Utopia of the Seas and Disney Wish are two cruise ships geared toward offering great family vacations.
Utopia of the Seas, part of Royal Caribbean's massive Oasis Class, is a floating city for all ages, offering water slides, zip lines, immersive dining experiences, and more. On the other hand, Disney Wish offers a more magical experience, combining Disney’s iconic storytelling with the convenience and fun of a cruise.
Both ships promise an unforgettable family adventure to the Bahamas, but which one is the perfect fit for your next vacation?
Itineraries
Utopia of the Seas and Disney Wish are great for first-time cruisers, as they both offer short cruises from Port Canaveral, Florida, to the Bahamas.
4-night sailings depart every Monday, while 3-night cruises sail from Friday to Monday. Typically, weekend cruises don't include a sea day, as one day is spent in Nassau and the other at the cruise line's private island.
One reason you may choose one ship over the other is Perfect Day at CocoCay or Castaway Cay. Utopia of the Seas offers itineraries to Royal Caribbean's private island, CocoCay, which features a range of thrilling activities such as a massive water park, overwater cabanas, a zip line, multiple pools, and more.
Compartively, Disney Wish sails to Castaway Cay, where families can enjoy pristine Bahamian beaches, character meet-and-greets, and other Disney-themed activities. Overall, however, the vibe is much more low-key than CocoCay with fewer activities requiring an extra charge.
For example, the adults-only area on Castaway Cay, Serenity Bay, is free, whereas adults seeking a child-free day ashore at CocoCay must pay for access to Hideaway Beach.
Price
Disney Cruise Line tends to be more expensive than Royal Caribbean. However, neither Disney Wish nor Utopia of the Seas are cheap, as they're some of the newest, most innovative cruise ships at sea.
Still, you're more likely to find affordable fares on Utopia of the Seas, with cruises starting at around $630 per person for a weekend voyage. In comparison, a 3-night cruise on Disney Wish costs over $1,000 per person for a standard inside cabin.
Regardless of which ship you choose, balconies will be more expensive than interior staterooms. For example, when looking at Utopia's September 18, 2026, sailing, an inside cabin starts at $710 per person, while a balcony increases to $829.
Disney Wish's Sept. 18, 2026, departure starts at $1,120 per person for an interior stateroom and $1,280 for an ocean-view balcony. This means that the nightly price per sailor for a 3-night cruise can be upwards of $425 if you choose a verandah cabin.
Read more: I tried a Disney cruise after avoiding it because it was too expensive
Dining
The main dining experiences on Royal Caribbean and Disney ships couldn't be more different. The only similarity is that your cruise fare includes nightly dinners in the ship's main dining room, where you can enjoy a three-course meal for no extra cost.
Royal Caribbean takes a more traditional approach to cruise ship dining with one massive, multi-deck dining room. The main dining room serves a set menu, with options that rotate nightly. Guests can also enjoy specialty restaurants for an additional charge.
When booking a cruise on Utopia of the Seas, passengers choose between Traditional and Anytime Dining. The latter is more flexible and allows guests to dine at their preferred time within a designated window instead of at the same time.
If you thrive on structure, you may choose between the Traditional seatings—early or late—which ensures consistency throughout the voyage, as you'll sit at the same time and be waited on by the same crew members each night.
Compartively, Disney ships don't have flexible seating. Rather, all cruisers eat in the main dining rooms during the early or late seating.
Disney Wish doesn't have one main dining room, either. Instead, it features a rotational dining system, where guests rotate between three themed dining rooms: Arendelle: A Frozen Dining Adventure, Worlds of Marvel, and 1923.
Each night, guests enjoy a different dining experience, with a unique atmosphere and menu. For example, at Arendelle, you'll attend a royal gathering celebrating the engagement of Queen Anna and Kristoff, while at Worlds of Marvel, you will follow popular Avengers as they introduce a brand-new device with powerful quantum technology.
