Disney Wish Maiden Voyage - News & Live Checkins

[DLgal]

I do think it must have something to do with B2B. If you test positive at embarkation and denied boarding — DCL has not been providing any quarantine, but will provide transportation back to Orlando if needed to a hotel or rental car.

Those testing positive onboard are a different story and I have read DCL is sending them to quarantine hotel at debarkation. A B2B party is likely considered with those positive onboard.

ETA: to my knowledge, DCL does not report positives to the airlines. However, if you ask the airline to change your flight, the airline could then insist it be 10 days later. Likely airline policy.

Does DCL still offer packages that include air?

 

[Kwami]

Does DCL still offer packages that include air?

Yes.

 

[ajgardner]

Didn’t everyone get 50% off?

I wish, if that was the case because then I would be fine with missing elements. My cruise (August 15-19 and 19-22) was not impacted by the delay so I paid full price, which was quite a bit.

 

[OKW Lover]

im definitely gonna seek some sort of compensation if it's not (uncharted).

Good luck. You may want to read your cruise contract though. Disney has wide latitude in what it can change without notice or compensation.

if the triton class ships really are going to be like floating disney hotels and not 'shippy'

No, they are not at all like floating Disney hotels. They are definitely nautical. There is no doubt at all that you are on a ship.

Another quick observation for those going soon, there are a lot of service people that are new to Disney. Not necessarily new to cruising but new to Disney.

Interesting. We did notice some CM's with "earning my ears" tags on, but very few. Across the board we found all the CM's to be very friendly and helpful.

 

[disneyland_is_magic]

I wish, if that was the case because then I would be fine with missing elements. My cruise (August 15-19 and 19-22) was not impacted by the delay so I paid full price, which was quite a bit.

This is an interesting time period, this next 30 days or so. You were technically not impacted by the schedule change but the argument could be made the delay in reality absolutely affected you too. You certainly have been in the dark about details we are just learning.

Clearly Disney was racing to the last minute with those preview cruises being canceled and do not have bugs worked out.

Does Disney “owe” you anything? No, really they don’t. But if things aren’t fully ready or up to Disney standard of service, a shipboard credit would sure be a nice gesture.

 

[DLgal]

Yes.

This may explain the quarantining at the Hyatt MCO then. If air was part of the package, Disney would be involved in rearranging flights.

 

[crafty91]

I mean if I am flying but I am willing to rent a car to drive home do they still force you to stay in the Hyatt? Do they test you to disembark or only because you were doing b2b?

yes only because of b2b....Not sure about your question but not sure they can force you stay?

 

[crafty91]

I mean if I am flying but I am willing to rent a car to drive home do they still force you to stay in the Hyatt? Do they test you to disembark or only because you were doing b2b?

yes only because of b2b....Not sure about your question but not sure they can force you stay?

I sail august 5th and was wondering if you can get a bourbon in the speakeasy in hooks Barbery without getting your hair cut or having an appointment? Just like to see the ship.

yes this is a 'hidden' bar but its mostly just for bourbon drinks but they are good!

 

[crafty91]

Good luck. You may want to read your cruise contract though. Disney has wide latitude in what it can change without notice or compensation.

No, they are not at all like floating Disney hotels. They are definitely nautical. There is no doubt at all that you are on a ship.

Interesting. We did notice some CM's with "earning my ears" tags on, but very few. Across the board we found all the CM's to be very friendly and helpful.

Only a guess but servers I had talked to were new to Disney but if they got on back in the Netherlands they may be past 'earning ears'. Or Disney didn't want to show that many new people? I think service was fine except for a few things ppl didn't know. For example, our asst server at dinner didn't know there was a wine package. After we checked with Guest Services and confirmed there was a package she 'found' the sheet with the pricing. Idk....

 

[tidefan]

We were able to get Palo for the first night once on board.

We got in for dinner from the waitlist on night 3 (just 2 of us)

 

[DMMarla07860]

wow, so 25% of the people doing a b2b tested positive! If that’s not an eye opener I don’t know what is. We were going to do a b2b next month, but dropped one cruise because of the high rate of positive people. I hope DCL takes a look at these numbers. I hate to see how many CM test positive too.

Because of the high rates my Dad and I moved our cruise to February 2023 sure it could be bad then, but right now seems better with my autoimmune we switch. And when I say autoimmune i'm high risk, but my doctor's think I'd be fine if I try to stay careful like I always do so not worried, but playing it safe right now

 

[MickeySwirl]

Just got an email with a survey link for the MV. It was the typical questions. Nothing specific about the MV.

I would love to see the feedback from the MV given that most everyone on that voyage was a very experienced DCL cruiser!

