Disney Wish - First reviews from the media cruise - biased?

[xiphoid76]

I love seeing the reviews from the Disney Wish, but have to admit I am a little annoyed (or is it jealous) at all the bloggers that got to go on the cruise for free. I know they work hard for their money, but how much can we really trust any of the reviews? They all had variations of the same headline after the first day ("What I learned after 24 hours on the Disney Wish", "Surprises on the First Day of the Disney Wish", "7 Ways the Disney Wish Surprised me in the First 24 hours"). The titles of their articles all make it seem like they were fed what to write about on their blogs.
If I was on a trip for free, there is no way I am going to write anything negative. I want to be invited back for another trip in the future The reviews all seem to contain glowing reviews with one area for improvement (put in for effect in my conspiratorial mind to make there reader believe they are being truly objective).
I remember one time one of the people on the cruise stayed at Disney Springs area hotel and said it was the best hotel ever - I stayed there afterwards and the place was hands down the worst hotel I ever stayed at. When I actually commented on his blog - he did disclose he got his room for free and was upgraded to a newly remodeled suite - neither of which of course I received. He did not disclose that in his initial review.
I like that they disclose the cruise is free for them, but I don't think disclosing it makes it clear they are going to be objective - they want to please Disney as well as entertain their readers.
Not to say anything is necessarily wrong with what they are doing, and obviously the reviews and blogs work or there is no way Disney would fund such a trip, but I think it is best to wait until the paying customers start reviewing to get a true sense of what the ship will be like. I am on a b2b in September so will have a few months of reviews to enjoy before I board.

 

[holula]

I don’t trust any of those reviews, except maybe the food parts since the pool deck food does look like an upgrade!

There are definitely some guests who have been tweeting that have been tweeting issues they have come across which I have appreciated. I’ve enjoyed following Carly Caramanna as she seems to have been a bit more honest, especially about the adult area (too small) and Hyperspace Lounge (have to make reservations.)

My cruise isn’t until January but I’m awaiting guest reviews as most of the early cruises will have lots of repeat cruisers on and can compare to the other ships.

 

[Cheburashka]

Those indirectly paid reviews are all over the Internet. Always check for those last two lines about how the trip was paid for by the company, "but all of the opinions expressed are my own". Yeah, and they have a bridge to sell you, too.

Of course getting a free trip makes you biased. For one thing, when it's free for you (or even deeply discounted), you aren't as demanding as when you had to pay dearly for it. Also, the next potential trip provider isn't going to give you a free trip if they see that you were negative about the last free trip you wrote about. So you're going to skew everything positive and minimize any negatives. And that's exactly what they do.

 

[Cliffside]

I don’t trust any of those reviews, except maybe the food parts since the pool deck food does look like an upgrade!

There are definitely some guests who have been tweeting that have been tweeting issues they have come across which I have appreciated. I’ve enjoyed following Carly Caramanna as she seems to have been a bit more honest, especially about the adult area (too small) and Hyperspace Lounge (have to make reservations.)

My cruise isn’t until January but I’m awaiting guest reviews as most of the early cruises will have lots of repress cruisers on and can compare to the other ships.

I didn’t realize you have to make reservations for the Hyperspace lounge…
It was not listed on any of the on board fun activities that you can reserve…hopefully its something everyone will get a chance to try…we are on the Maiden and by the time I was able to book there was no tastings or Palo brunch and anything in Enchante left to book.

 

[holula]

It seems like they had to go to a reservation system as it only holds 50 guests at a time.

 

[vacay77]

I was really looking forward to the Disney Wish but does anyone else feel like it's underwhelming after following the Christening? I saw some of the ride cams for the Aquamouse and it really didn't look like anything extraordinary. I have a cruise booked next year on the Wish and I'm thinking about canceling, lol. All I heard about was the $5,000 drink and saw pics of the upscale suites and those are definitely things that my family can't afford.

