Disney Wish Maiden Voyage - News & Live Checkins

[AquaDame]

No one has mentioned the Hyperspace Lounge, even though it was one of the most talked about features and booked solid. Did anyone go?

Yes twice!

@AquaDame mentioned it briefly and included a picture or two. Must not have been very exciting…
https://www.disboards.com/threads/d...ws-live-checkins.3889756/page-2#post-64155862

It’s lacking something, for sure… just not enough to it.

Question for current cruisers: Has anyone been successful using their platinum Palo credit for brunch and not just dinner? Thanks!

Yes! We went this morning. No buffet and some winners, and some losers on there but we were able to use our platinum benefit for brunch with no issue.

 

[tvguy]

By definition, "unique" cruises cannot add up to 100 sailings. Basic math.

By definition, unique cruises can easily add up to 100 sailings. That's only 4 cruises a year over 24 years DCL has existed.. They could be 4 three day cruise. I think there are people that have done 4 cruise JUST since the restart last year. Basic math.

 

[DMMarla07860]

Was anyone a party of two adults able to get Palo Reservation for dinner or brunch onboard the first day

 

[AquaDame]

Was anyone a party of two adults able to get Palo Reservation for dinner or brunch onboard the first day

Yep, lots of us managed it on the maiden. Even under the circumstances (99% experienced platinum cruisers) we managed one for the last sea day.

 

[brentm77]

I sure didn't.

But you are the TVGuy!

Yep, lots of us managed it on the maiden. Even under the circumstances (99% experienced platinum cruisers) we managed one for the last sea day.

I know you thought maybe a little something was taken away from the maiden voyage not being the first sailing, but what do you think now? It seemed really cool with the swag. Did it have a unique feel vs other cruises? From the outside, it reminded me of opening night for a hit move franchise, with many of the most serious fans in attendance. It looked fun. Are you glad you did the maiden voyage?

 

[Billybob7]

We are sailing in a few months and have a category 7 A stateroom. It has an obstructed view veranda. Anybody have any pics of this room including the veranda? Thank you!

 

[vadersprincess12]

By definition, "unique" cruises cannot add up to 100 sailings. Basic math.

And someone mentioned cruises 8+ days but most of Disney are 3, 4, or 7 aren't they?

 

[OKW Lover]

Question for current cruisers: Has anyone been successful using their platinum Palo credit for brunch and not just dinner? Thanks!

We were able to use our Platinum credit for brunch on the Dream in May. We didn't do brunch on the Wish Maiden Voyage.

Was anyone a party of two adults able to get Palo Reservation for dinner or brunch onboard the first day

We were a party of 4 and were able to get dinner for the first night. At dinner that night, we saw several open tables so a party of two should have been able to book that night.

 

[tvguy]

But you are the TVGuy!

TV was my job. I'm one of those strange people who goes on vacation to get away from work.

 

[Kwami]

And someone mentioned cruises 8+ days but most of Disney are 3, 4, or 7 aren't they?

Yes, but there are a number of cruises every year that are at least 8 nights. Usually the two transatlantic cruises, the Panama Canal cruises (until this year, anyway), a few Southern Caribbean cruises, and some European cruises. This year also had two Hawaiian cruises.

The early years were pretty much only 3/4-night cruises, though.

 

[Karin1984]

Thanks for the report! Can’t wait for the food! Thankfully we have no interest in a walking / running track, but the gym is something I’d like to hit up. But have no interest in an overcrowded gym.

You should have an interest in the walking/running track, as it is probably (partially) causing the overcrowded gym.

 

[Intr3pid]

By definition, unique cruises can easily add up to 100 sailings. That's only 4 cruises a year over 24 years DCL has existed.. They could be 4 three day cruise. I think there are people that have done 4 cruise JUST since the restart last year. Basic math.

Well, from basic math to basic English problems.

unique adj.: being the only one of its kind; unlike anything else

So, anyone calling 100 cruises 'unique' likely doesn't understand what that word means.

You made a remark about how many of them have been to ten countries. What did you mean by that?

Not of them necessarily.

A sizable number of folks living close to the ports in Florida simply cruise every time they have a weekend or week off. (You can do so for $550 per room for two with, say, RCL or NCL.) Over a decade or two, this will add up to a large number - which is impressive - though only in the Bahamas and the Caribbeans.

