Disney Wonder recently completed its 25th year of service. As the company’s second cruise ship, the 1,750-guest vessel entered service for Disney Cruise Line on 15 August 1999. As a sister to the 1998-built Disney Magic, Disney Wonder was built at Fincantieri’s Marghera shipyard in Venice, Italy.
After being delivered to Disney, the ship embarked on a transatlantic crossing with no guests onboard before arriving at her homeport of Port Canaveral, in Central Florida.
During her inaugural season, Disney Wonder offered a series of three- and four-night cruises to the Bahamas, visiting Nassau and Disney’s private island destination Castaway Cay.
The ship was later christened in Port Canaveral on 1 October 1999, during a ceremony that saw Disney characters Tinkerbell and Mickey Mouse serving as godparents.
Disney Wonder continued to offer short cruises to the Bahamas through 2011 when the new Disney Dream took over its schedule.
The ship then made Disney Cruise Line’s debut on the West Coast, offering cruises to the Mexican Riviera and Alaska. In late 2012, the vessel also debuted in Miami, offering some of the company’s first voyages from the port.
Following a major refurbishment in 2016, Disney Wonder continued to offer summer programmes in Alaska, as well as seasonal programmes on the West Coast and in the Caribbean, departing San Diego, Port Canaveral, San Juan, Galveston and more.
The vessel marked another first for Disney in late 2023, embarking on the company’s inaugural season in Australia and New Zealand. During the seasonal cruise programme, she offered cruises departing from Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and Auckland.
Upon completing its current summer season in Alaska, the ship is set to return to the South Pacific in late October. In 2025, in addition to Alaska, Australia and New Zealand, Disney Wonder is also scheduled to offer itineraries to Baja California, the Mexican Riviera and Hawaii.
Photo = Disney Wonder at Antigua by Darren Holdaway.
