Disney Cruise Line Adding 4 New Ships
Disney Cruise Line was not the focus of D23 Expo, but the company quickly made a major announcement–of fleet expansion with the addition of 4 new ships–that'll have ripple effects for the parks and beyond.
Disney Cruise Line was not the focus of D23 Expo, but the company quickly made a major announcement–of fleet expansion with the addition of 4 new ships–that’ll have ripple effects for the parks and beyond. This post shares details, concept art, and everything we know, plus our commentary about this news.
This news was announced during the “Horizons: Disney Experiences Showcase” or Parks Panel presentation during the 2024 D23 Expo at the Honda Center in Anaheim, California. Disney Parks Chairman Josh D’Amaro offered a sneak peek at concept art for the future in addition and teased what was to come in a few years.
For those confused by the Disney Cruise Line fleet expansion, let’s start with that since it’s already in progress. The Disney Wish was the first Wish-class ship (hence the name of the class), and it debuted in 2022. It will be joined by the second ship, the Disney Treasure (aka Adventureland on the Ocean), which takes its maiden voyage on December 21, 2024.
Following that, the Disney Destiny will be the third ship in the class, setting sail in November 2025 (bookings open to the general public on September 12, 2024). This ship was actually just revealed prior to the 2024 D23 Expo as part of a multi-day event, and it might’ve gotten lost in the shuffle as a result. See our Disney Destiny Cruise Ship Reveal: Heroes vs. Villains for everything you need to know.
But wait, there’s more. In addition to this trio that was first announced years ago and has been underway for a while, there are two new-ish additions. The first of those is the Disney Adventure, the former Global Dream ship that Disney acquired partially completed in a fire sale. That’ll set sail out of Singapore starting in 2025 and has nothing to do with the rest–it’s colossal compared to the Wish-class.
Finally, there’s the new Disney cruise ship just announced for Oriental Land Company, which is the fourth in the Wish-class and will set sail in 2028/2029 out of Japan. Got all of that? Good. The 4 new ships are above and beyond all of that. None of the Wish-class or the Asian ships count towards that number. These are brand-new ships that were never previously discussed. But before we get to that, let’s quickly discuss the entertainment updates shared for Disney Cruise Line at the D23 Expo…
Your favorite Greek gladiator will take center stage onboard the Disney Destiny in an all-new Broadway-style show, “Disney Hercules,” when the ship sets sail in November 2025.
“Disney Hercules” is a lively retelling of the popular Walt Disney Animation Studios film by the same name and will feature the iconic music and larger-than-life characters we all know and love from the original movie, presented in an all-new way. Developed exclusively for the Disney Destiny, “Disney Hercules” will stay true to the story and spirit of the film while showcasing a bold, modern adaptation tailor-made for the stage.
The production of “Disney Hercules” will draw on the creative team’s extensive and diverse experience that ranges from theatre to pop music. Get ready for show-stopping musical numbers, incredible vocals, stunning visuals, immersive projection effects and so much more!
Like the film, the Muses will be the show’s storytellers and take you on the journey through this ancient tale of good vs. evil. The show will include all the beloved songs from the film–plus, the theatrical debut of heartfelt ballad “Shooting Star.” The new musical arrangements in “Disney Hercules” will emphasize the pop and gospel influences that make this soundtrack iconic to so many fans.
“Disney The Tale of Moana,” the Broadway-style show debuting on the Disney Treasure later this year, will bring Moana’s unforgettable coming-of-age adventures from the Walt Disney Animation Studios film to live audiences for the first time – and we’re sharing a first look from one of the key climactic moments from the production.
The scene depicts Moana as she takes her final stand against Te Kā, the fiery lava-wielding foe who will appear on stage as an incredible fifteen-foot-tall puppet, the largest puppet ever produced for a Disney Cruise Line show. “Disney The Tale of Moana” will also portray Moana’s courageous determination to restore the heart of Te Fiti and the resulting transformation of the Te Kā puppet into her true self, a stunning green goddess.
