An Honest Disney Wish Review (2024)

Thinking of sailing with Disney Cruise, and looking for a Disney Wish review? Look no further.

Prior to going on our Disney Wish cruise, I was hesitant as I’d heard mixed reviews about the ship.

The first thing I will tell you is that the Disney Wish is stunningly gorgeous. It’s the most glamorous and upscale-looking of all the Disney Cruise ships so far.

I’d been on a Disney Cruise before (the Wonder) so I have another ship to compare the Wish to. While there are some things about the older ships that make them better than the Wish, they don’t have the same ‘elegant’ look as the Wish.

However, the Wish is a much larger ship than some of the others (over 1200 staterooms, compared to less than 900 on most of the older ships.)

Overall, I personally loved the Disney Wish (so did my family) and I would sail on it again. Disney Cruises are not cheap – so knowing what you’re investing your money in beforehand is a good idea.

I’m going to share with you:

• the pros and cons of the Disney Wish
• observations and unbiased opinions about several aspects of the Wish (food, restaurants, etc)

I will be really nit-picking in this review, so that you can identify any potential cons to figure out if the Wish is a ship you’d enjoy. Keep in mind that we loved our experience overall.

This will give you an honest idea of what the Disney Wish offers, and if its the right ship for you.

Pros and Cons of the Disney Wish

Here are the pros and cons in a nutshell of the Disney Wish cruise ship

Disney Wish Review

The Restaurants

My rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ (4/5)

The restaurants on the Disney Wish are: Marvel, 1923 and Arendelle.

Two of the three restaurants really transform your environment and make you feel like you’re in another world (Arendelle, and Marvel.)

The 3rd restaurant is called 1923, which tends to be people’s least favourite of all restaurants on the Wish because it isn’t as exciting as the other two.

The service and food quality in all of them was the same; the only difference was the environment and entertainment offered – and it was definitely better in the first two than in 1923.

Arendelle and Marvel were visited by Frozen and Marvel characters during dining rotation, but 1923 didn’t have any character visits.

However, I enjoyed all three of the restaurants on the Disney Wish! I really enjoyed all the food.

My kids loved the food. My 3-year old isn’t usually a big dinner eater. But on the Wish, she tried so many different foods and finished most of them too. (Healthy stuff as well.)

The Food

My rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (5/5)

The food on the Disney Wish was great. there was so much variety.

You could eat really healthy on the Disney Wish if you wanted to, or indulge in junk good – all of it was delicious.

I like how there was the option to eat mostly clean, fresh fruits and vegetables if you desire.

Everything was cooked and seasoned so well, so it felt like indulging even though I was eating fairly healthy.

They say that you can often gain weight on a cruise, but I didn’t gain anything on the Wish – I ate even better than I do at home, but it didn’t feel restrictive. All the food was simply delicious.

We tried the free soft-serve and fast-food from the poolside dining areas. While there are nutritious options, there are plenty comfort foods for people that just want to enjoy themselves too.

I prefer to eat plant-based diet most of the time, and was very well accommodated.

Even when we did Olaf’s Royal Picnic, they had separate treats made just for me that were vegan.

There’s more than enough ‘free’ food option on the ship, but there are some additional food options that cost extra, such as Joyous Sweets (a gelatería)

The Entertainment

My rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (5/5)

By entertainment, I’m talking about the performances -broadway productions, deck parties, etc.

We were so impressed with the entertainment on the Disney Wish. We saw two plays – Aladdin and The Little Mermaid, and they were both amazing.

We’ve paid hundreds of dollars to see similar performances at big theatres in Toronto – but these plays aboard the ship are included in the price (same with all Disney Cruises.)

My older daughter and I attended the deck parties for Pirate night and Halloween, and were also so impressed with the performances. I looked at my daughter a few times, and she had a huge grin on her face.

It was crowded (there were a lot of people on deck) but there was still a lot of that Disney Magic.

The Characters

My rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (5/5)

There are phenomenal actors working on the Disney Cruise. I found that they’re all very good at the mannerisms associated with their character, and good at staying ‘in character.’

This is probably universal across all Disney parks and cruises, but its worth mentioning – we were in awe of the characters and how well they were played, and interacted with our kids.

We met several of the characters, as we did The Royal Gathering, Olaf’s Royal Picnic and many, many individual meets. They were all phenomenal.

Pro Tip: Originally, we had no interest in the photo package – but once we saw all the photo opportunties, we decided to book it once on board. If you’re going to be meeting characters, I recommend booking the photo package before your cruise, as you can save $30. I know you can take your own photos, but their photos are very good too, plus your whole family can be in them.

The Activities

My rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (5/5)

We were amazed by how many activities were available, for all age groups – going on all day long.

It’s hard to see because of the glare, but this was a photo I took of one of the screens showing upcoming events for that day (and this was only 9:30-9:45am.)