Both Utopia and Disney Wish have a slew of other dining options for daytime eats. Utopia of the Seas, for example, had over 20 restaurants, which is far more than you can work your way through during a short 3- or 4-night cruise.
Dining options range from the Windjammer buffet to the cruise line's first-ever immersive train car specialty restaurant. There's also El Loco Fresh and the Spare Tire for quick poolside bites.
Compared to Disney Wish, Utopia of the Seas has more variety, especially when it comes to specialty restaurants. Onboard Utopia, there's everything from classic Southern comfort food to fresh pasta at Giovanni's, Teppanyaki at Izumi, fresh seafood at Hooked, and popular bar bites at Playmaker's.
Though there are specialty restaurants on Disney Wish, they're adult-only and overall more expensive than those on Utopia of the Seas. Palo Steakhouse is the most affordable of the two, while dinner at Enchanté by Chef Arnaud Lallement comes in at over $130 per person.
Quick, complimentary bites aboard Disney Wish include the Marceline Market buffet and Mickey & Friends Festival of Foods, which features different food stalls dishing up BBQ, Mexican, pizza, burgers, ice cream, and more.
Disney Wish also has free room service available 24 hours per day. Craving pasta, wings, or cookies at 10:00pm? No worries—you can order it straight to your room at no extra cost.
Room service is available on Utopia of the Seas; however, outside of continental breakfast, a $7.95 service charge will be billed to your onboard account.
Entertainment
Both cruise lines are known for their entertainment. Disney Cruise Line shines with its fireworks shows, while Royal Caribbean focuses on delivering high-energy diving and ice skating performances.
Plus, Disney Wish and Utopia of the Seas have original production shows in their theaters. Onboard Disney Wish, the Broadway-caliber shows are Beauty and the Beast, Disney Seas the Adventure, The Little Mermaid, and Disney's Aladdin - A Musical Spectacular.
Utopia has a wider variety of entertainment, so if musical productions aren't your thing, you can enjoy the AquaTheater show called Aqua80Too or YouTopia, the fantastical ice skating show. There's also a high-tech original show in the main theater. All In! features acrobatics, unique props, and perfectly-timed LED screen animations.
Activities
Utopia of the Seas is one of the largest cruise ships in the world, second only to Icon of the Seas. As such, the ship has more real estate for activities like a FlowRider surf simulator, a laser tag course, miniature golf, a massive dry slide, Splashaway Bay water park for kids, a playground, a rock climbing wall, and water slides.
However, it's more of a party ship compared to Disney Wish, with evening activities like toga silent discos, frat-inspired parties, high-energy pool parties, and more.
Disney Wish has its fair share of water activities, including the AquaMouse, the "first-ever Disney attraction at sea," and a Toy Story-themed splash pad. There's also an inflatable obstacle course called the Incredi-Games in the Hero Zone.
Of course, you can also expect traditional cruise activities like trivia on both. The themes on Utopia tend to be broader, while Disney Wish's are centered around the magic of Disney.
Disney and Royal Caribbean are known for their youth programs, too. Disney Wish's are more immersive, transporting children into the world of Marvel, Star Wars, and classic Disney fairytales.
Teens have their own spaces too. The New York City-inspired Edge is for tweens between 11 and 14 and features video and board games, movies, and even specially trained activities counselors. Vibe is for teens ages 14 to 17, while The Hideaway is an all-new space for older teens and young adults between 18 and 20.
Adventure Ocean is Royal Caribbean's award-winning youth program. It's open every day of the cruise and free of charge before 10:00pm. Aboard Utopia of the Seas, there are 3 different age groups to ensure there are age-appropriate activities for everyone:
- Aquanauts (3-5)
- Explorers (6-8)
- Voyagers (9-12)
There's also a babies & tots program for cruisers as young as 6 months, as well as dedicated teen-only areas.
