Non-Gimmicky Restaurants are Important!

Like the four existing Disney Cruise Line ships, the Wish will have three rotational restaurants.  However, the Wish's three restaurants are all completely new.  There's Worlds of Marvel, a "Cinematic Dining Adventure".  I haven't seen most of the Marvel movies, but this restaurant looks interesting.  Also, it has small cupcakes that grow big?

I have no idea how that's going to work, but it looks cool.  Also, being able to interact with Marvel characters without waiting in a line to see them will be fun.  

The Wish will also have Arendelle:  A Frozen Dining Adventure.  There will be a large stage in the middle of this restaurant, where a new story, set after Frozen II, will take place right in front of the diners.  Since it's happening live, guests will probably be able to interact with the characters and impact on the story, so it may be different every time.  This restaurant seems to be taking the live performances featured in Tiana's Place on the Wonder and Rapunzel's Royal Table on the Magic to the next level.  If the story is something everyone can enjoy, this restaurant will be a lot of fun to eat at.

The Wish's other rotational restaurant is 1923, a restaurant with a cool 1920s theme.  From what we've seen of it, I think it's my favorite of the Wish's rotational restaurants.  Unlike the other two restaurants, it's pretty straightforward.  Here, there's no live show to watch or super heroes to help.  Without an innovative special dining experience, the fun at this restaurant is your family or travel party at your table.  

Disney wants families to spend time together on their ships.  The word "family" (or "families") was used thirteen times in this video, so its obvious that Disney designs their ships with families in mind.

So, two of the three rotational restaurants on the Wish will have a major gimmick.  Sure, participating in them probably won't be forced, but from what I've seen, they're the focuses of the restaurant.  During dinner at these two restaurants, guests will be encouraged to pay attention to what's going on in the restaurant, instead of paying attention to their families.

I'm not sure how I feel about this.  When I'm on a Disney cruise, I rarely see my family members.  I spend the days going all over the ship and having fun, mostly without them.  Dinner is often the one time of day that we all spend together on a cruise.  It's really fun to talk what we did that day, how much ice cream we ate, and what we're planning to do next.  At 1923, we'd have the entire meal to catch up and discuss what we did that day, since there's nothing to distract us.  My fear for Worlds of Marvel and Arendelle is that we won't be able to talk very much because of what's going on in the restaurant.  Sure, 1923 is less flashy and exciting than the other two restaurants, but this simplicity is actually beneficial for families!

Of course, Worlds of Marvel and Arendelle aren't the first DCL restaurants to have a feature that you wouldn't find at a normal restaurant.  On the four current ships, Animator's Palate has a variety of special features.  For example, there's the Animation Magic show, where guests draw characters that dance to Disney music on large screens on the walls later in the dinner.  I enjoy this show, and, since it's pretty short, it doesn't take much time away from our family conversations.  Same with Crush the sea turtle.  He swims around and talks to guests for a while, but he's a considerate turtle and gives families plenty of time to talk.

This is what the Wish's two restaurants need to do.  Disney is not going to change the rotational restaurants before the Wish launches (though they could change them in a future dry dock renovation), so let's think about how Arendelle and Worlds of Marvel could work.  They'll have their gimmicks and special experiences, but they can't take up too much time of the meal.  Family conversations are important! Wow, I sound like a parent. Even if 1923 is the only rotational restaurant where uninterrupted family conversations can happen, the other two restaurants must give families plenty of time together.

Disney hasn't said too much about the special experiences at Worlds of Marvel and Arendelle, and I doubt we'll know how much time these experiences will take up until the Wish launches.  

I don't think the other two future DCL ships will have the exact same rotational restaurants as the Wish, but Disney needs to include a non-gimmicky restaurant.  Sure, it would be more attractive to potential customers if every restaurant had a special experience, but it would weaken one of the most important parts of a family vacation:  Family!