In just a 3-day cruise, it was impossible to fit in everything we wanted. But here are some other examples of things that were offered:

• Toddler time (free play under parent supervision)
• Crafts and beading – all supplies provided
• Trivia games – I attneded with my daughter, and it was fun.
• Makers Match (we didn’t attend this but we heard that it was a LOT of fun)
• Special activities and events in the kids areas – Edge, the pre-teen club, to engage the kids, and in Oceaneer’s Club (dance parties, etc)

Our Stateroom

My rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (5/5)

We booked an oceanview stateroom with a verendah. It was one of the smaller ones (not a deluxe) – we were on deck 8, midship in room # 8582.

We were running into each other a bit, but overall we liked the room!

The childcare services

My rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ (4.5/5)

We used two of the childcare services on the Disney Wish – It’s A Small World, and Edge (for tweens from 11 to 14 years old.)

We also visited the Oceaneer’s Club on embarkation day, and were planning to send our youngest (3 years old) there, but we ran out of time.

The Oceaneer’s Club on the Disney Wish is like nothing else I’ve ever seen. It’s huge, it has multiple rooms, and they all look like they’re out of a movie! This is a photo of one of the quiet areas, Belle’s Library.

Here are our impressions of the two childcare services on the Disney Wish that we did use:

• It’s A Small World- Overall we were happy with it. I felt the room could have been larger, but the staff was great. One thing we didn’t like was that there was usually only 1 or 2 people at the counter, so whenever you wanted to drop off or pick up your child it could be a bit of a wait, sometimes 5-10 minutes
  
• Edge- My older daugher spend some time in Edge. She said that mostly, it was just pre-teens staring at screens (there were a lot of videogames.) But there were also boardgames, and they had a lot of events going on to engage the kids. The staff there was friendly and seemed to really want to engage with the kids

Pro Tip: You can register for It’s A Small World under the reservations tab (you will need to log in) but it wasn’t hard at all to get spots while on board.

The Staff

My rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (5/5)

We were really impressed with all the staff working on the Disney Wish – from the servers, stateroom attendants, food service front liners, photographers, and cast members – everyone was kind, and seemed genuinely happy to be working there.

Very rarely on the cruise did I encounter anyone who didn’t seem to like their job, or want to be there. They seemed genuinely kind, willing to help.

I believe this goes for all Disney Cruise lines in general – they’re known for having great staff. It adds to the magic of the experience.

I also found the cruise staff to be pretty diverse, which was great. Apparently, they came from 60 different nationalities.

The pools

My rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ (4/5)

There are 4 pools on deck 11 – Mickey’s Pool, Minnie’s Pool, Daisy’s Pool and Goofy’s Pool.

The warm one was Daisy’s Pool and it was our favourite. We spent a lot of time in that one. The closest pool to the screen was Mickey’s Pool.

We enjoyed the pools, the only downside was that there almost didn’t seem to be enough pool space for all the passengers.

During peak times, you’d have to walk around for quite a while before finding a lawn chair.

There are also two waterslides – the aqua mouse (see my rating for that below) and the yellow waterslide.

Pro Tip: You need to be at least 38″ tall to ride the waterslides, so my youngest wasn’t able to join us. My oldest loved the slides and rode them several times.

Bonus: Toy Story Splash Zone

My rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ (4/5)

If you’re cruising with a baby or toddler, then you may head over to Toy Story Splash Zone.

It was great – quite large (impossible to get it all in one photo, as it wraps around.)

The only thing we noticed about the Toy Story Splash Zone is that there is a slide in there that kids slide down so forcefully that they often run right into the wall; parents had to stand there and stop them from hitting the wall.

It’s definitely worth heading there with your little ones, just be sure to watch them because of risk of slipping and sliding.

The Fitness Centre

My rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (5/5)

I visited the Senses fitness centre twice during my stay on the Wish. The actual fitness centre is awesome – feels like an upscale, elite gym with new finishings and great, top-of-the-line equipment.

The fitness centre on the Disney Wish also provides:

• cold (still) water
• sparkling water
• cups, or you can fill your water bottle
• sanitization wipes for the equipment
• oranges and bananas
• cold face cloths for after your workout
• fresh clean towels

Not too many people are focused on fitness while on a vacation, but I found going there to be such an elegant and relaxing experience and ended up going on all the days during my cruise.

(Bonus) Fitness Class

My rating: ⭐⭐⭐ (3/5)

I did a fitness class at the fitness centre on the Disney Wish, which costs extra ($20 USD for the class.) It was a 1-hour body-sculpting class.

Honestly, I didn’t love the fitness class. The fitness classroom is very tiny, and there were only 3 students – me, and a couple who came together.

The teacher had us do the workouts as a circuit, so I did one thing while the couple did a different thing and then we’d switch. It was just a bit awkward, not fun like I hoped it would be.

I guess I was expecting something more laid back, with music. However, it was definitely a good workout!

