Disney Cruise Line Hot Takes…Which Side Are You On?

Addicted to the Mouse: Disney Podcast | Disney World, Universal, & Cruise Vacation Planning

In this episode of Addicted to the Mouse, hosts Dana Leslie and Speaker 2 dive into 50 controversial hot takes about Disney Cruise Line, sou

Key takeaways

The Disney Wish's modern layout is praised for its design but criticized for operational inefficiencies like dead-end hallways and limited elevator access.
Castaway Cay remains a nostalgic favorite despite the superior sand and water at Lookout Cay at Lighthouse Point, which is on a public island with residents.

Main topics

Disney Wish ship layout controversy
Castaway Cay vs. Lookout Cay at Lighthouse Point

Notable quotes

"The Disney Wish layout is an operational disaster compared to the classic ships."

"Castaway Cay is vastly superior to Lookout Cay at Lighthouse Point."

Conclusion

While the hosts acknowledge valid criticisms about newer ship layouts and service strain due to

Transcript preview

Speaker 2 (0:00) We did a Disney World Hot Takes episode a couple of months ago, and it was so fun. We're doing it again today with Disney Cruise Line. Hello and welcome to Addicted to the Mouse. Today is Wednesday, September 2nd. You're listening to episode number 829, and this is Disney Cruise Line Hot Takes. Which side are you on? Speaker 1 (0:28) Hey, everybody. Dana Leslie here. Thanks for joining us today. I am in the throes of it with Disney Cruise Line right now. So that's what I have on my brain. Today, Speaker 2 (0:38) really this whole week is intense. So if you did not listen to our last podcast, Disney Cruise Line released fall 2027 and spring 2028 sailings for all of their cruise ships, save the Believe, which is coming out. We'll see. We'll see. It's coming out. Coming out next year, but we don't know exactly when, so they didn't release those itineraries, so we can't book that yet. I feel like that's coming, Speaker 1 (1:06) though. I feel like in about a month, month and a half, we'll have information. Speaker 2 (1:10) Probably. Yeah, we have to because it's going to come out next year. But we do have, we have got transatlantic sailings. We have Panama Canal sailings. We have got New York sailings, which is insanely popular right now. If you have ever thought about sailing out of New York City, there are eight itineraries, and they... They are... going to sell out fast. Like they are going like hotcakes. So if you think you might want to be on one of those eight sailings from New York City, you need to book that sooner than later. This week is all Castaway Club and DVC members and Club 33 members and Adventure by Disney Insiders. All of those groups of people. It opens, all of these itineraries open for general booking starting on Tuesday, September 8th. So that's what we've been up to this week. That and food and wine. Speaker 1 (1:58) That's right. So if you, are wanting to book a Disney cruise, definitely reach out to your favorite Fantastical Vacations advisor. We would love to help you. And if you book a Disney cruise with us, you get an onboard credit as a thank you for booking with us. You Speaker 2 (2:12) do. Absolutely. And you can see more about that on our website, fantasticalvacations.com. Speaker 1 (2:16) Yeah. And then you mentioned food and wine. So we have actually spent the last two. Very wet, rainy afternoons. It Speaker 2 (2:23) has been more rainy. It has been rainy all week here in central Florida. I Speaker 1 (2:27) even had my Gore-Tex like weatherproof shoes on and I just like, I got home and I was like, I'm starting to feel like the inside of them are wet. And I took off my shoes and my socks had started to get damp. So I'm like, oh, take it. I'm like, I'm so tired of being wet. So Speaker 2 (2:41) my socks were a little bit damp too, but that was because of sweat and not because the Gore-Tex failed or anything, but we were walking through puddles all afternoon. It was, it was crazy. So, um, we spent three days. at Halloween Horror Nights this past weekend. Obviously we did the On The Go podcast on Sunday and it was fantastic, but it rained every single afternoon. So we had to continue with that. And then we come back here. We had Monday, not off, but we weren't going anywhere recording anything. But then yesterday and today, very rainy afternoons in Epcot. So we were actually sitting at a picnic table, eating food and wine food and trying beverages and everything. There were three of us yesterday and when all three of us had umbrellas over our heads, doing our review. So it was quite the experience. Speaker 1 (3:22) And the water was like dripping off of our umbrellas into our food. We were like, oh, make it stop. Yep. Speaker 2 (3:28) All Speaker 1 (3:28) right. So let's, I don't, we don't really have any news. There's a couple of like. Speaker 1 (3:35) menu thingies that I might mention next week on next week's podcast. But we have quite the podcast to talk about. So let's just dive right in. Speaker 2 (3:43) Yeah, yeah. I mean, we do have reviews, but we're Speaker 1 (3:45) going Speaker 2 (3:45) to skip that today too, just because we have so much to do tonight still on cruise lines and everything, getting all of that situated. So we have got... 50 hot takes and I did not come up with these hot takes I asked AI for just to give me as many hot takes as it could find on the internet and it came up with 50 hot takes for Disney Cruise Line they are organized in several different categories I believe we have five categories here the first one is wish class drama and fleet ship wars so We're Speaker 1 (4:16) just Speaker 2 (4:16) going to start from the top. We're going to do number one. The Disney Wish layout is an operational disaster compared to the classic ships. All Speaker 1 (4:22) right. I will say that there are a lot of things that make this ship a little confusing. There are some