When we took our first cruise aboard the Disney Wish, the first thing I did after confirming our dining rotation and checking out our deluxe family verandah room was to search for the character schedule! I was pleased to see that Disney Wish cruise characters were abundant. And that was just based on the meet and greet schedule on the DCL Navigator app.
There are way more characters to be seen than what the app shows. They are everywhere ALL the time! Meeting characters on Disney Cruise Line ships is a lot easier than meeting them in the parks. In addition to the lines for scheduled meet-and-greets being relatively short, characters are frequently just walking around the ship. You never know who you might run into!
Characters on the Disney Wish
The characters on a Disney Cruise vary from ship to ship (and even sailing to sailing). Many characters can be found on all of the ships, like Mickey and Minnie. But each ship also has characters you likely won’t meet on any of the others. Each ship also has a different set of Broadway-style shows for evening entertainment throughout the cruise. Since these are Disney shows, they tend to feature a lot of Disney characters, too!
I’m going to detail every single character you can possibly find on the Disney Wish. Believe me, I spent a lot of time finding them ALL personally. I’ll also detail whether you can meet them in person or just spot them around the ship, and where you might do so.
Disney Wish Cruise Character Meets
These are the characters that are usually on the schedule with a time and place listed for up-close encounters and photo opportunities. Please keep in mind that the available characters can change at any time. Having your heart set on meeting one in particular is not recommended. You certainly shouldn’t book an expensive cruise based on the chance to meet one.
The Super Six can usually be counted on to hold meets several times: Mickey, Minnie, Donald, Daisy, Goofy, and Pluto. If there’s a specific character your child wants to meet on this list that’s NOT one of them, it might be best not to get them hyped up about it ahead of time.
Classic Outfits
Characters could be spotted in the morning before Pirate Night in their traditional clothes. These guys were all on the schedule:
- Mickey Mouse
- Minnie Mouse
- Donald Duck
- Daisy Duck
- Goofy
- Pluto
- Chip ‘n’ Dale
Cruise Outfits
We saw sailing outfits both on the first day of the cruise and the last in the afternoon (which was our Castaway Cay day on a four-night sailing).
- Captain Mickey
- Captain Minnie
- Donald
- Daisy
- Goofy
- Pluto
- Chip ‘n’ Dale (always together)
Your children may also get an up-close encounter with Captains Mickey & Minnie in the Oceaneer Club!
Pirate Outfits
At Pirate Night on the Disney Wish, these characters keep their pirate attire on throughout the day. For our cruise, this was a day at sea.
- Mickey
- Minnie
- Donald
- Daisy
- Goofy
- Chip ‘n’ Dale
Though their outfits weren’t exactly “special,” Pirate Night is also a great day to meet Captain Hook & Mr. Smee together. These mischievous two may also pop by the Oceaneer Club at some point.
Island Outfits
The special island gear can only be seen on the characters on Castaway Cay, Disney’s private island! So even if you don’t love the beach, hop off the ship for some great photo opportunities with these characters.
- Mickey
- Minnie
- Donald
- Daisy
- Goofy
- Pluto
- Chip ‘n’ Dale
And while their outfits aren’t specific to Castaway Cay, you’ll also see opportunities to speak with these characters:
- Captain Hook & Mr. Smee
- Captain Jack Sparrow
For our cruise, it was the one and only place we could actually meet Jack Sparrow! He and my son had a lengthy – and hilarious – conversation about Minecraft.
Halloween Outfits
We happened to take a Halloween cruise on the Wish, and I LOVED meeting the classic characters in their unique costumes!
- Mickey (as a vampire)
- Minnie (as a witch)
- Donald (as a superhero)
- Daisy (as a spider lady)
- Goofy (as a mummy)
- Pluto (wearing a candy corn hat and collar)
- Chip ‘n’ Dale (as a bucket of candy and a poisoned apple)
Newly added when we sailed, we also got to see the Sanderson sisters! Minnie as Winnie, Daisy as Sarah, and Clarabelle as Mary looked very cool.
They met with guests several times throughout the cruise – presumably to help keep the lines shorter. Even then, though, this wasn’t a normal meet-and-greet. To keep things moving quickly, you got to go up on the Grand Hall stage with them, have a single photo taken, and then were ushered along. No chatting, no autographs, just a pre-autographed souvenir card.
A set of characters noticeably missing from the Disney Wish was Jack and Sally from The Nightmare Before Christmas. And when we sailed on the Disney Fantasy in 2024, they were missing again. It would appear Disney is retiring this duo from the cruise ships in favor of the Sanderson Sisters.