Adult-Only Area (Quiet Cove)

My rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (5/5)

My husband and I went to Quiet Cove twice during our cruise. It had a low-key, laid-back vibe, which is what you’re looking for in a kid-free area on the cruise.

If I could change anything, it would be that the pool had fewer people in the pool and hot tub, as it wasn’t very large

Having lots of people in the infinity pool doesn’t help it live up to its name “quiet” cove, but I still enjoyed going there.

Despite the infinity pool being often full, it was never hard to find a seat or a lawn chair to lounge on in Quiet Cove.

We also ordered drinks at Quiet Cove (which cost extra, of course.) It was nice to just have a short adult-only break.

The Aquamouse

My rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ (4/5)

One draw to the Disney Wish is the Aquamouse. The lines of it can get pretty long at peak times.

The Aquamous is fun ride, but I prefer to wait for times when it’s less busy – check out our video of it here:

Senses Spa

My rating: N/A

I didn’t use the spa services this time on the Disney Wish, but I asked for feedback in my cruise Facebook group if anyone else used the spa.

I got several answers from people who got massages saying that the massage itself was a great experience.

One of them even said it was the best massage they’d ever received.

However, a few people complained that the person giving the massage was ‘pushy’ – they tried to upsell them products and other services, to which they had to say “no” a bunch of times which took away from what was supposed to be a serene, tranquil experience.

I’m not sure if that’s typical across all cruises, or maybe if it was the tactics of one specific person. But it definitely made them enjoy the experience less.

On-board Gifts Delivered to Stateroom

My rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (5/5)

My husband surprised me with red roses delivered to our stateroom upon arrival.

We live in Canada, and we’ve ordered roses a few times. Something seemed different about these roses thought – I’m not kidding when I say that they were the freshest bouquet of roses I’ve ever received.

Our whole stateroom had a light floral scent because of them (really nice to come back to) and they looked so fresh and healthy. They were very well done.

So if you’re thinking of surprising someone with a gift, I’d recommend any of the onboard gifts.

The layout of the ship

My rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (4/5)

People say that the Wish isn’t the easiest ship to navigate.

I agree that it took me about a day to really familiarize myself with the Wish and where things were. It’s a larger ship, and quite spread out.

However, I find things to be labelled quite well with lots of signage. There were a couple times we got confused, but we were able to clear it up.

I did often find that the elevators were busy, and we usually had a to wait a few minutes before getting on one.

But, we were taking a Halloween on the High Seas cruise; given that it was a holiday, it may have been busier than usual.

The shopping

My rating: ⭐⭐⭐ (3/5)

Our least favourite thing about the Disney Wish was the onboard shopping. We aren’t big spenders, but we were looking forward to buying some Disney merchandise.

There were a few jewellery stores, but not enough stores that sold good Disney souvenirs.

The other problem with the shopping was the hours – we found that the shops were only open late (after 7pm) which made it difficult to shop on our own as adults, as we usually had at least our youngest child with us at that time.

In a Nutshell: Would I recommend the Disney Wish?
Overall, I enjoyed the Disney Wish. It was my second Disney Cruise (first being on the Wonder) and after seeing how beautiful it is, I think all of the older ships are ruined for me, even though they’re smaller and probably less crowded than the Wish is.

Ultimately, I think your Disney Cruise should be booked based on the itinerary – not the ship.

If you like a certain itinerary best, then I think that’s the one you should choose regardless of the ship.

If you like what you see in the photos and don’t feel too put off from anything I’ve said (as I’ve really nit-picked here) then I think you will enjoy the Disney Wish!

Disney Wish Review FAQ

Here are the most commonly asked questions about the Disney Wish

Is Disney Wish any good?

The Disney Cruise has mixed reviews, but overall – yes, its a great ship. It has some things that make it different (some for the better, some for the worst) from other ships on the Disney Cruise Line.

What’s special about Disney Wish?

What makes Disney Wish special is that it’s (currently) the newest ship of all the Disney cruise ships. More importantly, the Disney Wish is hands down the most glamorous and elegant-looking of all the ships. It’s so beautiful that if its the first one you experience, the other ships may look plain in comparison

Is Disney Wish suitable for a 4-year-old?

I went on the Disney Wish with my 3-year-old – yes, the Disney Wish is perfectly suitable for 4-year-olds and young kids and general.

Is Disney Wish for adults?

The Disney Wish has a lot of great stuff for adults – restaurants, entertainment, beverages, a spa and fitness centre, and more. There were many adults – singles and couples, that were sailing on the Disney Wish without kids when I went, and they told us that they had an amazing time.

Final Thoughts on the Disney Wish

I hope that this Disney Wish review has helped solidify for you whether you want to sail about it or not.

Of course, your choice should be based on the itinerary rather than the ship itself. But it does help to get an idea of what you can expect with the ship you’re spending a decent amount to travel on, especially newer ships like the Disney Wish. Happy sailing!