Let's talk about Wish staterooms today.   The staterooms on Disney Wish might just be my favorite on any ship I have ever sailed.  Sure the nautical feel in the staterooms on the other Disney ships is nice but I personally love the lighter more whimsical rooms on Wish.  Don't even get me started on the way to amazing suites onboard!  Even the lowest priced room - which is a standard inside room - still feels spacious and luxurious.  Of course then you also have the over the top, first of its kind, in the ship's funnel, Wish Tower Suite - which is bigger than my house!   ​

​Disney Wish has a total of 1,244 staterooms.  70% of those do have a verandah.  Disney is a premium cruise line and you definitely feel that in the staterooms.   Even the smallest room on Wish is bigger than most rooms on the cheaper Mass Market Cruise Lines.   You also feel the difference in the amenities in your room.  Disney puts so many little touches in the rooms that they are more than just a place you sleep while on vacation.  Things like the split bathroom to even the new fridge on Wish that is a drawer just make cruising with a family easier.  

Inside staterooms - Disney Wish changed things up for the inside rooms and does not offer any of the Deluxe Inside rooms so that does mean none of the inside rooms will have a split bathroom.  They also did not bring the virtual portholes from Dream and Fantasy onto Wish.  The Standard Inside Staterooms rooms are 169 sq ft and can sleep 3 or 4 guests.   There are only 121 inside rooms.

Oceanview staterooms - There are 2 Category options for Oceanview either a Deluxe Oceanview (218 sq ft) or Deluxe Family Oceanview (237 sq ft).  The Deluxe Family offers some rooms that can sleep up to 5 guests.  The Oceanview room I was able to tour on my cruise had a very large and easy to sit in porthole.  It was one of the Deluxe Family rooms so I am not sure if all rooms have that large window or not.  There are 170 Oceanview rooms.   

Verandah staterooms - There are also 2 Categories either Deluxe Oceanview with Verandah (243 sq ft) or Deluxe Family Oceanview with Verandah (284 sq ft).  The Deluxe Family rooms can sleep up to 5 guests.   The room I had on my cruise was a Verandah and while it really wasn't that much different in its layout than the other 4 Disney ships it still felt bigger I think because the room was so much lighter.  My room was one of the ones that was slightly on what I call the bump out so we did have a sort of slanted verandah which seemed to have a little extra space.  This is when it can be important to book your cruise early if you want to try and snag one of these "bump out" rooms.  Sadly though my guess is if Disney realizes those rooms are more popular they might start charging more for them.  There are 877 Verandah rooms.

Concierge rooms - There are a total of 76 concierge rooms which are broken up into 5 Categories and a couple of these are totally new room types for concierge.   I will start with the Category that only has 1 room and that is the Wish Tower Suite (1966 sq ft).   This is also the only concierge room not located inside the concierge area.   Yes it is very cool that is located inside the ship's funnel and yes I did get to tour it.  It is gorgeous and spacious, however I also feel like it might be kind of noisy because of where it is located.  Just imagine the Pirate's night show going on right outside your room.  Also since it is in the funnel it does not have a verandah so that means you have no outdoor area as part of your suite.  Personally I feel like for the price tag Disney put on that it really isn't worth it. 
 My favorite suite was one of the 4 Royal Suites with Verandah.   There are 2 options in this Category either a 1 Story Royal Suite with Verandah (1507 sq ft) or a 2 Story Royal Suite with Verandah (1759 sq ft).  I loved the 2 Story Suite!  It has a beautiful spiral staircase leading to the bedroom and the most amazing bathroom (yes I did hop in the tub for a photo).   The first floor of the suite has another bedroom, dining and living area and a small kitchen.   Besides the amazing bathroom it also has the best verandah ever!   It is sort of a wedge shaped since it is at the very front of the ship but it has a nice size table and chairs, loungers, and a large hot tub.   The 1 story suites are also very nice and have a large wrap around balcony so even though they don't have a second story they pretty much have just as much space and feel just as luxurious.  Both the 1 and 2 Story Suites can sleep up to 6.
Then there are 18 of the 1 Bedroom Suites with Verandah (608 sq ft).  These can sleep up to 5.   Even though their bathrooms do not have a view they are still pretty amazing for a bathroom.
There are 46 of the Family Oceanview Staterooms with Verandah (296 sq ft).   These are similar to the regular verandah rooms except they have a king bed.  They can sleep up to 5.
Another new category of room for Concierge is the Family Oceanview staterooms (357 sq ft).   These rooms have floor to ceiling windows.  I didn't get to tour one of these but I really wanted to.   There are only 7 of these rooms.

