On the third day of our cruise onboard the beautiful Disney Wish, I woke up at 6:30am ready for our first port day in Nassau. I walked out onto our balcony and it was already light out and the weather was absolutely perfect with no humidity at all which was going to make for a very comfortable day in the Bahamas. As there was only going to be the three ships docked in Nassau on this day, we had already planned what we were going to do and take advantage of a quieter port as we knew that it was going to be a lot busier later that week when we returned on the second half of our back to back cruise.

We watched as the pilot boat approached the Disney Wish and we slowly sailed into the harbour where we docked facing forward in-between the Celebrity Silhouette and the Carnival Freedom instead of turning around and backing into the dock like we have done before in Nassau. I was actually really excited by this as it meant that we would be able to see and get a photo of Captain Minnie Mouse on the bow of the ship which we would not be able to do otherwise on this itinerary as the ships always back into Castaway Cay – this meant that we would be able to see Rapunzel and Pascal on the stern of the ship the next day.

We docked alongside the pier in Nassau just after 8:15am and our Cruise Director Jimmy announced that the ship was cleared for disembarkation at 8:40am with a “Good Morning Disney Wish and Welcome to the Bahamas”. Our first stop of the day was a very busy Marceline Market to get some breakfast and even though it was crowded, there are a few areas (the ones hidden away behind the entrance) where you can always find an empty table.

Before disembarking the Disney Wish at 9:25am we walked back down to our stateroom to collect our bags and other bits that we needed for our time in Nassau before heading down to Deck 1 Aft (the Forward gangway was also in use at this time) and there was no line at all to tap our Key to the World cards to get off the ship.

Since our previous visit to Nassau on the Disney Dream last year, a lot more of the building and construction work has been completed at the port and so much had changed in those few short months. There are also shelters along the piers that provide shade from the sun which is very welcome on a hot sunny day.

It seriously felt so good to be back in Nassau once again as I had really loved our last visit there when we had done our own free walking tour during our time in port. Our plans for this trip were to walk to Ardastra Gardens and Wildlife Conservation Centre which I had seen photos of online and was really looking forward to visiting. The best thing about going to Ardastra is that you can easily walk there from the port and there is no need to take a taxi or bus unless you want to. A slow walk from the pier will take approximately thirty minutes and is completely safe and offers some incredible views of the harbour along the way.

There were a few vendors and taxi drivers standing at the exit of the port but as soon as we walked past them, there was hardly any other people to be seen and Woodes Rodgers Walk was very quiet and calm at this time as it was still so early in the day. To get to Ardastra Gardens from the pier, simply walk past Señor Frogs and round onto Bay Street towards the Margaritaville Resort as if you were heading to Junkanoo Beach.

When you are walking along Junkanoo Beach towards the Nassau Fish Fry and Arawak Cay, you can get one of the best views of the harbour, the beach as well as all of the ships that are docked in Nassau that day. There are also several benches along this path where you can just sit and watch the world go by.

We walked through the Nassau Fish Fry, which was all closed due to it still being early in the day. The majority of businesses here do not open until lunchtime or early afternoon, so make sure to check the hours online before coming if you want to visit when the bars and restaurants are open.

The final part of the walk to Ardastra Gardens which is clearly signposted is to turn onto Chippingham Road opposite the Nassau Fish Fry – this is also where the bus will drop you off – and walk a few minutes along the road and Ardastra is located on the right hand side. It was very quiet when we arrived just after it opened at 10:00am which was perfect for us as I always prefer to visit places early in the day when they are less crowded.

When we visited in January 2023, the entrance price to Ardastra Gardens and Wildlife Conservation Centre was $20 each however I am aware that the price has increased since our trip and now costs $30 per adult and $15 for children aged between four and twelve.

Before our trip to Nassau I had contacted Ardastra to ask them if it would be easy to avoid seeing the handful of snakes that they have (as I am terrified of them) when we visited and they sent me a really nice email back to let me know that they are all in one small area of the property and to ask one of the staff when I arrived who would let me know which location in the park to avoid which I was very grateful for. All of the staff at Ardastra Gardens were incredible, knowledgeable and so friendly and explained everything I needed to know.

I will write a full separate blog post in the future with more detail as well as many more photos from our visit to Ardastra Gardens and Wildlife Conservation Centre in Nassau.

We had timed our visit to Ardastra Gardens to arrive in time ready for the first flamingo show which was due to start at 10:30am. The show started with one of the staff talking about the history of Ardastra which was opened in 1937 as a nature reserve before developing a successful breeding program for the endangered Caribbean flamingo in the 1950’s before telling us facts about the flamingos themselves. The flamingos march around the arena with their keeper and stop in front of each group of people and they are so elegant and beautiful to see up close!

