Disney Wish Was Disappointing

[reliev]

You won't get down voted. This isn't like reddit. Most here can agree to disagree and move on.

Looking at the picture you posted I can almost smell the new paint and the "newness" overall. Lol
I love that smell. That shot of Nassau is nice. How is the weather? Is it humid? (Will be there soon).

Have a coworker on the ship right now also. She texted me she is having a good time. Although she
said ship had issues but she didn't get into it.

I know but on Reddit, there is some back and forth like here.
Since my mind is still on the wish I live in Orlando so we were first to get off the ship easy peasy. Here are some thoughts.

I'll try to touch on the points that others mentioned.

Wifi is excellent I was on the 10$ (I'm a cheapo plan) and it was okay I was able to pursue Reddit and email and ignore work emails (i don't know why I checked a few times I guess this is the problem with being connected).

The entertainment I didn't see as a disaster. Maybe it improved the show with goofy was a little weird kind of all over the place but it was short and sweet IMO. The kids club area was excellent also.

Maybe it was the pandemic and not being able to do our typical vacations every year but I have been seeing the positive sides of everything.
I personally loved the layout of the ship. the elevators did stink though always lines after shows (We had the late sittings but always a line). I saw this as a positive hey it's only 4 flights and I'm overeating so whatever let's grunt up these stairs. This morning we left at 745 ish no line whatsoever my wife and I had to get back to work.

I enjoyed the layout. It's different sure but change is good. Some areas like the adult area stunk but hey it is what it is.
I don't remember being able to dive or swim in deep water and maybe because my house also has a 5' swimming pool I wasn't expecting any deeper it was great to plop around vs swim/exercise to me so this is what I do on vacation anyway.

I enjoyed having the shows. and the creative food sure some of it I didn't like (i did what the 2 dudes on a cruise do where they get anything that seems remotely interesting and order everything to taste. I didn't rely on one meal and that made it more enjoyable for me. I liked the risk. The Arrendelle theme was top notch so was the performers I really enjoyed the show. I thought it was better than the goofy show they can perform and the animatronics for Olaf was top-notch our daughter lost it. Service my staff was the best we have had on any ship. We actually reached out to our TA to get them on the next trip. They did things like getting my kid a seat to see the show better. 1923 was great except I didn't enjoy the boulevard drink it was better than I was expecting and also better to us than anything we had up until that point. My head waitress saw I didn't like it remembered I liked old fashions and manhattan and brought me the bacon old-fashioned without me even saying anything besides that I didn't enjoy it.

At the marvel show, this was probably the least impressive food of the bunch but the interaction was cool Id rather not give spoilers but again we ordered 4 entrees between us to figure out what we wanted for next time. I did get called out by ant man and wasp for ordering too much food even though this was obviously a canned part of the strip the head server and her assistant came out to crack up at me so I knew we were having a good time at that point my kid was embarrassed by this and this is why I love the Disney "magic"

I didn't hit up the movie theatre or anything like that I was too tired from laying on the beach and hitting up the pools.

Star wars were a task to get into. Pro-tip is to connect to wifi right at 1 (i saw it on here) was able to get in I will go again being a true star wars nerd I was honestly expecting more. I am going to check this out again to see if

I didn't see the crowds others described at the stores except right before the dinner rush. We would go after 600 shows and it wasn't too bad the weird thing though is I love Disney merch but a lot of it seemed kind of generic to me, my wife is a spirit jersey connoisseur and she didn't want any of them. This part felt flat to me.

I did see a few spots like in the senses spa that had missing panels and things like this so you could tell they were still fixing them.

But overall I still think it's the best boat I've been on I realize it's new and things will change I didn't have any issues with the layout changes at all by day 3 I felt like I knew where I was going 99% of the time.

I read and saw a bunch of reviews that people posted and said. It seems like some of these things that to me were not a huge deal but are to others were fixed (like the elevator buttons). Could there be some improvements? for sure I still don't get the shelves displaying my toothbrush and electric razor but I still felt in the room that there was plenty of storage. We are going again a few more times this year so I think some of these minor things where the ship was not ready yet could be fixed. They seemed so minute to us.

