Our Family’s Favorite Things to Do on the Disney Wish with Young Kids
One of the things we love most about sailing on the Disney Wish with young kids is that there’s always something to do. Between the pools, character meet and greets, crafts, movies, and so much more, our kids never seem to run out of things they’re excited to do.
As much as we look forward to our days at Castaway Cay and Lookout Cay, we also love spending time on the ship. After several Disney Cruises with our two kids, currently ages 5 and 2 ½, there are a handful of activities we find ourselves looking forward to every trip.
Our Favorite Disney Wish Activities for Young Kids
There are plenty of ways to spend your time onboard the Disney Wish, but these are the activities our family always makes time for.
Splash Around at Toy Story Splash Zone
My 2 ½-year-old absolutely loved spending time at Toy Story Splash Zone. This area is designed for kids ages 4 and under. It’s also the only water play area onboard where kids who aren’t potty trained can play, since swim diapers aren’t permitted in the pools or on the waterslides. If you’re cruising with a toddler, this is definitely a spot you’ll want to know about.
We ended up stopping here several times throughout our cruise because everything is just his size. There are lots of water spray features, interactive play areas, and a couple of small slides, so he could run around and explore without having to compete for space with older kids enjoying the pools and waterslides.
Parents are required to stay with their kids, so I’d recommend wearing your swimsuit or clothes you don’t mind getting wet. We found that out the hard way. It’s nearly impossible to stay dry while following a toddler through all the splash features. We’d also recommend bringing water shoes for both you and your little one. Adults are asked to remove their shoes before stepping into the splash area, and we found the surface could get a little slippery. A waterproof phone pouch is another thing we’re always glad we packed after realizing how often we were reaching for our phones with soaking wet hands.
There was always a lifeguard on duty whenever we visited, and we appreciated having someone there to help make sure everyone was playing safely while keeping the area reserved for younger kids. It quickly became one of our son’s favorite places to play onboard.
Take a Ride on the Waterslide & Water Coaster
Leading up to our cruise, my 5-year-old was so excited to see that the Disney Wish had waterslides. Once we got onboard though, he decided he wasn’t quite ready to give them a try, and that was completely okay. There’s always next time.
If your little one is ready to give them a try, there are two different options to choose from. Neither of them has a minimum age requirement, so the main thing you’ll need to check is your child’s height. Slide-a-saurus Rex is the smaller of the two and requires riders to be at least 38” tall. The AquaMouse is a water coaster with a 42” height requirement (48” to ride alone), and kids under age 7 need to ride with someone who is at least 14 years old.
My husband rode the AquaMouse and thought it was a lot of fun without feeling overly intense. We also found that the line was much shorter later in the evening than it was in the middle of the days at sea, making it a great time to ride if your schedule allows.
Relax by the Pools
The pools ended up being one of our favorite places to relax between activities. We’d spend some time swimming, grab lunch nearby, then head right back into the water. With Funnel Vision playing Disney movies overhead, it was an easy place to spend a few hours without feeling like we needed to be anywhere else.
There are several family pools on the Disney Wish, and the only requirement is that kids are fully potty trained. We also noticed that none of the pools are especially deep. My 5-year-old actually found himself wishing there was one a little deeper to swim in.
The pools are definitely busiest on your days at sea, but with several different pool areas, we never had trouble finding somewhere to swim. Lifeguards are on duty throughout the pool deck, and complimentary life jackets are available in a variety of sizes on Deck 11. We never had any trouble finding one in the size we needed.
There are also plenty of lounge chairs around the pool deck, although the shaded spots tend to fill up first. Complimentary towels are available near each pool, so there’s no need to bring the ones from your stateroom.
Meet Disney Characters Throughout the Ship
Meeting Disney characters is something we always make time for during our cruises. One tradition we’ve started as a family is taking a picture with Pirate Mickey each trip. Looking back at those photos and seeing how much our kids have grown from one cruise to the next has become one of our favorite memories.
Throughout your sailing, you’ll have opportunities to meet a variety of Disney characters, including Mickey and friends, Disney Princesses, and special appearances during events like Pirate Night. Character locations and times change throughout the cruise, so it’s worth checking the Disney Cruise Line Navigator app each day to see who’s out and where to find them.
We found that wait times varied quite a bit. Some character greetings had little to no wait, while others, like Pirate Mickey on Pirate Night, were much more popular and had waits closer to an hour. If there’s a particular character your family doesn’t want to miss, it can be worth planning your day around that meet and greet.
Make Disney Crafts
My kids love arts and crafts, and the Disney Wish offers a variety of them throughout the day. Each night before bed, I’ll scroll through the Navigator app and favorite a few that I think the kids might enjoy the next day.
Most of the crafts are held in one of the lounges around the ship and last about 30 minutes. All of the supplies you’ll need are provided, and there’s always a Disney Cast Member nearby to answer questions or help if needed. We found that most of the crafts were pretty laid back, and so long as you stop by during the scheduled time, you can join in, work at your own pace, and leave whenever you’re finished.
