disney Cruise Line will provide.

4. Connecting Cabins Are Worth It

Our voyage on Disney Wish was a multigenerational trip with two grandparents, two adult children, one child-in-law, and a toddler. Although we all could have fit into one room, we were spread across two Deluxe Family Ocean View Verandahs with a connecting door between them. It made us feel like we were staying in a suite, and our little one had the freedom to roam between rooms, which kept her occupied. We also asked our room steward to open the partition between the balconies, which gave us tons of outdoor space.

Word of advice: Let families or groups traveling with more than four people know that connecting cabins can offers as much space as a suite, especially if the balcony partition is opened. Encourage them to consider the option if they have the budget to do so. The added space is worth every penny.

5. There’s Plenty for Families & Kids to Do

Disney Wish features the first-ever Disney attraction at sea called AquaMouse. Complete with show scenes, lighting, and special effects, the water ride zigs, zags, and zooms through 760 feet of winding tubes suspended high above the upper decks. 

Elsewhere, Wish gives families more pools – six total – plus a Mickey-themed pool deck. One such pool is the Toy-Story themed option targeted at families with younger children that includes a splash zone, wading pool, family waterslide, and smoothie bar.

Another is Quiet Cove, an adult-only are with a dedicated lounging area away from the ship’s family activities.

Wish also offers Disney’s signature kids and teens clubs, including the Oceaneer club, which caters to those between 3 and 12-years-old; Edge, which does the same with those between 11 and 14; and Vibe, for those between 14 and 17.

However, the club on Disney Wish were updated with the Marvel Super Hero Academy, a “high-tech Adventures headquarters” that lets under-18 guests train to be the next generation or superheroes; Fairytale Hall, a trio of activity rooms; and the Wild Disney Imagineering Lab, a first-of-its kind opportunity that allows kids to get hands-on with Imagineering activities.

6. Bluey’s Onboard

Another huge selling point for Disney Wish is that it’s the only vessel in the Wish Class to have Bluey and Bingo onboard. (They also make appearances on Disney Dream, and there are plans to add them to Disney Wonder this fall.)

Although it’s a great addition for families who are fans of the lovable blue dog and her sister, the programming feels like it needs some tweaking.

After noticing “Bluey Magic Shots” under “Photo Events” on the schedule for the following morning, we rushed around to make sure our toddler was in line early. When it began, we were told Bluey wouldn’t actually be appearing. It was a photo op where a photographer would later superimpose a cartoon version of Bluey into the shot. We were disappointed that we weren’t able to meet Bluey and frustrated that we scheduled our morning around the photo session. We heard several other families expressing the same sentiment, and a few of them didn’t stay. Neither did we.

Word of advice: Pay attention to verbiage in the schedule. “Magic Shots” are not the same as “Character Appearances.”

Later that same day, we headed to “Bluey and Bingo’s Pyjama Party.” It started at 9:45 p.m., which was immediately after the show in the theater, leaving everyone in a mad dash for elevators to head upstairs to the Hero Zone, where the event was held. Because it was so late at night, we expected it might be some sort of story time to wind the kids down for bed, but what we walked into was sheer chaos.

Because there was no seating, kids and parents sat on the floor, making the room difficult to navigate. Two members of the youth staff did start off by reading a story, but when Bluey and Bingo finally came out, the room erupted.

Drawing from one of the show’s popular episodes, staff used a giant asparagus spear to turn the kids into animals, which saw them all on their feet meowing like cats and clucking like chickens. It would have been a fun experience earlier in the day, but all it did that late at night was amp the kids up before bedtime. There was so much noise and activity that even several adults we spoke with said they felt overwhelmed by it.

7. Adult-Only Experiences Are Also Available

Aside from Quiet Cove, Disney has also earmarked a number of onboard spaces exclusively for adults.

One is the Star Wars Hyperspace Lounge, a high-end, immersive bar that is open during the day to everyone, but at 9 p.m. transitions to adults-only. It features interactive tasting experiences and cocktails inspired by the film franchise.

Another is Palo Steakhouse, an evolution of the eatery on previous Disney ships that allows guests to enjoy a cuisine that Disney describes as authentic-Italian-meets-modern-steakhouse.

There’s also Enchante, the highest-end eatery on board, which will welcome guests to a meal crafted by three-Michelin-starred Chef Arnaud Lallement.

The Rose, a chic lounge located at the entrance of both Palo and Enchante, will also invite guests for a pre-dinner cocktail.

8. It Is Not Immune to Big-Ship Problems

Disney Wish is one of Disney Cruise Line’s largest ships, and it is not immune to some of the problems mega-ships face. One of those problems is lines. They were everywhere onboard, especially on our sea day: lines at the Marceline Market buffet, lines to meet characters, lines to get into the theater, lines for drinks. In fact, one member of our group waited nearly 30 minutes to order a cocktail at Donald’s Cantina on the pool deck one afternoon.

However, the worst wait we experienced was on Castaway Cay. During inclement weather, we headed to the nearest tram stop to wait for a ride back to the ship. Everyone else had the same idea, so the pavilion was crowded. As the trams arrived, people began shoving their way forward. There was nobody on site to monitor the situation or to help people board in an orderly, safe way. There are also no corrals at the pavilions, so there was no method of keeping people in any sort of queue.

And, finally, there’s the fireworks. Three members of our group snuck away to watch them on Pirate Night, and they were wonderful. However, when we returned to our rooms, our little one was awake and crying hysterically because the noise had woken her up – something that probably happened in several other cabins, too, considering the fireworks didn’t start until almost 11 p.m.

Word of advice: Parents of children with sensory issues should contact the cruise line in advance to ask about accommodations if necessary.

9. To Get the Most Out of Disney Wish, You’ll Need to Split Up

To truly experience all that Disney Wish has to offer, families will need to split up on occasion. Our travel group’s philosophy was, largely, “Why would we go on vacation together if we’re just going to go off and do our own things?”

Unfortunately, that meant the adults weren’t able to experience the nightlife or the specialty restaurants because the 2-year-old couldn’t go there. Despite my nudging, her parents weren’t comfortable leaving her in the nursery, which meant that, besides a 30-minute parent-supervised stint in the Minnie & Mickey Captain’s Deck playroom, the ship’s phenomenal kids club was underutilized by our group.

Word of advice: If you have clients who are traveling as a family, encourage them to take some time apart and come back together later in the day in order to take full advantage of the ship’s amenities.