The WISH - The Good, The Bad And The Ugly (Review)

[DMMarla07860]

Definitely give it a shot. I liked it in the end.

MJ

We definitely are and can’t wait

 

[nmoody1]

It seems to me that anything on the Wish comes at a premium.... you want to look at the ocean, buy and ocean view room. You want hot tubs? Buy concierge or a rainforest pass. You want to look out at sea? Come into expensive shops - hopefully whilst there you will buy a diamond. It's interesting many of the bars don't have views- but I guess they want you to pay for drinks and move on, rather than sit and look pit a window whilst nursing your cocktail. Also it would seem the pools are small - simply to stop people staying in them all day. You are worth so much more to Disney spending time in Hyperspace Lounge than in the pool.

It seems there has been some real nickel and dining going on with the guest experience on this ship. Its sad, but I genuinely think the business model is to get new guests on the Wish - this castle at sea - a slow transition to ocean vacations by way of more a resort/theme park experience so you realise you like cruising and then book one of the more exciting/more expensive vacations with more of a cruise ship vibe/experience.

The future of cruising very much seems to be more a "resort at sea" - just look at Celebrity Edge class/Virgin Voyages/pretty much any Riyal Caribbean ship. They are more like city centres or Vegas resorts than any older ships - you only need to see people on here as first time cruisers asking "if it's for them" to understand why they want to make you feel you are in a resort rather than on a ship.

It's hilarious that Disney didn't look back at their experiences with the Dream to remember that people want pools and better adult spaces with space to move around. This was a clean slate - they could have built any size ship they wanted, but they decided for just a little more space and a tonne of premium rooms.

We are Platinum and on opening day was unable to book a Palo or Enchantė brunch. I shouldn't complain. We have been lucky to do both on every cruise we have done (obviously not enchants on our Magic and Wonder cruises). I was told that because of the extra concierge rooms, and reduced space in both, this was the reason. Why not have a concierge only restaurant? I hardly call it a benefit of Castaway club if I can't get in the restaurant to redeem my Palo credit.

As for uncharged food in the lounges? I don't know why people need to spend money on this stuff when you are on a ship with an abundance of food. Again, seasoned Disney Cruisers will remember all the snacks in O'Gills and the nachos in Promenade Lounge. It's not all that to write home about, but it's there should you require. I can kind of get it in somewhere like The Rose as it's an opportunity to try something a little more gourmet and decide if you want to book Enchantė... if you can get a reservation anyways. But paying for fish and chips or chicken wings?!?!

 

[holula]

@nmoody1 You basically summed up what I am feeling. This ship feels absolutely set up to nickel and dime the adults as much as possible.

 

[Sykes]

The future of cruising very much seems to be more a "resort at sea" - just look at Celebrity Edge class/Virgin Voyages/pretty much any Riyal Caribbean ship. They are more like city centres or Vegas resorts than any older ships - you only need to see people on here as first time cruisers asking "if it's for them" to understand why they want to make you feel you are in a resort rather than on a ship.

This is a pretty apt comparison because much like the Wish the Celebrity Edge was a pretty major departure from Celebrity's earlier ships, and many diehard Celebrity fans reacted to it with a degree of skepticism and criticism that is similar to what we're seeing about the Wish from diehard DCL fans. Meanwhile, the broader cruising community reacted pretty positively to the Edge, and in the end the Edge class has been tremendously successful and helped attract a different demographic to Celebrity (and many of those skeptics eventually came around too, although there are still plenty that will never sail on the Edge class). I expect that the Wish will be similarly successful--in general the reports have been mostly positive from the broader cruise industry news sites, and objectively there is a lot to love about it even if it isn't perfect. It won't be for everyone--no ships are--but the other ships aren't going anywhere so I don't see any downside to now having a choice between a classic cruising experience on the older ships or more of a resort-style cruising experience on the Wish.

 

[nmoody1]

This is a pretty apt comparison because much like the Wish the Celebrity Edge was a pretty major departure from Celebrity's earlier ships, and many diehard Celebrity fans reacted to it with a degree of skepticism and criticism that is similar to what we're seeing about the Wish from diehard DCL fans. Meanwhile, the broader cruising community reacted pretty positively to the Edge, and in the end the Edge class has been tremendously successful and helped attract a different demographic to Celebrity (and many of those skeptics eventually came around too, although there are still plenty that will never sail on the Edge class). I expect that the Wish will be similarly successful--in general the reports have been mostly positive from the broader cruise industry news sites, and objectively there is a lot to love about it even if it isn't perfect. It won't be for everyone--no ships are--but the other ships aren't going anywhere so I don't see any downside to now having a choice between a classic cruising experience on the older ships or more of a resort-style cruising experience on the Wish.

