Disney Believe Updates: New Disney Cruise Ship Sailing in Late 2027

Calling all dreamers and doers, Disney Cruise Line fans and future voyagers, welcome to the official Disney Believe Ship’s Log.

Setting sail in late 2027, the Disney Believe promises new one-of-a-kind venue concepts and entertainment experiences that will be shaped by some of Disney’s most beloved stories, including Disney Animation’s Encanto, Frozen, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Moana and The Little Mermaid.

Here on the Disney Parks Blog, you’re invited to virtually step inside the building dock at Meyer Werft Shipyard, peer at the sketchpads of Disney artists, attend Broadway-style stage show rehearsals, and access rare, behind-the-scenes moments as teams across Disney Cruise Line, Walt Disney Imagineering, and Disney Live Entertainment work to bring the Disney Believe to life.

We can’t wait to share more about this exciting new chapter for the Disney Cruise Line fleet. Be sure to bookmark this page and follow along @DisneyCruiseLine and @DisneyParks social channels for updates about the Disney Believe.

Class is in session; let’s toast to the Disney Believe! The Disney Cruise Line team is hard at work developing world-class beverages and dishes for our next ship. Watch how three of the brand-new signature cocktails and mocktails are masterfully created with this virtual drink demonstration.

Developed exclusively for venues coming to Disney Cruise Line’s newest ship, these delicious drinks were recently announced as part of a special sneak peek of the Disney Believe menus, published on the Disney Parks Blog.

Can you guess which new venue inspired each of these cocktails?

Have you heard the news? The new venues, family entertainment, and imaginative dining coming to the Disney Believe have finally been revealed to the world, and there is so much to look forward to when the ship sets sail December 18, 2027.

Disney Cruise Line’s next ship will feature exclusive offerings inspired by Walt Disney Animation Studios and Pixar Animation Studios classics that can’t be found anywhere else, including the world’s first stage adaptation of Encanto coming to the Walt Disney Theatre and a new, reimagined Frozen dining adventure at Oaken’s Table: A Frozen Family Feast. Guests will also discover Wishing Well, a storybook lounge inspired by Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, and Sea Notes, an elegant piano bar paying homage to The Little Mermaid. The ship will also debut a Moana-inspired Grand Hall and new spaces celebrating the stories of Inside Out 2, Big Hero 6 and Zootopia.

Uncover all the details for yourself right here on the Disney Parks Blog and make sure to watch the replay of the Disney Believe reveal show if you missed it.

On every Disney Cruise Line vessel, our cruise directors play a vital role, overseeing the entertainment, youth activities, and recreation onboard. As the next ship in the Disney Cruise Line fleet begins preparations to bring these key elements to life, we are pleased to announce that Trent Hitchcock will be the opening Cruise Director for the Disney Believe when it takes its maiden voyage next year!

Trent has been with Disney Cruise Line for nearly 20 years and served as a cruise director for 10 of those years, including being a part of the opening team for the Disney Destiny. In fact, he’s worked on every ship besides the Disney Adventure, stating, “My ship bingo card is almost full!”

With the help of his team of over 200 crew members, Trent ensures that guests of all ages have a variety of offerings to participate in, from deck parties to fireworks at sea, to events, activities, recreation, Port Adventures, and Disney Cruise Line’s signature Broadway-style shows.

When asked about what he enjoys most about his role, he cited, “The pride I get every day waking up knowing that I get to lead an incredible entertainment operation aboard the ship, and the enjoyment I see in every guest that comes on board to experience our storytelling. And when you get to see that through your own children’s eyes, that’s the best part.”

Although the Disney Believe is more than a year away from hitting the open seas, Trent is already beginning to prepare for his role, saying “initial conversations for me begin around a year out when we start talking and developing from an entertainment perspective.”

Next year, he will be heading over to Papenburg, Germany, where the Disney Believe is being built at the Meyer Werft Shipyard, and will be with the ship for its maiden voyage and into its inaugural season. Hitchock stated that he can’t wait to see the ship for the first time, especially since this is the first time he will be so closely involved from the very beginning.

