Bibbidi bobbidi boom: Whisked away in the magic of Disney Wish

Day one of my Disney Cruise adventure really began the night before. A long flight that stretched to another hour or so hovering in the air above stormy Orlando had me getting my first taste of Disney-esque hospitality late Sunday evening.

“Get your phone ready, miss, we are almost at the welcome arch,” my chauffeur (“Escobar is my name”) kindly told me. He had been at the airport an hour before my scheduled arrival, and waited once more as the baggage took more minutes than normal to get to the claim area. He must have sensed how bedraggled I felt, lacking sleep.

Photographs by dinah ventura for the daily tribuneThe road to the Grand Floridian hotel was long and the night was damp, fresh from a deluge earlier that had led to the airport’s closure. I could use a bowl of hot soup, I thought.

Then, there it was — the arch that declared: “Walt Disney World. The most magical place on earth.”

It felt like a hug, a familiar face.

Wishful

Of course, Disney theme parks were not the reason I was there. I was all set to experience the cruise liner Disney Wish the next day onwards, for four nights, sailing towards the Bahamas and back. The Wish is one of the Disney Cruise Lines (DCL) ships, docked at Florida’s Port Canaveral with stops at Nassau and Castaway Cay. It felt like a dream.

Thinking of sunny climes and all the “characters” I would be meeting soon, I spent the night in a Disney resort hotel that gave me a glimpse of the unique hospitality the brand offers in everything it touches.

The massive, Victorian-style Grand Floridian is located near Magic Kingdom, one stop away on the complimentary Resort Monorail. Cocooned at last in my room, I had my soup in the company of Mary Poppins arriving from the sky in a painting behind me.

Day ‘Wand’

It took an hour in a private van to Port Canaveral, Florida, the next morning. The sight of Disney Wish, DCL’s newest and largest ship, was breathtaking. Red stacks bearing Mickey’s symbol could not be missed.

Bags dropped at the designated area, our group walked through a quick and efficient check-in process where one needed to present his or her stateroom number and travel documents. Up the escalator where guides were waving Mickey hands, we were led toward check-in counters where we processed payment details to get our cruise card, which would serve as door key and ID everywhere in the ship.

After that, it was through a Mickey-shaped entryway we went, our portal to a world of enchantment.

The Grand Hall

The Disney Wish had its maiden voyage in July 2022. Its Grand Hall is the first place guests will see, and here we were welcomed with an announcement of our arrival, and the gift of a “magic wand.”

The Grand Hall is where guests often congregate to meet each other or watch a presentation on its stage and balcony. Above the great space is a chandelier that we later find is designed to look like the magical swirl of Cinderella’s Fairy Godmother’s Wand. At night, when it is lit up, the whole place seems to glow.

Cinderella is a fixture in that space. Her story is woven through every detail — from carpets to lights fixtures that bear iconic images of her tale: the carriage, her shoe, her little helpers and so on.

“Disney is not a cruise company at its core —it is an entertainment company,” we are told. All its cruise ships, therefore, are imbued with the stories of its magical world, and this gives each one a character all its own.

For the Disney Wish, enchantment is the theme — and magic is indeed woven in every part of the ship, from its signature restaurants to its 400-plus art works, even the food (but that is another story).

Princess Tiana was at the balcony the afternoon we arrived, and later Belle was waving at the crowd as we passed by after a quick lunch at the Marceline Market, which offers a buffet of American classics, international fare, grills and seafood, soups and salads, breads and bakes, fresh fruits and unlimited sodas, teas and coffee.

I could get used to this, I thought, bumping into Princesses. (But the thrill never ceased every time we did encounter them!)

Lost in magic

Navigating one’s way around a massive ship may seem daunting especially to first-time cruise guests, but DCL has made it as easy as possible.

“Ask Cinderella (she always faces aft),” we are told.

The truth is, at elevator spots, located forward (front of ship) and aft (back of ship), there are maps to guide guests and even clues as to where you are at that moment.

“Floor color themes change, if you will notice,” we are told during a tour of the ship where we learned of the various details and meticulous planning that went into the design of the Disney Wish, the fleet’s first Triton Class ship.

In this ship, I discovered, even one as bad at directions as I am can only get lost in magic.

(To be continued)