First time cruise advice-- Wish!

[westie55]

Hi everyone!

I'm a Disney addict who has been to the parks countless times, but I'm so excited that we just booked our first Disney cruise! We'll be on the Wish for 4 nights in November. I'm working with a travel agent. I have 3 kids ages 2, 7, and 9. Looks like we'll be staying on Deck 10 in a category 4A stateroom-- it was all that was available for our party of 5.

What do you wish you knew? What is not to be missed? How bad are the lines? Lol.

My husband and I would like to do Palo AND Enchante, maybe one for brunch and one for dinner. Is this possible as first time cruisers or will everything be booked solid?

Any and all advice is welcome!

 

[kiford]

I'd say you have reasonably good odds of getting Palo dinner, less so for brunch. I would have been able to get Palo dinner even a week or so out from both of our Wish cruises. I wasn't interested as I don't particularly like that this one focuses so much on steak at the expense of the lovely Italian dishes that you find on the other ships. There wasn't even availability for brunch at Palo booking at close to 90 days out since they only do it on sea days or Nassau day so there isn't a lot of opportunity.

Enchante - maybe dinner. I think we could have booked dinner there close to the cruise (no availability for brunch) but the menu doesn't impress me. We much prefer the menu at Remy on the Fantasy. Personally, as it's your first time, I'd suggest sticking to the regular dining rotation so that you can experience them. It's so much a part of what makes a Disney cruise fun. But if Palo and Enchante are what you want to do, you might get dinner but you may have to be flexible on your times.

There aren't a lot of lines. There are some venues that are on the smallish side like for trivia, movie theatres (not the live shows), Aqua Mouse and some of the lounges so you have to get there early or when there aren't many people likely to be there. I only recall lines for meets and greets/photos and pool deck food but those lines moved fairly quickly. It's very different to a park trip. There's a limited number of people on a ship and lots of activity spread out so you don't tend to experience the lines that you do in the parks. It can be busy, but nothing like the parks.

 

[enzy65]

You will love deck 10, use the stairs to go to pool deck/food court/buffet, etc. You can bring food down to your room and eat on the veranda, that may not
be easy with kids though.
We were on a 4 night and did not see it all, so many places I missed.
We thought the dinner show in arendalle was really good, it was loud. Nightingales piano bar was really nice, the star wars bar is boring.
No lines for aquamouse on castaway day till about lunchtime.
Always saw long long lines for meet and greets, we skipped those this time. Many characters/princesses just roaming around, which was nice.
Just read these boards and you’ll have lots of good info.

 

[westie55]

Always saw long long lines for meet and greets, we skipped those this time. Many characters/princesses just roaming around, which was nice.

If there are characters and princesses just roaming around, can you get pictures with them on the fly? My kids LOVE characters, but the idea of waiting in 30 minute lines to get a picture is rough.

 

[enzy65]

If there are characters and princesses just roaming around, can you get pictures with them on the fly? My kids LOVE characters, but the idea of waiting in 30 minute lines to get a picture is rough.

It just depends. If you are in an area where there aren’t many people around, yes it will be quick though. In highly congested areas they seem to walk by really fast and do not stop. They do have handlers with them. I just wouldn’t count on it, if it happens it is a magical thing.

 

[onesam319]

My advice for the Wish is- DON'T MISS ARANDELLE! It's the only dinner that was fun in my opinion. I loved the seating in the two movie theaters. There may be less seats, but they are more comfortable and you may even snag the chairs at the back. If you want to experience going out on the bow, don't put it off. It is often closed. Access it by going out the promenade doors just to the right of the gym entrance on deck 5. You'll have to climb the stairs from there.

 

[auntlynne]

This is not WDW at sea. The (detailed) binder and minute to minute plans many WDW fans create for park trips aren’t necessary. It’s a great time for relaxation and family time. Some families enjoy the separate activities that the kids clubs provide.

Research the Nursery your 2 yo. Especially if doing adult dining options.

Look for age and diaper restrictions for toddlers.

There is not an option to have your children eat an adult-supervised meal while you eat in Palo or Enchante.

Make sure you have up-to-date passports or birth certificates. If you want (and need new or replacement) passports, don’t wait to start the process.

I went into cruising (3 nights on the Magic) with no knowledge of most aspects of what happens onboard. I didn’t feel I missed anything. I feel most people could go on a Disney cruise with nothing-to-little planned and have a great time. Your assigned dinner schedule and location with coordinated evening main theater show + pool time + Character Meets + shipboard activities and available current or recent movies and a day at Castaway Cay (everything included except your bathing suit and sunscreen) make for a great vacation.

Last cruise, we stayed at the Hyatt inside the Orlando airport (did not book through DCL) and then used Disney transport to the port. It was definitely an easy way to start the cruise.

If you like to see menus for the cruise, go to Disneycruiselineblog. There Is one menu for each of the 3 Main Dining Rooms (MDRs), no matter which night your assigned venue rotation you have. The 4th night will be the Pirate‘s menu.

If your family enjoys dressing in costumes, go for it. You will see some great pirate outfits. And princesses of all ages. Dress up or down as your vacation mood dictates.

Hope it’s great for you.