MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 26, 2022
I woke up at 2:15 a.m. and took some drugs, knowing how long of a day it would be. Then the alarm went off at 6:15 a.m. OUCH. We were headed out of Disney’s Boardwalk Resort and back to the airport (by choice) at roughly 7:45 a.m. to pick up our Disney port transfer. We were basically on time for when we wanted to arrive (but thought we would be late). Due to the demand for this new ship and being back to near 100% capacity, we expected there to be a bunch of people already waiting for the transfer, but nope! We still secured our position on the first bus.
We left MCO slightly later than usual at 9:40 a.m. and probably arrived to Port Canaveral around 10:30 a.m. Other buses were already there, but we were quickly into the terminal - with no COVID testing for the first time in a year! There were very few of us in the Platinum Castaway Club line. Again we very quickly confirmed all of our online check-in was complete, passed through security, and were upstairs to wait in the terminal.
Kara: On our last cruise, there was a bit of a water debacle which led to the wonderful discovery that we could get water from the vending area in the port. I took the first trip to go to the bathroom, grab water and get pictures. Unfortunately, water was a no-go. The vending machines weren’t functioning, so that was disappointing.
Gayle: I grabbed photos when Kara returned. There were a TON of people already waiting, as they were doing a back-to-back sailing. Those folks were invited back onboard at 11am. When they were called to board, we moved a bit closer to the ship and voila - ship Wi-Fi.
We were able to connect to the ship’s Wi-Fi from the terminal, so Kara booked our Walking the Wish Tour, grabbed the last spot in Mixology(!), and confirmed our dining rotation of MAAN (Worlds of Marvel, Arendelle, Arendelle, and 1923). That was a relief, as it was to be our To Do list immediately upon boarding.
Kara: I’ve tried to book Mixology on the day our booking window opens and NEVER gotten it before. The fact it was available meant I HAD to take that spot!
Gayle: Our Port Arrival Time was 11:15 a.m. and we ended up boarding at roughly 12:15 p.m.
Upon being announced onboard we were able to immediately proceed upstairs for lunch at Marceline Market. We feared it would be too packed, but thanks to a client who already sailed, gave us a great tip to find a quiet, hidden nook. I was able to find things I like - mainly menu options that are the same as the other ships.
Kara: I was really happy to get the chance to try a couple of new things - including the personal Charcuterie Board (YUM!!!), pork potsticker, and chicken tikka masala. All were wonderful.
Gayle: On that note, yes this ship is beautiful. They really leveled-up the theming and sophistication on this one. After lunch we took advantage of the Youth Clubs on Deck 2. All I can say is WOW! No wonder the kids never want to leave this one. It included:
Fairytale Hall with a Disney's Beauty & the Beast reading area, craft table, and Gayle’s favorite, an interactive Disney's Tangled themed room with a video reel of the Lantern scene!
Animation
(Toddler room)
Star Wars
Marvel Heroes Academy
Pixar-themed kids bathroom - I’ve never seen so many adults take photos of a bathroom in my life!
The art murals outside of these spaces are epic. (You can also order these as prints from the onboard Print On-Demand Kiosks!)
As we were leaving, luckily we’d already put some Favorite activities in the App, so we were alerted there would be a Spider-Man photo opportunity in the few minutes. It was a good thing we went back to do this being roughly 4th in line, which by the time we left, extended down the outside hallway! Included in this hallway is the nursery and the now-famous slide to access the Oceaneer Club.
The stateroom was finally available at 2pm. We checked out all the changes, spaces, and our gifts.
Next we completed our Muster Station task (Station A - Deck 3 Walt Disney Theatre). Being on Deck 3, we then checked out all of the venues and spaces on Decks 3, 4, & 5.
Stopping by our stateroom again, our bags had been delivered. So we unpacked and figured out where things would go with the modified room layout. At this point is was after 4pm, so we headed up to Deck 12 (out of the crowds) for the Sail Away Party.
