​**Will contain all the details of the Adventure by Disney portion of the day, which will include spoilers.

  Our Adventure by Disney tour starts today but only at 6:30 pm with the Welcome Dinner so we had the day to ourselves.   We had breakfast at the hotel and then did stop by to say hello and meet our guides before we headed out for the day.   Melissa and Lewis were our Adventure guides.  I can’t say enough good things about them.  They were amazing!   
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We had set up a private driver from 9 am to 3 pm.   The only items on our agenda were the London Eye and tea at Fortnum and Mason.   When I worked with the company to set it up, the plan was the London Eye at 9:45 am (the company included the tickets) and then I had made tea reservations at 11:30 am.   When we met the driver, he said the London Eye didn’t open until 10 am so he drove us around a bit and gave us some information about London.    He dropped us off for a 10 minute photo op at Buckingham Palace.

​We headed back to the London Eye and it didn’t seem to be moving so our driver looked up the operating hours.  It had shifted to off season and didn’t start until 11 am.   So we pivoted and headed to Fortnum and Mason.  

Fortnum and Mason has been at their 181 Piccadilly location for over 300 years.  We had tea booked at their Diamond Jubilee Tea Salon.
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But first, we had time to shop.   There was so much! And their Christmas shop was open which was fun to explore.   I LOVE scones and I regret not buying some that day.  

​I also enjoy an afternoon tea, and this certainly did not disappoint.  We each chose our own tea and our menu.  We all did the traditional tea menu except for Sue who chose the “savory” menu option.  Each tower was for two people.  I didn’t love all the finger sandwiches and Chris didn’t try any of them, so he ate the desserts.   The scones were SO good.  

After we were done, I texted the driver to pick us up and we were on our way back to the London Eye.  The company included “Fast Track” tickets, so we didn’t need to wait at all.   The Eye takes about 25 minutes to complete a full circle.   It wasn’t overly exciting but cool to get some nice pictures from the top.

​When we met back up with the driver, we asked if he could drop us off at Harrods and then we would end our time with him there and make our way back to the hotel on our own.   I don’t have any photos from Harrods.  The most impressive area to me was the Food Hall.   So many different prepared food options.  

When we were done, Chris and I wanted to get the full London experience, so we decided to take the tube back to the hotel.   Thanks to Google maps that was pretty easy.  My sisters took a taxi and the tube was definitely faster as London traffic is crazy.

We had a few hours to relax before meeting our Adventures by Disney group in the lobby at 6:30 pm.

As would be the case throughout the trip, everyone in our group was on time.  Melissa and Lewis led us downstairs to a private room for our first official ABD event.  

Seating was open and it was a buffet as far as dinner.   Wine and soft drinks were included, and that would be the case at each group meal.   This was an adult exclusive tour, so no children.   As our greeter had mentioned the day before, we had a total of 32 adults, although for the Welcome Dinner 4 adults had yet to arrive due to flight delays / cancellations.  

Melissa and Lewis went over logistics and general information. Every evening we would get a text message that would remind us of the departure time for the next day, what weather is predicted and anything else that was important to know.  

The schedule for the entire trip is ambitious.   Melissa and Lewis said this is not a vacation, it is an adventure.   They also said it is YOUR adventure.   So, if there was something in the plan that you didn’t want to do, it was totally fine to skip it.  They just needed to know so they could keep track of everyone.   It is also a rain or shine tour.   Everyone takes place despite the weather – which we would experience several times.

 Then one member of each party had to stand to introduce themselves, say where they were from and what they were most looking forward to on the trip.   We had a lot of people that had come as a birthday or anniversary celebration.  We had mainly couples or mother / daughter traveling together.  There was one trio of gentlemen and one woman who was traveling solo (on her 7th ABD!). 
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**Spoiler alert**  We then had a surprise visit from Sherlock Holmes!   He led the group through a series of clues and puzzles to finally discover our first pin of the trip.   He was very funny and did a wonderful job.  

Dinner ended with the announcement that our departure time for the next morning was 7:30 am from the lobby.  Breakfast at the hotel was included and the restaurant would be opening at 6:45 am just for us.   Throughout the trip, you did breakfast at whatever time you liked keeping in mind the departure time for the day.  