 

[tidefan]

First time logging on since we boarded the Wish - last day here...checking work emails and I have a couple of minutes before the last show.. haven't checked this whole thread, I will when we get back

I LOVE the ship.. it's beautiful but the Fantasy is still my favorite.

Quick pros and cons from me:

Pros: The food - It's amazing. Way better that other ships. Maybe bc most of the MDR food here is new (except for pirate night which is the same as other ships).. the pool deck food is a game changer. I love Donald's cantina. been eating there every day... bowls ala Chipotle (better than Chipotle imo), tacos, burritos and a variety of salsas.It's amazing.
BBQ place is good too... even the Pizza is not cardboard here and is half decent so that's a major upgrade.

The internet plan - Totally new configuration. No per GB anymore. You pay per the day, per type of speed and number of devices and it's unlimited... Though the speeds are not blazing fast, they're fast enough that you can easily download emails with attachments, watch youtube, etc... I've been using my Apple Music online without a hitch all voyage. We chose internet for the whole voyage for 3 devices and it's another game changer.
Huge kudos to DCL here - I Wonder if this new setup will eventually be in place in the other ships. I Wish it will.

The service - No surprises. DCL service here is top notch - All CMs are incredible. Don't have a single complaint

1923 - What an incredibly well designed place. It's stunning and now my favorite restaurant in all the ships.

Deck 14 - Kinda like the unofficial smoking area (a corner of it is devoted for that purpose) but the views and seating config are incredible. Will post pictures later.

CONS:
- Things are confusing with no mid ship elevators. And the ship is like a maze. A lot of stairs to get to the upper decks (good exercise tho)
- Pools too small, adult pool is always a people soup, impossible to get in
- Cove area always full as well...lounges gone by 8 am with towels or flip flops on them for 'saving'
- Gym/treadmills always full
- Others that I will add on later.... AND.... last, but not least... the most horrible CON:
There. is. no. walking/running. track. None. It's non-existent.
There is a pretend one but it's not a continuous loop.. in fact, it's an obstacle course. You cannot even walk half the ship without encountering a blocked gate or stairs or blocked stairs or both. It's a non-track.
This is a MAJOR flop by DCL. This is an unwalkable track. In fact, after I tried walking on it a couple of times by climbing the stairs, going back as soon as I hit every gate, I just gave up and said, well, no walking for me on this cruise...will have to use the stairs as much as possible instead.
I have a theory that DCL did it on purpose.- they don't want ppl walking on deck 4 and approaching the anchor room or the doors in aft/fwd that CMs use.
The couple of times I walked it for a bit I didn't see anybody else - and when I went to read on deck 4, there wasn't a single soul running or walking - whereas in other ships you always see ppl walking or running almost at all times.
I feel bad for those with mobility issues or that are not as fit to walk up the stairs.. because the area is designed for people to NOT be there.

So.. even though I really liked the Wish and I *may* sail her again because of the food - the missing track is a major issue to me - I will continue sailing in my favorite ship, the Fantasy.

Here is a pic of what is supposed to be the "track" on deck 4 - I will post more later.

Cheers.

View attachment 686021

Funny you mention that. My DW and I were talking about how we hadn’t seen all 11 pools and couldn’t figure out what we were missing. Someone mentioned deck 14 forward (Chip & Dale pools). We’ve been on 5 days and had no idea that was up there. We finally got up there after dinner on our last night (night 5).

Also, our dinner neighbors mentioned the art ordering. I hadn’t seen this either…. Well, I actually had, but thought they were shutters kiosks…

I’ll second your assessment of the food on the Wish. It has been excellent and the Festival of Foods is a major upgrade. That said, we thought the food on our Magic cruise a few weeks ago was also a step up from what we remember, so hopefully, this is a fleet wide thing to a degree.

I will say that one thing that I really hope comes back soon is the opening of Cabanas/Marceline Market during dinner hours. I know DCL really wants everyone to go to the MDR’s, but sometimes, you just want to go at your own pace. I especially noticed this on our Med cruise, where sometimes you get back late and just may not make your appointed dinner time. Another quirk on the Wish is that Marceline Market has only been open 12-2 (or 12-1:30 on CC day) for lunch. It would be nice to have more expanded hours.

