Disney Believe Sails December 18, 2027, With the First Ever Encanto Stage Show
Disney Cruise Line's next ship leaves from Fort Lauderdale for the Bahamas and the Caribbean, and bookings open October 19. Here's every venue, show, pool and suite Disney revealed.
Disney Cruise Line finally showed off its next ship this week, and the Disney Believe has a date. Its maiden voyage leaves Port Everglades in Fort Lauderdale on December 18, 2027, and general bookings open on October 19, 2026, more than a year before the first sailing.
The Believe will run four and five night sailings to the Bahamas and the Caribbean, stopping at one or both of Disney's private islands, Castaway Cay and Lookout Cay at Lighthouse Point. Disney hasn't released individual sailing dates or full port lists yet, and there's no pricing so far.
Where the Believe fits in the fleet
The Believe is the ninth ship in the Disney Cruise Line fleet and the fourth in the Wish class, following the Disney Wish, Disney Treasure and Disney Destiny. Disney first announced the name at the company's 2026 annual shareholders meeting, and the ship is being built at the Meyer Werft shipyard in Papenburg, Germany.
Construction is well underway. The first of three gigablocks, the midship section that holds the Grand Hall, floated out of the shipyard in September. A single gigablock can weigh more than 31,000 tons. When the keel was laid, a custom Tinker Bell coin went underneath it, a shipbuilding tradition for good luck.
Tinker Bell shows up on the outside too. The bow gets hand painted filigree featuring Tinker Bell as she appeared in the 1953 Peter Pan, with silhouettes of Peter, Wendy, Captain Hook and more. On the stern, Woody and Buzz Lightyear sculptures write the ship's name with giant yellow crayons, in block letters inspired by Toy Story instead of the looping script on the other ships.
A Moana Grand Hall
Every Wish class ship is built around a Grand Hall, and the Believe's is inspired by Moana, designed as a meeting of sky and sea. The carpet uses ocean colors with bioluminescent tones, constellations stretch across the ceiling and the railings are based on the patterns of Moana's skirt.
The chandelier is modeled on the movement of the sea, with the heart of Te Fiti hidden somewhere in its design. In the middle of the room stands a bronze statue of Moana with Pua and Heihei.
Encanto, Tangled and the big shows
The headliner is Disney Encanto, the first stage adaptation of the film anywhere, and it's exclusive to the Believe. It follows Mirabel as she tries to save her family and their home, with scenery, costumes and dance inspired by the landscapes and cultures of Colombia. Lin-Manuel Miranda's songs from the film are part of it, including We Don't Talk About Bruno and Surface Pressure.
Tangled: The Musical, which already plays on the Disney Magic, comes aboard with a reimagined set and special effects made just for this ship. Disney Seas the Adventure, the original Wish class show packed with Disney and Pixar characters, rounds out the Walt Disney Theatre lineup.
Dinner, with a show
The new rotational restaurant is Oaken's Table: A Frozen Family Feast, set in a summer house courtyard in the forest. Oaken and his family host, his cousins perform reimagined Frozen songs, and Anna and Kristoff stop by. Disney hasn't released the menu yet.
The other two rotational restaurants return from the rest of the class. 1923 celebrates Disney animation with more than 1,000 drawings, props and animation tools from the Walt Disney Archives, and Worlds of Marvel serves dinner alongside Marvel Celebration of Heroes: Groot Remix, with Rocket and Groot.
Up on the pool decks, the Mickey and Friends Festival of Foods food court is back with barbecue, cantina bowls and salads, pizza, burgers and soft serve. New and exclusive to the Believe is Pluto's Pita Platters, serving Mediterranean inspired kebabs and pitas with garnishes and dips.
Adults get a Beauty and the Beast inspired dining area with Palo Steakhouse, which mixes steakhouse dishes with modern Italian food, and Enchante, a French fine dining restaurant with a menu by three Michelin star chef Arnaud Lallement. The Rose lounge sits right there for a drink before or after dinner.
Lounges, bars and cafes
Sea Notes is a piano lounge off the Grand Hall inspired by Ariel's grotto, built around a pearlescent piano and a menu of cocktails and nonalcoholic drinks. Wishing Well is a Snow White lounge in three parts: a castle bar with stained glass, a courtyard seating area under white blossoms and red apples, and a performance space framed in hand carved wood like the dwarfs' cottage. It hosts activities and live music.