​No matter what category you choose, all the rooms are beautifully decorated and very comfortable.   I love the artwork that is above the headboard of each bed.   There are different themes on the decks and the art in the rooms will match the hallway theme for that deck.  The theme is in the hallway carpet and in the lighting.  Even the little metal critter that is outside each door now also matches the theme of the deck.  So I am thinking we can longer say fish extenders but maybe need to call them Wish extenders.   There are just so many amazing little details everywhere on Wish and I love that Disney puts just as much detail in every stateroom too!

This week let's talk dining on Wish!  Disney puts so many details into their dining locations that no matter where you choose to eat it is about more than just food.   There are the 3 main dining rooms along with the 2 adult only dining locations, plus the buffet type, and pool deck food court.   There are other places to grab snacks and stuff too.

​Back in the late 90s when Disney Cruise rolled out their first ship they debuted a whole new way to do the main dining room on a cruise with rotational dining.   On all other ships you ate dinner in the main dining room every night at the same time and same table.    Disney made dining so much more fun by having 3 main dining rooms and having guests rotate each night to a different dining room but their serving team also goes with them.  
Wish still offers rotational dining but it is a bit different than the other ships.  Wish is pulling more characters into dining with Worlds of Marvel and Arendelle.  Then the 3rd option is 1923 which is actually 2 smaller dining rooms with a Roy side and a Walt side.   

1923
  This is going to be your quiet, more upscale of the 3 dining rooms.   There are so many things to look at all around that you might find yourself wanting to explore instead of eat.   I went back in to walk around during the day when it wasn't serving food just to look at all the art.   Dinner in here was wonderful.   I order the filet for dinner and I have to admit I love a cruise where the main dining room includes stuff like that on the menu.   If you are not able to snag a reservation in Palo or Enchante then 1923 will be the next best thing.   If you are cruising with the kids this is the one you might want to send them off to the kids club so you can enjoy a nice dinner.

Worlds of Marvel
  I will be honest this was my least favorite dining room.   Part of it was all the noise and tvs constantly playing but I was also expecting something a bit different too.   I was hoping there was going to be some kind of cool interactive portion other than just pushing a button.   The food was good and I get that they tried to theme the food to the Marvel characters.   I was thinking of this as being the Animator's Palate of Wish but it is not.   While the kids (and some adults) might enjoy Antman and Wasp making an appearance I don't really like having characters at dinner.   

Arendelle
  If you have been on the Magic in the past couple of years you will notice the similarity between Arendelle and Rapunzel's Royal Table.  Both are themed around planning a party with live singing on a center stage.   Even though it was a bit noisy and also involved characters making the rounds to the tables I did enjoy this one more than Marvel.  The food had a bit of a Norwegian theme which ties in really well and was really good.

Marceline Market
  This is the buffet type dining area.   It is set up similar to Cabanas but yet somehow seemed easier to navigate and just a little more upscale.   I love that Disney made it a buffet type that no one is serving themselves.   Cast Members at each station will plate your food for you.   The one thing that is a bit of a pain is no trays so you might have to either balance a couple plates at once or make a few trips.   Be sure you walk all the way to the back of the market even though each side has the same stuff the back has totally different things, and usually some of the best stuff.   Be sure to check out all of the cool design details like milk bottle lights and colander shades.  The posters all around are fun too.

