Disney Sets Course for 13 Cruise Ships With a New Meyer Werft Class
Three ships of about 100,000 gross tons due in 2029 and 2030
Disney Cruise Line is midway through a growth programme that will take the brand to 13 ships by late 2030 and increase capacity by nearly four times. It has already doubled passenger capacity and added Singapore as a homeport.
The line currently operates seven ships and will add an eighth in late 2027. Disney Believe, the fourth vessel in the Wish class, carries the same design approach with its own theming. After that launch the line enters a phase of accelerated expansion, with a revised timeline showing three new ships in calendar 2029 and a fourth in late 2030.
In a partnership with Oriental Land Co., operator of the Tokyo Disney resort, a Disney-themed ship will sail year-round from Japan by 2029. The vessel is based on the Disney Wish design but adapted to Japanese travellers' preferences. Oriental Land will operate the ship with NYK and expects 400,000 passengers a year on short two- to four-night cruises from Tokyo, with a second ship already under discussion once the first is established.
The larger item is a new class of three ships ordered from Meyer Werft, two scheduled for 2029 and a third by the end of 2030. A first rendering appeared in a teaser video for vessels of approximately 100,000 gross tons, an intermediate size the line describes as a sweet spot giving it more flexibility. The company told its audience the three ships will introduce an entirely new class to the fleet and occupy a unique place in the lineup, opening opportunities to visit new places and reach new audiences.
The additions will give the line roughly another 17,000 berths, taking the fleet to 13 ships assuming none are retired. From a base of just over 13,000 berths, the brand has reached 32,000 and would approach 50,000, with total tonnage nearing 1.7 million gross tons.
The current fleet reflects three distinct newbuilding waves. Disney Magic and Disney Wonder, both 84,000 gross tons and accommodating around 2,700 passengers, were built by Fincantieri and introduced in 1998 and 1999. Disney Fantasy and Disney Dream, 130,000 gross tons and around 4,000 passengers each, followed from Meyer Werft in 2011 and 2012. The LNG-fuelled 144,000 gross ton trio of Disney Wish, Disney Treasure and Disney Destiny entered service between 2022 and 2024, also at Meyer Werft.
Disney launched year-round homeporting from Singapore in March 2026 with the 208,000 gross ton Disney Adventure, an incomplete ultra-large cruise ship left over from the bankruptcy of Genting Hong Kong, acquired by Disney and completed by Meyer Werft. Senior vice president and general manager Tracy Wilson has said the line focuses on places with high Disney affinity where audiences have had low access to the brand, indicating further homeports as the expansion proceeds.
