Disney Wish 3-Day Bahamas Cruise Review

Ship Overview

Disney Wish is Disney Cruise Line’s 5th ship. This 144K gross ton vessel is DCL’s first new ship in over a decade and now the largest ship in the fleet. Carrying up to 4,000 passengers, this brand new vessel features a number of new dining concepts, onboard amenities, and one-of-a-kind features that kids and adults alike will enjoy.

While the rotational dining concept remains on Disney Wish, the cruise line has reimagined the three dining venues. Each new restaurant has its own story to tell.

Named for the year The Walt Disney Company was founded, 1923 celebrates the golden age of animation. World of Marvel is the first Marvel cinematic dining adventure, where guests play an interactive role in an Avengers mission with the use of digital screens and special effects. Finally, there’s Arendelle: A Frozen Dining Adventure. This dining room brings the Frozen characters to life to celebrate the engagement of Queen Anna and Kristoff with plenty of music and fun.

Disney Wish also features new specialty restaurants and casual dining spots. Palo Steakhouse and Enchante are the upscale, adult-only restaurants that do come at an up-charge. The Mickey and Friends Festival of Foods is a new pool deck favorite. This open-air eatery features five themed food stalls including the new Mickey’s Smokestack Barbecue and Donald’s Cantina. Disney Wish is the first in the DCL fleet to offer dedicated quick-service venues for barbeque and Mexican-inspired fare.

In terms of entertainment, there’s plenty for everyone to love. There are three Disney-themed production shows in the Walt Disney Theater along with many other activities occurring at the various lounges around the ship. From character meet & greets, to live music, to parties and games- like the Pirates Rockin’ Parlay Party on the pool deck or the Incredi-Games in the Hero Zone, it will be tough to fit it all in on these short cruises.

When it comes to the pool deck, families have more pools and more deck space than ever before. The ship features six family pools staggered among tiered decks and surrounded by lounge chairs. There’s also the new Toy Story Splash Zone for the little ones and the first of its kind water attraction at sea, the AquaMouse. As guests wind their way through the tubing suspended high above the pool deck, they will be immersed in The Wonderful World of Mickey Mouse animated shorts, complete with show scenes, lighting, and special effects.  

The children’s areas on Disney Wish are spectacular too. The Disney’s Oceaneer Club features a number of well-themed play areas. These include the Fairytale Hall, Marvel Superhero Academy, Star Wars Cargo Bay, Walt Disney Imagineering Lab, and Mickey and Minnie’s Captain Deck. Here, your kids will have endless opportunities for fun. They can engage in storytelling, arts and crafts, dress-up, toys and games, watching Disney movies, and so much more.

As we mentioned before, adults will love Disney Wish too. Of course, there is the adult-only Quiet Cove. This area features an 18+ sundeck, a whirlpool, an infinity pool, a bar, and a cafe. There’s also the newly located Senses Spa. The Senses Spa features your typical beauty treatments as well as tranquil relaxation areas with plush loungers and swings, including the new outdoor space at the bow of the ship. You can also rejuvenate in the Rainforest room thermal suite. This area features a sauna, steam room, cold room, heated loungers, and more.

Of course, there’s plenty of adult-themed fun on the bar front as well. Perhaps, the most anticipated is the Star Wars: Hyperspace Lounge with galactically inspired drinks and scenery. There’s also the Princess and the Frog themed bar, The Bayou, with a variety of cocktails and even beignets. If that’s not enough, there’s Nightingale’s piano bar, Keg & Compass pub, and many other bars throughout the ship.

Finally, all guests sailing on Disney Wish are sure to be enchanted by the Grand Hall. The 3-story Grand Hall is truly your castle at sea. With a grand staircase, the starry chandelier, and a life-sized Cinderella statue, the décor is opulent. This area even evolves throughout the day from a gathering space to a theater through the use of special effects, culminating the evening with a special Kiss Goodnight light show.

Now, we have just returned from a sailing on this brand new ship and want to share all the Disney magic with you in our exclusive Disney Wish 3-day Bahamas cruise review.