Skygazers is the ship's pub, designed as an astronomer's laboratory with bookshelves, astronomical instruments and celestial maps. It serves custom craft brews, specialty cocktails and light bites, shows live sports, and its concept art hides a Disney zodiac that we broke down earlier this week. The adults only Haunted Mansion Parlor returns too, with a cocktail and mocktail menu you'll only find on the Believe.
For coffee, there's Big Hero Sips, inspired by San Fransokyo, and Cafe Kakamora, named after the coconut pirates from Moana. Inside Out: Joyful Sweets is styled like Riley's command center, now with Anxiety and Envy next to Joy and Sadness, and scoops nearly 20 flavors of gelato and ice cream plus daily specials. Treats there cost extra.
Gazelle and things to do
Gazelle is a multi story Zootopia venue. During the day it runs family trivia, games and character encounters, and at night it turns into an adults only space with silent discos and variety acts. Judy Hopps and Nick Wilde star in a new family show there where guests help crack a case, the first time that show has appeared on a Disney ship.
The deck party Pirate's Rockin' Parlay Party brings a live rock band and fireworks at sea. Hero Zone is a sports arena for games and family competitions, Disney Uncharted Adventure uses your phone to unlock hidden quests around the ship, and the Wonderland and Never Land cinemas show classic and first run movies for free.
Pools and AquaMouse
The upper decks are split into three areas. The Mickey and Friends family district has seven pools across tiered decks, sunny and shaded loungers and a jumbo screen for movies and live sports. The Toy Story water play area has a splash zone, wading pool, family waterslide and smoothie bar.
AquaMouse, the 760 foot water ride, takes riders into a Mickey Mouse animated short, with Mickey and Minnie heading off on port adventures called Swiss Meltdown and Sing a Silly Song. Adults have Quiet Cove, with an infinity pool at the stern, whirlpool spas, a bar and a cafe, plus Senses Spa, a fitness center, the Tangled themed Untangled Salon and Hook's Barbery, which hides a bar of its own.
Kids clubs
Disney's Oceaneer Club for ages 3 to 10 has five areas: Marvel Super Hero Academy, Fairytale Hall, Star Wars: Cargo Bay, the Walt Disney Imagineering Lab and Mickey and Minnie's Captain's Deck. The entrance is unique to the Believe, themed to Monstropolis from Monsters, Inc., with a Mike Wazowski figure holding a laugh canister.
There's also the It's a Small World Nursery for babies from 6 months to 3 years, Edge for ages 11 to 13 in a space inspired by a New York loft, Vibe for ages 14 to 17 in a Parisian style loft, and The Hideaway, a hangout for older kids with a dance floor and DJ booth.
Staterooms and suites
Regular staterooms get papercut style artwork inspired by Moana, Coco and Inside Out, with plenty of storage, split bathrooms in most rooms, roomy closets and raised beds with space underneath. About 70% of rooms have a verandah, and there are more than 450 connecting doors for families traveling together.
Concierge guests get dedicated service, a private sun deck and an Alice in Wonderland themed lounge with complimentary food and drinks, in rooms decorated with Peter Pan artwork. Seven oceanview concierge rooms are themed to Toy Story and have floor to ceiling views.
The royal suites come in two styles. The Royal Reef Suites are themed to The Little Mermaid with teal, coral pink and shell details, and the Royal Rose Suites take after Beauty and the Beast and a French palace, with gold, deep sapphire and a rose motif.
Then there's the Believe Tower Suite, which only exists on this ship. It sits inside the forward funnel, covers nearly 2,000 square feet across two stories and sleeps eight, with two main bedrooms and four and a half bathrooms. Each room is inspired by a different land at Magic Kingdom, and the living room has light fixtures shaped like fireworks and balloons, Cinderella Castle artwork and floor to ceiling windows.
Who's in charge, and what's next
Trent Hitchcock will be the Believe's opening cruise director. He has been with Disney Cruise Line for nearly 20 years, spent 10 of them as a cruise director and was on the opening team for the Disney Destiny. He'll lead a team of more than 200 crew members running the ship's entertainment, youth activities and recreation.
Bookings open October 19. The Believe is part of a much bigger expansion for Disney Cruise Line, which also has an agreement with Oriental Land Co. to bring Disney cruises to Japan in 2029. Expect more Believe details, including sailing dates and menus, as the December 2027 launch gets closer.
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