It was a big week for the cruise industry as the flow of new ships continues to accelerate. Disney Cruise Line and Celebrity Cruises both took delivery of their next ships, while work is underway at Meyer Werft and Chantiers de l’Atlantique for the companies’ next ships.
Disney took delivery of its seventh cruise ship, the Disney Destiny, with the handover from Meyer Werft taking place on October 15 in Eemshaven, the Netherlands. After final preparations, the ship cast off on October 20 and is on her delivery voyage to the United States. She will be making a stopover in Funchal, scheduled for October 25, before she proceeds to Port Everglades, Florida. Her maiden voyage is scheduled for November 20.
Registered in the Bahamas, Disney Destiny is the third LNG-fueled cruise ship for the line and the fifth delivered by Meyer. The shipyard highlights that the ship “features the most complex and innovative entertainment facilities in the cruise industry.”
She follows sister ships Disney Wish, delivered in 2022, and Disney Treasure, delivered in 2024. Each of the ships is approximately 144,000 gross tons with capacity for approximately 4,000 passengers and 1,500 crew. Disney themes each of its ships, with the Disney Destiny drawing its inspiration from the heroes and villains of the Disney, Pixar, and Marvel brands.
Work is already underway on a sister ship being built at Meyer Werft in Germany, and another ship based on the same design will be built for Oriental Land Co., operator of the Disney Tokyo Resort, and due to bring Disney cruise vacations to Japan in 2029. Disney Adventure is completing outfitting in Germany before its launch from Singapore, now scheduled for March 2026, and after that, Meyer will build three more ships for Disney using a new, smaller ship design.
Celebrity took delivery of Xcel and announced the next sister will be named Celebrity Xcite (Celebrity)
In France, Chantiers de l’Atlantique achieved what Royal Caribbean Group is calling “a trifecta of milestones.” The shipyard handed over its latest construction for Royal Caribbean Group’s Celebrity Cruises, and at the same time, the yard marked the first steel cutting for two more cruise ships. They will be built simultaneously, and both are due for handover in 2028.
Celebrity Xcel is the fifth cruise ship in Celebrity Cruises’ Edge Series. The ship registered in Malta is approximately 141,000 gross tons with accommodations for approximately 3,300 passengers. She will be departing Saint-Nazire and making a stop in Freeport, Bahamas, before proceeding to Port Everglades for her introduction in November.
Celebrity Cruises also announced details of its sixth ship of the class, reporting the vessel will be named Celebrity Xcite. The ceremonial steel cutting took place on October 23, and the cruise ship is scheduled for delivery in 20028.
At the same time, the steel cutting ceremony was also marked for the seventh cruise ship of the Oasis class of Royal Caribbean International. The company reports it will largely be a sister to the Utopia of the Seas (236,473 gross tons), which entered service in July 2024. The name of the seventh ship of the class, which will also launch in 2028, has not been revealed.
The cruise ship orderbook has filled up again after a pause following the pandemic. Seatrade Cruise calculates that there are approximately 70 ocean cruise ships on order for delivery by 2036. The new ships will add more than 180,000 lower berths to the industry, with Seatrade calculating the value of the orders at over $60 billion.
