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Disney Cruise Line Ships Deck Plans

Find out where the various amenities are on the ship may be important. Be sure to check out the deck plans to see what is in store for your next trip.

Disney Magic and Disney Wonder   Disney Dream and Disney Fantasy   Disney Wish Disney Treasure

Disney Magic and Disney Wonder Deck Plans

Deck Plans for the Disney Magic and Disney Wonder are similar. View Each Deck individually.  Disney Magic was enhanced in 2015 and Disney Wonder enhanced in 2016.  Subtle changes have been made during the enhancement on most decks.

Deck plans and Stateroom Categories for the Disney Magic and the Disney Wonder sailings beginning in 2022

• Stateroom Details

Disney Dream and Disney Fantasy Deck Plans

Deck plans for the Disney Dream and the Disney Fantasy are similar. View Each Deck individually

Deck plans and Stateroom Categories for the Disney Dream and the Disney Fantasy

Disney Wish Deck Plan

Disney Wish and Treasure Deck Plans

Disney Cruise Line Free Quote

Book your next Disney Cruise Line vacation with our sponsor, The Magic For Less Travel ! They are your go-to experts when it comes to planning the most magical Disney cruise experience ever! Start planning your dream getaway and embark on a journey filled with enchantment, fun, and unforgettable memories! Services from The Magic For Less Travel are provided FREE of charge and their expert planning advice will help you make the most of your vacation time and money. Receive the best prices, free concierge travel planning & a shipboard credit when you book any new Disney Cruise Line vacation with The Magic For Less Travel Request your FREE No-Obligation Quote Below

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The ultimate guide to Disney Cruise Line ships and itineraries

After decades of success making families smile and laugh at its theme parks, Disney dipped its toes into the world of cruising in 1998. Disney didn't just copy another cruise line's model for success or slap its name on the side of an existing ship. It created its own brand of cruising.

Disney went so far into charting its own path as to get special approval from the U.S. Coast Guard for its ships' lifeboats to be yellow instead of regulation orange, to tie into the colors of Mickey himself — black, red, white and yellow.

Now, Disney Cruise Line has five ships sailing in those signature colors, along with three more on order. In a normal year, those five ships take tens of thousands of families on sailings to the Caribbean , Mexico, Alaska, Europe, Bermuda, Bahamas, through the Panama Canal and even to Australia and New Zealand.

For more cruise news, reviews and tips, sign up for TPG's cruise newsletter .

Having sailed four of Disney Cruise Line's five ships, I can say the experience is indeed special — especially if you have kids. But Disney's not a one-trick cruise line that's only good for one age group. It offers kids clubs and activities to suit babies through teens and has several adults-only areas of the ship . Its newest ship, Disney Wish , provides more cool spaces for adults than any previous vessel.

Disney's attention to detail transfers to its voyages on the sea. But unlike at the Disney theme parks, which can be a bit complicated to navigate, long lines and complex strategies are rarely a part of the Disney cruise experience.

Get the free planning help of a Disney vacation planner via TPG's partner, Mouse Counselors .

What TPG loves about Disney Cruise Line

• Broadway-caliber shows and first-run movies.
• Disney-level service and attention to detail.
• High-quality Disney character interactions and kids clubs.
• Innovative, included rotational dining.

What we could do without

• Disney cruises are expensive.
• The onboard Wi-Fi is not the fastest, especially on ships that haven't been upgraded. And it's not cheap.

Disney Cruise Line fleet

While Disney may be a household name, Disney Cruise Line is actually a small line. It currently sails just five ships, compared to 27 at its family-friendly competitor Royal Caribbean .

Of the five, two are smaller ships, and three are larger.

The largest ships in Disney's fleet are Disney Dream and Disney Fantasy, at 1,115 feet long and 14 decks high, and Disney Wish , at 1,119 feet and 15 decks high.

These three ships each have a passenger capacity of 4,000 people spread out across approximately 1,250 cabins. The overwhelming majority of cabins on these ships have an ocean view or private verandah, with only 10%-12% being windowless inside cabins. (On its oldest four ships, these interior rooms have a "magical porthole" that displays a live feed from outside to replicate a window.)

Disney Treasure , expected to join the fleet in 2024, will be in the same larger Triton class of ships as Disney Wish.

Disney Wish is currently a workhorse of short three- and four-night sailings from Port Canaveral , Florida, to the Bahamas, home to Disney's private island , Castaway Cay.

Disney Fantasy often sails weeklong cruises out of Florida. With the addition of Disney Wish to the fleet, Disney Dream now spends its summer across the Atlantic, offering European cruises from May to September, then spending much of the rest of the year based out of Fort Lauderdale.

The smaller two ships in the Disney Cruise Line fleet are Disney Wonder and the line's first ship, Disney Magic .

These two ships are 984 feet long and 11 decks high, and each has the capacity for 2,713 passengers across 875 staterooms. On these two smaller ships, 70% of passenger cabins have ocean views or verandahs.

Disney Wonder is often on the move and currently splits its time among Alaska , the South Pacific, Hawaii, California, Mexico and beyond. Disney Magic spends part of its year based out of Galveston, Texas, or New Orleans and much of the rest based out of Fort Lauderdale and Miami.

Related: Best destinations you can sail to on a Disney cruise

Disney Cruise Line destinations and itineraries

Disney Cruise Line has about 370 annual departures scheduled that range from two- to 15-night sailings. Many new-to-Disney itineraries have recently become available as the line is adding new ships for the first time in a decade.

Disney Cruise Line destinations include:

• New Zealand
• Pacific Coast
• South Pacific

Disney Wish has, by far, the highest number of annual sailings, with 105 three- and four-night cruises departing from Port Canaveral to the Bahamas. These sailings all go to Disney's private island, Castaway Cay; some also stop in Nassau, Bahamas.

Some Disney cruises do what's called a "double dip" and make two stops at the private island, where you can step ashore without leaving the Disney bubble.

Pro tip: If you go to Castaway Cay, rent a bike for a little exercise and a self-guided tour of the island. Or, you can run the at-your-pace 5K that morning around the island.

Coming in summer 2024 , Disney will have a second exclusive beach destination in the Bahamas — Lighthouse Point.

This won't be an entire private island like Castaway Cay, but it will be an exclusive beachfront space designed for Disney Cruise Line with many similar offerings to Castaway. Disney Magic, Disney Wonder and Disney Fantasy will call on this new destination for the first time in 2024.

Related: Best tips and tricks for sailing with Disney Cruise Line

Who sails Disney Cruise Line?

Let's start with the obvious: Families love Disney Cruise Line.

The ultimate sweet spot for taking a Disney cruise starts when a child is at least 3 years old and potty trained (the criteria that get them into the included kids clubs) and lasts until they outgrow their love of Disney characters. Remember, Disney now includes the "Star Wars" and Marvel brands and offers themed cruises featuring those characters, too.

A Disney cruise costs more than a similar cruise on a line like Royal Caribbean , so it's easiest to justify the expense when your kids love Disney the most.

So, yes, the stereotype that Disney Cruise Line is full of families is 100% correct.

You'll see many families with kids in those preschool, elementary and middle school years. But you'll also see families with little babies (the minimum age is 6 months on most sailings, 1 year on Panama Canal and transatlantic sailings), tweens, teens, college-age kids and even grandparents who have made a Disney cruise an enjoyable multigenerational travel tradition.

Related: Comparing Disney, Carnival and Royal Caribbean cruises for families

You'll also see cruisers who love Disney regardless of age and are proud to wear their Mickey ears while hearing the first seven notes of the "When You Wish Upon a Star" melody blown from the ship's massive horn.

Just like you don't need kids to have a great time at Disney World or Disneyland, you can happily cruise as adults without offspring on Disney Cruise Line. All the ships have active adults-only sun decks, pool and lounges. Disney Wish especially invested in its adult offerings with an infinity pool, along with more bars spread around the ship instead of being clustered into one main area.

Disney Cruise Line cabins and suites

At a basic level, Disney Cruise Line offers five main types of cabins across the fleet. In its simplified version, the types of cabins on a Disney cruise include:

• Windowless inside cabins
• Ocean-view cabins
• Verandah cabins (with private balconies)
• Verandah cabins with concierge service
• Suites with concierge service

These cabins start at 169 square feet for a standard inside cabin and go up to a two-story, 1,966-square-foot Tower Suite on Disney Wish .

Unless you are OK with the smallest space on the ship or have a budget for the largest, the sweet spot for price and comfort on Disney Cruise Line vessels is probably the cabins that are around 204 square feet and usually come with a queen bed, single sleeper sofa and upper-berth pull-down bed and a split bath.

This split bathroom situation places a sink and the shower/tub combo in one bathroom and the toilet and another sink in the other. Each has its own separate door, so someone could use the toilet/sink room while another takes a shower, all in private and at the same time.

You'll find this cabin layout within the Deluxe Inside Staterooms, Deluxe Oceanview Staterooms and Deluxe Oceanview Staterooms with Verandah categories.

The Deluxe Family Oceanview Staterooms and Deluxe Family Oceanview Staterooms with Verandah add about 40 more square feet to the equation. If you want the largest within those room categories, search for rooms that can hold five people on the Disney Cruise Line website.

Pro tip: You can ask your cabin host for cartoon bedding for the kid's bed if you think your child will be excited to come back from dinner to one of their Disney favorites.

You can connect many of the cabins on the ship , which is often a much more economical solution for a family looking for more sleeping space (and bathrooms) than upgrading to a multibedroom suite. Roughly speaking, a family of four will pay about 50% more for two cabins than they will for everyone to stay in one cabin of the same size.

Related: 7 nights. 4 people. 1 cruise ship cabin. Can we survive?

If you are going all-out on a particular trip, or are simply working with a larger budget, Disney concierge suites are special.

The smallest available room with this service is the Concierge Family Oceanview Stateroom with Verandah, which isn't all that different from the Deluxe Family Oceanview Stateroom with Verandah, other than the included concierge service. From there, you can go up to the one- or two-bedroom suites.

Be prepared for sticker shock, though, as these suites will almost certainly be near or over five figures on many sailings.

While pricey, Disney concierge service eliminates almost all of the potential pain points of a Disney cruise (not that there are many pain points to begin with).

Disney concierge service gets you access to the Disney Concierge Lounge, which has food offerings multiple times per day and a fully stocked fridge with sodas, juices and bottles of water.

In the evenings, you'll find included beer, wine and spirits in the lounge — which you can also take with you as you head out to dinner or to enjoy the view from the deck.

The Concierge Lounge also has its own private deck, and Disney characters have been known to make a private appearance there during the cruise. (Don't worry, you'll get a heads-up.)

Related: Is Disney Cruise Line concierge service worth it?

You also have your own check-in area at the port and are among the first to board the ship, which can mean extra time to enjoy having the waterslides to yourself. At the end of the cruise, you can have a private elevator that takes you down to be some of the first off the ship — which should protect you from a long line to say goodbye.

There are other perks of the concierge level, too, such as early front-row seating at shows, included popcorn and the ability to submit your request for meal reservations at Palo or Remy, cabanas on Castaway Cay, spa treatments, character meet-and-greets or whatever else you wish before other guests. These can be made for you starting 120 days before your sailing, which is before all other guests except those with the highest elite status tier in the Castaway Club .

Passengers on their first Disney cruise don't get to make those reservations until 75 days out if they aren't in the concierge level. The reality is the hottest items are often booked up by then, especially on shorter cruises when there's less time to do everything.

Those in the concierge level in one-bedroom suites and higher can also order room service from the restaurants to their cabin, which means you can have a hot breakfast on your verandah if you wish instead of the regular continental options available to most guests.

If you are on the fence about concierge service, it's arguably most valuable when you are on a shorter cruise, have some specific popular must-have items on your reservation wish list or want someone else to take care of everything. You can also inquire about discounted upgrades at the port, assuming rooms are left unsold on your voyage.

Pro tip: Regardless of your cabin, bring magnetic Mickey or nautical-themed decor for the entrance, as most of the cabin doors are magnetic. Decorating is a fun tradition on a Disney cruise.

Related: Review of sailing in a suite with Disney concierge service

Disney Cruise Line restaurants and dining options

You will not go hungry on a Disney cruise. From room service to evening dinners, meals are (mostly) all included.

Rotational dining

On each Disney ship, three main dining rooms serve as dinner restaurants that participate in rotational dining. Each ship has its own lineup of themed rotational restaurants, but the concept remains the same on each.

Each night, your tablemates and servers will move from one restaurant to the next as a team. This way, the servers get to know that you always want to start with a glass of red wine, or your kids' food needs to come ASAP so you can take them to the kids club as soon as they finish, or (in my case) your daughter wants a side of barbecue sauce with ... everything.

You must choose between an early and a late dinner time, with your showtime opposite your dining time. Some restaurants, such as Animator's Palate, are found on multiple ships, while others are unique to one ship, such as Tiana's Place on Disney Wonder and all of the rotational restaurants found on Disney Wish .

Included restaurants on Disney Magic

• Animator's Palate
• Lumiere's
• Rapunzel's Royal Table

Included restaurants on Disney Wonder

• Tiana's Place
• Triton's

Included restaurants on Disney Dream

• Enchanted Garden
• Royal Palace

Included restaurants on Disney Fantasy

• Royal Court

Included restaurants on Disney Wish

• Arendelle: A Frozen Dining Adventure
• Worlds of Marvel

At these restaurants, you can order whatever you want on the menu at no extra charge, with a few exceptions (for example, alcohol and specialty drinks cost extra).

While many guests dress up a bit for dinner (compared to their afternoon pool deck attire), most stay relatively casual for the rotational dining restaurants. Disney does not impose a specific dress-up requirement.

Disney cruise ships offer many other dining options beyond the three included themed restaurants — most included, some not.

Room service

Room service is mostly free (other than sodas or alcohol), though the menu is limited if you aren't staying in a concierge-level cabin. Still, it's free room service, so I'm not one to complain.

Pro tip: Fill the breakfast card out the night before and hang it on your stateroom to get breakfast exactly when you want it the next morning.

And you haven't lived until your kids learn how to call and order free Mickey ice cream bars to the cabin ... every night (just be sure and add a tip).

Buffet and grab-and-go

Your Disney cruise will also include a buffet known as Cabanas on the original four ships and Marceline Market on Disney Wish. The buffet is usually open for breakfast and lunch, though not in the evening hours.

