sptfr97
WDW Annual Passholder/Disney Cruise Enthusiast
- Joined
- Aug 19, 2017
I don't usually post trip reports (or much of anything, really); however, since this ship has gotten quite a few negative reviews, I figured I'd share my positive one. 
FYI: it was my sister and I, no kids, deck 9 aft (room 9184 - literally smack dab in the middle at the back). (This was supposed to be our girls cruise: we had like 9 of us who had a girls cruise planned in 2020, and the Covid credit expired at the end of September 2022, so we booked this weekend because we'd only have to take one day off work since Labor Day was a holiday. But there are only 2 of us that are vaccinated, so... it was just us. Keeping our fingers crossed for 2023!)
Truthfully, I loved the ship. I kept reading complaints about the layout... honestly, part of me wonders if those are just frustration at the hassle of learning a new ship, but... whatever. Since it didn't bother me, I don't particularly care about their reasons.
I still love the enforced PATs and new boarding processes. (I still think vaccine mandates are for the birds, but that's not going on here, lol.) Checking in, dropping off luggage, going through security and boarding is an absolute breeze. No crowds of people just waiting to board, no lines out the door waiting to scan luggage... it's fantastic. Embarkation day was a little crowded on board, but we boarded later than we usually do, and we got to the hallway right as they were opening up staterooms. We did wait a bit for an elevator, but that's pretty indicative of any embarkation day for us when we haven't sailed concierge. I will say, the fixed TV in front of the bed... I don't get it. It's not a deal breaker for me (it's a television for goodness sake) but the relocation of it didn't make much sense. We had a giant verandah and no noticeable noise on it throughout the cruise (either from passengers or the ship), so it was perfect. Our room was Sleeping Beauty themed and beautiful. We threw our stuff in the room and went to grab lunch at Marceline Market, which was SO AWESOME. I loved the decor, I loved the layout, I loved the food offerings.
In true Disney fashion, their app wasn't up to par: we tried to get a reservation for 2 adults in the Hyperspace Lounge, and while every time slot was showing, not a single time slot was available. We visited guest services to get our Platinum lanyards and ask about it, and we were put on a wait list. But the third night, we were leaving Nightingale's and I asked the hostess standing outside the Hyperspace Lounge, "Hey... what are the chances of the two of us getting in?" She said, "Right now, very good - people didn't show up for their reservation." So we were ushered right in. Y'all... this is probably my biggest complaint, and it's directed at the passengers, not the ship: if you're going to make a reservation for Hyperspace, and you know dang good and well others are vying to get in, you better show up! There was ONE table with about 4 people sitting at it, and one half-circle booth with about 5 people. THAT. WAS. IT. We had our pick of any seat at the bar, and no one else had shown up yet for the other tables and booths. I don't know if they're operating at 100% capacity or what, but by the time we left, about 75% of the seats were taken. So if they're not 100%, they seemed to be pretty close.
The Bayou lounge was absolutely stunning - again, never had a problem getting a table or a seat at the bar, and the drinks were delicious.
There was a lady in line behind us the first day complaining about the layout/distribution of the shops... I mean, I can see where some might scratch their heads at it, or dislike it, but for us, we didn't really care.
We did go see Thor: Love and Thunder in the Wonderland Theater. It was smaller, and it got full, but... usually I'm not there to watch movies, so I don't particularly care how they place or design the theaters. (Edit: I did like the design of the theater, though... and one little girl in there was super excited about it and was telling us all about the characters on the walls and the Cheshire Cat lights. It was cute to hear her explaining everything, lol.)
We did visit the adult pools one evening, but we didn't swim. I do like how that whole back part of the deck is adults only. No kids walking through to get to their rooms (if they're concierge)... they had plenty of loungers and the pools weren't crowded. Can't attest to the daytime crowds, as we didn't experience them then, we were usually in the spa.
Y'all, the Rainforest Room is where it's AT!! No joke: it's my favorite place to visit and this one did NOT disappoint! I was on the Fantasy in May and the RR got SUPER crowded (perhaps due to, as the cruise director called it, "the unprecedented number of adults traveling without children"). We had a few days at sea and I didn't get off at CC, and every single time I visited it was pretty packed. Loungers were at a premium and the saunas and showers had people sort of milling around nearby waiting. So I think it's cool the RR on the Wish is much bigger (although,
to be fair, that's the first time I have experienced that level of busy in that particular area, pre- or post-covid). We didn't get off at Nassau or CC this time, just relaxed and read quite a bit in the Rainforest Room. There were people, but it never felt full. Maybe 1-2 other people in the sauna/frigidarium (which is so freaking cool!!), several people spaced out in the outdoor area... but when we docked at CC, my sister and I were the only ones in the outdoor area for a good 45 minutes before people started showing up. OH! And the women's changing room had a swimsuit dryer/wringer in it! SO cool and super convenient!
