Disney Cruise Line Disney Wonder

Introduction

First setting sail in 1999, the Disney Wonder—and sister ship the Disney Magic—is a modestly sized throwback to the golden era of steamship travel. With its two bright red funnels (one just for show), the ship carries a wealth of design elements in the art nouveau style that gave our voyage an element of class and sophistication. But the Disney Wonder is geared to the family demographic, and although there are appealing adults-only areas of the ship from which one can escape the ankle-biters, on a typical cruise, the Disney Wonder travels with upwards of 1,000 kids. We were intrigued to see how well Disney manages to balance the needs and expectations of such a diverse crowd, especially as other cruise lines have invested heavily over the last decade to court the very same family market.