 

[holula]

I was really looking forward to the Disney Wish but does anyone else feel like it's underwhelming after following the Christening? I saw some of the ride cams for the Aquamouse and it really didn't look like anything extraordinary. I have a cruise booked next year on the Wish and I'm thinking about canceling, lol. All I heard about was the $5,000 drink and saw pics of the upscale suites and those are definitely things that my family can't afford.

+1

Even the things they did well on other ships (like Palo) just look like they were forgotten about and then they ran out of money. It feels very plain compared to the previous ships in there. The Aquamouse is so underwhelming. Hyperspace Lounge is way too small. The adult only pool area is tiny. And there doesn’t seem to be a dedicated adult only area at night like the other ships have.

There is some stuff that looks good, like 1923 and Arandelle and the new poolside food set up. I also like the look of the Atrium (although why the stage!) and the Bayou Bar.

I’m going to wait for reviews to come in but I’m considering swapping my b2b to a 7 night Fantasy instead.

 

[Cheburashka]

I was really looking forward to the Disney Wish but does anyone else feel like it's underwhelming after following the Christening? I saw some of the ride cams for the Aquamouse and it really didn't look like anything extraordinary. I have a cruise booked next year on the Wish and I'm thinking about canceling, lol. All I heard about was the $5,000 drink and saw pics of the upscale suites and those are definitely things that my family can't afford.

I'm in the process of switching my scheduled Wish cruise to one of the original fab four. I don't like the lack of ocean/sailing theming, the lack of a real promenade, lack of Remy, the princess/Marvel stuff too much in your face, and the smaller adult areas. And no, I can't afford those suites, either, so all the hype about those means nothing to me. Was willing to give it a try because it worked for my schedule, thinking it had to be better than early plans indicated, but imo it won't be what I want in a cruise.

 

[Marc D]

For as long as I can remember, Disney has been inviting journalists/tv hosts/radio hosts to visit the parks with their family to promote a new attraction or a to talk about a promotion they are pushing. They stay and visit for free, sometimes get to host a show or do a live feature from there or write a fluff piece in the travel section of the newspaper.

Never have you seen in those that the room was dirty, that there was a problem at check-in, that a meal was bad or overpriced or that the lines for the new attraction were way too long. Now they switched to social media influencers, because that’s where the audiences are and because they can do long-form pieces. But it is nothing new and no one is pretending to be objective. The best outlets, like the Dis, simply refuse to write formal reviews when not paying out-of-pocket.

 

[vacay77]

+1

Even the things they did well on other ships (like Palo) just look like they were forgotten about and then they ran out of money. It feels very plain compared to the previous ships in there. The Aquamouse is so underwhelming. Hyperspace Lounge is way too small. The adult only pool area is tiny. And there doesn’t seem to be a dedicated adult only area at night like the other ships have.

There is some stuff that looks good, like 1923 and Arandelle and the new poolside food set up. I also like the look of the Atrium (although why the stage!) and the Bayou Bar.

I’m going to wait for reviews to come in but I’m considering swapping my b2b to a 7 night Fantasy instead.

I'm glad it's not just me! I love Disney cruises, and I love Castaway Cay, and I appreciate the concept behind Disney Wish - for example, I was so excited that there was a Marvel and Frozen restaurant but based on what I've seen so far, they seem rather lackluster.

 

[vacay77]

I'm in the process of switching my scheduled Wish cruise to one of the original fab four. I don't like the lack of ocean/sailing theming, the lack of a real promenade, lack of Palo & Remy, the princess/Marvel stuff too much in your face, and the smaller adult areas. And no, I can't afford those suites, either, so all the hype about those means nothing to me. Was willing to give it a try because it worked for my schedule, thinking it had to be better than early plans indicated, but imo it won't be what I want in a cruise.

So much of this! My family has enjoyed all of our other Disney cruises - we've been on Disney Magic, Disney Wonder and Disney Dream and I'm thinking I'd like to try the Fantasy before the Wish. It's a bummer.

 

[Bibbidi_Boo]

Those indirectly paid reviews are all over the Internet. Always check for those last two lines about how the trip was paid for by the company, "but all of the opinions expressed are my own". Yeah, and they have a bridge to sell you, too.

