Trip Report: Disney Wish media christening cruise
We were invited to be among the very first guests to sail on the Disney Wish. It’s Disney Cruise Line’s newest cruise ship and a departure from the design of their previous four ships. This was a three night media preview. The first official sailing with paying guests is on July 14, 2022. Here’s my day-by-day trip report, starting with a stay at Walt Disney World.
Photo by Disney.
Day 0: The day before the cruise
We finished packing late in the day and drove to Disney’s Coronado Springs Resort for our one-night stay. My husband Matt did mobile check-in so we went straight to our room and dropped our luggage off, then headed to dinner at Three Bridges Bar and Grill. The restaurant was busy, but we used the walk-up option in the My Disney Experience app and our table was ready by the time we walked there.
After a delicious dinner, we picked up Matt’s media credentials. Disney was only allowing one media person per outlet, but they allowed up to three other guests on the cruise. We didn’t bring any other family members since it was our anniversary during the cruise and we have a family cruise planned later this month on the Wish.
This resort is really nice, but really big. You have to walk a lot to anywhere. For that reason, it’s not my favorite Disney resort. We had a good night’s sleep before a very busy day.
Photo by Matt Roseboom.
Day 1: Boarding the Disney Wish
Matt had breakfast and went on an earlier bus to see the christening live. I got to sleep in a bit, but missed breakfast because it ended earlier than they told us. But thankfully, they had hot tea in the room, and I ate a breakfast bar I brought with me. It’s always a good idea to pack a snack when heading to a cruise ship. If the lines are long or something happens, it really helps until you can get on the ship to eat.
Photo by Matt Roseboom.
I boarded the bus and headed over to Port Canaveral to meet up with Matt. The line to check in looked long, but moved fast. The Wi-Fi and the cell service portside was a bit slow, so download the Disney Cruise Line app and all your info before you get to the port so you can have it ready. You can also print your check-in QR code at home the old fashioned way if you are worried about not being able to access it.
Media cruises are always a bit different to regular cruises. There are a ton of camera crews onboard, and you are working more than relaxing. It’s fun, but you’re kept busy. After filming a few videos around the ship, we went to our stateroom.
We were staying in a family balcony room that sleeps five. It’s a bit roomier than some of the other balcony staterooms. There’s a king bed, a sofa that converts to a twin, an upper bunk bed, and a pull-down bed that is in front of the balcony. As for storage, the closet has three sections, two to hang clothes and one in the middle with shelves and a safe. Suitcases can fit under the bed. The two nightstands each have a small drawer. The desk has four different size drawers. The largest drawer holds the refrigerator. There are small shallow shelves above too. You can take the hair dryer out of the drawer and put it in one of the shallow shelves to make more room.
Photo by Matt Roseboom.
There is also a set of shelves in between the pull-down bed and the couch. The storage worked out great for the two of us. There was more than we needed. But it might take some planning to figure out where a family of five will put everything. That being said, it’s more storage than I have seen on most cruise ships.
The bathroom is split into two different areas, like on other Disney ships – a shower room with a sink and a toilet room with a sink. But the light switches are now on the inside of the bathrooms instead of outside. There’s also a handy nightlight in the toilet room. The whole stateroom needs a key card for the lights to work. A lot of people just use an extra card from their wallet instead of their room key. It just makes things easier.
There are two USB plugs on either side of the bed, plus two regular plugs on one side. The desk has two USB plugs and regular plugs as well. Right in front of the desk, there are switches that operate the balcony lights, curtain lights, the ceiling light, and the mirror light. The room phone is on one of the little shallow shelves by the desk. The couch has a little table that can be used as a nightstand at night. There is a small round seat for the desk that can also be used for a nightstand for the person sleeping on the sofa bed or pull-down. FYI: The couch is not very soft.
Photo by Matt Roseboom.
