Disney is moving heavily into the cruise industry and accelerating investment in its cruise line. The company shocked its loyal fans by announcing plans for four more newbuilds, and today Germany’s Meyer Werft reported that it had won the order, which represents “the highest order value in Meyer Werft’s history.”
With this new contract, Meyer highlights that he has 10 cruise ships under contract, as well as working on a research vessel and four offshore converter platforms. Although details of the new contract with Disney were not disclosed, it is notable as the company is currently building two more of the world’s largest cruise ships for Royal Caribbean International after delivering the first ship. Icon of the seas end of 2023. Each of these ships is valued at well over $1 billion. The group also received orders this year from Carnival Cruise Line for two more of its 180,000 gross ton LNG-powered cruise ships, as well as an order from Orient Land Corporation to build a fourth Disney Wish-class ship.
Disney hinted at plans to invest further in the cruise line in its latest earnings report. The company told investors that the five cruise ships currently in service for a high-priced family cruise line are virtually full. Cruises and resorts are a focus for the company as attendance at its core business, theme parks, has declined.
“Expanding our fleet will give more people in more parts of the world the opportunity to experience a vacation at sea that only Disney can deliver,” said Josh D’Amaro, chairman of Disney Experiences, during a three-day fan event that concluded Sunday night with the announcement of sweeping plans to expand the theme parks, resorts and cruise line. The cruise ships expand Disney’s storytelling and leverage the theme parks and entertainment segments.
“With these four new additional ships, the fleet now consists of 13 ships in total, offering you 13 different ways to experience everything Disney Cruise Line is known for,” D’Amaro told his fans.
The cruise line’s president, Thomas Mazloum, called the project an “ambitious and unprecedented expansion for Disney Cruise Line.”
The group is already planning to more than double its capacity by 2029. Disney currently operates five cruise ships (magic, Wonder, fantasy, Dream And Wish) with a total capacity of around 17,500 passengers. Two other ships of the Disney Wish class, Disney Treasure due this year, and Disney Fate In November 2025, the fourth ship for Japan will follow and the Disney Adventure which will sail from Singapore all year round. Together, the next four ships will provide almost 19,000 additional passenger spaces.
The company reports that designs for the four new ships, as well as names and itineraries, are still under development. The ships are scheduled to be delivered between 2027 and 2031.
Disney Cruise Line built its first two cruise ships at Fincantieri in the 1990s. In 2010 and 2012, the shipping company expanded its fleet with two cruise ships built by Meyer. The Wish class entered service in 2021.
