Disney Wish Cruise Ship Delayed & Bookings Paused
Disney Cruise Line’s brand new ship, the Disney Wish, has been delayed from its Summer 2022 debut date. This post will share details about the postponement of the Wish, impacted sail dates, discounts and what to do if you’re impacted, plus our commentary on this and why it’s happening.
Let’s start with the key dates: the Disney Wish was previously scheduled to sail its maiden voyage on June 9, 2022, followed by a season of 3-4 night cruises to Nassau, Bahamas, and Disney Cruise Line’s private island, Castaway Cay, from Port Canaveral, Florida.
Bookings opened to the general public last year on May 27, and the opening season booked up incredibly quickly. In fact, we couldn’t even book the maiden voyage, despite being Castaway Club members eligible to make reservations prior to the general public. Unlike most other Disney Cruise Line sailings over the last several months, the new Disney Wish has been–or was–selling like hotcakes despite the higher prices.
Unfortunately, Disney Cruise Line has been forced to delay the maiden voyage of the Disney Wish by approximately 6 weeks, which will impact the first 12 sailings, through mid-July 2022. This is due to construction challenges by the company’s partners at the Meyer Werft shipyard.
Guests who were booked on the original maiden voyage will be automatically shifted to a new sail date of July 14, 2022 at a 50% discount. If those sailing on the maiden voyage are unable to move to the new July 14 itinerary, they will have the option of either a 50% discount on a future cruise departing by December 31, 2023, with any originally paid funds converted to a future cruise credit or a full refund.
Guests originally booked on the other affected sailings will have the option of either a 50% discount on a future cruise departing by December 31, 2023, with any originally paid funds converted to a future cruise credit, or a full refund. However, these guests will not automatically be rebooked, meaning they’ll have to find (and compete with one another for) availability on other sailings, many of which are already quite limited or sold out.
All impacted sailings are as follows:
- June 9, 2022,
- June 14, 2022 (Disney Vacation Club Member Cruise)
- June 17, 2022
- June 20, 2022
- June 24, 2022
- June 27, 2022
- July 1, 2022
- July 4, 2022
- July 8, 2022
- July 11, 2022
- July 15, 2022
- July 18, 2022
The Disney Vacation Club sailing will be automatically moved to July 19, 2022. The regular sailing schedule of the Disney Wish resumes on July 22, 2022.
Additionally, Disney Cruise Line has temporarily paused the sale of all Disney Wish sailings while processing these changes. As a result, all affected sailings will no longer be visible online or in the Disney Cruise Line Navigator app.
On February 8, Disney Wish sales will resume and new sailings may be booked online. The Disney Cruise Line contact center will also be available to assist in booking new Disney Wish sailings beginning February 8, 2022.
Below is a revised list of Disney Wish itineraries for 2022-2023 that will be bookable when reservations resume:
When it comes to commentary, this is a really big blow for the biggest budget project of the year at Disney’s Parks & Resorts (or whatever they’re calling it now) division.
There’s a lot less reader interest about Disney Cruise Line as compared to Walt Disney World–for those who haven’t been keeping close tabs on things, the Wish has been a bright spot, with a lot of excitement for what looks like a spectacular new ship.
We are booked for one of the impacted sailings, and we’d 100% rather this be done right than on time. The delay is disappointing, but it’s absolutely the correct course of action rather than trying to rush things.
That happened with one of the ship reimaginings several years ago, and paying guests were understandably upset. The same people who are annoyed by this delay would almost certainly complain if they set sail on an unfinished or rough-around-the-edges ship.
Even setting aside the realities of the present environment–when delays are occurring on everything from construction of new homes to video games I wanted to play last year–this kind of thing happens sometimes. Obviously, it’s going to be a letdown for a lot of people, and we’re not trying to suggest anyone be “happy” about this. Just not angry or unreasonable.
