The Disney Wish Lives Up to the Hype
You may not think of yourself as a cruise person, but Disney’s latest offering may force you to reconsider.
A small number of lucky folks have taken a cruise on the Disney Wish…and they cannot stop gushing about it!
Let’s talk about a few aspects of the new flagship of Disney Cruise Line (DCL).
A Familiar Design Done Better
Those of you who have taken Disney cruises know the deal by now. Disney designs its decks to maximize efficiency.
Courtesy of Disney Tourist Blog
You’ll only use the lowest deck to depart for land excursions. Meanwhile, the second deck is where you’ll drop off your kids, providing you some much-needed adult time.
However, even this strategy reflects the innovation overflowing within the Disney Wish.
For example, a slide will carry kids from Deck Three’s Grand Hall to the second deck’s play area.
In fact, the Grand Hall, what we formerly called the atrium, covers multiple decks and provides a sweeping panoramic display of a staging area that looks like a palace, complete with a balcony.
A gorgeous life-sized statue of Cinderella resides by the stairwell, signifying that this floor belongs to the woman in her classic ballgown.
On each deck of the Disney Wish, a new theme adorns the walls. The dated look of 20th-century cruises has been cast aside in favor of modern Disney.
Fans of Star Wars, Marvel, Frozen, and other beloved characters/stories will find entire sections of the ship dedicated to each one.
The Disney Wish provides such a comprehensive tribute to the Disney animated catalog that there’s even a lounge for people like me, superfans of The Sword in the Stone.
Yes, you’ll still find most of the action on the middle decks and the swimming options on the upper decks.
Still, the design feels stylish and fresh thanks to the innovative touches on display. Perhaps no places demonstrate this better than the dining options…
Rotational Dining on the Disney Wish
When you book a trip on the Disney Wish, you guarantee yourself three exotic meals as part of the rotational dining experience.
The concept isn’t new to DCL, but it feels different on the Disney Wish. I say this because two of the restaurant options are like nothing before them.
Arendelle: A Frozen Dining Experience transports you to the fictional faraway land you’ve watched in the movies.
Courtesy of Disney Tourist Blog
You’ll walk down the longest corridor in DCL cruise history…and not by accident. The imagery on the walls displays the history of Frozen’s royal family.
You’ll buy into the illusion that you’re traveling to Arendelle as an invited guest for an unforgettable event.
You’re celebrating the betrothal of Anna and Kristoff!
What follows is dinner and a show, a kind of Akershus at sea. The cuisine is similarly Nordic, but you’ll also watch Oaken host a musical performance.
Familiar faces from the Frozen franchise will sing your favorites. However, cast members join them and sometimes do the singing instead.
The unique restaurant design enables a theater-in-the-round viewing that’s interactive and wildly entertaining. You can watch the whole thing here:
Worlds of Marvel, another rotational dining option, shows Avengers: Quantum Encounter.
At this restaurant, you’ll sit in a large dining room filled with digital displays. At first, they’ll show highlights from your favorite Marvel movies.
Later, Ant-Man and The Wasp appear and get into a fight with Ultron that takes place…on the Disney Wish!
Presuming you don’t mind being spoiled, you can watch the whole thing here:
Finally, there’s 1923, an upscale Disney meal in a place that celebrates the lives of Roy O. and Walt Disney.
You’ll eat at all three places as part of your Disney Wish cruise, and they’re all impeccable.
More about the Disney Wish
Thus far, nobody has paid to take a cruise on the Disney Wish. Instead, everyone who has been on it was an invited Disney guest.
As such, we must cast a wary eye on some of the initial reviews. After all, Disney bought and paid for them.
Even so, the sheer adulation involved with the early comments is proof enough that Disney has hit a grand slam here.
Imagineers shared huge ambitions during the planning phase. But then, the pandemic gave everyone a chance to perfect the scenery.
Courtesy of Disney Tourist Blog
The prevailing belief is that Disney has redefined the deluxe cruise experience for a new generation of tourists.
We will talk about the Disney Wish more in the coming weeks because I’ve frankly only scratched the surface. It definitely lives up to the hype!
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