Disney Defies the Trend and Goes Smaller with Its New Ships

The cruise industry is in the midst of a race to build bigger and more extravagant ships. Over the years, major cruise lines have competed to outdo each other, launching ships with record-breaking capacities. Disney Cruise Line, however, is charting a different course with its latest announcements. With plans to expand its fleet to 13 ships by 2031, Disney is breaking away from the industry norm by introducing smaller ships designed for intimacy, innovation, and sustainability.

A Bold Move in a Mega-Ship Era

In the past couple of years, cruise lines like Carnival, Royal Caribbean, Princess, and Norwegian have announced new upcoming mega-ships, coming in at over 200,000 gross registered tons and holding up to 8,000 guests. In fact, it’s rare nowadays to hear about a new cruise ship debuting that holds less than 4,000 guests.

According to SeaTrade Cruise News, Disney’s latest plan bucks this trend by embracing smaller ships. While they will still be launching a fourth Wish Class ship sailing out of Japan starting in 2027, the new ships after that will shrink considerably.

What We Know About Disney’s Smaller Ships

Disney Cruise Line recently announced plans for three smaller vessels to debut between 2029 and 2031. These new ships will be approximately 100,000 gross tons, significantly smaller than the Wish Class ships. They’ll also hold almost half the number of guests that the Wish Class ships accommodating around 3,000 guests.

	Magic Class	New Class	Dream Class	Wish Class
Gross Tons	84,000	100,000	130,000	144,000
Passengers	2,713	3,000	4,000	5,555

The smaller size will allow Disney to access a wider range of ports and offer more diverse itineraries. They will be setup with flexible fuel capacibilty, so they are also be refueled at almost any cruise port (the newest ships using LNG fuel are limited to homeports that can refuel them).  

Additionally, the new ships will feature cutting-edge technology, including streamlined hulls, advanced propulsion systems, and the ability to operate on alternative fuels like hydrotreated vegetable oil (HVO) and renewable methanol.

Why Smaller Ships Make Sense for Disney

Smaller ships are a strategic move for Disney Cruise Line, enabling the brand to differentiate itself in an increasingly crowded market. Disney positions itself as a premium cruise line, at a premium price, so this change makes sense. Their vessels prioritize exclusive experiences, offering a unique Disney atmosphere that other cruise lines can’t. The ships also allows access to smaller ports that can’t accommodate mega-ships, distinguishing themselves from the pack.

Is Disney Setting a New Trend?

Of course, on hearing this news, the first thing that small/mid-size cruise ship fans are likely to think is that this is the beginning of a trend to reduce cruise ship size. Unfortunately, that’s not very likely across the industry. While we know Royal Caribbean is working on the upcoming Discover Class, which is supposed to be smaller than their Oasis Class ships, other lines like Carnival and Norwegian have already committed to several mega ships over the next 10 years.

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