Unlike some projects at Walt Disney World that have intentionally had their timelines prolonged, work on the Disney Wish has been moving as quickly as possible. In short, we’re accepting and understanding of this delay–and the 50% discount as guest recovery is very much appreciated. Dealing with the call center will probably be a hassle, but thus far, Disney Cruise Line appears to be handling this appropriately.
Beyond that, we take this delay at face value. Meyer Werft, the shipmaker behind several Disney Cruise Line ships, has had to delay its timetables before, so this would hardly be unprecedented. On top of that, issues have occurred around the world as a result of Omicron, which has caused work stoppages and delays due to sickness-related staffing shortages.
We’re not suggesting that’s what has happened with the Disney Wish–we have no clue. This could be a garden variety construction delay that’s totally unrelated to Omicron illnesses or more stringent workplace rules. (UPDATE: Disney Cruise Line confirmed that this is *exactly* what happened.)
What we are suggesting is that this is almost certainly a bona-fide construction delay, not Disney Cruise Line using construction as a pretense for pushing back the maiden voyage. To our knowledge, Disney Wish bookings for opening season have been incredibly strong, so there’s no reason for the company to voluntarily postpone. This delay will be a big financial hit that is detrimental, not beneficial, to Disney.
Interestingly, just earlier today, Schiffe-und-kreuzfahrten reported that the Disney Wish is expected to be undocked at Meyer Werft shipyard in Papenburg, Germany this weekend. Per that, the undocking schedule is unofficial, depends on various factors, and is subject to delay.
On a tangentially-related note, some of the reason I’m okay with the delay might be because I’m not exactly enthusiastic about setting sail with DCL at this point. I shared this in a post last week, but I’m in “wait and see” mode, wanting a greater return to normal. (This has nothing to do with safety. To the contrary, as someone vaccinated and boosted, I’m totally comfortable doing anything now.)
To each their own, but from my perspective there are too many hoops to jump through, compromises to the on-board experience, and the potential risk of being denied boarding erroneously. I realize many of these policies are beyond Disney’s control, but the “why” of the rules matters less to me than their existence. I’ve felt this way about recent deeply-discounted itineraries on the classic ships, and feel even more so that way about setting sail on the Disney Wish, which is going to cost us exponentially more money.
For what it’s worth, Sarah vehemently disagrees with my perspective on hoops and compromises. She got a great rate on a cruise and did it with girl friends instead of me, and said the ship was practically empty—they had a blast. (It’s definitely worth looking at rates if you don’t mind the rules or risks–or are a Floridian–and want to take advantage of uncrowded sailings and lower prices.)
With that said, I am also really, really excited for the Disney Wish. It’s actually a bit difficult to reconcile my general indifference towards cruising right now with my hype for this new ship. Everything that Disney has revealed about this new ship (except the price points) makes me more enthusiastic about the upcoming ship.
The Disney Wish looks amazing, like the next generation of cruising. It’s as if Imagineering took a huge leap forward, iterating on past designs to make technical, functional, and storytelling improvements in the process. It’s still early, but the Disney Wish looks significantly better than its predecessors, which is really saying something since those ships are exceptional.
The dining slate looks formidable and unique, the already-great rooms look even nicer, and AquaMouse is exactly the type of attraction (at sea) that is perfect for Disney Cruise Line–something only Imagineering could do. Reasonable minds may differ, but I’m personally pleased that Disney hasn’t gone over the top in adding crazy recreational options that impinge upon the classic aesthetics of the ship’s design.
In short, I love what Disney Cruise Line has shown of the Wish thus far, and am incredibly pleased with both its style and substance. I’m also fine waiting another month or two if it means a more polished experience and, maybe, a more normal one, too.
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YOUR THOUGHTS
What do you think about this news that the Disney Wish will be delayed by over a month? Are you impacted by the ship’s delivery being postponed? Excited for the Disney Wish, or is it too expensive/not for you? Do you plan on booking a cruise aboard this ship, or are you awaiting early reviews and more details? Do you agree or disagree with our advice and assessment? Any questions? Hearing feedback about your experiences is both interesting to us and helpful to other readers, so please share your thoughts below in the comments!
