Fastpass to History ~ Drydock versus Refurbishment

drydock (plural drydocks, verb drydocking, drydocked )

1. drydock (noun nautical) A dock that can be drained of water and is used in the repair and construction of ships.
2. drydock (verb) (transitive) To place (a ship) in a drydock.

Throughout the course of a cruise ships life, the daily sea salt, wind, weather and thousands of guests eventually take their toll not matter how diligent the cast members and crew. So every couple of years, each Disney ship is taken out of rotation for anywhere from two to six weeks for dry dock. The dry dock allows repairs and inspections of the hull and while those repairs are busy on the outside, the inside gets a redo as well. While a shorter drydock allows for simple upgrades such as bedding and carpet replacement and thorough repainting, longer drydocks allow for more drastic refurbishment, most recently the near complete "Reimagined" Disney Magic overhaul in drydock in Cadiz, Spain. Historically, change in the ships followed a more gradual progression and subtle change.

During the first major drydock in 2003, the Disney Magic enjoyed a ship board musical chairs of a sort as the sports club moved from the ESPN lounge in the forward funnel down to it's current location, the teen club moved from Common Grounds adjacent to the Quiet Cove up into the forward funnel and the adults inherited Common Grounds under the moniker of Cove Café. The Wonder followed suit in 2004.

This ship runs on COFFEE

For 2005's Disney Magic upgrade in Norfolk, Virginia Disney upgraded more extensively while in drydock rather than general freshening. The Vista Spa and Salon received a 1,700 sq. ft. expansion including spa villa treatment suites. Underused conference rooms on deck two transformed into Ocean Quest. The FunnelVision, a 14 foot x 24 foot LED television, debuted on the forward funnel.
The following fall, 2006, the Disney Wonder received a toddler splash zone in addition to many of those same upgrades that the Magic received.

Because splashing is fun!

2007 marks the announcement of the Dream class ships and no drydocks for the classic ships.

In 2008 the Disney Magic underwent a drydock that included upgrades to the Cove Café. Following and exceeding that, the Disney Wonder used her 2009 drydock to suit up for her Alaska cruises in 2011. They enclosed portions of deck ten to extend the Cove Café space upstairs (one of my favorite parts of any ship). They also upgraded the deck furniture surrounding the Quiet Cove.

In 2010 the Disney Magic drydock changed OceanQuest into a tween club "the Edge" with the Wonder following suit in 2011.

2012 skipped drydocks for both ships in preparation for major overhauls as the Magic celebrates her 15th year of cruising. While the Wonder will be taking a short drydock in late January 2013, no announcements have been made to indicate what will be refurbed, if anything.


The recent Disney Magic refurbishment changed out almost EVERYTHING, up to and including

• Twist n' Spout
• Aqualab
• Aquadunk (not to be confused with the Aquaduck)
• Remodeled Atrium
• Replacement of Parrot Cay with Carioca's
• Upgrades to Animator's Palate and Palo
• Replacement of Topsiders with Cabanas
• Re-theming of the deck nine quick service stations
• Studio Sea remodel into the D-Lounge
• Remodel of the Oceaneer's Club and Lab as well as the Nursery
• Beat Street remodel into After Hours
• Spa overhaul
• Renovated staterooms and suites
• Added on a ducktail to the aft to increase stability and decrease fuel consumption
• Retheming to the shops near the Walt Disney Theatre district
• Any new surprises they have in store

I LOVE the expanded deck ten portion of Cove Café (Disney Wonder exclusively).
Which update is your favorite?