Disney Fantasy vs Disney Wish: Which Is Better for a First Disney Cruise?

Disney Fantasy vs Disney Wish: The Short Answer

The Disney Fantasy is a Disney cruise with a little magic. The Disney Wish is a little cruise with a lot of magic. Neither one is the “better” ship, but they are completely different experiences, and the right one depends on what your family wants from your first Disney cruise.

I’ll be upfront: the Fantasy is my favorite ship in the fleet. All day long! My first Disney cruise and my second were about ten years apart, and the Fantasy was my return to Disney Cruise Line. I haven’t stopped cruising since. I sailed her inaugural voyage, I’ve sailed her adults only, and I’ve sailed her with my kids. My favorite sailing ever was a 10 night Southern Caribbean cruise on the Fantasy, where we went stargazing with the captain and celebrated the 4th of July at sea.

I’ve sailed the Wish too, and walking onboard for the first time is a genuine wow moment. So after 16 Disney cruises, here’s how these two ships really compare, and how I help families choose between them.

Disney Fantasy vs Disney Wish at a Glance

Itineraries change by season, so check the current schedule (or ask your advisor) before you fall in love with a specific sailing.

The Biggest Difference Is How Each Ship Feels

Stepping onto the Disney Wish for the first time really is a wow moment. The Grand Hall is themed to Cinderella, and it sparkles in these magical colors from every angle. It’s beautiful, and it’s highly, highly themed.

That’s also what I found least impressive about the Wish overall. Every restaurant is themed. Every bar is themed. Every little corner has a story. It’s fun, but I couldn’t find a calm, quiet space that was just… a beautiful place to sit on a ship.

The Disney Fantasy feels completely different. She has a vintage cruise feel, like the days when the big ocean liners first started carrying passengers. She’s elegant without being stuffy, and the Disney magic shows up in little moments instead of being everywhere you look.

Two of my favorite examples are in Europa, the Fantasy’s adults-only district. Ooh La La is a champagne lounge done in French deep reds and golds, and it’s calm and intimate. (Its sister bar on the Disney Dream, Pink, hides the pink elephants from Dumbo in its bubbles. You’d never know unless you know!) Then there’s the Skyline lounge, which has digital “windows” that make you feel like you’re at a bar at the top of a skyscraper. Every few minutes, the city outside changes. It’s really cool Disney magic, without a movie character on every wall.

The Layout Families Don’t Think About (Until They’re Onboard)

The layout is one of the biggest reasons we love the Fantasy over the Wish, and it’s something most families never think to ask about.

The promenade deck. On the Fantasy, the promenade deck has a walking and jogging path that goes all the way around the ship, 360 degrees. On the Wish, you can go out on the promenade deck, but you can’t walk a full circle. You hit a set of stairs and it stops. That change is one of the biggest complaints I hear from Disney cruise veterans.

The pool deck. On the Fantasy, everything flows. There’s an adults-only area at one end with its own pool, a bar and Cove Café. The family pool area sits in the middle, and the splash and wading areas for little ones are toward the other end.

The Wish takes a different approach. The main pool deck has several pools on tiered levels, some deeper and some for wading. I’ll give the Wish credit here, because it spreads families out. On the older ships, the one family pool can get overrun.

But the adults-only area on the Wish is a long walk to the back of the ship, with only one way in. That’s where you’ll find the infinity pool, a bar and Cove Café. If you’ve got little ones in the pool and you just want to grab a coffee, it’s a real trip. On the Fantasy, it’s simply the next area over.

Disney Fantasy vs Disney Wish Dining

Both ships have rotational dining, where you eat in a different restaurant each night and your servers move right along with you. I have favorites on both!

On the Wish, I love 1923. It’s elegant and the food is wonderful. Arendelle: A Frozen Dining Adventure is so cute, with Anna, Elsa and friends performing all around you while you eat. Worlds of Marvel is the one I don’t love, but I’m not a Marvel fan, so that’s very much me. Your superhero fans might rank it first!

On the Fantasy, two of the three restaurants, Royal Court and Enchanted Garden, don’t have a big show. There’s no excitement going on all around you… and honestly, sometimes that’s really nice after a full day at Castaway Cay. Then there’s Animator’s Palate, which everyone loves. The Fantasy’s version is different from the one on the original ships, and your kids might even end up chatting with Crush from Finding Nemo during dinner.

