The Disney Wonder cruise ship experience may be designed with kids in mind, but it delivers for all ages.
Admit it, you want to go to Disneyland! We all do. No matter how old you get, there’s a place inside all of us where some Disney story, or character, or song, has burrowed into our hearts and refuses to let go. As such, the thought of a Disneyland at sea can even get the most cynical excited.
That’s the pitch with the Disney Cruise Line, which visits Australia each year with its ship Disney Wonder. You’re getting all the thrills of a cruise experience, with the official touch of the Magic Kingdom. As my size 12 Goofy feet plonked up the gangway in Sydney, I knew the three kids bolting ahead – let’s called them Huey, Dewey and Louie – would have fun, but I wasn’t sure what would be in it for the adults?
Is Disney Wonder fun for everyone?
Go with the flow, don’t try to swim against the current
As soon as you step on board Disney Wonder it’s different. Famous mascots line the three-story atrium waving happily, surrounded by smiling princesses, Walt Disney photos, animation stills and iconic statues. Every corner of the ship has a Disney song as its soundtrack. Screens you come across have Disney movies streaming endlessly. Towels, sheets, pillow cases… It’s Disney. Disney. Disney.
Most guests have already gone “full Disney,” with cosplay, Mickey ears and other such apparel bringing atmosphere and cheery vibes. Days later, on pirate night, me hearties could be found everywhere and yours truly was right in the thick of it, puffy shirt and all.
I was expecting families, of course, which make up the bulk of the very happy faces I see, wide-eyed as they take in the opulent surroundings. But to my surprise, there’s no shortage of adult groups – young and old – amongst the throng. The love for Disney runs thick across the demographics.
Mid-sized but mighty
Disney Wonder is a mid-sized ship capable of carrying up to 2,400 guests and it launched way back in 1999. Before boarding, I was worried about its age, but you’d never guess once on board. Everything feels new, fresh, clean and modern. She has been well-looked after.
Like most cruises, the ship is effectively like a fun sandwich. Activities on the top deck; entertainment on the bottom; and rooms sandwiched in-between. I’ll go into the adult-specific experiences in a second, but the top deck offers multiple pools and hot tubs, a waterpark with a decent-sized waterslide and a small sports precinct with some table tennis, foosball and basketball.
I’m not the only grown man who runs to the waterslide before we’ve even left port, beer gut bouncing as I bound like a youthful gazelle up the stairs.
There’s enough space on the top deck for shows and they are spectacular. Mining Disney properties like Marvel, they are well-choreographed and visually remarkable, enhanced by the only firework displays at sea. More shows can be found down on Deck 4, where Broadway-like Disney productions unfold in the large Walt Disney theatre. The shows were impressive, but limited. I do feel like some stand-up comedy, circus act or similar could have added some variety during the day.
Deck 3 and 4 are home to shops, restaurants, meet-greet-and-photo locations with the various Disney mascots and no end of bars. While Deck 5 has a full cinema experience, airing movies throughout the day including those only just released into theatres on land.
Disney Wonder food
You’re never short of a bite to eat on a cruise ship. Around Disney Wonder you’ll find burger bars, kebabs, pizza and even a self-serve ice cream station. Soft drinks, juices and coffee/tea stations are readily available and free, too.
There is, of course, a buffet: Cabanas. The kids loved it, but personally I wasn’t overly impressed. While not unpleasant, the food quality was akin to an RSL – solid, but not spectacular. As such, we ended up taking to the à la carte restaurants for our main meals and that’s a huge step up. I also love the way they rotate you, so each dinner you’re booked into a different restaurant with its own theme.
My pick was Animator’s Palate, a spectacular multimedia experience with an incredible atmosphere. The room is surrounded by art and screens, with guests inspired to draw their own character upon arrival that they later see animated into a cartoon. Tiana’s Place has a Princess and the Frog theme, with live musicians providing a Louisiana jazz vibe. Meanwhile Triton’s is based on The Little Mermaid, with the staff getting involved with conga lines and magic tricks.
These restaurants not only deliver tasty food and a reasonably varied selection, but entertainment. And even though it’s focused on the kids, I still quite enjoyed it.