 

[dina444444]

Just off MV, happy to answer questions. We were 2 adults and 2 young adults (20 and 22). Less than 100 kids on the boat and the rest was not to capacity. With our dynamic we didn't do any of the kids clubs though my kids went in Vibe and said it was cool, but smaller (with no pool). I agree here the Quiet Cove was overrun with adults but this was a weird cruise so I think that may settle out over time. That said I did enjoy the area everyday, people will share their sitting area so if you want to be by the bar and pool just wait a few minutes. Food is crazy good! The MDR are so good! The quick service BBQ is ridiculous good and the pizza is great! There is a taco/bowl area that seemed to be a hit because of the line but I didn't try it. 1923 MDR was my favorite but then I'm a little over the shows at dinner.

Agree the layout is confusing since it is a completely different layout but I guess we will learn over time. Things are more in 'pockets' rather that areas. For example no adult district anymore just random bars around places (and yes they all close at midnight except for Bayou which is 1am) I still shake my head that they close down and leave adult money on the table, there were adults everywhere and they still shut it down. Oh well.

Luna is the 'new' Tube so thats where variety shows are. Get there early. Its not a lot of seating.

Lastly, we were one of the familys (400 ppl!) that were going to do a b2b but our son tested postive (as did about 100 other people that were going to do b2b) so a full refund lately we were driving home and missing our DVC 3 night cruise. DCL was completely overwhelmed with how many tested positive they said they have never had that many people test positive. 20 staterooms they had to get luggage from and bring down to people. I was just glad we drove because if you were flying they put you up in the Hyatt for 10 DAYS?!

Ask away!

Was it 100 positive cases or 100 people affected by positive tests? 20 staterooms seems low for 100 positive tests.

 

[dmunsil]

We had a family oceanview with the big window. It is definitely smaller than other ships. We particularly noticed it in the bathrooms.

Happy to answer questions.

How did you feel about the overall layout of the family oceanview? Did your room have the huge porthole with the seat?

 

[Karin1984]

With all the reviews and reactions dropping in, the consensus seems to be:

Pros:
- The Wish is beautiful
- The food is better
- The new shows are amazing (both new shows, right?)
- Dinner shows are very good (or is it just Frozen, and Marvel is too many screens?)

Cons:
- Confusing layout (Hard to solve, next drydock)
- Adult areas are small (Hard to solve, next drydock)
- No promenade (Hard to solve, next drydock)
- Lack of storage space in stateroom (Can be solved, but not the easiest to solve)
- Lack of snacks (Can be solved)

In the middle:
- Aquamouse

Does this sound about right?

 

[Kwami]

- Confusing layout (Hard to solve, next drydock)
- Adult areas are small (Hard to solve, next drydock)
- No promenade (Hard to solve, next drydock)

I don't think you're going to solve #1 or #3 with a drydock. Creating an actual promenade or adding a third elevator bank or something would require massive changes. Besides, I think the layout is only confusing because it's new. We'll get used to it.

As for #2, well, the only cruise that we have reports from was sold out and had more adults than usual. Let's wait for some other cruises before we decide that the adult areas are too small. I think the strategy here is to have more adult-friendly areas, but spread them out so that everyone isn't in one place. That might make each area seem small, even if there's overall more adult space.

 

[Karin1984]

I don't think you're going to solve #1 or #3 with a drydock. Creating an actual promenade or adding a third elevator bank or something would require massive changes. Besides, I think the layout is only confusing because it's new. We'll get used to it.

As for #2, well, the only cruise that we have reports from was sold out and had more adults than usual. Let's wait for some other cruises before we decide that the adult areas are too small. I think the strategy here is to have more adult-friendly areas, but spread them out so that everyone isn't in one place. That might make each area seem small, even if there's overall more adult space.

I have no idea what they can and cannot do in drydock, it is a longshot. Maybe they can do something. Removing stairs on the Magic was probably easier than this problem, but who knows ! I haven't been on the Wish, but people do not just seem to have an issue with 2 instead of 3 elevators, but also walking into dead ends. Maybe that is something that can be solved with more signs?

My fear with the small adult areas is, there will be more popular spaces, making those more crowded.

 

[crafty91]

I don't think you're going to solve #1 or #3 with a drydock. Creating an actual promenade or adding a third elevator bank or something would require massive changes. Besides, I think the layout is only confusing because it's new. We'll get used to it.

As for #2, well, the only cruise that we have reports from was sold out and had more adults than usual. Let's wait for some other cruises before we decide that the adult areas are too small. I think the strategy here is to have more adult-friendly areas, but spread them out so that everyone isn't in one place. That might make each area seem small, even if there's overall more adult space.

This. The MV was WAYYYY more adults than they will usually have and since most of those adults did not have small kids they were able to spend more time at the Cove and other adult functions. To be fair when do you remember seeing tons of open seats in the family area?? NOTE on that too, IMO the area between the Funnel Vision and the pools will be HOT HOT real estate. To me it looked like fewer seats that you got around the other 4 ships pools, again I didn't count just an observation.

HINT: if you are doing Family w/verandah get the one with the murphy bed...there is storage in the wall unit that it is housed in. Definitely will help with lots of family in one room.

