TAX GUY
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Jun 25, 2014
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After reading others reviews/views regarding Disney's newest ship, The Wish, I wasn't sure what to except. My wife and I have NEVER cruised before so we have nothing to compare to. These comments and observations are my own personal views and how I encountered things both on and off the ship, as a first timer! Disclaimer: we did travel with a party of 15, of which the others HAVE cruised before so we did have some guidance.
Lets first start with our journey TO the port. We had a short stay on property and scheduled a shuttle from the resort to the port. For us, it was flawless and very convenient. As we approached the port, our driver let us know when and where we could see the ship. She certainly helped to build up the excitement for all passengers!! She also explained what we should expect once we parked (CM coming on board and explaining what/where/when/how). The check in process was incredibly smooth and quicker than I expected. Once into the building, it was also pretty easy to follow direction and prompts to board based on zones/groups. Lines flowed, check in was quick and easy. Being announced as a family onto the ship was pretty cool too.
Our entire party once on board, then headed straight up to deck 11, found a section of seating to accommodate all of us, and we all had some lunch! In true newbie fashion, my eyes were as large as dinner plates looking at ALL THE FOOD! So many options to choose from, from typical comfort foods like mac-n-cheese, fresh sliced roast beef, chicken tenders, french fries, to salads, lighter fare like sandwiches and soup, to seafood like crab claws and shrimp cocktail! Plenty of drink refill stations too with the typical coke products plus water (flavored and regular), lemonade, etc). Oh, and of course, ICE CREAM! It was not self serve which at first I thought would be disappointing but it worked out soooooo much better. Less waste, less (make that NONE) mess, no worries about any foreign objects (like fingers) being on or in the nozzles! Even though I thought I wanted an oversized cone that would cause an instant brain freeze, the smaller sizes they were giving were just enough, plus it allowed for multiple cones of different flavors to mix it up!
From there, we strolled the ship and some of the other decks, and made our way to our staterooms. Deck 6 is where we all were, with veranda. Since we were just 2, we didn't have a connecting room or one with extra beds (no bunks, just the regular bed plus the sofa/pull down). My first impression was..... it's tight! But I knew that coming in not to expect or anticipate anything bigger than that. It is a ship and not supposed to be massive rooms. The veranda was nice and on par with most deck/balcony at the resorts. We did spend some on ours some mornings as well as an evening too, after dinner. Nothing like the sound of the ocean/waves!!
At this point, we headed up for the sail away party! What a GREAT time!! Other than being a bit hot in the direct sun, the atmosphere, CM, passengers, music..... what a way to start a cruise!!! My thoughts were, if this is the start, I wonder what else we'll do! With so many offerings of different activities, we didn't get to do all of them. We did do a learn to draw, trivia (a few different ones), bingo, shows, character visits and of course, plenty of samplings from the many adult bars.
As for the dinner/restaurants that are part of the rotation, fantastic! We started in 1923, then to Marvel (two night) then Arendelle for our final night. Our server, asst server and head server were great! A couple of minor miscues but nothing to bother about or that wasn't quickly addressed. We did have one in our party with some significant allergies, and to my understanding, they were observed and noted constantly. I found the food to be to true Disney fashion, and held to a higher standard, and for me, it did not disappoint. My personal opinion, Arendelle had THE best food, hands down. The scallop pastry puff and the sea bass was PHENOMINAL! Not to take anything away from the other places, it's just these were above and beyond for me.
Still on food, deck 11 had it's fair share of offerings as well. I thought the BBQ was really good. The brisket was fantastic and the choices of sauces was great too. Pizza was also amazing (as far a pizza goes). We didn't try the taco/burritos although I really wanted to). The buffets were true to Disney as well. The eggs benedict were some of the best I've ever had. Fresh fruit, mickey waffles, breakfast meats, hash browns, corned beef hash.... all good. Lunch offerings were plenty as well too (as noted above, early into this post).
As for the CM, crew and characters...... phenomenal! Each one we encountered or simply passed in a hall, was friendly, up beat, greeted us with a head nod and a hello. If didn't matter if we were inside one of the lounges or outside in the hot blazing sun. they ALL seemed to be happy to be there and happy to help. Other passengers also seemed wide eyed and enjoying themselves. Of course, there were a few exceptions we did see/hear, but who wouldn't get a little cranky after a full day of go-go-go-go (plus the heat)?