​After over a year, the time had finally come for our Adventures by Disney trip.   Chris and I had done one adventure previously – the Southern California adventure a little over 10 years ago.   This would be the first ABD for both of my sisters.

Just like you should arrive a day ahead of your cruise, you should also arrive at least a day ahead of your Adventures by Disney tour. Flight issues happen and you can start to get adjusted to the time difference.  Two couples on our ABD tour missed the parts of the first day due to flight issues. 

We left NY at 6:30 pm and landed in London at 6:30 am.   We had scheduled activities starting at 1:30 pm.   The idea was to sleep on the plane, hit the ground running to stay awake until a “normal” bedtime.  Unfortunately, I didn’t sleep at all on the plane despite my best efforts.   So it was going to be a long day…

Because we booked our additional night through Adventures by Disney, transportation from the airport to the hotel was included.   After we had our bags and were exiting baggage claim, our greeter and driver were waiting for us.   The greeter was very nice and started giving us some basic information about our tour and London.   She said there would be 32 guests in our group – some had already arrived; most were arriving today and a few arriving tomorrow.    She and the driver walked us to the car, got us all set and we were on the way to the hotel.
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The hotel for the London portion of the trip was the Kimpton Fitzroy.  It was in a nice quiet area of London, near Russell Square.   The staff was very friendly and always available to assist.  We knew our rooms wouldn’t be ready yet, but we dropped our bags and completed the check in at the desk.

​Our next stop was Fortitude Bakery which is on the street directly behind the Kimpton.   I had looked at what was in the area and this bakery was very popular.  I had started following them on Instagram and they always have a huge line.   It was a little late in the morning by this time and the line was minimal.   We got coffee and a pastry and took it back to the lobby of the hotel.

​While we were relaxing in the lobby, we received a text from our Adventures guides.   They would be in the hotel the next morning to say hello and the official start of the of the adventure would be at 6:30 pm the next day for our Welcome dinner.   They also sent a link to a form to complete for meal choices throughout the trip.   We each had to use the link to make our choices, and this made each group meals so much easier throughout the trip.

The next activity for us was a private food tour of Borough Market.   Through research, we found that one only person has access to do food tours in the market itself.  My sister worked with her to schedule a two hour tour for the four of us.  It ended up that our guide would be an assistant because the original person was on vacation, but she was wonderful.   We took a cab to the meeting location to meet her.   She asked about food preferences / allergies and then we were off!   The tour included ALL the tastes.   She gave us a lot of info about the market itself and navigated us through it while stopping to enjoy a lot of food.   We did a lot of sharing and small bites.  We were glad that we had decided to make this our dinner.   

  This is all the things we got to try:  sugar cane juice, a few cheeses, dried meat, a few kinds of olives, sausage roll, oysters, cookies, truffles, donuts, humble crumble, hard cider, gnocchi, grilled chicken, an Iranian dumpling and goat milk ice cream.
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   Our guide even took our picture at a perfect photo op wall.

​Now very full, our rooms were ready, and we went back to the hotel to settle in.   The room was small but very nice.   There were popcorn, cookies and bottled water which was replenished daily.   The only negative was there no dresser, only a wardrobe, so storage was limited.   I do like to unpack which was a challenge.

​We still had one more activity for the evening.  We were off to the West End to see Hamilton.   Sue and I have seen it more than once on Broadway.  It was the first time for Chris and Carrie.   It was amazing as expected and fun to see little differences.  There were a few minor lyric changes, and it was funny that some lines that get a big reaction in NY got no reaction in London (like “Everything is legal in NJ”).     We had hired a driver to and from the show which made it very easy for transportation.  

​   We were definitely tired at the end of a very long day but we all made it!   

Here is a full description of the suite from our recent cruise with two video walk throughs at the end.

The Briar Rose Suite on the Disney Wish is one of two - two story, two bedroom Royal Suites.  It sleeps 6 guests and is located forward on Deck 13 - with the second bedroom upstairs technically on Deck 14.

As you enter, there are two closets to your left and a little decor in the entry way.   These closets would work great as storage if your party has guests using the pull out sofa for sleeping.

The next room directly in front of you is a full bathroom with a stand up shower.  Again, this would work for guests using the living room sofa bed for sleeping or, in our case, with 3 of us, we used this bathroom so that each of us could have their own.