 

[varkgirl]

With all the reviews and reactions dropping in, the consensus seems to be:

Pros:
- The Wish is beautiful
- The food is better
- The new shows are amazing (both new shows, right?)
- Dinner shows are very good (or is it just Frozen, and Marvel is too many screens?)

Cons:
- Confusing layout (Hard to solve, next drydock)
- Adult areas are small (Hard to solve, next drydock)
- No promenade (Hard to solve, next drydock)
- Lack of storage space in stateroom (Can be solved, but not the easiest to solve)
- Lack of snacks (Can be solved)

In the middle:
- Aquamouse

Does this sound about right?

I loved the Aquamouse! (46yo female) It was fun! We rode several times.

Better/more signage I think could solve the navigation issues.

I thought the Marvel show was better than the Frozen one

Lack of promenade is a mega weird design decision.

Overall LOVED the ship by the end of the five days.

 

[Bishoparc]

Hey everyone, sorry for disappearing. We (wife and I) ended up catching COVID onboard. Woke up horribly sick on day 4 of the cruise and are currently on day 4 of symptoms.

My thoughts on the Disney Wish after being on her Maiden Voyage: Disney wanted and built a “castle on the sea.” From the moment you board the ship and enter the castle door, you see it. It’s elegant and beautiful in every detail. Were there some issues and things not complete for us on this sailing? Yes, but, overall they hit “their” mark.

The short version: If you are a family with kids or an adult who enjoys 100% Disney immersion, the Wish is the ship for you. If you’re looking for an adults only cruise that you can experience as much or as little Disney as you want, she’s probably a one and done. I didn’t hate it but I’m not in a hurry to get back on the Wish.

The Wish is the perfect extension of your family’s Disney World vacation as you will feel like you never left a Disney Resort, a deluxe resort at that. Depending on your personal preferences, that could be a good thing or a bad thing. At no point did I feel like I was on a ship. There are no nautical touches like the other Disney ships and fewer windows to the outside due to the layout of the hallways and restaurants. You can easily forget you’re on a ship. Down to the carpet and the music playing in the hallways, “Disney” and the castle touches are in your face at every turn. On the Dream, I’ve always felt like I could experience as much or as little “Disney” as I wanted. On the Wish, I don’t think you can escape it.

You’ll also notice I said “your family’s” vacation, the Wish focuses on immersing your kids in a truly magical environment. If I were a kid, I’d have been in heaven. Between the shows in Arendelle/Worlds of Marvel and the kids clubs, they have no lack of things to keep them entertained. As an adult, the dining entertainment, in Worlds of Marvel especially, wouldn’t be worth repeating. As to where Animators Palate on the Dream you could have a different experience depending on what is said to Crush, everything is pre-recorded in Worlds of Marvel. They could easily fix this by adding in some Marvel trivia to help keep you entertained.

The Disney Wish feels very much geared for children and the adults being an afterthought. While there is a marked increase in the number of places you can purchase a drink, almost around every corner, the adult lounge spaces are open concept. The Bayou, on deck 3, is one of the venues with live music that is nestled between the walkways to the Walt Disney Theater. Things like “Match Your Mate” and other evening adult activities are in the Luna space in the center on decks 4 and 5. Luna is also open concept, meaning the little ones could potentially hear something adult themed should they be walking by at the wrong time.

Putting the adult pool directly on the aft of the ship was a good idea to keep kids from wandering throug but it feels like an extremely small area. The Cove Cafe, which is a favorite of many on the Dream/Fantasy, has been reduced to what feels like the size of a broom closet. This cruise was heavily skewed adult with very few kids onboard so this area was packed when I walked through. You can’t make a complete loop through the adult pool area as it leads to a dead end, which seems to be a recurring theme on the Wish. There isn’t a full promenade either so you can’t take a complete evening stroll around the Wish as you can on the other ships.

I won’t write much on the rooms as Jackie Gailey wrote a wonderful in-depth look at those but it felt like you had less storage. I was in a category 05B, Deluxe Oceanview Stateroom with Verandah. The sliding doors on our closet kept falling off and the fridge didn’t really cool. The TV, while larger, doesn’t swivel and you have to shimmy yourself past the end of the bed. The phone is precariously placed in a nook on the vanity. Granted you don’t use the phone much, but still odd placement for trying to call for room service. The couch wasn’t comfortable for sitting so we spent most of our time on the bed. The overall room and bathrooms felt cramped and not roomy.

The food was on par with what we have had on other ships. Marceline Market had almost exactly the same food as Cabanas although the seafood choices seemed to be reduced. I found something I liked in each of the main dining rooms but, unfortunately, experienced slow service and lukewarm food. Being the maiden voyage, that’s understandable and will improve over time. The quick service options were plentiful but missing the fresh fruit and salads. The food alone wasn’t enough to carry the cruise for me.

Overall, the Wish doesn’t feel like you would be able make each cruise different enough to do it over and over again. Does that mean I won’t sail the Wish again? No, but I’m in no rush and would likely wait to experience a Halloween on the High Seas or Very Merrytime cruise just to have a different experience.