After the show which lasted about fifteen minutes had finished, we left the Flamingo Arena and took some more photos of the flamingos as they are all free to wander around the entire park before exploring the rest of Ardastra Gardens for ourselves.

I was loving our visit to Ardastra and was so glad that we had decided to visit here during our port day in Nassau. It was such a lovely little park and it was so calm and peaceful and a world away from the hustle and bustle of Downtown Nassau which is the only thing that a lot of people see when visiting on a cruise – that is if they even get off the ship.

As well as the famous flamingos and a lot of beautiful parrots, we also saw pigs, goats, tortoises, turtles, raccoons, peacocks, owls and a serval amongst many other different animals and birds as well as some beautiful flora and fauna.

We spent just over an hour and a half at Ardastra Gardens which was a perfect amount of time. It really is such a great way to spend some of your time in Nassau and I wish more people knew about it as it really is a hidden gem. It does not take long to get to and it is perfect for families of all ages to visit. Even though we walked there, you can also get a taxi or take the bus (followed by a short walk) making it a very easy and affordable trip to do.

After we left Ardastra, we took a slow walk back in the shade (as it had started to get very hot and sunny) towards the port taking plenty of photos along the way.

Just before we reached the pier, we walked around Pompey Square before looking in some of the shops along Woodes Rodgers Walk opposite the port where I found a great Bahamas-themed Christmas decoration that I had to buy. It really had been another great trip to Nassau and the weather was perfect that day – we could not have asked for more!

We were back onboard the Disney Wish at 12:45pm and naturally our first stop was back at Marceline Market (which was much quieter than it had been for breakfast) for some much needed lunch as well as a cold drink. The lunch choices were like night and day compared to our previous cruise on the Disney Dream and there was so much that I wanted to try including a plant based Thai Red Chicken Curry which was delicious. We also grabbed a few desserts to take back to our stateroom as it was Pirate Night onboard that evening and as the Pirate Night buffet no longer exists on any of the ships, we decided to make our own buffet that night instead!

At 1:30pm guests of all ages were welcome at the Incredibles Incredi-Course in the Hero Zone so naturally we had to give it a go for ourselves (why should kids have all the fun?!) but first we had to make a quick pit stop back at our stateroom to collect a pair of socks each as you need to wear them if you want to take part as you cannot have bare feet. There was only a few people waiting when we arrived and it was great fun although a lot more tiring (as well as competitive) than you think it’s going to be.

After our lunch and our burst of energy at the Incredi-Course we walked down to the Grand Hall to watch “Who’s Behind the Curtain?” at 2:00pm. It was a cute and fun little show which involved some of the children onboard asking one of the entertainment hosts various yes or no questions before having to guess which character was behind the curtain – and on that day it was Goofy, Daisy and Mickey.

Whilst it was still relatively quiet we decided that this would be a good time to do some laundry as we both needed clean clothes ready for the next cruise and neither of us had any interest in doing this on our Castaway Cay day or our back-to-back embarkation day. The Fairytale Fresh Laundry on Deck 8 is the only laundry area on the Disney Wish but it is huge and you will never have trouble finding an empty washer or dryer as there are so many. We bought our own detergent and dryer sheets from home but you can also purchase these onboard if needed and they are simply charged to your room along with the cost of using the machines which is only a few dollars each time.

Whilst our laundry was on, we decided to walk back out onto the pier in Nassau and around to the front of the Disney Wish to take some more photos of Captain Minnie on the bow as this would be our last chance during this cruise. Once we had taken our pictures, there was a long line at the Forward gangway to get back onto the ship so we simply walked to the Aft gangway which was also open where there was no one waiting to get back onboard.

After putting our laundry into one of the dryers, we walked up to Mickey and Friends Festival of Foods to get something to eat. As it was Pirate Night, we had already decided before the cruise that we would skip the dining rooms on this evening (as the Pirates of the Caribbean menu is not the best) and instead enjoy some quick service food throughout the evening – we had done the same thing on one night on our Hawaiian cruise on the Disney Wonder which we had really enjoyed.

My boyfriend went to Mickey’s Smokestack Barbecue whilst I joined the long line at Donald’s Cantina to get a burrito bowl which we sat and ate on our verandah in the sunshine. The bowl was really good (and the Curry Habanero sauce was delicious too but so, so spicy – there are so many different hot sauces available which I loved) but we both agreed that the Disney Wish desperately needs somewhere on deck like Daisy’s Delites (on the Disney Magic and Disney Wonder) and Fillmore’s Favorites (on the Disney Dream and Disney Fantasy) that has sandwiches, wraps, salads and fruit as there was not any healthier options available on deck which we both really missed.