dead-end hallways. There are the lack of a central midship. elevator and staircase and everything. So it can feel a little frustrating, especially if you're super used to the classic ship layout. I will say the more I go though, the less frustrating it is to me. Speaker 2 (4:51) Once you get used to it, it is better. However, if you are used to sailing classic ships in the Disney fleet and you go to a Wish-class ship, I can definitely see why this is a hot take. And when the Wish, the Disney Wish, came out in 2022, that was the big talk. I mean, it was all about like only three, two elevator banks instead of three elevator banks. And it was like the lack of a one-level jogging track. Like you can get out and jog, but you've got to like... traverse stairs and stuff so it's not all on the same deck um the fact that the adults only area dead ends up there and like just getting to pa uh not paulo um the cove cafe that is a nightmare it's just like so far away it is and you have to go out in the wind and the rain and all that stuff and you'll get up there and you'll like walk across the ship and you'll get up there and it'll be packed and you can't even get in and it's like darn it um so i do hate all those things however i'm gonna play devil's advocate here and say just the grand hall atrium is amazing i love walking in there. It is huge. It feels like a modern ship. You've got characters waving at you. There's a stage in there and that is really fun. They do a lot of entertainment and stuff on that stage. The whole ship feels like a modern layout compared to like an outdated 1990s ocean liner, which is what those original ships were really made to be out to be like with. like the Art Deco feel for the dream and the fantasy, the Art Deco and Art Nouveau feel. So I do appreciate a lot of the finishes, a lot of the touches, and just integrating the IP everywhere. So I think... I don't think either one of us have a strong opinion. We love the new ships. We love the old ships. Speaker 1 (6:24) Yeah, yeah, for sure. All right, number two is Castaway Cay is vastly superior to Lookout Cay at Lighthouse Point. Speaker 2 (6:30) I can definitely see the argument here. So we were on the inaugural sailing that went to Lookout Cay at Lighthouse Point back in 2024. And we've been since then, we've been again. And I don't hate that island. I like it, but I do definitely have some nostalgia from Castaway Cay. We've been going to Castaway Cay for so long. That is the OG Disney private island. Lookout Key at Lighthouse Point is not even its own private island. It is a private area at the southern tip of Eleuthera, which is a public island. It is a, well, not a public island, but it is an inhabited island. There are residents there. And so it is not just like Castaway Key where it's you and only you on the entire island. I appreciate that Castaway Key has a lot of mature like palm trees and the shade is really grown in as opposed to Lookout Key at Lighthouse Point. Speaker 1 (7:17) Yeah, and I have to say the... Beach at Lookout Key is the best sand I've ever felt in my entire life. I will Speaker 2 (7:23) agree. The sand on the beach at Lookout Key is better than Castaway. Speaker 1 (7:26) And Speaker 2 (7:26) the Speaker 1 (7:26) water is absolutely stunning. It is. So I think that they're just very, very different. They are. I think they both offer their own little thing. I think they both have Speaker 2 (7:35) pros and cons. Speaker 1 (7:36) All Speaker 2 (7:36) right. Number three, the Disney Magic and Disney Wonder are outdated and need to be retired from the fleet. I Speaker 1 (7:41) don't agree with this. I mean, I do think that they are definitely getting old. Speaker 1 (7:47) the design obviously is probably not exactly what people would want, like coming into like the new age of mega ships and all of this, but they're like quaintness and how intimate and small they are really adds to the experience and the cast member service and, and all of that. So, um, and, and they've, it's gone through, both of them have gone through dry docks. They've, you know, gotten updated themed areas and they have been updated, but it's, you know, they are definitely aging. Speaker 2 (8:18) Look, these ships are turning 30 years old here soon in a few years. And so I definitely agree that they are getting up there in age. However, they are not, that is not really what people talk about. People talk about the size more than anything because these two ships. They are the only two smaller ships in the entire Disney fleet. So they are a maximum of about 2,700 passengers, both the Magic and the Wonder, and all of the other ships are around 4,000 passengers. And so it's more of a size thing, a comparison, than an old outdated ship versus the new brand new ships. And I think that's fair because honestly, even... Disney does a good job of keeping up their ships. They retheme spaces. They keep them fresh. They keep them clean. So I don't think that's the problem at all. All right. Number four, the Aqua Mouse is a disappointing ride that does not live up to the, quote unquote, first attraction at sea hype. I Speaker 1 (9:08) actually kind of agree with this. I Speaker 2 (9:10) do Speaker 1 (9:10) too. I mean, now to be fair and fully transparent, I'm not the biggest like water ride person. So, you know, take that for what you will. But, um, but yeah, it's just, I felt like I stood in line for a really, really long time and it was very fast and I was like, well, that was kind of pointless. So I, I just, I, but I do appreciate the little story inside and the little cute soundtrack and, and all of that. I think that that is, there's a lot of perks to it, but it's just, it's not my thing. Speaker 2 (9:44) I, I, I. We're trying to do opposing viewpoints here, but we also agree on most things. So I do agree with you. I was not blown away by the Aqua Mouse. The Aqua Mouse is