- My family of four did a three-night sailing on the Disney Wish in July for $5,300.
- We've been on eight Disney cruises, and I heard a few negative reviews of the Wish before boarding.
- But I loved the new ship, especially the themed adult lounges and fun new deck layout.
My family of four recently did a three-night sailing from Port Canaveral, Florida, to the Bahamas on Disney's newest cruise ship, the Wish.
We've been on eight Disney Cruises as a family, and I follow several cruise blogs and podcasts, so I consider myself an expert-level Disney cruiser. Before this trip, I'd read and heard enough Wish reviews to give me the impression I wouldn't like the new ship.
Our decision to sail on the Wish was last-minute. We booked a $5,300 voyage and boarded the ship with no reservations or excursions and no plans other than to explore.
Luckily, I ended up being wrong about pretty much everything I thought I'd dislike about the ship.
I was super impressed by the new Grand Hall on the Wish.
Disney's first ship, the Magic, set sail back in 1998, so embarking on the Wish, which had its maiden voyage in July 2022, was quite the upgrade. Passengers are immersed in everything new and dazzling on the Wish as soon as they enter the Grand Hall.
The other Disney ships have a central atrium where guests embark and are welcomed aboard. But the Wish's Grand Hall is open and airy — more of a multipurpose space with a stage and balcony.
The only criticism I had was that the welcome-aboard announcement from the crew could've been better. Whereas the other ships had a gauntlet of crew members clapping and cheering, there was only one crew member on the Wish's welcoming committee and little fanfare.
You won't miss this if you've never sailed with Disney before. But if you have, you'll probably notice a difference.
Our room also felt shiny and new.
We booked an ocean-view stateroom with a veranda for our cruise on the Wish.
There were upgraded touches in the stateroom, such as a larger TV screen and robes, compared to the older ships.
The Wish doesn't have any midship elevators, but it didn't end up being an issue for us.
All the other Disney ships have three elevator spots, forward (front of ship), aft (back of ship), and midship (middle of ship). Despite being Disney's largest ship, the Wish has no midship elevators.
I thought this might be inconvenient, but there are 16 elevators total, eight aft and eight forward, so the lack of midship elevators didn't actually bother me. We were OK with the extra walking as we take the stairs as often as possible anyway.
What was annoying was the sensor-button panel on the elevators. If someone got too close to the buttons, the elevator would select them, causing most elevators we rode to stop at every floor. It was like having that kid who pushes all the buttons on your elevator every trip.
We're really familiar with the layout of the other Disney ships, so this took some getting used to.
The Disney Wish is the fleet's first Triton Class ship, meaning it has a different layout from Disney's previous ships in the Magic and Dream classes. After three sailings on the Wonder, two on the Magic, and two on the Dream, we had those deck plans down pat.
Because of this, I had to spend time discovering where things were located instead of immediately knowing my way around. But it actually ended up being part of the fun and not a negative experience.
I'd heard complaints of a lack of adult-only entertainment, but that wasn't my experience.
All the other Disney ships have a bar-and-lounge district that's off-limits to anyone under 18 after 7 p.m.
On the Wish, the highly themed Nightingale's, Bayou, Rose, and Star Wars Hyperspace lounges were dotted throughout the ship versus being in an adult-only section. But the fact that kids were passing through didn't bother me.
Plus, there was still the adult-only pool deck and two adult-only dining venues if you wanted to escape.
The dining rooms may have been a little more crowded, but it didn't really bother us.
The three main dining rooms on the Wish are Arendelle, Worlds of Marvel, and 1923.
Before our trip, I'd heard fellow travelers complaining of big crowds, with the tables placed uncomfortably close together. Our sailing was near capacity, and the dining rooms were indeed crowded, but that's typical of all other Disney cruises we've been on.
The tables felt closer together than they've been on other ships, but it wasn't uncomfortable and didn't hamper our dining experience.
We loved the food at the new restaurants, especially the filet at 1923, but we'd probably skip Worlds of Marvel next time. The digital show is such a huge part of dinner, and although it was cute, I wouldn't want to sit through it again.
There were fun added amenities and entertainment options on the ship.
The Pirate's Rockin' Parlay Party on the deck was a great entertainment addition, and the infinity pool in the Quiet Cove area was pretty sweet, even if it was always full of people.
The kid's clubs, especially the Oceaneer Club for kids 3 through 12, were next-level fantastic. I thought the teen and tween clubs were elevated, too, but my 13-year-olds said they liked one on the Magic better.
My family loved our trip on the Wish, and we'd definitely sail on it again.
The Wish isn't my top Disney Cruise Line pick — that's always going to be the Wonder — but I loved the ship and would book again if the itinerary and rates lined up with our travel needs.
If you're hesitant to book because of a negative review you saw online, I say go for it and try it for yourself.
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