After documenting our room, we had a snack at Mickey & Friends Festival of Foods on deck 11 mid-ship. It’s an outside food court area that includes Mickey’s Smokestack Barbecue, Donald’s Cantina, Daisy’s Pizza Pies, Goofy’s Grill, and Sweet Minnie’s Ice Cream. We tried a few things. I really liked Donald’s Cantina. They serve tacos, burritos, and bowls. You pick out what you want and they fix it for you. You can top it with whatever kind of sauce you’d like. There are about 20 different sauces.
The inside food court on deck 11 aft is called Marceline Market. There’s also Inside Out Joyful Sweets shop outside the Market.
We toured the ship a bit and did a few room tours. The Princess Aurora Royal Suite was my personal favorite. I loved the whimsical, lavish décor, and the impressive balcony is so big that it has a jacuzzi, a six-top table, two lounge chairs, and a two-seat conversation area. The view from the back of the ship where it’s located is amazing too.
One of the smoke stacks on the ship is just for show, so on this ship they decided to put a very large suite in it. The Moana-themed Wish Tower Suite is very impressive, but I personally still like the Princess Aurora Royal Suite better. The décor and that amazing balcony with the hot tub just captured my heart. It’s a wish of mine to someday be able to stay in that suite. Although, I would not complain about staying in any stateroom or suite, especially on this ship.
We did our muster station drill in the Disney Cruise Line app and then headed back to the room. We had dinner at Palo Steakhouse. This is one of two specialty restaurants that are not included in your regular restaurant rotations. No kids are allowed in either. The main entrees in Palo Steakhouse are priced between $19-$62 dollars. I had the Agnolotti, which is a butternut squash ravioli with a sage butter sauce, for a pasta dish. I chose Osso Buco for my entree and it was excellent. Matt got the Gnocchi and Wagu steak and said they were good. But I liked mine better. The restaurant is a bit like the Palos on the other Disney ships, but with a few extras and more of a focus on steaks. This one is lightly themed to Beauty and the Beast. We concluded our meal with two decadent desserts: the amaretto soufflé was so delicious, but the six layer carrot cake was perfection.
Photo by Matt Roseboom.
Day 2: Docked at Castaway Cay
Photo by Matt Roseboom.
We woke up and got ready for our day. We were docked at Castaway Cay. We enjoyed breakfast at Marceline Market. In the back, they have a make-your-own omelet area. You pick out what you want in it, and they give you a number to set on your table so they can bring it to you. There are several different stations, but they are the same on both sides of the Market.
Pancakes and Mickey waffles are in one area, set lower to the ground for kids. I also saw eggs, sausage, bacon, hash browns, grilled tomatoes, and eggs benedict. There are also areas to get cereal, oatmeal, seafood, fruit, and, of course, bagels, toast, and such. The drink areas are situated to the sides. They have the usual coffee, teas, and juices. There is a bar in the front if you want to order a breakfast cocktail or a specialty coffee. Nothing in Marceline Market is self-serve except the drinks.
Next we toured some of the kids and teens areas and the recreational areas on the ship. One new area for the family is called the Hero Zone. This area is usually an indoor basketball court, but at certain times it houses the Incredi-Games, an inflatable obstacle course kids and adults can race through. We did not try it, but others said they enjoyed it. The kids were really good at it. The adults seemed to have a harder time. I guess it all depends on your fitness level.
Photo by Matt Roseboom.
Matt had a scheduled time to ride the new AquaMouse water slide attraction the night before, but it had broken down. He finally got on it, but all the effects weren’t working so he didn’t get a good video of it. Hopefully they will have it up and fully running for the first official cruise. There were a few things that weren’t working yet, or just not finished around the ship. That’s pretty common with new ships. They usually have a few things that need a little tweaking in the beginning. It’s completely understandable during the best of times, but with Covid delays and shipping issues, just getting the people on the ship to work was a bigger task. The cast members are super nice and are doing their best under these stressful situations. It’s best to just roll with it and try to be understanding when stuff doesn’t go as planned.
We got off the ship just long enough to take some pictures of the Disney Wish while she was at Castaway Cay. We didn’t explore the island, since the ship was the star of the show this trip.
Photo by Matt Roseboom.
