My family and I went on our first Disney Cruise aboard the Disney Wish. It was a 4 night Bahama cruise where we stopped in Nassau and Disney's private island, Castaway Cay. It was our first ever cruise but definitely not our last. The whole family enjoyed the cruise and cannot wait to go on another one with Captain Mickey and Minnie and all their friends.
We are a family of five so we stayed in a deluxe family oceanview with verandah stateroom on deck seven cabin 7622. We had a queen bed, the upper berth single, single convertible sofa and single wall pull-down bed. Our room was decorated with a Frozen theme. We had a split bathroom which means we had a shower and sink in one and then the toilet and sink in the other. The room had plenty of space for our luggage, stroller and everything we brought. The beds were comfortable and we had plenty of lighting in the room for all of our needs. The verandah was wonderful as it was so nice to sit out there at night or early in the morning and relax while viewing the beautiful ocean. I have a full video tour of our room on my YouTube page for those interested.
Boarding was a breeze at Port Canaveral. We waited for our port arrival time and once that was called, which it was called a bit early, we waited in line to check in and go through security. Once that was done, we went up to the terminal and not even five minutes later our boarding group was called and we waited in line to board the ship. My port arrival time was 12:15 pm and we were on the ship a little after 12:30 pm. Once we boarded, we had to fix a dining issue which that did not take long then had lunch at Mickey's Festival of Foods on the pool deck. We got to our rooms a little after 2:00 pm but we were told they were ready by 1:30 pm. All of our luggage was at our room by the time we got there which was nice so we could unpack and settle in before our muster drill. So for us, boarding was a breeze.
The shows each night were well done and enjoyable to watch. On the first night, the show is only for half an hour but for night two and four the shows are an hour. Our fourth night was Aladdin and that one lasted an hour and a half due to some technical difficulties but it was still enjoyable. The third night, due to it being pirate night, they play a movie in place of a show and we decided to skip that so we could get a good spot for Mickey's Pirate Party at 7:30. My kids loved the entertainment onboard and loved seeing the characters at the parties on the pool deck.
We had late dining for this cruise and it was nice to not have to rush back for early dining after getting back on ship from the ports. It was hard some nights as the kids were sometimes really tired by dinner, so they did not each much. The food was delicious for all of us and I have a gluten and dairy allergy so I had different options than the rest and had to pre-order my meals the night before. Our server and assistant server were amazing. After the first night, our drinks were always at the table before we got there. The kids had their fun kids menus each night and crayons so all the dinner activities we packed were not needed. The buffet for lunch and breakfast had so many options but for a family of five, it was difficult to find a table and it took some trips to get everyone's food due to the many options available. Mickey's Festival of Foods had good choices and the food was good. Getting the food never took very long either which was nice. My whole family ate so well on the cruise and it it definitely made coming home and making our own food difficult.
The extras that we purchased were a few. We purchased the photo package before the cruise to get the discount. I definitely recommend the photo package if you want to do the backdrops and character photos. We got almost 100 photos for the price of $194.95 compared to my parents who spent $90 for four photos. You can cancel the photo package on the last night if you are not happy with the photos but my family loved it and it meant that I was in the pictures instead of just taking them. All three of my girls did Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique on the first night and we splurged and did the $200 package for each. They got to pick out their dress, change into said dress and then get their hair done, nails and makeup. They each got a necklace and ring, a cinch sack, accessories that came with the dresses, nail polish, make up and face gems. It was so fun and they all enjoyed the experience. We also booked Royal Gathering but that was a free meet and greet with a few princesses. So glad I was able to book that as I saw many disappointed families leave the line for that when they were asked about their reservation.
For excursions, we booked a few things. For our day at Nassau, we booked Blue Lagoon beach day. The area is beautiful and we got to enjoy the lagoon for an hour and a half and then a storm blew in. The food was adequate and included in our excursion. We were unfortunately stuck there until our ferry departure time. Due to the storm, Disney did give us a partial refund and a complimentary
Castaway Getaway Package which included inner tubes, snorkel equipment and a one hour bike rental. For our Castaway day, my husband and oldest took part in the parasailing excursion which they said they enjoyed but did experience some motion sickness from. We used the inner tubes from our Getaway Package which the kids enjoyed. I did some paddle boarding for half an hour which was enjoyable and then my husband and oldest did a double kayak rental for half an hour. My oldest and I went snorkeling for a bit and we saw four of the Disney structures in the lagoon. They were easy to find with the markers. Castaway was definitely a wonderful port since it is only Disney Cruise guests and employees on the island and the island and beach is so beautiful. I definitely recommend booking a cruise with a stop at one of Disney's ports as they now have two.
Overall, this cruise was amazing for my family. We did agree that four nights was not enough as we did not get to explore the ship as much as we wanted. I wished we had stayed on the ship for Nassau so we could have done more on the ship. Our next cruise will be seven nights but the four night was definitely a great introduction to cruising. I can't wait to start planning my next Disney cruise. If you are interested in planning a Disney cruise, please reach out as I would love to help you plan and book a cruise for your family. #neverlandingtravelbysara #disneywish #disneycruiseline #bahamas
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