In addition to the buffet, a few grab-and-go quick-service restaurants on the pool deck serve salads, chili, pizza, barbecue and more, depending on which ship you're sailing.

Don't miss these options, as some are quite good. They are typically open from late morning until later into the evening.

Room service, the buffet and the on-deck food counter dining options don't cost extra and are available to you in addition to or instead of your rotational dining.

You'll also find included ice cream on one of the upper decks. A pro-level hack is to get Mickey churro waffles from the buffet in the morning (only available some mornings) and add vanilla ice cream for a vacation-worthy breakfast.

Extra-cost, adults-only restaurants

At the top of the "costs extra" list are the restaurants Palo (found on all five ships, though it's Palo Steakhouse on Disney Wish), Remy (on Dream and Fantasy) and Enchante (only on Disney Wish).

Remy is a fancy adults-only French restaurant that costs $125 per person for dinner (more if you order drinks). This is the type of place where men need jackets and women are expected to wear dresses, pantsuits or a skirt and blouse. Enchante on Disney Wish is similar — you're dressing up for these meals.

Palo is also fancy, though a notch less fancy than Remy. You'll see jackets and dresses in Palo, but you can also get by with nice jeans if you want. This adults-only restaurant serves Northern Italian fare and starts at about $45 per person for a multicourse brunch or dinner, though you can also order a la carte for dinner, which could cost more or less, depending on your order.

I can say with 100% certainty that if you enjoy a nice meal, this is worth the extra $45 once during your cruise . From the breadbasket to the dessert, it's all amazing. You'll gain 5 pounds, but you won't regret a bite.

These reservations are hard to get, especially for brunch, so you'll want to make them the second you are eligible and keep checking back for cancellations if you miss out the first time.

Coffee shops and snack shops

On a Disney cruise, the snacks and pastries you'll see in the coffee shop or kiosk are all included, but the specialty coffee will cost extra. Drink prices are roughly similar to Starbucks, if not a notch lower. Be sure and ask for the Cafe Fanatic card if you're a regular, as your sixth drink will be free.

In addition to the included soft-serve ice cream and Mickey bars available via room service, your ship may have some shops with extra-fee ice cream. This can confuse kids, so I want to warn you beforehand. On Disney Dream, Disney Fantasy and Disney Wish, you'll find an ice cream shop stuffed with candies, gelato and ice cream — all for an extra charge.

Disney Dream and Disney Fantasy also have a juice bar that costs extra.

The exact bars will vary by vessel, but you can expect spots like a wine and Champagne bar, a pub, a laid-back lounge and a bar with live entertainment.

These bars are a lot of fun and are not to be missed if you like live music or a nice drink at the end of the day. Keep an eye out in your app for when and where the happy hours are on board if you want to save a few dollars on your drinks. Some bars also offer a sommelier bin where you get a nice glass of wine at a discounted price — as long as you put the bartender in charge of choosing your drink.

Some of the drink-tasting classes that you book in advance can be a good value if you're a fan of the drink on offer and are interested in learning a little bit while you sip. You'll want to book these before sailing, as many do sell out.

Food on Castaway Cay

If your cruise takes you to Disney's private island, Castaway Cay, you're in luck, as there's plenty of included food to eat there, too.

Just like on board, some of the food on Castaway is included, while alcohol and specialty drinks are not. The Cookie's and Cookie's Too lunch shacks on the island are both included, so load up on hot dogs, barbecue, hamburgers, fries and all the fixings. Vegetarian options are available.

While the food options here are somewhat basic, they still make for a fun and free meal.

However, if you don't like what is on offer on the island, you can always hop back on your ship for lunch and then continue your afternoon on the island after you eat.

Entertainment and activities on a Disney cruise

A valid reason to want to sail with Disney is the onboard fun that awaits — especially for those who love Disney characters and stories.

Theaters and shows

Each Disney cruise ship features two theaters. In the massive Walt Disney Theatre, you'll enjoy Broadway-caliber evening shows such as "Beauty and the Beast," "Frozen," "Tangled," "Disney Dreams," "The Golden Mickeys" and more. If you want a good seat, arrive about 30 minutes early since seating is first come, first served.

The Buena Vista Theatre screens first-run Disney films. These will be the same films still showing in theaters on land. If you happen to be at sea when a new Disney movie premieres on land, you'll also get that same first look at sea.

Pirate Night is a staple on many Disney cruises in the Caribbean. On that themed night, expect everyone to be dressed in their pirate-y best for the evening, so pack accordingly. Your dinner will also have a pirate theme, followed by a fun show up on deck, complete with fireworks.

Pro tip: If you plan to stay up late for Pirate Night, try to work in a nap that afternoon so you don't miss out on the nighttime fun.

Game shows, karaoke, bingo and more

The extensive lineup of interactive game shows, trivia, karaoke, dance parties, bingo and more listed in the Disney cruise app are worth checking out. Some of these are adults-only, while others are fun for the whole family. Most are included in the price of the cruise, though bingo does cost extra — and you could win real money.

Other interior attractions and activities

Meeting Disney characters is a fun part of a Disney cruise.

You can make reservations to meet the popular princesses, but most characters are easy to walk up to and meet via a short line. Or, even better, you often see them roaming about the ship at unexpected times.

You can work off some of those treats and drinks at the onboard fitness center on each ship.

The Senses Spa & Salon is a full-service spa with everything from massages to pedicures and hair care. Promotions are available if you book more than one treatment. If you have a Disney Visa card , you can also save 20% on select onboard services.

Pro tip: The showers in this part of the ship are full-size, in case you are getting a bit claustrophobic in the shower in your cabin.

If you like getting away to relax, look at purchasing access to the Rainforest Room for heated stone loungers, aromatherapy showers and even hot tubs on the larger ships. You can buy a one-day or full-cruise pass to this area of the spa, but get a tour first as the layout and inclusions in this space vary dramatically from ship to ship.

Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique

Little cruisers can be transformed into a princess or pirate at sea at the onboard Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique, which does themed kid makeovers and sells costumes as part of the package. You'll need an appointment; expect to pay $100 to $200 for most packages.

This is a fun thing to do before meeting a princess, before a more formal night or anytime you want to see a huge smile on your kid's face. If you have a princess dress or outfit from home you want to use or reuse, you can purchase a cheaper package at Bibbidi Bobbidi.

Decktop attractions

Waterslides.

All of Disney Cruise Line's ships have some kind of waterslide on board.

The AquaDuck waterslide on Dream and Fantasy takes riders in single or double tubes 765 feet from Deck 12 up and down, through the forward funnel and on a four-deck drop. It's pretty epic. AquaMouse on Disney Wish is also an inner tube-based ride and is not to be missed.

These lines can get long, so I recommend riding first thing when you board if the port is warm enough. Nighttime rides usually have short waits, too.

Disney Magic has the most thrilling waterslide in the fleet, called AquaDunk, and Disney Wonder has its own waterslide in the AquaLab splash area.

Each Disney ship has multiple pools, though if you've never been on a cruise, you may be initially shocked at how small they are — and how busy they can get.

As with the waterslides, we recommend enjoying these first thing when you board if you want to try them without crowds. Otherwise, you won't find so many people in the pools on port days, early in the morning and right before dinner. There are thousands of people on the ship and only a few small pools, so plan accordingly.

Each ship has a pool and hot tub area for adults 18 and up. It can also get busy, but typically less busy than the family area. Select ships also offer an in-pool bar area for adults.

The adult sun deck is a nice place to grab a chair and relax, even if you have no intention of getting in the water.

Splash pads

Your little one has to be potty trained to use the onboard pools. The option for those still in swim diapers is some splash areas, such as Nemo's Reef and Dory's Reef.

Sports deck

If you want to be more active, head to your ship's sports deck to play basketball, foosball, miniature golf and more. You may even have some sports simulator options beyond your traditional in-person fun.

Children's programs

As a parent, my favorite part of a Disney cruise might be the included kids programs that children actually want to attend. If the kids are happy for a few hours, the parents can actually relax, too.

Oceaneer Club and Oceaneer Lab for children ages 3–12

All five Disney ships have amazing spaces for kids in the 3-to-12-year-old range in the Oceaneer Club and Oceaneer Lab.

Here you'll find video games, an indoor slide, fun programs and games with the staff, arts and crafts, surprise character visits and more. Your kids need to be potty trained to stay in this club, so use that as motivation for a kid approaching 3 years old before your next cruise.

Your kids don't need an appointment to pop in here; they can come anytime from open to close — and the club stays open pretty late.

Parents can stay with kids and play during open hours on the first day and select times on other dates, but most of the time, the Oceaneer Club and Oceaneer Lab are kids-only. Your kids will check in and out by scanning a special MagicBand that also tracks where they are within the kids clubs.

Disney Wish has the added perk in the kids club of a slide that takes the kids straight from the main atrium and into the fun.

Know that once your child turns 8, you have the option of giving them self-checkout privileges. While kids up to 12 are welcome in the main Oceaneer Club, they may start moving up to the tween club by the time they are 10 years old.

Edge tween club for children ages 11–14

When your kid outgrows the fun in the main kids club, don't worry. Edge is waiting just upstairs.

Technically, Edge is for kids ages 11-14, but you can get your 10-year-old in with permission — and once they figure that out, it's probably all over for the "little kid club."

Edge is a much smaller space, but tweens have tons of fun playing video games, having dance parties, doing crafts, playing trivia games and more with their newfound cruise friends.

This club does not utilize parent sign-in and -out, so you need to trust your kid if they are coming to Edge. If your 10-to-12-year-old child visits Edge, they can also play at the Oceaneer Lab and Oceaneer Club, so they have options.

Vibe teen club for children ages 14–17

Get ready to be jealous of this one. On Disney Dream and Disney Fantasy, the teen club has its own set of small pools at the front of the ship.

Inside all versions of the teen club, Vibe, you'll find a tech-friendly world with loungers, dance parties, smoothies and other teen-approved fun. Some of the coolest inside space on Disney cruise ships is dedicated to teens ages 14-17, but you can request for your child to attend this club starting at 13 years old.

'It's a small world' nursery for children 6 months to 3 years old

While the three previously mentioned kids clubs are free and do not require reservations, the nursery operates differently. You will need to make reservations, and the fee is $4.50 per half-hour for the first child and $4 per half-hour for each additional child.

What to know before you go

Required documents.

The specific documents you will need will vary by cruise destination. Having a passport is always a good idea, but it's not technically required on all Disney cruises. For example, round-trip cruises originating in Port Canaveral, Miami, Fort Lauderdale, Galveston, San Diego, New Orleans, New York and San Juan, Puerto Rico, often do not require a passport.

Passports, when required, must be valid for at least six months. For cruises from international ports, you'll need a passport. Note that it is important that the name on your reservation be exactly as it is stated on your passport or other official proof of nationality.

Related: Tips for getting a child's passport

Disney Cruise Line adds a service gratuity of $14.50 per person per day to final bills. If you are unhappy with the service you receive, you can lower this amount. Of course, you can visit guest services and adjust it upward, too.

To give an idea of the cost, a four-person family on a four-night cruise would pay $232 in recommended tips. The amount is split among your team of dining room servers who quickly learned your kids' preferences for dinner and your cabin hosts who made your room look like magic while you were out enjoying yourself.

An 18% gratuity is added to onboard spa, bar, beverage, wine and deck service tabs. You can always add an additional gratuity for any of your services or servers.

While room service is free, it's customary to add a few dollars of tip when you sign the "bill."

While some gratuity is included at Palo and Remy, you'll likely want to add an additional tip if you enjoyed the service. If you stay in a concierge-level room or suite, it is customary to tip the Concierge Lounge hosts at the end of your cruise a recommended amount of $8 per night per guest.

Related: Everything you need to know about tipping on cruise ships

Disney Cruise Line's Wi-Fi, Connect@Sea, is in the process of being upgraded, so speed, bandwidth and cost vary by ship.

If you are on a ship that charges by day instead of by the amount of data used, expect the prices to vary from $12-$36 per day, depending on the speed you select. There are often discounts for buying Wi-Fi access for the length of the cruise.

If you are on a ship that still charges by the amount of data used, we recommend not doing that and connecting either when you are in port or via a plan from your cellphone provider.

Related: What's the best international phone plan right now?

Carry-on drinks policy

Guests 21 years and older may bring a maximum of two bottles of unopened wine or Champagne (no larger than 750 milliliters) or six beers (no larger than 12 ounces) on board at the beginning of the voyage and at each port of call. These beverages must be packed in carry-on (not checked) bags or luggage. You can keep drinks chilled in the small fridge in your cabin.

Guests wishing to consume wine or Champagne that they have brought on board in one of the dining rooms will be charged a corkage fee of $26 per bottle.

Smoking policy

Smoking is permitted only in designated deck areas. It's forbidden in cabins and on cabin balconies, and those who violate this rule will face a $250 cleaning fee.

For an additional fee, Disney ships offer full-service laundry and dry cleaning services that will pick up and deliver clean clothes to your cabin.

Ships also provide 24-hour, self-service guest laundry facilities equipped with washers and dryers, along with detergent and complimentary ironing equipment. You pay for the facilities by using your Key to the World card. These services can get busy during sea days on longer cruises, so plan accordingly.

Electrical outlets

All cabins are equipped with multiple 110-volt outlets, which are standard in the U.S. and Canada. Cabins on Disney Dream and Disney Fantasy are equipped with a combination of 110- and 220-volt (European) outlets.

Small electrical appliances such as electric shavers, curling irons and flat irons with standard North American plugs will function on board; 110-volt items should not exceed 1,500 watts, and 220-volt items should not exceed 2,000 watts. A hair dryer is provided in every cabin for your convenience, but you may bring your own as long as it meets the guidelines above.

The currency on Disney Cruise Line ships, regardless of location, is the U.S. dollar.

When you are on the ship, you will not need cash or a credit card — all incidentals, purchases and services will be charged to your cabin folio. Your Key to the World card (or your DisneyBand+ on Disney Wish ) serves as your onboard payment method. The only exception is if you want to tip a crew member in cash.

In port, you may wish to carry cash or a credit card to buy snacks and souvenirs or to tip your tour guide.

Drinking age

For most Disney sailings, the drinking age on board is 21.

