Which is the newest Disney cruise ship? If you’re planning on taking a Disney cruise, you’ll want to know this.
The newest Disney cruise ships are also usually the ones with the most fancy and state-of-the-art cabins, restaurants, bars, and attractions. If you’re looking for the latest and greatest ship for your Disney cruise vacation, this is it.
Currently, the newest Disney cruise ship to carry passengers is the Disney Treasure, which will debut in late 2024.
However, it won’t be the newest Disney cruise ship for long. It will soon be replaced as the newest Disney cruise ship by Disney Destiny, which will begin sailing in November 2025.
Disney Adventure, which was partially built by Disney Cruise Line after its acquisition from Dream Cruises, will become the largest ship in the fleet when it first sets sail in 2026, at which time it will also bear the title of Disney’s newest ship.
The second newest ship currently is Disney Wish, which launches in mid-2022 and is the first ship in the company’s Wish class (formerly known as the Triton class). The Disney Wish is followed by the company’s two Dream-class ships, the Disney Fantasy (2012) and the Disney Dream (2011).
Disney currently operates six cruise ships in total, far fewer than cruise brands like Royal Caribbean and Norwegian Cruise Line. Founded in 1998, the line has gone a long time (like the decade between Disney Fantasy and Disney Wish) without adding a new ship, with occasional major expansions, including one underway now.
As of 2012, the company’s fleet totaled only four ships, which will grow to 13 ships by 2031, after the last batch of ordered hardware comes into service. This means that in the nine years between Disney Wish’s debut and 2031, the franchise will triple in size.
Since its debut in 1998, the company has never decommissioned a ship. The oldest Disney cruise ship, the Disney Magic, is nearly 30 years old but has been maintained extremely well, as have the rest of the fleet.
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Generally speaking, Disney’s newest ships are larger and have more amenities than older ships. If you’re craving the most possible activities on your Disney cruise vacation, you’ll want to stick with the company’s four recently built ships.
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Disney’s two oldest ships – the Disney Magic and the Disney Wonder, both built in the 1990s – are about 40% smaller than the company’s newest ships and have less space on board. Still, even these smaller ships have a lot of appeal compared to many of the ships on competing routes. Some families find them easier to navigate, especially with younger children.
Here are every Disney cruise ship currently in passenger service, listed from newest to oldest.
Note: Passenger capacity figures listed are for double occupancy (two persons per cabin).
Disney Cruise Lines, Newest to Oldest
1. Disney Treasures
Maiden Voyage: 2024
size: 144,256 gross tons
passenger capacity: 2,508 passengers
2. Disney Wish
Maiden Voyage: 2022
size: 144,256 gross tons
passenger capacity: 2,508 passengers
3. Disney Fantasy
Maiden Voyage: 2012
size: 129,750 gross tons
passenger capacity: 2,500 passengers
4. Disney Dream
Maiden Voyage: 2011
size: 129,690 gross tons
passenger capacity: 2,500 passengers
5. Disney Wonder
Maiden Voyage: 1999
size: 84,130 gross tons
passenger capacity: 1,750 passengers
6. Disney Magic
Maiden Voyage: 1998
size: 83,969 gross tons
passenger capacity: 1,750 passengers
What is Disney Cruise Line’s newest cruise ship?
The newest Disney cruise ship is currently the Disney Treasure. As mentioned above, it debuts in late 2024. With a gross tonnage of 144,256 tons, it is also one of the largest Disney cruise ships and has more facilities than the company’s older ships.
Check out TPG’s coverage in Disney Treasure:
What is Disney Cruise Line’s oldest ship?
The oldest Disney cruise ship is the Disney Magic. Unveiled in 1998, it was the first Disney cruise ship ever built, and its arrival marked the beginning of the series.
The Disney Magic is not only the oldest Disney cruise ship, it is also the smallest. Weighing only 83,000 gross tons, it is approximately 40% smaller than the new Disney Treasures. As a result, Disney’s Magic Park has less land than Disney Treasures or the upcoming Disney’s Destiny Park, but it feels more intimate.