Then you walk into the kitchen, dining room and living room.   The kitchen has an incredible amount of storage space.  The refrigerator was stocked with the beverages we requested as well as some other beverages.  There were also two freshly squeezed juices.  Our concierge host told us that if we liked either to let them know and they would replenish them daily.
  The second drawer of the fridge was the freezer section which was stocked with Mickey bars that would be replenished as needed.  And then the third drawer had ice.

   There was a countertop with a charcuterie board waiting for us and a wine cooler that had 2 bottles of wine and a bottle of champagne for us to enjoy at any point.  We were able to bring them to dinner with no corkage fee.

Just past the counter area was the dining room table and to the right, the living room space.   The TV in the living room was on a lift, so we ended up moving it down so we would have more open space.   

  Off of the dining room area is the first bedroom.  This has a king size bed, walk in closet and full bathroom with a stand up shower.   There is also a door from this bedroom out to the balcony.  The Holiday decor was something we purchased as an on board amenity.

Back out in the living room there is a spiral staircase that goes upstairs to the second bedroom.   This bedroom also has a king size bed and walk in closet.  It has a full bathroom with a shower and bathtub.   The windows in the bathroom are frosted with the touch of a button.

The balcony space was huge.  There were two regular chairs, a table with six chairs around it, two loungers and a hot tub.   We did discover that depending on how the ship is docked, there is not a lot of shade out there.  On our Nassau day, it was too hot to be out there in the full sun until late afternoon.   We were able to get full use of it for most of the day when we were in Castaway Cay.

One of the perks of the Royal Suite is being able to order hot items for breakfast delivery.  You just fill out the card and put in on your doorknob the night before.   The concierge hosts would arrive each morning and set up our table with placemats and everything from our order.   

I recently returned from a three night sailing in a Royal Suite on the Disney Wish.   The suite was beyond amazing and will have a post all its own.   This post will be about the experience of sailing in concierge on the Wish.
   I have sailed concierge once before on the Disney Dream.  The level of service was excellent for both experiences.  With the Wish being a newer ship, there were definitely some upgrades, especially in the lounge area.

Pre-Arrival

   Prior to boarding your cruise, you have access through concierge services to book onboard activities before any other guests.  You will be able to contact concierge services right up until your sailing with any requests you may have.
     As this was a 3 night sailing and we planned to dine in each of the main restaurants, we didn't make many requests in advance.   I did ask for a dining rotation that ended with 1923 and I asked for a few requested beverages for our in room refrigerator.   Both were requests were taken care of when we boarded.

Embarkation

     Concierge guests are the first to board the ship.  There was a little confusion as I had asked concierge services what time to arrive and was told 10:30 am.  When I printed our boarding pass, the time was listed as "Boarding Group 1 - 11:15 am."   We had already set up our car service to arrive for 10:30 am.  When we arrived, they were not ready for guests to check in so we had to wait until about 11 am.
     Once we checked in and went through security, we were shown to the concierge lounge.  This separate space has plenty of seating and a cooler with beverages.   While we were there, the concierge team came in to introduce themselves and give us some basic information about their services.   And then we were ready to board!

Welcome Lunch

  Concierge guests are invited to enjoy a sit down lunch at 1923.  This restaurant is only available for concierge guests on embarkation day.  It is, of course, optional but we took full advantage.   Concierge rooms are open at 12:30 pm (one hour earlier than other staterooms) so it is nice to sit down for a nice meal and be able to then go right to your room.

The Concierge Lounge

   The lounge is a focal point for all concierge guests.  Here is where a variety of food items will be available throughout the day as well as a cooler with beverages and coffee / tea.  From 5 - 10 pm, the bar is available for complimentary drinks.   You can even take them with you to dinner.  The food selection was really great.  We didn't take advantage as much as we could have but we did enjoy some light lunch and snack offerings as well as a continental breakfast on disembarkation day.
    The lounge is also were the concierge team can be found from 7 am to 10 pm with any questions you may have.  
    The sundeck is upstairs from the lounge and is a great place to spend the day.  There are hot tubs and plenty of seating in the sun or the shade.   There is also a smoothie machine with Dole Whip and Raspberry flavors available all day.   