However, on round-trip cruises departing European countries with a lower drinking age, passengers 18-20 years of age can drink alcohol on board with signed parental consent. For round-trip cruises from Sydney, Melbourne, Auckland and Brisbane, guests 18 years of age and older may purchase and consume alcoholic beverages without parental consent.

During the day, people dress casually. If it's a sea day in a warm-weather destination, and you're bound for the top deck, that means looking like you're going to the beach. T-shirts, shorts and bathing suits (with a cover-up to go inside) are fine.

During the evenings, dining attire in the three main dining restaurants is "cruise casual," meaning no swimwear or tank tops, but you don't have to put on a party dress. That said, many guests do dress up a bit in the evening, but it's not required unless you are dining in Palo, Remy or Enchante.

Cruises that are seven nights or longer schedule one "formal night" — though even then, it's only encouraged, not required. On that night, you will see suits, sports coats, cocktail dresses and similar from some guests.

Pro tip: Be sure and pack that pirate gear for Pirate Night.

Related: What to pack for your 1st cruise

Disney Cruise Line loyalty program

Disney Cruise Line has a simple loyalty program, the Castaway Club , with four "elite status" levels that you earn based on how many cruises you've taken with Disney. A three-night and 10-night cruise both count as one sailing for these purposes.

• Silver: One completed cruise
• Gold: Five completed cruises
• Platinum: 10 completed cruises
• Pearl: 25 completed cruises

Related: The TPG guide to cruise line loyalty programs

This isn't the kind of loyalty program where you earn free cruises the way you earn free flights with airline miles. Instead, as you go up in status, you earn perks and earlier access to booking cruises and activities — which is key for getting those hard-to-snag adult dining or Castaway Cay cabana reservations

Silver members

• Book new cruise itineraries one day before the general public and book onboard activities 90 days before sailing.
• Get a "welcome back aboard" gift (such as a bag), have access to a Castaway Club members-only line when boarding and access to a Castaway Club direct phone number.
• Select port arrival time with online check-in starting 33 days before the general public.

Gold members

• All of those perks, but you can book new sailings two days before the general public and can book onboard activities 105 days before sailing.
• On eight-night and longer voyages, Gold Castaway Club members are also invited to a private reception with special entertainment. There are also select merchandise discounts available to Gold members and higher.
• Select port arrival time with online check-in starting 35 days before the general public.

Platinum members

• All of those perks, but you can book new sailings three days before the general public and can book onboard activities 120 days before sailing.
• Priority check-in at the cruise terminal.
• Complimentary evening dinner at Palo or Palo Steakhouse for themselves and everyone in the cabin age 18 and older.
• Select port arrival time with online check-in starting 38 days before the general public.

Pearl members

• All of those perks, but you can book new sailings four days before the general public and can book onboard activities 123 days before sailing.
• Exclusive cruise terminal check-in (where available)
• Unlimited Digital Photo Package.
• Select port arrival time with online check-in starting 40 days before the general public.

How much does a Disney cruise cost?

Magic ain't cheap, and Disney cruises are expensive. They aren't the priciest voyages out there, but they will cost more than cruises with family-friendly competitors such as Royal Caribbean by a noticeable margin.

For a family of four, the cheapest Disney cruise currently available (not counting the two-night cruises in Australia and New Zealand) is about $2,500. An ocean view will add about $90 and a verandah will add about $500.

On these shortest cruises, concierge-level cabins and access start at a little over $5,000 for a family of four.

Those sorts of prices will only be available during the offseason, such as in mid-to-late January and early February or for repositioning cruises as the ship moves from, say, Puerto Rico to Florida. That same cruise during spring break can cost double or more, so the more date flexibility you have, the better.

A seven-night cruise in the Caribbean will likely start around $5,000 for a family of four. Expect Alaska and Europe cruises to start at $5,000 to $6,000 for inside cabins for a week, and prices go up for longer sailings and upgraded cabins.

You can save money on your next Disney cruise by putting a $250 deposit down while you are at sea on a previous Disney cruise. It's a popular way to get 10% off your next cruise.

Another way to save on a Disney cruise is to look at a one-way repositioning sailing , as those often price lower than other similar cruises. For example, the cruise line may need to end a cruise in a particular port to reposition the ship to do some sailings from there. You'll have to get yourself back home from that port, but you may save on the cruise in the process.

Related: 15 ways that cruising newbies waste money on a cruise

How to book

You can book your Disney cruise directly with Disney Cruise Line either over the phone or online, but I'd argue you shouldn't.

Cruises are easy to enjoy but can be complicated to plan if you are new to this type of travel. This is an industry where a travel agent is still a good call. You want someone who can help you pick the right cabin type and location for your group and keep track of when you can snag those onboard activities you really want.

When the wave of pandemic-related cruise cancellations hit in 2020, I was so grateful to have a travel agent — instead of me — spending time dealing with the cruise line.

Related: How to book a cruise with points and miles

Another reason to consider going through a travel agent is to get onboard credit. Some travel agents will offer onboard credit based on the amount you spend on your Disney cruise. This is credit you can use toward drinks, spa treatments, excursions or anything else you can charge to your room.

FOR NO-COST ASSISTANCE WITH PLANNING AND BOOKING YOUR DISNEY CRUISE, CHECK OUT TPG'S DISNEY BOOKING PARTNER, MOUSE COUNSELORS .

Generally speaking, the sooner you book a Disney cruise after it goes on sale, the better, as prices usually only go in one direction — up.

Whether you use a travel agent or not, make sure to maximize your credit card points when paying for the cruise by using a credit card that offers extra points for travel purchases and maybe even offers some built-in travel protections .

• The Chase Sapphire Reserve offers 3 points per dollar on travel and dining and an annual up-to-$300 travel credit.
• The Chase Sapphire Preferred Card earns 2 points per dollar on travel.
• The Disney Premier Visa Card is also a good option, specifically with Disney Cruise Line, as it gives you access to a 0% introductory annual percentage rate for six months following the purchase date on eligible Disney vacation packages, such as a Disney cruise (then a variable APR of 19.24% to 28.24% applies). The card also gets you 10% in savings on some onboard activities and packages while at Castaway Cay.

Related: How to save money on booking a Disney cruise

Bottom line

Whether you are on a three-night trip to Castaway Cay or a bigger crossing to the South Pacific, a Disney cruise is a special vacation that actually feels like a vacation.

The classic styling of the original four ships, the modern storybook styling of Disney Wish, the vast number of inclusions, the rotational dining, waterslides, private island, fun kids clubs, Disney characters, high-caliber entertainment and Disney service shine through.

You'll certainly pay more for the privilege of sailing with Mickey and Minnie than with some other family-friendly lines. But for those with kids in that Disney age range, or for adults who know and trust the Disney brand, it's hard to go wrong in choosing Disney Cruise Line for your next vacation.

More stories to help you plan your next cruise:

• Best Disney ships for everyone
• Everything we know about Disney Treasure, joining DCL in 2024
• Everything you need to know about Disney Wish
• Best credit cards for booking a cruise

Disney Cruise Line Planning Guide

This Disney Cruise Line planning guide covers things to do, packing tips, dining recommendations, Castaway Cay advice, and more. Whether you’re setting sail on a Caribbean itinerary aboard the Magic or heading to somewhere else, this will help you prepare. ( Updated March 9, 2023 .)

Let’s start with the good news, which is that as of 2023, Disney Cruise Line is largely back to normal for sailings departing from the United States and Puerto Rico. There are no longer vaccination or pre-cruise test requirements and face masks are now entirely optional.

Beyond that, entertainment is no longer modified, character meet & greets are no longer distanced, and all-you-can-eat buffets are once again self-service. There are still relatively minor ways the Disney Cruise Line experience remains modified, but nothing you’d notice unless you’re actively looking for it. The number of hand-sanitizing stations has increased, but that’s really about it.

The biggest change is that Disney Cruise Line has added a new ship to its fleet! The Disney Wish is now sailing on 3 and 4-night Bahamian cruises from Port Canaveral to Nassau and Disney’s Castaway Cay. We’ve been on this new ship a couple of times, and share whether it’s worth the premium pricing in our Disney Wish Cruise Ship Review .

We also have lists covering the “Best of” and “Worst of” the Disney Wish . Suffice to say, this new ship will be incredibly appealing for some families, and has a number of subtle enhancements that will improve the experience for some families. It also has frustrating and perplexing design decisions, and features that make it less appealing for certain audiences.

While we like the Wish, we prefer the legacy ships. That’s just our  personal  perspective based on our priorities and circumstances. You should read reviews and pros & cons to determine which ship is right for you. There’s no one-size-fits-all answer.

A few more ships will be added to the Disney Cruise Line fleet in the next 5 years, but the even bigger development on the horizon is that the Lighthouse Point Private Island Destination Opens to Disney Cruise Line in Summer 2024 . Lighthouse Point will offer beaches for families, adults, and kids–complete with play areas, cabanas, kids’ clubs, and more. One highlight will be the Bahamian art and culture pavilion featuring special programs and local artists will provide visitors to Lighthouse Point opportunities to learn and celebrate the traditions and natural beauty of The Bahamas.

We think Lighthouse Point looks incredible–like a mashup of the best parts of Castaway Cay and Aulani Resort in Hawaii! Only select sailings will stop at Lighthouse Point, so be mindful of that when booking your Bahamian cruises.

To that point, this Disney Cruise Line planning guide focuses on Bahamian cruises aboard the Disney Cruise Line fleet. These are the perfect “starter” cruises to discover whether you’re going to be a certified cruise addict, or if it’s not for you. While some of the specifics in this Disney Cruise Line Guide are tailored towards the Disney Magic, we have sailed on all of the other ships to a multitude of destinations, too.

Most of these same tips apply to the Disney Dream, Disney Fantasy, and Disney Wonder. This guide applies equally to those ships in terms of the basics of things to know before you go, and recommendations for activities and other things you should try to do once you’re on board the ship.

While we prefer the larger and newer ships, the Disney Magic is arguably the most approachable ship and often has the least expensive itineraries. It’s smaller (964 feet long and holds 2,700 passengers plus ~950 Cast Members), but the spaces feel fresh and modern. By contrast, the Disney Fantasy is 1,115 feet and holds 4,000 passengers (plus ~1,500 Cast Members).

Th overall style and aesthetic of the Disney Cruise Line is evident the moment you step aboard one of the ships and step into its lobby. The lobby is a signature area of each Disney Cruise Line ship, with each having a one-of-a-kind chandelier, beautiful design and detail work, and great use of color and lines. Now, this isn’t unique to the reimagined Disney Magic–the original design was stunning, too–but it just goes to show how well-designed the Disney Cruise Line ships are.

We will cover other elements of Disney Cruise Line in the sections that follow. Let’s get started with planning your voyage aboard Disney’s cruise ships!

What to Pack

One big one for the adults is alcohol. That’s right, you can take alcohol aboard the Disney Cruise Line in your carry-on bag when you board the ship or return from port. This used to be huge, because there were no limits. However, Disney Cruise Line now has a policy significantly limiting the amount of alcohol guests can bring on-board.

Other than that, all you need to pack is “basic cruise stuff.” We always recommend taking a look at our Unique Disney Packing List , which can give you some good ideas of things to pack, but the basics are a pair of quality water shoes and Frogg Togg Chilly Pads . You might want to consider the Frogg Togg Super-sized Chilly Cooling Towel for putting on your lounge chair to keep cool around the pool or on Castaway Cay.

If you plan on getting into the pirate spirit for the Pirate Night deck party, we recommend buying some random pirate accessories before the cruise. We did not do this, and the two of us spent ~$40 on random pirate stuff in the gift shop that we will probably never wear again. It was fun for photos and to just get us in the mood for the party, but lesson learned on that one…

Two more things that might seem obvious: swimsuits and sunscreen. You can buy both of these things on the cruise, but you will pay a significant premium. Make sure to take your sunscreen off the ship at Castaway Cay, as they will really price-gouge you if you need to buy it there!

Getting There

Although Disney Cruise Line sails out of many ports, the most common one is Port Canaveral in Florida. If you’re expecting a simple Disney’s Magic Express-type arrangement to get from Orlando International Airport to the Disney Cruise Line boarding area, you are in for a surprise, as there is no such free service. Instead, you either have to rent a car, take a non-Disney shuttle, or take a Disney shuttle. It’s fairly simple once you figure out which of these transportation methods you’ll be using, but figuring it out is easier said than done.

Disney’s transfer bus costs $39/person per way from either the airport or any Disney hotel, and is the easiest option. However, given the per person nature of the bus, it can be a more expensive option. It also is probably the least efficient option. You are at Disney’s whims in terms of pick up and drop off times, meaning that you may not be able to board the cruise ship as early as you would like. If you are a family of 4, a car service generally charges $200-300 round-trip, which is generally a cheaper option than Disney’s transportation–and it’s more efficient.

Renting a car is another option, and if you go this route, you will want to do a “one-way” rental from wherever your point of origin to Port Canaveral. Then, once you return, do another one-way rental from Port Canaveral to wherever you’re going. The reasons for doing this are two-fold: 1) you avoid paying for rental car days while you’re on the cruise, and 2) you avoid paying $15/day.

Sometimes, one-way rental costs have a higher per-day cost than round-trip rentals, but the difference should be insignificant. Sarah used this strategy when going on a cruise recently, and her one-way rental cost (times two) was only ~$50, as opposed to the $140 round-trip Disney shuttle cost she would have paid for her and her sister, or the ~$200 cost she would have paid to do a round-trip rental plus parking at Port Canaveral. This does require taking a shuttle from the rental car location to Port Canaveral, which Sarah found to be a hassle.

Even if you’re only a party of 2, two separate one-way car rentals are almost always going to be the cheapest option for transportation to and from Port Canaveral. This is a hassle in its own way in having an additional rental car booking plus having to use the rental car shuttle, but we feel it’s a good balance of autonomy, efficiency, and price.

Cruise liners have reputations for having small, claustrophobic staterooms that guests should really only use for sleeping and showering. We are not here to suggest that the Disney Cruise Line ships are large and luxurious, but they have exceeded our expectations. On the one hand, they absolutely are smaller, smaller than even a room at a Value Resort at Walt Disney World.