NOTE: Disney rarely communicates things of concern or that may be taken negatively. So it was utterly shocking that just prior to the Sail Away Party the Captain came on to advise guests to use the Wi-Fi to make any needed plans, including adjusting flights (after 3pm instead of 11:30am) due to presumed delayed return because of Hurricane Ian! As you may have read, we went through a similar situation in 2010, so we know how Disney handles things. Our flight is already scheduled for 4:55pm (ugh). Between this and being in no hurry to get home, we took no action. If we have to get a hotel to stay in Florida Friday night - OK!
(This photo will take on new meaning later in the cruise....)
Kara: Afterward we checked out the adult-only areas (Star Wars: Hyperspace Lounge, The Bayou, Nightengale's, Luna, Keg & Compass, infinity pool Deck 13 at the very Aft of the ship). Keeping to lesser known spaces, Gayle guided us to the very bow of the ship on Deck 6; at this point we’d begun leaving port.
We listened to the ship’s horn (which only played three tunes of its repertoire, of which I only recorded one) before we headed back down to our room to get ready to head to dinner.
Our dinner tonight was in Worlds of Marvel.
Gayle: As a big Marvel fan, this "had" been my most eagerly anticipated restaurant, possibly venue on the entire ship. Then I'd heard pre-cruise about the main characters and my excitement dropped off a bit.
Kara: The concept of this restaurant is that we are “helping out” in a laboratory run by Marvel (mainly PYM) - which for some reason is on a cruise ship. Ant Man and the Wasp do three separate little segments with guest appearances by Captain America (current), Ms. Marvel, and Captain Marvel. In between the three segments they show technology from PYM, SHIELD, Stark, and more - without any sound (although Gayle and I can voice many of the scenes). We’ve heard people find it distracting - I felt like it was dinner on my couch since I often watch Marvel movies. That said, if you aren't into Marvel, this restaurant will probably not be your fave.
Gayle: I completely agree with Kara about it being "dinner on my couch" feeling and I enjoyed both being surrounded by beloved characters and reading some of the character profile info provided. That was easy for me as we were seated right at one of the screens and I was facing it. That last part would be a bit more challenging for those sitting on the other side of the table.
Kara: The food was good, but nothing special. This menu is the one we looked the least forward to but we both did enjoy our meal. If we sailed longer sailings on this ship, I don’t think the show would bring us back again and the menu definitely wouldn’t.
We spent about 40 minutes after dinner back in our state room catching up on this blog out on our verandah. We had a pretty sunset, but both of our phones were dead from the workout we gave them today taking photos, videos, and reviewing everything in the App. The sky is incredibly cloudy and there is a lot of lightening in the distance. The sea conditions are pretty light though so it should be a comfortable ride.
The show was “Seas the Adventure”. The show features Captain Minnie and Goofy. There are features by Merida (Brave), Moana, and, of course, Elsa. The three women were INCREDIBLE singers. There was also a feature from The Princess and the Frog featuring Tiana’s place, which was also wonderful.
Gayle: The performers were so good I wondered if there was now a live auto-tune feature in the sound system!
Kara: We happen to have two sign language interpreters working on this cruise. This is the second time we’ve had the privilege of seeing shows signed. They are incredibly talented and really show you the emotion of the moment as well as communicate the words.
After the show, we came back to the room and I ran to refill our water bottles while Gayle got ready for bed. I ran into the interpreters and got to chat with them for a moment. This is only their first cruise on the Disney Wish as well and so they are trying to sign live basically so they both admitted to getting a bit distracted by the actual show itself.
Gayle has already turned off her light and now I’m going to do the same.
See ya real soon!
Disclaimer: I (Gayle) am a travel agent with Authorized Disney Travel Planner agency - Off to Neverland Travel. Contact me today for a no-obligation quote!
As to Disney artwork, logos, and properties: ©Disney | Ship Registry: The Bahamas | CST# 2090317-40 / Fla. Seller of Travel Ref. No. ST37203
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