Character Meets

   We received a notification one day that a Disney friend would be visiting the lounge at 4 pm.   We went to check it out and there was Pluto visiting.  It was very organized, with guests asked to stay seated and Pluto would work his way around the room.   We didn't stay as we just wanted to see who was there but it was a nice little perk for sure.

Early Seating and Popcorn

   Concierge guests can enter the Walt Disney Theater 40 minutes prior to show time each evening.  You are told the location to meet the concierge host and are escorted in a different entrance than the main entrance.   The main doors open to other guests 30 minutes before the show that gives you 10 minutes to pick your seats anywhere you would like in the theater.   
     As a concierge guests, you receive complimentary freshly popped popcorn from the concession stands before the main show and any of the movies.  You only need to show your concierge key card and it's yours!

Internet Package

    All concierge guests over age 18 receive 24 hours of the "basic surf" package for free.  Royal suite guests, which we were, receive the "premium surf" package for the length of the cruise.  I have purchased the basic surf package before on Disney and it was glitchy.  The premium package was great. It was just like being at home.   This experience will probably lead me to purchase the premium package on my next sailing

Disembarkation

     On the final morning, there is a time frame during which the concierge team will expedite your departure.  We were told to meet in the lounge between 7:15 and 8 am.  Once we arrived, a concierge team member escorted us to the elevators.  Once one arrived that was empty, she used her "magic" key and our elevator went directly down to the main deck where another team member was waiting.  She led us to directly to the cast member waiting to tap us off the ship.  No waiting!

Overall Experience

    Of course, what is not to love about sailing concierge.  The team was incredible and couldn't do enough for you - even though we really didn't ask for much.  The lounge space is nice and big as well as the sundeck so there is plenty of space to enjoy either at any time of the day.
     I cannot sail this way all the time - and I only had this experience because of my very generous sister - but I hope to do it again sometime.

I always like to take advantage of opportunities for reserved viewing areas for parades / evening shows.  Is it necessary?  No.  But I am at the point where I don't want to have to stalk out a spot and wait for hours.   

Last week in Disneyland, we did the World of Color Dessert party.   Our party was scheduled to start at 8 pm with World of Color starting at 9 pm.   We went to the check in podium around 7:10 pm.  You can start checking in about an hour before your party.  During check in, we got our wristbands and were asked if we wanted a low table or a high table.  From my online research, the high table seemed to the recommended option as the viewing area is behind the standing area for other guests.   Your table is assigned at check in by a cast member with an Ipad and then you wait in that area until around 7:55 pm.

A cast member leads everyone over the dessert party area.  There is another cast member with an iPad there who can view your table assignment so you can be led to your table.   We had a high table for four which was perfect for us.  If you have a smaller party, you may be sharing your table with other guests. 

Each member of your party receives the same plate of desserts and some cheese and crackers.  There was a printed menu so you could see what you were receiving.  You also have a server that brings you unlimited non alcoholic beverages.  You can also have 2 alcoholic beverages per guest.

Our server was great!  He checked on us several times and even offered to take a photo our group.

The viewing area was perfect and it was so nice to be able to have a seat to enjoy the desserts and then World of Color itself.   I would definitely recommend this experience.

I have just returned from a 5 day trip to Disneyland in California.   During my stay, I booked two tours.   I always like to look around on the Disneyland website to see what may be available for extra experiences.  I was not aware of the Celebrating 100 tour so I was glad to find that one.   I had done a similar tour to "Walt's Main Street Story" in the past, but my sisters had not been up to Walt's apartment so we added that one as well.

Celebrating Disney's 100th Tour

This tour started in Disneyland where we met our guide and got our name tags. We had headsets so we could hear him throughout the tour.  They worked well for hearing him as well as for musical transitions throughout the tour.

We stopped outside of Carthay Circle to talk about the opening of Snow White and then had a little break to use the restrooms and grab a drink.    From there we went back over to Disneyland, again entering from a side gate and continued with the story.   One of my favorite little touches was the playing of Walt saying "Welcome to Disneyland" in our headsets timed to exactly when we walked under the train station onto Main Street.   

We had a few more stops along Main Street to hear the rest of the story of the Disney company and we ended in front of the castle.   As we turned in our headsets, we were given a pin for doing the tour.