Audiences will see many of their favorite characters from the film reimagined as puppets, including a young version of Moana. The captivating array of puppetry is being developed for the show by Jeff Conover, creative director of puppetry and articulation for Disney Live Entertainment, and Michael Curry, whose previous credits include “The Lion King” on Broadway.
Okay, with that out of the way, let’s talk Disney Cruise Line fleet expansion…
Four is the magic number! Announced during the D23 Expo, Josh D’Amaro (with a little help from musical group All-4-One…who a certain blogger thought was Boyz II Men–the reveal makes a lot more sense with All-4-One!) revealed that four ships will be joining Disney Cruise Line’s ever-growing roster of award-winning ships sailing around the world.
These new Disney Cruise Line ships will arrive between 2027 and 2031.
Five ships are currently in the fleet, with four others already in the works. These new, four additional ships will bring the fleet to a total of 13, giving you 13 different opportunities to experience everything that Disney Cruise Line is known for. The ship names, designs, and exciting itineraries are still in development.
Turning to commentary, my biggest hope when it comes to these new cruise ships is that they’re preparing for the sunsetting of the original trio of Disney Cruise Line ships, which theoretically could happen in the 2030s.
I know D’Amaro said this will increase the fleet to 13 ships, but it doesn’t mean Disney Cruise Line will end the decade with the same number it starts the decade. This could be a way of future-proofing Disney Cruise Line and preparing for the day when those ships are retired.
It also could be simply expanding the ships and, by extension, the Disney brand to other regions of the world. A cruise ship is unlike a theme park in that regard–it can be relocated and target a specific audience in a specific region. That’s precisely what’s going to happen with the Singapore and Japan-based ships (even though a lot of Japanese fans already travel for Disney Cruise Line, it’s not the same thing).
Beyond that, this was honestly the most disappointing news of the night for me. I’m sorry DCL diehards, but as much as I enjoy Disney Cruise Line–and I do!–the only thing I could think about was the money these ships would cost.
This is a decent chunk of the $60 billion earmarked for Disney Experiences over the next decade, and will come at the expense of something that could instead be built at Walt Disney World or Disneyland. It’s not just that, either.
There are elements of the Wish-class ships that I really like, especially the Disney Treasure. I’m fairly confident that’s going to be my favorite ship of the trio–and perhaps of the entire fleet through 2025. That’s in large part because it’s drawing so much inspiration from the parks.
I was also excited for the Heroes vs. Villains duality of the Disney Destiny…but the reveal fell flat for me. It didn’t feel like they fully followed through on that compelling concept, but instead used it as a marketing device for a ship that sounds strikingly similar to the Wish and Treasure. It doesn’t actually lean heavily into heroes vs. villains or themes of good vs. evil, but instead uses franchises with heroes and villains. Hardly groundbreaking since that’s like 90% of Disney movies.
This is to say that I guess I’m concerned with the 4 new ships having a similar ‘sameness’ problem. Especially with the fleet getting that large, it’ll be more about the destinations and itineraries, and there won’t be as much of an incentive to differentiate their designs. But I’m personally not focused on the destinations–if I were, I’d simply go to those places.
I’m also concerned about oversaturation of Disney Cruise Line.
My expertise is much more limited when it comes to the cruise industry than theme parks, so I want to be careful to caveat this that I’m stepping outside my comfort zone. What I will say that this seems like a lot of expansion for Disney Cruise Line all at once, and without seeing the actual market appetite for more of its ships.
It’s one thing to have surveys and internal projections about consumer demand and brand power–it’s another entirely to commit to building ships. Especially 4 all at once. Especially before 4 of those even come on line. In terms of capacity, this should amount to roughly a tripling from today to 2031. That’s a lot.
The thing is, even if I were totally clueless about cruising, it’s nevertheless impossible for Disney to have foresight about what this expansion will do to their demand and pricing. It’s almost the equivalent of not just building Disney’s America in Virginia, but also a multi-park Texas Disney World…oh and Disneyland Brazil and Disneyland Jakarta, and DisneySky Guangzhou, too!