 

[gismo1554]

Do a lot of people spend thousands of dollars to go on a cruise just to spend time in their cabin - watching TV?

When the TV is also the navigator and your room portfolio I actually think a lot of people do use the TV. I tend to put it on while I'm getting ready more as background noise so not being able to watch it fully may not annoy me as much as I think but I know I'm going to get frustrated trying to scroll through the navigator on there with nowhere to sit.

The internet plan - Totally new configuration. No per GB anymore. You pay per the day, per type of speed and number of devices and it's unlimited... Though the speeds are not blazing fast, they're fast enough that you can easily download emails with attachments, watch youtube, etc... I've been using my Apple Music online without a hitch all voyage. We chose internet for the whole voyage for 3 devices and it's another game changer.
Huge kudos to DCL here - I Wonder if this new setup will eventually be in place in the other ships. I Wish it will.
Cheers.

The internet plan is already on the Magic and is meant to be being rolled out across the fleet

Yep, lots of us managed it on the maiden. Even under the circumstances (99% experienced platinum cruisers) we managed one for the last sea day.

This is great to know. Gives me hope that I can sort once onboard

And someone mentioned cruises 8+ days but most of Disney are 3, 4, or 7 aren't they?

They tend to do quite a few each year especially since they had 4 ships and now with a 5th I think they will do even more. I for example have 12 cruises under my belt but 10 of these were 10 night and over.

I will say that one thing that I really hope comes back soon is the opening of Cabanas/Marceline Market during dinner hours. I know DCL really wants everyone to go to the MDR’s, but sometimes, you just want to go at your own pace. I especially noticed this on our Med cruise, where sometimes you get back late and just may not make your appointed dinner time. Another quirk on the Wish is that Marceline Market has only been open 12-2 (or 12-1:30 on CC day) for lunch. It would be nice to have more expanded hours.

I am still hopeful for this too. The staffing levels are probably the biggest hurdle. If they have to staff Cabanas/Marceline Market at night as well as the MDRs they would probably struggle with things if anyone is needing to take time off because of illness. This way they have a buffer to allow people to be off sick.

 

[MommyCMickey]

Is anybody able to post maybe a screenshot of the character meets on the ship (which ones and times)… I’m curious.

 

[TammiMcMan]

Curious if anyone tried the Enchante dessert offering. We weren’t able to book it when our window opened, just wondering if it’s worth trying for when we get on board. We have dinner booked and based on the tasting menu being fish heavy, I’ll be ordering a la carte instead. Curious to know what the dessert offerings are ahead of time

 

[Henlady]

Have they added the “snacks” both sweet and/or savory back into Cove Cafe like the other ships have?

 

[paladin732]

Curious if anyone tried the Enchante dessert offering. We weren’t able to book it when our window opened, just wondering if it’s worth trying for when we get on board. We have dinner booked and based on the tasting menu being fish heavy, I’ll be ordering a la carte instead. Curious to know what the dessert offerings are ahead of time

I’m hoping to see this soon also, we have it booked for our trip at end of Oct.

 

[YourEveryDayAdam]

CONS:
...
- Pools too small, adult pool is always a people soup, impossible to get in
- Cove area always full as well...lounges gone by 8 am with towels or flip flops on them for 'saving'

I don't know if I would consider the maiden voyage, as well as even the first month worth of voyages on the wish as indicative of crowds for the Quiet Cove and cove pools. Reports i've seen is that the maiden voyage had VERY few children on it. I think once the more seasoned (gold, platinum, etc.) cruisers have gotten the new ship out of their systems then the cruise population will normalize more towards a more family oriented population with children, reducing the demand for the adult areas.

I think right now, there is just a higher percentage of folks who are adults and such the Adult areas are a bit overwhelmed. Once the wish gets a month or two of the 4-night/3-night cruises that the platinum and gold cruisers have done a ton of already, things will go back more towards first-time and infrequent cruisers who are doing things with kids as a family trip.

 

[Cliffside]

Have they added the “snacks” both sweet and/or savory back into Cove Cafe like the other ships have?

No…they said they are not going to offer any and the size of the Cove Cafe on the Wish is so small…but that seemed to be the trend around the Wish…