There’s a lot packed into a Disney Wish sailing, especially if you only have a few nights onboard. Here are the places I’d prioritize, the experiences worth knowing about, and a few things I personally love.
Where To Eat
Rotational dining
Each night, you’ll visit a different themed restaurant while your serving team travels with you. The Wish has three main dining rooms:
- 1923: elegant atmosphere inspired by Disney animation history.
- Arendelle: A Frozen Dining Adventure: a musical dinner inspired by Frozen.
- Worlds of Marvel: superhero-themed dining with interactive entertainment.
Casual dining: my can’t-miss bite
Mickey & Friends Festival of Foods is the place for casual pool-deck meals, including barbecue, pizza, burgers and more.
At Mickey’s Smokestack Barbecue, I love the kielbasa sausage and cornbread. They’re two of my must-get snacks onboard.
Adults-only dining: worth the splurge?
- ⭐ Palo Steakhouse brunch: my favorite elevated brunch onboard. It’s amazing and a great choice if you want a special meal.
- ⭐ Enchanté: my pick for a Michelin-style date night. We celebrated our engagement here, and the team went above and beyond. It’s a truly memorable experience, but definitely $$$.
If you want a romantic celebration, Enchanté is hard to beat. For a special meal earlier in the day, I’d choose Palo brunch.
Shows & Pirate Night
Disney’s stage productions are a highlight of the Wish. In the Walt Disney Theatre, look out for:
- Disney Seas the Adventure: a musical journey through familiar Disney stories.
- Disney The Little Mermaid: a reimagined version of Ariel’s story.
- ⭐ Disney’s Aladdin – A Musical Spectacular: my personal favorite!
If you only have time for one theatre show, Aladdin gets my vote.
Pirate Night
Pirate Night brings themed character appearances, photos, activities, a deck party and, conditions permitting, fireworks at sea. Bring a pirate-inspired outfit if you want to join in!
On sailings of 4 nights or longer, you’ll typically enjoy a special pirate-themed dinner menu! You’ll revisit one of your rotational dining restaurants for Pirate Night, but with a completely different menu. On 3-night sailings, you’ll still celebrate Pirate Night, just without the special dinner menu!
Disney Cruise Line Pirate Night: Everything You Need to Know (coming soon)
My favorite lounge: The Bayou
The Wish has several beautiful themed lounges, from the space-themed Star Wars: Hyperspace Lounge to Nightingale’s and The Rose. But my favorite is The Bayou, inspired by The Princess and the Frog.
Try the beignets at The Bayou. They’re so good! They also make a great spicy margarita, which is one of my favorites.
Themed staterooms: pick a favorite or be surprised
Even the staterooms on the Disney Wish have a little extra magic. Different rooms feature artwork inspired by Disney stories like Frozen, Cinderella, Moana, The Little Mermaid, Sleeping Beauty, The Princess and the Frog and Tangled.
- Want a particular theme? Look up the theme associated with a specific stateroom number, then choose that available room when booking. You select the room number, not a theme from a booking menu.
- Love a surprise? Let Disney assign your room, or wait until you open the door to see which story you got! Some guarantee fares require Disney to assign the stateroom.
If the artwork matters to you, research your stateroom number before you book. You can also ask Disney Cruise Line about the theme of a specific room, or keep it a surprise!
Disney Wish Stateroom Themes: How to Find (or Choose) Yours (coming soon)
Need a quiet moment?
Head to the adults-only Quiet Cove area when you want to swap the busier pool deck for a more relaxed atmosphere and ocean views.
My Disney Wish cheat sheet
| Looking for… | Jordy’s pick |
|---|---|
| Favorite casual bite | Kielbasa sausage + cornbread at Mickey’s Smokestack Barbecue |
| Favorite brunch | Palo Steakhouse |
| Best special-occasion dinner | Enchanté (a splurge, but memorable) |
| Favorite show | Aladdin |
| Favorite lounge | The Bayou (especially the beignets and spicy margarita) |
Before you go
- Check the Navigator app. Showtimes, character meets and activities vary by sailing.
- Choose a few must-dos. You probably won’t do absolutely everything on a short cruise.
- Explore early. Getting familiar with the ship on embarkation day makes the rest of your trip easier.
- Plan extra-charge experiences. Specialty dining and some sweets and drinks cost extra.
Dining offerings, entertainment and Pirate Night activities can vary. Check your sailing’s details in the Disney Cruise Line Navigator app.
Want to see the ship in action? Watch my Disney Wish guide on TikTok.