Disney Cruise Ships by Size, Age and Class (2022)
Disney Cruise Line has an active fleet of four cruise ships with a further three ships on order (Disney Wish and two currently unnamed ships).
In this guide, we will cover all the different ships in the Disney Cruise Line fleet and how they compare to each other.
Introduction to Disney Cruise Line
Before Disney Cruise Line became its own entity, Disney actually tried to work with both Carnival Cruise Line and Royal Caribbean. However, nothing really came of this and so in 1994 Disney had their first cruise ship plans drawn up.
Disney announced their first cruises would start in 1998 and commissioned familiar cruise shipbuilder, Fincantieri in Italy to build their first two cruise ships (Disney Magic and Disney Wonder).
In July 1998, Disney Magic performed the first maiden voyage for the cruise line – sailing from their homeport of Port Canaveral, Florida.
By 2005, Disney was using Los Angeles as their summer homeport for their ships and the gaining popularity of them was outstripping their capacity.
In 2007, they announced the building of two new cruise ships – Disney Dream, which launched in January 2011 and Disney Fantasy which started operations in 2012.
More recently, in 2016 Disney announced a new class of cruise ship – the Triton-class, which would be used for two new upcoming cruise ships. A third ship was added to the order book in 2017 and the first ship of the class, Disney Wish is expected to join the Disney fleet in July 2022.
Disney Cruise Ships Frequently Asked Questions
Disney Cruise Ships by Size (from largest to smallest)
| Ship Name | Tonnage (GRT) | Passengers (Max) | Length (Metres) | Decks |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Disney Fantasy | 129,690 | 4,000 | 340 | 16 |
| Disney Dream | 129,690 | 4,000 | 340 | 16 |
| Disney Wonder | 84,130 | 2,700 | 300 | 11 |
| Disney Magic | 83,969 | 2,700 | 300 | 11 |
What does ‘Tonnage (GRT)’ mean?
GRT (Gross Registered Tonnage) is a term used to calculate the volume inside a ship. It is a measure of cubic capacity and is calculated by the total volume from inside the hull and decks of the ship. 1 GRT = 100 cubic feet of space. In essence, the bigger the GRT – the more ‘space’ the ship has for passengers, cargo, etc.
How are ‘Passengers (Max)’ calculated?
You’ll see multiple numbers for passengers on ships – this is because many ships include extra beds in cabins (such as the sofa/couch can convert to a pull-out bed) – but the majority of cabins usually have 2 people in them. the ‘Max’ number is if every cabin used their additional pull-out bed, etc. This number is unlikely to be reached very frequently.
Disney Cruise Ships by Age (from newest to oldest)
| Ship Name | Built |
|---|---|
| Disney Wish | Due 2022 |
| Disney Fantasy | 2012 |
| Disney Dream | 2011 |
| Disney Wonder | 1999 |
| Disney Magic | 1998 |
Are all Disney Cruise ships new builds?
Yes, all Disney cruise ships are brand new builds and purpose-built for Disney Cruise Line.
As Disney has exceptionally high standards you can guess that they would not be happy with taking on an older ship and converting it to their standard.
Therefore, they build each ship to their exact specification. However, they do use the same cruise shipbuilder as other lines such as Carnival and MSC Cruises use, which is Fincantieri in Italy.
Disney Cruise Ships by Class (from newest to oldest)
| Ship Name | Class |
|---|---|
| Disney Wish | Triton-class |
| Disney Fantasy | Dream-class |
| Disney Dream | Dream-class |
| Disney Wonder | Magic-class |
| Disney Magic | Magic-class |
Final Thoughts
For many, taking a Disney Cruise is an absolute bucket-list item – whether you are a seasoned cruiser or not. Who wouldn’t want to experience the magic of Disney, but at sea?
From their colorful ships to the very high customer service standards that Disney offers, a Disney cruise is perfect for kids (and adults too).
The cruise line has been slower than others to add extra ships, but with three new ships on order, they will be nearly doubling their fleet by late 2025!