Of course getting a free trip makes you biased. For one thing, when it's free for you (or even deeply discounted), you aren't as demanding as when you had to pay dearly for it. Also, the next potential trip provider isn't going to give you a free trip if they see that you were negative about the last free trip you wrote about. So you're going to skew everything positive and minimize any negatives. And that's exactly what they do.

Same with products. Drives me nuts when you go to try and find reviews and they are all for people who got it for free. I use to do book reviewing/book influencing for publishers/authors and yes it makes you bias even when you don't want to be. I did write some negative reviews but it makes you feel so bad especially if the book came from the author more then you just picked one out of a list from a publisher. You don't have the same view of value since you didn't pay for it so its not as big of a deal if you don't end up liking it.

 

[brentm77]

I love seeing the reviews from the Disney Wish, but have to admit I am a little annoyed (or is it jealous) at all the bloggers that got to go on the cruise for free. I know they work hard for their money, but how much can we really trust any of the reviews? They all had variations of the same headline after the first day ("What I learned after 24 hours on the Disney Wish", "Surprises on the First Day of the Disney Wish", "7 Ways the Disney Wish Surprised me in the First 24 hours"). The titles of their articles all make it seem like they were fed what to write about on their blogs.
If I was on a trip for free, there is no way I am going to write anything negative. I want to be invited back for another trip in the future The reviews all seem to contain glowing reviews with one area for improvement (put in for effect in my conspiratorial mind to make there reader believe they are being truly objective).
I remember one time one of the people on the cruise stayed at Disney Springs area hotel and said it was the best hotel ever - I stayed there afterwards and the place was hands down the worst hotel I ever stayed at. When I actually commented on his blog - he did disclose he got his room for free and was upgraded to a newly remodeled suite - neither of which of course I received. He did not disclose that in his initial review.
I like that they disclose the cruise is free for them, but I don't think disclosing it makes it clear they are going to be objective - they want to please Disney as well as entertain their readers.
Not to say anything is necessarily wrong with what they are doing, and obviously the reviews and blogs work or there is no way Disney would fund such a trip, but I think it is best to wait until the paying customers start reviewing to get a true sense of what the ship will be like. I am on a b2b in September so will have a few months of reviews to enjoy before I board.

Agreed. Disney's new method of inviting vloggers before customers is starting to bother me. It makes perfect sense on paper. Nearly free, very wide reaching advertising, almost guaranteed to be glowing reviews, and the chance to work kinks out before paying customers who will be vocal about the shortcomings. But, it's getting to the point where it's so off putting to me that it actually leaves a more negative opinion of Disney in my mind. It just feels so fake. I also dislike the personalities of most vloggers too.

My favorite was some guy who not only raved about the cool stuff, but also the most mundane hallways or nooks. I was having major second hand embarrassment - "this is amazing! Wow!"

On the other hand, I tune in because I want to see the new stuff. And the actual video has changed my mind on wanting to try the ship (I appear to be more of the exception). So I end up directly supporting it and feeding it more.

I also think it kinds of smells rotten to sell the maiden voyage to customers, when it really isn't. I think a much better approach would be to sell about 75% of the rooms, and invite vloggers to fill the rest. And spread out the Disney execs to have their turn over a year, so they get to experience the ship with paying customers, which will allow for a much more real experience and help improve the product from their input.

 

[dwg]

I enjoy reading the reviews regardless of where they are from but always take them with a grain of salt knowing there will always be a personal bias in the reviews.

As far as reviews regarding the food I totally ignore them as everyones taste is different and what one person considers really good is not so good to another person.

 

[Bibbidi_Boo]

Agreed. Disney's new method of inviting vloggers before customers is starting to bother me. It makes perfect sense on paper. Nearly free, very wide reaching advertising, almost guaranteed to be glowing reviews, and the chance to work kinks out before paying customers who will be vocal about the shortcomings. But, it's getting to the point where it's so off putting to me that it actually leaves a more negative opinion of Disney in my mind. It just feels so fake. I also dislike the personalities of most vloggers too.

My favorite was some guy who not only raved about the cool stuff, but also the most mundane hallways or nooks. I was having major second hand embarrassment - "this is amazing! Wow!"