We only scheduled ONE event which was at Castaway Cay. No other on board activities were preplanned for us. With that, we were able to book an amazing couples massage in the spa. We weren't that interested in much else since we wanted to take in all the other things, being first timers.
We did NOT leave the ship to visit Nassau. We took that day to do our massage and just explore the ship. We walked. A lot. Forward to aft, port to starboard and back. We still didn't see everything. We never made it to the kids area's (our child is grown). The adult area at the aft of the ship was fine. A few sitting pools that had several people in them, a sitting area, that was empty, and plenty of deck lounge chairs too. We had a drink and didn't visit again (not that it was bad, just had so many other things to do). The AcuaMouse was an absolute blast! My wife and rode it when we returned from Castaway Cay, and we belly laughed the entire ride. I can't remember the last time we both laughed that much on a ride (we're both in our early 50's)!
Castaway Cay, was a perfect "chill out" day for us. We casually took our time that morning. Had breakfast on the ship, then made our way to the island. Most of the other passengers were already there, so getting off was a breeze. No line, a quick check of our key to the world card and we were off. We made our one and only preplanned reservation, then had the rest of the day to do whatever. We sat on the beach, went into the water, had some amazing fresh fruit, walked the island (just down to the adult area/end), had ice cream, people watched, checked out the little shops, and headed back to the ship. I found the island to be "just right". Not too much and yet not, not enough. We could have done more, and we certainly could have done less too.
Our final day was as smooth as the first day. Tagged our luggage the night before, grabbed our carry bags (back packs) and headed to breakfast. We opted for the buffet vs sit down just for ease and comfort of getting our own. Once our tag group was called, we made our way to the main hall. Very easy debarking, very easy through customs and back to the transport busses.
All in all, for our first ever cruise, I thought it great. We had nothing to compare the ship to, and I was a little worried based on some of the early reviews/comments that it might not live up to any expectations. I tried to keep an open mind and take things as they came. Never once was I disappointed or upset. Not everything was perfect, but it never is. On board, in a resort, at home.... something always happens unexpectedly and it's how you react to it that makes it good, bad or indifferent. These were my experiences during our sailing. They aren't right or wrong, just mine. Others experiences may differ
Lets first start with our journey TO the port. We had a short stay on property and scheduled a shuttle from the resort to the port. For us, it was flawless and very convenient. As we approached the port, our driver let us know when and where we could see the ship. She certainly helped to build up the excitement for all passengers!! She also explained what we should expect once we parked (CM coming on board and explaining what/where/when/how). The check in process was incredibly smooth and quicker than I expected. Once into the building, it was also pretty easy to follow direction and prompts to board based on zones/groups. Lines flowed, check in was quick and easy. Being announced as a family onto the ship was pretty cool too.
Our entire party once on board, then headed straight up to deck 11, found a section of seating to accommodate all of us, and we all had some lunch! In true newbie fashion, my eyes were as large as dinner plates looking at ALL THE FOOD! So many options to choose from, from typical comfort foods like mac-n-cheese, fresh sliced roast beef, chicken tenders, french fries, to salads, lighter fare like sandwiches and soup, to seafood like crab claws and shrimp cocktail! Plenty of drink refill stations too with the typical coke products plus water (flavored and regular), lemonade, etc). Oh, and of course, ICE CREAM! It was not self serve which at first I thought would be disappointing but it worked out soooooo much better. Less waste, less (make that NONE) mess, no worries about any foreign objects (like fingers) being on or in the nozzles! Even though I thought I wanted an oversized cone that would cause an instant brain freeze, the smaller sizes they were giving were just enough, plus it allowed for multiple cones of different flavors to mix it up!
From there, we strolled the ship and some of the other decks, and made our way to our staterooms. Deck 6 is where we all were, with veranda. Since we were just 2, we didn't have a connecting room or one with extra beds (no bunks, just the regular bed plus the sofa/pull down). My first impression was..... it's tight! But I knew that coming in not to expect or anticipate anything bigger than that. It is a ship and not supposed to be massive rooms. The veranda was nice and on par with most deck/balcony at the resorts. We did spend some on ours some mornings as well as an evening too, after dinner. Nothing like the sound of the ocean/waves!!
