Now I understand why people don't love the Wish

[NAB]

I didn't take a picture of the doors apparently, but here's a screenshot from Scott Sander's deck 4,5,6 walking tour. This is from the outside, but the doors slide open exactly the same way they do on the other ships and look exactly the same from the inside. Those white interior doors were open the vast majority of the time. We only saw them shut a couple of times. Embarkation Day and during some drills and what appeared to be crew training. We heard an officer giving some new people training about the life boat on Castaway Cay day from our verandah. Fun fact: lifeboats on the Wish have a capacity of 314 with a 304 passengers and 10 crew per boat.

Source: https://disneycruiselineblog.com/2022/08/disney-wish-shipside-promenade-deck-walking-tour/
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That’s a different door there are those white door that say crew only but do open to the deck. As well as these type of doors. I believe that door maybe by the gym.

 

[UrsulaDave]

I was on the MV for the Wish and will be back in a few weeks. I heard so many people complaining about it, which is a shame. She is a beautiful ship. I've sailed on all the Disney ships (18), RC (10), Celebrity, and Virgin. What I appreciated most about the Wish was that it WAS different, that the Imagineers were thinking about new ways for guests to interact with and appreciate the ship. Yes, there are a few deadends that don't exist on the other ships, but there are some wonderful additions as well. I would hate for someone not to experience the ship for themselves and solely go on others' recommendations. My advice would be to try it - and recognize that it IS different - by design - and appreciate those differences. I'm not trying to be an apologist here - just trying to say that I appreciate that it isn't like the other ships (even though I love them all dearly).

 

[Erica1016]

It is open most of the time with a regular door with a nice glass window in it. I'll see if I can find a photo. This is only during drills when the deck is closed.

Please do. She had and gave the impression this was standard - but said that the appearance from the outside was more normal. We are so used to the doors on the MWDF boats.

Our experience in August was that the doors looked like this from the outside for the whole cruise. Once we figured out that we could use them, you go through and there's a space before the "regular"-looking outside door. We never saw them propped open in any way.

 

[Erica1016]

Where are all these dead ends everyone is talking about? I never once walked into one, but admittedly, I didn't just walk around exploring--I'd look in the app where I was going and head there by the most direct route (e.g., if I was going to somewhere aft, I'd walk to the aft stairs/elevator, go the applicable floor and head to the correct side of the ship -- starboard or port before looking for the place I was going). I think I went to every single venue on the ship and never once hit a dead end.

I agree! I don't doubt that people feel like there are dead-ends and don't like the layout, but we just didn't experience that. Other than the adult area being at the end and only going back/forth on one side, I just didn't get all the complaints. We also went to every space and did spend a lot of time just walking/exploring. Other than the weird doors that don't look like they go out to deck 4/5 (as shown in this thread), I didn't find the layout to be a problem.

Different than other ships, yes. A problem, not for us.
We're going on the Fantasy in May (our favorite) and while I'm looking forward to being back on that style, I also know there will be thing we'll miss from the Wish.

 

[Pixarfans]

but there are some wonderful additions as well

We are going in a few weeks and have been on the other 4. What is it you like?

 

[UrsulaDave]

We are going in a few weeks and have been on the other 4. What is it you like?

I loved The Bayou, 1923 (my favorite of the three main dining rooms), The Rose Bar, the main theatre is absolutely gorgeous, and I appreciated the main merchandise shop felt a lot bigger than the other ships. I thought the main lobby (with the stage) was a brilliant use of the space. The new food stations on the pool deck are phenomenal. There is a lot to appreciate!

 

[Pixarfans]

The new food stations on the pool deck are phenomenal. There is a lot to appreciate!

I’m reading all the good and bad and will make our own opinions when we get there. I find we love the trips for the experiences we have as a family rather then boat specifics.

 

[Erica1016]

We are going in a few weeks and have been on the other 4. What is it you like?

You didn't ask me, but...my husband and I have a lot of stuff that we liked! We've also been on the other 4!

We liked the tiered look of the main deck with lots of smaller pools - an unpopular opinion, I think. We don't spend much time in pools, so quality/depth wasn't a big deal to us, we liked the layers.
We don't spend a lot of time in adults-only areas (although we're mid-40's with no kids), so the fact that it was out-of-the-way was not a disappointment to us.
Really enjoyed the Set Sail on a Wish (sail away party) and the new stage space on the Wish. Looking at videos of the Fantasy Sail Away Party (in preparation/dreaming of our upcoming May cruise), the set up with the banners/etc. actually looks pretty cheesy to us now.
LOVED the pool deck food - especially Donald's Cantina and the BBQ.
LOVED the Pirate Parlay Party and fireworks coming from both funnels.
We enjoyed the MDR - although I'll agree that they're crowded and lead to some service issues, we liked the theming/decor. I especially loved 1923.
We love just walking around, and a major complaint is the lack of a promenade deck that surrounds the ship, which I agree is a problem for those that want to run, but we still spent plenty of time out there. I really liked being able to go on the "front" of the ship (I think deck 6?)
While not a huge fan of the AquaMouse (much prefer the AquaDuck), I really liked that you didn't have to climb super high to get on and that you get on and get off at the same level. I'm not great at walking without shoes due to some physical issues and I was happy to not have to go far without them.

 

[jrapps]

Where are all these dead ends everyone is talking about? I never once walked into one, but admittedly, I didn't just walk around exploring--I'd look in the app where I was going and head there by the most direct route (e.g., if I was going to somewhere aft, I'd walk to the aft stairs/elevator, go the applicable floor and head to the correct side of the ship -- starboard or port before looking for the place I was going). I think I went to every single venue on the ship and never once hit a dead end.

