Disney Dream vs. Disney Wish: Which Disney Cruise Ship Should You Choose?

If you’re torn between booking a cruise on the Disney Dream vs. the Disney Wish, I’ve got you! The Wish is Disney’s newest ship and it’s easy to be swayed by the shiny new design and fun new offerings. But the Dream still has a classic feel and some features that can’t compare on the Wish.

Listen. No matter what Disney ship you choose, you’re going to have a great time. But certain features on each ship may be more important to you than others (or even the itineraries, because let’s be honest, that may be the biggest thing to sway your decision!).

Example: I think the pool deck is better on the Wish, but the water slide is better on the Dream. The staterooms are more modern on the Wish, but the layout of the Dream is more intuitive than the Wish.

All that to say, if you are planning your Disney Cruise and trying to figure out which ship makes more sense for you (or if you’ve been on one and are wondering how the other compares!) I’m going to break down all the differences for you!

Overall Disney Dream vs. Disney Wish Summary

Before diving into all the details, I want to give you a general summary of the Dream vs. the Wish.

Both ships are similar in size and how many passengers they hold, but they are different classes of ships.

The Dream is the first Dream Class ship, with a classic, nautical feel, a layout that makes more sense than the Wish (I’m just being honest!), and the traditional Disney Cruise restaurants from the original ships (like Cabanas and Animators Palate).

The Wish is a Wish Class ship, Disney’s newer lines of ships. Everything is more updated here and the theming is more “Disney-fied.” But at the same time, I find the layout of the ship much more confusing and it doesn’t have some of the same classic touches as the older ships.

Generally you can’t go wrong with either one, but here’s a look at how the ships differ in the details.

Ship Layout & Size

The Dream and the Wish are actually pretty similar in size and how many passengers they carry.

The Dream has 14 passenger decks, 1,250 staterooms, and carries 4,000 passengers. The Wish has 15 passenger decks, 1,254 staterooms, and carries just over 4,100 passengers.

Where they really differ is the layouts though! So let’s get into that.

Disney Dream Layout

To me, the layout of the Disney Dream is very easy to understand!

When you first enter the ship you’ll come into the atrium where you’ll have the midship elevators and entrances to Royal Palace and Animator’s Palate. Then, on the other side of the midship elevators, you’ll find shopping and entertainment venues.

Go down one level an you’ll find the restaurant Enchanted Garden. Go up one level and you’ll find more entertainment and lounges. The kids clubs are up one more level, and then at the top of the ship is Cabanas, the Pool Deck, the spa, and specialty dining.

It’s a pretty simple layout and everything is clearly marked and the hallways make sense.

Disney Wish Layout

Now, let me compare that to the layout of the Disney Wish. I’ll be honest, I don’t have very nice things to say about the layout of the Wish.

When you come onto the ship here, you’ll also enter into the atrium with an entrance to 1923. But there are no midship elevators here. Instead you’ll find a stage for entertainment. The lack of midship elevators is one of my pet-peeves of this ship, because I rarely found myself in the beautiful atrium unless I went there on purpose!

Behind the stage you’ll find shopping and lounges and the theatre. Go down one level and you’ll find the kids clubs. The two levels above the atrium have Worlds of Marvel, Arendelle: A Frozen Dining Adventure, lounges and entertainment.

Like the Dream, on the top decks you’ll find the pools, the buffet restaurant, specialty dining, and more entertainment.

But unlike the Dream, the hallways here are more confusing, there are more dead-ends, and just in general not a great traffic flow. While after a few days we finally figured out how to navigate this ship, it is definitely a steeper learning curve than the Dream.

I also really didn’t like that there were only two sets of elevators. While there are just as many elevators as on the Dream, the fact that they were only in two banks caused lots of traffic jams. (However, to be fair, there are also sometimes traffic jams on the Dream too…I just didn’t find them as intense as on the Wish.)

So all that to say, the Dream definitely wins in the category of layout for me!