I also think part of the positive reaction is that most reviews have been hosted by DCL - they will want a return invite for ships 6 and 7 so can't be too negative I guess.

I'm not going to write off the ship. Its something new, its something different. I'm all for change. I've never loved the short itineraries anyways, when the sister ships come along they will have learned where changes can be made. I'm sure we will see an extra hot tub or a slightly bigger bar here and there.

I hates the Dream when that came out but I love the Fantasy... so we will see.

Celebrity never appealed to me until the Edge came out. I'm guessing the Wish will be the same for some non-Disney cruisers.

We all like different things. I won't be writing anything off based on Internet videos, reviews and before they have been given the opportunity to tweak operations.

 

[nmoody1]

@nmoody1 You basically summed up what I am feeling. This ship feels absolutely set up to nickel and dime the adults as much as possible.

Which, to be fair, the parks have been doing for at least the last 10 years. It was always going to take some time to move to signature services, but here it is. I guess we can't blame them all the time people are willing to pay.

I used to get so frustrated when they didn't replace a parade or fireworks show for years on end - the fans that moan about cutbacks also moan every time disney try to change something - one man's junk is another man's treasure i guess.


I'm all for uncharged experiences and opportunities to spend money - I just don't appreciate it when it impacts on what was always included in the price before.... especially when the price is now so much more expensive!

Looking at prices for early next year, I'm genuinely pleased people are falling overthemselves to pay a premium to sail on the Wish - the other ships are at prices I haven't seen for years! (Shhhh! Don't tell anyone!)

 

[Geomom]

I just wanted to thank everyone for posting their reviews on the Wish. Whenever we finally go on the Wish, it won't be a surprise that things we loved on the other ships are missing (Cove snacks,full promenade,etc) and maybe we'll be able to judge the ship more objectively vs focusing on the 'negatives'.

 

[mmouse37]

Since this a good, bad and ugly thread.....one "good" thing that happened to us on the MV was having breakfast with Don Ducky Willians. But, honestly, I had many good times on the Wish despite some of things I didn't like I did actually enjoy the ship and the cruise.

We have seen him and chatted on several cruises in the past and saw him walking around Marceline Market with his food looking for a place to sit. We asked if he wanted to join us and he gladly accepted. it was so nice chatting with him.

He does a lot of the artwork for the cruise line and other parts of Disney and has a fascinating story. He often gives seminars onboard some of the longer itineraries.

He was actually on this cruise as a guest and not in an official Disney capacity even though he did the artwork for the litho we received on the MV. Thought it odd there was no autograph session scheduled by Disney but Ducky said there wasn't. He offered to sign ours but we didn't see him again.

 

[Cliffside]

Since this a good, bad and ugly thread.....one "good" thing that happened to us on the MV was having breakfast with Don Ducky Willians.

We have seen him and chatted on several cruises in the past and saw him walking around Marceline Market with his food looking for a place to sit. We asked if he wanted to join us and he gladly accepted. it was so nice chatting with him.

He does a lot of the artwork for the cruise line and other parts of Disney and has a fascinating story. He often gives seminars onboard some of the longer itineraries.

He was actually on this cruise as a guest and not in an official Disney capacity even though he did the artwork for the litho we received on the MV. Thought it odd there was no autograph session scheduled by Disney but Ducky said there wasn't. He offered to sign ours but we didn't see him again.

That’s great you got to have breakfast with him…we were on our way to have lunch on deck 11 and we saw him signing someone’s litho so I ran back to my stateroom to get it…he was lovely to chat with

 

[SL6827]

So not much chance for a Palo brunch on this ship unless your club level? Sad.

 

[Kwami]

So not much chance for a Palo brunch on this ship unless your club level? Sad.

Once the initial furor dies down, you'll have a much better chance at getting brunch reservations. These early sailings have a higher-than-average number of platinum and gold club members.