On the other hand, they use space efficiently, are laid out so that you can use them for more than just sleeping and showering, and are well-designed. (I guess we sort of are going to say they’re luxurious!) They are still small and I wouldn’t want to spend more than a couple hours of free time in the stateroom each day, but the rooms are nice.

Not all of the rooms in the same class are the same! It might seem easy to pick a room since there’s only inside, oceanview, and verandah categories. However, there are actually several “secret” verandah and porthole staterooms, as well as mini-suites and oversized rooms, all of which are priced in a lower tier than you might expect .

As for which class of stateroom you should get, that’s entirely up to you. On our first cruise, the cost of upgrading to a verandah was insignificant, so we did that. We quickly realized that for a short cruise, we weren’t spending enough time in the room to get our money’s worth (and we paid very little for the upgrade). The longer the cruise or the more time you plan on spending in your room, the more worthwhile a verandah or oceanview room becomes.

The Disney Cruise Line ships feature rotational dining, plus adults-only fine-dining restaurants like Palo and Remy, and an assortment of quick service options so that you can grab food on the go or eat while lounging around on the main deck. Here are our quick-hit summaries of the main dining rooms on the Disney Magic–click each name for a detailed review and food photos–which are similar to the restaurants on the other Disney Cruise Line ships.

Animator’s Palate – Animator’s Palate is a restaurant that’s more like a dinner show. Besides the stage shows, this is probably the biggest dose of “Disney magic” that you’ll have aboard the Disney Cruise Line, as it features an animation-centric transformation of the restaurant via some clever Imagineering. I don’t want to spoil anything, but it’s definitely not to be missed. The restaurant is supposedly “Pacific Rim,” but it more or less seemed like standard, American cuisine to us.

Lumiere’s – Lumiere’s is an American and French cuisine fusion restaurant. It combines Art Deco and Beauty and the Beast themes into a stylized restaurant that is elegant, yet full of Disney whimsy and charm. We really liked our meal at Lumiere’s and were pleasantly surprised by the quality of the food. The dining room is a bit chaotic and loud, but the food and design are both great.

Palo – This is the adults-only fine dining experience aboard the Disney Magic, with a per guest surcharge. It is soooo worth that surcharge that you should not even hesitate to make reservations here. Seriously, so many people pass on Palo because they already paid a lot for the cruise and want to take advantage of the “free” dining (really dining built into the cost of the cruise), but Palo is worth the added cost as compared to the other restaurants. Do it. You will not regret it.

Carioca’s – We skipped Carioca’s for Palo during our rotational dining, having heard that it was the least impressive restaurant on the Disney Magic. It is themed to be an outdoor marketplace set in Rio, and transforms from day to night as it changes from day to night on the ship. The name comes from Jose, the parrot from The Three Caballeros. We were in here once outside of the rotational dining, and it seemed like an interesting concept.

In addition to the rotational dining, here are the other restaurants on the Disney Magic:

• Cabanas (Table Service)
• Daisy’s De-Lites (Quick Service)
• Pete’s Boiler Bites (Quick Service)
• Pinocchio’s Pizzeria (Quick Service)

Drinking gets its own section because, for a lot of people, getting your buzz on is an essential part of the cruise experience. We aren’t of that mentality, but there certainly is something to be said for lounging on the top deck and having a drink or two.

The big thing to know with drinks aboard the Disney Cruise Line is that their costs vary widely. Drinks in the ‘cool’ hurricane glasses (made of plastic) at the Sail Away Party are weak Miami Vices that are expensive. There’s also a souvenir beer mug, which is also expensive. We’d avoid these both; even if you want a souvenir, put your money towards something better than a cheap plastic glass.

Drinks elsewhere on the ship are less expensive, but we were never really blown away with any of the concoctions at any spot we tried. We’ve heard of drink specials ( Disney Cruise Line Blog’s drinking page lists a few examples), but we didn’t see any. Keep your eye out for these!

Nightlife aboard the Disney Cruise Line ships is…how do we put this…not all that full of life. Each ship has a few options, but in our experience, none are all that popular. Here’s what you can find aboard the Magic…

After Hours is the adults-only entertainment district, and it’s pretty cool in theory. There are three venues here: O’Gill’s Pub, Keys, and Fathoms. The main area here is Fathoms, which is used earlier in the night for hosted interactive shows like “Pops” before becoming a dance club later. O’Gill’s and Keys are variations of the same concept, with one being an Irish pub and the other being a modern piano bar.

In terms of concept and design, all three of these venues are cool. And, so long as you’re fine with your entertainment ending at around 9 or 10 pm, they are fun in practice, too. The problem is, once you get past about 10 pm, the number of adults on any given Disney Cruise Line ship looking for nightlife is minimal, and this already low number is spread across multiple venues. If you like the quiet of having a venue (more or less) to yourselves so you and friends can chat, this is a great thing. If you’re looking for an energetic scene, this is an awful thing.

I am somewhere in the middle of these two extremes. I hate going to dance clubs in our town because they are loud and obnoxiously crowded. Conversely, I am not keen on pubs and other places where no one else is around. At that point, why not just “party” at home? We have found that After Hours skews too close to “empty” to really do a ton for us. In fairness, one night we did see some adults who had overindulged go absolutely crazy on the dance floor…that was a lot of fun to watch!

This is something that will vary to a degree on every sailing, but one thing that appears consistent is that Disney Cruise Line attracts a disproportionate number of families as compared to other cruise lines. Parents are often too tired or have outgrown the idea of nightlife, and aren’t as likely to partake as singles. We’d hazard a guess that these nightlife spots are busier on cruises that are geared more towards adults (like an Alaska cruise or a repositioning cruise). You can still have fun with the nightlife, especially if you’re the one bringing the party (or more importantly, the people).

Family Stuff & Kid’s Clubs

If you are looking for family-friendly entertainment, or just a place to deposit your kids for the day, the Disney Cruise Line has you covered!

D Lounge is the main hangout for family-friendly activities. Lots of different things happen here throughout the day, from trivia to dancing to even Disney Vacation Club presentations. Kids, what’s more family-friendly than convincing your parents to buy into Disney Vacation Club? This is your future we’re talking about! 😉

The Oceaneer Club is for children age 3-12, and has numerous themed experiences that will appeal to a variety of different interests and age levels. We had a chance to tour this club, but since we don’t have kids, we have no first-hand feedback on how the experiences are. The spaces themselves sure look cool, but if anyone has feedback from their kids as to how enjoyable this stuff actually is, please share in the comments.

First, and probably the most interesting is Marvel’s Avengers Academy. There’s also Disney’s Pixie Hollow, Andy’s Room from Toy Story, and Mickey Mouse Club. Each of these areas is pretty-well themed. So, Andy’s Room actually resembles his room from Toy Story, Pixie Hollow looks like it might be inhabited by fairies, and Mickey Mouse Club has a strong Mickey Mouse motif.

The Oceaneer Lab, also for children age 3-12, is basically the activity center. The coolest thing about this, I think, as a Disney fan is that it incorporates the S.E.A. (Society of Explorers and Adventurers) concept found at Tokyo DisneySea and Hong Kong Disneyland and brings it to the Disney Magic! It has a pirate-themed area where kids can steer a pirate ship through the Caribbean, plus Captain’s Workshop, Animator’s Studio, and Craft Studio, all of which offer interactive activities.

Both locations are open from 9 am until midnight, and are connected by a kids-only hallway, so kids can utilize both spaces easily. Truthfully, I’m not sure what the distinction between the Club and Lab is, since both venues offer interactive activities. Maybe they just couldn’t fit the entire kids area into one space, and since there are two locations, they needed two names? No clue.

There’s also Edge and Quarter Masters, both of which are basically places to play video games. Vibe is the teens-only ‘club’ hangout.

The nursery aboard the Disney Magic is called ‘it’s a small world’ Nursery, and is themed to the park attraction. It’s for kids under 3, and has an additional charge. So remember, parents, babysitting is FREE for your kids over age 3, but costs extra for those under 3. Plan accordingly when determining when to book your cruise! 😉

Like all things Disney, the Disney Cruise Line nails themed entertainment. Currently, the Disney Magic has three Broadway-style shows “Disney Dreams – An Enchanted Classic,” “Twice Charmed: An Original Twist on the Cinderella Story,” and “Tangled: The Musical” These shows play on Deck 4, Forward in the Walt Disney Theatre (a beautiful theater worth checking out in its own right).

One thing several people have asked us is whether it’s worth it to see the shows. Our answer is always a qualified “absolutely.” We absolutely recommend the shows because these are a big part of what puts the “Disney” into the Disney Cruise Line, and more than anything else aboard the ship, they are something you will only find on the Disney Cruise Line. Why would you skip the entertainment that’s a defining feature of the Disney Cruise Line?!

We qualify that ‘absolutely’ response because we want to make it clear that we don’t think these shows are across-the-board incredible. Each of them has its flaws, but they’re all elaborate, ambitious, and well worth watching at least once. They all have really strong production values, very talented casts, and memorable music. I would say that you will probably like 2 out of the 3 shows if you’re a serious Disney fan. You might even like them all–I suppose it depends upon how critical you are.

The big impediment you might have in seeing all of these shows is dinner. The shows each have two performances on select nights of your cruise, and these occur at 6:15 pm and 8:30 pm (check your Personal Navigator to confirm this). The idea is that if you have an early dinner seating, you go to the late show, or vice-a-versa. For adults traveling without kids, this presents no issue (perhaps unless you’re having a long meal at Palo), but for parents with kids, dinner and a show can be a bit much.

We have two potential recommendations for this: change your meal seating time (you can have it adjusted when you first board the ship) depending on whether you think dinner-first or show-first is better for your kids, or do dinner first and watch the shows from bed on your in-cabin TV. The latter suggestion is less ideal, but possibly more realistic. Obviously, you lose a lot of what makes the shows special by watching them on TV as opposed to in the theater, but if you realistically wouldn’t be able to do both dinner and the theater (and enjoy both), then that’s not really a good option.

Characters & Other Entertainment

It’s impossible to cover every single piece of entertainment available on the Disney Cruise Line. First of all, because there are like 20+ different things to do everyday. Second, because it changes from cruise to cruise, so we could never keep up. For this area, the Personal Navigator is your friend. Refer to the paper Personal Navigator or the iPhone app regularly, and determine what looks interesting to you on a daily basis.

The stage shows covered above are the flagship entertainment aboard the Disney Magic, and those are not to be missed. Additional entertainment consists of activities in the D Lounge (mentioned above), nightlife (also mentioned above), trivia, and other unique seminars and presentations. There’s really so many entertainment options that you could spend your entire cruise “being entertained.” Based upon what we saw, not all of the entertainment options were created equally, and others are advertisements for other Disney offerings.

There’s also recreation like basketball, shuffleboard, ping pong, soccer, and more. The Fitness Center offers weight machines and elliptical. Aerobic and yoga classes are also offered.

Of course, the pools are the most popular places for ‘fitness’ on the Disney Cruise Line, and there are three of them. One for families, one for adults, and one for kids–you can read more about these pools here . Add to that play areas and the AquaDunk, and there’s a lot to do. Our favorite pool was the family pool, although it was always crowded because it’s open to everyone.

However, it’s also in the center of everyone, and it was nice to lounge around. The AquaDunk always had a long wait in the middle of the day–I finally did it in late afternoon and only waited 10 minutes, and didn’t think it was worth even that. It seems like Disney needed something that looked like the AquaDuck water coaster on the other ships, and this was all the Disney Magic could support. It’s fine, but way too short.

Another big thing for many guests is the Buena Vista Theater. This shows first-run Disney movies, and is very popular with guests. To each their own, but we aren’t fans of taking from out of a cruise to see a movie. At home, we can see a movie for ~$15 per person, and while it might seem like a “good deal” to see movies for “free” on the Disney Cruise Line, your per hour waking cost of the cruise is probably significantly more than ~$5. Why not do things that are actually unique to the cruise? That’s just our take, though, and we understand some people might need downtime, or might just want to relax as a family and enjoy the latest Disney film.

Pirate Night is the ‘biggest’ entertainment aboard the Disney Magic. It starts with character meet & greets in atrium, followed by normal rotational dinner (servers and guests seem to get into the pirate mood), followed by the Pirates in the Caribbean deck/dance party, and concluding with fireworks shot over the edge of the ship.

If you have kids, this is probably great fun. We had a blast getting into the pirate mood and dressing up a bit for it, but the actual deck party was a bit of a letdown. Pirate Mickey and the other characters were fun, but the music was pretty dated and it seemed like the whole thing was way too reliant on the dance element. Kids probably won’t know the difference and will have a blast, but we would have liked to see more scripted action from the characters, or a dance party that wasn’t stuck in the past.

In terms of character meet & greets, the scheduled meet & greets in the atrium were without a doubt the most popular ones we saw. This was especially true on Pirate Night, when the characters are dressed in pirate attire. If you want to do meet & greets on Pirate Night, make sure to arrive and line-up just before the meet & greets start. Other scheduled meet & greets drew long lines, but nothing as long as this.

We actually found the shortest lines to be on Castaway Cay, where the characters (plus Jack Sparrow) generally didn’t have much in the way of lines at all. Perhaps this was because people don’t want character photos when they are in swimsuits? Maybe guests forget their cameras? Whatever the case, we think this is the best time for character photos.

We’re not really sure if it’s “entertainment” per se, but we don’t have anywhere else to put it, so…there’s a spa on the ship. It’s called Senses Spa & Salon. We contemplated doing something here for the sake of “research”…until we saw the prices. Sorry, you’ll have to do your own research on this one.

Castaway Cay

Disney’s private island, Castaway Cay, is the port of call that everyone going on Disney Cruise Line for a Caribbean cruise will see. We love Castaway Cay, and since there are so many tips and recommendations for this stop, we actually wrote a dedicated Castaway Cay Guide that you can reference for planning your day on Castaway Cay.

Overall, setting sail aboard the Disney Cruise Line is an incredibly enjoyable experience. Although the itineraries command premium pricing, but it’s a premium experience, too. All things considered, we feel DCL offers good value for money, Disney quality, and the ships don’t nickel and dime you like other cruise lines.

Since first setting sail with Disney Cruise Line, we’ve since done several additional itineraries, including to Norway, Alaska, and both the Eastern and Western Caribbean (multiple times). Our favorite destination by far was the Norwegian Fjords, which literally felt like a trip to Arendelle from  Frozen . Alaska was also a lot of fun, and of course we love cruising to tropical islands and enjoying Castaway Cay.

