WishUponAStar3
Believer In Big Dreams!
- Joined
- May 23, 2011
- Messages
- 203
Thank you to @Lucien Franciosa for reminding me to post an update on our cruise, and to all of you who gave advice before our first DCL vacation!! It was EVERYTHING we could have hoped for and more! A bit of background: me, my husband, our 7-year-old son and 2-year-old daughter sailed the Wish on July 1-5, in a Concierge Family Oceanview Verandah on Deck 12. Part of the reason I splurged on concierge for our first cruise is that I knew it would be a packed sailing in the heart of summer vacation and I figured we would get a lot of use out of the concierge sundeck (which we 100% did!!) and I also knew it was our only chance at booking the in-demand activities. It ended up being such a great decision, with literally the only downside being that it was so good, we only want to sail concierge now 
so we'll probably go once every 1-2 years instead of more frequently, but go big when we do! Here are some highlights, and prepare for a long post!!
OMG is the Wish beautiful!! The ship is absolutely stunning. We were all enamored with it!! Everything about it impressed us, from all the gorgeous and amazingly-themed spaces to all the amenities and everything it had to offer. Star Wars Hyperspace Lounge and the AquaMouse were two favorites that my son in particular could not get enough of! I have to admit I was so confused by the bad reviews for this ship after experiencing how amazing it is- all I can think is maybe those reviews were from when it first launched and there were some new ship hiccups that have since been resolved? Because we were truly so wowed!
The food was phenomenal! We didn't have a single meal on the ship that was anything less than fantastic. I knew going in that people rave about 1923 and the pool deck food, and both of those absolutely delivered! But what surprised me was how good the food at Arendelle and Marvel were too! At Arendelle, my husband loved the baked scallops, I loved the rib eye, and my son said the meatballs on the kids' penne were the best he ever had. That onion dip with the bread service is to die for too, as is the Elsa Coronation Sundae for dessert! At Marvel, the broccoli and cheddar soup was SO delicious and my husband loved his tuna steak entree, while I got the special 4th of July short ribs which were also amazing. The Pym Doughnut Sundae was one of the best desserts we had onboard too. Even the Pirate Night menu was great, and I wasn't expecting to like that one. We were also really impressed by Marceline Market, the selection was amazing and everything we tried was delicious. ALSO- the way they take care of guests with food allergies is like nothing else. I honestly get emotional when I think about the way they made it possible for my son to have all the delicious eats and treats the rest of us could have! It's a world of difference compared to other restaurants/resorts. The rotational dining aspect was such a treat, we adored our server Javed and miss him now! And we also didn't find the restaurants remotely cramped, which I'd been expecting after reading reviews. That might be because we had a great table (211, with the most gorgeous window view at 1923!) but even when were at a non-assigned table in 1923 for lunch, we didn't find it cramped or narrow either. So, a good reminder that reviews really are subjective!
The dinner shows were a blast. The Frozen show was so much fun, and the kids were positively giddy at the end with the napkin-twirling singalong! The Marvel dinner show was a BIG hit with all of us- my son was riveted throughout, and the smile on my daughter's face when Spider-Man appeared was the cutest thing ever. Reading reviews beforehand, I never would have guessed that Worlds of Marvel would be one of our trip highlights!
Oceaneer's Club is amazing! My son was blown away by Oceaneer's. Starting with the slide down into the club and then the virtual ride simulator, which was his most favorite thing, to the Marvel interactive superhero stuff, he just couldn't get enough! This is one of the reasons why we'll likely have to stick with Triton class ships, since he'd likely be disappointed with the older ships' kids clubs after this. It was just that amazing!
Concierge Lounge and Sundeck are both a dream! This is another reason we'll probably have to stick with the Triton ships, because we were in LOVE with the lounge and sundeck! They are both just the most wonderful places where you really feel so relaxed and pampered, with such delicious eats and drinks. Some of my favorite memories of the trip are sitting in that glorious wading pool with a Dole Whip smoothie in hand and Disney instrumental music playing, with hardly anyone else up there; the special meet-and-greet with Donald Duck in the lounge while the concierge team passed out divine milkshakes; going to the lounge right before it closed at the end of the night to get a nightcap and desserts. Absolutely amazing- I really miss it!!