Curious what’s included and what costs extra? My guide to what’s included on a Disney cruise breaks it all down.

AquaDuck vs AquaMouse

These two are very, very similar, but in our family, the AquaDuck on the Fantasy wins for sure.

My kids loved the cartoons inside the AquaMouse on the Wish. What they didn’t love is that most of the ride is in the dark, and then all of a sudden you’re done! The AquaDuck goes out over the side of the ship, right above the ocean. Toward the end, there’s a slower section in a clear tube where you can look down at everyone on the pool deck, and my kids loved waving to everyone below. If you want to see every pool on the Wish, check out my Disney Wish pools post.

Kids Clubs, Characters and Calmer Spaces

The Wish’s Oceaneer Club can’t be beat. It’s incredibly themed, with Marvel Super Hero Academy, Fairytale Hall with the princesses and a secret slide entrance right from the Grand Hall. My kids did like the tween and teen clubs better on the Fantasy, though.

On my Fantasy sailings, we’ve also seen more variety in the characters, costumes and activities like trivia. On the Wish, the character lineup felt more focused on Mickey, Minnie, Donald and Goofy. That’s just my experience, but it’s something I notice as someone who’s sailed both many times.

If your child has sensory needs or is neurodiverse, I often lean toward the Fantasy. As a Certified Autism Travel Professional, I look at how much is happening around a child at every turn, and the Fantasy is a calmer ship. The theming isn’t in your face everywhere you go, and there are more quiet places to reset.

A Cruise, Not a Theme Park at Sea

Here’s what I wish more families heard before they book. Just because a ship is the one everyone’s talking about doesn’t make it the best ship for you. The Wish class ships lean toward the theme park at sea experience, and they have a lot of bars and lounges for grown-ups traveling without kids. That’s wonderful if it’s what you want! But it’s not why my family sails with Disney.

When people ask my husband why we cruise Disney so often, his answer is always the service. On the Fantasy, I find you get to know the cast a little more. The service and the food get to shine, instead of being swallowed up by the wow of eating inside a Marvel movie. Everything feels a little slower paced. Maybe that’s just us, but that’s how it feels every time we sail her.

Is the Disney Wish Worth the Extra Cost?

The Wish tends to be on the pricier side. She’s the ship everyone wants to sail, demand is high and she has all the bells and whistles. People want to have dinner in Arendelle, and they want to sit in the Star Wars: Hyperspace Lounge and feel like they’re in the movie.

For about the same budget, you may be able to get more nights on the Fantasy (or her sister ship, the Disney Dream), or a better stateroom. For a lot of families, that extra night or that balcony means more than the theming. For others, the Wish is absolutely worth it, and that’s okay too!

How I Help Families Choose Between the Fantasy and the Wish

This is a tough one because they’re such different experiences, so I always start with your family. A few examples of how that plays out:

• A 6 year old Frozen fan? The Wish wins, hands down. Dinner at Arendelle, plus the option to add Olaf’s Royal Picnic, a paid Frozen experience just for kids.
• Star Wars fans? You’ll want the Wish for the Hyperspace Lounge.
• Only have a long weekend? The Wish sails 3 night cruises, Friday to Monday.
• A child with sensory needs? The Fantasy’s calmer feel is often the better fit.
• Want more time onboard, or more value for your budget? The Fantasy’s 4 and 5 night sailings are hard to beat.
• Love a quiet dinner, a champagne lounge and a walk around the promenade deck? That’s the Fantasy all day long.

There are also times a specific itinerary only one ship offers decides it for you. Want to see how all eight ships compare? My complete Disney cruise ship comparison guide covers every ship in the fleet, and you can browse current sailings on Disney Cruise Line’s official site.

Let’s Find the Right Ship for Your Family

A lot of families come to us asking for a Wish class ship because that’s what they’ve seen. It’s what their friends sailed, and it’s what’s in the commercials. We don’t just put you on a ship because it’s the one everyone’s talking about. Our advisors take the time to get to know your family, your budget and the way you love to travel, so we can plan a Disney cruise that fits your style… not what you saw in a commercial.

Ready to start planning? Explore our Disney Cruise Line vacations or send us your vacation request, and an advisor will reach out within 24 hours. New to Disney Cruise Line? Grab our free guide, Magic at Sea: A Beginner’s Guide to Disney Cruise Line, and you’ll have the basics down before we talk.

You can also find us on Google to read reviews from families just like yours!