The rooms were good and clean and the theme was subtle. I agree thinking the shelve pockets were weird. I saw a few people saying the fridge wouldn't get items cold we typically bring a case of water from Costco as one of our bags and fill up the fridge it did take longer than a normal fridge but for example, we went to castaway cay loaded up the fridge and by the time we came back ~6 hours later the water was cold and so was the champagne we brought. That was a missed opportunity also the only way you could fit a bottle of champagne was by laying it down I think it's only designed to fit the small 375ml bottles.

Last part the hooks barber shop was amazing, I'm a bourbon fan but I went there once for a haircut and shave and I had to drag my wife there a second time because it was that great the bartenders of the speakeasy really knew their bourbon so I could have good in the weeds conversations with them. I'm booking another treatment to go back just so I can have a couple more old fashions.

 

[Cheburashka]

The entertainment I didn't see as a disaster. Maybe it improved the show with goofy was a little weird kind of all over the place but it was short and sweet IMO. The kids club area was excellent also...Maybe it was the pandemic and not being able to do our typical vacations every year but I have been seeing the positive sides of everything.... Some areas like the adult area stunk but hey it is what it is...I didn't hit up the movie theatre or anything like that I was too tired from laying on the beach and hitting up the pools...Star wars were a task to get into. Pro-tip is to connect to wifi right at 1 (i saw it on here) was able to get in I will go again being a true star wars nerd I was honestly expecting more...I didn't see the crowds others described at the stores except right before the dinner rush...I did see a few spots like in the senses spa that had missing panels and things like this so you could tell they were still fixing them... by day 3 I felt like I knew where I was going 99% of the time.

So it sounds like you experienced pretty much the same things other cruisers did, you simply had a different perspective on them. It also sounds like you haven't traveled much since Covid and that has helped you have a very positive outlook. I understand that completely- when WDW reopened in July 2020 we were happy just to be there, even though we had to mask outdoors in 95 degree heat and the parks had very short hours, there was no entertainment, very limited dining, etc.

I will say, though, that just because others really dislike the changes doesn't make them a "hater". You admit yourself that the "adult areas stunk", the elevators were bad, that it took you a few days to figure out how to get around the ship, that the Star Wars bar was hard to get into and uninspiring, that the entertainment wasn't great, etc. Some people on these boards aren't willing to pay the DCL premium for those kinds of issues, and are worried about this becoming the new normal going forward.

It's a perspective thing, I agree. You were positive about the ship because you enjoyed it being new and different and it was great just to cruise for the first time in years. Other people see it more negatively. I don't think there's anything wrong with either perspective. It was a great cruise for you and for many others, no doubt.

 

[reliev]

So it sounds like you experienced pretty much the same things other cruisers did, you simply just had a different perspective on them. It also sounds like you haven't traveled much since Covid and that has helped you have a very positive outlook. I understand that completely- when WDW reopened in July 2020 we were happy to be there, even though we had to mask in 95 degree heat and the parks had very short hours, there was no entertainment, etc.

I will say, though, that just because others really dislike the changes doesn't make them a "hater". You admit yourself that the "adult areas stunk", the elevators were bad, that it took you a few days to figure out how to get around the ship, that the Star Wars bar was hard to get into and uninspiring, that the entertainment didn't blow you away, etc. Some people on these boards aren't willing to pay the DCL premium for those kinds of issues.

It's a perspective thing, I agree. You were positive about the ship because you enjoyed it being new and different and it was great just to travel. Other people see it more negatively. I don't think there's anything wrong with either perspective. It was a great cruise for you and for many others, no doubt.

also, I Forgot to mention talked to Tom from wdw today last night he's just as much as a Disney nerd in person. we have traveled this year but we haven't cruised since pre covid maybe that's why I enjoyed it more, but yes wasn't hating on the others I just I guess saw it differently.

 

[Cheburashka]

also, I Forgot to mention talked to Tom from wdw today last night he's just as much as a Disney nerd in person. we have traveled this year but we haven't cruised since pre covid maybe that's why I enjoyed it more, but yes wasn't hating on the others I just I guess saw it differently.