Disney Wonder Stateroom review
Our Stateroom is a rare five-berth cabin, but the design remains typical of what you might expect on a cruise ship, if accentuated in Disney flair. A comfy queen bed dominates the room, sitting next to a second space that houses a couch, TV (showing Disney content, of course), fridge and a generously sized balcony with its own table and chairs. There’s ample storage and even a US-to-AU double adapter provided. The three additional beds come from a couch conversion, a fold-out from the wall, and a flip-down from the roof. Quite ingenious.
The Disney Wonder rooms veer from the norm with a shower bath that compromises on height – at six-foot-four I couldn’t fit – but gives families a space to bath babies and toddlers. And a separate toilet, allowing you to still go to the loo when the shower is occupied – again, handy! There’s also a curtain that can be drawn to break the space into two, if you need a visual break from the youngsters.
To be fair, most cabins are four-berth, lacing the fold-out wall bed. But as a family of five, I was stoked to be catered for on Disney Wonder, and the design was smart and functional. I appreciated how our room attendant would pack all the beds down in the morning, and pull them back out at night, maximising the space during the day. I also loved the Disney touches everywhere; from art on the walls, to decorations on the linen, and more.
Family fun
It should be no surprise to learn that much of what the Disney Wonder experience offers is centred around families. As I will go into shortly, there’s plenty for adults, too, but kids are the focus. If you’re not going to be able to handle the noise or having little humans forever in your way, then no love of Disney is going to save you from frustration. Be warned.
If you are a parent, however, you’re in luck. Disney Wonder has one of the best kids clubs I’ve seen anywhere; land or sea. It’s huge, taking up most of a deck and it’s filled with fantastic hands-on experiences in multiple themed locations.
As impressed as I was with what Disney has built, the real win was how the kids engaged with the club. Often, it’s a fight to get them to the kids clubs – not on Disney Wonder. Instead, I was fighting just to get them to have breakfast with us! It’s all they wanted to do. And not just my youngest sprocket, but the teenagers as well. Unheard of!
For adults only
Regardless of whether you’re a parent or not, every adult wants to be able to distance themselves from the kids on holiday, which in the confines of a cruise ship you’d think would be tough. But Disney Wonder handles this dilemma well.
Critically, up on the top deck there is a good-sized adults-only pool, complete with two hot tubs – albeit very cosy ones – a bar, café and plentiful sun lounges with thicker padding than in the all-ages pool area. From in this space, which is well protected from the elements, you’d be forgiven for thinking there wasn’t a kid onboard.
Also, on the top deck is the Italian-inspired Pala, an adult only specialty dining experience that does require an extra expense. It’s not too pricey for what it offers, however, as the food and service are exceptional. Great for a date night or long lunch.
Elsewhere there is an excellent gym and spa. The latter including a very cool mindfulness-meets-sauna and exotic shower space called the Rainforest Room. I also tried a Liquor and Chocolates tasting, which was both informative and enjoyable. While the whole front end of the ship on deck 3 is dominated by pubs and lounges for adults, as well as activities like trivia.
I also have to hand it to Disney cruises for their approach to BYO alcohol. Each adult in a room can bring either two bottles of wine or a six-pack of beer per port. So, for my wife and I, that was four bottles of plonk in Sydney, and another four in Hobart. More than we ended up needing on a four-night cruise.
Are Disney Wonder cruises too short?
That’s right, our Disney Wonder cruise lasted only four nights. We went from Sydney down to Hobart and back, with a day to explore Tasmania. It’s not a lot of time on the vessel for the money. With so much to do that’s so much fun, time just whizzed by. No sooner had we gotten on the ship that it felt like we were getting off.
I’m not sure if saying the cruise was so much fun that it felt too short is a criticism or not, but I’d love to see Disney offer a few extra days and perhaps throw an additional port into the mix in future cruises. We enjoyed our time in Hobart – heading up to the spectacular MONA – but there’s an argument not to get off the ship at all given you limited opportunity to experience Disneyland at sea.
In the end, you’ve just got to make the most of it. I certainly did, not only enjoying the experience as an adult, but as a father revisiting his youth through the wonder of his children.
FOUR AND A HALF STARS (OUT OF FIVE)
Disney Wonder can be booked on the Disney Cruise Line website.
Read more about the Wonder’s 2025-26 Australia and NZ season HERE.
Chris Stead and his family travelled on Disney Wonder as a guest of Disney.