EXCLUSIVE SAVINGS: Get Deals on Disney Wish Cruises!

Disney Wish Bahamas Cruise Review – Day 1

Against Our Own Advice

Due to a family obligation, we flew into Orlando on the morning of this Disney Wish Bahamas cruise review. Against our own advice, we were up at the crack of dawn to drive to the airport. Thankfully, there were no flight delays, so we arrived at the MCO airport by 8 AM.

Prior to the cruise, we completed our online check-in in the Disney Cruise Line Navigator app. This included choosing a port arrival time. The earliest time slot available was 12:15 PM.

Since this was our first Disney cruise, and we had read that DCL is strict with these arrival times, we inquired about a cruise line transfer from the airport. We learned that the first shuttle was scheduled to depart for the cruise terminal around 9 AM for a cost of just $39 per person. Thus, we hopped on this opportunity in hopes of boarding the ship a bit earlier.

Taking the approximately hour bus ride to the Disney Cruise Line terminal in Port Canaveral, we arrived around 10 AM. Here, we waited outside for an additional 15 minutes or so before being allowed to enter the terminal.

We were through security and the check-in process quickly. We then proceeded to wait in the terminal for over an hour before any guests were allowed onto the ship. Our boarding group 2 was called at 11:50 AM.

Now, we were finally ready to get our first look at the brand new Disney Wish.

Our First Look at Disney Wish

Like usual, we started our Disney Wish ship tour all the way at the top on deck 14. For the next 2.5 hours, we tried to cover as much ground as possible before the areas became too congested with other passengers.

From the several pools and outdoor spaces, to the kids club, and the spa, we couldn’t help but love all the public spaces we had seen so far.

Around 2:30 PM, we decided it was time to take a break for some lunch. Heading to the Mickey and Friends Festival of Foods on deck 11, we opted to try some of the new offerings on Disney Wish. This outdoor food hall is the first to offer BBQ and Mexican quick-service dishes.

We both ended up sampling some tacos from Donald’s Cantina. Our selections were warm and filling. For those that have cruised on Royal Caribbean, we would say the food was a step above the similar El Loco Fresh.

Now that we were nourished, it was time for some mandatory items on our check list, like Muster Drill. This safety briefing is even easier on DCL than some other cruise lines.

First, we needed to visit our muster station, which was the Marvel dining room, where we simply scanned a QR code to check-in. Once checked in, all we had to do was watch a safety video on the app and listen to the Captain’s announcement and sounding of the emergency alarms prior to sail away.

After 3 PM at this point, we finally made our way to deck 8 to check out our stateroom. For this Disney Wish Bahamas Cruise Review, we booked a guarantee deluxe oceanview stateroom with verandah. A couple weeks out from our sailing, we were assigned cabin 8194.

This balcony cabin was located all the way aft on the ship and was actually an accessible cabin with plenty of space. We took a few moments here to collect photos and video of this stateroom and drop off our carry on bags.

Our First Evening Onboard Disney Wish

Wanting to make the most of our short amount of time on the ship, we headed back out to continue exploring, but first coffee. Caffeine was going to be essential to get through this long day!

After checking out more of the indoor bars and lounges, we jaunted back up to the pool deck prior to 4:30 PM for the sail away party.

In typical Disney fashion, this sail away party consisted of a magical celebration with appearances by the Fairy Godmother, Captain Minnie and Mickey, and many of your other favorite characters.

With lots of singing, dancing, and the signature Disney ship horn sounding, it was time to set off on our adventure.

Staying as long as we could, we headed back to the room slightly after 5 PM. With a 5:45 PM dining time, we needed to freshen up and make a costume change before dinner.

Disney Wish continues the Disney rotational dining concept. For those unfamiliar with this concept, guests rotate between three dining venues during the cruise. The waitstaff also rotate, so you can keep the same table number and wait team each evening.

However, Disney Wish does offer three brand new restaurant concepts, each with a unique menu and story to tell. Tonight, we were assigned to 1923. This restaurant pays tribute to the golden age of Hollywood with props, sketches, and other retro decor.