Glad you had fun! Maybe I'll try the Wish someday when its price is comparable to the other ships and its fixable kinks have been worked out. I'm sure I'll always prefer the Fab Four but reviews like yours remind me to keep an open mind.

 

[pjacobi]

it lacks snacks at the cove Cafe and other coffee bars,

That's terrible! Passengers are starving to death on a cruise ship with nothing to eat!


-Paul

 

[Cheburashka]

That's terrible! Passengers are starving to death on a cruise ship with nothing to eat!

 

[Jeffrey Clayton]

I literally just walked off the Wish and let me just say this: I wouldn't buy a ticket for my dead Grandmother to sail on this dumpster-fire of a ship! I completely agree with the author's points on so many levels:

FOOD: The food in the "rotating" restaurants, was digestible at best. While the addition of a taco bar (Chipotle on Steroids) and the BBQ joint in the top deck "food court" was a welcome addition (The Pulled pork was off the charts), there was zero involvement by staff to control where the lines actually started. With tables a mere 3-4 ft away from each station, it was nothing short of a "cattle call" come lunch time.

SERVICE: There are no words to describe how bad this truly was. Like a lot of folks here, I too have sailed many times on most of the ships, and regardless of crowd level, the service was always TOP NOTCH, and one of the primary reasons I have refused to sail with anyone else. But this, I don't even know where to start. Our drink lady at dinner was barely around, and when you gave her the order, good luck. We finally had to crawl up the management chain to demand answers when, a very expensive bottle of wine never showed up after waiting damn near 30 minutes. Meanwhile some friends we sailed with (also Castaway Gold), were pissed 8 ways to Christmas because they couldn't even order their drinks since, well...there was NO DRINK LADY to be found. We heard similar complaints from several other tables around us. And this was the SECOND Seating, so no excuse!

COMMUNICATION: ZERO! ZIP ZERO ZILCH! Stand in line for Guest Services, and pray a cast member even acknowledges your existence. Embarkation was a joke. NO family names were announced. No "Ladies and Gentlemen....." nothing. The AquaMoose was almost 30 minutes late opening 2 days back to back, and not one person announced to the 400 people waiting in line, what the hell was going on. Want to find a member of the cruise staff (or whatever the hell they want themselves to be called "this week") who can actually answer a handful of simple questions? Remember looking for Easter baskets as a kid?? Debarkation was even more of a circus act. 12 different lines in the "don't dare call this a lobby because it's not anymore" area, was nothing short of a nightmare to navigate. All other ships, have staff directing you to which lines go where. Want Breakfast? go here.. Want to get the hell of the boat? Go over there. Easy. Simple. Until now...

LAYOUT: Whoever designed this ship was either drunk, high or both! I really wanted to try and like this ship as much as I do the others, but Jesus Mary Mother of God...

GUEST ATTITUDES: Anyone who has sailed on the other ships knows what I'm about to say as an undeniable fact: One of the things that has made our past experiences just as memorable as staff interaction, has been the friends we have made at the "dinner table". Every time we sailed, the people we shared the table with were absolutely amazing. So much so, that almost always contact information was shared by the end of the cruise. In fact, this very trip we sailed with some couples we met almost 4 years ago. But times have changed. And the only thing worse (at least on this cruise) than the cruise service, were the other guests. I never saw more "Entitled SOBS" in my life. And no one said anything about their attitudes or actions towards others.

In the end, until Disney management gets their head out of their wazoo and stops playing politics (which they have no damn business doing), perhaps they should consider renaming this ship to, the DISNEY WOKE!

 

[WDW Crawl]

I literally just walked off the Wish and let me just say this: I wouldn't buy a ticket for my dead Grandmother to sail on this dumpster-fire of a ship! I completely agree with the author's points on so many levels:

FOOD: The food in the "rotating" restaurants, was digestible at best. While the addition of a taco bar (Chipotle on Steroids) and the BBQ joint in the top deck "food court" was a welcome addition (The Pulled pork was off the charts), there was zero involvement by staff to control where the lines actually started. With tables a mere 3-4 ft away from each station, it was nothing short of a "cattle call" come lunch time.