Even as Platinum Castaway Club Members, we do not consider ourselves the definitive authority on Disney Cruise Line. There are still far more itineraries that we have not done as compared to ones we have. With that said, we’re working on becoming seasoned cruise pros. If any of you experienced cruisers have additional tips or recommendations as to itineraries, excursions, or anything else, please share them. We wanted to put this guide together as a handy starting point, because we’ve been receiving a lot of questions about Disney Cruise Line.

If you want personalized recommendations for Disney Cruise Line itineraries, ships, and more, click here to get a cruise quote from a no-fee Authorized Disney Vacation Planner . If you enjoyed this post or found it helpful, we’d really appreciate it if you’d share it via social media to help spread the word. We put a lot of work into making this site a helpful planning resource, and hope it’s useful to you! 🙂

Your Thoughts

Have you ever set sail on the Disney Wish, Disney Magic, Disney Dream, Disney Fantasy, or Disney Wonder? Do you have a favorite ship or favorite itinerary? Do you think Disney Cruise Line is worth the premium pricing? What did you think of the ships? Any other tips to add or recommendations? If you have questions or thoughts, please share them below and we’ll try to respond!

Written by Tom Bricker

Great advice! we’re looking to book a cruise – any advice on if it’s better to book direct or recommended travel agents?

And don’t ask me why I’m saying like a lot so bye

If you could see like the hall then you would be surprised it looks so pretty. I never went on the cruise ship but like I seen it in pictures and it looks so beautiful and magical And like if you see the entire ship it’s like huge and when I saw it I thought there was like so many places that you could be in there. These are the things that Seriously say about the Disney cruise ship , 1. It’s like so fun and, 2. It’s the most Beautifullest place that I’ve ever seen , and last 3. I’m pretty sure everyone’s having fun So . Bye-bye,thx

You complain a lot

if you are a beer drinker, the beer mug package is 100% worth it, great value and way easier than hauling your own beer. the bottled beer packages are not. the mug package- you pay up front the cost of a 22oz beer and get the mug. you then can refill that 22oz mug for the price of a 16oz beer all cruise long. at the end of the evening, trade your mug in for a token/card at any bar. use that token/mug next time. the best part is at the end of your cruise, you can either take a clean mug home, or better yet, keep the token/card in a safe place to bring back on your next cruise to keep things rolling without needing to buy the package new again. also, this allows you to have any beer on tap, which is so much better than any beer bottled. they often have various seasonal offerings, even local offerings (alaska brewing co on alaska sailings, for example).

Like I will love it too I like the dining table and I like like everything I have on a Disney cruise ship it’s like so fine I don’t know what to say but this is the most best cruise ship I ever in like ever seen in my entire life is so magical if I’d be there i’d be surprised so like…thx

I’m hoping to provide color to the Oceaneer Lab and Oceaneer Club, since I don’t see it anywhere in the comments. We have only experienced these options on the Disney Fantasy, so I can’t speak for the other ships in the line, but I expect that its similar. Kids are issues a wrist band at the beginning of the cruise that looks just like a Magic Band. This is how they are checked in and out, and how they are tracked throughout the different areas. My three year old liked to take his on and off, and when this happened, CMs would just put it back on his wrist or around his ankle. Don’t forget to return this band at the end of the cruise, or you will be charged $12.50, and the bands don’t work a second time around or at the parks. It’s a lame souvenir.

During Registration you’ll say who is allowed to check out with your child, and a CM will confirm the first time you drop off. At pick up they will tell you when you can find your kid so you don’t have to search the whole area.

In the Oceaneer Club each of areas, Marvel, Pixie Hollow, Andy’s Room, etc, have their really creative themeing and themed activities throughout the day. There is always something going on to keep kids engaged and active – our son loved meeting Dr Strange in Marvel and practicing flying an X-Wing in the Star Wars area. If that sounds overwhelming, there are always quiet areas kids can find to chill and unwind – we often found our son in Andy’s room watching a movie or playing with Mr. Potato Head.

Oceaneer Lab had lots of fun activities aimed at different ages and developmental levels. My son loved flying an airplane. I loved that they had CM led science experiments and cooking lessons from Ratatouille. The kitchen lab is also where kids are served lunch. CMs were extra awesome in accommodating my son’s food allergies during cooking labs and meals, as we have come to expect from Disney.

How have you found cheaper rates on DCL cruises? I was under the impression that the only way to get cheaper rates is to book 1.5 years out when the prices first come out. Have you done a post on this yet?

Disney sometimes offers last-minute discounted “guaranteed” rooms which means you cannot choose your room but will be assigned one in a specific category or better. Many of these have additional restrictions–e.g must b paid in full upon booking and aren’t nonrefundable. We are currently trying this out for our first cruise in April on the theory that the room won’t matter much for just a three day cruise. The other thing to note is because it is last minute, many on board activities and port excursions will be sold out (we got some and are happy with out options, but you have to be willing to be flexible and take what isn’t available)

Sorry for all of the typos in my above response! My phone autocorrect was acting pretty weird…

I also just realized Tom has a blog post about this, so check it out here for more/better info:

https://www.disneytouristblog.com/money-saving-tips-disney-cruise-line/

Palo Dining is now a $30 fee! But we are still going to try it on your recommendation.

Hi just an update you are no longer allowed to carry liquor onto the ship. You may carry on 2 bottles of wine per person or a 6 pack of beer person but nothing else. You can however carry the wine and beer limit on at every port. I believe this new rule went into effect this past September. For some people this is not a big deal but for others was one of the draws to a Disney cruise over other cruise lines.

Good point–I’ll update this in the post!

It was a big draw for our family (all adults) and I feel it was great for adults traveling sans kids. Sad to see this change.

Do you have recommendations on when to go? Is there a season when it is typically cheaper? A month where you wouldn’t risk bad weather? We are thinking a Caribbean Cruise from the same port.

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Disney Cruise Line Fleet

Disney cruise line ship fleet information. Cruisedeckplans.com shows the different classes of ships in the Disney fleet. On this page you can also compare features and dining options for each Disney ship. You will find daily service charge information, size in tons and number of cabins for each ship. You can CLICK ON any ship to go to the ship page for that ship. Check out our unique stateroom capacity trend chart showing the changes in the size of the Disney cruise line ship fleet over the past few years. Check out our Master Ship List . You can filter and sort by cruise line or ship.

CLICK on a ship below to go to the ship decks and cabins page. Disney Cruise Line has 6 ships in the fleet. You can filter the Disney fleet by ship class using the box below. Typically Disney Cruise Line will build or buy several ships sharing similar features. They define the different types of ships as classes. Ships of the same class may be almost identical to each other.

Disney Dream

CLASS: Dream Tons 130k Built 2011 Cabins 1250

Disney Fantasy

CLASS: Dream Tons 130k Built 2012 Cabins 1250

Disney Magic

CLASS: Magic Tons 83k Built 1998 Cabins 877

Disney Treasure

CLASS: Wish Tons 144k Built 2024 Cabins 1238

Disney Wish

CLASS: Wish Tons 144k Built 2022 Cabins 1238

Disney Wonder

CLASS: Magic Tons 83k Built 1999 Cabins 877

About Disney Cruise Line

On a Disney cruise, there is something for everyone: relaxing "me" time for the adults, imaginative fun for the kids and exciting family time for all. Every voyage includes the attention to detail and world-class hospitality that only Disney can provide. Escape on a fantasy unlike anything you've imagined. A Disney Cruise Line vacation. Here, adults find excitement and indulgence. Children have the time of their lives. And all make memories to last a lifetime. So start planning your Disney Cruise Line vacation today, and set sail on a dream.

SELLING POINTS: Disney Cruise Line is kid focused and has themed kids' club filled with activities, private clubs for teens, special moments with Disney Characters. You will find themed deck parties, fireworks, complimentary soda and punch (select areas). For adults you will find exclusive adult areas including a adult only pool and fitness center. There are broadway style Disney musicals, 3D films. The staterooms are designed for families. A Disney Cruise is perfect for kids (and adults) of all ages.

Stateroom Capacity Trend Chart

Watch growth and decline rates. Rapid growth may lead to quality and service issues.

The following is a listing of some of the features that Disney Cruise Line offers.

CRUISEDECKPLANS.COM Use the input buttons above to go to the main page for a Cruise Ship or Cruise Line.

Your Guide to the Disney Dream: Everything You’ll Find Onboard This Cruise Ship

by Heather Adams | Dec 27, 2023 | Disney Cruise Line , Disney Dream

Learn about the Disney Dream, including what it’s like to take a cruise on this Disney Cruise Line ship, where you can travel, and what you’ll find onboard.

For over a decade now, the Disney Dream has been sailing guests throughout the Bahamas and Western Caribbean, visiting destinations from Grand Cayman to Cozumel to Disney’s own Castaway Cay. A staple in the Disney Cruise Line fleet since its very first sailing back in 2011, it’s a ship many cruise enthusiasts have come to love.

What’s in store when you board the Disney Dream for a Disney Cruise Line vacation? We’ve got your guide to the ship’s theming, stateroom options, dining venues, entertainment, and more so you can plan the perfect cruise.

• About the Disney Dream
• Disney Dream Theming
• Disney Dream Staterooms
• Disney Dream Dining
• Disney Dream Entertainment
• How to Book a Cruise on the Disney Dream

Attraction Issue Bundle

Attraction Special – Haunted Mansion

Attraction Special – Jungle Cruise

Attraction special – pirates of the caribbean, about the disney dream cruise ship.

The Disney Dream joined the Disney Cruise Line as the third ship in the fleet. It followed the Disney Magic and Disney Wonder, and it was the very first of its kind and class. Back in 2007, Disney Cruise Line revealed two new ships were coming, which would be part of the new-at-the-time Dream class.

Construction got underway for the first Dream class ship – the Disney Dream – back in 2009. The ship’s maiden voyage took place on January 26, 2011, marking a grand milestone for Disney Cruise Line. The following year, the Dream’s sister ship, the Disney Fantasy, also set sail.

For its first years out at sea, the Disney Dream sailed to Nassau and Castaway Cay. 40 percent larger than the Disney Magic and Disney Wonder, the Dream weighs 129,690 gross tons, stretches 1,114.7 feet long, and has room for 2,500 passengers across 1,250 staterooms (though it can technically fit up to 4,000 passengers!). For some time, the Dream and its sister ship, the Fantasy, were the largest in the Disney Cruise Line fleet.

Where Does the Disney Dream Sail?

Since its very first sailing back in 2011, the Disney Dream has stuck with its route throughout the Atlantic Ocean. It sails three- and four-night itineraries to Castaway Cay and Nassau in the Bahamas. 

However, in 2023, the Disney Dream embarked on new routes: Itineraries debuted for European destinations for the very first time. These summer sailings took the Dream to destinations like the United Kingdom, France, Spain, Norway, Denmark, Greece, and Italy.

Since those European sailings wrapped, the Dream has moved back to the Bahamas. In November 2023, the ship moved into a new home port at Port Everglades in Florida, where it’ll continue offering sailings to Castaway Cay and Nassau. 

Theming on the Disney Dream

Photo by Jimmy Taylor

The Disney Dream, like every Disney Cruise Line ship, has its own unique theming, with specific stern characters, a special atrium design with character statue and chandelier, and Disney characters and stories that are represented on board. 

When you step onto the ship for your sailing, you’ll be welcomed into the atrium – where you’ll spot the bronze sculpture of Admiral Donald Duck. Overhead, an Art Deco inspired chandelier hangs, embellished with countless glittering crystals (or, to get specific, 88,680 Swarovski crystal beads!). 

Throughout the interior of the Dream, you’ll find Art Deco design cues and touches of magic alongside state-of-the-art technology. For example, the interior cabins feature Magical Portholes, which offer a virtual look “outside” with appearances from animated Disney characters.

Want to find out where everything is located? Check out a deck-by-deck map so you know exactly what’s on board! 

Staterooms Aboard the Disney Dream

The staterooms you can book on the Disney Dream cover a wide range of different options. You can choose from 10 different stateroom types:

• Standard Inside Staterooms , which measure 169 sq. ft. and fit two to four guests
• Deluxe Inside Staterooms , which measure 204 sq. ft. and sleep three to four guests
• Deluxe Oceanview Staterooms , which measure 204 sq. ft. and offer room for two to four guests
• Deluxe Family Oceanview Staterooms , which measure 241 sq. ft. with room for up to five guests
• Deluxe Oceanview Staterooms with Navigator’s Verandah , which measure 246 sq. ft. and offer room for up to four guests
• Deluxe Family Oceanview Staterooms with Verandah , which measure 299 sq. ft. (with verandah) and sleep up to five guests
• Deluxe Oceanview Staterooms with Verandah , which measure 246 sq. ft. (with verandah) and fit up to four guests
• Concierge Family Oceanview Staterooms with Verandah , which measure 306 sq. ft. and sleep up to five guests
• Concierge 1-Bedroom Suites with Verandah , which measure 622 sq. ft. and offer different room layouts for guest parties of different sizes
• Concierge Royal Suite with Verandah , which measures 1,781 sq. ft. and sleeps five guests (but offers an impressive amount of space inside!)

Every type of stateroom was designed to meet the needs of families of various sizes. While the layouts and square footage may differ, the theming is actually pretty consistent – most staterooms feature touches inspired by Peter Pan , a classic Disney animated film that captures the magic of dreaming. 

Dining on the Disney Dream

Photo by Julie de La Fe

Like the other Disney Cruise Line ships, the Dream features rotational dining – which means you’ll get a chance to dine at a different table service restaurant each night. On this ship, your rotational dining experience includes:

• Enchanted Garden
• Royal Palace
• Animator’s Palate

Additionally, you’ll also find a number of casual dining options on board – like Cabanas, the buffet-style restaurant – as well as lounges, bars, and adults-only sit-down restaurants like Palo and Remy .

For a complete look at all of the dining options you’ll find onboard, check out our restaurant guide here .

Entertainment on the Disney Dream

Photo by Bill Ryan

Lastly, you won’t want to skip all of the entertainment found onboard the Disney Dream. While your cruise will undoubtedly offer the opportunity to join excursions at your various ports of call, you’ll also find plenty to do and explore on board. 