“Bringing a new ship to life is a special time and being the opening cruise director to close the Wish class is an honor and a privilege,” Trent said. “I can’t wait to share the Disney Believe with all our guests.”

The Disney Believe’s first gigablock floated out of the Meyer Werft Shipyard in mid-September, and progress on Disney Cruise Line’s next ship hasn’t slowed down! Construction on the second gigablock is now underway, and the ship has reached yet another milestone — the keel laying ceremony.

This longstanding maritime custom dates all the way back to ancient Greece and Rome, and it involves a specially crafted coin that is ceremoniously placed, temporarily, under the ship’s keel.

This tradition is said to bestow good fortune to the ship and its future crew before setting sail. What makes this ceremony extra magical is the custom minted coin depicting a portrait of Tinker Bell, a mirror of the artwork that will soon grace the bow of the Disney Believe.

Tinker Bell’s image is bound to imbue the ship with a sprinkle of faith, trust, and pixie dust, helping future guests believe in the promise and possibility of their dreams coming true.

Disney Cruise Line’s newest ship, the Disney Believe, is taking shape at the Meyer Werft Shipyard in Papenburg, Germany! Earlier today, the first of three gigablocks was completed and floated out of the shipyard, marking an important step in the construction process for the 2027-expected ship.

In case you’re wondering what a gigablock is, you can think of building a cruise ship like putting together a giant 3D puzzle. Instead of building the whole thing in one piece, shipbuilders construct the vessel in large sections — gigablocks — complete with walls, plumbing, and wiring. Once the sections, which can weigh over 31,000 tons, are finished, they’re welded together like puzzle pieces to complete the ship.

This first section contains the midship of the Disney Believe, which is home to some familiar places like the Grand Hall. The next gigablock to be constructed will be the forward portion, followed by the aft.

Stay tuned to the Ship’s Log for more construction updates as the Disney Believe gets closer to setting sail for the first time!

Claire Weiss, Portfolio Executive Creative Director, took to the D23 stage today to spotlight new details about the Disney Believe during the event’s highly anticipated Horizons: D23 Disney Experiences Showcase. The announcement included a first look at plans for the ship’s Grand Hall and distinct exterior artwork, including character sculpture models for the ship’s stern and artwork that will be embossed on its bow.

Like its sister ships – the Disney Wish, the Disney Treasure and the Disney Destiny – the Disney Believe’s Grand Hall will serve as a central gathering space for guests, themed to a beloved Disney story. Onboard the Disney Believe, the Grand Hall will be infused with the optimistic spirit of exploration from Disney Animation’s Moana films.

A bronze cast statue of Moana, accompanied by her faithful companions Pua and Heihei, will be a focal point inside the venue, gazing proudly toward new horizons. The never-before-seen rendering also hinted at influences from the film’s idyllic South Pacific setting, which will be layered with artisanal Polynesian finishes that honor the cultural traditions of the region.

The whimsical details designed for the Disney Believe’s exterior hull were also unveiled. Following a well-established Disney Cruise Line tradition, each new build, including the Disney Believe, features its own unique character artwork, adding nostalgic touches of Disney magic to every ship.  

A new rendering showcased larger-than-life sculptures of Woody and Buzz Lightyear hitching a ride on the Disney Believe’s stern. The dependable duo from Disney and Pixar’s Toy Story films will appear working together to etch the ship’s name across the back of the vessel with large yellow crayons. In place of the classic looped calligraphy seen stamped across the Disney Cruise Line fleet, Woody and Buzz will opt for playful lettering that mimics the franchise’s famous block-style font.

D23 attendees and livestream viewers also learned that the Disney Believe’s bow will be decorated with a delicate, hand-painted filigree of Tinker Bell as she first appeared in the Walt Disney Animation Studios 1953 classic Peter Pan.”The spunky fairy will be flanked by the silhouettes of Peter, Wendy, Captain Hook, and other characters from the film flying amid the swirling design.

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