There was a Photopass photographer waiting for us as well to take pictures of our parties in front of the castle.  All of the photos were included so no additional purchase was needed to access the pictures in your Disney account.  

It was then time to say "see you later" as the tour also included a private viewing area of the 3:30 pm Magic Happens parade.   Our viewing location was right by the train station.  We could arrive as early as 3 pm.   Our guide was waiting there for us with our drawings and a special treat - a chocolate shortbread cookie.

The viewing area was great!   It was a really hot day so I stayed in the shaded area which didn't make for the best photos but you could definitely get right up to the curb without any problems, if you wanted to.

The tour was fun and well done.  Our biggest motivation for doing the tour was the viewing area for the parade.   The crowd levels ended up being pretty low so we could have seen the parade fairly easily on our own, but it was one less then to have to plan for and the spot we had was great.  

Walt's Main Street Story Tour

We started this tour like the last one by checking in and receiving our headsets and our name tags.

This tour started with several stops up and back down Main Street with information about Walt's vision for the area and details you may not notice.  As much as I have been on tours before, there were even a few things that were new to me.

We ended up back at the fire station looking up at the lamp in Walt's apartment.  We were prepped for our visit with the rules of being backstage - no photos, no cellphones out.  When we entered the apartment, we were not allowed to touch anything or sit on most of furniture.   There were two chairs available if someone did need to sit.

I have been lucky enough to have been in the apartment twice before - once on the "Walk in Walt's Footsteps" tour and once on our Adventure by Disney trip.   I was pleasantly surprised at how much time we got to spend in the apartment on this tour.   A lot of information was given about what we were seeing around the apartment and we had some time to look around as well, without touching anything of course.

Then a Photopass photographer came in and took photos of each party together.  She then gave each person an opportunity to take an individual photo next to the lamp.  She encouraged each of us to also look out the window as Walt was known to do.  Again, all the photos were included in the tour.

We moved out from the apartment to the patio next to the apartment.  There we got our special treat - a lemon cookie - and a bottled beverage.  We had about 30 minutes to sit and enjoy the patio.  Information was given about how the Disney family would host guests on the patio.  I did not realize how the apartment area is backed by the Jungle Cruise attraction and that you can hear the some of the Jungle Cruise sounds while you are on the patio.

Our motivation for doing this tour was for my sisters to see the apartment.   Though I enjoyed it more than I expected as it was nice to have more time there and really be able to look around and take it all in.

Recently, I had an amazing opportunity to have a VIP guide for a day at Walt Disney World.

 Full disclosure:  I earned this experience from a sales incentive with MEI-Travel that included the guide for 7 hours and 1 day park hopper tickets.  The gratuity for the guide was at my expense.

The guide group can accommodate up to 10 guests.  For my day, it was myself, my husband, my sister and a friend.   We discussed in advance what we would like to do with the guide, as the VIP services team speaks to you in advance to get a starting point and a tentative plan.  At first we talked about doing all 4 parks in one day, but then decided we didn’t want to be that ambitious so we decided to start in the Magic Kingdom for half a day and then move to Hollywood Studios for the other half of the day.

We also decided that we didn’t want to use time with the guide for a sit down meal.  We made a reservation for breakfast at Steakhouse 71 before our start time so we were ready to go and then dinner reservation for Roundup Rodeo BBQ for after our tour.   I made those reservations myself – they did not go through the VIP services department.  

After enjoying our breakfast, we walked over to meet our guide in the Magic Kingdom.  We were a few minutes early and waited outside the meeting location.  Charlie, our guide, came right over to us to introduce himself and get basic idea of what our plan was for the day – including “must do” attractions in each park.  
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He also had a gift of a VIP tour pin for each of us.  

After discussing our plan for the day, we were off to Tron.   As we walked, Charlie was great at asking questions to get a better sense of what we wanted to do in terms of food stops and attractions.  He said that Mickey would be treating for snacks along the way so to let him know any time we wanted something.

As luck would have it, just as we were walking up to Tron, it went down.  No worries, we were off to our next “must do” of Mine Train.   Charlie said he would monitor Tron and we would just work our way around the park and loop back when it was up and running.   

