The new Disney Cruise Line vessel, Disney Adventure, boasts a gross tonnage of 208,000 and was successfully floated out on Saturday, April 19th, in a celebratory ceremony held in Wismar, Germany. The event featured traditional elements such as fireworks and appearances by Captains Mickey and Minnie Mouse. This ship is significant as it will be Disney’s largest cruise ship to date and marks the company’s first vessel to be based year-round in Asia, reflecting their ongoing fleet expansion, reports Maritime Executive.
Significant Milestone
The Disney Adventure marks a significant milestone for Disney Cruise Line, becoming only the third cruise line globally to operate a vessel exceeding 200,000 gross tons. While this ship is a unique, one-off addition to the Disney fleet, its size places it as the fourth largest class of cruise ship in the world, following Royal Caribbean International’s Icon and Oasis classes, and MSC Cruises’ World Class. This trend of ultra-large cruise ship construction is also evident in recent orders by Carnival Cruise Line and Norwegian Cruise Line from Fincantieri, with deliveries expected later this decade and into the 2030s.
The journey to the Disney Adventure began with Disney’s acquisition of the partially completed cruise ship in November 2022 for a reported €40 million from the bankrupt MV Werften Shipyard. The agreement included completing the ship’s construction in Germany. Construction had commenced in 2018 with steel cutting at yards in both Wismar and Rostock, and assembly started later that year in Rostock. A significant midship section, measuring 216 meters (708 feet) and built in Rostock, became the largest section ever floated and transferred when it was moved to Wismar in November 2019. The Wismar yard continued the assembly, reaching approximately 80 percent completion when MV Werften, along with its parent company Genting Hong Kong and the group’s Dream Cruise Line, filed for bankruptcy in January 2022 due to financial difficulties exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Originally planned by Genting Hong Kong as the first of two of the world’s largest cruise ships tailored for the Asian market, the vessel was named Global Dream with an intended capacity of 9,500 passengers and 2,000 crew. While work had started on blocks for the second ship, these incomplete sections were ultimately sold for scrap following the bankruptcy.
Meyer Werft is now overseeing the completion of the cruise ship, which remained at the Wismar shipyard, now owned by ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems. Disney has retained some of the original planned features, notably the longest rollercoaster at sea, but has extensively redesigned the ship to align with Disney’s signature theming, removing elements like a large casino.
The passenger capacity has also been reduced to approximately 6,700. The ship’s hull has been repainted, replacing the Dream Cruises hull art with Disney Cruise Line’s traditional black hull, yellow stripping, and the iconic Mickey Mouse caricature on the bow. The Disney Adventure is scheduled for its maiden voyage on December 15, 2025, and will be homeported in Singapore, marking the first time a Disney cruise ship is based outside of the United States market. The ship has a gross tonnage of 208,000 GT and a length of 342 meters (1,122 feet).
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Source: Maritime Executive