The characters were already out meeting in their pirate outfits in the Grand Hall but thankfully as we already had their photos, we decided not to meet them as we had completely forgotten how long the lines for characters can get on the shorter cruises – we had been completely spoilt with no lines at all on our Hawaiian cruise last year. We did however want to meet Pirate Captain Minnie but as she was out several times that night, we knew we could leave meeting her until later that evening.

This also meant that we could watch sailaway which we both love doing so after dropping our plates back off on Deck 11 (we never leave them on the floor in the corridor) we walked up to one of the amazing and comfortable day beds on Deck 13 and sat with a cold drink and an ice cream in the sunshine. The music onboard had already turned pirate-themed which was being drowned out by the music from the Carnival Freedom next door – until the horns of the Disney Wish blasted which were even louder!

Captain Andy made an announcement to say that the weather for Castaway Cay was showing as sunny for the next day which was perfect as we had missed Castaway Cay on our last cruise on the Disney Dream due to bad weather and after turning about in the harbour, we slowly left the Port of Nassau and it felt so strange knowing that we would be back there three days later – though we already knew there was going to be six ships docked that day so it would be a lot busier.

After we had left Nassau, the AquaMouse was showing a twenty minute wait (although it looked a lot shorter than that) and as it was playing Scuba Scramble that day, we decided to go and get changed and get in line.

In Scuba Scramble, Minnie and Mickey take us on an undersea Port Misadventures trip to Mermaid Lagoon but as always, things do not go as planned! I loved Mickey saying “Fish are friends, not food” to a shark as well as the Helmsman Mickey statue (from the Disney Magic) that can be spotted on one of the screens on the way up. Scuba Scramble was great fun but Swiss Meltdown is the definitely the best one of the two!

After the most enthusiastic Pirate Night announcement I have ever heard from Jimmy our Cruise Director, we grabbed a tea and made our way back to our stateroom to have a shower and get ready for the evening ahead.

Pirate Captain Minnie is exclusive to the Disney Wish and ever since I first saw a photo of her in her amazing new costume, I knew that I wanted to meet her. Minnie was scheduled to be out at 7:00pm on the Grand Hall Stage and when we got down to Deck 3 about ten minutes beforehand, there was only one other person already in line so we timed it perfectly as the line did get a lot longer.

I was absolutely loving how relaxed our evening already was especially as we were not going to the dining room so it meant we could get food whenever we were ready and when we were actually hungry. Once we had met Pirate Captain Minnie, we walked up to Cove Cafe to get a coffee (this time with Pluto artwork) ready for the late night ahead before grabbing our spot to watch Mickey and Minnie’s Pirates in the Caribbean which was due to start at 7:45pm.

The decks only started to get busy about five minutes before the deck party was due to start but one thing I did notice was that a lot of people were sitting on the chairs on the adult only area of Deck 13 which was a great idea but it seemed like it would be too far away from the stage to be able to fully enjoy the show. There was also hardly anyone dressed up for pirate night which is the opposite to some of the cruises that we have been on over the years. Something that is handy to know is that you do not receive a pirate bandana on the Disney Wish like you do on the other four ships in the fleet so if you do want to wear something pirate-y, you will need to bring it onboard with you.

Mickey and Minnie’s Pirates in the Caribbean is near enough the same show as Mickey’s Pirates in the Caribbean onboard the Disney Dream and Disney Fantasy although a little shorter with some small changes throughout. As part of their Pirate Academy, the deck party begins with Pirate Donald, Pirate Daisy, Pirate Goofy as well as Captains Mickey and Minnie teaching everyone the four different lessons (one less lesson than on the other two ships) of what it will take to join their pirate crew.

Captain Hook and Mr Smee arrive to take over the ship so Captain Mickey challenges Hook to a “Captain’s Challenge” to win the Disney Wish back. If Hook wins, Mickey has to walk the plank and if Mickey wins, he gets the ship back and Hook and Smee have to leave. I really wish that they had changed this part of the show to have Captain Minnie challenging Captain Hook to the Captain’s Challenge as the Disney Wish is her ship after all and that would have been absolutely amazing to see!

I still absolutely loved this party just as much as I always have and I could not wait to watch it again later that week on our second cruise.