Christmas Outfits
If you’re lucky enough to sail on a Very Merrytime Disney Wish cruise, you’ll get to meet the following characters in festive holiday attire.
- Mickey
- Minnie
- Donald
- Daisy
- Goofy
- Pluto
- Chip ‘n’ Dale
- Santa!
And while you probably won’t get to meet her, Mrs. Claus usually hosts a special storytime.
Disney Wish Princesses
For many people (myself included), meeting Disney Princesses that you may not find elsewhere is a big draw for a Disney cruise! These are the princesses available to meet on the Disney Wish:
- Cinderella
- Belle
- Tiana
- Rapunzel
- Moana
While hanging out in the Oceaneer Club, children may also get special opportunities to listen to a story from Belle or take painting lessons from Rapunzel!
Disney Wish Royal Gathering
While the princesses listed above all have at least one listed time for an individual meet-and-greet, there is a secret to meeting them all from a single line: The Royal Gathering. This is a specially ticketed event in which, at your scheduled time, you hop in a roped-off line in the Grand Hall to meet all five princesses at once.
By “at once,” I mean you get to meet each of them individually without having to get in a new line each time. Once you get to your first princess, you just hop to each one until you’ve met all five!
The best part is that it isn’t rushed at all. My kids got several minutes with each and every princess! There is a limited number of tickets to the Royal Gathering, and not everyone who wants one will get one. On our cruise despite it being held for a couple of hours each time on two different days, it still sold out within minutes!
To get your reservations, you’ll need to log on to the Disney Cruise Line Navigator app or website right at midnight 30 days before your departure date. Go to “Onboard Activities” and choose the day you might want to go to the Royal Gathering. On our cruise, it was available both on the day at sea and the Nassau day. Assuming it’s not already sold out, you should see a dropdown menu of available times. QUICKLY pick your preferred time, and the people in your party that will be attending (including adults), and secure your reservation!
I will say this, though: no physical tickets were ever given to us, and we were never asked to show our reservation time when we got in line. We were only asked to verbally confirm our time. When we sailed on the Fantasy, though, they had an iPad ready and asked for our reserved time and names.
Marvel Characters
If you’re wondering what Marvel characters are on the Disney Wish, the list is short. But a handful of very cool heroes held meet-and-greets, including my son’s two favorites! Well, meeting one of them may have led to him becoming a favorite – but that just shows you how awesome the experience is!
- Ant-Man
- Black Panther
- Spider-Man
Any of these guys could show up in the Oceaneer Club (specifically the Marvel Super Hero Academy) to help the little ones design their own virtual costumes to battle bad guys in an awesome simulation game.
Star Wars Characters
If Chewy isn’t one of your favorite Star Wars characters, you’re lying! These few galactic rebels were available for photos:
- Rey and Chewbacca (together)
- Storm Troopers (two of them)
Be sure to try and chat with the Storm Troopers. They’re snarky guys. Chewbacca and Rey may also appear in the Star Wars: Cargo Bay area of the Oceaneer Club to discuss proper Porg care with your kids!
Frozen Characters
An ever-popular favorite with the littles, Frozen characters are thankfully a big part of the Disney Wish. Down in the Oceaneer Club, guests of all ages should get an opportunity to meet both Queen Anna and Queen Elsa. Children may get additional time with them in the kids’ club when adults aren’t allowed in.
Olaf’s Royal Picnic
An exclusive, once-per-cruise event with nearly impossible-to-get reservations, Olaf’s Royal Picnic is a new experience only available on the Disney Wish. It isn’t even on the Wish’s sister ships! Less than 20 families were at our picnic and there are over 1200 staterooms onboard.
You and your children (you must have a child between 3 and 12 years old to attend) will get to help celebrate a special day for Olaf. The show includes Anna, Elsa, Kristoff, and Olaf! After the show, you get an exclusive photo opportunity with Elsa, Anna, AND Kristoff!
If you’re lucky enough to score reservations to the royal picnic (it sells out fast), you’ll be paying $250 per child and $75 per adult to attend.
But if you can live without meeting Kristoff specifically, just check the schedule for a regular meet-and-greet with Anna and Elsa. It’s free! Besides, Kristoff does walk around the tables during your dinner in Arendelle. You might get to snag a photo with him then!
Unfortunately, there is no opportunity to actually meet Olaf on the Disney Wish. You’ll have to settle for watching him from afar. However, your children might have a chance encounter with him in the Oceaneer Club – just not during open house hours.
