Trip Report We took the Wish for a spin! COMPLETE

Hello, everyone,

You may remember us from previous TRs including:

Land & Sea - Baja Style!
We kept in on the DL...the DCL
It’s not about Ryan Gosling, but there is a Gosling involved

Once again, it's time for another DCL adventure with @lostpro9het and @imahistorygeek.

We are doing a WDW/DCL/WDW sandwich and hopefully this isn't a bologna sandwich with miracle whip. Let's hope it's a fancy Italian Boars Head sub from Kroger with all the fixins.

I should preempt this by saying we still have to pass a covid test because our cruise is the last one to require testing if you're vaccinated. Boo on you DCL. So this entire TR could be scrapped on Wednesday morning.

When: We fly out on the evening of September 15.
Where: Our first night is the Poly. Got to get our rest in before at sea funtivities.
What are we doing: We're sailing on the Wish, back to back! This is a first for us.

We've combined a 3-night and 4-night with a Halloween party ticket when we return. This is a Halloween on the High Seas cruise which means costumes! I've made them and they're ready to go!

After we fly in, we will pick up our one-way rental from National. We have no park plans for arrival day and really no dinner plans either.
Embarkation day - we will drive to National Car rental at the port and get a shuttle to the port. We will do this same thing after debarkation and head back to the Poly. Our Halloween party tickets are for that evening and we fly home the next day.

We have found it very hard to get excited about our cruises. There are several reasons:

• We still have to test. We will not pack until we pass the test. I still have some eMed tests left over from Celebrity (which no longer tests), so we will use them for our cruise.
• Negative feedback regarding the Wish. We are trying to stay away from it. We know the ships aren't the same. We're not really researching anything, just looking at the food and drink menus. The only thing we will familiarize ourselves with is the deck plan, because it will be different and we don't want to waste our time trying to find things.
• We are trying to buy a house. If things go well, we will close next Monday.
• We are trying to sell our house. It's currently on the market and open for viewing and it will be while we are gone.
• Our previous cruise (on the Wonder) was fine, but nothing spectacular, except for the BREACHING OF A WHALE!

However, there are some things we are looking forward to experiencing on the ship:

• New ship and venues.
• New drinks and food. There look to be some interesting food and drink choices, especially the drink that is in the ice ball at Nightingales.

With all this said, wish us luck for a negative test next Wednesday!

 

[imahistorygeek]

Technically this is Fancy Sparkling wine

I did think of that, then said, wouldn't Disney have real champagne for a fancy ship. Guess that's a nope.

 

[MinnieM123]

And I ordered this tiny pour of wine.

I'm not up on wines, etc., but looking at the skimpy amount in the glass -- is that normal?!

As usual, I enjoyed your TR. Glad you both had an enjoyable time, even if it wasn't quite up to the standards you've enjoyed on the other ships. Thank you for sharing your experiences, and photos. Much appreciated.

 

[Swissmiss]

I did think of that, then said, wouldn't Disney have real champagne for a fancy ship. Guess that's a nope.

The only thing that keeps of from being champagne is where the grapes grew . Doesn’t make it any less tasty

 

[MickeyCB]

Thanks for sharing I really enjoy following along on your cruises!
And one question, the costs you listed for items at Palo didn't seem awful. Is that a correct assumption?

 

[Tiggerish]

The only thing that keeps of from being champagne is where the grapes grew . Doesn’t make it any less tasty

True dat. Prosecco and Cava are equally tasty, and 1/2 to 1/3 the price of champagne!!

 

[Tiggerish]

I'll wrap this up by saying we had a good time. We enjoyed the new ship and the new offerings.

Will we be in a rush to come back? No. I've read so many reviews that start out with "it's a beautiful ship, but..." I feel exactly the same.

It just didn't live up to the hype or any of the other experiences we've had on DCL. We are always sad to leave a DCL ship and can't wait to return, but this was not the case. The food was on par with other ships. The theatre entertainment was good. The adult entertainment was good to ok. The most disappointing aspect was the adult area. No thought to what we actually like was in this area. This is a main reason we will probably not sail this ship again. That, and the short itineraries. We met some really great crew, but even they were a one and done for their contracts.

And to add insult to injury, they're going back to in-person muster drills. The word on the internets is that not enough people were checking into the app.

We will stick to the older ships from now on. We know them and they have their faults, but they're still better than the Wish.

Amen, sister.

The broken-up promenade deck did it in for me. And even when on Deck 4 midship, it was actually hard to find the doors to the outside deck, since you couldn't see through them, they were like fire doors. SMH. And while we're on the topic of doors--some of them were motion sensitive but not all of them. How long did it take you to get into the ladies room that served Enchante/Palo/The Rose? That one, you had to actually push the glowing button, where others you just waved at it. So confusing.

