Disney Cruise Line has outlined an ambitious expansion that will see five new ships join the fleet between 2027 and 2031 — including three in 2029 alone — bringing the total fleet count to 13 ships.

Revealed during The Walt Disney Company's Q3 2026 earnings call, the accelerated timeline will see the Disney Believe arrive in late 2027 instead of 2028, alongside the Oriental Land Company's Wish-class ship for Japan. It also confirms an entirely new class of Disney Cruise Line ships, with three vessels scheduled to launch in 2029, 2030 and 2031.

While only a handful of details have been confirmed, the revised schedule offers the clearest glimpse yet at the future of Disney Cruise Line. Rather than simply adding capacity, we hope Disney uses these ships to explore new destinations, experiment with fresh entertainment and dining concepts, refine ship design and introduce the guest-requested improvements that could define the next era of the fleet.

Here are some of the things we're either looking forward to or would love to see.

*Disney Cruise Line’s timeline of ships of 9 through 13 (2027 - 2031)*

A Japanese Disney Cruise

This is the one bit of information we know for sure. Largely departing from the Tokyo International Cruise Terminal, with 2 to 4 night cruises planned initially, the design is said to be based on the Wish-class of ships with “elements adapted for the Japanese market.” This excites us the most. Given this is a collaboration with the Oriental Land Company (OCL), a collaboration that has resulted in Tokyo Disneyland and Tokyo DisneySea, a Disney cruise crafted for the Japanese market is truly something to look forward to. And you can visit the parks as part of the same trip. Win-win.

A whole new class of ship

With the exception of the Disney Adventure, Disney has been launched Wish-class ships since 2022. In fact, two of these next five are of that class. So, the 2029-2031 ships are our first chance to see something entirely new from Disney. If there’s something we love to see them do, it’s innovate, create and imagineer.

Smaller ships, more ports

The push towards bigger ships — with around 4,000 on the Disney Wish/Treasure/Destiny and 6,700 on the Disney Adventure — the new class of ships promise something smaller on the horizon. For fans, this allows for the more intimate feeling that you get on the Disney Wonder, Disney Magic, Disney Dream and Disney Fantasy.

But it also gives the flexibility for Disney to cruise into more ports. Venice, Amsterdam, Santorini and Dubrovnik are just some of the cruise ports that have either limited, restricted or outright banned large cruise ships from their ports. A smaller ship means more port options, and that’s good for everyone.

More localisation, more personalisation

An expanded fleet with more port options also means the possibility of ships really gelling with the locales. The Disney Adventure has started offering more regional dishes, shops and popcorn, and the OCL ship is gearing for adapting to a Japanese market. Rather that Alaska and the Caribbean having all the fun, think of the possibilities of a South American cruise. Or the South Pacific. Or just expanding the themes beyond Pixar and Marvel? What if EPCOT was a ship? The possibilities are endless.

Adults-only cruises

Disney has always positioned themselves as a family-friendly cruise line, but mostly offer robust options for adults-only areas on almost all their ships. (We’re looking at you, Disney Adventure). So, hear us out, what if an entire ship was adults-only? The Touchstone of the Sea perhaps? With potentially more sophisticated offerings and calmer environments, they could expand the speciality dining, shopping experiences and, you guessed it, charge a little more. It doesn’t even have to be a whole ship, but even specific sailings would be possible with more ships.

A return to Australia/New Zealand

Yes, this might be wishful thinking on our part. The Disney Wonder sailed in the Antipodes for three seasons, but struggled to fill cabins. While the new class is rumoured to sit somewhere between the Wonder and the Dream in terms of size, locals may be attracted by a newer ship with the latest features.