Maximizing Time on a 3 Night Cruise

[Jennx36]

I'm considering a 3 night cruise on the Disney Wish for my family of 4 (our two kids will be 7 and 9). We haven't been on this ship before, and there is so much to explore in a short time. I've made the mistake of trying to do everything to get the full experience only to feel like I needed a vacation after the vacation. I want to avoid this but still hit the highlights on the cruise. For those that have sailed on the Wish before, what are your top, must do experiences? What experiences would you skip or save for a future cruise?

 

[auntlynne]

What did you do/try to do on the other ships?

 

[lilmc]

I skipped the spa/Rainforest Room. The Wish’s didn’t look appealing to me, but toured it when boarding just to have seen it. We prioritized the Hyperspace Lounge. We thought it was really fun.

 

[Jennx36]

@auntlynne I feel like we've just about done it all on the Dream, Wonder and Magic. Every themed restaurant, adult brunches and dinners, beverage tastings, spa treatments, pools and slides, pictures, princess meet and greets, live shows, movies, fireworks, trivia, concierge experience, etc. We are not big on the character meet and greets, and we would probably pick just one live show during the short cruise. I'd like to go to one of the adult dining experiences, but I'm not sure which to pick or which main dining room experience to swap for adult dining.

 

[auntlynne]

@Jennx36 - such a clear answer!

This is what I started typing; I’ll leave it in, as these seem like some if the unique aspects of The Wish.

Check out the Personal Navigators from a previous cruise:

https://disneycruiselineblog.com/20...mian-cruise-from-port-canaveral-april-5-2024/

The unique things of Wish - that interest me - are Wishing Ever After, utilizing the lighting in the atrium. The bounce castle style Obstacle course in the Hero Zone. You may want to spend time with your kids. Wear socks.

 

[Jack_Sparrow_NJ]

I would do Palo for Brunch so you can do all MDR for dinner. They are very different and should be experienced.

 

[NAB]

The Wish has a very different layout. It will take you a bit to even know where everything is. That will be your adventure since you did everything on your previous cruises.

It is very hard to get into Palo on this ship since it is so short. Palo is also a steakhouse on the Wish. We didn’t want to miss any of the restaurants since they are all different from the older ships. Went to Palo on first night but went to our assignment just for an app to see the show in the Frozen one.

The kids club with the slide is cool. There Star Wars room is cooler looking than the bar…lol

We enjoyed the walking tour where they tell you things about the ship and art. We did this on second day I think it’s in the app you have to sign up for it.

 

[auntlynne]

Enchante has had such varied reviews since it opened. I haven’t kept up to see what people are saying.

Palo has more steak options than the rest of the fleet. This takes you to the entire menu (which is very similar to the rest. Below is the expanded meat list).

The decor in Palo is more bland than the other ships.

https://disneycruiselineblog.com/menus/menu-viewer/?Menu=57&Version=769

 

[auntlynne]

Enchante Brunch, as of October 2023:

https://disneycruiselineblog.com/menus/menu-viewer/?Menu=102&Version=764



Sometimes easier to get than Palo Brunch. Maybe it’s the price. Maybe it’s because it’s a set meal, not all you want to try.

 

[justafigment27]

We skipped all the specialty restaurants. We wanted to try the new counter service options for lunch.

We also “rope dropped” the water coaster on Nassau day and were able to do it several times with next to no wait.

 

[auntlynne]

Enchante dinner. Are you more chef-inspired than steak / Italian? Substantial servings of food or presentations of flavor? Some like one restaurant, some the other.

We did Remy on the Fantasy MV - so 12 years ago. One and done. I’m just not into small portions of very well made and presented food items. I’d rather have a nice filet and the soufflé I get in Palo’s. Not that I want a lot of food. I still try new things, but my favorite higher-end restaurants seem to feature beef. The Angus Barn in Raleigh NC; Tom Moore’s Tavern in Bermuda. Or a one pound King Crab Leg at Tracy’s Crab Shack in Juneau AK (definitely not fine dining setting, but taste and price were).

But I wouldn’t say don’t try this. Just as I tried Remy’s. It was definitely an experience. And I have no bad memories of it. But I would only do Enchante if I were with someone who was gung-ho try it. (And I have the Platinum CC free meal - or $50 credit to cover my Palo meal).

On a first time on a ship, on 3 nights, typically, I would go to all 3 MDRs. Get a feel for what they offer in food and atmosphere.

 

[auntlynne]

Depending on your kids (and your own) sensory issues or aversion to close seating, preview the Marvel dining environment in this video:


https://www.google.com/search?q=dis...ate=ive&vld=cid:448aecbe,vid:OaKLUBmZvXE,st:0

 

[dcassetta]

Because you mentioned that you like to go to the movies on the previous ships, I would skip that on the Wish. Partly because of the amount of time that’s available on the cruise, but also because the movie theaters on the Wish are small and not particularly comfortable..

 

[Mango7100]

If you want to do Hero Zone obstacle inflatable course, it will probably be offered only a few hours on one day. Get there early—the line gets very long. We got there early and were able to goon once with a short wait and the next turn was 30 minute wait. When we left the line was much longer.

 

[auntlynne]

Because you mentioned that you like to go to the movies on the previous ships, I would skip that on the Wish. Partly because of the amount of time that’s available on the cruise, but also because the movie theaters on the Wish are small and not particularly comfortable..

Like a private viewing room.

 

[Anna131517]

If you want to do Hero Zone obstacle inflatable course, it will probably be offered only a few hours on one day. Get there early—the line gets very long. We got there early and were able to goon once with a short wait and the next turn was 30 minute wait. When we left the line was much longer.

Our kids loved the Hero Zone. They had it up all day when we stopped in Nassau on our 4-night cruise.

 

[ladyofthetramp]

Take the ship tour-it was worth it and it added to our experience. The Wish is so detailed. We skipped Nassau- walked around the ship, explored, relaxed. You can go right to the bow of the Wish- it's fun! We skipped any evening shows we have seen before to explore the bars-unique ones, especially The Rose Bar-just lovely. We did skip Marvel on our first trip-too noisy for me, but we will give it a go on this trip and do brunch in Palo instead.

 

[Jennx36]

Thank you for all the recommendations!