Well da*m… bday is June 16th (& my Godsons 1 year old anniversary is in July) and we were due to leave June 17th. Ours DOESNT get rescheduled… which is the only thing I’m upset about… was extremely excited to be on the 3rd sailing ever where everything would be brand new. Feel it’s wrong to outright cancel cruises for the fans that were the most eager to go first with no option accept to try to fight to get an opening 4 or 5 months down the road.
Probably won’t be able to get a reservation till November once they go back up on the 8th. Was on the Magic it’s opening summer & have been on Wonder & Dream (stayed in the Royal Suite…was amazing) the last 2 years. But couldn’t get a concierge room on the Wish until November but wanted to go on 1 of the first sailings…. well I guess that decision was made for me lol…. I’ll be getting the soonest concierge room available i guess.
Godson 1 year old bday* not anniversary lol ♂️
Back in 1998 I was booked on the Magic for the cruise following the maiden voyage in April. Ship wasn’t ready, and we were offered 25% discount. We rebooked for May and ship wasn’t completed till July. We rebooked for October and got another 25% discount. I regret not booking when reservations opened for Wish.
Tom, sprechen Sie Deutsch? 🙂
Nein.
However, I do know what sprechen sie Deutsch means (I couldn’t spell it–just was asked that question a lot growing up).
Ha, fair enough. I was curious since you linked to that German website (Schiffe-und-kreuzfahrten). Thanks for your awesome blog!
I saw the announcement of this delay and was slightly disappointed we didn’t get bumped (we are supposed to cruise in the Fall). Would have gladly taken that 50% discount. 😉
Apologies if someone else has already pointed it out, but under the list of affected cruises you write: “The Disney Cruise Line sailing will be automatically moved to July 19, 2022”.
I believe you meant to say “The Disney Vacation Club Sailing” (the sailing immediately after the maiden voyage) will be automatically moved to July 19, 2022″.
Whoops, thanks for the heads up!
We’re on the Labor Day weekend Wish cruise so not affected by this delay. We are cruise newbies who specifically booked for the Wish, but I’m probably in the minority who almost wishes our cruise had been affected just for that 50% off haha. That is a solid consolation prize for something outside Disney’s control (and from what I’ve seen on Twitter applies to any Disney cruise which makes sense why it’s so generous if Disney is hoping to shuffle some of these reservations to other under-booked ships). I do feel sorry for those who won’t be able to reschedule and have to push back Wish cruises indefinitely, especially after a couple years now of people’s vacations being ruined.
We just got the email and are affected by the travel dates indicated. We won’t be able to go on July 14th because my husband’s job already has the month of July and August booked solid for vacation days from other employees. I guess we’ll have to book for next summer! The discount helps!
Having seen the update posts with construction images about the Wish, I’m not surprised at all about this situation. I was wondering how it would be possible to get it finished in time. When the time is right she’s going to be a beauty, and I’m looking forward to our first family voyage! We sailed on RC Anthem’s holiday cruise and it was very chill and enjoyable (albeit at about half capacity), so curious to compare the two and experience with the theming.
Wow 50% off! Makes me wish we’d booked a cruise! But we’re with you Tom on the whole unwillingness to risk being denied boarding/jumping through hoops/affects on the experience situation. It’s just too expensive a trip for us (especially from the west coast) to stress about that stuff, but to each his own of course! The ship looks amazing so I’m jealous of all who get the chance to experience it! I look forward to hearing about your experience Tom!
Not too disappointed because the naw date works for me and I’m loving the 50% off. Sad for people that this won’t work for.