SERVICE: There are no words to describe how bad this truly was. Like a lot of folks here, I too have sailed many times on most of the ships, and regardless of crowd level, the service was always TOP NOTCH, and one of the primary reasons I have refused to sail with anyone else. But this, I don't even know where to start. Our drink lady at dinner was barely around, and when you gave her the order, good luck. We finally had to crawl up the management chain to demand answers when, a very expensive bottle of wine never showed up after waiting damn near 30 minutes. Meanwhile some friends we sailed with (also Castaway Gold), were pissed 8 ways to Christmas because they couldn't even order their drinks since, well...there was NO DRINK LADY to be found. We heard similar complaints from several other tables around us. And this was the SECOND Seating, so no excuse!

COMMUNICATION: ZERO! ZIP ZERO ZILCH! Stand in line for Guest Services, and pray a cast member even acknowledges your existence. Embarkation was a joke. NO family names were announced. No "Ladies and Gentlemen....." nothing. The AquaMoose was almost 30 minutes late opening 2 days back to back, and not one person announced to the 400 people waiting in line, what the hell was going on. Want to find a member of the cruise staff (or whatever the hell they want themselves to be called "this week") who can actually answer a handful of simple questions? Remember looking for Easter baskets as a kid?? Debarkation was even more of a circus act. 12 different lines in the "don't dare call this a lobby because it's not anymore" area, was nothing short of a nightmare to navigate. All other ships, have staff directing you to which lines go where. Want Breakfast? go here.. Want to get the hell of the boat? Go over there. Easy. Simple. Until now...

LAYOUT: Whoever designed this ship was either drunk, high or both! I really wanted to try and like this ship as much as I do the others, but Jesus Mary Mother of God...

GUEST ATTITUDES: Anyone who has sailed on the other ships knows what I'm about to say as an undeniable fact: One of the things that has made our past experiences just as memorable as staff interaction, has been the friends we have made at the "dinner table". Every time we sailed, the people we shared the table with were absolutely amazing. So much so, that almost always contact information was shared by the end of the cruise. In fact, this very trip we sailed with some couples we met almost 4 years ago. But times have changed. And the only thing worse (at least on this cruise) than the cruise service, were the other guests. I never saw more "Entitled SOBS" in my life. And no one said anything about their attitudes or actions towards others.

In the end, until Disney management gets their head out of their wazoo and stops playing politics (which they have no damn business doing), perhaps they should consider renaming this ship to, the DISNEY WOKE!

What does any of that have to do with the term “Woke”?

 

[Kwami]

What does any of that have to do with the term “Woke”?

Given the tone of the rest of the post and some not too subtle phrasing, I'm thinking that the poster is just mad at Disney and ranting about it here. Nobody else has reported anything else like that.

 

[happycamper47]

Given the tone of the rest of the post and some not to subtle phrasing, I'm thinking that the poster is just mad at Disney and ranting about it here. Nobody else has reported anything else like that.

And another post from this morning says just the opposite, not perfect, but very favorable.

 

[nancipants]

And another post from this morning says just the opposite, not perfect, but very favorable.

Yeah, it's fine to not like the ship and many other people have posted negative reviews that were very reasonable. Adding a complaint about Disney being "woke" makes me want to ignore everything that person said.

 

[WDW Crawl]

It's fine to not like the ship and many other people have posted negative reviews that were very reasonable. Adding a complaint about Disney being "woke" makes me want to ignore everything that person said.

Bingo.
I haven’t even really been digging much of what I’ve seen from the Wish and have booked other ships purposely instead (including Disney)… but ending a whole critique by going off about other guest attitudes immediately followed up by ironically saying it should be the “Disney Woke” just cheapens any valid criticism that may have been given.

 

[jujubiee4]

Bingo.
I haven’t even really been digging much of what I’ve seen from the Wish and have booked other ships purposely instead (including Disney)… but ending a whole critique by going off about other guest attitudes immediately followed up by ironically saying it should be the “Disney Woke” just cheapens any valid criticism that may have been given.

Not to mention this bit...

"Want to find a member of the cruise staff (or whatever the hell they want themselves to be called "this week")

Uh ok. Sounds like other issues. So is the staff on the Wish called something different than the staff on The Wonder
Fantasy, Magic and the Dream?

