Disney is betting on small: Here's why Disney Cruise Line is adding smaller ships

Disney Cruise Line is planning to buck the trend of some competing cruise lines.

When other cruise lines ‒ most notably Royal Caribbean ‒ are building larger and larger cruise ships, Disney will be making three of its future ships smaller than its recent ones.

Disney says three ships that it will introduce in 2029, 2030 and 2031 each will be about 100,000 tons and will carry about 3,000 passengers.

The future of cruises: Are mega-ships here to stay?

That's considerably smaller than its Disney Wish class of ships, which check it at about 144,000 tons and have a capacity of 4,000 passengers.

However, the still-unnamed ships coming online in 2029 through 2031 will be about 20% larger than Disney's original ships, the Magic and the Wonder, which started sailing in 1998 and 1999, respectively.

Why is Disney going smaller?

Disney says it wants to give its passengers a range of options and destination choices, and the smaller ships will help meet those goals.

“As we expand our fleet, it is important that we continue to provide a variety of experiences for our guests," said Thomas Mazloum, president of new experiences portfolio and Disney signature experiences. "Families enjoy the diversity of vacations we offer, from our classic vessels to our Wish-class ships. They also expect to explore a broad range of destinations, including those that prefer to host smaller ships.”

Mazloum said the new, smaller ships will be able to "access more ports and destinations across the globe."

Disney has not announced home ports, itineraries, or onboard experiences for these ships.

Floating resorts vs yacht-like vessels: How to pick between big and small cruise ships

What is the reaction to this?

"Personally, I'm excited that they're trending smaller," said Scott Sanders, owner of Disney Cruise Line Blog, which is not affiliated with Disney.

Sanders said it would allow Disney to dock at more varied ports and would give the ships a "more intimate feel" compared with ships that carry more than 5,000 passengers.

"As a passenger, it's great," Sanders said.

Additionally, Sanders noted that some followers of his blog speculate that the new ships will enable Disney to retire the Magic and the Wonder, which have been sailing for more than 25 years.

Sanders said, while Disney has not indicated that would happen anytime soon, "once a ship hits 30, decisions are made" about its future.

How many cruise ships are in Disney's fleet?

Disney has six ships in operation. By 2031, it will have 13.

What are Disney's current ships?

In addition to the Magic and the Wonder, Disney's current ships are the Dream (which started sailing in 2011), Fantasy (2012), Wish (2022) and Treasure (2024).

Which of them are based at Florida's Port Canaveral?

◾ Disney Fantasy (five- and four-day sailings departing on Sundays, Wednesdays and Fridays).

◾ Disney Treasure (seven-day sailings departing on Saturdays).

◾ Disney Wish (four- and three-day sailings departing on Mondays and Fridays).

What other ships is Disney bringing into service?

The Disney Adventure, which will home-port in Singapore, is scheduled to set sail in late 2025.

The Disney Destiny will home-port at Port Everglades in Fort Lauderdale, entering service this year. It will be a sister ship to the Wish and Treasure. In addition, another ship in that Wish class will start sailing in 2027.

Also, the recently announced relationship with Disney and Oriental Land Co. Ltd. will bring Disney cruise vacations to Japan in 2029.

What do we know will be new on the ships entering the fleet in 2029, 2030 and 2031?

Disney said the three vessels in its new ship class will feature "industry-leading technology and design to expand Disney Cruise Line’s global reach and support its environmental goals."

“Our team of Disney Imagineers is dreaming up this new class of ships to be as fuel- and energy-efficient as possible, and our guests will see the difference ‒ from a more hydrodynamic design to lighter materials and energy-efficient technology throughout the ships,” said Philip Gennotte, portfolio project management executive for Walt Disney Imagineering. “We’re very proud to continue to support Disney’s broader environmental goals, now and into the future.”

How will they be more environmentally friendly?

Disney's current Wish class of ships ‒ Wish, Treasure, Destiny and an unnamed ship debuting in 2027 ‒ are powered by a low-emission liquefied natural gas propulsion system.

But the next group of ships after that will take things several steps further.

Disney said the new vessels will save fuel with a streamlined hull, next-generation power and propulsion systems, and other operations optimized for energy efficiency.

Cruise lines and ports are banking on shore power. What does that mean?

They will be outfitted with energy-efficient systems and a battery system to support and supplement the main engines.

They will be able to operate on a variety of fuels, including hydrotreated vegetable oil and renewable methanol fuels, and remain adaptable to additional fuel options that become available to the cruise industry.

When in port, the new ships will also be able to rely on shore power technology to turn off their engines and “plug in” to a port’s energy grid to run onboard systems.

They will be constructed at the Meyer Werft shipyard in Papenburg, Germany, and will be designed by staff from Walt Disney Imagineering.

Dave Berman is the business editor at FLORIDA TODAY. Contact Berman at dberman@floridatoday.com, on X at @bydaveberman and on Facebook at www.facebook.com/dave.berman.54

This article originally appeared on Florida Today: Why some new Disney cruise ships will be smaller than current ones