Because it offers fewer and smaller attractions than newer Disney cruise ships, Disney Cruise Line has historically used the Disney Magic and its slightly younger sister ship the Disney Wonder for destination-intensive itineraries — trips where you’ll spend a lot of time on board and where onboard amenities are less important. Think: the popular Alaska itinerary.
Disney also sometimes uses these smaller ships to travel to domestic ports outside of Florida, such as Galveston, Texas, or on the West Coast.
What new ships will Disney Cruise Line launch?
Disney Cruise Line currently has several new cruise ships on order.
The first two cruise ships to arrive are the Disney Destiny arriving in November 2025 and the Disney Adventure in March 2026. The latter was already under construction when Disney purchased it from Dream Cruises; it would focus on Asia cruises. The former is part of the company’s Wish class and will be a sister ship to Disney Treasure and Disney Wish.
In addition, Disney Cruise Line has two more Wish-class ships on order in 2027 and 2029, as well as three additional new ships that will become new classes of their own and are expected to debut in 2029, 2030 and 2031.
The Wish-class ships are being built at the Meyer Werft shipyard in Papenburg, Germany, which also built the Disney Fantasy and Disney Dream.
What are the newest Disney cruise ships available for booking?
While the Disney Destiny and Disney Adventure haven’t sailed yet, you can book sailings on these ships now for dates through 2027.
What class is Disney Cruise Line’s newest ship?
The Wish Class (formerly the Triton Class) is Disney Cruise Line’s newest cruise ship class. By the time Disney Cruise Line’s order book clears, it will consist of at least four ships, the first two of which (Disney Wish and Disney Treasure) have already debuted. Disney plans to build new ships, but hasn’t released all the specific details yet.
What’s the difference between old and new Disney Cruise Lines?
The two newest Disney cruise ships are significantly larger than the oldest Disney cruise ships. Therefore, they have more space for more onboard venues and attractions than older ships.
On the newest ships (Disney Wish and Disney Treasures) you’ll find a massive water coaster sloping across the top deck, an attraction you won’t find on the oldest Disney ships. They also have cabins with modern style and decor.
The latest Disney cruise ships also feature children’s slides, a top-deck children’s play area and multiple swimming pools. The ship features a huge children’s play area, family entertainment areas and even an adult-only area.
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Disney’s two oldest ships are about 40 percent smaller than the newest ships and have fewer such features. They have a decidedly more intimate feel, at least within the pantheon of relatively larger mass-market ships. Their numbers are also smaller. Disney’s newest ships are designed to accommodate about 4,000 passengers per berth when fully loaded, while the company’s two oldest ships (called the “Magic Class”) are only designed to accommodate about 2,500 passengers per berth when fully loaded.
This makes the two oldest Disney cruise ships a good choice for those who want to try a Disney cruise but aren’t in a hurry to travel with large crowds. As such, the oldest ship in Disney’s fleet appeals to a segment of Disney fans who prefer the more intimate feel of a cruise ship and don’t mind giving up some onboard amenities to get it. Sometimes it’s cheaper to book by the day, depending on the specific itinerary.
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Additionally, due to its size, Disney’s oldest ship is able to operate routes to places not easily accessible by larger ships. Not all ports in the world can accommodate a ship the size of the Disney Treasure.
Note that all Disney cruise ships are regularly renovated and upgraded every few years, so even the oldest Disney cruise ships have newer carpeting and newer furniture. However, the cabin styling of the first four ships remained “classic nautical”.
In many cases, older ships have also had entire restaurants and bars renovated over the years, with concepts that first debuted on newer ships, so in this case, don’t equate older ships with a drop in experience. Instead, you can think of it as each boat has its own size and product mix. Different passengers will have different boats that they prefer more or less to suit their personal vacation tastes.
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