When I sailed on the Dream in February, I booked the cruise three days before debarkation and I had my pick of times for a 4-person brunch reservation. The Wish is taking over those itineraries and will likely end up in a similar situation.

 

[Jetku]

So not much chance for a Palo brunch on this ship unless your club level? Sad.

I felt like I hit the jackpot yesterday when I got the Enchante dessert experience for 2 for our august sailing. We’re silver so all adult dining experiences were booked at midnight when the window opened.

 

[johnnyblz20]

I didn't like coco cay, but then again I have a pool in my backyard so maybe I don't get the novelty for some people. The Wish looks lacking, but Castaway will always be great.

haha if you are able to compare your household pool to the massive pool with the swim up bar and thousands of sqft. to it all you must really have one large pool. Sorry but the two are not comparable.

 

[Cheburashka]

I just wanted to thank everyone for posting their reviews on the Wish. Whenever we finally go on the Wish, it won't be a surprise that things we loved on the other ships are missing (Cove snacks,full promenade,etc) and maybe we'll be able to judge the ship more objectively vs focusing on the 'negatives'.

I think this has helped me, too. I'm sailing the Wish in February because it's the only 3-night winter cruise to Castaway, and having already read about and processed the flaws of the ship, I'm now ready to focus on the positives and just enjoy it for what it is. I'm sure she'll be my least favorite Disney ship, but that isn't bad when you consider the quality of the competition. I'm also sure that I'll still really enjoy my cruise and I am very much looking forward to it. I know how fortunate I am to get to take these vacations.

If I hadn't learned about all this in advance, I probably would have spent some of the cruise being annoyed by all the changes I don't like. Now, with managed expectations, I'll be able to just focus on the positives.

 

[Cruising Girl]

I started out on Disney over 20 cruises ago with a young teen who is now married with a 2 year old of her own. I am an older single adult cruiser paying almost double for my fare on top of also paying for my daughter and her family. While I consider myself lucky to be able to do this I do believe that disney penalizes those of us single cruisers. I have enjoyed many cruises as an adult without my family on Disney even though I know it is designed for families. I do it and will continue to because I feel safe there. I was on the MV and was prepared to keep an open mind. i went in the first day just wanting to see everything. I will have to say that by the second day I had decided that the WISH is not for me even and even my young adult daughter said that IF we came back on out planned October cruise, it would be her last on the WISH. I realized I felt like I had grown to giant size and everything around me had "shrunk"! The hallways are very narrrow throughout. Stateroom doors are smaller. Yes, lack of those drawers might not seem like much but boy what a difference not to have those pull out drawers to put all your things away nice and neat! Will have to give a shout out to the showers! Shower doors open up wither in or out of the shower! NICE! No shower curtains or water puddles on the floor! Area around bed hard to get a larger suitcase around but guess on 3-4 nights that may not be a problem. But anyone with a stroller larger than an umbroller-you can't get it around bed. Our small stroller fits around the beds on Fantasy. Room decor very pleasing. We were also in one of the bump out rooms. Verandah was about 2.5 to 3 feet larger than regular verandah. Big enough for a lounger chair but alas there were only the straight back chairs! Big Miss on that Disney! Although the small verandah table was very nice. Round and heavier than the other ones on other ships. I will say food seemed to be better quality. Last night was baked lobster tail and have only ever had that on DVC member cruises before. Star Wars restaurant VERY dark and VERY hard to read the menu! Had to get cell phone flashlight out to see everything! Arrendale restaurant fun and grandbaby LOVED it! Of course she's two and got up to dance to the songs! But agree the show was hard to see due to the positioning of the tables. 1923 had really cool memorabilia in it. I did really feel sorry for the servers. All the tables are so close together and they had to juggle and try to squish themselves into 8inch spaces not meant for adult parts to go! But as always cast members were EXCEPTIONAL! Very choppy hallways! Instead of the doors being all glass leading to the outside track they were metal. I didn't realize this and walked inside around several times before realizing they were meant for the outside. Very few of the nice wooden loungers on the promenade deck for sitting and lounging awhile. I agree with previous posters that I never saw anyone inside of the high end stores. Mickeys had a line outside for the ifrst couple of days at most times that I saw. Only got about 4 cocktails on this cruise but will have to say I was not impressed with any of them. Wine at dinner was 3 small sips in a 14 ounce glass! Pina Colada one afternoon from the Bayou was the best of all. Ordered at Paris 75 and while I wasn't expecting the glo cube I was expecting the sugar rim! Disappointed in both rim and taste! Nothing like I've ever had on Fantasy or Dream! While two theatres may sound nice they are both very small. Tried popcorn one day when I was going to go out and sit to watch shuffleboard. Tasted very old! Took two bites and threw it away!
I will also agree with the adult area. I loved that on the Fantasy if you wanted shade there was a huge shaded area. There are a couple of 6 cushy seat covered areas but thats about it. I will say that the one person about got it right when talking about the loungers down the side of the adult area. It was almost like you were there to watch a casting call. Felt a little creepy to be trying to walk two abreast down the side of the ship with the loungers almost making you fall into a sunbather! The splash pad was great for the littles. Toy story themed but for the adults watching them or the littles needing a break for a few-----NO SHADE ANYWHERE!!!! chairs lined up stadium style in the HOT SUN! Definitely not smart Disney! Will have to say the on deck food was really good. Ate there almost every day. Bar b Que delicious! But anyone wanting the sandwiches or fresh fruit that was so yummy on deck--- SORRY NOT THERE! Had to request for crew member to get fruit for the baby since deck food is opposite end of Marceline Market! Marceline Market might be a good idea in theory but if someone is in line and you are needing to pass behind them then hope no one is coming in the opposite direction because you literally cannot get by! Most stations had repeats in them of other stations. Nowhere near the selection of previous days on any of the other four ships! Since this was a girls trip with grandbaby I didn't go to the bars at night so can't report! Shows were good but not of the same quality I've seen on previous ships. Elevators--- almost every time I was on them I thought I was going to the nursery. Yes-- the idea I understand completely but wallpaper with carriages, mice, pumpkins was a little much on every single one of them. and last--- the Atrium. I really really wanted to like it! Again I understand the theory behind it and maybe if it had had some beautiful marble or even decorative plaster designed to look like........SOMETHING! The words written in gold paint were definitely an afterthought to try to make it more appealing. The decorative plastic looking gold around the glass with the big red and blue Hobby Lobby stones glued on were... yes I'm so sorry to say this but cheap looking. And for those of you that weren't sure about the slide--- hardly noticable and the decor on it was much prettier than the decor on the rest of the Atrium. So while this won't be the ship for me or my family- I'm sure it will be the ship for someone and I know they will enjoy it. Change is always good and I wanted to love it for quick get aways but sadly that won't be happening! But for others have a great time on it!

