TheWish class was ordered on March 3, 2016, and built byMeyer Werft at its shipyard inPapenburg, Germany. Construction began with thekeel laying on April 8, 2021, and theship was launched on February 11, 2022. She was completed on February 6, 2022, acquired by Disney Cruise Line on June 9, 2022, and christened on June 29, 2022. The ship entered service with her maiden voyage on July 14, 2022. The ship reportedly cost approximatelyUS$1.1 billion (equivalent to $1.182 billion in 2024).
TheWish class is slightly larger than the precedingDream class, with agross tonnage of approximately 144,000, compared with about 130,000 forDream-class ships, while retaining the same number of guest cabins. During development, the class was known internally as theTriton class. The class also marked several firsts for Disney Cruise Line, including the adoption ofliquefied natural gas (LNG) as a lower-emission fuel and the use ofazimuthing podded propulsion (Azipod).
In March 2016,Disney Cruise Line announced that it had commissioned two new ships, described as larger thanDisney Dream andDisney Fantasy but with an equivalent number of staterooms.[9][10] A third ship of the class was announced on July 15, 2017, at theD23 Expo.[11] In March 2018, Disney Cruise Line released the first rendering of its new generation of cruise ships.[12][13] The 140,000-ton cruise liners would beLNG-powered and would accommodate at least 2,500 guests.[14] In January 2019, the codename for the class of ship was confirmed asTriton in public documents published byPort Canaveral.[15][16][17] However it is now following the standard naming of class after the first ship.[18]
Disney Wish arriving at Port Canaveral on June 20, 2022
On August 25, 2019, the fifth ship was officially announced as theDisney Wish at the D23 Expo.[19] Construction began in March 2020 atMeyer Werft,Germany,[20] with the delivery date later changed due to theCOVID-19 pandemic.[21][22] Also announced at the D23 Expo was thatRapunzel would feature as the stern character onDisney Wish, withThe Walt Disney Company releasing the design mock-ups for the ship, including a render ofCinderella as the ship's atrium character.[19]
On April 8, 2021, during thekeel laying ceremony,[23] it was announced thatCaptain Minnie would be the centrepiece of theDisney Wish.[24] On April 29, 2021, Disney Cruise Line shared a first look at their newest ship,Disney Wish, set to embark in mid-2022.[25]Disney Wish has 1,250 staterooms, along with several restaurants, immersive spaces and experiences themed toWalt Disney Pictures,Marvel Cinematic Universe,Star Wars, andPixar characters, plus the AquaMouse, the world's first Disney attraction at sea.[1]
On February 3, 2022, it was announced thatDisney Wish's inaugural sailings were pushed back from June 9 to July 14, 2022, due to shipyard delays.[6] On February 11, 2022,Disney Wish completed her float out inPapenburg, Germany, where the stern figure Rapunzel was revealed for the first time.[26][27] The ship left Papenburg in March 2022.[28][29][30] In May 2022, it was announced that the ship would dock at Port Canaveral on June 20, followed by a livestreamed christening ceremony and a cruise for news media and travel experts on June 29.[31][32]
Disney Wish in Nassau on August 20, 2022
On June 9, 2022,Disney Wish was officially handed over to Disney Cruise Line, with the shipyard stating that the ship sailed toPortugal andCastaway Cay before her transatlantic voyage to Port Canaveral.[33] She arrived at Port Canaveral on June 20, 2022, where she was welcomed by Mickey and Minnie Mouse.[34] On June 21, 2022, the ship's first test cruise was cancelled, due to the ship not being ready.[35] The following day, the second test cruise scheduled for June 24, 2022 was also cancelled to focus on the christening ceremony.[36][37] On June 24, 2022, all past, present, and futureMake-A-Wish children were announced to be the godchildren of the ship.[38] On June 29, 2022,Disney Wish was officially christened by three ambassadors of the Make-A-Wish children before embarking on her 3-night christening cruise for the media to Castaway Cay.[39]
On July 14, 2022,Disney Wish officially entered service and embarked on her maiden voyage, a five-night Bahamian cruise stopping atNassau andCastaway Cay.[40]
On December 24, 2022,National Geographic released a documentaryMaking the Disney Wish: Disney's Newest Cruise Ship showing the making of theDisney Wish and her design process. It was directed, written, and produced by Chad Cohen, with Bethany Jones also writing and producing, alongside Disney Yellow Shoes. Filming occurred from June 2021 shortly after construction began until its maiden voyage in July 2022. The film debuted onDisney+ on February 17, 2023.[41]
Disney Wish has agross tonnage of 144,000 GT, a length of 1,119 ft, and a width of 128 ft.Disney Wish has a capacity of 1,555 crew and 4,000 passengers with 1,254 staterooms.[42]
Activities aboardDisney Wish include:The Incredibles: Hero Zone that can be used for various sports activities,Olaf's Royal Picnic and Disney Uncharted Adventure AR Experience.[46]Disney Wish also includes various youth activities including:
Disney's Oceaneer Club, with Marvel Super Hero Academy, Walt Disney Imagineering Lab, Fairytale Hall and Star Wars: Cargo Bay[47]
Vibe, designed exclusively for teens
The Hideaway
Edge, designed exclusively for tweens
"it's a small world" nursery
The ship features the first Disney attraction at sea,[1] called theAquaMouse, based onThe Wonderful World of Mickey Mouse with music byChristopher Willis. It features two new storylines that alternate on different days of the cruise: "Swiss Meltdown" and "Scuba Scramble".[48]
Every night of aDisney Wish cruise, guests dine at a different restaurant. This is called "rotational dining". On a Disney ship guests rotate along with their servers which helps develop the relationship between diner and wait staff.[49]
The rotational dining restaurants onDisney Wish are 1923, located on deck 3 midship, Worlds of Marvel located on deck 4 aft, and Arendelle: a Frozen Dining Adventure located on deck 5 aft:
The 1923 restaurant embodies old Hollywood styles, with the aim to make guests feel classy and think about the history ofWalt Disney himself.[50]
Arendelle: AFrozen Dining Adventure takes place in the palace, where guests are attending an engagement party forAnna andKristoff, joined by otherFrozen characters.[50]
The Bahamas