For me, it was more of an overall feeling of claustrophobia than running into dead ends, although there were a few dead ends...the adult pool area is one that does come to mind, I consider it a dead end because you can only get there by walking down a long non-descript path on the starboard side, but the port side doesn't go thru. And what is with that one lone hot-tub along that path? just the weirdest and saddest place on the ship for the single lone hot tub.

Try walking on the promenade/walking track on the middle of the ship either way. One of our favorite things to do on the Dream/Fantasy/Magic is to go out on that deck, stand along the railing under the lifeboats and just look at the horizon. That area on the Wish just feels different. Cold, uninviting and small.

Ever try to walk from the front of the ship to the back while the pool deck is crowded? They placed 2 very weird circle shaped bars right in the middle of the friggin walkway! and the area to go around it on either side is absurdly small, so it's a choke point. Add in a few hundred people and the wood railing, and its just one of those "what were they thinking" moments when walking around.

Luna is so ridiculously small that the 2nd level overflows into the hallway. We were trying to walk past it and couldn't just because there were so many people standing in the hall trying to get a look at whatever was going on in there...the hallways that run left and right of it are just so narrow. But because Disney in their infinite wisdom made TINY venues on the ship, this is what happens.

You cant shop in Mickeys Mainsail unless you wait until midnight when everyone else is asleep.

It just annoys me, for a company that prides itself on people and crowd management, to design this....ridiculous thing...it just gets under my skin.

 

[anricat]

the main merchandise shop felt a lot bigger than the other ships

Really? It felt way more cramped and narrow compared to the other ships. We had a really hard time shopping there. It was overly warm (and I run pretty cold, always have a sweater with me) and just set up really odd in how narrow it was.

 

[CatsnDogs]

I joked if their goal was to get the award for best designed hallways, they deserved a medal. The Wish felt like I was in an office building with winding windowless narrow hallways. The layout makes little sense. Even the restaurants are long and narrow. I loved the Fantasy/Dream with the ability to walk and windowshop after Dinner. That is even missing on the Wish.

The worst part for us was that we were bored. We don't drink so do not visit the pubs and there are limited activities. No walking deck, mini golf, small theaters..

 

[Chaitali]

I liked that the adult pool was at the end of the ship and separate from other things. I felt like it was really separate from the hubub if the main pool area and you didn’t have people accidentally coming through. i loved the infinity pool back there. We were there embarkation day and castaway cay day so we were able to enjoy it when it wasn’t too crowded. The adult hot tub seemed to always have plenty of people in it so we never tried it. But everyone seemed to be enjoying it.

 

[Erica1016]

I liked that the adult pool was at the end of the ship and separate from other things. I felt like it was really separate from the hubub if the main pool area and you didn’t have people accidentally coming through. i loved the infinity pool back there. We were there embarkation day and castaway cay day so we were able to enjoy it when it wasn’t too crowded. The adult hot tub seemed to always have plenty of people in it so we never tried it. But everyone seemed to be enjoying it.

We used the hot tub and infinity pool first thing on Castaway morning before getting off the ship and had the entire adult area to ourselves. We don't do the pool a lot anyway, so the half-hour or so with the great view of the island was perfect!

 

[dwg]

Our main complaint was the MDR's. They felt cramped, over crowded and noisy. Especially Arendelle regarding noise. I know from speaking to the wait staff that they also have let Disney know that they have trouble passing between the tables in the MDR's to serve the guests. The pre entrance for Marvel was so crowded that the people trying to get off the elevators couldn't get through the crowd because the crowd extended through the elevator banks. I was told by an officer that the ship was only 3/4 full with 3000 passangers. You couldn't tell from the crowds in the MDR's that it was not a full cruise. We were so disappointed in the MDR experience that we will skip them on our September cruise which was booked prior to the past sailing. After the September cruise we will go back to the classic ships.

While there is no denying that the ship is beautiful and has some really nice features it seems like a lot of guest areas are more cramped than on the classic ships.

I think the sad part is that as far as the new ships following the Wish the designs are pretty much baked in so that any changes from the Wish will most likely be cosmetic.

 

[Kwami]

I think the sad part is that as far as the new ships following the Wish the designs are pretty much baked in so that any changes from the Wish will most likely be cosmetic.

I don't know why everyone keeps writing things like this. They made some pretty important changes between the Dream and the Fantasy and then backported those changes to the Dream later. They can do the same for the two upcoming ships, too.

 

[closetmickey]

My niece sent me this photo of the doors to the Promenade. Definitely not an invitation to go outside.

View attachment 736482

This was my biggest gripe. I had to force myself to find a door to get on deck. Sorely missed feeling close to the ocean.

 

[Lizgistix]

The walk from the forward elevators to Currents was considerably shorter than the walk from the aft elevators to the Cove Bar. Also what's with Cove Bar not having bar stools?
And what's up with the very short hours of the Chip and Dale pool?

 

[Dug720]

I joked if their goal was to get the award for best designed hallways, they deserved a medal. The Wish felt like I was in an office building with winding windowless narrow hallways. The layout makes little sense

The more I read stuff like this, the more I want to shake whoever made the decision to put someone in charge of the project who had never been on a cruise before. I cannot imagine they would have gotten the same result had the imagineer in charge been told they needed to go on a cruise first.

 

[dwg]

I don't know why everyone keeps writing things like this. They made some pretty important changes between the Dream and the Fantasy and then backported those changes to the Dream later. They can do the same for the two upcoming ships, too.

That comment was coming from an officer on the Wish that I was talking to on my Wish cruise.

 

[NAB]

I don't know why everyone keeps writing things like this. They made some pretty important changes between the Dream and the Fantasy and then backported those changes to the Dream later. They can do the same for the two upcoming ships, too.

Because they won’t be able to change the stairs to make a walking deck for one.