Disney Cruise Line is expanding exponentially. By late 2030, Disney will have more than tripled its fleet of ships in less than a decade, with a total of 13 vessels. As new ships set sail, though, Disney also invests in its existing lineup.
Disney made changes and refreshes to one of its original cruise ships from the ’90s during a strategic refurbishment period. We have details on what changed and a behind-the-scenes look from Disney about the company’s concentrated approach to maintaining older cruise ships. Mickey Visit brings you the latest Disney news and planning resources, including Costco’s new discounted Disneyland ticket and Disney’s new pin trading vending machines.
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Disney Wonder Cruise Ship Refurbishment
The Disney Wonder cruise ship went into dry dock, an extended refurbishment on land, for 14 days in August 2026. Disney aims to dry-dock all its ships every 5 years, and the Wonder’s recent dry dock was years in the making, with Disney planning every detail. Over 100 projects were undertaken during the dry dock period.
Disney refreshed Edge, the ship’s dedicated hangout space for tween passengers, with a new color scheme.
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Crew members laid 12 miles of new carpet throughout the ship, including a colorful new design outside of The Walt Disney Theater, the ship’s venue for Broadway-style live productions. The Disney Wonder currently hosts 3 shows: Frozen, A Musical Spectacular; Golden Mickeys; and Disney Dreams – An Enchanted Classic.
Workers painted the Disney Wonder’s hull with 10 football fields’ worth of fresh paint designed specifically for Disney’s sustainability efforts.
Every Disney ship has statues of characters on its stern. The Disney Wonder features Donald Duck as the victim of a prank courtesy of his nephew Huey. During the Wonder’s dry dock, Imagineers freshened up and reinstalled these statues.
The dry dock period is an around-the-clock effort pertaining to all aspects of the ship.
Disney also reimagined back-of-house spaces, like a cafeteria for onboard cast members.
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1,000 workers were responsible for undertaking the Wonder’s dry dock projects.
Beyond cosmetics, the dry dock addressed routine safety and maintenance work as well, including on the ship’s emergency lifeboats.
The Disney Wonder was part of the original class of Disney Cruise Line ships, and only the second ship to hit the water, in 1999, following the Disney Magic’s launch in 1998.
4 new Disney Cruise Line ships have set sail in the past 4 years, and another 5 are on the way by late 2030. The next new ship to disembark will be the Disney Believe in late 2027, and Disney is announcing a ton of details about the ship next week. See how to tune in to the announcements.
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