At this point, we headed up for the sail away party! What a GREAT time!! Other than being a bit hot in the direct sun, the atmosphere, CM, passengers, music..... what a way to start a cruise!!! My thoughts were, if this is the start, I wonder what else we'll do! With so many offerings of different activities, we didn't get to do all of them. We did do a learn to draw, trivia (a few different ones), bingo, shows, character visits and of course, plenty of samplings from the many adult bars.
As for the dinner/restaurants that are part of the rotation, fantastic! We started in 1923, then to Marvel (two night) then Arendelle for our final night. Our server, asst server and head server were great! A couple of minor miscues but nothing to bother about or that wasn't quickly addressed. We did have one in our party with some significant allergies, and to my understanding, they were observed and noted constantly. I found the food to be to true Disney fashion, and held to a higher standard, and for me, it did not disappoint. My personal opinion, Arendelle had THE best food, hands down. The scallop pastry puff and the sea bass was PHENOMINAL! Not to take anything away from the other places, it's just these were above and beyond for me.
Still on food, deck 11 had it's fair share of offerings as well. I thought the BBQ was really good. The brisket was fantastic and the choices of sauces was great too. Pizza was also amazing (as far a pizza goes). We didn't try the taco/burritos although I really wanted to). The buffets were true to Disney as well. The eggs benedict were some of the best I've ever had. Fresh fruit, mickey waffles, breakfast meats, hash browns, corned beef hash.... all good. Lunch offerings were plenty as well too (as noted above, early into this post).
As for the CM, crew and characters...... phenomenal! Each one we encountered or simply passed in a hall, was friendly, up beat, greeted us with a head nod and a hello. If didn't matter if we were inside one of the lounges or outside in the hot blazing sun. they ALL seemed to be happy to be there and happy to help. Other passengers also seemed wide eyed and enjoying themselves. Of course, there were a few exceptions we did see/hear, but who wouldn't get a little cranky after a full day of go-go-go-go (plus the heat)?
We only scheduled ONE event which was at Castaway Cay. No other on board activities were preplanned for us. With that, we were able to book an amazing couples massage in the spa. We weren't that interested in much else since we wanted to take in all the other things, being first timers.
We did NOT leave the ship to visit Nassau. We took that day to do our massage and just explore the ship. We walked. A lot. Forward to aft, port to starboard and back. We still didn't see everything. We never made it to the kids area's (our child is grown). The adult area at the aft of the ship was fine. A few sitting pools that had several people in them, a sitting area, that was empty, and plenty of deck lounge chairs too. We had a drink and didn't visit again (not that it was bad, just had so many other things to do). The AcuaMouse was an absolute blast! My wife and rode it when we returned from Castaway Cay, and we belly laughed the entire ride. I can't remember the last time we both laughed that much on a ride (we're both in our early 50's)!
Castaway Cay, was a perfect "chill out" day for us. We casually took our time that morning. Had breakfast on the ship, then made our way to the island. Most of the other passengers were already there, so getting off was a breeze. No line, a quick check of our key to the world card and we were off. We made our one and only preplanned reservation, then had the rest of the day to do whatever. We sat on the beach, went into the water, had some amazing fresh fruit, walked the island (just down to the adult area/end), had ice cream, people watched, checked out the little shops, and headed back to the ship. I found the island to be "just right". Not too much and yet not, not enough. We could have done more, and we certainly could have done less too.
Our final day was as smooth as the first day. Tagged our luggage the night before, grabbed our carry bags (back packs) and headed to breakfast. We opted for the buffet vs sit down just for ease and comfort of getting our own. Once our tag group was called, we made our way to the main hall. Very easy debarking, very easy through customs and back to the transport busses.
All in all, for our first ever cruise, I thought it great. We had nothing to compare the ship to, and I was a little worried based on some of the early reviews/comments that it might not live up to any expectations. I tried to keep an open mind and take things as they came. Never once was I disappointed or upset. Not everything was perfect, but it never is. On board, in a resort, at home.... something always happens unexpectedly and it's how you react to it that makes it good, bad or indifferent. These were my experiences during our sailing. They aren't right or wrong, just mine. Others experiences may differ
. I loved Arendelle. So much fun! My main entree was that Swedish meatball kinda dish and it was so good! What did you think about the shows?