It was very pretty, but I vastly prefer the layouts of the first four ships. I mean, that endless, empty corridor between the two halves of 1923 (and there's a first--a split restaurant--that no one asked for or needed! Like, WHY??) to get to the aft elevators? The stunning entry to the theatre was almost hard to find! They did do a very nice job on the Wonderland and Neverland Cinemas, but they deserved better positioning than on either side of an elevator bank. Speaking of elevators, I would like to meet the person (or team) who decided that those lifts could hold 20 people, and to have whatever they were drinking.

 

[imahistorygeek]

The only thing that keeps of from being champagne is where the grapes grew . Doesn’t make it any less tasty

You know, I want to like sparkling wine, but it does not agree with my stomach. However, I did have some actual champagne in a cocktail on a cruise (maybe celebrity) and my stomach didn't feel terrible afterwards. Maybe it's the champagne grape.

Thanks for sharing I really enjoy following along on your cruises!
And one question, the costs you listed for items at Palo didn't seem awful. Is that a correct assumption?

That's what I meant. Disney has a way of charging mega bucks for everything (like that $50 Rose cocktail), so these a la carte prices didn't seem so bad. Disney has conditioned me to think these prices are ok.

True dat. Prosecco and Cava are equally tasty, and 1/2 to 1/3 the price of champagne!!

What is this cava you speak of??

And while we're on the topic of doors--some of them were motion sensitive but not all of them. How long did it take you to get into the ladies room that served Enchante/Palo/The Rose? That one, you had to actually push the glowing button, where others you just waved at it. So confusing.

It was very pretty, but I vastly prefer the layouts of the first four ships. I mean, that endless, empty corridor between the two halves of 1923 (and there's a first--a split restaurant--that no one asked for or needed! Like, WHY??) to get to the aft elevators? The stunning entry to the theatre was almost hard to find! They did do a very nice job on the Wonderland and Neverland Cinemas, but they deserved better positioning than on either side of an elevator bank. Speaking of elevators, I would like to meet the person (or team) who decided that those lifts could hold 20 people, and to have whatever they were drinking.

I had completely forgotten about that restroom. Why it was different is beyond me.

I don't get the intention between the 1923 split? Different theming? We were not curious enough to check it out.

Every time we got into an elevator, there was a shuffle to not lean on the buttons, so it always felt crammed in there. We had an aft room and that walk is LONG because the aft elevator doesn't seem as aft as before, if that makes sense.

 

[imahistorygeek]

I'm not up on wines, etc., but looking at the skimpy amount in the glass -- is that normal?!

No idea, but it could have also been a huge glass and the pour looked small. I honestly can't remember. The picture makes it look tiny.

 

[amjt660]

Thanks for sharing your trip and your take on the ship


Max

 

[The Colonel]

Loved your report. Thanks for all the info and pictures. I'm also a big fan of the AFT cabins. I have 6696 booked for the week after Thanksgiving. Can't wait.

 

[cgersic]

I too love tagging along on your cruises!! When's the next one?

 

[imahistorygeek]

I too love tagging along on your cruises!! When's the next one?

We don't have another Disney one planned any time soon. We had considered the Magic out of New Orleans in April for spring break, but the Celebrity Apex is one of the newest ships and offered an itinerary at the same time, so we chose that one instead.

Our next cruise is in December, the week before Christmas out of Miami on the Celebrity Summit. We've this class and really like it.

 

[Tiggerish]

Maybe it's the champagne grape.

Not to be all wine snob, because literally all of my wine education has been provided for free by WDW, courtesy of the Epcot F&W Festival, but there are three grapes allowed to be used to make champagne—Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, and Petit Meunière, either alone or in any combination. If you can drink PN or Chard with no issues, perhaps it’s the PM?

I can’t drink Merlot, it gives me a headache. All other grapes seem fine. I’ve tried most of them

What is this cava you speak of??

As Prosecco is the “Italian Champagne” (i.e., sparkling wine made similar to the “méthode champenoise”), Cava is the Spanish version. I’m a big fan of Spanish wines.

Both Prosecco and Cava use different grapes than Champagne.

I don't get the intention between the 1923 split? Different theming? We were not curious enough to check it out

The only differences are the movies that are represented in the decor. Other than that, they are identical. It’s a head-scratcher.

 

[Swissmiss]

To add to the champagne discussion: it isn’t just the grapes and method used but it also must come from the Champagne region of France to be called champagne (if not it is "merely" a sparkling wine).

And I’m with @Tiggerish - also a fan of prosecco and cava. And there are other sparkling wines in France that are good and much cheaper than champagne - crémant for one.

 

[donaldtoo]

For the first leg, Marvel was our first dining room.