Staterooms

The staterooms on both the Dream and the Wish are VERY different. While they have the same general layout (bed, pull down bed and couch area) and both have the two bathrooms (one with a shower and sink and one with a toilet and sink) that Disney Cruise Line is known for, the decor and the storage of both differ a lot!

And it’s hard to define a clear winner here. Both staterooms have different pros and cons, so I like both of them equally for different reasons.

Disney Dream Staterooms

The staterooms on the Disney Dream have a classic nautical look. And honestly I love this! It feels like classic cruising, with navy blue stripes, art-deco inspired decor, and of course some subtly Disney-inspired art.

The rooms definitely feel a little older here, but they are still clean. I will be honest…we had a couple issues with out outlets in our room, I imagine because of the age of the ship.

The two bathrooms also have a bit of a dated look, with white tiles and red and navy accents that are a very classic Disney cruise style, but also feel like it could have been pulled from the 90’s. And here, the tub has a shower curtain which has it’s pros (privacy if you’re sharing a bathroom) and cons (not as clean feeling).

I really like the storage on the Disney Dream too. You have closets with shelving and hanging room, but my favorite part is the small dresser area right next to the closets. I just find this such a convenient place to store clothes and then put other odds and ends on top.

One con about the closets here: The doors open out into the walkway, which can make maneuvering hard as different people are getting ready.

Then the desk area also has lots of drawers and shelving for storage, and you’ll also have a small TV on the desk area that can articulate angle toward either the main bed or pull down bed/couch area.

Disney Wish Staterooms

The staterooms on the Disney Wish definitely have a more modern feel! And the Wish decor is much lighter, giving these an airier and more relaxed vibe.

The Wish is also the first ship that features character/movie murals above the beds. On the Wish your room may have a Cinderella, Frozen, Princess and the Frog, Sleeping Beauty, Little Mermaid, Moana, or Tangled themed mural above your bed. This varies according to which deck your room is on (and Tangled is only in concierge rooms).

The bathroom has the same two bathroom format at the Dream. But here you’ll have a tub with a shower door instead of a shower curtain and just in general more modern decor.

The storage on the Wish has both pros and cons over the Dream. The closets are much better, mostly because they have sliding doors (instead of the doors that open up into the walkway on the Dream). But the Wish lacks that little dresser I find so convenient.

The TV is also different on the Wish. Here, the TV is hung right in front of the main bed. This can be convenient if you want to watch TV from bed, but it doesn’t work as well if you just want to plop your kids on the couch in front of the TV.

Honestly, while I really like the nautical feel of the classic staterooms on the Dream, the staterooms on the Wish are objectively more beautiful. But there are features on the Dream I like better. So really it’s a toss-up on which ship’s staterooms I like better.

Dining

Honestly, I had great dining experiences on both the Dream and Wish, along with some mediocre experiences on both. Both ships have three main rotational dining restaurants along with a buffet and lounges and bars throughout the ship.

Overall though, while the dining on the Dream was solid, the dining experiences on the Wish were better!

Disney Dream Dining

The three main rotational restaurant on the Dream are:

• Royal Palace
• Animator’s Palate
• Enchanted Garden

My favorite meal on the ship was Royal Palace (the menu is French inspired!), but I also enjoyed Animator’s Palate and Enchanted Garden.

However, there were a few little things in my dishes that didn’t seem up to par compared to some of the other Disney ships I’ve been on (for instance, not all parts of the pasta on my black truffle pasta purseittes were cooked though).

Cabanas in the buffet on the Dream, and it was good. Pretty standard buffet food, but solid and I had good, but not memorable, meals here. I’ll be honest though: The theming of Cabanas is starting to feel a little dated.

For bars and lounges on the Dream, I liked that most of them were concentrated in one area of the ships. I didn’t have any drinks or food here, but I did participate in some activities here, and I just really liked the overall vibe that there is a whole designated adults-only area unlike on the Wish.