On the other hand, I tune in because I want to see the new stuff. And the actual video has changed my mind on wanting to try the ship (I appear to be more of the exception). So I end up directly supporting it and feeding it more.

I also think it kinds of smells rotten to sell the maiden voyage to customers, when it really isn't. I think a much better approach would be to sell about 75% of the rooms, and invite vloggers to fill the rest. And spread out the Disney execs to have their turn over a year, so they get to experience the ship with paying customers, which will allow for a much more real experience and help improve the product from their input.

Pretty much every place has the vloggers now, it is cheap advertising costs for the company. I honestly don't pay attention to any of them or click on their stuff...lol.

The maiden voyage for all ships is just the first one with paid guests has been for a long now across different lines.

 

[HappilyEverAfter80]

I'm in the process of switching my scheduled Wish cruise to one of the original fab four. I don't like the lack of ocean/sailing theming, the lack of a real promenade, lack of Palo & Remy, the princess/Marvel stuff too much in your face, and the smaller adult areas. And no, I can't afford those suites, either, so all the hype about those means nothing to me. Was willing to give it a try because it worked for my schedule, thinking it had to be better than early plans indicated, but imo it won't be what I want in a cruise.

We are booked on the Wish Aug 29 2022, obviously past final payment date now and if I could I would seriously change to another Disney ship. We have been on 5 Disney cruises, Magic, Wonder & Fantasy. Our last DCL cruise was in 2018. Since then we went on 2 Royal Caribbean and we actually really enjoyed them too, but been looking for to going back on Disney. Looking at the first few glimpses of the Wish… seems over the top with Princess theme, and lacking that classic nautical ocean liner feel DCL is famous for…
i hope I’m wrong and that’s not at all how it is… but right now I feel like IF you are a family with little Princess obsessed kids under 7 maybe… with an obscene amount of $ to blow on Princess makeovers etc… then this ship is for you.
There is a Disney Dream sailing same date out of Miami about $1500 less (for a guaranteed veranda mind you) than we are paying for 5C verandah on the Wish… but I’m guessing to late to do anything about it now. I would even switch to Disney Fantasy and not do as much of WDW beforehand.
Sure hope these initial thoughts on the Wish are totally unjustified…

 

[holula]

We are booked on the Wish Aug 29 2022, obviously past final payment date now and if I could I would seriously change to another Disney ship.

DCL had a flexible policy at the moment where you can move your cruise with no penalty up to 15 days before sail date. So if you really don’t like what you’re seeing, you do have that option.

 

[vacay77]

We are booked on the Wish Aug 29 2022, obviously past final payment date now and if I could I would seriously change to another Disney ship. We have been on 5 Disney cruises, Magic, Wonder & Fantasy. Our last DCL cruise was in 2018. Since then we went on 2 Royal Caribbean and we actually really enjoyed them too, but been looking for to going back on Disney. Looking at the first few glimpses of the Wish… seems over the top with Princess theme, and lacking that classic nautical ocean liner feel DCL is famous for…
i hope I’m wrong and that’s not at all how it is… but right now I feel like IF you are a family with little Princess obsessed kids under 7 maybe… with an obscene amount of $ to blow on Princess makeovers etc… then this ship is for you.
There is a Disney Dream sailing same date out of Miami about $1500 less (for a guaranteed veranda mind you) than we are paying for 5C verandah on the Wish… but I’m guessing to late to do anything about it now. I would even switch to Disney Fantasy and not do as much of WDW beforehand.
Sure hope these initial thoughts on the Wish are totally unjustified…

Keep us posted about your trip!

 

[HappilyEverAfter80]

DCL had a flexible policy at the moment where you can move your cruise with no penalty up to 15 days before sail date. So if you really don’t like what you’re seeing, you do have that option.

Oh really? I didn’t know, I’ll look into it. Thank you.

 

[vacay77]

With regard to the vloggers, social media influencers, and travel writers, Carly Wisel can be hit or miss, but she gave a lukewarm review for the Marvel restaurant.