We learned pretty quickly that the Navigator app doesn’t tell you much about what the craft actually is. Sometimes we’d show up, realize it wasn’t something our kids were interested in, and head off to our next activity. Other times, my younger son was just too excited to sit still, so if it was something like a scrapbook page or coloring activity, I’d ask if we could take those pages with us and finish them back in our stateroom or even once we got home. It was a fun way to turn part of our cruise into a keepsake.
Some of the crafts even double as fun souvenirs to bring home. One of our favorites was decorating our own drawstring bags, which the kids were excited to take with them and still have.
Play at Hero Zone
Hero Zone is an indoor sports and recreation space. When special events or activities aren’t taking place, it’s a fun spot for families to stop by and play basketball, table tennis, cornhole, foosball, and other games at their own pace.
Throughout your cruise, Hero Zone also hosts different scheduled activities, so it’s worth checking the Navigator app to see what’s happening each day. During our sailing, the highlight was the Incredi-Course, an Incredibles-themed inflatable obstacle course where you race head-to-head against another person.
My 5-year-old was so excited to try the Incredi-Course, and it ended up being even more fun than he thought it would be. Watching him race against my husband was one of our favorite memories from the trip.
Since my toddler was still too little for the Incredi-Course, he had fun running around Hero Zone and checking out some of the other games. It ended up being a great place for the kids to get out some energy before dinner.
If your family wants to try the Incredi-Course, keep in mind there’s a 40” minimum height requirement and everyone must wear socks. We saw several families having to run back to their staterooms to go grab a pair. The lines were also consistently long, so I’d recommend arriving a little early if your kids are excited to give it a try. If you’re watching instead of racing, there are some great viewing spots from the second level.
Watch Movies on Funnel Vision
One of our favorite ways to slow down during the day was by watching a Disney movie on Funnel Vision, the giant screen located on Deck 11. Even if we didn’t sit and watch the whole movie, it was fun having one playing while we spent time by the pool.
In the evenings, one of our favorite ways to end the night was grabbing a complimentary soft serve ice cream and finding a lounge chair to watch part of whatever movie was playing. It was a relaxing way to wind down before heading back to our stateroom for the night.
Explore the Ship
We’ve been on a few Disney Cruises now, and it feels like we discover something new every time. If we had some downtime after breakfast or before dinner, we’d often just wander around the ship to see what we could find.
One of our favorite places to explore was Deck 4. There’s a walking path that goes all the way around the ship, along with games like shuffleboard that the kids had fun trying. We’d also take the stairs instead of the elevators and explore one deck at a time, stopping to look around at the different lounges, theaters, shops, and anything else we happened to come across.
Some of our favorite family photos were ones we took while simply exploring the ship. Sometimes slowing down and seeing where the day takes you ends up being just as much fun as the activities you planned.
Shop for Disney Souvenirs
Before the end of every cruise, we usually make a stop at the gift shops to see what catches our eye. There are plenty of Disney Cruise Line exclusive souvenirs, and it’s fun finding something to bring home that reminds us of the trip.
For our family, that’s usually a Christmas ornament. Decorating our tree each year and seeing ornaments from all our past trips has become one of our favorite traditions. Disney Cruise Line has some really fun designs, including ornaments for each ship, the atrium statues, and even the chandeliers.
One thing I learned before our trip on the Wish is that you can actually purchase prints of the artwork displayed throughout the ship. The Disney Wish has a kiosk where you can browse the available prints, choose a frame if you’d like one, and have it shipped right to your house after your cruise. We ordered the cross-section artwork of the ship, and I already know it’s going to become something we look for on future sailings. It arrived at our house in less than two weeks and was packaged really well.
Another fun souvenir idea is one of the Disney ship replicas. If you purchase one on the first night of your cruise, you can ask a Cast Member to have it signed by the Captain at no additional cost before the end of your sailing.
If there’s something specific you have your eye on, especially during a holiday sailing, I’d recommend stopping by the gift shops early in your cruise. Popular merchandise can sell out pretty quickly.
Treat Yourself to Something Sweet
If you’re looking forward to enjoying a few desserts during your cruise, you’ll have plenty to choose from. One of the most popular is the complimentary soft serve ice cream on Deck 11, and you’ll also find a variety of cakes, cookies, and other desserts available during lunch at Marceline Market.
If you’re looking for something a little more special, you can also stop by Joyful Sweets for an additional cost. They offer themed cupcakes, cookies, brownies, specialty ice cream and gelato, along with prepackaged treats you can bring back to your stateroom.
Even if you don’t plan on buying anything, I’d still recommend stopping in to look around. The shop is themed to Inside Out and is one of the most highly themed spaces on the Disney Wish. My kids loved looking around, and there are even a few places to sit, enjoy your dessert, and take in the ocean views.
Final Thoughts
Sailing on the Disney Wish with young kids is so much fun because there’s always something to do. There are even more activities onboard than we shared in this post, but these are the ones our family looks forward to every cruise.
Some of our favorite memories have come from simple moments like meeting Disney characters, making crafts, watching movies on Funnel Vision, and just spending time together on the ship. I hope this post helps you plan your own Disney Wish cruise and that your family enjoys it just as much as ours has.