For specialty dining on the Dream there is Palo and Remy. Both are adults-only and I’ve heard great things about both! (I’ve only dined at Palo on other ships.)

Disney Wish Dining

The three rotational dining restaurants on the Wish are:

• 1923
• Worlds of Marvel
• Arendelle: A Frozen Dining Adventure

Overall, I liked these dining experiences better than on the Dream. All my food was really good (minus the green beans I had at 1923 to be honest). The meatballs at Arendelle were so good, and my mother-in-law had some amazing gnocchi at Worlds of Marvel.

Another pro for the Wish: both Worlds of Marvel and Arendelle have dinner entertainment! On the Dream, the only entertainment was in Animator’s Palate and it’s not as good as what you’ll find on the Wish.

The buffet here is Marceline Market, and there were definitely some pros and cons to it. The decor is great (definitely an updated from Cabanas) and the food was really good. But Marceline Market did feel a little more crowded and tight to me (again with the layout issues on the Wish!).

The lounges here are more spread out than on the Dream. You’ll find them throughout the ship instead of in one specific area. I didn’t love this as much.

But on the other hand the theming of the lounges is overall better! The Wish has a Star Wars themed lounge and a Princess and the Frog themed lounge!

For specialty dining, you have Palo and Enchanté. Both are adults only. We had an Enchanté brunch experience and it was FANTASTIC!

Pool Deck & Waterslides

I’ll cut right to the chase here: To me, the pool deck on the Wish is better. But the waterslides on the Dream are better! So let’s talk about them.

Disney Dream Pools

On the Disney Dream, there are four pools. It was fine, but we never really tried to get in the pool because it was generally pretty crowded. (Although I do wish we had found the Funnel Puddle Pool earlier in the cruise, because it looked pretty quiet!)

The waterslides though are my favorite here! The Disney Dream has the AquaDuck, which is such a fun slide! And then there is Mickey’s Slide, however it’s just for kids ages 4-14. And there is Nemo’s Reef which is a great splash pad for younger kids.

Disney Wish Pools

For me, the Disney Wish pool deck really shines! There are six pool on the main pool deck. They are all spread out, so we were always able to find space in one of the pools. It also meant that if a pool had to close because of an accident, there were still five other pools to use!

However, I didn’t love the slides on the Wish as much. While the AquaMouse has gotten a lot of attention for being Disney’s first “attraction at sea” (and I did think it was fun!), you also spend A LOT of time going on the hill and very little time sliding.

The other slide is the Slide-a-saurus Rex, which is a basic water slide and I did like that the whole family can go on this! And for the littlest kids, there is the Toy Story Splash Zone.

So again, there are pros and cons to both the Dream and the Wish!

Entertainment

Both the Disney Dream and Wish have great entertainment options! Both ships have Broadway-style shows, on-board activities, kids clubs, and more.

I think in general the Wish has more to offer though, so if you’re looking for entertainment, I’d lean that direction.

Disney Dream Entertainment

Broadway Style Shows on the Disney Dream

There are three main Broadway-style shows on the Disney Dream.

• The Golden Mickeys — This is a revue style show where they try to cram as many different songs and characters in as possible. This time it’s an awards-style show where a stage manager has to take over the presentations of the awards. Honestly, it’s really cute and worth seeing!
• Disney’s Believe — This is another show where they try to cram as many songs in, this time with a plot line about a father and daughter. I don’t always love the shows where they shoehorn songs into a plot like this, but I actually really enjoyed this one!
• Beauty and the Beast — A shorted version of the Broadway Beauty and the Beast. It’s honestly fantastic!

If you’re on a cruise that’s longer than three nights, they will supplement the nightly entertainment with other offerings, usually with some kind of magic show or a special showing of a movie.

There are also stage shows that take place on the Pool Deck including the Sail Away party and Pirate Night Shows. And if you haven’t seen these before they are definitely worth seeing. I like to stand one level above and look down on the show for better views and a less crowded feel.

Disney Dream Kids Clubs

There are kids clubs for all ages on the Disney Dream!

