We had the “Once in a Lifetime” opportunity to sail on Disney’s newest ship -

the Disney Wish - Maiden voyage

After years of discussion, we always said if we ever had the opportunity to participate in a Maiden Voyage for any future new Disney ships, we would do our best to be on one. That very thing presented itself to us in the Spring of 2021.

I know what you’re thinking - wasn’t that during the dreaded cruise shutdown time frame. Well, yes, yes it was. The uncertainty was definitely palpable, but we took the chance that everything would be back up and running by the time the scheduled sailing was to take place - over a year from then. We started counting down the days to our booking window. It was a crap shoot that we would actually get a stateroom, but we also knew if we didn’t get on this one, we would have at least 2 more opportunities (since 3 new ships were announce to be added to the Disney fleet).

Booking day arrives, May 20, 2021 - Coffee in hand, computer(s) ready, and GO! Logged in, refreshed the screen, refreshing, more refreshing and then boom! Woohoo - we did it! We were in. We picked and booked our stateroom - to say we were excited is a slight understatement.

Now - we wait. The Maiden Voyage was scheduled to sail on June 9-14, 2022, over a year away. Big side note, key word in that sentence - WAS!

As we all now know - Covid-19 took a rather large toll on the cruising industry. With everything shut down, nothing was being built. This delayed the construction of the Disney Wish and eventually the Maiden Voyage sail date. The announcement came Feb 3, 2022 and here is a small snip-it of the email: “While we are all eagerly awaiting the ship’s debut, today we must share that our anticipation will unfortunately have to extend a bit longer than initially planned. The shipyard has notified us that despite their very best efforts, they will need more time to finish our ship due in part to the pandemic and particularly the arrival of the Omicron variant in Germany at a critical point in the process.” While this news was a disappointment, it certainly was not unexpected. Maiden Voyages are historically known for their possible delays and the Disney Wish was no different. I mean, we couldn’t be too upset after all, the new sail date was only moved back by just over a month, July 14-19, 2022.

Clock ticks down and to keep a longer story semi short…

July 14th arrives! We make the 55 min drive over to Port Canaveral from Orlando, and there she is (you can see the port and ships from the last bridge you cross while driving East on 528, the Beach Line). The Disney Wish is simply beautiful! She’s in the Tritan Class of ships - of which the next 2 new Disney ships will also be in. While there are hints to the previous 4 ships, the Wish is in a style of her own. And if you’ve never sailed on Disney Cruise Line (and even if you have) - you’re in for a treat! The food, entertainment, characters, look and feel - it’s really something to behold. I’ve now sailed on the Wish 2 more times since the Maiden Voyage, and she’s settling in to her own, rightly so. We had the best time being one of the first true DCL guest aboard. The new restaurants, shops, decks, staterooms, food - we were simply amazed at it all (not to say there aren’t a few things we would personally tweak, but when you’re not in the room where it happens, well, you know how that goes-lol). So much more happened too. We had the AMAZING Jodi Benson on board, where she gave an unforgettable performance. They debuted their newest Broadway style shows; Disney Seas the Adventure and The Little Mermaid. We dined in the 3 new main dining rooms: Worlds of Marvel, Arendelle: A Frozen Dining Adventure and 1923. Pirate Night is like no other, with a live band and show that pumps the “pirates” up for the Wish’s version of Fireworks at Sea! As well, I met (and got a selfie) with the President of Disney Signature Experiences, Thomas Mazloum (he oversees Disney Cruise Line, among a list of others) and Sharon Siskie, Senior Vice President & General Manager at Disney Cruise Line. How cool was that!?

The sampling of pictures below simply do not do the Disney Wish justice. She’s a ship to truly experience first hand and we simply cannot wait to have another opportunity to sail this amazing ship. I’m ready to book again - whos with me?

brandon@dreamvisiontravel.com