Characters in Disney Wish Restaurants
In two of the three restaurants on the Disney Wish, you’ll have an opportunity to see some characters fairly close.
Worlds of Marvel
While initially featured on the many LED screens throughout the restaurant, there will come a point where Ant-Man and The Wasp walk through the restaurant. They don’t, however, stop at individual tables, nor do they linger – so have your camera ready!
While we didn’t see any other Marvel characters come through during dinner, the LED screens played clips featuring lots of other heroes while we ate.
Arendelle
The Frozen-themed restaurant on the Disney Wish features a full-on musical dinner show. You’ll most certainly spot Elsa, Anna, and Kristoff, who also make the rounds to each individual table for a very brief chat and an opportunity to snap a great photo.
If he’s – ahem – feeling good that day, the show will also include Olaf, though I don’t believe he can make it to all the tables. He was under the weather, so to speak, during our Arendelle dinner. But in a surprise twist, our favorite character from the Arendelle restaurant was Oaken! His sense of humor is unrivaled.
He made some great comments about my husband being dressed as Bruno when he came to our table. “Ooh, we don’t talk about you. That’s awkward.”
Characters in Deck Shows
There were a lot of shows featuring characters on our cruise – and I don’t just mean the Walt Disney Theatre productions! All of the deck parties featured several characters, all in truly beautiful and amazing costumes. They are not to be missed!
Set Sail on a Wish
The sail away deck party on the Disney Wish was a GREAT way to kick off our cruise. It truly set the tone for an exciting experience! We spotted the following characters on the pool deck stage during the show:
- Mickey
- Minnie
- Donald
- Daisy
- Goofy
- Pluto
- Cinderella
- Prince Charming
- Tiana
- Prince Naveen (this is the only time we ever saw him!)
- Rapunzel
- Flynn Ryder (aka Eugene Fitzherbert)
- Moana
- Fairy Godmother
Mickey’s Pirates in the Caribbean
The first show of Pirate Night is between dinner and the evening show at Walt Disney Theatre (if you have first seating for dining). This show is definitely aimed more at the children on the cruise. But if you’re a Disney Adult like me, you’ll enjoy it just as much! We got to see these characters put on a pirate-themed show on the pool deck:
- Mickey
- Minnie
- Donald
- Daisy
- Goofy
- Captain Hook
- Mr. Smee
And of course, everyone is wearing their pirate costumes!
Pirates Rockin’ Parlay Party
This show took place after the Walt Disney Theatre show for the evening, back up on the pool deck. Featuring classic rock tunes and a real-life pirate rock band, this show may appeal more to adult cruisers. But my kids stayed up for it and loved it just as much!
While the band, the Swashbucklers, is not comprised of any characters you know and love, a descendant of Captain Redd is revealed to be the lead singer. Redd is a featured character in the Pirates of the Caribbean rides. This is also the show where you’ll see a spectacular appearance by Captain Jack Sparrow!
Mickey’s Mouse-querade
Since we were on a Disney Wish Halloween cruise, we got an extra-special pool deck party featuring the characters in their Halloween costumes! Almost everyone we saw around the ship on Halloween night was there, including:
- Mickey
- Minnie
- Donald
- Daisy
- Goofy
- Pluto
- Chip
- Dale
This was by far my favorite deck party of the entire cruise. Those guys have some moves, even in their costumes!
Characters in Disney Wish Stage Shows
We got to experience three beautiful Broadway-style shows during our cruise, each of which featured Disney characters. While you don’t get to meet these guys, it’s a nice opportunity to spot them and feel a little more of that Disney magic.
Seas the Adventure Characters
This brand-new story is about what happens when Captain Minnie gives Goofy the wheel to ship for a night. Hijinks ensue, along with songs of encouragement and about believing in yourself. Seas the Adventure is CHOCK FULL of Disney characters, including some of my underrated favorites that I didn’t expect to see! See if you can spot them all:
- Goofy
- Captain Minnie
- Tiana (in her flapper dress!)
- Crush
- Squirt
- Elsa (in her white dress)
- Moana
- Merida
- Hercules
- Cinderella
- Prince Charming
- Donald
- Belle (in her blue dress)
- Aladdin
- Mulan
- Peter Pan
- Tinker Bell (projectionally speaking…)
- Captain Mickey
The Little Mermaid
This show began on DCL with the Disney Wish and is still exclusive to this ship. It has an ending a little different from the one in the movie. I’m pleased to report that all of the film’s characters are accounted for on stage, including:
- Ariel
- Flounder
- Sebastian (the show-stealer)
- Scuttle
- Prince Eric
- Ursula
- King Triton
- Grimsby
- Flotsam & Jetsam
- Ariel’s six sisters
Plus a whole host of undersea creatures!