With a VIP guide, you use the Lightning Lane entrance.  Charlie would tap us in at the touch point and then go with us up to the loading area (in most cases, especially if there was a second touch point).   He would always ask us if we had a preference for a row we would like to sit in as well and he would make those requests to the cast members in the loading area.

After Mine Train, we started working our way around Fantasyland.   When we got to Haunted Mansion, Charlie said that with a guide is the only way you can go into the ride from the exit.  We had our choice between starting with the stretching room or going straight onto the ride.  We picked going directly to the ride, so in a back door we went and came our right at the loading area.

We rode everything that we wanted through Frontierland and Adventureland and then Charlie said Tron was up and running so we went back there. 
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As a side note – Charlie said that he does not usually ride with guests unless we want him to do so.  With a party of 4 we had the perfect number so it wasn’t necessary for him to keep anyone company and we were totally fine with that.

As we got to Tron, Charlie said he would hold any of our bags so that we didn’t have to use the locker system.  He grabbed our stuff and put us in the Lightning Lane and we were good to go.  

As we exited, Charlie was waiting for us and asked what else we wanted to do in Magic Kingdom as we seemed to be finishing up.   I always like a ride on the People Mover so that was my request.   As we walked over, we saw that the line was pretty long – a 45 min wait – and there is no Lightning Lane.  Charlie actually gave us a look like "Wow that is a long line."   I thought we may not be able to ride, but instead he walked us around to the front and the cast member stopped the line to let us on.  I will admit, I felt a little bad about that one! 😊

That was it for Magic Kingdom!  It was a pretty warm day so we decided to get some drinks before we moved over to Hollywood Studios.   Charlie said he was getting us a round of bottled water and a few of us got a soda.

​He also was our photographer for a quick castle picture.

We then walked with Charlie to a backstage area and hopped in private car to go over to Studios. It was a good opportunity to chat with him.  He has been with Disney since his college program and is coming up on doing his 2000th private tour.   He has been with the company for 19 years (including internships) and he loves it.   He said that he doesn’t really need to do rides anymore but he enjoys going to Epcot to walk around the festivals or going to Typhoon Lagoon to relax.

When we arrived backstage at Studios, there were VIP cast members waiting with a basket of snacks – chips, candy bars, granola bars and even Mickey .Rice Krispie treats.  We could help ourselves as we went into our next park.

As we walked into Studios, he said there was something else that only VIP guests can do – mobile order from Starbucks.   He took our order and a payment method (we gave him a credit card but you can use your Starbucks app) and then he put us in the Lightning Lane for Mickey and Minnie’s Runaway Railway.   We came off the ride and there was Charlie with our Starbucks!   It was a little thing – but fun – and our cups said “VIP” on them. 

We made a plan for our time at Studios.  We wanted to do everything in Galaxy’s Edge and Toy Story Land.  Hoping also to see Mandalorian and Grogu – Charlie knew the area they would normal be located.   We also did Tower of Terror.   We had some bad luck again with Rise of the Resistance being down once and a second time it went down when we were just past the Stormtrooper room – which actually gave us each a free Lightning Lane to use after the tour.     
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But we did get to see these guys!

We did Toy Story Mania and Charlie had some good playing tips that we didn’t know about.   We actually ended up riding it 3 times and it was fun to try new things each time.   We also had a popcorn snack on Mickey to hold us over to dinner.
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Charlie was great with planning out the day.  As someone who often is the person managing plans for each day, it was nice to be able to relax and let someone else be in charge. Around midday, he asked us if we were interested in seeing the Indiana Jones show.  Our tour was scheduled to end at 4 pm.  The show started at 4:30 pm.  He said he could put is in the VIP seats and end for the day there. As that time approached, he walked us over there and told the cast member for us to have the reserved seats.   We said our goodbye and then we were walked down to the very front row!   

​In the end – over 7 hours, we did 16 attractions, one show and walked a total of over 7 miles.   Charlie was great!   He was fun and great to talk with about Disney things but he was also happy to just lead us and let us talk amongst ourselves.   Any time we asked to do a ride or sit in a certain spot, he would say “done!”   

All 4 of us have been to Walt Disney World many times but experiencing it with a VIP guide was a totally different experience.   It was a great day!