Photo by Matt Roseboom.
Back on the ship, we returned to Marceline Market for lunch. They had all kinds of foods: seafood, chicken, steak, baked potatoes, cooked veggies, curry bowls, little charcuterie boards, salads, and custom-made pasta. The dessert counter had an assortment, including carrot cake, lemon tarts, gelatin, chocolate mousse, cookies, and more. For drinks, they offered unlimited soda, tea, juice, and coffee.
I chose the charcuterie board and some seafood. Matt got a curry bowl. All of it was tasty. It wasn’t crowded at all because most guests were at Castaway Cay. A lot of people eat on shore at Cookie’s BBQ.
We didn’t drink any alcohol on this cruise (we were too busy working), but there are a lot of lounges. The coolest one is the Star Wars: Hyperspace Lounge. It’s like you stepped into the movie to have a cocktail. There is an impressive $5,000 drink on the menu that is said to come with quite the presentation. Matt asked Disney for the details on it, but they were tight-lipped. Luckily there are other cool, but much cheaper, drinks on the menu too.
Triton Lounge is located on deck 5 forward. This is where you’ll go for scheduled cooking classes, wine tastings, and more. It’s named for the Triton class ships, of which the Wish is the first.
Keg & Compass is a pub themed to look like an 1800s Norwegian sailors map room, with added Norse seafaring folklore details.
For dinner we went to World of Marvel. It’s dinner and a show. The show is on the screens around the room while you are eating. There’s also a (sort-of) interactive light console on your table.
The bread came with a red pepper dipping sauce, which was delicious. I ordered two appetizers, since I was not getting a soup or salad. I decided to try the Hearts of Palm Ceviche and the Smoked Salmon. I liked the salmon way more than the ceviche. My husband got the Steamed Bao Buns, which seems to be the most popular appetizer. He enjoyed them. He also got a wedge salad. It was good, but it didn’t have any tomatoes on it. It was lettuce, radishes, bacon, and a thick blue cheese dressing. I guess I’m just so used to tomatoes being on wedge salads, that it bothered me a bit that they weren’t.
For our main course, I got the Delmonico Rib-Eye Steak with Black Truffle Butter. My husband got the vegetarian Ricotta Gnocchi, which was a small portion. For dessert Matt had the Pym Doughnut Sundae, which was excellent, and I also loved the Quantum Key Lime Pie.
At the end of the show, two characters came out for a short time. I don’t want to give too much away, but if you want spoilers you can check out our YouTube channel.
We worked a little bit in our cabin and caught a pretty sunset from our balcony before heading to the “Disney Seas The Adventure” welcome show. This would normally be on the first night, but the show wasn’t quite ready for us then, and we ended up seeing a shortened version of it.
It was really cute, sort of like a variety show, but Disney style with a lot of the beloved Disney characters.
After the show, we walked around the stores. My eye was drawn toward a limited-addition Disney Wish inaugural Pandora charm set for $225. They also have a separate Disney Wish charm that matches the ones from the other ships. (Thank you for the anniversary present Matt.)
There’s a lot of new Disney Wish merchandise. The Dooney and Bourke purse was a guest favorite. The pins and magnets were cute. They also had a few Christmas ornaments, and, of course, a lot of T-shirts and cute clothing. There was a gray inaugural baseball hat that ran out of stock during our cruise. They most likely will get more in stock before the official first cruise. They told us most inaugural merchandise will be sold for a year, but some higher-end limited items, like the Pandora set, would only be sold until they’re gone.
We ended the day with the “Pirate’s Rockin’ Parlay Party” and the fireworks show that’s part of it.
Photo by Matt Roseboom.
Day 3: Last Full Day
My husband had a few meetings in the morning. I met up with him in the Marceline Market afterwards for breakfast. The food has been great, and everyone has been so nice, even though everything has not gone exactly as planned. It’s a preview cruise, and we know it’s not completely ready.
I strongly recommend making reservations for as much as you can before your cruise. Some things sell out, and you don’t want to be disappointed. Even during our less crowded media cruise, the Star Wars Hyperspace Lounge was giving out times to return a day in advance.