We did Palo Steakhouse, then Enchante, on nights 1 and 2. So worth it. SOOOO worth it. I loved the ambience and decor of both. The food was superb, our wait staff and sommeliers were informative and helpful. I have absolutely no complaints. Unfortunately, we missed the MDRs at night (Arendelle and 1923; although, we did 1923 for breakfast one morning). We did find out the hard way Disney is back to the antiquated standard of seating other smaller parties together.
Our last night, we were in World of Marvel, and they couldn't find our table... then the CM realized we were supposed to be seated with 2 other families. We weren't super thrilled about that. They offered to try and get us back into Palo or find us another table to ourselves, which is what ended up happening. There was one table for like 8 and they weren't going to be there, so they sat the two of us there. Little snafu, but now we know to start requesting that we be seated alone from now on. I'm glad we stayed in there, though - the show with Ant Man and the Wasp (and others) was so cool, and the kids (of all ages) at the tables around us seemed to really enjoy the interactive parts.
I realize your experiences will probably be very different. I cannot tell you a single thing about any kids club, youth club, the shows, and I can't tell you much about the MDRs. We don't go to experience a million things in one weekend. We are from Florida, and we see 3 night cruises as a nice little relaxing getaway that we can do about 2-3 times a year. I can try and answer questions if you have any. I mainly just wanted to post this to sort of say look, yes, some people are complaining about this ship. Are their complaints valid? For them, sure. But, just as my positive experience doesn't represent everyone else's experience... their negative ones aren't everything, either. Don't let someone else's negative opinion affect your decision to book if you want to book. If you want to experience this ship, DO IT. If you want to have a great time, then just decide you're going to have one. I didn't experience anything - during planning stages or onboard - that would make me decide not to cruise on this ship again. (Also, I am not a photographer, and I usually have to be reminded to take pictures. @suedon70, if you have any other pictures or comments, feel free to add them.
)
FYI: it was my sister and I, no kids, deck 9 aft (room 9184 - literally smack dab in the middle at the back). (This was supposed to be our girls cruise: we had like 9 of us who had a girls cruise planned in 2020, and the Covid credit expired at the end of September 2022, so we booked this weekend because we'd only have to take one day off work since Labor Day was a holiday. But there are only 2 of us that are vaccinated, so... it was just us. Keeping our fingers crossed for 2023!)Truthfully, I loved the ship. I kept reading complaints about the layout... honestly, part of me wonders if those are just frustration at the hassle of learning a new ship, but... whatever. Since it didn't bother me, I don't particularly care about their reasons.
I still love the enforced PATs and new boarding processes. (I still think vaccine mandates are for the birds, but that's not going on here, lol.) Checking in, dropping off luggage, going through security and boarding is an absolute breeze. No crowds of people just waiting to board, no lines out the door waiting to scan luggage... it's fantastic. Embarkation day was a little crowded on board, but we boarded later than we usually do, and we got to the hallway right as they were opening up staterooms. We did wait a bit for an elevator, but that's pretty indicative of any embarkation day for us when we haven't sailed concierge. I will say, the fixed TV in front of the bed... I don't get it. It's not a deal breaker for me (it's a television for goodness sake) but the relocation of it didn't make much sense. We had a giant verandah and no noticeable noise on it throughout the cruise (either from passengers or the ship), so it was perfect. Our room was Sleeping Beauty themed and beautiful. We threw our stuff in the room and went to grab lunch at Marceline Market, which was SO AWESOME. I loved the decor, I loved the layout, I loved the food offerings.In true Disney fashion, their app wasn't up to par: we tried to get a reservation for 2 adults in the Hyperspace Lounge, and while every time slot was showing, not a single time slot was available. We visited guest services to get our Platinum lanyards and ask about it, and we were put on a wait list. But the third night, we were leaving Nightingale's and I asked the hostess standing outside the Hyperspace Lounge, "Hey... what are the chances of the two of us getting in?" She said, "Right now, very good - people didn't show up for their reservation." So we were ushered right in. Y'all... this is probably my biggest complaint, and it's directed at the passengers, not the ship: if you're going to make a reservation for Hyperspace, and you know dang good and well others are vying to get in, you better show up! There was ONE table with about 4 people sitting at it, and one half-circle booth with about 5 people. THAT. WAS. IT. We had our pick of any seat at the bar, and no one else had shown up yet for the other tables and booths. I don't know if they're operating at 100% capacity or what, but by the time we left, about 75% of the seats were taken. So if they're not 100%, they seemed to be pretty close.
