Now I understand why people don't love the Wish

[jujubiee4]

I can't remember the entrance to the Walt Disney Theater on the Fantasy, but it seemed so understated on the Wish, not at all grand. Also the seats in the movie theaters were like something from the 90s - small and uncomfortable.

My husband commented they felt like seats from the cheap old dollar theatre we use to go to when we
were dating.

 

[Dug720]

I would love to know what exactly the designers were thinking.

They were just imagining what a ship would be like and should be like. She had never been on a cruise. And as she said in the documentary, Imagineers don't really tell each other "no" but will figure out how to do things.

In this case, it seems like some Nos should have been said. Or at least a "How about we send you on a cruise and let you see if you still think that's a good idea..."

 

[DCLMP]

How many of the original Disney ships have you been on? It seems that most of the comments regarding disappointment with the Wish are from people who've cruise with Disney prior to going on the Wish.

I think you are right about that. We had high expectations.

 

[auntlynne]

 

[Dug720]

How many of the original Disney ships have you been on? It seems that most of the comments regarding disappointment with the Wish are from people who've cruise with Disney prior to going on the Wish.

That seems to be the trend I'm seeing. By and large, the majority of the people who think it's fabulous and had no issues with the deck plan and physical aspects of it (I'm not talking about the crew because by and large they are awesome on all Disney ships) are people who had never cruised before. Not exclusively, but the majority.

I'd challenge some of those who booked a future cruise certificate and are planning on the Wish again to try one of the other ships and see what the rest of us are talking about.

 

[MrMagoo]

They only look like that during crew drills when you can't be out there. If you zoom in, you can see it says "Crew Only" or something to that effect. They are usually not shut up tight like that.

We have been on the Wish 3 times and they have been shut tight like that the entire cruise each time.
We did start using them though to get outside. It just seemed to us Disney was trying to make it hard for you to
get outside on deck 4 with the looks of these doors.

 

[DCLMP]

They were just imagining what a ship would be like and should be like. She had never been on a cruise. And as she said in the documentary, Imagineers don't really tell each other "no" but will figure out how to do things.

In this case, it seems like some Nos should have been said. Or at least a "How about we send you on a cruise and let you see if you still think that's a good idea..."

That’s funny. I guess she didn’t imagine a cruise feeling like a cruise. I can’t recall one indoor lounge where you can have a drink and look at the ocean. There might have been a couple but I don’t recall seeing them. I always felt like I was in a hotel not on a ship.

 

[Dug720]

That’s funny. I guess she didn’t imagine a cruise feeling like a cruise. I can’t recall one indoor lounge where you can have a drink and look at the ocean. There might have been a couple but I don’t recall seeing them. I always felt like I was in a hotel not on a ship.

That is the kind of thing I'm talking about. Had she gone on a cruise, she would have HOPEFULLY figured out that being able to actually look at the ocean from many areas is desirable. It really seems like she took "floating resort" to heart 100%.

 

[PrincessShmoo]

That’s funny. I guess she didn’t imagine a cruise feeling like a cruise. I can’t recall one indoor lounge where you can have a drink and look at the ocean. There might have been a couple but I don’t recall seeing them. I always felt like I was in a hotel not on a ship.

Are you talking about the lounges on the Wish?

 

[Kwami]

That’s funny. I guess she didn’t imagine a cruise feeling like a cruise. I can’t recall one indoor lounge where you can have a drink and look at the ocean. There might have been a couple but I don’t recall seeing them. I always felt like I was in a hotel not on a ship.

Nightingale's, The Rose, Triton's, Cove Cafe, and Keg & Compass all have views of the ocean. Most of the others are in open areas where you can see porthole windows, but possibly not get much of a view through them.

 

[MomOTwins]

Nightingale's, The Rose, Triton's, Cove Cafe, and Keg & Compass all have views of the ocean. Most of the others are in open areas where you can see porthole windows, but possibly not get much of a view through them.

This. The Rose had better ocean views than any of the other ships’ lounges.

 

[ironz]

I had a horrible time finding the promenade deck. Its like they don’t want you to go outside. The gym was in such a weird place on deck 5 next to a bar. The adult pool was opposite the aqua duck…Why? Festival of foods was by far the best part of the ship. I didn’t care for the buffet I prefer serving myself.

I would love to know what exactly the designers were thinking.

The bolded part, is exactly what I said when we were there. The closed solid doors that get you out to Deck 4 are not inviting at all.
We sailed all but the Fantasy and the Wonder is our favorite so far.

Also, about the elevators--they are really more "forward and mid" and not "forward and aft"-- our cabin was at the absolute back of the ship and it was a LONG walk from the 'aft' stairwell and elevators.

 

[DCLMP]

Nightingale's, The Rose, Triton's, Cove Cafe, and Keg & Compass all have views of the ocean. Most of the others are in open areas where you can see porthole windows, but possibly not get much of a view through them.

I didn't notice. I just felt very closed in compared to the other ships. I'm glad you enjoyed the ship. It's not for me. It wasn't bad, but for the price and itinerary I won't sail on the new ships until they start discounting them.

 

[DCLMP]

That is the kind of thing I'm talking about. Had she gone on a cruise, she would have HOPEFULLY figured out that being able to actually look at the ocean from many areas is desirable. It really seems like she took "floating resort" to heart 100%.