Mickey and Friends Festival of Food
   This was one of my favorite places to grab food.   While I liked the pool deck food stations on Dream and Fantasy it always just seemed too busy in that area.   Wish has tucked the pool deck food stations into a quieter spot and offers many more options.   There are 5 stations (just like there are the fab 5).   My favorite was Mickey's Smokestack Barbeque.   The pulled pork, mac-n-cheese, and sweet potato fries were just as good as any BBQ place I have been to on land.   I always love the soft serve ice cream station on every ship so I of course stopped by Minnie Ice Cream!   Donald's Cantina almost always had a line so while that wasn't my favorite it was a clear favorite of others onboard.  I was told if you like Chipotle you will love Donald's Cantina.  Goofy's Grill is where you can grab all your usual grilled faves.  Daisy's Pizza Pies served a few different types of pizza.   Personally I would head right to Festival of Foods as soon as I boarded instead of Marceline Market.   

Palo and Enchante
  These are the adult only dining options and I didn't try either on my short cruise so I can't review the food but I was able to tour both and they look like they would make for a lovely romantic evening.   These also have an extra fee whereas all the other locations I talked about today are included in your cruise fare.

​Last week I talked about the adult areas on Disney Wish and today I will talk about the Kid Areas.   I know the adult areas sounded pretty cool but let me tell you the kids are the ones who get the best spaces onboard Wish!   Don't worry adults, you do get the chance to check out these spaces during an open house (this is usually the first day onboard so be sure to check the schedule).   Yes that does mean you can try out the twisty slide that takes you from Deck 3 down to Deck 2 right into the club (here's a tip - keep your elbows close to your body).   Even if you are cruising without kids you can still check out these fun spaces.


Basically almost all of Deck 2 is dedicated to the kids.  This just makes total sense to me since staterooms on Deck 2 are not as popular on the other ships. 

• The Littlest Cruisers 

 It's A Small World Nursery for kids ages 6 months - 3 years.  This one is pretty similar to the other Disney ships and same rules apply. 

• The Largest Kids space 

Oceaneer's Club for kids age 3 - 12
Yes you heard that right on Wish Disney isn't splitting the kids up.  I love this way of doing it.   The Oceaneer's Club is really what takes up most of Deck 2 and while it is a big space it is all set up with totally different themed areas and some that can be closed off from the rest of the club during certain events.  This is the club you will take the twisty slide into if you choose.

The youngest in the club will enjoy Mickey and Minnie Captain's Deck.  It is a nautical themed playground geared towards the smaller club guests.   It also has Minnie's Captain Academy which has some fun challenges tied to STEAM principals so the kids are learning while having fun.

Walt Disney Imagineering Lab - this is a nice open area with lots of places for kids to sit down and do some hands on activities and experiments.   This area also has the Ride Studio where kids can design their own roller coaster and then virtually ride.  For us grown ups there are lots of cool things on the shelves to check out in this area.

Fairytale Hall - All the princess fans will love this area.  You can get comfy in Belle's Library where you can read and act out stories, or test out your powers in Anna and Elsa's Sommerhaus, or get creative in Rapunzel's art studio.

Marvel Superhero Academy -  This is where superhero kids will love to hang out.  They can design their own super suit and then virtually battle enemies.  They will also have time to hang out with some of their favorite heros too.

Star Wars: Cargo Bay - Ok so I am just going to say this area is going to make the adults wish they could be kids again.   Wish added a couple Star Wars areas and this kids area beats the  adult Hyperspace Lounge!   It has the first of its kind interactive experience called Creature Challenge.  Kids get to learn about some of the craziest creatures from across the galaxy.   There are so many cool things to see in this area!

• The Older Kids 

Edge is where kids 11 - 14 will love hanging out.   Disney was smart and they moved the older kids away from the young kids area.  Edge is hidden on Deck 5 which makes it even a little cooler for tweens.   It has a New York loft feel with lots of space for tweens hang out and make new friends.