The Bayou lounge was absolutely stunning - again, never had a problem getting a table or a seat at the bar, and the drinks were delicious.
There was a lady in line behind us the first day complaining about the layout/distribution of the shops... I mean, I can see where some might scratch their heads at it, or dislike it, but for us, we didn't really care.
We did go see Thor: Love and Thunder in the Wonderland Theater. It was smaller, and it got full, but... usually I'm not there to watch movies, so I don't particularly care how they place or design the theaters. (Edit: I did like the design of the theater, though... and one little girl in there was super excited about it and was telling us all about the characters on the walls and the Cheshire Cat lights. It was cute to hear her explaining everything, lol.)
We did visit the adult pools one evening, but we didn't swim. I do like how that whole back part of the deck is adults only. No kids walking through to get to their rooms (if they're concierge)... they had plenty of loungers and the pools weren't crowded. Can't attest to the daytime crowds, as we didn't experience them then, we were usually in the spa.
Y'all, the Rainforest Room is where it's AT!! No joke: it's my favorite place to visit and this one did NOT disappoint! I was on the Fantasy in May and the RR got SUPER crowded (perhaps due to, as the cruise director called it, "the unprecedented number of adults traveling without children"). We had a few days at sea and I didn't get off at CC, and every single time I visited it was pretty packed. Loungers were at a premium and the saunas and showers had people sort of milling around nearby waiting. So I think it's cool the RR on the Wish is much bigger (although,
to be fair, that's the first time I have experienced that level of busy in that particular area, pre- or post-covid). We didn't get off at Nassau or CC this time, just relaxed and read quite a bit in the Rainforest Room. There were people, but it never felt full. Maybe 1-2 other people in the sauna/frigidarium (which is so freaking cool!!), several people spaced out in the outdoor area... but when we docked at CC, my sister and I were the only ones in the outdoor area for a good 45 minutes before people started showing up. OH! And the women's changing room had a swimsuit dryer/wringer in it! SO cool and super convenient!We did Palo Steakhouse, then Enchante, on nights 1 and 2. So worth it. SOOOO worth it. I loved the ambience and decor of both. The food was superb, our wait staff and sommeliers were informative and helpful. I have absolutely no complaints. Unfortunately, we missed the MDRs at night (Arendelle and 1923; although, we did 1923 for breakfast one morning). We did find out the hard way Disney is back to the antiquated standard of seating other smaller parties together.
Our last night, we were in World of Marvel, and they couldn't find our table... then the CM realized we were supposed to be seated with 2 other families. We weren't super thrilled about that. They offered to try and get us back into Palo or find us another table to ourselves, which is what ended up happening. There was one table for like 8 and they weren't going to be there, so they sat the two of us there. Little snafu, but now we know to start requesting that we be seated alone from now on. I'm glad we stayed in there, though - the show with Ant Man and the Wasp (and others) was so cool, and the kids (of all ages) at the tables around us seemed to really enjoy the interactive parts.I realize your experiences will probably be very different. I cannot tell you a single thing about any kids club, youth club, the shows, and I can't tell you much about the MDRs. We don't go to experience a million things in one weekend. We are from Florida, and we see 3 night cruises as a nice little relaxing getaway that we can do about 2-3 times a year. I can try and answer questions if you have any. I mainly just wanted to post this to sort of say look, yes, some people are complaining about this ship. Are their complaints valid? For them, sure. But, just as my positive experience doesn't represent everyone else's experience... their negative ones aren't everything, either. Don't let someone else's negative opinion affect your decision to book if you want to book. If you want to experience this ship, DO IT. If you want to have a great time, then just decide you're going to have one. I didn't experience anything - during planning stages or onboard - that would make me decide not to cruise on this ship again. (Also, I am not a photographer, and I usually have to be reminded to take pictures. @suedon70, if you have any other pictures or comments, feel free to add them.
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