 

[holula]

Not to mention this bit...

"Want to find a member of the cruise staff (or whatever the hell they want themselves to be called "this week")

Uh ok. Sounds like other issues. So is the staff on the Wish called something different than the staff on The Wonder
Fantasy, Magic and the Dream?

Also “drinks lady”…. Why does this person’s gender matter at all? Why just not assistant server?

 

[nancipants]

This is nitpicking, but when they announce people onboard the other ships, I never remember them saying "ladies and gentlemen." It was always "Disney SHIP NAME, please welcome aboard, ___!" At least that's how I remember it (last time I sailed was in 2018) and what I see on vlogs.

 

[reliev]

This is nitpicking, but when they announce people onboard the other ships, I never remember them saying "ladies and gentlemen." It was always "Disney SHIP NAME, please welcome aboard, ___!" At least that's how I remember it (last time I sailed was in 2018) and what I see on vlogs.

yea they announced our names I'm glad I had a different experience no bad staff or bad guests either.

 

[tidefan]

So, we were on the MV and I have a few takes on the Wish. I think that the main thing is, by Day 5, we really did enjoy the ship, however, we would probably sail on one of the first 4 if we had to pick.

We enjoyed the food very much. Festival of Foods is fantastic, although the area seems "unfinished" and gets crowded with people trying to walk through. We enjoyed the food in all the main restaurants and really enjoyed the show in Arendelle. It seems that they have fixed the acoustics in there so that you can still talk to your tablemates (in Rapunzel's and Tiana's, it gets so loud you can't hear each other over the show). Fiddle player especially was amazing. If there is one thing we thought they could improve about dining it's that the tables are way too close together, especially in the Marvel restaurant. Our servers had difficulty getting around.

As to the bars/lounges, we aren't really drinkers, so can't comment on that. We did walk in to Hyperspace Lounge on Day 5, and I'd pretty much say most reviews are spot on. Nothing special about this space. We walked in and walked right out.

My biggest negative was the size of our room. We had a standard inside cabin and while it says that it is 169 sq ft, just like the Dream/Fantasy, it definitely feels much smaller. We only had 1 closet that was split between hanging space and shelves. The hanging space only had room for 7 hangers. Seems like the Dream/Fantasy have the full 3 closets (and the insides are bigger on the Magic/Wonder, so no issue there). There is no way I would put more than 2 people in that room.

The other main issue I had was the adult area, but others have already covered that, and the perplexing decision to only have a single hot tub on the ship, which is in a weird place on the walkway to the adult area. I liked the concept of Luna, but the space is too small for that size of a ship and add to the fact that if you are in the upper deck, you can't see everything going on below unless you are straight in the front. Also, on that upper deck, when they were doing karaoke in Triton Lounge, it was hard to hear the people in Luna over the noise from Triton's.

 

[WDW Crawl]

So, we were on the MV and I have a few takes on the Wish. I think that the main thing is, by Day 5, we really did enjoy the ship, however, we would probably sail on one of the first 4 if we had to pick.

We enjoyed the food very much. Festival of Foods is fantastic, although the area seems "unfinished" and gets crowded with people trying to walk through. We enjoyed the food in all the main restaurants and really enjoyed the show in Arendelle. It seems that they have fixed the acoustics in there so that you can still talk to your tablemates (in Rapunzel's and Tiana's, it gets so loud you can't hear each other over the show). Fiddle player especially was amazing. If there is one thing we thought they could improve about dining it's that the tables are way too close together, especially in the Marvel restaurant. Our servers had difficulty getting around.

As to the bars/lounges, we aren't really drinkers, so can't comment on that. We did walk in to Hyperspace Lounge on Day 5, and I'd pretty much say most reviews are spot on. Nothing special about this space. We walked in and walked right out.

My biggest negative was the size of our room. We had a standard inside cabin and while it says that it is 169 sq ft, just like the Dream/Fantasy, it definitely feels much smaller. We only had 1 closet that was split between hanging space and shelves. The hanging space only had room for 7 hangers. Seems like the Dream/Fantasy have the full 3 closets (and the insides are bigger on the Magic/Wonder, so no issue there). There is no way I would put more than 2 people in that room.