​If you would like to add a VIP tour to your Walt Disney vacation, I would be happy to help!   The cost is $450 - $900 per hour (depending on the season) with a 7 hour minimum.  Park admission is required and not included.  While the cost is not inexpensive, the tour can accommodate up to 10 guests so getting friends / family together to share the cost is always an option.   

​I am always happy to answer questions or assist with reservations at Walt Disney World (even without a guide :) )  - [email protected]

And now on to the most important part of the cruise – the food!
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We started our cruise in Marceline Market which would be the “buffet” area of the ship.  I loved the theming throughout.   Instead of one big line, there are different stations to visit – such as seafood, deli, hot entrees, kids and desserts.   We had lunch here twice and breakfast each morning.   We especially liked the little charcuterie boards. I think it was pretty much what you would expect to find at a buffet and we were happy with it overall.  

​Around the top pool deck is Mickey’s Festival of Foods.   This was a definite step up from the walk up food choices on the other ships.  There were stations for pizza, Mexican, hamburgers and hotdogs, BBQ and ice cream.   My sister had the Mexican location for lunch and it was similar to Chipotle where you pick your ingredients for a bowl, tacos or burritos.   I tried the BBQ location and had brisket, mac and cheese and corn bread.   It was all really good.

​The three main dining room restaurants on the Wish are 1923, Marvel and Arendelle.    1923 was the one we were most excited about and it was our first dinner.   The restaurant is named for the year the Walt Disney company started in California.   Our table was towards the front of the restaurant so we really didn’t get to see too much of all the little details and there were a lot to look at.   I am not the best at food photos and eventually gave up but I do have some from this meal.    I had the burrata appetizer, a pasta dish for my entrée and the ice cream sundae for dessert.   We both enjoyed our meals and this ended up being our favorite of the three main dining rooms.

The second night for us was Marvel.  Each table has a device that interacts with the “show” throughout the night.   There are screens around the restaurant and a story with Ant Man and the Wasp takes place in little intervals throughout your meal.  When the show is not going on the screens show clips about various Marvel characters.   At the end of the story, Ant Man and the Wasp do a quick walk through of the restaurant.   
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   As for the food, we looked at the menu during the day and weren’t too excited by it but we ended up enjoying it.  We each had the bao bun and fried shrimp as an appetizer.  We asked to share the shrimp but our server said it was a small portion so we should just each get one.  Then I had the mushroom soup, chicken schnitzel for an entrée and the cheesecake for dessert.   The chicken was just ok but we were pleasantly surprised by the rest.  

Our last night was in Arendelle, the Frozen themed restaurant.  The concept is that Oaken is throwing an engagement party for Anna and Kristoff and we are the invited guests.  We had a chance to visit this restaurant when it was empty during the Art of the Ship tour.  So many details and it really is set up like a banquet.   There are paintings on the wall direct from the movie.

  The show here takes place on a stage in the center of the room.   We were on the edge so it was a little far from us but Anna, Kristoff, Elsa and Oaken walk around the perimeter of the room to greet their guests.  There was a trio that sang songs from the movie as well.   I enjoy Frozen the movie and the songs but the show here was too much for me.   In the Marvel restaurant, the show happened in brief time periods throughout the meal.  Here there was one brief break and then the show was always going.  It was a lot.  You couldn’t talk because it was loud.  I realize that I am not the target demographic for Frozen but I would have enjoyed it more in brief segments as opposed to constant throughout the night.
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  The food here was also my least favorite of the three restaurants.  I had cheese and ham tart, baby greens salad, then the beef rib eye and the apple cake for dessert.   We also shared the braised meatball entrée.  Nothing was bad here just not my favorite.  

​With only a 3 night sailing, we did not get to try any of the adult only restaurants this time.  I guess that means I will just have to sail again.

​For our three night sailing, the three nighttime shows were “Disney Seas the Adventure,” “The Little Mermaid,” and “Aladdin.”   The Disney Seas the Adventure show was short and had a lot of Disney friends and music which was fun.   The other two shows told those stories.   The Walt Disney theater on this ship now uses projection mapping to have images around the entire theater.    I thought Aladdin was the best of the three shows.  

