The next Disney Cruise Line ship is officially more than a rendering. At the Meyer Werft shipyard in Papenburg, Germany, the first of three massive building sections for the Disney Believe has been completed and floated out — a construction milestone that puts the vessel on track for a late 2027 debut.
The finished piece is a "gigablock," and it's enormous: sections like this can weigh more than 31,000 tons. These aren't empty hulls, either. Each one arrives with walls, plumbing and wiring already installed. The first gigablock holds the midship section, including the space that will become the ship's Grand Hall. A forward block comes next, then the aft, and once all three are done they'll be welded together into a single ship.
The design details already announced give a good sense of what's coming. The Grand Hall takes its cue from Moana, with Polynesian-influenced finishes across a multilevel space and a bronze statue of Moana — flanked by Pua and Heihei — as the centrepiece. Outside, the stern will feature Woody and Buzz Lightyear writing the ship's name with oversized yellow crayons in Toy Story-style lettering, while Tinker Bell leads hand-painted artwork on the bow alongside silhouettes of Peter Pan, Wendy and Captain Hook. Onboard entertainment and venues will draw on Frozen, Encanto, Snow White, The Little Mermaid and Moana.
The Believe will be the fourth ship in Disney's Wish class, joining the Wish, Treasure and Destiny. The most recent addition, the Disney Destiny, launched with Marvel-themed dining, Broadway-style shows and ten pools, sailing from Fort Lauderdale to The Bahamas and the Western Caribbean.
Disney hasn't said where the Believe will be based or what routes it will sail. What's clear is the timing: the line is aggressively growing its Caribbean and Bahamas programme for summer 2027, with departures from both Port Canaveral and Fort Lauderdale, plus its first-ever calls in the Dominican Republic.
For families weighing a first Disney cruise, this matters in a practical way. Bookings for new ships tend to open well before launch and the most desirable sailings — especially short Bahamas itineraries — sell out fast. If a Moana-themed Grand Hall appeals, it's worth watching for the home port and itinerary announcement over the next year or so, and comparing the Believe against the existing Wish-class ships, which already share much of the same layout and family-friendly formula.