I Tested Out Disney's Newest Cruise Ship And Here's What I Thought About The Marvel Restaurant, Tangled Hair Salon, And More
Disney Cruise Line will be setting sail with its newest ship, the Disney Wish, on July 14.
It's been a decade since Disney has added a ship to their fleet, and this brings their total to five (the Wish joins the Disney Dream, Fantasy, Magic, and Wonder ships).
The Disney Wish is MASSIVE. It weighs 144,000 tons, is 221 feet tall, over 1,100 feet wide, and features 800 miles of fiber optic lights.
See that arrow pointing to Rapunzel on the stern? For scale, her hair is over 60 feet long.
I got the chance to explore the ship during an inaugural cruise and got lost approximately 200 times.
*BuzzFeed was provided this trip free of charge; however, we were under no obligation to give a positive review.
The Grand Hall of the ship is three stories tall and is described as "castle-inspired gothic architecture that becomes organic." It has a gold sculpture of Cinderella, the ship's mascot. Above her is a chandelier with five stars, representing the five ships in Disney's fleet.
If you look closely, it also has subtle nods to Cinderella's story, like finials that are spools of thread and hidden pumpkins in the railings.
The Grand Hall also has a slide that ends at the Oceaneer's Club, the sole reason I wish I could go back in time and be a child again. The slide is a nod to Alice in Wonderland, like you're going down a rabbit hole!
The Oceaneer's Club is for kiddos up to 12 years old, and is a place where they can interact with their favorite Disney franchises sans adults.
First, though, they have to wash their hands in this awesome robotic hand-washing EXPERIENCE.
Audrey Engvalson / BuzzFeed
Then, once they enter, they get a wristband and are free to roam around any of the areas in the Oceaneer's Club, including: The Walt Disney Imagineering Lab, a workshop where they get to basically create and test their own Disney ride...
...Fairytale Hall, a small castle where they can play motion-capture games with Elsa's Snowgies, create art with Rapunzel, or have story time with Belle...
...Mickey and Minnie's Captain's Deck, which looks like it'd be a blast for newly toddling toddlers...
...The Star Wars Cargo Bay, where they can help Rey and Chewbacca care for porgs, loth cats, and other oddities...
...and Marvel Superhero Academy, where they can test suits and abilities from the MCU, hang out with Black Panther and Spider-Man, and save the boat from Taskmaster and Ultron.
Spoiler: Kids don't get help from the heroes to take down the villains. Instead, they're on their own, and once the villain is defeated, the heroes come in to congratulate and reaffirm the kids. TBH, if an Avenger came in and told me I did a good job, that's basically all the reassurance and confidence boost I'd need for the rest of my life.
The Superhero Academy actually functions as a prequel to Worlds of Marvel, one of the restaurants on board. It's meant for kids who visit the club to catch their parents up on their part of the story during dinner (I'm thinking in the same style as Luis from Ant-Man).
^ At dinner, you can see Hope and Scott are actually coming to you via a video from the Marvel Superhero Academy.
Small kiddos can hang out in the Small World Nursery, where, if I knew how, I would steal the mural off the wall and smuggle under my shirt and back to my house. I'd also steal the Pixar mobile for my future babies.
Fun fact: The Disney Wish has over 4,400 pieces of unique artwork on board (some of it you can buy prints of). The artwork in Small World Nursery is by artist Joey Chou. I have other prints of Chou's work around my house. It's so good!
Right when I started to lose all hope that I'd never get to play at the Oceaneer's Club, I found out that the Wish has open-house hours where adults can crash the kids club and go play. They also let me slide down the slide!!!!
Audrey Engvalson / BuzzFeed
Other kid-only hangouts are the teen and preteen clubs, Vibe and Edge, where young adults can play games, learn to draw from a Disney animator, and make friendship bracelets.
While normally I'd be upset that kids get to hang out with superheroes and princesses all day and I don't, my consolation is the rotational dining on board.
The Disney Wish has a rotational dining plan, where guests will get to dine at one of three different restaurants every night of the cruise.
The first restaurant in rotational dining is Arendelle: A Frozen Dining Adventure. This is a dinner-in-the-round show that picks up after Frozen 2 as an engagement party for Anna and Kristoff.
Oaken hosts it and truly steals the show.
Audrey Engvalson / BuzzFeed
The menu is Nordic-inspired, so think seafood and fresh herbs. I, however, am not a seafood eater and was delighted with the meatball dish.
If you're not a meat-eater at all, I was pleased to learn all of the menus on board have plant-based dishes, and gluten-free dishes, and are happy to accommodate other dietary restrictions.