I feel sorry for anyone who will have their trip dates impacted, but from what I’ve seen of DCL pricing, a 50% discount is quite the windfall! I hope it won’t be too hard for folks to take these lemons and make lemonade…
Well that is disappointing news for you & everyone affected. And of course for Disney’s bottom line. We are booked to travel on the Wish in the fall, so are not affected by this delay. I’m looking forward to cruising in the fall, as we are doing two ships in order to have sailed on all 5 of Disney’s vessels. We have a 5 night sailing on the Dream booked out of Miami as well. I must say that coming from Canada I find these shorter sailings rather disappointing, as I like to spend more time exploring the ships and getting to know them. However, doing two sailings (granted on two different ships) will make it feel like a longer cruise overall. Plus we are looking forward to checking out Miami & the coast between there & Port Canaveral. I agree with Sarah, the hoops are fine to be able to travel! If it’s changed for the fall, that’s a bonus, but we are going in prepared for the hassles. It’s a bit riskier from Canada, as if we test positive we can’t return for 11 more days, but we have travelled to the US twice in the past 6 months & been fine so far. We are fully vaxxed & boosted, but anything is possible at this stage.
I’m wondering how the rebooking process goes, and would be interested to hear what your experience is. Given that fares have gone up since the initial release, I presume that if you choose the same stateroom type your original fare is honoured (less the 50% of course). But if you choose to up or downgrade, how do they determine your price? Based on the current rates for that stateroom type? Nevermind that you would have been able to pay less when originally booking. I’m probably too detail oriented for my own good! lol.
We were booked on the Wish’s Maiden Voyage and were on the wait list for the DVC Members cruise to follow. I’m fine with the rescheduling, and thrilled with the 50% discount for my inconvenience. Totally unnecessary! We are retired, so there is no trouble rescheduling for us. Perhaps some DVC members won’t be able to make the second sailing of the Wish, and we’ll be able to enjoy a B2B on the newest, most spectacular ship yet! We are also booked on the Hawaiian Cruise in April on the Wonder and are keeping our fingers crossed that it doesn’t get rescheduled…again! We were so looking forward to it in 2020 and so sad when it was cancelled.
We are booked for a 3 night on the Wish in September. I completely agree with everything you said. We had a Royal Caribbean cruise booked for June and I canceled it, planning to rebook, because I don’t want to deal with all the things either. We are all vaccinated and boosted, but I worry about being denied anyway (false positives are a thing as are actual positives with no symptoms). I’m very much hoping that by September these requirements are gone. We generally don’t have a lot of leeway with dates, but as this is a weekend cruise, if it gets moved, I’d be okay. I really want it to be the ship it’s supposed to be, without any shortcuts. We very specifically chose the Wish because we wanted to try the Wish. I doubt delays will go all the way into September, but if I’d had a June cruise with Disney, I’d be with you. Done right is worth the wait. Are you planning to rebook as soon as possible? (This is to say, will you guys be choosing a date in July or August, I’d love to hear your review before it’s our turn).
I also love everything I have read about the Wish … EXCEPT for the 3-4 night itineraries. Perhaps if I lived in FL a 3-4 night cruise would be “worth it” for me, but even then … these ships are huge, and loaded with “stuff”, and the idea of seeing it all in 3 days is ridiculous. I can’t imagine cruising for less than 7 days.
Which all begs the question … is this going to be IT for the Wish? Is there ever a possibility it will do longer cruises? Or do we have to wait for the next 2 ships in the line and hope that they have longer itineraries?
Hi, Anne. I don’t know if this will help, but you can book back-to-back cruises (combining 3 and 4 day itineraries into one week-long trip). There is some hassle with the transition but cruise ships are generally very good about smoothing out the rough edges for its customers who are staying onboard. I don’t foresee Disney offering a lot of 7-day itineraries because so much of its business is booking combined park/cruise vacations which usually have a combined duration of about a week. Whatever you decide, I hope you have fun!
We are not affected yet (booked for July 29), but as a family that has never cruised before, I was really counting on first-hand reviews from people like you to help me prioritize activities and dining selections! Assuming there are no additional delays, now we will be some of the first onboard. I completely agree with your take, though; this feels necessary and understandable, and I’d be happy with the discount offer if we had been impacted.
