A few weeks ago, my family returned from back to back sailings on the brand new Disney Wish. We sailed on the August 15 (4 night) and August 19 (3 night) sailings. This is part 4 of my trip report, in which I will share my thoughts on the layout of the spaces on the Wish. You can start with part 1 (embarkation) here.
Ship Layout
The layout of the Wish is nothing like the layout of the other ships. They definitely started from scratch on this one. I have read a lot of negative reviews about the layout that I don’t give much credence to, simply because I think a lot of people are just upset that they are not similar to the other ships. So, for this review, I am going to try to back up any criticism with practical reasons why I didn’t like it, other than just “it is different”. Also, I have read complaints that the ship is hard to navigate. We had the basic layout down by day 2, so that was not an issue for us, and a few days after that, we had a good feel for all of the more minor/obscure places as well. I think that being difficult to navigate and being pleasant to navigate are two different things – more on that below.
Elevators
This one has ruffled a lot of feathers. The Wish only has 2 elevator banks whereas the other ships have 3. However, the Wish has more total elevators (16) than the Dream & Fantasy (14) and the Magic & Wonder (12). We personally didn’t see this as a negative in any way. Since the elevator banks divide the ship into thirds, you are never very far from one no matter where you are on the ship. As far as crowding goes, we actually found the elevators to be less crowded than on any of our previous sailings. We are used to them being so crowded and slow that we almost always take the stairs. We were prepared to do that this time as well, but kept noticing that there were rarely any (or only a few) people waiting and that one always came really quickly, and it was usually empty. So, we ended up using them more on this cruise than ever before. Even more surprising, during disembarkation, we were able to immediately get an empty elevator at 8:00 on our way to breakfast, and again at 8:45 on our way off the ship. That has NEVER happened on our previous cruises.
I do think that the elevators are shaped differently than the other ships in that they are longer and more narrow. This would definitely make it harder to shuffle people when those in the back need to get off first. We were usually either alone or with 1 or 2 others, so were not inconvenienced by this but I can see how it might be bothersome in a full elevator.
Also, be aware that only certain elevators go to decks 12 and higher. All 8 in the forward bank but only 4 in the aft bank go to deck 12. To get to deck 13, only 4 in forward and 2 in the aft go that high. To get to deck 14 (don’t think there’s much up there so you probably won’t), there are only 4 in the forward bank. So, if going to these levels, look carefully at the sign above each elevator to see how high it goes. There did not seem to be separate call buttons for these elevators – not sure if that would have been more helpful or more confusing?
One final note – beware of the touchless buttons! If anyone in the elevator gets close to the panel, you will be stopping on every floor.
Shopping
I think this is my biggest complaint. On deck 3, right off the grand hall, are 5 HUGE luxury stores that are spacious, wide and have lots of windows. The spaces are beautiful, but every time I walked by they were empty. Well, I did see a few people in Treasures Untold from time to time because there are some more reasonably priced items in there. They dedicated a HUGE amount of prime space to stores that sell luxury items (like $20,000 watches and $10,000 purses), and on these 3 and 4 night itineraries, are rarely open. The shops can only be open from 6-11 on port days, which is every day on a 3 night sailing and 3 out of 4 days on a 4 night sailing. So, these spaces are almost always closed. It is a shame. Here is the deck plan where I highlighted the spaces that almost no one gets to use:
The store where 99% of guests shop – Mickey’s Mainsail – is tucked away on deck 5 in a small, narrow tunnel shaped space with no windows. With any more than just a few people in there, the space is extremely hard to move through and claustrophobic. Browsing the shops is one of may favorite things to do on a cruise, and this was not a pleasant experience on the Wish.
In the future, I hope they consider swapping these 2 areas. I think they would actually make more money that way.
Promenade Decks
This is a huge departure from the other ships, where you can walk/jog all the way around the promenade on deck 4. Lots of people like to do this for exercise and fresh air. On the other ships, the promenade deck is easily visible and accessible from multiple locations on the ship. It is inviting and peaceful and functional. Not so much on the Wish. First, the promenade deck traverses THREE different decks. In the middle portion of the ship, it is on deck 4. But, I only remember seeing one way to access it on deck 4, through doors near the aft elevator banks. As you move towards the front of the ship, you encounter stairs on the promenade that take you up to deck 5. The only way to access the deck 5 portion from the inside of the ship is near the entrances to the fitness center and spa. However, it is not labeled at all and the only way I discovered these doors was on accident when I went to look at the fitness center. This is what it looks like:
As you can see above, there are no signs indicating that there is access to the promenade just beyond this opening. Across the hall, it looks identical but the sign is for the spa instead of the fitness center. Signage is definitely needed here.