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These are on both sides of the entrance to the dining room, which by the way, is right outside the elevators.
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The theming for the dining rooms on the Wish is how many tables can we squeeze into a small space. You are inches away from the next table and even the servers had trouble making it between the tables. They hated it.

For my appetizer, I chose the Crispy Breaded Fried Shrimp with White Cheddar and Corn Grits, Bell Peppers, Collard Greens, Smokehouse Barbecue Sauce.
View attachment 670211
Presentation was nice. The shrimp was super jumbo and a little tough, but tasted fine. The grits were flavorless and needed salt. There were salt and pepper shakers on the table, which I don't remember seeing on the other ships.
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My soup course was the Cream of Porcini Mushroom Soup with Sour Cream, Red Beet, Lemon
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It was pretty good. I'm always on the hunt for the same mushroom soup that was served ages ago at Artist's Point at Wilderness Lodge. RIP Taste of the Pacific

My main dish was Seared Turbot Filet with Sweet Pea Purée, Roasted Heirloom Carrots, Romanesco, Pancetta, Tarragon Sandefjord Sauce.
View attachment 670226
I've had turbot before and should know better. It's a STRONG fish. Again, needed salt and was fine.

Dessert was standard DCL gold-leaf dessert.
Nano Dobos Torta - Layered Cake, Rich Chocolate Truffle Cream, Caramel
View attachment 670235

I'll post Sean's next, but so far, Avengers isn't winning any awards.

We were on a family cruise on The Magic last week. There were salt and pepper shakers on the table everywhere we ate (Rapunzel’s Royal Table, Lumiere’s, Animator’s Palate), except at our Palo brunch.

 

[Spash007]

We decided to cancel our Wish cruise - like you said, so many reviews are “it’s a beautiful ship but…”

We just found we weren’t as excited as we wanted to be, and the sad thing is that I was avoiding reports like yours because I was afraid of the truth. After deciding to cancel I went back and read through, and especially your summary makes me think we made the right choice.

 

[The Colonel]

Well all the bad things I heard about The Wish were true. The ship is bigger than the four older ships, yet it has two sets of elevators/stairs as opposed to three. Much more walking. Much more waiting for elevators. The touchless elevators stink. Too many people couldn't figure out how to use them, too hard to figure out whether the buttons were illuminated.

The layout was awful. Too many dead ends. No flow. Annoying.

The star of the ship as far as food was the poolside offerings. The MDR food was meh. The Frozen dinner show was good. The Avengers dining room was ridiculous. Give me back Animators Palette.

Star Wars Lounge was a total yawn. It was empty every time we looked in.

Much more entertainment offerings in The District on Fantasy.

The two big shows we saw, Aladdin and Little Mermaid were fine. Did not blow my socks off.

Cabanas was better than Marceline Market. More offerings and I prefer self-service.

The ship is beautiful as you would expect from DCL, but the four older ships are preferable, at least to me.

I had a great time, but the Wish is a one and done for me.

 

[imahistorygeek]

We decided to cancel our Wish cruise - like you said, so many reviews are “it’s a beautiful ship but…”

We just found we weren’t as excited as we wanted to be, and the sad thing is that I was avoiding reports like yours because I was afraid of the truth. After deciding to cancel I went back and read through, and especially your summary makes me think we made the right choice.

I can understand wanting to avoid. We really wanted to do a 3-night over a holiday. However, the only port within driving distance for a DCL 3-day is Canaveral. Since it's just the Wish sailing 3-days out of PC, it's a no-go. If it had been any other ship, we would have booked it.

Well all the bad things I heard about The Wish were true. The ship is bigger than the four older ships, yet it has two sets of elevators/stairs as opposed to three. Much more walking. Much more waiting for elevators. The touchless elevators stink. Too many people couldn't figure out how to use them, too hard to figure out whether the buttons were illuminated.

The layout was awful. Too many dead ends. No flow. Annoying.

The star of the ship as far as food was the poolside offerings. The MDR food was meh. The Frozen dinner show was good. The Avengers dining room was ridiculous. Give me back Animators Palette.

Star Wars Lounge was a total yawn. It was empty every time we looked in.

Much more entertainment offerings in The District on Fantasy.

The two big shows we saw, Aladdin and Little Mermaid were fine. Did not blow my socks off.

Cabanas was better than Marceline Market. More offerings and I prefer self-service.

The ship is beautiful as you would expect from DCL, but the four older ships are preferable, at least to me.

I had a great time, but the Wish is a one and done for me.

If you have an aft or forward room, it's quite the trek.

Agree on the poolside food. We did like 1927 better than the other MDRs.

The Wish is the first DCL ship in which I wasn't sad about leaving, so that says a lot.