Disney Cruise Line has ordered a seventh cruise ship at Meyer Werft, Papenburg for delivery in 2022.
Bob Chapek, Chairman of Walt Disney Parks and Resorts, confirmed the news at the D23 Expo in Anaheim, Calif.
Last year, Disney announced plans to build two new ships at Papenburg with scheduled completion dates of 2021 and 2023. The seventh ship will be built at the same shipyard and is scheduled to be completed in 2022.
“We decided two ships wouldn’t be enough to hold all of the exciting new experiences we have been dreaming up to take family cruise vacations to a whole new level with immersive Disney storytelling, world-class family entertainment, and imaginative innovations that are fantastically fun and uniquely Disney,” Chapek said. “By the time all three new ships are sailing, we’ll have nearly doubled the size of our existing fleet.”
The new ship names, design plans and itineraries are still in development, with each of the ships expected to have their own unique experiences. The three new ships will be powered by clean-burning liquefied natural gas and be the same size – around 135,000 gt with about 1,250 guest staterooms planned – which is slightly larger than the newest Disney Cruise Line ships, the ‘Disney Dream’ and ‘Disney Fantasy’.
With the launch of the ‘Disney Dream’ and ‘Disney Fantasy’ in 2011 and 2012, the company introduced several firsts for the industry, including a water coaster at sea (AquaDuck) and virtual portholes in interior staterooms (Magical Portholes) that provide real-time views of the sea, as well as sightings of animated Disney characters.