I can't see it ever being used in Europe or Alaska 10 or 20 years from now.

 

[closetmickey]

They only look like that during crew drills when you can't be out there. If you zoom in, you can see it says "Crew Only" or something to that effect. They are usually not shut up tight like that. We had several drills on our Jan 20 cruise because there was to be a US Coast Guard inspection upon our return on Jan 23. If you go to my trip report, you can see photos of a full lifeboat drill on the starboard side. They launched every single lifeboat in Nassau. Deck 4 was unavailable during this time.

I don’t believe that to be true- at least not the opaque door I had to go through to get to the deck?

 

[Darren1969]

Just done a B2B on the Wish and heres my thoughts.

She’s different and there’s no denying that but if she was a clone of the other 4 ships everyone would be complaining about that too. Can’t please all of the people, all of the time.

Marvel was the best MDR for me. Best menu and the screens made for a better viewing environment for the clips and show. Loads of room too.
1923 had a good menu but very cramped.
Arendelle was the worst. Cramped again with views of stage blocked by pillars or busing stations. It’s like the stage was an afterthought.

Bars everywhere. The guide for the walking tour said that was because feedback was they guests could t find the bars. At least they do coffee as well.

Shops. Way to much space given up for high end. I guess they paid a premium but barely saw anyone in them. If I was about to drop 10K+ on a watch, it wouldn’t be on a ship. General merchandise was fair but the long, thin layout was cramped.

Deck space. Felt smaller than other ships and the main stage on deck 11 seems smaller than the Magic/Wonder. Adult only area did feel small and only 1 hot tub with a max occupancy of just 7! And still people bringing children into the area. Make the area of the Chip & Dale pool adult only too.
You can really see the difference with FunnelVision screen quality although by pirate night it looked like something had hit the screen damaging it.
No single deck to walk around the entire ship is a huge blow for those who like a slow amble after dinner and the bow are closed sunset to sunrise.

Aquamouse is a fun little attraction that doesn’t deserve the hate against it.

Main hall is stunning and no where near as cold and sterile looking as the maiden voyage videos portrayed it as. Has a warm silver/gold hue.

Poor use of the cinemas. Seemed to be either Avatar or Wakanda Forever showing, alternating between Neverland and Wonderland.

Liked some of the new CM uniforms, especially the stateroom host/hostess.

Enchanté is next level dining and feels much more modern than Remy. Well worth the cost.
Palo Steakhouse was very good although becoming more of a concierge-only dining experience as even Platinum struggle to get a booking.

The only dead end I found was the one in Quiet Cove by the Aquamouse. In think the ones reported in the early days were more down to areas closed as not ready. The tour explained that a lot of work was going on during the transatlantic with the mosaic on deck 4 falling off the wall. There were plenty of contractors on still board.

One thing we did notice was how much smoother the movement felt. When making a 180° turn, you barely felt it. When the thrusters started on the other 4 ships start, everyone from deck 13 to the bilges knows about it.

Be interesting to see how the service changes in the coming weeks as a lot of CMs have said they are requesting moves to other ships. They were brought on to get the launch done and now want to go back. PC/Nassau/CC every week isn’t exactly a plum assignment for some of the most experienced CMs in the fleet, especially with Dream off to Europe in May and Alaska Season approaching.

Would I do another cruise on Wish? Yes.
Do I plan on doing another cruise?
No. As the 3/4 PC/Nassau/CC cruises don’t appeal to me. 7-10 nights is the sweet spot so unless there is a change, I’ll wait until the Treasure.

 

[bgula]

We sailed the Wish in August and were looking forward to it very much as we had moved away from Disney recently to sail more with RC. It is definitely a one-and-done for us. What other people have said is true - bad layout, confusing layout. Small venues. Didn't care for the dining venues compared to the older ships. Arrendale was interesting to start, but when the show just kept going and going, it was like "enough already", let me enjoy my meal in peace. No mini golf. In our 4 days on the ship, we never were able to go around the ship on the bi-level walking track as there was always some part of it closed off. Very disappointing. Don't know who designed this, but they should be fired - one path all around the ship should be standard.

 

[vakamalua]

We have been on the Wish 3 times and they have been shut tight like that the entire cruise each time.
We did start using them though to get outside. It just seemed to us Disney was trying to make it hard for you to
get outside on deck 4 with the looks of these doors.

Of course they don't want you to go outside on Deck 4 when you could be inside buying drinks & shopping...

 

[Disney Mickey&Minnie Fan]

This. The Rose had better ocean views than any of the other ships’ lounges.

I agree! The Rose is a must visit lounge when sailing on the Disney Wish.
The ocean views are fantastic. The bar staff is attentive, knowledgeable, friendly, and skilled at the art of mixology.
The Rose has an interesting specialty drink menu from the $50 "The Rose", to the $20 "Mrs. Tea" and "Royal Wedding", and the $14 "Crazy Old Fashion".

 

[Kwami]

Of course they don't want you to go outside on Deck 4 when you could be inside buying drinks & shopping...

Yeah, it's all just a big conspiracy. They put shuffle board and seating and all kinds of other stuff out there because they don't want you to use any of it.