Disney Cruise Line has taken a high-profile step in its largest-ever expansion drive with the float-out of the Disney Destiny (144,256 GT) from Meyer Werft’s covered dock in Papenburg, Germany, on August 9. As Maritime Executive reportes, in true Disney fashion, the event featured fireworks, costumed characters, and crowds of spectators as the vessel, stern first, left the vast building hall for the fitting-out berth.
The LNG-powered Disney Destiny (a sister to the Disney Wish and Disney Treasure) will carry up to 4,000 guests. Construction began in March 2024, and the ship is now preparing for sea trials ahead of her maiden voyage from Florida on November 20, 2025.
She is the third large newbuild Disney has launched since 2021, but the pace is far from slowing. Steel cutting for a fourth Wish-class ship began just a day before the float-out, with delivery set for 2027. Meanwhile, work is advancing on the Disney Adventure, a 207,000 GT giant acquired from the unfinished “Global Dream” project. When she debuts in Singapore in December 2025, she will be among the world’s largest cruise ships, with capacity for around 6,700 passengers.
Disney has also confirmed orders for three additional vessels from Meyer Werft, to be delivered between now and 2031, plus a fifth Wish-class ship commissioned for Japan’s Oriental Land Company. That vessel will operate out of Tokyo starting in 2029.
Picture: Disney Cruise Line