From that perspective, the approach to DCL fleet expansion doesn’t seem consistent with Disney’s normal methodical decision-making process. I thought that before with the announcement of the three new ships all at once, and this only reinforces that in a very large way.
Perceptions of cruising could change with younger generations, and there seems to be a tremendous amount of industry-wide expansion occurring in response to Baby Boomer demand–but that audience won’t be the primary demographic for cruising much longer.
But again, I don’t know much about the cruise business and its future. This could be totally off-base, and cruising could become more popular than ever with Millennials and younger generations. Regardless, it seems the industry has entered a phase of less-than measured growth without a high degree of certainty what the landscape (or seascape?) will look like a decade from now.
It also seems like this decision is being made against the backdrop of ongoing pent-up demand in the cruise industry. As should be obvious, those good times won’t last forever. We’ve already seen that happen at Walt Disney World and now Disneyland. But what is the new-normal consumer appetite for Disney Cruise Line? We don’t know, because the inevitable pullback has not yet happened there.
I’m positive Disney has taken the aberration of pent-up demand into account when making this decision. But again, they couldn’t possibly know what adding an additional half-dozen ships to the market will do to demand. Will it decrease due to a perceived drop in exclusivity? Will DCL become viewed as a more mainstream cruise line? Will pricing have to take a major hit?
I don’t pretend to be asking any questions Disney Cruise Line hasn’t already considered. The company employs an army of savvy people–far smarter than me–and utilizes sophisticated modeling–beyond the chicken scratch of which I’m capable. But again, they’re not clairvoyant. There is necessarily a large amount involved in this endeavor.
That’s what scares me. Over the years, we’ve seen Disney lose momentum with ESPN, jump headfirst into streaming, make missteps with the studios, etc. All of those decisions demonstrated a lack of foresight or miscalculation with risks. And in every such scenario, Parks & Resorts bailed them out. This worries me because I fear history repeating itself, and DCL having a few ships more than it actually needs.
Moreover, I have trepidation because I consider Disney Cruise Line to be Parks & Resorts’ best product. It has the highest guest service standards, maintenance, and attention to detail. While I love all of the parks, I think Disney Cruise Line is the best current exemplar of the fabled “Disney Difference” of the 1980s-1990s.
Others obviously agree with me, which is a big part of why they’re willing to pay premium prices for DCL. It’s not just for the characters, themed design, stage shows, or other entertainment. Part of the appeal is that attention to detail and service. Disney Cruise Line is a premium product charging premium prices.
Part of me worries that such rapid expansion will spread Disney Cruise Line’s talents too thin, and in the process, dilute the brand. I’m not suggesting that this will happen, or even that I expect it to happen. It’s just a concern, and not an unreasonable one given what can happen as business units go from their lean stage to a more bloated, larger scale. This has arguably already played out at the parks, but hopefully it doesn’t happen here. The advantage DCL has is being able to pull from a global labor pool, so there’s that.
Ultimately, most of the growth that has occurred with Disney Cruise Line so far has been for the positive. I may not love everything about the Wish-class ships, I do think Disney has learned some lessons as it has gained more experience in the cruise industry, allowing the company to iterate on past designs and make technical and functional improvements in the process. If that trend continues with these 4 new ships and Disney Cruise Line maintains its exceptional guest and soft services, the bar will be raised even further.
Planning to set sail aboard one of the DCL ships? Read our comprehensive Disney Cruise Line Guide to prepare for your voyage, plus plan entertainment, activities & excursions, and learn what to expect from your Disney cruise! For personalized planning & recommendations, click here to get a cruise quote from a no-fee Authorized Disney Vacation Planner. They can find you all of the current discounts, and help you plan the details of your cruise!
Your Thoughts
What do you think of Disney Cruise Line adding four new ships to its fleet in addition to the ones already in development? Are you simply excited, or do you share any of the same concerns as me? Have any name ideas for the new ships? Any other thoughts or ideas about this? If you have questions or thoughts, please share them below and we’ll try to respond!