Aladdin
The production of Aladdin was already established on the Disney Fantasy cruise ship, but as a first-time cruiser, I’d never seen it. It was easily my favorite show of the three! While most of the film’s characters can be seen onstage, I sorely missed the presence of Abu. These characters were all there, though:
- Aladdin
- Jasmine
- Genie (the best character, naturally)
- Jafar
- Iago
- The Sultan
- Magic Carpet
And of course, the citizens and guards of Agrabah.
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Characters Spotted Around the Disney Wish
We spotted a few characters around the ship outside of any meet-and-greet, party, or stage show. First of all, when you walk onto the ship for the first time, there’s going to be a princess on the Juliet balcony above the Grand Hall! I was pleased to see my favorite princess, Belle, first thing. I cried!
If you hang out in the Grand Hall long enough on embarkation day, you can also see Cinderella and Prince Charming on the balcony, as well as Rapunzel and Flynn Ryder. Tip: Run up the grand staircase to deck 5 (the top floor of the Grand Hall) to get the best photos of characters on the balcony!
The Fairy Godmother also came out on the Juliet balcony on the last night to perform a bit of magic. Two characters exclusive to the Wish could also be found quite frequently: Lady Lily and Lord Leopold. These two are truly hilarious and quick on the spot!
The Lady and Lord kept my kids entertained with a conversation about Mjolnir (Thor’s hammer) during our brief wait in line for the Royal Gathering. They also hosted the lighting of the Pumpkin Tree for our Halloween cruise.
Also, rumor has it that late at night, you just might spot Sleepwalkin’ Goofy in his PJs in the halls!
And finally, always keep your eyes peeled – you never know when you might run into a character and have a genuine interaction (they never just walked by us). We randomly ran into:
- Witch Minnie (in the hall outside Oceaneer Club)
- Spider-Man (in the hall outside Oceaneer Club)
- Pirate Goofy (on deck 5 near the Grand Hall)
- Chip ‘n’ Dale (in a hall on deck 3)
- Daisy (she stopped outside the Untangled Salon during my pedicure and did a little dance for us!)
Tips for Meeting Characters
If characters are a priority for you, the first thing you should do when you get to the Disney Cruise Terminal is connect to the ship’s WiFi. This will allow you to see the schedule of events, including character meet-and-greets, for your entire cruise. You can start planning before you even get on board! Just go through the schedule and “heart” anything that interests you. Then the app will send you a notification 15 minutes prior to that event.
An important thing to keep in mind, though: the cruise’s schedule can change at any time, even mid-cruise. Meeting times could change, or meets could drop off entirely, depending on the Disney Wish cast and their availability. So if there’s a character you really want to meet, I suggest trying for one of the first scheduled appearances to make sure you get the opportunity.
Some characters, like Mickey and Minnie, usually meet several times a day every day, they just might be wearing different outfits. Others, like Ant-Man, may only meet cruisers once during the entire cruise. This partly depends on the length of your cruise. Usually the longer it is, the more opportunities you’ll have.
Lines for Meeting Characters
While the lines for meeting characters on a Disney Cruise are much shorter than in the parks, they can still get fairly long, with the waiting eating into your precious cruise time. Despite meeting many times throughout the cruise, the lines for Mickey and Minnie always get pretty long. This is likely because they are always changing their outfits!
The lines for Marvel and Star Wars characters can get very long, too, along with the lines to meet individual princesses. If you’re on a seasonal cruise, the lines to meet unique characters end up being cut off when they get too long!
Here’s my best tip for avoiding waiting in long lines: show up early. By at least 15-30 minutes – especially for Marvel characters and princesses. In our experience, the time spent waiting in line early on was worth it. If we’d shown up 15 minutes later, that could have easily added 30 minutes to our total time per meet-and-greet.
On the plus side, the reason for this is that every character gives ample time to the guests they’re meeting! Our kids got to have rather lengthy conversations with their favorite heroes. Even non-speaking characters will use sign language to communicate, sign autographs, and put on a little show before moving on to the next group.
Speaking of autographs, make sure you grab an autograph book to pack for the trip. The ones on board are expensive, and that’s assuming they even have any in stock!
More About the Disney Wish
- Full Disney Wish cruise review
- How Pirate Night is different on the Wish
- Inside the Hyperspace Lounge
- What you can find while snorkeling at Castaway Cay
