Disney Cruise Line is adding a new class of ships to its growing fleet, but the next generation will be smaller than the line’s newest vessels.
At the 2026 D23: The Ultimate Disney Fan Event, Disney Cruise Line offered a first look at its upcoming class of three ships, with the first scheduled to enter service in 2029. The ships are expected to measure approximately 100,000 gross tons and accommodate about 3,000 guests, placing them between Disney’s original Magic-class ships and the larger Dream– and Wish-class ships.
What’s to Come for Disney Cruise Line
The first three ships are currently targeted for delivery in spring 2029, fall 2029 and fall 2030. The new ships will be about 20 percent larger than the Disney Magic and Disney Wonder, but smaller than the Dream and Wish-class vessels. Disney says the size will give the cruise line greater flexibility to visit destinations that may not be able to accommodate its larger ships while helping it reach new audiences.
Clair Weiss, Senior Creative Director at Walt Disney Imagineering, said the new class of ships will offer “some amazing opportunities to visit new places and reach brand new audiences we haven’t before.”
A preview shown at D23 highlighted the ships’ energy-efficient design, lightweight construction and optimized hull. The vessels will also feature battery systems designed to supplement the main engines and shore-power capabilities that allow the ships to connect to a port’s electrical grid while docked. They are being designed to operate on a range of fuels, including hydrotreated vegetable oil and renewable methanol.
Design details remain limited, although Disney’s preview offered a glimpse of a multistory glass atrium and other nautical-inspired elements developed by Disney Imagineers.
The new ships will join a fleet that is expected to reach 13 vessels as Disney continues its expansion. The Disney Believe, the fourth ship in the Wish class, is scheduled to debut in 2027. It will feature a theme centered on “promise and possibilities,” with nods to Disney films like “Encanto,” “Snow White and the Seven Dwarves,” “Moana,” “The Little Mermaid,” and “Frozen.”
The Disney Adventure, the line’s newest ship, entered service in March 2026. At approximately 208,000 gross tons and with capacity for about 6,000 guests, it is significantly larger than the upcoming new class.
The Wish class of ships can carry a maximum of about 4,000 passengers, similar to the preceding Dream-class ships but larger. By comparison, Disney Cruise Line’s first two ships, the Wonder and Magic, carry at most about 2,700 passengers.