Concierge CMs went above and beyond: These CMs were so incredible and helpful. When my 2-year-old was having an exhausted meltdown and randomly crying for Froot Loops cereal at 5 PM, they got it for her and put an instant smile on her face. When I had to cancel Palo brunch and my mani/pedi due to my husband and son both having seasickness (there was one night & morning of rough waves, but otherwise smooth!) I was so bummed and sure I'd be charged since it was a same-day cancellation, but Concierge said they would take care of it and remove those charges, and they did. When I got to breakfast in the concierge lounge just as food service was wrapping, but the rest of my family was already there eating, one of the CMs actually went to Marceline and brought me back a plate of food!! I was so touched by her kindness! And then, the express debarkation with our concierge team was so quick and easy too.
Characters were magical: There were constantly characters around the ship, often multiple character meets happening at once, which made the atmosphere onboard so much fun. The kids had such great quality meet & greets- Royal Gathering, Captain Minnie, Captain Mickey and Donald were some of our favorites. Another perk of concierge is getting to pre-book Royal Gathering at the 120-day mark, and then when I needed to make a last-minute change, they were able to accommodate us. We also loved the dance party with Mickey & Friends and the character deck shows.
Fish Extender gift exchanges were also magical: This was sooo special for my kids, and it made me so happy to deliver gifts around the ship too. I totally recommend finding your sailing's FB group and signing up for this, if you have the time and luggage space!
Don't miss Seas the Adventure and the fireworks! All of the shows were great, but Seas the Adventure was exceptional. I'm a theater nerd who used to see Broadway shows constantly when I lived in NY in my 20s, and this absolutely holds up in comparison. We all loved it so much!! The fireworks were epic and awesome, and a huge perk of sailing on 4th of July is that we got 2 nights of fireworks in a row, and two different shows!!
Serenity Bay Massage: This was another highlight, absolutely heavenly!
Things we missed out on that we'll need to book another concierge cruise on the Wish to experience: a cabana on Castaway Cay (I booked our cruise a few days after the booking window for concierge had already opened, so we were waitlisted for a cabana and one never opened up), Palo brunch, and the adults-only venues like the infinity pool and The Rose, since my daughter was too little to join her brother in Oceaneer's. Next time!!
Speaking of a next time, initially I was thinking we would book the Wonder for spring break when it's sailing on the west coast near us, but I'm worried we will miss all of our favorite things about the Wish if we do the Wonder. We would LOVE to do a longer cruise on the Treasure, but the concierge rates for that one are pretty eye-popping! So right now we're eyeing a 4-night on the Wish for my birthday next June, followed by WDW like we did this time. It really helped to know we had Magic Kingdom to look forward to when we were sad about leaving the ship! I'm definitely open to any thoughts or ideas you guys have for the next cruise though.
If you're still here, thank you for reading this long novel! I hope it gets you even more hyped for your cruise! And I'm happy to answer any questions you might have!
so we'll probably go once every 1-2 years instead of more frequently, but go big when we do! Here are some highlights, and prepare for a long post!!OMG is the Wish beautiful!! The ship is absolutely stunning. We were all enamored with it!! Everything about it impressed us, from all the gorgeous and amazingly-themed spaces to all the amenities and everything it had to offer. Star Wars Hyperspace Lounge and the AquaMouse were two favorites that my son in particular could not get enough of! I have to admit I was so confused by the bad reviews for this ship after experiencing how amazing it is- all I can think is maybe those reviews were from when it first launched and there were some new ship hiccups that have since been resolved? Because we were truly so wowed!
The food was phenomenal! We didn't have a single meal on the ship that was anything less than fantastic. I knew going in that people rave about 1923 and the pool deck food, and both of those absolutely delivered! But what surprised me was how good the food at Arendelle and Marvel were too! At Arendelle, my husband loved the baked scallops, I loved the rib eye, and my son said the meatballs on the kids' penne were the best he ever had. That onion dip with the bread service is to die for too, as is the Elsa Coronation Sundae for dessert! At Marvel, the broccoli and cheddar soup was SO delicious and my husband loved his tuna steak entree, while I got the special 4th of July short ribs which were also amazing. The Pym Doughnut Sundae was one of the best desserts we had onboard too. Even the Pirate Night menu was great, and I wasn't expecting to like that one. We were also really impressed by Marceline Market, the selection was amazing and everything we tried was delicious. ALSO- the way they take care of guests with food allergies is like nothing else. I honestly get emotional when I think about the way they made it possible for my son to have all the delicious eats and treats the rest of us could have! It's a world of difference compared to other restaurants/resorts. The rotational dining aspect was such a treat, we adored our server Javed and miss him now! And we also didn't find the restaurants remotely cramped, which I'd been expecting after reading reviews. That might be because we had a great table (211, with the most gorgeous window view at 1923!) but even when were at a non-assigned table in 1923 for lunch, we didn't find it cramped or narrow either. So, a good reminder that reviews really are subjective!
