Make-A-Wish Ireland held its first wish gathering aboard the Disney Dream at Cork

By entgrove · September 17, 2026

More than 30 wish children and their families spent a multi-day experience with Disney Cruise Line and Make-A-Wish Ireland, built around an afternoon aboard the Disney Dream during the ship's call at Cork. It is the first time the two have gathered Irish wish families in one place, and it follows a similar first aboard Disney Fantasy in Italy last year.

More than 30 wish children and their families spent a day aboard the Disney Dream while the ship was in Cork, the first time Disney Cruise Line and Make-A-Wish Ireland have brought Irish wish families together in one place. The visit was the centerpiece of a multi-day experience the two organizations called A Disney Wish, and it happened without anybody having to leave the country to do it.

The night before: Joy, Sadness and a wish wand each

The experience opened the evening before anyone boarded, with a welcome celebration where the children met Joy and Sadness from Inside Out and were handed their own Disney wish wands. For a group of families who spend a great deal of time in hospitals, an evening whose only agenda is a character meet and a keepsake is not a small thing.

Susan O'Dwyer, chief executive of Make-A-Wish Ireland, framed what the gathering was for.

"At Make-A-Wish Ireland, we see every day the powerful difference that hope, joy and connection can make in the lives of wish children and their families. Disney Cruise Line shares that spirit, creating joyful experiences that bring families together. This event gave our wish families a wonderful opportunity to have fun, build lasting memories and connect with others who understand the journey they are on."

Saturday aboard: the atrium, Royal Palace and a silent disco

Each wish child got a personal greeting in the ship's atrium, the three-deck lobby that is the first room anyone sees on a Disney ship. From there the group moved to Royal Palace, the Disney Dream's princess-themed main dining room, for a meal alongside Cinderella, Rapunzel, Tiana and Belle.

The rest of the day ran on the ship's own equipment: themed arts and crafts, a visit with Stitch in Disney's Oceaneer Club, the kids club built for ages three to twelve, and a silent disco with Mickey Mouse and friends. Every child went home with plush toys, pins, autograph books and other souvenirs, and dozens of Disney Dream crew members worked the day alongside the families.

Ella wanted the characters, Tyler wanted Mickey

Ella Leavy's wish was to meet the Disney characters, and Minnie Mouse above all. Her parents, Arlene and Chris, described what the last year had looked like instead.

"Ella has always said she wanted to play and be a little girl. Because of her diagnosis, that was stripped from her. We spent the last year at medical appointments instead of playgrounds and in surgeries instead of enjoying Disney movies and different things. Ella's wish was to go and see all the Disney characters and meet her biggest fan, Minnie Mouse, and that dream came true today."

Arlene picked out the moment her daughter saw Cinderella at the table: "It was the most incredible thing to see that smile on her face and to know that there was pure joy behind it, pure excitement, and just the brightness coming from her was incredible."

Tyler's wish was Mickey Mouse, and he got the version of Mickey that only exists at sea. "Today, I met Captain Mickey Mouse on the cruise ship," he said. "I was on the cruise ship and dancing with Mickey Mouse."

Tyler's father, Alan Curtin, summed up the day: "It was such an amazing day. It was filled with uplifting, rewarding moments from start to finish. Seeing the light in their eyes was so special. After all the heartbreak we've been through, to have a day like this, a day to simply enjoy and make memories together, was incredibly meaningful. It was just amazing."

Nearly 6,000 wishes at sea, and a ship with thousands of godchildren

Disney is the largest wish granter in the world and grants roughly one wish an hour, every hour, across its stories, characters, experiences and cast members. The cruise line's own share of that is close to 6,000 wishes since 2010.

The strongest expression of it is still the godparent decision. Ships traditionally get a single celebrity godparent at their christening; in 2022 Disney Cruise Line named every Make-A-Wish child, past, present and future, as godchildren of the Disney Wish, turning a one-person ceremonial title into a standing one held by tens of thousands of children.

Tracy Wilson, senior vice president and general manager of Disney Cruise Line, tied the Cork visit back to the fleet's expansion.

"As Disney Cruise Line continues to visit more places around the world, we have the unique opportunity to bring Disney stories and characters directly to these families, creating moments of joy and happiness closer to where they call home."

The numbers behind the day, and what comes next

Make-A-Wish Ireland has been granting wishes for almost 35 years, more than 3,700 of them since 1992, including 229 in 2025 alone. Disney and Make-A-Wish have worked together for more than 45 years and have granted upward of 175,000 wishes worldwide in that time. Ireland is the newest country to get a fleet-sized version of it; last year it was Italy, where more than 35 families boarded Disney Fantasy for Make-A-Wish Italia's first such event.

Disney Cruise Line has not said where the next one lands, and the pattern so far is that it follows the itineraries rather than the other way around, which means the shortlist is wherever the fleet sails next. The cruise line was named to Forbes' 2026 Best Brands for Social Impact list, a ranking built on community support, social responsibility, sustainability and trust. Days like the one in Cork are the part of that record with names attached to it.