Construction of the new cruise ship “Disney Believe” is progressing: the traditional keel-laying ceremony took place at the Meyer shipyard in Papenburg. The ship is due to be delivered next year.
The “Disney Believe” is the next sister ship in a series being built in Papenburg for the Disney Cruise Line. Like the “Disney Wish” (2022), “Disney Treasure” (2024) and “Disney Destiny” (2025), the new vessel will be fitted with an LNG propulsion system, which is expected to produce fewer emissions than conventional propulsion systems.
The assembly of the second gigablock for the new cruise ship began with the placing of a specially minted coin beneath the keel. The first gigablock of the “Disney Believe” had already left the Meyer Werft shipyard’s covered dry dock – which is over 500 metres long – back in September. It is now moored at the fitting-out quay in front of the shipyard.
As part of the ceremony, Tracy Wilson (Senior Vice President and General Manager, Disney Cruise Line), Andres Ovalles (Portfolio Executive Project Management, Disney Cruise Line), André Walter (CEO, Meyer Werft) and Jörg Heidelberg (COO, Meyer Werft) placed the coin beneath the keel. The Disney character Tinker Bell from the film “Peter Pan” was chosen as the motif. She is also set to adorn the bow of the completed ship.
“The ‘Disney Believe’ will be the fourth ship in the Wish class, embodying Meyer Werft’s quality whilst meeting Disney’s high standards for entertainment and on-board facilities,” said CEO André Walter.
The new vessel will have 1,256 cabins; Meyer Werft states its gross tonnage as 144,000 GT. Delivery is scheduled for 2027. In addition to the Wish-class vessels, Meyer has previously built the cruise ships “Disney Dream” and “Disney Fantasy” for Disney Cruise Line, delivering them between 2010 and 2012.
Disney is currently one of the Papenburg-based company’s largest customers. Meyer Werft’s order book also includes newbuilds for Carnival Cruise Line, the Oriental Land Company and MSC Cruises. Added to this is the construction of the “Meteor IV” in cooperation with Fassmer and steel structures for Dragados converter platforms. The shipyard is currently fully booked until 2035.
