Disney's New CEO Walked Into His First Day on the Job and Dropped a Bombshell About the Cruise Fleet

Most new CEOs spend their first days in quiet strategy meetings. Josh D’Amaro is not most CEOs.

On March 18, 2026 — his very first day as Chief Executive Officer of The Walt Disney Company — D’Amaro took the stage at the Annual Shareholders Meeting and announced the next Disney Cruise Line ship: the Disney Believe. According to the official Disney Parks Blog announcement, the ship will be the fourth vessel in Disney’s groundbreaking Wish class and is expected to debut in late 2027.

That’s quite a way to introduce yourself.

What Is the Disney Believe?

The Disney Believe will be the ninth ship in Disney Cruise Line’s overall fleet and the fourth in the Wish class, joining the Disney Wish, Disney Treasure, and Disney Destiny as sister ships. Each Wish-class vessel carries its own distinct thematic identity, and the Believe is no different.

Its central theme is built around “promise and possibilities” — a concept that honors, in Disney’s own words, “the dreamers and doers who dare to pursue their own happily ever after.” That’s a deliberately broad and emotionally resonant frame, and it sets the stage for a ship that will lean hard into stories of transformation, hope, and self-belief.

In practical terms, that means guests can expect immersive experiences drawn from some of Disney’s most beloved properties, including:

• Encanto and Frozen — two modern Disney franchises built entirely on themes of self-discovery and believing in one’s own gifts
• Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs — with the wishing well as a natural visual and thematic touchstone
• Moana and The Little Mermaid — ocean-world storytelling that fits seamlessly into the cruise setting

The Believe will, like its Wish-class siblings, weave narratives from Disney, Pixar, Marvel, and Star Wars into the ship’s design from bow to stern — surrounding families with story from the moment they step on board.

Why This Announcement Matters Beyond the Ship Itself

Here’s what we think deserves more attention than just the name reveal: the sheer scale of what Disney laid out at this shareholders meeting.

The Disney Believe is just one piece of an extraordinary fleet expansion plan. Disney Cruise Line is aiming to grow to 13 ships by 2031. Let that sink in. The line currently has nine ships, with the Disney Adventure having just sailed its maiden voyage from Singapore on March 10. To reach 13 ships in five years, Disney would need to add four more vessels — including the Believe and a brand-new ship class entirely planned for 2029.

There’s also a landmark partnership with Oriental Land Co. (the operator of Tokyo Disneyland) to bring Disney cruise vacations to Japan in 2029. That’s an enormous strategic move into the Asia-Pacific market that would make Disney Cruise Line a genuinely global cruise operation, not just a North American and European one.

A New CEO’s Opening Statement

The timing of this announcement isn’t incidental. Josh D’Amaro, who previously ran Disney Parks, Experiences and Products — including Disney Cruise Line — stepped into the CEO role with an established track record in the experiences business. Announcing a new ship on day one signals exactly what kind of CEO he intends to be: one who sees the physical, experiential side of Disney as a core growth engine, not a side business.

The shareholder meeting framing was deliberate too. D’Amaro described the moment as “an exciting moment of optimism and transformation for the company.” Cruise is clearly central to that optimism. Disney Cruise Line has been one of the company’s strongest-performing divisions, consistently commanding premium pricing and near-full ships, and the Believe announcement is a signal that Disney plans to double down rather than slow down.

For cruise enthusiasts who have been watching Disney’s fleet evolution closely, this is confirmation that the Wish-class formula — massive, theme-rich, family-focused megaships — is here to stay, at least for the near term before the new ship class arrives in 2029.

What It Means If You’re Planning a Disney Cruise

If you’ve been holding out for the “next big thing” from Disney Cruise Line, you now have a target: late 2027. That’s roughly 18 months away, which means booking windows will start opening up in the not-too-distant future.

The Believe is likely to follow the same general size and configuration as the other Wish-class ships — which means it will be large, feature-dense, and priced accordingly. Disney doesn’t compete on price; it competes on experience, and everything we know about the Believe suggests that philosophy hasn’t changed.

A few things worth noting as you plan:

The Wish-class ships book fast. The Disney Wish in particular saw extraordinary demand at launch. If you want to be on the Disney Believe’s early sailings, getting on the waitlist and booking as soon as the window opens will matter.

Japan in 2029 is a wild card. If Disney’s partnership with Oriental Land Co. results in cruises homeporting in Japan, that’s a once-in-a-generation itinerary opportunity for fans of both Disney and Japan. Keep an eye on that development.

The new ship class coming in 2029 is intriguing. Disney didn’t offer specifics, but a brand-new class suggests they’re rethinking at least some elements of the Wish formula. That could mean different sizes, different itinerary types, or entirely new onboard experiences.

The Bottom Line

Disney Cruise Line is in full expansion mode, and the Disney Believe is the clearest evidence yet of where the brand is headed. A new CEO used his first public moment to tell the world: we are building ships, we are going global, and we believe in this business.

For cruisers, that’s genuinely exciting news. More Disney ships means more sailings, more homeports, and eventually — hopefully — more competitive pricing as capacity grows. For now, mark late 2027 on your calendar and start dreaming about which of the Believe’s immersive worlds you want to explore first.

We’ll be watching every development on this ship closely as it moves through construction. Stay tuned.