Vibe is where the oldest (actual) kids aged 14 - 17 onboard can hang.   Just like with Vibe on Dream and Fantasy Disney chose a prime spot to put this area.  They don't have the front outside deck on this ship since that became the Rainforest room area but they do have a nice spot up on Deck 12 with lots of floor to ceiling windows.   It is designed like a Parisian Loft and has lots of cool retro stuff all around.  I totally would love to hang out here!   Adults might actually get to use a part of this space for some events though since Disney also included a way to close off a portion of Vibe which they call The Hideaway.   When closed off from Vibe, The Hideaway will serve as a place for events for the 18 -  20 crowd and also for some of the tasting events onboard. 

• Other Kid Favorites Onboard

Besides all the clubs that kids can enjoy adult free there are also lots of other fun places onboard for kids too.   Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique is back and looks bigger to me.   Who could forget about the pool deck!   Wish breaks up the pools a bit into a bunch of smaller pools which I personally think is a great idea as it makes it a bit easier to keep an on kids swimming and also spreads out the crowds more.   Kids will also enjoy AquaMouse and Slide-A-Saurus Rex.  Younger kids will love the Toy Story Splash Zone.  

One more area the kids will love is Hero Zone.  This is a multi-function sport zone. What makes it even better than any other cruise sports zone is that it is indoors which means AC!   It will have the usual sports activities like basketball, soccer and things like Jack-Jacks diaper dash.   Plus at certain times it hosts the big event - The Incredi-Games!   This is when a big inflatable obstacle course themed to The Incredibles will appear and guests can race each other through the course.  I did try it and let me just say I wasn't very much like Elastigirl at all.  
  
The Wish has so many fun places for kids that I won't be surprised to hear back from clients saying they never saw their kids or that the adults were so jealous of all the fun things the kids got to do onboard!

​   I have always said a Disney Cruise is great for an adult only vacation.   I know people think I am crazy but Disney really does such a good job at having amazing spaces for the kids that they don't want to leave. Disney also has plenty of adult only spaces too that you really could almost barely see kids on your cruise.   
  Disney Wish changed things up a little with some of adult spaces some good, some bad, and some just too small.   Let's start with the good and my favorite place on all of the Disney the ships -
The Rainforest Room
Disney Wish has my new favorite Rainforest room.  Have you been on Disney Dream and Fantasy and looked down at the outside area of the Vibe Club for the teenagers and thought oh wow they have the coolest outdoor space on the ship?   Well I have, and I am guessing I wasn't the only adult that thought that because Disney Wish has taken that space and made it adult only as the outside area for the Rainforest room.   It is lovely outdoor area with lots of comfy seating and 2 hot-tubs (Mickey's ears in the photo below is where the hot tubs are).   

Inside the Rainforest room has all the things you will usually find - heated loungers, sauna, steam room, showers, and new an ice room!   It is a great place to just relax and enjoy quiet adult time.

The Bars and Lounges
Wish changed the adult distract idea from the other ships and instead of putting all the bars in one spot they are a little more spread out on Wish.  There is not a nightclub on Wish which I think is OK.   The hottest bar right now is Hyperspace Lounge.  It is so popular it requires making a reservation - which at this time you need to do once you get onboard.  I have  feeling Disney is working on a different plan for that so guests can reserve in the app (at least I hope they do that).   
Hyperspace Lounge is similar to Skyline on the Dream and Fantasy but with a Star Wars theme.    The drinks are interesting and there is even on that cost $5000!   As of right now when you make a reservation you get 45 minutes to spend in the Lounge which is pretty much about enough time for 1 drink.   It was fun watching the jump to light speed and seeing where we were next based on the large picture window behind the bar.  

Nightingales is a cozy piano bar with lots of cute little Cinderella touches.   I love the chandelier about the piano that looks like bubbles wrapped in musical notes.  I like that is always has big windows to the outside so you also have a view.
The Bayou is an open lounge with a small stage for live music and entertainment.   It has a nice feel to it but I am not sure if ends up feeling like the most adult only place since anyone could walk walk on either side.   Plus all the shops are around it so it is a busy area.

