New Disney Cruise Line ship Disney Destiny floated out at shipyard
Disney Cruise Line hit another milestone Saturday ahead of the Florida debut of its newest ship Disney Destiny.
The third Wish-class vessel set to begin sailing this fall from Port Everglades was floated out at the Meyer Werft shipyard in Papenburg, Germany into the harbor out from under the massive building where it has been taking shape since November 2023.
“Hero Minnie greeted the heroes and villains-themed ship as it inched aft-first out of the yard, led by Spider-Man and his Spider Bots on the stern,” according to a press release from the cruise line.
The 144,000-gross-ton vessel was led by tugboat stern-first through the building’s narrow doorway with just three feet of clearance on either side of the vessel.
The ship will feature multiple Marvel-inspired spaces, including a statue of Black Panther’s T’Challa, king of Wakanda, in the Grand Hall; an entertainment parlor themed to “Doctor Strange”; and the latest iteration of the World of Marvel restaurant.
The ship will also have a new venue themed to Cruella de Vil from “101 Dalmatians” and a new stage show based on “Hercules.”
It’s a sister ship to 2022’s Disney Wish and 2024’s Disney Treasure, both based at Port Canaveral. Destiny, though, is slated to have its maiden voyage from the Fort Lauderdale port to the south on Nov. 20 followed by an inaugural season of four- and five-night voyages to the Bahamas and western Caribbean.
It marks the first time Disney will have debuted one of its ships somewhere other than Port Canaveral. DCL took over Port Everglades’ Terminal 4 as its permanent, year-round second Florida home in 2023.
Upon delivery it will become the seventh ship in DCL’s fleet. All Wish-class ships are slightly larger than the older Disney Dream and Fantasy but retain a 4,000-passenger capacity.
The next milestone for the ship will be its 20-mile-long conveyance along the Ems river to Eemshaven, Netherlands, before it heads out for sea trials in the North Sea this fall before it’s handed over to the cruise line.
The ship had its first steel cut in November 2023 and keel laid in March 2024.
The DCL fleet is also expecting delivery of the Singapore-bound Disney Adventure before the end of the year, which would bring the DCL fleet to eight vessels.
Disney’s first two ships, Disney Magic and Wonder, debuted in 1998 and 1999 followed by sister ships Disney Dream and Fantasy in 2011 and 2012.
It has orders for more Wish-class ships, including having just cut the steel on its fourth one this past week. It also has plans for a new class of ships in the coming years so the fleet will grow to 13 ships by 2031.