The other main issue I had was the adult area, but others have already covered that, and the perplexing decision to only have a single hot tub on the ship, which is in a weird place on the walkway to the adult area. I liked the concept of Luna, but the space is too small for that size of a ship and add to the fact that if you are in the upper deck, you can't see everything going on below unless you are straight in the front. Also, on that upper deck, when they were doing karaoke in Triton Lounge, it was hard to hear the people in Luna over the noise from Triton's.

Do the Wish inside staterooms have the magic portals? I just saw a video and didn’t see any. Would be very surprised if that didn’t carry over.

 

[tidefan]

Do the Wish inside staterooms have the magic portals? I just saw a video and didn’t see any. Would be very surprised if that didn’t carry over.

No, same print above the bed (which is very nice) as all other rooms.

 

[lopo1974]

I literally just walked off the Wish and let me just say this: I wouldn't buy a ticket for my dead Grandmother to sail on this dumpster-fire of a ship! I completely agree with the author's points on so many levels:

FOOD: The food in the "rotating" restaurants, was digestible at best. While the addition of a taco bar (Chipotle on Steroids) and the BBQ joint in the top deck "food court" was a welcome addition (The Pulled pork was off the charts), there was zero involvement by staff to control where the lines actually started. With tables a mere 3-4 ft away from each station, it was nothing short of a "cattle call" come lunch time.

SERVICE: There are no words to describe how bad this truly was. Like a lot of folks here, I too have sailed many times on most of the ships, and regardless of crowd level, the service was always TOP NOTCH, and one of the primary reasons I have refused to sail with anyone else. But this, I don't even know where to start. Our drink lady at dinner was barely around, and when you gave her the order, good luck. We finally had to crawl up the management chain to demand answers when, a very expensive bottle of wine never showed up after waiting damn near 30 minutes. Meanwhile some friends we sailed with (also Castaway Gold), were pissed 8 ways to Christmas because they couldn't even order their drinks since, well...there was NO DRINK LADY to be found. We heard similar complaints from several other tables around us. And this was the SECOND Seating, so no excuse!

COMMUNICATION: ZERO! ZIP ZERO ZILCH! Stand in line for Guest Services, and pray a cast member even acknowledges your existence. Embarkation was a joke. NO family names were announced. No "Ladies and Gentlemen....." nothing. The AquaMoose was almost 30 minutes late opening 2 days back to back, and not one person announced to the 400 people waiting in line, what the hell was going on. Want to find a member of the cruise staff (or whatever the hell they want themselves to be called "this week") who can actually answer a handful of simple questions? Remember looking for Easter baskets as a kid?? Debarkation was even more of a circus act. 12 different lines in the "don't dare call this a lobby because it's not anymore" area, was nothing short of a nightmare to navigate. All other ships, have staff directing you to which lines go where. Want Breakfast? go here.. Want to get the hell of the boat? Go over there. Easy. Simple. Until now...

LAYOUT: Whoever designed this ship was either drunk, high or both! I really wanted to try and like this ship as much as I do the others, but Jesus Mary Mother of God...

GUEST ATTITUDES: Anyone who has sailed on the other ships knows what I'm about to say as an undeniable fact: One of the things that has made our past experiences just as memorable as staff interaction, has been the friends we have made at the "dinner table". Every time we sailed, the people we shared the table with were absolutely amazing. So much so, that almost always contact information was shared by the end of the cruise. In fact, this very trip we sailed with some couples we met almost 4 years ago. But times have changed. And the only thing worse (at least on this cruise) than the cruise service, were the other guests. I never saw more "Entitled SOBS" in my life. And no one said anything about their attitudes or actions towards others.

In the end, until Disney management gets their head out of their wazoo and stops playing politics (which they have no damn business doing), perhaps they should consider renaming this ship to, the DISNEY WOKE!

Good review. We just got off a B2B in Concierge. We love DCL but I am not sure if we would go back on this ship even if it was free. I have never had a bad experience on a Disney cruise until this trip. We tried and tried to like this ship. It just didn't happen.

We heard someone literally ask if the wine was vegan and to prove it.