• Oceaneer Club & Oceaneer Lab (Ages 3-10) — Themed areas (like Star Wars and Tinkerbell) for kids to play in, plus the Oceaneer Lab for more STEM and animation related activities.
• Edge (Ages 11-14) — A hangout for tweens with videogames and other fun, and it shares a pool area with Vibe (they split time).
• Vibe (Ages 14-17) — A teen hangout with honestly amazing seating, video games, and a pool area.

Disney Dream Spa

The Spa on the Disney Dream is honestly such a great space. On my cruise I got a Rainforest Room Pass and absolutely LOVED it!

In the Rainforest Room you can enjoy different showers and steam rooms, cold showers, heated stone loungers, and hot tubs that look out over the sea. It’s honestly so incredible.

But of course the spa also offers massages, facials, and more.

Other Entertainment

Aside from the shows, you’ll also find other entertainment on the Dream. The entertainment team does a great job with trivia offerings, interactive game shows, music, and so much more.

Honestly, the only day we struggled with entertainment on the Dream was our Marvel Day at Sea, mostly because we aren’t really Marvel people and EVERY entertainment option was Marvel related. Other than that, we had a fantastic time!

One other thing: I also really enjoyed that the Dream had putt-putt golf on the upper deck!

There is one major entertainment different between the Wish and the Dream when it comes to other forms of entertainment, and that is the Hero Zone!

The Hero Zone on the Wish is a large gym area where they offer activities and games plus it’s just an indoor sports spot. And the most popular activity of all is The Incredible Incredi-Course. This is an inflatable obstacle course that looks super fun! (I didn’t do it, but I did cheer on my husband and daughter as they raced each other!

Itineraries

One of the biggest factors that may impact which cruise you choose is actually the itinerary it sales. All the dining and entertainment offerings in the world won’t matter if you want a seven day cruise and only one ship offers them or if you really want to go to the Caribbean but one ship only sales to the Bahamas.

Disney Dream Itineraries

The Disney Dream offers a variety of itineraries depending on the time of year. Generally, you’ll find 3, 4, and 5-night Bahamian cruises. But in 2026, the Dream is heading to Europe for cruises through Spain, Italy, Norway, and more.

When it returns from Europe, it will offer 3 and 4 night Bahamian Cruises as well as occasional 5 and 7 night Caribbean Cruises.

To me, this makes the Dream more attractive, because I would much rather have a longer cruise than a shorter one!

Disney Wish Itineraries

The Wish itineraries have been unchanged since it first set sail. It does 3 and 4-night cruises to the Bahamas, visiting Nassau, Castaway Cay, and Lookout Cay.

Honestly? A 3-night cruise doesn’t really seem worth it to me (unless you’re a frequent Florida cruiser and just views it as a weekend getaway). And even when we did 4 nights on the Wish, we wished it was longer. So I don’t love these itineraries as much.

Which Ship Should You Choose?

So…with all the information, which Disney Cruise ship should you choose for your family? It’s hard to come up with a clear winner here.

The Dream gets points for layout, the Aquaduck, and itineraries, while The Wish gets points for dining, entertainment, and the pool deck.

Really it’s going to come down to what’s most important to your family!

If you want a classic ocean-liner feel with classic Disney Cruise Line offerings and the option for longer itineraries, look for cruises on the Disney Dream.

If you want a more updated feel with more Disney-themed spaces and are okay with shorter itineraries, then opt for the Wish. Also bonus points for the Wish if you have a Frozen obsessed kiddo or a Star Wars fan in your family!

One other things to note: If budget is an issue, the Dream generally tends to be less expensive because it is an older ship!

What’s Next?

• Get Your Full Guide to Planning a Disney Cruise
• Get a Disney Cruise Packing List
• Read My 100+ Tips for Disney Cruises!
• Read About Our Time on the Disney Wish
• Read About Our Time on the Disney Dream
• Compare Lookout Cay and Castaway Cay

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