For example, one of the highlights in entertainment is found inside the Walt Disney Theatre: a musical production of Beauty and the Beast on stage. You can also watch Disney’s Believe, the heartwarming family story about the power of Disney magic, or check out “The Golden Mickeys,” a Hollywood-style award show with dazzling performances.

For adults, Senses Spa & Salon and Rejuvenation Spa both offer relaxing experiences and services that’ll make your sailing a total treat. Plus, there are adults-only bars and lounges to check out (complete with dancing, drinks, and live sports). 

There’s also plenty of entertainment themed for kids of all ages. The Oceaneer Club features themed play spaces (like Andy’s Room from Toy Story , Pixie Hollow, Star Wars : Millennium Falcon, and the Disney Infinity Game Room). Plus, there are Disney character experiences on board that’ll bring beloved stories to life via Disney’s Once Upon a Time, Puzzle Playtime with Mickey and Friends, and Jedi Training: Experience the Force.

Of course traditional character meet and greets are also offered on board! Depending on your sailing, you may be able to catch Mickey Mouse and friends, Disney Princesses, or other characters onboard meeting with guests regularly throughout the day.

If the whole family is looking for some fun, Goofy’s Sports Deck offers mini golf and basketball.

Lastly, no guest will want to miss the pool deck on the Disney Dream! There are two family-friendly pools, plus a small Mickey waterslide, a Finding Nemo splash pad for little kids, and the AquaDuck, an incredible water coaster at sea (the first of its kind!) that takes guests over 765 feet of distance and a four-deck-tall drop. 

Book a Sailing on the Disney Dream

Ready to set sail on a cruise to the Bahamas and Castaway Cay – or maybe even Europe? The experts at Destinations to Travel are ready to help you plan your dream itinerary! Whether you’re a first-time Disney Cruise Line guest or a repeat cruiser, you can enlist their help for free below:

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Authored by Heather Adams

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The Disney Cruise Line Blog

An unofficial disney cruise line news, information, weather, and photo blog..

Disney Adventure (2025)

Disney Adventure, came as a bit of a surprise with the November 16, 2022 acquisition announcement of the partially completed ‘Global Dream’ vessel after the previous owner fell in to bankruptcy before completing the vessel. Disney Cruise Line was able to secure the project at a favorable price and within the capital expenditure guidance The Walt Disney Company provided on its recent earnings call . It was reported that Disney purchased the partially completed ‘Global Dream’ through insolvency for €40 Million with estimates of €1 Billion to complete .

On March 29, 2023, it was announced the ship will exclusively home port in Singapore for at least five years beginning in 2025.

Disney is working with the esteemed Meyer Werft shipbuilding company to complete the cruise ship previously known as the ‘Global Dream’ in Wismar, Germany. On September 5, 2023, Disney Cruise Line revealed the ship will be named ‘ Disney Adventure ‘ during the 2023 Destination D23 event at Walt Disney World . Certain features will be reimagined under the world-renowned expertise of Walt Disney Imagineers and is expected to set sail in 2025.

The Disney Adventure will feature innovative Disney experiences along with the dazzling entertainment, world-class dining and legendary guest service that set Disney Cruise Line apart. The exterior will be adorned in the iconic, Mickey Mouse-inspired colors of the fleet, complete with signature red funnels.

The 208,000-gross-ton ship is expected to be among the first in the cruise industry to be fueled by green methanol, one of the lowest emission fuels available. Disney Cruise Line expects the passenger capacity to be approximately 6,000 with around 2,300 crew members.

Construction will be completed at the former MV Werften shipyard in Wismar, Germany, under the management of Meyer Werft, the Papenburg-based company that built the Disney Dream, Disney Fantasy, Disney Wish, and Disney Treasure. The ship’s previous owner filed for bankruptcy before completing the vessel, enabling Disney Cruise Line to secure it at a favorable price and within the capital expenditure guidance The Walt Disney Company provided on its recent earnings call. The project also secures employment for hundreds of former MV Werften employees and will provide opportunities for numerous maritime industry suppliers in the region.

When the construction halted at MV Weften at the beginning of 2022, the 208,000 GT Global Dream was three quarters complete. The cruise ship, which measures 342 meters (1,122 feet) in length, beam of 46.4m (152ft 3in), with a 9.5m (31ft 2 in) draft. Originally, the ship was designed to carry 9000 passengers.

The Global Dream was originally ordered on March 3, 2016, with the keel laid on September 11, 2018.

The new ship will feature innovative Disney experiences along with the dazzling entertainment, world-class dining and legendary guest service that set Disney Cruise Line apart. Guests of all ages will find dedicated spaces and activities designed just for them, and families will create unforgettable memories with beloved characters such as Captain Mickey Mouse and Captain Minnie Mouse, Disney Princesses, Marvel Super Heroes and more.

Disney Cruise Line estimates the passenger capacity of the 208,000-gross-ton ship to be approximately 6,000 with around 2,300 crew members. It is expected to be among the first in the cruise industry to be fueled by green methanol, one of the lowest emission fuels available. The propulsion will come from three azipods .

November 22, 2019, the 216 meters long central ship of the cruise liner “Global Dream” under construction was undocked from the MV shipyard in Warnemuende near Rostock, northeastern Germany. The first part of the ship was constructed in Warnemuende and was conveyed to Wismar, northeastern Germany, where it was transported on November 23, 2019 . Originally, the 342 meter vessel was designed to offer space for up to 9,500 passengers.

Construction is projected to be completed at the MV Werften shipyard in Wismar, Germany, under the management of Meyer Werft, the Papenburg-based company that built the Disney Dream, Disney Fantasy and Disney Wish and is constructing two additional Wish-class ships.

In late 2022, references to the name ‘ Global Dream ‘ transitions to ‘ Global One ‘ in media reporting. During a summer 2023 Castaway Club reception onboard the Disney Dream, the vessel was simply referred to as ‘ The Big One ‘. In documents publishes for the TWDC’s Q3 FY2023 Earnings report, the ship was referenced as the ‘ Acquisition ship ‘. Meyer listed the vessel as ‘ DISNEY HERO ‘ in a March 2023 Cruise Ship Reference catalog .

• Class: Adventure
• Project Name: HERO
• Ship’s Registry:
• Gross Tonnage: 208,000 tons | Length: 1,122 feet (342m) | Beam: 152ft 3in feet | Draft: 31ft 2 in feet | Height: TBA feet
• Speed – Cruising: 23 knots • Max: TBA knots
• Capacity* – Passenger: 6000 • Crew: 2300 (*Approximately)
• Passenger Decks – TBA
• Staterooms – Total: About TBA | Inside: TBA | Outside – Verandah: TBA Ocean View: TBA
• Propulsion: 3 Aziopods
• Lobby Statue: TBA
• Godmother: TBA
• Delivery: 2025
• Christened: TBA
• Maiden Voyage: TBA – FY2025
• Ship Builder: Meyer Werft (MV Werften – Wismar, Germany)
• Hull Number: BN125
• Steel Cutting: March 8, 2018
• Keel Laying Ceremony: September 11, 2018
• Originally Ordered: March 3, 2016
• Acquired: November 16, 2022
• Named: September 5, 2023 (Renamed from Global Dream)

Itineraries

To be announced…

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Hot Topic: Surprise Cruise Reveal Ideas

Disney Wish Design Details Guests Will Gush Over on DCL

Disney Cruise Line's level of design detail is superb. When they created the fifth ship in their fleet, there was no detail overlooked. That said, Disney Wish design details were subtle until we learned more about the ship from the cast members and crew.

We'll walk you through the ship through our photos and descriptions, sharing those details with you. Because we realize knowing about them will help you appreciate the ship more, just like it did for us.

Come along as we take you through the Cinderella-inspired Grand Hall , show you how the design choices will help you navigate the ship , share information about the onboard pools (including AquaMouse and the Splash Zone), about the Disney Wish bars and cafes , the restaurants (including Enchante), and the Disney Wish art .

Disclosure: There are affiliate links in this post, which means we may earn a small commission if you click the link and proceed with a purchase  at no cost to you . We truly only recommend cruises, experiences, products, and services we personally use. As Amazon Associates, we earn from qualifying purchases.

Disney Wish Design Details in the Atrium (or “Grand Hall”)

One of the design “heroes” of Disney Cruise Line ships is their atriums. The chandelier in the center of the atrium is always a focus; it's also the first area of the ship that guests experience as they board after check-in .

On Disney Wish, Cinderella is the theme of the “Grand Hall,” as it's called on Wish instead of “atrium.” Renderings obviously show its splendor and glittering aspects. But here are some things you may not have known…

Disney Wish Grand Hall Ceiling

The chandelier was designed to be the shape of Cinderella's ballgown…but upside down. It's said that the animation of the Fairy Godmother turning Cinderella's tattered clothes into a magnificent ballgown was Walt Disney's favorite piece of Disney animation.

The Imagineers honored this in the chandelier's design, including how the pixy dust swirled around her while her wish to go to the ball came true, which you see in the swirls of the chandelier. (Of course, this “Wish come true” as the center of the Grand Hall is not an accident!)

Around the chandelier are four stars. While at first, you may think it's for the four directions of a compass, some more thought reveals what they truly represent: the four ships that came before Disney Wish: Disney Dream, Disney Wonder, Disney Magic, and Disney Fantasy.

There's a fifth star hanging from the chandelier, which is for the Wish.

Disney Wish Atrium Cinderella Sculpture

There is an icon in every atrium on every Disney Cruise Line ship. Naturally, it's a popular picture spot, and we couldn't resist a photo with Cinderella!

But did you know that there's a little surprise behind the bronze statue of Cinderella? It's LUCIFER! He is crouched behind Cinderella with his front paws holding up a cup. That's because he's trying to catch Gus and Jacques, who are peeking out from underneath the back of Cinderella's gown.

Cinderella is bronze with a gold patina, standing at 5'10”. She weighs 650 pounds, while Lucifer weighs 100.

Additionally, look for Cinderella's glass slipper in a glass case to the right of the bottom of the stairs if you're looking at the grand staircase (photo is above).

Disney Wish Atrium Kiss Goodnight

One of the most special experiences on the ship is the “Kiss Goodnight.”

This special “show” happens at midnight (though we're convinced times vary slightly depending on the day because we saw it at 11:00 pm the first evening we were on the Wish).

The beautiful humming of the voice of Cinderella comes on the speakers in the Grand Hall, and you start to see the twinkling and sparkle of the fiberoptic lights throughout the atrium.

It's really magical! We don't want to ruin it for you, so we'll keep the rest a secret! But if you are awake late at night, be sure you see this if you're a Disney fan. It might even be worth staying up for. (It's only a few minutes – you can go to bed after!)

Disney Wish Design Details in the Carpet

If you look at the carpet that leads to the Grand Hall on Deck 5, you'll notice some hidden pictures! See if you can find Cinderella's glass slipper, a pumpkin carriage, Blue Jays, and even Gus and Jacques, which are perhaps the hardest characters to find in the custom carpet.

Disney Wish Grand Hall Architectural Period Design Influences

If you're into architectural styles, it's fun to know that the Grand Hall design is inspired by three: Gothic, French Baroque, and Rococo.  

Hand Painted Elements in the Grand Hall

Large Rococo-style gold flourishes are handpainted in the Grand Hall. They are underneath the grand staircase and on a half-wall leading to the Grand Hall stage.

The Grand Hall is the First Disney Cruise Line Ship to Span Three Decks

If you sailed on other Disney Cruise Line ships , you'll remember that the atrium only spans two decks (Decks 3 and 4). But on Disney Wish, it spans three: Decks 3, 4, and 5.

A Peek Into the Ship's Design Elements in the Disney Wish Grand Hall Display Cases

It's easy to miss unless you're looking for them, but two glass-encased shelving units sit in the Grand Hall, close to the 1923 restaurant.

These displays show guests additional design elements of the ship, including storyboards and finishing choices. There are two entrances to 1923 restaurant: one on the left, the Roy Disney side, and one on the right, the Walt Disney side.

On the Roy Disney side, the glass cases show you design elements and planning info for the ship's exterior before entering the restaurant. You can learn more about Rapunzel and Pascal on the ship's stern and information about when the ship was being built in Germany at Meyer Werft.

You'll find information about the ship's interior on the Walt Disney side. This includes things like swatch boards for the carpet choices, sketches for the Grand Hall chandelier, and even concepts for Nightingdale's piano bar on Deck 3, with its incredible handblown glass “bubble” chandelier.

Disney Wish Stern

The back of each Disney Cruise Line ship has a character specially chosen for that ship. Disney Dream has Sorcerer Mickey and the animated brooms from Fantasia. Disney Fantasy has Dumbo.

Rapunzel and her reptile friend, Pascal, are on the stern of the Wish. Her hair is playfully wrapped along the pegs on top of the “Disney Wish” words, holding her up as she paints the letters on the ship. Pascal holds her paint palette.

If you sit in a certain area of Arendelle toward the back windows, you can look down on her if the window shades are open.

Rapunzel is 8'11” tall, would wear a size 22 shoe, and her hair is 59'4″ long. Pascal may look small from far away, but he is shockingly 27.5″ tall, just over two feet.

Disney Wish Design Elements That Help You Navigate the Ship

It's very easy to get lost on a cruise ship! We love when ship designers consider the massive size of the ship and guest navigation in design details.

We very much appreciated Disney Wish design details in this aspect of the ship, as we learned our way around this cruise ship for the first time.

Staircases and Elevators Are Themed Differently in the Forward and Aft

It may be surprising to learn that Disney Wish has only two sets of elevators and staircases. (The previous four Disney Cruise Line ships have three sets of stairs and elevators.)

The nice thing, however, is that they're color-coded.

The forward stairs have a greenish-teal carpet. The theme here is “Enchanted Forest,” with woodland animals insignia on the carpet and inside the elevators.

The aft set of stairs and elevators has a blue carpet with Cinderella icons. This fairy tale theme shows iconography like a castle on the carpet. The elevator walls are decorated with wallpaper that has bluebirds and pumpkins on it.

Disney Wish Design Details In the Signage Next to Elevators

We loved two things about the signs next to the elevators on Disney Wish:

• Anything “located on this deck” is bolded.
• The bottom of each sign says where the nearest restrooms are.