Another thing I am not is a dessert person. Desserts usually make me thirsty (is that normal?) and I would much rather have a bag of chips than a chocolate bar. However, the desserts here (and everywhere on board) are delightful! The chocolate cake is light, the fruits are fresh, and the portion is perfect for a big dinner.
The second rotational dining experience is 1923, named after the year Walt founded the Studios, and is Art Deco (as per the time) as well as filled to the brim with 900 Disney animation artifacts from storyboards to color swatches to character models.
The music is filled with upbeat jazz renditions of classic Disney songs and the lights overhead were chosen to look like the bulb flash of an old camera.
The menu is California-inspired, and, once again, the dessert brings it home.
That, my friend, is a Coconut Tapioca Pudding with Strawberry-Lime Salsa and Matcha Crumble.
The third restaurant in rotational dining is Worlds of Marvel, the first sit-down Marvel-themed restaurant Disney has to offer.
The dining room is inspired by "Starkitecture" and has over 100 screens and 270 feet of glass.
Diners will help Ant-Man and The Wasp take down Ultron (with the help of recent additions to the MCU like Ms. Marvel and Sam Wilson's Captain America).
Marvel
Every item on the menu is inspired by the films, whether it's udon inspired by Ta Lo from Shang-Chi, shawarma from The Battle of New York, or a Seared Turbot Filet from New Asgard.
Even the shrimp and ribeye look like they've been altered with some Pym tech because they are gigantic.
And even though it's Marvel-themed, there are some impeccable Disney Easter eggs, like Scott and Hope's presentation called "Miracles from Molecules," which is the same name as a song written by the Sherman Brothers for an attraction at Disneyland called Adventure Thru Inner Space (open from 1967–1985).
Here's the original song:
For lunch, the Wish has Marceline Market, a buffet with "character" (literally). There are several food stations with themes from characters like Remy and the Evil Queen, and the dining room overlooks the water.
If you're not up on your Disney history, Marceline, Missouri is Walt Disney's hometown (and also the town that Main Street USA in Disney World and Disneyland is themed after).
Additionally, Mickey, Minnie, Goofy, Donald, and Daisy all have food stands on the pool deck that serve up lunch with anything from BBQ to pizza to tacos.
For people not into the theatrics, the Wish also has an adult-exclusive dining area for sailors 21+ that include The Rose Lounge, Palo Steakhouse, and Enchanté, all inspired by the live-action Beauty and the Beast.
The Rose isn't the only themed lounge. What is The Bayou? It's the answer to "Places I wish I could live but can't because they're lounges" on Jeopardy.
It's themed after the best Disney movie of all time, The Princess and the Frog. From the beignets to the absinthe-infused cocktails (because it's green, I guess?) to the live music nightly, the area is just breathtaking.
Nightingale's, another lounge on board, also has live music nightly, and is inspired by the Stepsisters from Cinderella. Remember the whole "sing sweet nightingale" song?
Disney
If you do, you also remember Cinderella sings it best while she's scrubbing the floor! Bubbles of her singing fill up the movie screen, and that's where the music/bubble hybrid of decor for the lounge was born.
Disney
In keeping with the spirit of the bubbles, the drink menu has several champagne cocktails, as well as a gin drink called a Sweet Nightingale served in a bird glass they wouldn't let me steal.
The other themed lounge is Star Wars: Hyperspace Lounge, a speakeasy-esque spot tucked away across The Bayou. It's themed after Canto Bight, the glitzy casino planet in Star Wars: The Last Jedi. All of the furniture was made exclusively for the space, as well as custom beer taps that look like lightsaber hilts and 3D-printed oddities in glass cases.
In the interest of full disclosure, this was the only spot on the ship that truly underwhelmed me. This is the third Star Wars bar that Disney has made, and I don't think the theming of it rivals that of Oga's Cantina at Disney World and Disneyland or Sublight Lounge on the Star Wars: Starcruiser.
There are just a lot of blank walls, I think? The rest of the Wish seemed like there was a feast for the eyes everywhere you looked, so to go into the Star Wars bar and see a lot of empty space felt like a missed opportunity. Additionally, from what I remember, there wasn't as big of a drink selection as the other bars, either.
However, the lounge features a pretty cool 16,000-pixel screen behind the bar that jumps into hyperspace and flies over Tatooine, Mustafar, Batuu, Coruscant, the Moons of Endor, and an Ace Squadron. The window spends 7–10 minutes over each world, and there are Easter eggs in each scene.