Dinner and Drinks on Disney Wish

Upon checking in at the restaurant, we were escorted to a table for six on the Roy Disney (starboard) side of the venue. Yes, Disney Cruise Line is seating guests with other parties! While we typically prefer a table to ourselves, we did not make a big deal over it as it was only for three days.

Here, we met our waitstaff of Marvin and Jhoni. This team was personable and timely with taking orders and explaining the menus. However, we did have an issue where we were charged for the entire table’s drinks. After visiting Guest Services three times, the issue never got resolved!

To start, we ordered a couple cocktails. I went with a cosmo, while the hubby ordered the signature Riverside Old Fashioned. How can you go wrong with a drink that is topped with bacon?

For appetizers, we sampled three dishes off the menu. The pear and tatsoi salad, burrata and prosciutto, and spiced ahi tuna. All three dishes were pretty average when compared to other cruise lines’ main dining room selections.

In terms of entrees, I opted for the Riverside Roasted Chicken. The chicken dish was a generous portion and was more on par with a dish from a specialty steakhouse on other cruise lines. Don ordered the Peppered Filet Mignon. This entrée was cooked to the perfect medium rare temperature and had just the right amount of seasoning.

His Apple Cheesecake dessert was also a hit. Overall, the trend was that the desserts on DCL shined over other cruise lines.

Following our approximately two hour dinner, we made a dash to the Mickey’s Main Sail shop to purchase some mandatory Disney Wish inaugural merchandise. Apparently, we weren’t the only ones as the store was packed.

Scoring a spirit jersey, inaugural t-shirt, and obligatory ship ornament, Don waited in the check out line while I headed to the theater to secure seats for tonight’s show.

The 8:30 PM show was busy, so we had to deter from our typical portside theater seats. Disney Seas the Adventure is an approximately 40 minute revue show featuring Captain Minnie, Goofy, and some of your other favorite Disney characters. This felt like a show you would see in a Disney theme park. While fun, it certainly wasn’t a Broadway quality performance.

After the show in the Walt Disney Theater, we made our way to the Bayou. This Princess and the Frog themed bar on deck 3 has dazzling décor and a specialty cocktail menu. The venue exudes a New Orleans vibe, right down to the drink menu with cocktails like a hurricane. While enjoying the atmosphere and cocktails, we listened to a set by the Wishers. This 3-piece band played a variety of Disney classics.

Wanting to see and do as much as we could during our three days onboard the ship, we moved on to the next venue around 10:15 PM.

Luna’s is a small two-story theater that hosts adult-only entertainment in the evenings. Tonight’s activity was DCL’s version of the Love and Marriage game show, Match Your Mate. This game show is always fun to watch.

Going strong since 2:30 AM, we had to call it a night when this show ended just after 11 PM.

Tomorrow was our first port of call in Nassau, Bahamas.

Disney Wish Bahamas Cruise Review – Day 2

Staying on the Ship Today

Day 2 of this Disney Wish Bahamas Cruise Review was a scheduled port stop in Nassau, Bahamas. Like most of our cruises, we decided to stay on the ship today. There is a lot to see and do on the new Disney Wish, and we wanted to make the most of it.

Up at 6:30 AM, hubby made the usual morning run for photos and videos, returning to the cabin with some lattes.

The ship was cleared around 9 AM; although, it felt like very few passengers got off the ship. This meant that the outdoor decks were still very busy. In fact, the AquaMouse line was over an hour long by mid-morning.

Our first order of business for the day was to test out the Marceline Market for breakfast. This buffet on Disney Wish offers a variety of selections, as well as both indoor and outdoor seating. At the very back of the venue is an omelet station. Of course, I had to put Disney Wish to the omelet test. And, I have to say that it was better than most cruise lines. The hubby sampled some eggs, quiche, and sausage which he thought were good also.