The dinner shows were a blast. The Frozen show was so much fun, and the kids were positively giddy at the end with the napkin-twirling singalong! The Marvel dinner show was a BIG hit with all of us- my son was riveted throughout, and the smile on my daughter's face when Spider-Man appeared was the cutest thing ever. Reading reviews beforehand, I never would have guessed that Worlds of Marvel would be one of our trip highlights!
Oceaneer's Club is amazing! My son was blown away by Oceaneer's. Starting with the slide down into the club and then the virtual ride simulator, which was his most favorite thing, to the Marvel interactive superhero stuff, he just couldn't get enough! This is one of the reasons why we'll likely have to stick with Triton class ships, since he'd likely be disappointed with the older ships' kids clubs after this. It was just that amazing!
Concierge Lounge and Sundeck are both a dream! This is another reason we'll probably have to stick with the Triton ships, because we were in LOVE with the lounge and sundeck! They are both just the most wonderful places where you really feel so relaxed and pampered, with such delicious eats and drinks. Some of my favorite memories of the trip are sitting in that glorious wading pool with a Dole Whip smoothie in hand and Disney instrumental music playing, with hardly anyone else up there; the special meet-and-greet with Donald Duck in the lounge while the concierge team passed out divine milkshakes; going to the lounge right before it closed at the end of the night to get a nightcap and desserts. Absolutely amazing- I really miss it!!
Concierge CMs went above and beyond: These CMs were so incredible and helpful. When my 2-year-old was having an exhausted meltdown and randomly crying for Froot Loops cereal at 5 PM, they got it for her and put an instant smile on her face. When I had to cancel Palo brunch and my mani/pedi due to my husband and son both having seasickness (there was one night & morning of rough waves, but otherwise smooth!) I was so bummed and sure I'd be charged since it was a same-day cancellation, but Concierge said they would take care of it and remove those charges, and they did. When I got to breakfast in the concierge lounge just as food service was wrapping, but the rest of my family was already there eating, one of the CMs actually went to Marceline and brought me back a plate of food!! I was so touched by her kindness! And then, the express debarkation with our concierge team was so quick and easy too.
Characters were magical: There were constantly characters around the ship, often multiple character meets happening at once, which made the atmosphere onboard so much fun. The kids had such great quality meet & greets- Royal Gathering, Captain Minnie, Captain Mickey and Donald were some of our favorites. Another perk of concierge is getting to pre-book Royal Gathering at the 120-day mark, and then when I needed to make a last-minute change, they were able to accommodate us. We also loved the dance party with Mickey & Friends and the character deck shows.
Fish Extender gift exchanges were also magical: This was sooo special for my kids, and it made me so happy to deliver gifts around the ship too. I totally recommend finding your sailing's FB group and signing up for this, if you have the time and luggage space!
Don't miss Seas the Adventure and the fireworks! All of the shows were great, but Seas the Adventure was exceptional. I'm a theater nerd who used to see Broadway shows constantly when I lived in NY in my 20s, and this absolutely holds up in comparison. We all loved it so much!! The fireworks were epic and awesome, and a huge perk of sailing on 4th of July is that we got 2 nights of fireworks in a row, and two different shows!!
Serenity Bay Massage: This was another highlight, absolutely heavenly!
Things we missed out on that we'll need to book another concierge cruise on the Wish to experience: a cabana on Castaway Cay (I booked our cruise a few days after the booking window for concierge had already opened, so we were waitlisted for a cabana and one never opened up), Palo brunch, and the adults-only venues like the infinity pool and The Rose, since my daughter was too little to join her brother in Oceaneer's. Next time!!
Speaking of a next time, initially I was thinking we would book the Wonder for spring break when it's sailing on the west coast near us, but I'm worried we will miss all of our favorite things about the Wish if we do the Wonder. We would LOVE to do a longer cruise on the Treasure, but the concierge rates for that one are pretty eye-popping! So right now we're eyeing a 4-night on the Wish for my birthday next June, followed by WDW like we did this time. It really helped to know we had Magic Kingdom to look forward to when we were sad about leaving the ship! I'm definitely open to any thoughts or ideas you guys have for the next cruise though.
If you're still here, thank you for reading this long novel! I hope it gets you even more hyped for your cruise!
And I'm happy to answer any questions you might have!
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