 

[Cheburashka]

Very few of the nice wooden loungers on the promenade deck for sitting and lounging awhile.

That is disappointing. I'm not paying for a verandah as the Wish is already overpriced, so I was hoping to sit on the promenade deck and enjoy watching the ocean go by. Now it sounds like I might have a hard time finding a chair.

I agree with previous posters that I never saw anyone inside of the high end stores.

I hope DCL gets the message and doesn't feature them on the upcoming ships.

Elevators---...wallpaper with carriages, mice, pumpkins was a little much on every single one of them.

No, thanks, I don't need princess stuff everywhere. What happened to Mickey, Minnie, Goofy, etc.?

Shows were good but not of the same quality I've seen on previous ships.

That is really disappointing. Come on, it's Disney, the entertainment is a key part of this. I was looking forward to seeing The Little Mermaid. I haven't heard great things about it, though.

Yikes, I had all talked myself into having an open mind, but now I'm again reconsidering sailing her at all.

ETA: I've switched my Wish cruise to one of the newly released 2023 Fantasy cruises. It's the week before Christmas, and there won't be any school that week. Looking forward to it. The Wish just isn't for me.

 

[DCLMP]

haha if you are able to compare your household pool to the massive pool with the swim up bar and thousands of sqft. to it all you must really have one large pool. Sorry but the two are not comparable.

I wasn't comparing the two.. just pointing out a pool on an island that's surrounded by the ocean...well I'll choose the ocean over a chlorinated pool any day. I actually do have a nice salt chlorinated pool that I can float around in a drink margaritas. I'm glad you enjoy the pool at coco cay It's sounds like Royal is a better choice for you.

 

[Sakura1017]

I posted this in another thread but since this is the good/bad on the wish I wanted to share it again

We were not at full capacity. Concierge said that maiden voyage and dvc are sailing with 2,750 passengers.

