LIVE - Disney Cruise Line debuts the Disney Wish

vikescaperNov 04, 2023

After wrapping up my first ever cruise, I figure I may as well follow up on this….. For backstory, I have never been on a cruise but my mom and sister have been. Out stateroom was midship on deck 7 and we were pretty much equidistant from both elevator banks. I never had any real issues with the elevators but I will say that I used the stairs 90% of the time so I could burn off all those ice cream cones I was eating. My mom is in her 70’s and my sister is in her mid 40’s and has had knee issues most of her life so they used the elevators more than I did. They did have to wait longer for the elevator during peak times but never really complained about it. I did find myself getting lost a few times but after I started to pay more attention to signage, I was fine. The adults only section did feel like an afterthought and I didn’t go into those pools. I don’t know if it is feasible but maybe they could extend the adults only section to the forward section of deck 14 as that felt like wasted space. We didn’t really spend much time in the lounges but ended up in Keg and Compass a few times. I really enjoyed that space. I was looking forward to Hyperspace Lounge but was let down by it. We also found ourselves in the movie theaters a few times and enjoyed those spaces. The seats are very uncomfortable, though. Overall, my family did enjoy our time on the Wish and thought she was a beautiful ship. We would have liked more time on it so we could do more exploring but there is always next time!

DisAlJul 16, 2023

I was watching the Port Nassau webcam this afternoon as the Wish was backing out from the dock. It then started pulling back in. I had to leave before they finished but I wonder what was going on.

Chip ChippersonJul 06, 2023

And on top of that, the narrow-but-deeper design makes it so that most of the people in the elevator have to step out each time someone in the back is getting out at their floor. It slows down an already slow process.

LAKid53Jul 06, 2023

Given the lack of midship elevators and that the Wish's predominantly are smaller, yes, the elevators get crowded.

jaklgreenJul 06, 2023

Yeah, way too many people try to cram into the elevators.

Chip ChippersonJul 05, 2023

It's an issue when people overcrowd the elevators, forcing people to move as close to the walls as possible. It happened several times on my cruise in December. With the elevator situation already less than ideal, I'm sure the extra stops weren't helping matters.

jaklgreenJul 05, 2023

I wonder why so many people had problems with this. I have sailed on the Wish and never had any issues with staying far enough away from the buttons to not set them off. I actually like the no touch buttons because I didn't have to touch them. After the one cruise when a guy came into Cabanas and refused to wash his hands before going to the buffet, claiming that he "took a shower that morning", I don't want to touch anything. LOL

Disney AnalystJul 05, 2023

SplashZanderMar 25, 2023

The 8th isn’t meant for American markets. So that does nothing. With the Wish in Florida during the summer, they moved the Dream to the very expensive European market (effectively adding a second Magic to Europe. Then they retained the Magic in Florida. The Treasure will push one of the larger ships out west, replacing the Wonder, which will go to Australia, an entirely new market. So in terms of existing markets, they’re adding one Magic to Europe and one Wonder out West, and two big ships to Florida, which is the same expansion as when they added the Dream and Fantasy. They wouldn’t have built Lighthouse Point and their Fort Lauderdale port if they were planning on going back down to 5 ships (ignoring the Asia exclusive). Castaway could’ve easily handled an extra ship (compared to 4) if they retired Magic and Wonder. That’s not what they’re doing. Not in the short term, and not in the medium term. They might 15-20+ years, but it’s hardly imminent. The Dream going to Europe has made those cruises, especially verandahs, incredibly more affordable. Big win in my book. They were initially only adding two ships, but they clearly saw the growth potential and added an extra. The 8th ship is a different story, but it seems Disney deems it too good of an opportunity to fail. Minimal risk super high potential reward. Buying the ship seems like some Michael Eisner craziness, but should be a separate product in a completely different and new market.

ToTBellHopMar 24, 2023

I personally do not think they will be able to support their fares with 8 ships but I would assume (hope?) they’ve studied this in depth and concluded otherwise with data to inform some sort of strategic plan. But, this company has management who live quarter-to-quarter, so you’ll have to pardon me for fearing that hasn’t happened and Chapek just bought a huge ship as a vanity project that would be his legacy (had he not promptly been fired).

SplashZanderMar 24, 2023

Had a conversation with someone almost a decade ago about how the magic and wonder were likely heading towards retirement in the next few years. I disagreed then and I disagreed now. The magic and wonder can live for many more decades if Disney desires. I don’t see them getting retired barring some massive unforeseen circumstance. While a lot of ships are retired and scrapped within a couple decades, none are In the condition of the magic or wonder, and while the smaller ships are undoubtedly more costly to run per passenger, their cost to sail is usually higher than the bigger ships, and they can sail to ports too small for the larger ships/itineraries with insufficient demand for a bigger ship. The magic and wonder provide crucial flexibility to DCL’s fleet, and I really don’t see them being retired unless they’re replaced by comparably sized ships (which wouldn’t happen this decade at the earliest, and would just burn a lot of money).

ToTBellHopMar 24, 2023

It‘s like if Jimmy Carter were a boat.

Andrew CMar 24, 2023

Was on the Magic in December...seemed in good shape to me at least from a public space condition. DCL does well to keep their ships in good shape. Also, I love the size....

ToTBellHopMar 24, 2023

I’m sure they’ll be lovely lifeboats for the Global Dream when they are inevitably retired from cruising in the next few years. You don’t really see ships around anymore from before 1996, so the time is coming soon for Magic.