Disney’s New Cruise Ship Leaves Building Hall at Meyer Werft

 

Disney Cruise Line is kicking off a new phase of growth that will see a dramatic expansion of the operation over the next few years. The cruise line is set to introduce two new ships at the end of this year, and work has already begun on the next ship for the line, with Disney having three more on order and one from an affiliate. This is in addition to the six the company already has in operation.

The Disney Destiny (144,256 GT) was floated from the building hall at Meyer Werft in Papenberg, Germany, on Saturday, August 9, in true Disney style. There were fireworks as the ship emerged from the building hall, stern first, and Disney characters were on hand. Spectators were on the shoreline watching the maneuver as the ship leaves the enclosed building hall and is docked at the fitting out berth.

Like its sister ships, the Disney Wish and the Disney Treasure, the Disney Destiny will accommodate 4,000 passengers. It is the third ship of the line to be fueled by LNG. Assembly of the ship began in March 2024 with the first keel block in the building hall while work was still underway on the Disney Treasure, which was delivered in October 2024. After completing her fitting out, Disney Destiny will undergo sea trials, and her maiden voyage is scheduled for November 20, 2025, from Florida.

 

Disney Destiny emerging from the hall -- note the Spider-Man character on the stern (Disney Cruise Line)

 

While Disney Destiny is the third large cruise ship added to the cruise line since 2021, steel cutting on the fourth ship of the Wish class began on August 8. This ship is due for delivery in 2027.

Work is also progressing on the new Disney Adventure, which is based on the Global Dream cruise ship, which was acquired from the bankruptcy of Genting Hong Kong’s Dream Cruises and MV Werften shipyard. The new ship was moved from the building hall in Wismar, Germany, in April and is completing fitting out. Reports are that she will be leaving Wismar by the end of August for dry docking and final outfitting, as well as her sea trials.

This ship is significantly larger than the previous Disney ships. She will be approximately 207,000 gross tons, making her among the largest cruise ships in service. Only Royal Caribbean International and MSC Cruises have cruise ships over 200,000 gross tons currently. Disney has not released final details on the ship, but it is believed she will have a capacity of approximately 6,700 passengers. She is based in Singapore, offering short cruises starting on December 15, 2025.

 

Spectators watch as the new cruise ship is maneuvered to the fitting out berth (Disney Cruise Line)

 

Disney in August 2024 confirmed an order for three additional cruise ships from Meyer Werft. Reports are that they will be smaller, possibly around 100,000 gross tons. They will be delivered through 2031. At the same time, Meyer will also be building a fifth cruise ship based on the Wish class for Oriental Land Company, which operates the Disney Resort in Tokyo, to operate in Japan. This ship is due for delivery in late 2028 and will start cruises from Tokyo in 2029.