Pros:
-Palo and Enchante have tables where everyone can have a view of the ocean
-Exchante dinner collection was amazing if you can spare a few hours
-Better food in the other restaurants (family loved 1923 and marvel meals)
-Loved the princess theme in rooms and looking on the deck floors
-Cast members using your phones to take pictures with characters.
It was hard doing selfies on your phone at times
-Merchandise restocked in stores throughout out the day
- New broadway shows
-Main theater and wonderland theater so pretty
-Fireworks from pirates day
-Jodi benson performing
-Arendelle show had characters coming to you if you were not a table by the stage
- Internet so much better now than doing mb. I was able to use apps and surf the net, send emails out.
- Photos are faster getting on your phone
-sail a wave party back

Cons
-Narrow sizing in room hard to maneuver even with the extra square feet
-Lack of storage spacing and not enough hangers
-Certain elevators go only to to deck 11, its annoying if you want to go higher, you would need to elevator hop and press up again on deck 11 or climb the stairs. Not friendly if anyone has mobility issues in their party
-Mickey's mail sail had a waitlist you could put your name on if an item you wanted wasn't available. They were not contacting people as I put my name down on a few items and later saw those sizes available in the store. So just keep checking
-Senses spa is a hot mess. Certain bookings like hydration and zero gravity were not properly being transferred over so people were getting regular couples massages in a regular suite.
-Tv is now mounted to the wall near the queen/king size bed. So if any members in your party are sleeping on the murphy or bunk beds they need to view from an angle
-You need to put a card to be able to access lights in your room. If you leave it in their pushed down the host will prop it back out. It's annoying when you want it to run 24/7
-theaters and lounges are smaller
more high end shops that sell watches, jewelry, scarves.
-didn't mention on app anything like tours of the ship
-wasn't a fan of the new pirates party
-marvel show was not that great you can watch it on youtube
-Arendelle show was nice but if you were not by the stage you definitely are going to get a blocked vision throughout the show when servers are placing things down and taking orders
-no shows in the main dining rotations if you had extra visits.
-hyperspace is a one and done activity. it just shows images switching over periodically.
-Shower doors. so many times bumping into them
-layout of ship no walking path no mid elevators
-You have to click on one photo at a time to download on your phone
-not the same vendor with clothing so sizes are way off
-not everyone got the same stateroom gifts and it felt like you got a different answer with guest services.

 

[mmouse37]