Photo by Jackie Roseboom.
I went to check out the Senses Spa while Matt went to some more interviews. They have 18 treatment rooms, a beautiful couples treatment room, saunas, hot tubs, rainforest showers, and an indoor and outdoor relaxation area with nice plush loungers and swinging beds. Prices vary, and there is a separate charge to use The Rainforest area. The Fitness room is on the other side of the stairwell from the spa. It’s free to use. There is a charge for some of the classes and a personal trainer.
We met up again and visited the kids Star Wars Cargo Bay area. They have a cute game kids can play on a tablet, where they collect creatures that escaped their cages. It’s kind of like Pokémon Go with augmented reality, but “Star Wars” themed. This area is so detailed. If you can make it to the open house, it’s worth seeing in person. You will not be able to view it while the kids are in the kids club.
For lunch, we ate at 1923. The restaurant has two sides, Roy and Walt. It really is intricately detailed with a lot of historical and fun Disney drawings, props, and more, so take a look around to see all the fun and interesting details while dining there. The food was really good. I had an amazing Lamb Kofta Burger with fries. Matt had the Tomato-Glazed Meatloaf, which he said was really good. The desserts are a must at this restaurant too. The Warm Hazelnut Chocolate Molten Cake topped with ice cream was so delicious.
Photo by Matt Roseboom
After lunch we explored the ship a bit more before heading back to the stateroom to get some work done and clean up before dinner.
Photo by Matt Roseboom.
We met with some of our PR and media friends for drinks before dinner at the Cove Café. The coffees are really cute. They put special designs on top of them.
Photo by Matt Roseboom.
For dinner, we dined at the Arendelle, the “Frozen”-themed restaurant. I ordered Elsa’s Royal Baked Scallops as an appetizer. The presentation was impressive, and the taste was even better. You can order soup and salads as well. But we decided to get an extra entree instead.
My husband got the Arendelle Kjottkake, which is like Swedish meatballs and big egg noodles with a Rosemary reduction and some lingonberry chutney. He really liked it. I got the Pan-Seared Chilean Sea Bass. It came with an assortment of vegetables, a seared scallop, and was topped with a mjod vinaigrette. It was really good, but I also really enjoyed the other dish we shared. It was the Garlic & Thyme Roasted Beef Rib-Eye. One of the benefits of going on a cruise is you can order more than one entrée.
The show was so adorable. It’s an engagement party for Anna and Kristoff. There’s singing and dancing throughout your meal. We had a fun, short interaction with the “Frozen” characters as they walked around the room.
After dinner we went to preview the not-yet-rolled-out interactive game you will be able to play onboard through the Disney Cruise Line Navigator app. It’s called Disney Uncharted Adventure and it’s a really fun way to get to know the ship. You create your own personal avatar for the game, then you’re sent on quests all around the ship. You can play on your own or with a group. It interacts with things around the ship. For example, a window display will light up, or a screen on the wall will interact with you. Once you have completed your quests and gotten your achievements, you join everyone else to complete the last big end quest on the last night.
Photo by Jackie Roseboom.
We then headed to the Walt Disney Theater and saw a half-hour preview of “The Little Mermaid” stage show. The show is a little like the “Finding Nemo” show at Disney’s Animal Kingdom. It had puppets and performers, along with other characters on stage singing and dancing. We both thought it was really cute and we can’t wait to see the whole show. I think a lot of people will enjoy it.
Matt went to go see the “Kiss Goodnight” in the Grand Hall, but it didn’t happen as expected. It was just some of the lighting effects. They have a couple more weeks and a few more test cruises to work out the kinks.
We are planning on sailing for our family cruise at the end of the month. It will be interesting to see all the things that have changed during that time. The newest ships are always my favorites, and this one is no exception. If you’re planning a Disney cruise, I highly recommend the Disney Wish.
Let us know what you’re most looking forward to on the Disney Wish in the comments below.
Photo by Matt Roseboom.