Eagle-eyed fans can also spot famous vessels like the Millennium Falcon, the Razor Crest, and the Halcyon.
Lucasfilm
It's also on the port side of the ship, so everything on the screen moves the same direction you currently are in real life.
Audrey Engvalson / BuzzFeed
The drinks are all themed after different planets with the exception of The Chancellor, a sipping drink served with a "flavor blaster."
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I saw "flavor blasters" in several drinks on board where the bartender or server basically takes a bubble gun filled with "smoke" of a certain flavor (like lemongrass or raspberry). The smoke fills the bubble and the bubble drops and lands perfectly in the drink...sometimes.
Audrey Engvalson / BuzzFeed
Note: Even though I say smoke, it's not a smoky taste. As someone who isn't a fan of smoky tastes like mezcal, I figured it's important to mention!
The other themed lounge on board is Keg & Compass, inspired by Norwegian seafaring. There are several other places to grab libations on board, but none have as good of a theme as the ones I mentioned above.
WAIT...nvm. I forgot about one. At 5 p.m., Hook's Barbery, a Captain Hook-themed place to get a shave or a haircut, displays a secret bourbon bar that vanishes the rest of the day!
While I'm on the subject of barbery, there's also an Untangled Salon. You'll never guess who influenced this space. Do the blonde curtains with flower ties give it away? Nail and hair appointments can be made here, and you can leave your frying pan back in the room.
The other salon on board is the Bippidi Boppidi Boutique, a kind-of staple on Disney properties where kiddos can be made up into their favorite princess (or Captain Minnie).
OK, switching gears now...the Walt Disney Theatre on board plays two different Broadway-style shows during each cruise: The Little Mermaid and Disney Seas The Adventure.
The Little Mermaid is a retelling of the "tail" (lol) and focuses on the importance of having your voice and being wary of who can take it and use it.
Disney Seas the Adventure follows Goofy, who wants to be a ship captain someday. When Minnie lets him take control of the wheel for a minute, Goofy steers into several Disney movies like Moana, Hercules, and Brave.
The theatre itself is themed after the last short in Fantasia 2000. Set to "The Firebird," the short follows the Spring Sprite as she witnesses and contributes to the growth, destruction, and rebirth of a forest.
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Actually, nature's inspiration extends past both the Walt Disney Theatre and the Bayou. Each floor of staterooms has one of three themes: Forest Friends (The Princess and the Frog or Sleeping Beauty), Water (The Little Mermaid and Moana, or Fairytales (Cinderella or Tangled).
I was lucky enough to stay in a Princess and the Frog-themed room.
The art changes depending on which movie your room is themed after. But other than that, the stateroom layout pretty much looks the same.
Looks, however, can be deceiving. This picture has three beds. Can you find them?
In a feat of Disney magic, the sofa and the ceiling make a bunk bed, and a Murphy bed folds down from the wall. It's impressive. Housekeepers put them away in the morning and pull them out during turn-down service in the afternoon.
And if you have half as wonderful of a housekeeper as I did (thank you, Nortel!), you'll be delighted with a towel animal every day.
I actually asked Nortel how many towel animals she knew. She said around 20! She even gave me an impromptu towel-folding workshop. It was, by far, my favorite part of the cruise. (This is what I've been working on since I've gotten home).
Audrey Engvalson / BuzzFeed
Additionally, there are two half-baths in the stateroom. One bathroom has a sink, mirror, and shower/tub while the other bathroom has a sink, mirror, and potty, which is great if you have a small bladder and you're sharing a stateroom with someone who likes long showers.
There's also a closet, TV, and desk. The TV has a channel with a view from the deck and a channel that shows where each ship in Disney's fleet is and how fast it's going. I thought it was cool in an "I'm tired and my feet hurt, let's see what's on TV" kind of way.
The room can be accessed with a Key to the World card, which is also used to charge things to the room and to embark/disembark the ship.
OK, let's move onto the...pool deck. There are several pools, all with different features and depths. My favorite pool was a depth of six inches that you could just, like, lounge in? It made me finally realize why birds like bird baths: totally refreshing, no effort, and fun to splash in. 10/10.
On the upper pool deck is Disney's first "attraction-at-sea," the Aquamouse. It's a water slide, but it takes place in the Mickey cartoon universe. The same slide has two different shows: Scuba Scramble (which takes place underwater), and Swiss Meltdown (which takes place on an exceptionally sunny day in the Alps).
Disney Adults (and perceptive Disney kids) will be able to spot Pudge from Lilo & Stitch and Nemo in Scuba Scramble.