Keg and Compass Pub is the place to go if you are a pub fan.   It has a classic Norwegian nautical feel with lots of cool hidden touches like be sure to check out what the wooden octopus around the porthole is holding.   I also love all the vintage luggage that makes up the wall of the bar and the atlas drawers.  
Hook's Barbery - yes I know what you are thinking how can a barber shop be adult only.   Well Hook's host some special 21 and up evening events in a secret bar offering whiskey tastings. 
Cove Café is an adult favorite on all ships where you can get your favorite coffee shops drinks along with some adult beverages too.  Cove Café on Wish is located in very aft sort of hidden.
The Rose is up with the adult only dining options.   It is a nice quiet place to grab a drink either along with your dining reservation at either Enchante or Palo or just a visit to bar.   It has a lovely upscale Beauty and Beast theme along with some nice windows to enjoy a nice sunset with your adult beverage.
There are of course the other usual bars scattered around the ship like by the pool or outside the theaters.   

Adult Dining
A Disney Cruise Staple, Palo, is also on Wish but with it's new upscale steakhouse feel instead of that Italian feel on the other ships.   Enchante is the French themed adult dining indulgence.  Michelin Star Chef Arnaud Lallement designed the menu.   You can feel Lumiere's influence on the deco in this dining room while Cogsworth put his touches on Palo.    Snagging reservations for either of these is not going to be easy so be sure to be paid in full before your Castaway window opens (sorry Silver member or first time cruisers but you might have to hope to try and snag something once onboard as the online reservations fill up fast).  

Quiet Cove Pool
   This is where I was most disappointed.   When I heard the adult only pool was going to be an infinity at the very aft of the ship I was picturing a large area with a really cool pool going across the back of the ship.   Unfortunately it is a small pool with not much space around to lounge or anything.   There also isn't much shade back there either.   Don't get me wrong I am still happy to have the back of the ship as the adult only are as opposed to the front but it just seems way smaller than the Quiet Cove on the other ships.   

Disney Wish Facts
Built at Meyer Werft shipyard in Germany
Maiden Voyage - July 14, 2022
Home Port is Port Canaveral - she will be sailing 3 and 4 night Bahamas cruises
Registered in The Bahamas
The first Liquid Natural Gas fueled ship in the Disney Cruise Line fleet
15 Decks
Can hold up to 4,000 Passengers
1,244 Staterooms
Approximately 144,000 Gross tons
341.13 Meters long (1,119 feet)
90% of staterooms have an ocean view.   
121 inside rooms, 170 Oceanview rooms, 877 Verandah rooms, 76 concierge rooms.
First ever Suite built inside the ship's funnel!  Wish Tower Suite can sleep up to 8 guests.
36 mobility and communication accessible staterooms.   56 communication only staterooms.
902 connecting staterooms.
Queen beds in all non-concierge rooms and most concierge rooms have King beds.
3 Main Dining rooms - Arendelle, Worlds of Marvel, 1923
2 Adult Exclusive Dining - Palo Steakhouse and Enchante by Chef Arnaud Lallement
2 Casual/Quick Dining - Marceline Market and Mickey and Friends Festival of Foods.
5 Nightclubs, Lounges, Bars - Star Wars Hyperspace Lounge (reservations required), Keg and Compass, The Rose, Nightingales, The Bayou.
5 Areas for kids in Oceaneer Club - Star Wars Cargo Bay, Fairytale Hall, Walt Disney Imagineering Lab, Marvel Super Hero Academy, Mickey and Minnie Captain's Deck.  Takes up pretty much all of deck 2.  The older kids also still have their spaces in other areas on the ship like with Edge, Vibe, and The Hideaway.   Of course the littlest sailors also have the It's A Small World Nursey.
Grand Hall - 3 deck high glittering castle on the seas.   Instead of having a mid-ship elevator Disney uses this area as an immersive entertainment venue.
7 pools - one that is an adult only infinity pool at the very back of the ship.
2 Movie Theaters that will run both brand new movies along with some old favorites too.
Cinderella is the bronze statue that is the featured in the Grand Hall.
Rapunzel is the character hanging out on the very back of the ship - she is using her long hair to hold her up while she paints the ship's name on.