This affects my trip for the 4th July sailing. I have just received the email and they say that the delay was caused by the effects of the OMICRON wave:
“The shipyard has notified us that despite their very best efforts, they will need more time to finish our ship due in part to the pandemic and particularly the arrival of the Omicron variant in Germany at a critical point in the process.”
The 50% discount is great. I already used on this trip the 10% discount for pre-booking onboard, I guess I will not gain more 10%. The only problem is what to do on those days that we are not on the ship.
I agree with you. I don’t want to go back onboard until it is the full Disney that I’ve loved since 1999.
My family has a B2B booked for early August 2022. So approximately 3 weeks after the NEW Inaugural cruise is set to sail. I am so excited about the Wish and the fact that we will hopefully be closer to the first sailings makes me nervous but happy at the same time. Fingers crossed that the delay doesn’t extend.
This affects our June 20th sailing and the 5 day add on at the parks. (The Poly) I have no desire to spend 5 roasting days at the parks in August.
That’s a bummer! Great point about the trickle down effects too. Chances of guests getting their peripheral vacation components (flights, hotels, etc) to line up with a new sailing are going to be pretty impossible. There is already very little inventory for certain weeks this summer at Disney World. We are doing the Disney Dream double dip the week before Christmas and there are still a lot of rooms available on that one! We are excited about it and will book the Wish as an on board booking for 2023/24 at that point. Let the kinks work out. Sorry your cruise and resort trip got messed up. That’s a bummer. Hopefully you can use the 50% off still.
We also misunderstood what the TA was saying. We thought all the affected cruises were being pushed back. Except for the maiden voyage, that is not the case. We are just cancelled and have to search for an acceptable open cabin on one of the unaffected cruises. We are flying from PA so weather, as well as school schedules and vacation time have to be figured out. What a headache. On the bright side if we can figure it out it will be much less expensive.
Off topic question, but does anyone know if David’s and DVC Rental Store have access to the same inventory of villas? If not, is it worth placing a deposit with both of them to increase one’s odds of getting a villa during holiday season? (We placed a deposit with DVC Rental Store 2 weeks ago and still haven’t secured a villa for Thanksgiving week 2022).
Thanks for any thoughts!
Sara, Technically the inventory is the same (DVC availability) however they have a different pool of DVC owners to pull points from, so it may be worth trying both. I have always had great luck with DVC rental store, personally. I jsut got a quote for New Years 2022 (we decided to do July 4 instead) but they did send me a timely quote and was available at the time they sent it. They do then have to match you with a person who has the points to actually make the booking on your behalf. It took me a few years to book Poly for Thanksgiving that way as it kept selling out before we could book it. We finally grabbed it for Thanksgiving 2018 but I had to book exactly 11 months out to the day.
Ditto to @Larissa re points vs inventory. Back in Sept. ’21 I tried to book an AKL Grand Villa through Dave’s (they’re cheaper). After a couple of days they came back to me and said they didn’t have a DVC member with the kind of points needed to secure the villa. I went to DVC Rental Store, who I think have a larger base of DVC members with points, and got the reservations within 24 hours. (I’m not dissing Dave’s. I use them frequently. They are terrific to work with.)
We had the opposite experience than Chris. After using David’s for three trips, with success at getting our first choice, we decided to to try DVC rental store because they only required a deposit and there is a cancellation policy (of sorts) that allows you to cancel a trip and you get a credit (off hand I want to say this had to be done 120 days out from your trip). But it took WEEKS for DVC rental store to get back to us and only to tell us that we couldn’t get our preferred booking for our whole visit and we’d have to do a split stay (which they offered to arrange). We aren’t interested in having to pack and move during our vacation so we just cancelled the deposit. We went back to David’s who was able to get us a booking for our first choice within days of sending the deposit. It should be noted that David’s is 100% non refundable and with no credit option. Chris is correct that David’s is cheaper.