Important Things To Be Aware of With Disney Wish Elevators

Disney Wish has 14 decks. However, some elevators travel between Decks 1 and 11, while another set goes from Decks 1 through 14. This is labeled on the outside of the elevator.

So if you want to go to Deck 13, don't get into the elevator that only goes to Deck 11. If you do, you can take the elevator to Deck 11 and then walk up two decks to 13 if you're mobile.

Another Disney Wish design detail that we did not like is the elevator buttons (and it seemed every other guest we ran into in the elevator didn't like them either). They're finicky.

They seemed to all press when you didn't want them to, like if someone accidentally put their back to them on the elevators. Or they wouldn't press when you wanted them to, like to simply call an elevator to go up or down a deck.

We hope they change them in the future. If you sail on Disney Wish multiple times and they improve them, please let us know!

Design Details in Disney Wish Pool Areas

Disney Imagineers made different design choices for the pools on the Wish than on previous ships. On the Wish, the main pool isn't one big pool. Instead, there are six smaller pools for guests to enjoy. You can see them in the photo below if you look closely at the tiered levels behind all the lounge chairs.

A small adult-only area pool gives the “illusion” of having an infinity edge. We didn't think the effect worked so well because safety glass is on the other side of the pool, where you see the metal adjoining the glass panels. It ruins the effect. But we appreciated what they were going for.

It's also important to note that the Disney Wish adults-only pool is much smaller than on other ships. They have added two areas of water benches on either side of the pool where you're able to sit outside the water but have your feet in the water.

Additionally, the adults-only Whirlpool is relatively far from the adults-only pool. We're guessing they did this for spacial/planning reasons, though we're not entirely sure.

We mention it so you're not surprised and can't find the Whirpool if you're adults-only cruising with Disney .

Toy Story-Themed Splash Zone Area for Kids

If your little ones can't swim or if you don't feel comfortable with them going in pools with water of any depth , there's a wonderfully themed splash zone for them on Disney Wish, like the splash zones on many other Disney Cruise Line ships .

It's specifically designed for children ages six or younger. Parents are always in the Splash Zone supervising their young kids, of course. Kids can interact with Toy Story aliens that shoot water streams, Bo Peep's sheep, and go down a country-themed slide a la Woody, to boot.

AquaMouse Water Ride

The AquaMouse is the long-awaited attraction at sea for Disney Cruise Line. It's a fun waterslide.

If you happen to get to the attraction and the line is halfway down the stairs closest to the ride, expect to wait about an hour for a ride that lasts about 90 seconds. (The line can look deceivingly “short.”) The line is shortest at night.

When you get to the part of the AquaMouse queue where you can see the clothesline with nautical flags, you may wonder what the Imagineers spelled out in this fun Disney Wish design detail.

Well, you don't have to wonder! The flags spell out “Mickey Mouse”! 

Disney Wish Designs Details in the Cruise Ship Restaurants

There are so many design elements to love in Disney Wish restaurants. We haven't mentioned every restaurant here because we're unaware of all the design choices that the Imagineers made in each area of the ship. However, we know some key things that we'll share with you that will make you appreciate each location more!

Enchante Adults-Only Restaurant

When you walk down the pretty hallway to Enchante, you'll notice Lumiere swinging from the lights on the right side of the hallway. You'll also notice the restaurant servers wearing a little Lumiere pin. Both are odes to Beauty and the Beast, which inspired the restaurant's French menu and certain design elements.

By the way, if you don't speak French, “Enchanté” means “Nice to meet you!”

Inside the restaurant are a collection of beautiful candelabras that you'll see after you notice the gorgeous center chandelier. The stunning chandelier has 397 champagne “bubbles” in gold and amber.

Every seat in the restaurant faces the glass windows of the ship, ensuring everyone has a window view. It's a great place to watch the sunset as you drink French wine and dine on fine cuisine at Enchanté, which we reviewed here .

1923 Restaurant

1923 is significant because it is the year the company was founded. The restaurant is split into two sides that look nearly identical: the Roy Disney and Walt Disney sides. Needless to say, they are the brothers who founded the company.

The glass displays in the restaurant show animated tools, sketches, and such. The decor and design inspiration of the furniture, light fixtures, and plates are from the 1920s, when art deco was popular.

Arendelle Restaurant 

The Frozen-themed restaurant has a storyline surrounding Anna's engagement to Kristoff. It's a celebration with songs and dancing in the stage in the center of the restaurant.

The restaurant is broken into four sections in terms of design (though you'd never know it unless it was explained to you). The four flags are for General Mattias, Queen Ana, King Kristoff, and Elsa. Patterns on traditional Norwegian clothing inspired paintings on the backs of the chairs, ceiling, and doors.

Don't miss the photo-worthy opportunity to take a photo between the busts of Queen Anna and Elsa in the entrance to the restaurant. It's easiest to get the picture when people are dining, not when everyone enters the restaurant to be seated.

Disney Wish Design Details in Its Bars and Cafes

Bars and cafes on Disney Wish are plentiful. It feels like there are more than on any other Disney cruise line ship, however, it may also feel like that because the ship's plan is very different from the other ships in the fleet.

There are plenty of Disney Wish design details to love in all of these venues.

Disney Wish Cafes: The Enchanted Sword and Wishing Star Cafe

One of the coolest Disney Wish design details isn't a part of the ship's tangible elements. Rather, it's art on cocktails and coffee drinks. We were shocked when we were served a cappuccino with a gorgeous design on the milk foam!

They have a coffee art machine that “stamps” graphics on the milk or on the foam in a cocktail (like the froth adding egg whites to a cocktail creates). The bartenders told us that there are over 100 designs they can choose from, including a “Disney Wish” graphic. You can request a design if you like as well.

The designs stores in the machines are updated when they are on solid wifi in ports, so it's likely that the designs will evolve and refresh over time with some remaining staples.

They can put these final-touch designs on cocktails too. We saw them on martinis some guests were drinking. We also saw Mickey and Minnie, Goofy, Donald, Jiminy Cricket, and Pinocchio – the designs are endless!

The machines that create the designs are from a company called Ripples. If you're curious (we were!), the machine starts at around $2,000 each. But you can get a similar one on Amazon for about $1,500 and really wow any friends who come to your house for coffee or a cocktail!

Enchanted Sword Cafe

This cafe is themed to Disney's animated film from the 1960s, The Sword in the Stone. There are three swords in the design vicinity around the bar.

Here's where you'll find them:

• In the carpet that overlooks the Grand Hall on Deck 5.
• In the railing by the cafe seating.
• In the mirror above the coffee machine.

You'll also find lyrics from the movie's song, “That’s What Makes the World Go Round” written on the mirror to the bar's left.

Wishing Star Cafe

This cafe is Pinocchio-themed. A tiny, true-to-size bronze statue of Jiminy Cricket sits on the left side of the bar. You can share a cup of coffee with him! (Not really…but he can certainly watch you drink one.)

We appreciated that the floral arrangement on the bar was blue, which reminded us of the Blue Fairy in the movie. We requested that our latte be stamped with Pinocchio to stay true to the bar theme!

Disney Wish Bars

Whether you're heading to Hyperspace Lounge, The Bayou, Nightingale's, Keg and Compass, or Currents, there are Disney Wish design details to enjoy. Here are a few that stood out to us.

We spent a lot of time in The Bayou during our three-night cruise because it's where the wedding reception was for the Disney Wish wedding I was photographing onboard . It's absolutely beautiful!

If you look at the mirrors behind the bar at The Bayou, you'll see Tiana’s palace silhouetted on one of the mirrors.

In frog form, A statue of Prince Naveen is also in The Bayou in frog form, next to some of the lounge chairs on the level down from the bar. (The bar is slightly elevated in The Bayou.) He's a cutie!

You can't miss the gorgeous ceiling in The Bayou, adorned with flowers and foliage. Spanish Moss like this is abundant in the south from Louisiana to the Carolinas. Our best guess is that the white flowers are supposed to be magnolias, which is a popular flowering tree in the south, including New Orleans, where The Princess and the Frog takes place.

Keg and Compass

Keg and Compass is a ship and map room where nautical elements are found in every detail. The bar draws inspiration from the seafarers of Norway.

Here are five cool things to look for:

• A quote from Epcot's old attraction, “Maelstrom,” is on the wall in a small wooden plaque.
• A lovely wooden octopus is curled around one of the porthole windows to the bar's left. It has hidden gems, like a Dole Whip and Mickey pretzel, are carved in its tentacles.
• Another port hole is surrounded by a wooden carving with two octopuses facing each other. They are holding a Mickey
• Under the bar, facing the entrance, is a map case with several drawers labeled with the world's oceans.
• The ceiling is a maritime map of the world, or “Seafarer's Map of the World.”

There are some additional Disney-specific design details to look for in the ceiling, including:

• Ellie and Carl’s house from Up, above South America.
• Glendale, California, where Imagineering is headquartered.
• Papenburg, Germany, where Disney Cruise Line ships are built at Meyer Werft.
• A nautilus from 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea.

Nightingale's

The inspiration for Nightingale's was taken from Cinderella. Anyone who has seen this Disney animated classic could never forget the scene where Cinderella is scrubbing the floors and begins to beautifully hum, “Sing, sweet nightingale…”

You'll find a pretty inlaid mosaic mat welcoming you to the bar at this adults-only piano bar. Above the piano is a breathtaking chandelier.

The hand-blown white glass bubbles symbolize the bubbles that float up from the soapy solution Cinderella used to clean the floors.

Surrounding the bubbles are music notes on musical lines. This is from the sheet music for the song, Sing Sweet Nightingale . Each music note has a sparkling hand-cut crystal in its center.

The gorgeous Beauty and The Beast-themed bar was one of our favorite quiet, calm, adults-only areas on Disney Wish. Details are a-plenty here.

As soon as you walk towards the bar, you know you're in the right place, with the words “The Rose” on the black wall behind a small table. A glass-encased rose on the table with a hand mirror next to it.

After you enter the bar, look for the gold detailing above the windows, where you'll see a rose in the center of each circle. This gold detail is in Enchanté restaurant as well.

There is a wall of floating red rose petals behind the bar, and the edges of a flower arrangement of real red roses are dipped in gold paint. The ceiling even has a rose pattern formed from meandering gold lines.

If it appeals to you, order Mrs. Tea. It's a delicious cocktail with an impressive presentation, poured into a scalloped glass tea cup from a matching teapot.

The pieces are so gorgeous that we looked up the set online – we searched Amazon tea sets and couldn't find anything similar. So we Googled it and found it !

Two sets of a teacup + saucer are €87,15. This doesn't surprise us, knowing how delicate and lovely the Mrs. Tea “experience” was in person, including the drink, teacup, and teapot. The whole package was divine. Mrs. Pots and Chip would be proud.

Disney Wish Design Details at the Onboard Salon and Barbery

Two places to get pampered are onboard, aside from Senses Spa. They are Hook's Barbery and Untangled Salon. Treatments include anything from a haircut to a shave to a manicure, pedicure, or an up-do for a special evening.

Untangled Salon is what you would consider more typically feminine in its design, based on the movie Tangled. Hook's Barbery is based on Peter Pan, and is what you would consider more typically masculine in design. However, anyone – no matter the gender or label they identify with – is welcome in either location.

We saw women in the haircut chair in Hook's Barbery for teeth whitening while we were on board and men getting manicures at Untangled. You do you!

Hook’s Barbery

Hook's Barbery's color palette is dark with dark finishes. The references to any Disney characters are subtle and subdued, but you'll find a few design elements worth going on a little scavenger hunt to find for yourself.

Look for the following on the shelves inside the Barbery:

• Captain Hook's hook
• Silver crocodile statue
• Map of Neverland (look on the doors that enclose the bar if you don't see it – the bar is often open, which means you won't see what's on the outside doors)

Of course, crocodiles and clocks are two things that Hook hates most!

Untangled Salon

This salon is themed to Tangled, the famous Disney movie whose main character, Rapunzel, hangs from the stern of Disney Wish.

Inside the salon, you'll want to look for some fun Disney Wish design details:

• Lighting fixtures reminiscent of the floating lanterns from the famous floating lights scene in Tangled
• The central chandelier is the shape of the Sundrop flower that gave Rapunzel her power
• Flower chains for the curtain tiebacks

Disney Wish Design Details in Entertainment Venues

The Disney Wish entertainment venues that are spaces for theater, shows, games, movies and evening activities to unfold are worth some attention.

The two-deck entertainment theater, Luna, spans Decks 4 and 5. It is fairly plain overall, but the star-named theater does have a design detail in the ceiling.

It's a location architecturally influenced by the Globe Theatre in England. However, the Globe Theatre doesn’t have a ceiling, and Luna does.

The Imagineers had a creative solution for this. They put an “evening sky” above and painted constellations in a night scene. You'll find Mufasa, Wall-E's EVE (or “Eva,” as Wall-E calls her), Peter Pan, Jiminy Cricket, and Tinkerbell within the swirls.

If you're a fan of the Pixar short, La Luna, there is La Luna art in the forward staircase. (If memory serves us, it's close to Luna between Decks 4 and 5.)

Walt Disney Theater

The design of the main theater on Disney Wish is an enchanted forest. Its design has leaf patterns in the ceiling, walls, and doors, with dozens of gold flowers framing the entrance doors and the stage. Scenes from Fantasia inspired the design.

During shows, you'll notice that the theater's projection mapping extends beyond the main stage, seemingly taking over the space. This includes the Sands of Time scene during Aladdin and the sea taking over the theater during The Little Mermaid. 

When you enter the theater from Deck 5, you'll see an exquisite design in the marble floor with Walt Disney's initial and whimsical flowers.

Disney Wish Movie Theaters: Wonderland Theater and Neverland Theater 

Walls have Cheshire Cat that disappears when the movie starts. The back of the seats are playing cards from the queen

Wonderland Theater is Alice in Wonderland themed. As you step into the hallway leading to the theater, you'll see the quote, “What a peculiar place,” on the floor, part of what Alice said in the movie. (Her quote was, “What a peculiar place to have a party.”)

The walls in the hallway leading to the seats are fabric, with illustrations sewn into the panels. The Cheshire Cats near the queen, with glowing yellow eyes, disappear when the movie starts. You'll notice the backs of the chairs are playing cards from the queen.

