Not Too Big, Not Too Small: Disney Cruise Line Teases Next Ship Class

Disney Cruise Line is continuing a rapid expansion that will see the family-focused company operate 13 cruise ships by the end of 2030.

At D23: The Ultimate Disney Fan Event, the company offered teasers about an upcoming new class of ships that will be sized between older and new ship classes — larger than the 2,713-passenger Disney Wonder but smaller than the 4,000-passenger Disney Wish.

That’s about all the information revealed on the new class, but Disney Experiences Chairman Thomas Mazloum told media that its decision to go smaller even as other lines continue to build larger vessels was by design.

“We did this very intentionally because not every ship is suitable for every destination in the world. And as we expand, it’s extremely important for us to ensure we have enough flexibility so we can access new destinations around the globe, wherever our fans are,” Mazloum told USAToday.

“We’re growing the fleet, we’re becoming more global,” Disney Signature Experiences President Natacha Rafalski said during a D23 media panel. “And by late calendar 2030, our fiscal ’31, our fleet is going to include 13 ships. And those are all going to be new entry points for a lot of guests across the world.”

The next class of Disney ships will see its first arrival in 2029. Before that, Disney Cruise Line fans are looking forward to late 2027, when Disney Believe joins the fleet as the fourth Wish class ship.

During the D23 Disney Experiences Showcase, Claire Weiss, portfolio executive creative director at Walt Disney Imagineering, revealed that a hand-painted filigree of Tinker Bell, surrounded by other “Peter Pan” characters, will be front and centre on the Believe’s bow. 

Its stern will be adorned with sculptures of Buzz Lightyear and Woody, and a bronze cast Moana statue will anchor the ship’s Grand Hall, alongside Pua and Heihei. 

“This ship celebrates belief in magic, family, the power of nature, and belief in yourself,” Weiss said. “And all the stories we tell onboard will be tied together by the core Disney notion of believing in something fantastical.”