A Busy Morning Onboard Disney Wish

After breakfast, we spent the next few hours walking around the ship, continuing to capture photos and videos. The weather was hot and sunny, so there were plenty of cruisers enjoying the pools and outdoor amenities. The nice thing about Disney Wish is that there are a number of pools and lounge spaces dispersed throughout the outdoor decks.

The Chip and Dale pool on deck 14 forward is a quieter space away from the other six main pools on decks 11 and 12. Not to mention, there is the Toy Story Splash Zone on deck 12 forward for the little ones and the adult-only Quiet Cove on deck 13.

Around noon time, we made our first drink stop of the day at Wheezy’s Freezies. Located near the kids splash zone, this venue serves up sno-cones and dole whip treats. Of course, we opted for an adult version of dole whip with some rum.

Relaxing in the shade for a bit, it was time to test out more of the stations at the Festival of Foods for lunch. Don grabbed some barbecue from Mickey’s Smokestack, while I grabbed chicken tenders and fries from Goofy’s Grill. We also sampled a slice of pizza from Daisy’s Pizza Pies.

The food items here were all served warm and freshly prepared. We really liked this casual food spot, and it was a clear winner over the buffet. Everything we sampled was good and better than many casual spots on other cruise lines when comparing the BBQ, grill, and cantina; however, Princess and Virgin definitely have better pizza.

Having enough of the heat, we made our way back inside to grab some afternoon lattes before retreating to our cabin. We spent the next couple hours working and enjoying the air conditioning until dinner time.

Worlds of Marvel for Dinner

Night 2 of this Disney Wish Bahamas Cruise Review took us to the Worlds of Marvel for dinner. This dining rotation is assigned to guests based on their staterooms.

Arriving on time, we were escorted to table 411 once again, with our same tablemates and waitstaff. With Avengers theming, digital screens, and even a Quantum Core on every table, we were ready for tonight’s adventure.

To begin the evening, we each ordered a drink from the specialty menu. I ordered the Stinger, and Don ordered the Widow’s Bite. Both drinks were well-balanced.

For appetizers, I started with the potato soup and iceberg wedge salad. The hubby ordered the bao bun and fried shrimp. Of the four selections, only the jumbo fried shrimp was a standout dish.

The entrees too were just average. Don ordered the ribeye steak, and I did the chicken schnitzel. Neither dish was very flavorful. However, once again, the desserts were great. We sampled the PYM doughnut sundae, key lime pie, and cheesecake byte and enjoyed all three of them.

Without giving too much of the experience away, there is a story that unfolds with Ant Man and The Wasp during dinner. The characters may even make a special appearance to thank you for helping to save the day.

While I am not a Marvel fan, even the hubby was not a fan of the interactive show as he thought it did nothing to enhance the dining experience. Personally, this was our least favorite of the three dining venues.

Let’s Make the Jump to Hyperspace

Out of dinner in about two hours again this evening, we continued our “drink around the ship”. Given the Aladdin production in the main theater was not ready for our sailing, there was no show tonight.

First up on this tour was the Star Wars: Hyperspace Lounge. This Lounge is popular (and small), so it requires reservations. During our sailing, we made a reservation in the Triton Lounge upon boarding the ship for this evening at 8:30 PM. Of note, we have been reading that this experience is now available to book in the app once on the Disney WiFi.

A reservation allows guests to spend 45 minutes in this venue, which is plenty of time to enjoy the scenery and drinks. We sampled the Berken’s Flow and the Chancellor, which were good but on the pricey side.

Honestly, we were expecting a bit more from this venue. After seeing the elaborately themed Star Wars: Cargo Bay kids area, the Hyperspace Lounge didn’t measure up. Still, it is a fun and complimentary experience for adults to enjoy on Disney Wish (drinks will incur a charge).

Next up was Nightingale’s. This piano bar is located nearby on deck 3. Featuring a specialty menu of wines and champagne, this Cinderella-inspired bar has a modern design with a piano and large chandelier as the focal point. Unfortunately though, there was no live music when we visited this venue.

While there were plenty of nighttime activities and character meet and greets, it did feel like live music was a bit lacking.