I started out on Disney over 20 cruises ago with a young teen who is now married with a 2 year old of her own. I am an older single adult cruiser paying almost double for my fare on top of also paying for my daughter and her family. While I consider myself lucky to be able to do this I do believe that disney penalizes those of us single cruisers. I have enjoyed many cruises as an adult without my family on Disney even though I know it is designed for families. I do it and will continue to because I feel safe there. I was on the MV and was prepared to keep an open mind. i went in the first day just wanting to see everything. I will have to say that by the second day I had decided that the WISH is not for me even and even my young adult daughter said that IF we came back on out planned October cruise, it would be her last on the WISH. I realized I felt like I had grown to giant size and everything around me had "shrunk"! The hallways are very narrrow throughout. Stateroom doors are smaller. Yes, lack of those drawers might not seem like much but boy what a difference not to have those pull out drawers to put all your things away nice and neat! Will have to give a shout out to the showers! Shower doors open up wither in or out of the shower! NICE! No shower curtains or water puddles on the floor! Area around bed hard to get a larger suitcase around but guess on 3-4 nights that may not be a problem. But anyone with a stroller larger than an umbroller-you can't get it around bed. Our small stroller fits around the beds on Fantasy. Room decor very pleasing. We were also in one of the bump out rooms. Verandah was about 2.5 to 3 feet larger than regular verandah. Big enough for a lounger chair but alas there were only the straight back chairs! Big Miss on that Disney! Although the small verandah table was very nice. Round and heavier than the other ones on other ships. I will say food seemed to be better quality. Last night was baked lobster tail and have only ever had that on DVC member cruises before. Star Wars restaurant VERY dark and VERY hard to read the menu! Had to get cell phone flashlight out to see everything! Arrendale restaurant fun and grandbaby LOVED it! Of course she's two and got up to dance to the songs! But agree the show was hard to see due to the positioning of the tables. 1923 had really cool memorabilia in it. I did really feel sorry for the servers. All the tables are so close together and they had to juggle and try to squish themselves into 8inch spaces not meant for adult parts to go! But as always cast members were EXCEPTIONAL! Very choppy hallways! Instead of the doors being all glass leading to the outside track they were metal. I didn't realize this and walked inside around several times before realizing they were meant for the outside. Very few of the nice wooden loungers on the promenade deck for sitting and lounging awhile. I agree with previous posters that I never saw anyone inside of the high end stores. Mickeys had a line outside for the ifrst couple of days at most times that I saw. Only got about 4 cocktails on this cruise but will have to say I was not impressed with any of them. Wine at dinner was 3 small sips in a 14 ounce glass! Pina Colada one afternoon from the Bayou was the best of all. Ordered at Paris 75 and while I wasn't expecting the glo cube I was expecting the sugar rim! Disappointed in both rim and taste! Nothing like I've ever had on Fantasy or Dream! While two theatres may sound nice they are both very small. Tried popcorn one day when I was going to go out and sit to watch shuffleboard. Tasted very old! Took two bites and threw it away!
I will also agree with the adult area. I loved that on the Fantasy if you wanted shade there was a huge shaded area. There are a couple of 6 cushy seat covered areas but thats about it. I will say that the one person about got it right when talking about the loungers down the side of the adult area. It was almost like you were there to watch a casting call. Felt a little creepy to be trying to walk two abreast down the side of the ship with the loungers almost making you fall into a sunbather! The splash pad was great for the littles. Toy story themed but for the adults watching them or the littles needing a break for a few-----NO SHADE ANYWHERE!!!! chairs lined up stadium style in the HOT SUN! Definitely not smart Disney! Will have to say the on deck food was really good. Ate there almost every day. Bar b Que delicious! But anyone wanting the sandwiches or fresh fruit that was so yummy on deck--- SORRY NOT THERE! Had to request for crew member to get fruit for the baby since deck food is opposite end of Marceline Market! Marceline Market might be a good idea in theory but if someone is in line and you are needing to pass behind them then hope no one is coming in the opposite direction because you literally cannot get by! Most stations had repeats in them of other stations. Nowhere near the selection of previous days on any of the other four ships! Since this was a girls trip with grandbaby I didn't go to the bars at night so can't report! Shows were good but not of the same quality I've seen on previous ships. Elevators--- almost every time I was on them I thought I was going to the nursery. Yes-- the idea I understand completely but wallpaper with carriages, mice, pumpkins was a little much on every single one of them. and last--- the Atrium. I really really wanted to like it! Again I understand the theory behind it and maybe if it had had some beautiful marble or even decorative plaster designed to look like........SOMETHING! The words written in gold paint were definitely an afterthought to try to make it more appealing. The decorative plastic looking gold around the glass with the big red and blue Hobby Lobby stones glued on were... yes I'm so sorry to say this but cheap looking. And for those of you that weren't sure about the slide--- hardly noticable and the decor on it was much prettier than the decor on the rest of the Atrium. So while this won't be the ship for me or my family- I'm sure it will be the ship for someone and I know they will enjoy it. Change is always good and I wanted to love it for quick get aways but sadly that won't be happening! But for others have a great time on it!

Funny you say that about the "Grand Hall" from a distance everything looks beautiful but if you look closer the gold and gems do give a "cheap" feel. I felt the gold trimming should have had rounded edges maybe and not flat.

MJ

 

[Cheburashka]

It won't be for everyone--no ships are--but the other ships aren't going anywhere

That isn't exactly true. The Wish is now the only ship that sails short cruises to Castaway Cay in winter, and the only ship that regularly sails short cruises there at all now. The Dream is now spending summers in Europe. One classic ship spends summers in Alaska and there are rumors another is going to be sent to Australia/Asia. Many of us can't afford those itineraries, at least not more than once.

It feels like the Wish is being pushed on people who like to (or can only) sail out of Florida. I usually don't have a week available to cruise, so I can't always sail the Fantasy.

I do feel that as a whole, the Fab Four are less accessible than they were before. I'm worried about what will happen when the next ships come out. They'll probably be similar to Wish, and I'm afraid that one or more of the Fab Four will be permanently sent far away, leaving those of us who love those ships but can't afford airfare from middle America to Europe/Australia/Asia with fewer choices.