At D23 2024: The Ultimate Disney Fan Event, Disney Cruise Line announced that it has ordered an additional four new ships, which will bring its total to 13 ships by 2031.
The fleet currently consists of Disney Dream, Disney Fantasy, Disney Magic, Disney Treasure, Disney Wish and Disney Wonder. On their way are Disney Adventure (2025), Disney Destiny (2025), an unnamed fourth Wish (Triton) Class ship (2027) and a fifth in the series for Oriental Land Company (2029).
The newly revealed group of four ships, one of which will be the aforementioned fourth Wish-class vessel, has not yet been named, but additional details are starting to come in. Given their offset delivery timeline of 2027 to 2031, the assumption was that they would comprise an entirely new class. This has now been confirmed. And, given what we know about the shipyard, it’s probable that the new ships will be smaller in size.
Meyer Werft — which has two covered building docks at its Papenburg, Germany facility — confirmed separately that it would be the shipyard to construct the new quartet.
The company already has an Excel-Class ship scheduled to deliver to Carnival Cruise Line in 2027 from the larger of the two docks, in addition to Disney’s fourth Wish-series one. So, it stands to reason that the other three Disney vessels will emerge from the smaller dock, which would place the new ships closer in scale to the 84,000-gross-ton, 2,713-passenger Magic and Wonder vessels, as opposed to the latest 144,000-gross-ton, 4,000-passenger Wish.
Measuring in at around 100,000 gross tons and carrying 3,000 guests each, the three new ships will be 20% larger than the Disney Magic and Disney Wonder when they come online in 2029, 2030 and 2031. They will feature state-of-the-art technology and design to both extend Disney Cruise Line’s international presence and support its environmental objectives.
“As we expand our fleet, it is important that we continue to provide a variety of experiences for our guests,” said Thomas Mazloum, president, new experiences portfolio and Disney signature experiences. “Families enjoy the diversity of vacations we offer, from our classic vessels to our Wish-class ships. They also expect to explore a broad range of destinations, including those that prefer to host smaller ships. At the same time, we are focused on implementing new technology and designs that align with our longstanding commitment to the environment.”
The lightweight, fuel-saving vessels will employ a streamlined hull, next-gen power and propulsion systems and other energy-efficient operations, systems and a battery array in support of the primary engines. They will also be equipped for cold ironing to switch to shore power when docked. They will also be capable of running on a mix of fuel types, including hydrotreated vegetable oil, renewable methanol and others, as they become available.
The ships will also reduce waste and conserve water in alignment with parent The Walt Disney Company’s 2030 environmental targets.
“Our team of Disney Imagineers is dreaming up this new class of ships to be as fuel and energy efficient as possible, and our guests will see the difference – from a more hydrodynamic design to lighter materials and energy-efficient technology throughout the ships,” said Philip Gennotte, portfolio project management executive, Walt Disney Imagineering. “We’re very proud to continue to support Disney’s broader environmental goals, now and into the future.”
Editor’s note: This article will be updated as further details about the new cruise ships are revealed.
