For clients with older kids, planning family vacations can have an added degree of difficulty, as tweens and teens are notoriously hard to please. Enter the Disney Wish, Disney Cruise Line's latest — and many say, greatest — ship. And while clients with teens may think their kids are too old for Disney Cruise Line, Disney Wish is sure to make all their family vacation dreams come true.
“The Wish may introduce families to cruising who may not have otherwise thought of Disney,” said Jodi Bainter, travel agency sales director for the Walt Disney Company. “It's storytelling at its best; it's imaginative, it's technology, it's innovation — all the things teens are drawn to."
It's storytelling at its best; it's imaginative, it's technology, it's innovation — all the things teens are drawn to.
Not Your Average Teen Clubs: Edge and Vibe
The Wish’s dedicated teen areas — Edge (ages 11-14) and Vibe (ages 14-17) — cater to all types of teen travelers. Kids who aren’t super social can read, watch a movie or play video games, while teens who are “joiners” can participate in organized activities, such as air hockey and foosball.
“There are a lot of competitions [onboard], and teens get really into it,” said Brad Yared, youth activities manager for Disney Cruies line. “We split them into heroes and villains; there are game shows and trivia events; and we take them to the Hero Zone for basketball and the Incredi-Games [for an inflatable Incredibles-themed obstacle course].”
According to Yared, the clubs often end up being hangouts — complete with complimentary coffee and smoothies — and meetup points to explore the ship with newfound friends.
“I loved how easy it was to walk into Vibe and make friends,” said Amber Griswold, a 17-year-old who sailed on the Wish christening cruise. “Plus, we’d play basketball, air hockey and pingpong for hours [in The Hero Zone], so even after Vibe closed, we could still hang out and have fun.”
Edge is designed to look like a New York City loft.
Credit: 2022 Samantha Davis-Friedman
Additionally, kids who are age 13 can float between Edge, Vibe and the Oceaneer Club (designated for ages 3-12).
Meanwhile, onshore at Castaway Cay, Disney’s private island in the Bahamas, has its own dedicated teen area called the Hideout, where kids ages 11-17 can hang out, play foosball and beach volleyball, or maybe even head out on teen-exclusive port adventures such as biking, snorkeling and speed boat rides.
Star Wars and Marvel Come to Life
Two of Disney’s most teen-friendly franchises are well-represented on Disney Wish with the Star Wars: Cargo Bay, Star Wars: Hyperspace Lounge and the Marvel-themed Super Hero Academy, along with the Worlds of Marvel dining experience.
Although they’re located within the Oceaneer Club, Star Wars: Cargo Bay and Marvel Super Hero Academy are also available to teens, said Denise Case, entertainment creative director for Disney Cruise Line.
“We know bigger kids want that space, too — and would love to meet a Wookie,” Case said. “So, we can close it off and have programming just for them.”
But that’s not all — although Hyperspace Lounge is an adults-only bar at night teens can enjoy zero-proof space cocktails (such as the Cloud City, made of oat milk, blue raspberry and Galaxy ice cream; or the Temple Twist, made of apple, mint, pineapple, kiwi and nonalcoholic ginger beer) before 9 p.m.
“Hyperspace Lounge is all the rage,” said Steve Griswold, owner of Pixie Vacations in Atlanta (and Amber's dad), who sailed on Wish with two teenage daughters. “Most cruise lines wouldn’t [allow] teens in a lounge space, but Wish lets families enjoy Hyperspace Lounge with kids … so they can make TikTok videos and Instagram posts to flex to their friends.”
Fans of the MCU can meet their favorite Avengers in the Marvel Super Hero Academy.
Credit: 2022 Disney Cruise LineWorlds of Marvel is available to all passengers as part of the Wish’s rotational dining, but only those who visit Super Hero Academy get the backstory (parents can visit during open house). Nevertheless, teens may still need to explain the ins and outs of the plotlines to non-Marvel fans in their family.
Marvel characters Ant-Man and the Wasp lead an interactive demonstration of the Quantum Core (a device that uses “Pym Technologies” to shrink and grow objects) on screens throughout the restaurant; however, something goes wrong, and — along with Captain America, Captain Marvel and Ms. Marvel (a teen herself) — diners must leap into action to save the ship.
Walt Disney World — at Sea
If other cruise ships are described as “Las Vegas at sea,” Disney Wish is “Walt Disney World at sea.” In the Wish-exclusive Imagineering Lab (also located in the Oceaneer Club), theme park-loving teens can design their own rollercoaster and learn a few tricks of the Imagineering trade, including how to make a Pepper’s Ghost (the illusion that creates the Haunted Mansion’s waltzing ghosts).
The reimagined Oceaneer Club is Wonderland come to life; however, Disney didn’t stop there. They completely refreshed the spaces for tweens and teens with entertainment and activities just for them, plus lots of colorful, Instagram-worthy walls to take selfies with new friends.
Last, but certainly not least, the AquaMouse — Disney’s first attraction at sea — combines a theme park ride and a waterslide into one exciting (and very wet) adventure with Mickey and Minnie Mouse. Plus, there are two original storylines, so the ride is different on each day of the cruise.
“The designers of the Disney Wish considered the needs of the family, both as a unit and as individuals, and delivered spaces everyone can enjoy,” said Beci Mahnken of MEI-Travel in Issaquah, Wash., who also sailed on the Wish christening cruise. “The reimagined Oceaneer Club is Wonderland come to life; however, Disney didn’t stop there. They completely refreshed the spaces for tweens and teens with entertainment and activities just for them, plus lots of colorful, Instagram-worthy walls to take selfies with new friends.”