the aqua coaster thing on the Wish Class ships. It's fine. There are screens like as you're going up the little incline ramp thing. There are screens that kind of tell a story, but it's like a really short ride. Like as soon as you get up that little incline. it's very quick and then it's over and it's not thrilling really at all. I don't think it's worth the wait at all. There are much better slides at sea. Like just look at Royal Caribbean, any of the icon class ships and you'll be blown away by the water park at sea. As long as the slides are open. We want to start the seas. They have six water slides and half of them were closed when we went to do the water slides that day. So it's a little bit of a problem. Okay. What do Speaker 1 (10:34) we Speaker 2 (10:34) got next? All Speaker 1 (10:35) right. Next is Disney treasure and destiny are turning DCL into an over. loud IP coaster fleet. I Speaker 2 (10:41) don't know about the coaster fleet. And I don't know about overly loud. I appreciate intellectual property IP in not only the theme parks, but also on the cruise ships. I get into that. And I think it's kind of. odd when Disney fans complain about Disney incorporating IP. I mean, I don't understand that. That is the magic. I mean, yes, you have the magic of the cast members. Yes, you have the magic of like the Epcot pavilions and that's really fun, but... It's the movies. Disney at its core is an entertainment company, and it's the movies that keep us coming back. It's the IP that we fell in love with. I mean, Goofy is my favorite character. Donald Duck is your favorite character. I'm sure Mickey Mouse is a ton of people's favorite character. Tiana and Princess and Moana and all these princesses. And I just, like, why would you not want the IP? to be integrated into your vacation. I just don't get that. Speaker 1 (11:34) I know. And I mean, I'm 45 years old and I squeal whenever I see somebody walking down the hallway. Like if I see like Pluto walking towards me, I'm like, oh my God, there's Pluto. Speaker 2 (11:44) I love it. Speaker 1 (11:45) And I think that there needs to be that level of entertainment. And I do appreciate that the treasure and the destiny have these storytellers that aren't necessarily intellectual property, that they're pulling in some different. aspects of storytelling as well. Speaker 2 (12:01) Number six, seven night sailings are too long. Four night cruises are the absolute sweet spot. Speaker 1 (12:07) Oh, oh man. I see. I can't, I disagree with this. Okay. So four nights are great, especially if you just need like a quick getaway or you can't like, um, you can't get away for a full seven nights. I definitely wouldn't go less than four nights. Like here I am talking like that. And here we're going on a three night cruise in a month, but But four nights is like, I feel like a very good sweet spot. I Speaker 2 (12:31) don't think I would do a three night sailing for my first ever Disney cruise. I just think that's too short. Even though we've done several of them in the past and we're doing one here in a month, we have done a lot of Disney cruises. And so like we know what to expect. We know exactly. And the three night for us, it leaves at a Port Canaveral. It's an hour and 10 minutes from our house to the port. And we'll be back in our home drinking coffee in our PJs before most people ever leave the ship. We get off, you know, we're the first ones, one of the first people off the ship. And so that to me is. perfect for just a quick weekend away. Now, if I am a new cruiser, we typically recommend four or five night sailings for brand new Disney cruisers. Not because we don't like seven night cruises. We love seven night cruises, but because if they don't know if they get seasick on a cruise ship, a seven night cruise without knowing that is a little bit, um, that could be a little bit. unnerving if you get on the ship and you're like oh there are six days left and i'm seasick is this going to continue to last most people will get over it like as the cruise ship goes one way or another um but it just that feels kind of daunting and then the cost like if you've never taken a disney cruise you're not sure if it's going to be worth the value if the value is there for you um you can get out a little bit uh less expensive by obviously cutting the number of nights on the sailing that being said i love seven night cruises. I really feel like it's a sweet spot. We have done longer cruises. I feel like a 10 night into a 12 night, like that's going to get into maybe a little bit too long for a lot of people. But honestly, I don't think seven nights is really too long for anybody if they know they like cruising and they know they like Disney. Speaker 1 (14:02) Yeah, no, I 100 % agree with that. All right. Next up, the Disney fantasy is secretly the single best all around ship in the entire fleet. I Speaker 2 (14:09) mean. So for the longest time, I would 100 % agree with this. I still almost agree with this. Between the Treasure and the Fantasy, those are my two top ships. And it really just has to do with the theming of the lounges and the layout of the spaces and everything. So I wouldn't say it's the best ship in the fleet, but it's one of the best for sure. Speaker 1 (14:29) It definitely is. It definitely is. I can't even go against that, actually. All right. Speaker 2 (14:35) Number eight is paying for extra. Paying extra for the concierge level is a complete waste of money. Speaker 1 (14:42) You know, I can see both sides of this because I think that paying all of the extra money that it costs to sail concierge to be able to like board faster and debark faster and have your private lounge and the like free popcorn. If you look at all of that, yes, it's quite a bit of a markup for those extra perks, but Whenever you experience it, sometimes those extra perks are very much worth it. I Speaker 2 (15:13)