Once the Disney Wish was back in the safe hands of Captain Minnie, a dance party started so we stood around and watched whilst we waited for the crowds to disappear. As we were not going to 1923 for dinner that night, we walked down one deck to Mickey and Friends Festival of Foods and to Goofy’s Grill where I ordered a Plant Based Hot Dog and Fries to eat. We sat on one of the many empty tables on Deck 11 with our food and it felt great to just sit there and enjoy the relatively quiet and calm deck and have some fresh air without thinking that we had to rush through dinner as we needed to be somewhere else which usually happens on Pirate Night.

A little while later as we were sitting there talking with a drink in hand, we heard them do a sound check ready for the Pirates Rockin’ Parlay Party and it already sounded incredible. I was so looking forward to this deck party and after hearing a few snippets of it, I could not wait for it to start just over an hour later.

We had already decided that we wanted to stand in the same spot as we had done earlier that evening to watch the Pirates Rockin’ Parlay Party as that way we could watch the show as well as the fireworks with an unobstructed view.

Even before the party started the atmosphere out on deck was amazing as the Spinning Seadog from Pirate Rockin’ Radio was playing simply the best music ever to warm up the crowd and every adult onboard was singing along at the top of their voices! The songs included Come Sail Away by Styx, Black Cat by Janet Jackson, Livin’ on a Prayer by Bon Jovi (the singing during the chorus of this song was like nothing else!), Let’s Go Crazy by Prince and I Love Rock and Roll by Joan Jett and The Blackhearts – all of the music I absolutely love and have on my phone and would always choose to listen to. It was already my favourite deck party and it hadn’t even started yet!

The Pirates Rockin’ Parlay Party started at 10:15pm with the band known as the Scallys – the most rockin’ pirates around with Sir Locksley on vocals, Gold McGee on guitar, Rusty Bones on keys, Two Tone Tess on bass and Bubbles on drums – arriving on stage to the sound of We Will Rock You by Queen before breaking out into a rock version of Yo Ho (A Pirate’s Life for Me).

Sir Locksley then introduced Captain Redd (who had been giving them hell in Tortuga) who sang We’re Not Gonna Take It by Twisted Sister. Captain Redd then told everyone that she had won the ship from that wretched pirate Captain Jack Sparrow and found a scroll tucked away in a bottle below deck however it wasn’t a rum bottle as Jack would have found that himself! She read out the scroll which spoke of a sparkling treasure and said:

“On the twenty fifth day of the first month
Four captains of the Caribbean Sea
Parlay they must call out that is the key
Place thy hand on this scroll and yell out Yo Ho
Then a sparkling treasure ye shall behold!”

Captain Redd said that as that date was today, she had sent word out to three other Captains of the Caribbean to look for the most rocking ship at sea so we needed to get the ship rocking so the other Captains could find it before singing Jumpin’ Jack Flash by the Rolling Stones and Rock and Roll all Nite by Kiss with Sir Locksley.

The Disney Wish was definitely rocking when Captain Mad Bart and Captain Shackleward arrived followed shortly afterwards by Captain Jack Sparrow. The four Captains placed their hands on the scroll and yelled out “Yo Ho” and the sparkling treasure also known as the fireworks began from the starboard side of the ship as the band continued to play a brilliant mash-up of the Pirates in the Caribbean soundtrack and Yo Ho (A Pirate’s Life for Me).

These were seriously the best fireworks that I have ever seen onboard and this was one of the best deck parties (it was more of a rock concert) on any of the ships and videos of it online do not do it justice as nothing can replicate that atmosphere or that incredible sound of being there in person – you simply wanted them to do even more songs as it was so good! The band were just amazing, the music was simply the best and it was one of the absolute highlights and my favourite part of sailing on the Disney Wish!

Once the Pirates Rockin’ Parlay Party had sadly finished (I could have watched it again straight away as I loved it so much), we grabbed a slice of pizza from Daisy’s Pizza Pies and a drink to take back to our stateroom and we sat in bed eating our pizza as well as the desserts that we had taken from Marceline Market at lunchtime and stored in our fridge – if you cannot have a Pirate Night buffet then you make your own buffet!

We also had a letter left on our door for us explaining how the back-to-back procedures worked for when we returned to Port Canaveral which we both carefully read and I will go into all the details and need to know information on the blog from that day.

We watched the debarkation video on the television and it was a weird feeling listening to it knowing that nothing that was said applied to us – we still had so much to do onboard so I was so glad that we had made the decision last year to change our original travel plans and book the next cruise as well.

We knew we had to get a good nights sleep as we were both looking forward to the following day in Castaway Cay especially as the weather was forecast to be beautiful and even more so as we missed it last year due to a small issue known as a hurricane! Bring on Castaway Cay!

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