Disney
And maritime aces will be able to spot that the signal flags spell out "Mickey Mouse."
For little ones, there's a Toy Story splash pad, where all of the characters have been converted into oversized bath toys. Cute!
The pool deck is also the best place to see fireworks during the Pirates Rockin' Parlay Party.
The fireworks are accompanied by the score from the Pirates movies, and are kicked off by Jack Sparrow and Captain Redd, who is kind of a legend in the Pirates of the Caribbean ride at Disney World and Disneyland.
Audrey Engvalson / BuzzFeed
My first favorite Disney Cruise Line fact EVER is that the firework shells are fish food, so when they get to the water, they're healthy for the ocean.
Audrey Engvalson / BuzzFeed
Oh, you wanted to know my second favorite? It's that the costumes in the Little Mermaid show on the cruise are made of recycled sea plastic!
OK, I've got one more eco-friendly Disney Cruise fact: The ship's engine uses LNG fuel, which, if you are someone who doesn't know anything about cruises (like me), that means it's pretty energy efficient!
Obviously, it's not as energy efficient as, like, staying home in bed, but according to Cruise.com, "When engines are built to use LNG fuel, this helps reduce a cruise ship’s carbon emissions by approximately 30%. LNG fuel is one of the best options available for cruise ships to reduce the industry’s carbon footprint. By using LNG fuel, sulfur emissions are reduced by nearly 99% and nitrogen oxide emissions are reduced by 85%."
The Wish will start sailings out of Port Canaveral, FL and head down to Disney's private island in the Bahamas, Castaway Cay.
Castaway Cay has a lot of things to do, from a family beach to waterslides to stingray feeding.
The stingrays are fed a kind-of, like, fish jelly (?) and swim right up to grab it out of your hand.
Looks gross, but based on the way the stingrays were huddled around the shore when they saw the pails, I assume it's a ray delicacy.
If you're worried about the "sting" in stingray, ray keepers mentioned in the safety briefing that the barbs of the stingrays feel a lot like a fingernail feels to a human. They're clipped down every four to six weeks so they're too short to sting, but if a stinger is fully removed...
...It feels like ripping off a fingernail to them!!! I ball my fists up every time I think about that. Keeping them trimmed, however, allows guests to stay worry-free at feeding time, but if a ray was to slip out of the enclosure, it could have all of its defenses up and running shortly in the wild.
Disney / Pixar
While the Wish is docked at Castaway Cay, everything is still up and running, so when you're nice and sunburnt (JK, PLEASE WEAR SUNSCREEN), you can return to the ship to Joyful Sweets for an ice cream, climb into your bunk bed, and take a nap before it's time to head back to port.
The Wish also has a scavenger hunt-like game called Uncharted Adventure that takes place in the Play Disney Parks App. Uncharted Adventure is inspired (I feel like I've said that word a lot) by the history of wayfinding, and needs cruise-goers help to get the Disney Universe back in order.
Guests can use the app to go at their own pace and interact with different parts of the ship to help several Disney friends. It uses the phone as a controller and causes things on board to come to life.
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The other app that's pretty important to the cruise is the Disney Cruise Line Navigator app. It shows you where all of your reservations are, what's going on and when, and lets you message anyone else on the ship (not having cell service is a real adjustment).
I should also mention that there are some sophisticated COVID precautions on board.
The coronavirus pandemic is still impacting travel, and destinations around the world have different COVID-19 restrictions in place. Always check and adhere to local government policies as you're planning any future trips.
Aside from the robot hand-washing machine, all doors are automatic, there is a hand-washing station before the buffet, and the elevator has touch-free buttons (though don't lean on them unless you want dirty stares from everyone while you stop at each floor).
There is so much on one boat. Though granted, it's so big it's basically a small city. And while this list has been pretty long there is one more thing I should mention they have on board: A cold brew tap. I'll tell you what, after getting on a plane to get on a bus to get to a port to sail on a boat, that cold brew hits a little different.
I don't have a picture of my cold brew because it went straight from the cup to my brain and didn't pass by my camera, but here is a machine they had at the coffee stand that prints latte art of Disney characters on hot drinks, which, no lie, is pretty cool.
The ship is really a celebration of all things Disney. Like all things. The only thing I was disappointed in was the lack of love for my favorite Disney character, Winnie the Pooh.
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The Disney Wish starts sailings on July 14 from Port Canaveral, FL to the Bahamas. You can read more about it on Disney Cruise Line's website because, believe it or not, these are just things I saw, and I didn't even see everything!