As you approach the very front of the ship on the deck 5 level of the promenade, you encounter another set of stairs that takes you up to deck 6 where you can walk all the way to the very front of the ship. I will admit that this is pretty neat and you cannot do this on the other ships. This photo lets you see that area of deck 6, and it also gives a pretty good view of the promenade deck and how it travels across 3 decks:
Not only does the promenade travel across 3 decks, much of it feels very sterile and industrial. The portion on deck 4 is the best, with some chairs and shuffleboard, but the rest kind of feels like you are not supposed to be there. We never encountered any other people on the deck 5 or 6 portions (probably because most people didn’t know they existed), and the deck 4 portion is rather small. On the first cruise, our verandah looked down onto the deck 5 portion on the port side:
We could also see the stairs going down to the deck 4 portion:
I feel that this odd promenade deck is a detriment to the Wish and I really missed the version on the other ships.
Lounges
There are 4 main lounges on the Wish that host daily activities such as trivia, karaoke, drawing seminars, etc.: Luna, the Triton Lounge, The Bayou, and Keg & Compass. Luna is the largest and comparable in size/functionality to the D Lounge (Magic & Wonder) and the Tube (Dream & Fantasy).
It seemed large enough for all of the events that we attended there, but it is unique in the fact that there are 2 levels. There are not stairs within Luna – to change levels you must walk to the aft stairs which are not too far away. No real complaints about Luna. It was pleasant place to hang out. The Triton Lounge, however, is way too small for the activities that take place in there. This was where we spent the most time, and every single karaoke or trivia session held there was completely full, and to get a seat you had to get there very early.
In the photo above, you can see about half of the space. So, double what you can see and that was it.
I never went inside Keg & Compass, but is the same shape/space as Triton Lounge only on the opposite side of the ship, so it is the same size but has a pub-style layout.
The Bayou is stunning. It is comparable in location/functionality to the Promenade/French Quarter Lounges on the Magic & Wonder. It is in a great location on deck 3 right behind the Grand Hall, and it is beautiful.
But, it has 2 drawbacks. First, it’s size. It is small (you can see the majority of it in the photo above), and there are not very many tables. I wish it were bigger so that more people could enjoy it at one time. Second, it is right next to the Hyperspace Lounge and that door (while really neat) is noisy. Those in the Bayou have to hear it opening over and over and over. I can’t fault them too much for this because I don’t know if I would have thought of that either if I were the one designing the ship. It’s just an unfortunate circumstance.
Dining Rooms
I speak about my feelings on the sizes, shapes and entries into the 3 main dining rooms and Marceline Market (the buffet restaurant) in my post about the dining experiences onboard which you can read here.
Outdoor Views
Unlike the other ships, the Wish has very few windows to the outdoors public spaces, and I missed that. Much of the time, it did not even feel like we were on a ship but rather a resort or shopping mall. I missed the long corridors full of portholes from the other ships. I know my kids missed sitting in the padded portholes they have on the Magic & Wonder. Many of the corridors on the Wish are in the center of the ship instead of the edges, and when they are on the edges, the windows are either frosted (hallway to Arendelle) or there are lifeboats blocking the view. There is a nice row of windows next to the Grand Hall on level 4, BUT all of the guest services desks are right in front of them. Obviously this doesn’t make or break a cruise, it is just something I noticed and missed.
Quiet Cove
The Quiet Cove is located on deck 13 aft. There is only place to enter, and it is not easy to find. You can either take one of the 2 aft elevators that go all the way up to deck 13, or go up a flight of stairs on the pool deck – it’s the stairs opposite of the set that leads to the Aqua Mouse. Like so many other spaces onboard, it is a long, narrow space that wraps around the back portion of the ship. We walked through once, expecting to be able to make a full loop, but you cannot. You reach a dead end and must retrace your steps all the way back around the ship to exit where you entered. It seemed very crowded when we walked through, there is little shade and the pool is small. The Cove Cafe is back here too. I was only there a few minutes so I can’t give very much feedback but my quick assessment was that it wasn’t amazing but it wasn’t terrible either, so I am just going to say that it seemed fine.
Overall Thoughts
If I had to describe the Wish in 2 words, they would be beautiful and claustrophobic. The finishes and details really are gorgeous. The Grand Hall really does look like a castle at sea. There are some stunning mosaics on walls and floors. There are gorgeous light fixtures. There is beautiful artwork everywhere. I love the hallway to Arendelle. But, I felt like most of the spaces were either small in size, or had a long, narrow shape to them, or both. Large numbers of people have to move through and around very narrow spaces, all day long. There are not a lot of exterior windows. There are lots of long, dark corridors. I prefer more open, well-lit spaces with views of and easy access to the outdoors. I think the layout of the other ships works much better and is more pleasant to move through. I would sail on the Wish again if the timing and location suited my needs and the price was right, but it will never be my first choice.
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Up Next: The Back-to-Back Process