Don't worry, adults have their own child-free spaces. Aboard Utopia of the Seas, guests 18+ can lounge in the adult-only Solarium on Deck 15. Certain events are also adult-only, such as the hilarious scavenger hunt, The Quest, and Battle of the Sexes.
Disney Wish has an adult-only sun deck, too. It's located on Deck 13 and even has a special coffee shop with specialty coffees available for purchase.
At night, bars and lounges, including the Star Wars: Hyperspace Lounge, transition into adult-only spaces after 9:00am, making it easy for adults to enjoy a more relaxed, sophisticated atmosphere without worrying about children running amuck! However, during the day, families can enjoy the themed spaces together.
Speaking of bars, Disney doesn't offer drink packages like Royal Caribbean does. Instead of paying a set price for unlimited alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages, Disney operates on a pay-as-you-go basis, so guests are only charged for each beverage they order, whether a cocktail, beer, or non-alcoholic drink.
Royal Caribbean offers three drink packages for guests: Deluxe, Refreshment, and Soda. The Deluxe Beverage Package is the sole alcoholic option, offering unlimited daily drinks up to $14 in value. The Refreshment Package includes all the same non-alcoholic choices as the Deluxe but excludes alcohol. Lastly, the Soda Package is the best budget-friendly option, providing unlimited soda throughout the cruise.
Finally, adults wishing to try their luck in the casino might want to consider sailing on Utopia of the Seas, as none of Disney's cruise ships have casinos onboard.
Read more: 8 things Disney Cruise Line does backwards
Muster drill
Whether sailing on Disney, Royal Caribbean, or another cruise line, you must complete the mandatory safety drill before sailing away.
Royal Caribbean revolutionized the process following the pandemic with a virtual drill that allows guests to watch the required videos on a mobile phone or their stateroom television before proceeding to their assigned assembly station within a specific timeframe.
Disney, however, conducts its muster drill differently, with guests reporting to their assigned assembly stations at the same time on embarkation day for the safety briefing.
Cabin experience
Overall, Disney's cabins are better geared for large families, with most staterooms featuring a split bathroom. This layout separates a toilet and sink from the shower and additional sink, which can be a game-changer for families sailing in the same room.
Plus, the cabins tend to be larger than those on Utopia, with the average ocean-view room measuring 218 square feet, while standard ocean-view cabins on Utopia come in at 174 to 187 square feet.
Disney also services cabins more frequently than Royal Caribbean, with staterooms being tidied up twice a day—once in the morning and again in the evening. Aboard Utopia, your cabin steward will ask if you prefer the morning or evening service.
However, you can't go wrong with suites on Disney Wish or Utopia of the Seas, though you get more perks with Royal Caribbean's top-tier suites.
The Ultimate Family Suite is the most lavish, kid-friendly suite on Utopia of the Seas and includes Star Class benefits like a drink package, butler, Wi-Fi, access to a suite-only sun deck and restaurant, and more.
The suite is decked out with everything from a slide to a movie room, Playstation and Nintendo Switch, an expansive digital gaming table, musical piano stairs, three bedrooms, and three full bathrooms.
Disney Wish was the first ship in Disney's fleet to launch the mesmerizing Tower Suite, which is much more elegant than Utopia's Ultimate Family Suite. The two-story, 1,966-square-foot Tower Suite has four bedrooms and 4.5 baths and is located inside one of the ship's iconic funnels!
However, though Disney Concierge guests have a dedicated Concierge Lounge, they don't have as many perks as Royal Caribbean's Royal Suite Class. Benefits include early booking access to activities like cabanas at Castaway Cay, priority check-in, the Concierge Lounge (which has alcohol during certain hours), and a private sun deck.
Elizabeth Wright
Elizabeth graduated from New York University's Arthur L. Carter Journalism Institute with her M.A. in Journalism in May 2023. Growing up, she had the privilege of traveling frequently with her family and fell in love with cruising after sailing on the Oasis of the Seas her freshman year of high school. She wanted to pursue a career that highlighted her passion for travel and strengths as a writer.