Yo Ho, A Pirate’s Life For Me

Still, we enjoyed our drinks for the next 30 minutes or so before making our way outside for the Pirate’s Rockin’ Parlay Party at 10:15 PM. Playing some classic rock songs, the two lead singers and cast of dancers put on a good show. The short fireworks display at the end of the performance was a perfect way to close out the party.

This is a fun activity for all ages and should not be missed. If you want to step it up a notch, pack some pirate attire for the festivities.

After the party, we headed back inside to pop into one more bar, the Keg & Compass. This nautically-themed pub on deck 5 features a menu with a few craft brews available exclusively on Disney Wish. Unfortunately though, they were all sold out by the time we visited the venue. Still, it is a casual spot to relax with some friends.

The Keg & Compass also offers an a la carte food menu. During our visit, we did not see anyone order any of these food items.

Approaching midnight, we exited to the Grand Hall to watch the chandelier show. Given it was pirates night, the short light show featured a musical excerpt of Pirate’s Life from Peter Pan.

Exhausted from two long days, we needed to get some rest. Tomorrow was already our final day of this Disney Wish Bahamas Cruise Review.

Disney Wish Bahamas Cruise Review – Day 3

A Visit to Castaway Cay

Day 3 of this Disney Wish Bahamas Cruise Review was our second port stop of this short cruise. Today, we were visiting Disney Cruise Line’s private island in the Bahamas. This was our first time at Castaway Cay. Still, with so much to see and do around the ship, we decided to go ashore for only a couple hours in the morning.

We figured that we could get our remaining photos and videos of the ship minus some of the crowds in the afternoon. After all, we will be returning in October. So, we will have more time to relax and enjoy Castaway Cay then.

Up by 7 AM, we did a bit of work in the morning before heading ashore around 9 AM. We spent about 2.5 hours exploring all the island has to offer. Not realizing how far of a walk it was, we made the trek out to Serenity Bay, the adults only area of the island. Needless to say, we took the shuttle back though.

For those who are not familiar with Castaway Cay, this private retreat in the Bahamas is available only to DCL guests.

The resort has plenty of sandy beachfront, a stingray adventure, a snorkeling lagoon, a small children’s waterpark, bike rentals, beach sports, games, and more. There is also Scuttle’s Cove, the kid’s programming on the island.

Not to mention, there are cabanas available to rent, plenty of bars to quench your thirst, shops, and two BBQ lunch spots. The island lunch is complimentary and includes grill items like hamburgers, hot dogs, chicken, and ribs, along with sides and desserts.

While the food looked tempting, we wanted to fully test out the options on the ship. Thus, we made our way back onboard around noon time.

Checking Out the AquaMouse

After dropping off some gear and getting our air conditioning fix in the cabin, we decided to test out the offerings at Marceline Market for lunch. In general, we are not big fans of buffets, and that held true for this lunch buffet on Disney Wish.

While there was a seafood section in the back, the rest of the stations included many heavier options that we don’t typically eat at lunchtime. Further, there were no real options to customize salads or sandwiches as much of the selections were pre-made. Even the chicken tenders at the kid’s section of the buffet were not as fresh as those at the outdoor Festival of Foods.

Feeling a bit overheated from the island, I decided to go back to the cabin to rest up while the hubby took on the AquaMouse. The quoted wait time was 30 minutes; though, he ended up waiting close to an hour as the ride broke down for a 15-minute period.

The AquaMouse is another signature feature that did not live up to our expectations. More than half of the ride was the conveyor belt lift to the top, and even the rest of the experience was not all that exciting. In our opinion, some of the waterslides on other contemporary cruise lines surpass the AquaMouse on the fun scale.

For the First Time in Forever

Back in the stateroom, we did some work for a couple hours before getting ready for our final dinner of the cruise. Tonight, we were experiencing Arendelle: A Frozen Dining Adventure.

While the food in 1923 was better, we would say this was the best overall dining experience.

Of course, we started our dining adventure with some cocktails. I went with the Frozen Fractals, and Don went with the Ice Harvester. While some tablemates thought the drinks were too sweet, we enjoyed them.