​We also enjoyed live music around the ship.  There was a singer / piano player in one of the lounges one evening.  There was live music in the “The Bayou” lounge another night.  There was also a trio (and I cannot remember their name) that performed on the stage in the Grand Hall.  They did all of your Disney favorites in a jazz style.  I like hearing Disney songs in a different way so I thought they were great.

Now onto lounges.. We like to go to the early show and then go to a lounge for a drink before dinner.   We tried several this trip and there are still a few we didn’t get to.

The Star Wars Hyperspace lounge was something we definitely wanted to try.   Because of the popularity, you need reservations.   We made our reservations in the terminal before boarding as soon as we connected to the DCL wifi.   There are “family” times when children are allowed and then “adult” times in evening hours.   We found adult times hard to book so we went for a family time on our Nassau day, as we weren’t getting off the ship anyway.
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You check into your reservation and then you push a button for the door to slide open and make the cool “whosh” sound.   The lounge is small but fully themed.  Behind the bar is a big LED screen.  Every so often, there would be a sound and we would jump to lightspeed.  The screen would show that and then we would stop in a new location.   Drinks were listed on an Ipad and we each tried one.   Mine was nothing really special and we really only stayed long enough to enjoy our drinks.   It wouldn’t be a “must do” for me but it was fun.

​Our first night we tried Nightingale’s.   This is on the style of a champagne bar and it also had a piano music at times.   The theme comes from when Cinderella sings “Sing Sweet Nightingale” and the chandelier above the piano represents the soap bubbles from while she is cleaning and singing.   We enjoyed this spot and made a second trip on the last night when there was a woman singing at the piano.  My sister’s drink actually had sparkles in it.  My drink had a round ice cube and it came with a little hammer for you to break it.

​We had wanted to try out “The Rose” and we heard that it can get busy.  This lounge is between Palo and Enchante, the adult restaurants.   We went up there around 4:45 pm and grabbed a seat.  It opened at 5 pm and it was already pretty full by that time.   The signature drink of “The Rose” has a fun presentation!  I ordered “Mrs Tea” not realizing that it also came with a little presentation as well. 

​The last lounge we got to try was “The Bayou.”   This is one space that is not “tucked away” at all.  It is open on the sides and is right on the way to the theater.   The theming is for Princess and the Frog – complete with freshly made beignets.   I really liked the theming.  There is also a little stage and dance floor.  We saw live music happening in there quite often.

​If you look through the activities available on the Disney Wish, it will look pretty similar to other Disney cruises.  There is trivia, beverage tastings, character meet and greets and movies to name a few.

​While talking about movies, this ship as two movie theaters that show Disney movies throughout the day.   One is themed to Peter Pan and one is themed to Alice in Wonderland.   When we were exploring, the Alice in Wonderland theater had a movie playing so we couldn’t enter but we did explore inside the Peter Pan theater.   Again, the details in the theater are so well done.  From the Tinkerbell lights to the carving on the backs of the seats.   Both theaters are very small.   Not an issue on a beautiful day when most guests are outside but not sure how it work out on a rainy day.

As I mentioned in my previous blog, we did the Art of the Ship tour.  This is complimentary and you sign up in the app.  I know that it is offered on other ships but this was the first time I have done it.  It was about an hour and we walked around the 3 main decks inside.  It was a great way to hear about the details of design and see things that I probably would not have noticed on my own.

Speaking of the app, it is very important that you have your app downloaded and ready to use.  EVERYTHING is in the app.   There were no paper navigators each evening waiting for you in your stateroom.   What I liked was being able to see everything that was going to be available for the entire cruise at one time.   I could select “favorite” activities and then the app would push a notification of those activities to my phone and Apple watch 15 minutes before they were scheduled to start.
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One featured activity on the Disney Wish is the Aquamouse.   If you have been on the other ships, you may have experienced the Aquaduck or the Aquadunk.   The Aquamouse is a combination of a ride and a water slide.  Your raft starts out on a conveyor belt (not in water at all) and you move slowly up into a tunnel with a Mickey short playing on different panels as you ascend.  Once you get to the top, your water slide ride begins.  It was very fun!!   I would say my biggest concern was getting in and out of the raft… and it was not easy.  As I came around the corner at the end, I said to the cast member that I am going to need help getting out.  He said “That’s what I am here for” and he was a big help with getting out.  So don’t let that concern stop you!