Disney Cruise Line is Going Small on Its Next Ship Order

Disney this week unveiled more of its planned expansion of Disney Cruise Line, revealing that after it wraps up its Wish-class expansion, it will move on to slightly smaller ships. 

After the fourth last Wish-class ship, which is scheduled to enter service in 2027, Disney’s next three ships will be about 25% smaller at 100,000 gross tonnes and a 3,000 passenger capacity. 

The new ship will be smaller that the Wish-class ships, which sail 4,000 passengers at 144,000 gross tons, but larger than some other ships in the fleet, including Magic and Wonder, which sail 2,7000 passengers at less than 85,000 gross tonnes. 

In its announcement, Disney said that smaller ships will allow the fleet to reach a broader range of destinations than the Wish-class ships, offering a wider range of experiences for its guests. 

Aside from the size, Disney is also planning on innovating with the fuel sources—the new class of ships will be able to run on a variety of fuels, including hydrotreated vegetable oil and renewable methanol fuels, as opposed to just LNG. 

Disney currently has six ships in its fleet after the debut of Disney Treasure last year. With the next Wish-class ship, and the new ship orders, Disney expects to have 13 ships sailing in 2031. The next Wish-class fleet ship will sail in Asia.