In Neverland Theater, you'll see a map of Neverland (that's sort of a mural too) on the back wall and the main characters of Peter Pan flying around, including Peter, John, and Wendy. They're flying in a wood-cut mural on the wall and on the chair backs as well. Notice the start of the handrail in the theater: it's a sword handle!

Disney Wish Horn Detail

The Disney Wish horn is visible from outside on the upper decks and has a fun first for DCL: the horns are within Mickey's head! The horns play a variety of tunes, including “A Dream is a Wish Your Heart Makes,” to “Yo Ho, Yo Ho, a Pirate's Life for Me,” to “it's a small world.”

Disney Wish Art Choices

As with all Disney Cruise Line ships, the art that adorns the walls was carefully selected for Disney Wish. Here, we mention a few pieces of art we learned about whose intention may not be so obvious until you dig deeper into each one of them.

Ship Cross-Section by The Bayou

There is a painting near the Bayou across from 3 Wishes store. It's called “Inside the Disney Wish” and is a cross-section of the ship.

It's definitely worth a closer look to see how the many venues – from Senses Spa to restaurants, theaters, and more – intertwine onboard. It also shows the crew areas of the ship, including their gym and laundry room.

Painting Between Decks

There is a painting entitled, “Disney Wish joins the Disney Cruise Line Fleet” between Decks 3 and 4 forward, the staircase with teal carpet. The Disney Wish sails off to join the fleet, and you will notice the other four Disney Cruise Line ships in the distance. 

Nikkolas Smith , former Imagineer, and full-time illustrator and speaker, created the painting between Decks 3 and 4 in the aft staircase. “Cindys” shows women from different walks of life and cultures uplifting each other to live out their happily ever after on the other side of the wall they're climbing over…together.

Mosaics on Disney Wish

There are several mosaics around the ship.

One is a mosaic of Cinderella and the Prince dancing with a banner that says, “A Dream is a Wish Your Heart Makes” on the top left-hand corner.

Two smaller mosaics are of scenes from Pinnochio right by Wishing Star Cafe.

Lastly is the mosaic in the floor by The Bayou that says, “Wish” in gold tiles.

Disney Tapestries on Disney Wish

Another fun element on this ship is the tapestries onboard.

There is one of Cinderella cleaning the floor from the animated movie in a staircase between Decks 3 and 4. There's one on Deck 5 as well. It is Lady Tremaine, Drizella, and Anastasia, Cinderella's infamous stepmother and step-sisters. We loved the gold thread border that frames that one!

Additional Art on Disney Wish

There's a huge Mickey and the Beanstalk-themed piece of artwork with moving parts on the ship. It's floor-to-ceiling and has several layers to it, almost like the painted glass panes with which they originally created animated films.

Mickey and the Beanstalk is a Disney animated film from the 1920s, yet they have modernized it a bit in the artwork. For example, if you wait long enough, you'll see a Disney Cruise Line ship (assumably Wish) slowly move across the art in the distance.

Around the corner from Bibbity Boppity Boutique on Disney Wish, just before you reach Hook's Barbery, are amazing framed photography prints. The photos were created by CreativeSoul Photography as they reinvented the image of Disney Princesses to be inclusive so people of all colors can see themselves as Disney royalty.

They're truly striking and were so well orchestrated!

Disney Wish Design Details: The Onboard Walking Tour

If you love learning about design elements like this, be sure to sign up for the free guided Wish tour called “Walking the Wish.” You can do so from your Disney Cruise Line Navigator app when you're on the ship.

Several tours are usually available, and there is a maximum of 60 guests per tour.

Don't Forget to Bring Your Disney Gear!

Whether you grab your nautical Mickey Mouse and Disney-inspired attire, toiletry cases, bags, and tags from Amazon or from ShopDisney , maximize your options for your Wish vacation. There are shops onboard, but we found that online options are far more plentiful.

Check out our specially curated Disney Cruise Line shopping list on Amazon . There are a lot of items on this list you cannot get in Disney Cruise Line shops.

Besides, you can always buy Disney things in advance and buy Wish-themed items on the ship. The more the merrier!

➜ Grab Awesome Disney Items, Pre-Cruise! 🛳

Disney Wish Design Conclusion

Whether you love Disney Cruise Line for its ports, food, or connection to the classic characters, you'll surely find Disney Wish design details to love on the fifth ship to join the Disney Cruise Line fleet. Look to its Grand Hall, restaurant elements, hidden references to Disney music, and more in every nook and cranny of the ship.

Read this next:

• Best Disney Cruise Ship, According to DCL Experts
• Disney Cruise Line Check-in Process Online: Everything to Know
• Anti-Nausea Medication and Other Cruise Sea Sickness Solutions 

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The Disney Fashionista

Welcome to the home of the Disney Fashionista. Here we will cover the latest in Disney Travel, Fashion, Makeup and more!

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Sail Away with the New Disney Cruise Line Collection

By Monica | Updated on February 21, 2024

The new Sail Away collection from Disney Cruise Line is a nautical dream come true! Designed by Ashley Eckstein (voice of Ahsoka and designer) and Bret Iwan (voice of Mickey Mouse and artist), this collection is perfect for anyone who loves sailing on the high seas with Captain Mickey and Captain Minnie.

While we were able to see a little tease of the collection HERE , now we have pictures of the full collection that is currently available on board the ships.

Sail Away Disney Cruise Line Collection

Fashion and apparel.

When it comes to this collection, get ready for a sea of red, white and blue styles! This nautical inspired collection will have you feeling like a true sailor whenever you wear the bold stripes. Captain Mickey Mouse and Captain Minnie Mouse are the stars of this collection and can be seen smiling throughout the designs.

Cozy up on deck (and at home!) with crewneck sweatshirt and sweatpants in nautical blue.

Captain Minnie Mouse, stripes, and super comfortable styles – what more could you ask for?

Be careful when loading up at the buffet when you wear one of these white shirts. You won’t want to drip barbecue sauce or salsa on these cruise-ready styles.

Homewares and Art

Bring a little bit of that cruise life home with you. The Sail Away collection features an art print and picnic blanket. Both items feature the same adorable artwork of Captain Mickey and Captain Minnie in front of a Disney Cruise ship.

Accessories

Block the sun from your eyes as you stare out towards the horizon in this vintage inspired baseball cap. Then get ready for a shore excursion with this crossbody style from LUG.

When you have a bit more to carry onshore, you are going to love this Disney Cruise Line backpack from LUG. It features beautiful colors, and an adorable patch of Captain Minnie and Captain Mickey. It’s the perfect backpack for your laptop and other travel essentials.

Grab and go just got more fashionable with this third style from LUG, featuring Captain Mickey. This Cosmetic Trolley Case will make getting ready in the morning fun!

What do you think of the new Sail Away collection from Disney Cruise Line? Which pieces are your favorites? Let us know in the comments below!

If you’re ready to book your next Disney Cruise, make sure to reach out to Small World Vacations ! They are the preferred travel agent of Disney Fashionista. Let them know we sent you, and you will receive a special gift from us!

Nueva colección de Disney Cruise Line

Ya sabíamos que llegaría al Disney Wish pero ahora la tenemos en fotos de los artículos reales, esta colección diseñada para Disney Cruise Line por Bret Iwan (voz de Mickey Mouse y artista) y Ashley Eckstein (voz de Ahsoka Tano y diseñadora de Her Universe) ya está aquí y la necesitamos toda. Encuentra bolsos, cosmetiqueras, mochilas, sueteres, vestidos, pantalones, camisetas, sudaderas y más a bordo de todos los barcos de DCL próximamente. 

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Disney Cruise Line names its newest cruise ship

I t was bound to happen sometime, but Disney Cruise Line waited until its last of three new sister ships to name one Disney Destiny.

The sister ship to Disney Wish, which debuted out of Port Canaveral in 2022 and the soon-to-debut Disney Treasure arriving in Central Florida this December, the third ship in what was originally called the Trident class had its keel laying ceremony Wednesday at the Meyer Werft shipyard in Papenburg, Germany.

It won’t start sailing until 2025, and its home port has yet to be named, but among the details revealed for what will be the eighth ship in the cruise line’s fleet was the theme of the vessel, “Heroes & Villains.”

As such, the filigree artwork for the bow will be of Minnie Mouse wearing a superhero-style outfit complete with a cape.

The cruise line said among the characters from which it will mine features on board will be classic Disney animation films, “The Lion King,” “Hercules” and “One Hundred and One Dalmatians.”

Disney of course owns plenty of good vs. evil intellectual property including Star Wars and Marvel.

“The Disney Destiny will celebrate our most legendary Disney stories and characters, bringing them to life in new and exciting ways exclusively for Disney Cruise Line guests,” said Sharon Siskie, senior vice president and general manager for the cruise line, in a press release. “As we continue to expand our fleet, the Disney Destiny will further strengthen our position as a leader in family cruising.”

Just like Disney Wish and Treasure, Disney Destiny will be powered by liquefied natural gas, a cleaner burning fuel that’s part of the cruise industry’s efforts to reduce emissions.

All three are the 144,000 gross-ton, 1,254-stateroom vessels but still targeting the 4,000-passenger capacity of its older ships, 2011’s Disney Dream and 2012’s Fantasy. The line’s first ships are the smaller Disney Magic that debuted in 1998 and Disney Wonder in 1999. They come in at 84,000 gross tons with 875 staterooms.

The line also is finishing construction for an Asia-bound cruise ship named Disney Adventure that will be the largest in the fleet at 208,000 gross tons.

Disney Wish became the line’s first new ship in more than a decade. It continues to do short three- and four-night Bahamas sailings while Disney Treasure will pick up seven-night trips to the Caribbean.

©2024 Orlando Sentinel. Visit orlandosentinel.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

David Ellison, son of the world’s 9th-richest man, is poised to become a Hollywood power player as he closes in on buying Paramount

The production company behind Top Gun: Maverick might fly to the top of Paramount’s mountain of content. 

Skydance Media, the production studio owned by Larry Ellison’s son David, is in advanced negotiations to take a significant stake in Paramount Global . The exact nature of the deal has not yet been defined, including whether or not Skydance and its private equity backers RedBird Capital Partners and KKR will take a majority stake. But talks between the two sides are moving quickly, following Skydance and Paramount entering an agreement to engage in exclusive talks last week. 

If the deal were to go through, it would cement David Ellison’s rise as a Hollywood power player. 

For an upstart like Skydance, buying Paramount Global, ordinarily considered an ailing company , would represent a coup. Skydance would own Paramount’s storied library, which counts properties like The Godfather and Titanic , the entire CBS brand and its valuable news outlet, several cable channels like Nickelodeon and Comedy Central, and a streaming service with 67 million subscribers in Paramount+ among its assets. Closing the deal would announce that the wealthy son of the ninth-richest man in the world —who would still be providing some of the capital needed to fund the deal—has perhaps well and truly made it in Hollywood. 

Ellison first showed up in the movie business as a fresh-faced 23-year-old whom many studios and executives thought they could fleece for some cash. Instead he took his family money and put it to work building a successful company that’s created a long-lasting relationship with Tom Cruise, produced dozens of movies, and recently branched out into video games. Now Ellison is poised to strike a deal for one of the dying embers of Hollywood’s Golden Age in Paramount Global. 

Paramount and KKR declined to comment. RedBird and Skydance did not respond to a request for comment. 

The current outline of the deal would be structured so that the Skydance contingent would acquire Shari Redstone’s holding company, National Amusements, which controls about 77% of the voting shares of Paramount Global, but notably less than 10% of the total equity. Skydance and Redstone already have an agreement in principle, according to Bloomberg. The deal would see Skydance and its partners pay over $2 billion for National Amusements, effectively giving them control of Paramount. They are also in talks to buy a certain number of common shares. The combined number of shares would give Skydance and its partners control of about 45% to just over 50% of Paramount, according to CNBC . 

By Thursday it appeared negotiations between the two groups were picking up speed. Executives from Paramount and Skydance are scheduled to meet sometime next week, according to a CNBC report Thursday, while the investment firm RedBird, a specialist in the media sector, will begin due diligence at Paramount. 

Skydance would then merge with Paramount Global. If that were to happen the new company would be run by Ellison with a senior role for former NBCUniversal CEO and current RedBird executive Jeff Shell. 

Ellison and Paramount have a long-standing relationship. When the young scion was just breaking into Hollywood he financed and produced several Paramount pictures, including Star Trek and Mission: Impossible movies. Eventually he branched out on his own, founding Skydance in 2010. Since then the company has produced several major hits including Top Gun: Maverick and Mission Impossible: Dead Reckoning Part One.

In the early days it was hard to shed the rich-kid aura, Ellison said. “There was a period of time where people just looked at us as money, and we knew that,” he told the New York Times in 2021. “But there has been a shift. Our content, the ideas, the execution, has become more important than our capital.”

Since then Skydance has expanded to include animations, video games, and VR content. It’s also started to attract some of the best talent in the business. The animation division is headed by John Lasseter , a man who is already familiar with Silicon Valley’s encroachments into Hollywood, having started Pixar alongside Steve Jobs . Cruise, who has worked with Skydance on multiple projects, sang Ellison’s praises effusively in a 2015 GQ profile . Skydance’s video game division has secured licenses for major IP franchises like Marvel and Star Wars. 

If Skydance were to succeed in taking over Paramount Global, it wouldn’t just represent a personal triumph for Ellison, but a corporate one for an independent movie studio that entered a deal with a legacy media company as a buyer, not a seller. More often than not in the history of the entertainment business, successful independent companies have eventually been subsumed by the behemoths that dominated the industry. One need not look any further than Pixar, where Lasseter made his name, bought by Disney for $7.4 billion in 2006. Skydance could also have been lapped up by a tech company in the same way Amazon bought MGM for $8.5 billion in 2021. 

Whether or not a Skydance deal represents the best option for Paramount shareholders remains to be determined in full. Paramount had an independent committee comprising eight of its 11 board members that was tasked with finding the best possible deal for the company. On Thursday, three people on that committee, along with another board member, left their directorships . In the meantime, several shareholders are up in arms about the deal, setting up a potential boardroom showdown. If the deal falls apart Redstone and the Paramount board might have to settle for another deal, which at the moment seems to be a $26 billion all-cash offer from private equity firm Apollo.

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