​  Compared to the other major cruise lines Disney's fleet is considered small with just 4 ships.   I personally think Disney was pretty smart with the way they built their fleet.  They started out with 2 ships back in the late 90s and waited to see how that went before building more.   The next 2 ships came a little more than 10 years later.  Now here were about another 10 years after those 2 ships and Disney will be adding a couple more starting with the Wish in 2022. 
 
The First 2 Ships
Disney's first ship was the Disney Magic which set sail on her Maiden voyage on July 30, 1998.   Having just been onboard the Magic this month I can say for sure she doesn't look her age at all!   Disney does an impeccable job of keeping their ships fresh and new looking all the time.   Honestly at times I didn't remember which ship I was on since they all look just as new.  The Disney Wonder followed the next year with her Maiden voyage on August 15, 1999.   The Disney Magic and wonder were almost identical when they debuted.   Both have 875 staterooms and 11 decks and are 984 feet long (that is longer than Main Street USA in Magic Kingdom!).  Both ships were built at Fincantieri Shipyard in Italy (Palo was inspired by the Italian roots of the ships).  Over the years they have each gotten some modifications that make them a little more unique.  For example the Disney Wonder started doing Alaska so in one of her refurbishments Disney added some more indoor viewing areas.  

Did you know that Disney had to get special permission from the Coast Guard to have the yellow lifeboats?   Before Disney all lifeboats were bright orange and Disney really wanted to keep the Mickey color scheme so they had to prove to the Coast Guard that yellow was just as easy to spot as orange.

Did you know that Disney was also the first to offer a rotational dining system where guests moved between 3 different themed dining rooms during their cruise and their dining team moved with them too?  This meant guests kept the same servers but got to experience a different dining room.  

Did you know Disney was the first cruise line to be able to dock their ships right at their private island?  All of the other cruise lines were using tenders to get into their private islands and some still do.

Did you know that Disney was the first cruise line to offer a split bathroom in most staterooms?  Having a separate room for the toilet and shower is really convenient for families.. 


2 More Ships
  The Disney Dream set sail on her Maiden voyage January 26, 2011.  The Disney Fantasy followed the next year with her Maiden voyage on March 31, 2012.   Just like the Magic and Wonder the Fantasy and Dream were built as sister ships almost identical to each other.  They both have 1,250 staterooms over 14 decks and are 1,115 feet long.   These ships were built at Meyer Werft in Germany.   Dream and Fantasy debuted the first water coaster at sea. 
Even though the Magic and Wonder were over 10 years old when the new ships came out all 4 ships still looked very similar.   Disney kept the same look for all 4 ships and even though they are bigger, not a whole lot else inside was different from the classic ships.   You still get 3 main dining rooms which guests rotate through but since Dream and Fantasy are bigger and  hold more guests you will notice that the dining rooms also are much bigger.   All 4 ships have the Cabanas buffet which is always in after of the upper deck.   Dream and Fantasy also added another adult only dining option with the addition of Remy. along with Palo.
If you are a spa person you will have noticed that Disney greatly improved the spa on the new ships.   They realized on the classic ships that putting the spa under the basketball court not a good idea.   One of my favorite places on any ship is the Rainforest Room and Disney did so much better with that space on the new ships.  I love that the Rainforest room has 2 hot tubs on an open air verandah included.   I am very excited to see what Disney does with the spa on Wish!

Did you know that the Magic and Dream are both done in art deco style inside and the Wonder and Fantasy are done in art nouveau style?  That is one subtle way Disney connected the Classic ships with the New ships.

Did you know that all 4 ships each have a different character statue in their atrium?  The Magic has Mickey, Wonder has Ariel, Donald is decked out in his Admiral attire on the Dream, and Minnie is dressed in her vintage best along with her luggage on the Fantasy.   The Wish will have Cinderella waiting to greet guests in the atrium.

Disney you know all 4 ships have different characters that look like that are busy painting the ship's name on the very aft of the ship?  Magic has Goofy, Wonder had Donald and his nephews, Dream has Fantasia Mickey with the brooms doing the work, and Fantasy has Dumbo.   Wish will have Rapunzel using her hair to keep here hanging on the back of the ship.