For starters, we sampled the ham and cheese tart, koldtbord (seafood board), and fields of greens salad between the two of us. The ham and cheese tart was the winner in this category. Many other cruisers raved about the baked scallops, but Don is allergic so wasn’t able to try it.

Our entrees consisted of the juniper spiced chicken and the Arendelle kjottkake (Norwegian meatballs and gravy). Both of these dishes were pretty average main dining room selections.

Finally, our dessert selections were the apple cake, Norwegian pancake roulade, and Elsa’s Coronation sundae. The apple cake was the best, as the Norwegian pancake had a very odd presentation.

The premise of the show is that guests are attending an engagement party for Anna and Kristoff. Thus, there’ll be music, there’ll be fun. There is even a special appearance by Olaf! We would liken this to a character dining experience in the Disney parks, with the characters walking around to the tables for photos during dinner.

In comparison to the Marvel show, this one felt more appropriately paired with dinner to provide a bit of fun without being overly distracting.

Our Final Night on Disney Wish

Following dinner, it was on to the final show of the cruise in the main theater. The Little Mermaid is a 60-minute, Broadway-style adaptation of the original film. The singing, dancing, and stage set made for a great performance, even if we thought the ending deviated a bit too much from the original film.

This is definitely a show that you won’t want to miss when cruising on Disney Wish.

After the show, we ascended up to the Rose to complete our drink around the ship. This elegant bar is situated on deck 12 near the two specialty restaurants. The venue also features a signature cocktail menu. I tried Plant & Fleurs while hubby ordered Mrs. Tea on the recommendation of the waitress. Overall, the drinks on Disney Wish were always well-balanced and expertly prepared.

It’s too bad Disney Cruise Line does not offer a drink package though, as the costs can add up pretty quickly.

While we had made another reservation for the Hyperspace Lounge at 11 PM tonight, we decided to close out the evening at our favorite bar on the ship instead, The Bayou.

Here, we enjoyed two espresso martinis while listening to the pianist, Alex, perform an 80’s set. While I enjoyed all the Disney theming throughout the cruise, Don was glad to hear something other than Disney music tonight.

When the set ended at 11:30 PM, we finished up our drinks and headed to the Grand Hall to watch the Kiss Goodnight lightshow at midnight. This was a magical way to end our Disney Wish Bahamas Cruise Review.

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Disney Wish Bahamas Cruise Review – Disembarkation

Sea Ya Real Soon

Alas, our Disney Wish 3-Day Bahamas Cruise Review was already over. However, that didn’t mean our Disney fun was ending just yet. Today, we would be disembarking the ship and heading back to Orlando. We would be spending the next few days at the theme parks.

We were able to score a great deal on the Animal Kingdom Lodge hotel, one on my bucket list for a while. So, we couldn’t pass up the opportunity.

Up at 5:45 AM, we got showered and ready then finished up our packing.

After pricing out Ubers, we decided to book a transfer through the cruise line to our Disney hotel as it was going to be the cheaper option. We were told that we needed to disembark the ship by 7:45 AM. So, we skipped breakfast and completed self-assist disembarkation.

Exiting our stateroom, we were able to score an empty elevator down to the Grand Hall without any issues. It then took about 30 minutes to go from scanning off the ship, through CBP, and loaded onto a bus.

Actually, we were mislead when booking this transfer, as we were under the assumption that there would be multiple buses with the last one departing the cruise terminal at 9 AM. However, we proceeded to sit on the bus for the next hour along with some other unhappy guests.

Finally, we were en route at 9 AM. We arrived at the Animal Kingdom Lodge around 11 AM as we made stops at three other hotels first.

Being our first Disney cruise, we really enjoyed the Disney Wish and can’t wait to get back onboard to experience even more of what this new cruise ship has to offer. In fact, we have another trip already booked for October!

In the meantime, we have a couple busy and exciting months ahead. Stay tuned as we set sail on Oceania Marina, Norwegian Prima, and Valiant Lady this summer.

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