Disney Cruise Line will build a ship to be delivered in
2022, saying that the demand is there for three new ships.
Two Disney ships already are scheduled to be delivered in
2021 and 2023. The Meyer Werft yard in Germany will construct all three.
The ship announcement was made Saturday at the Disney Fan
Cub's D23 Expo in Anaheim, Calif.
"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," said Bob Chapek, chairman of Walt Disney Parks &
Resorts. "By the time all three new ships are sailing, we'll have nearly
doubled the size of our existing fleet."
All ship names, design plans and itineraries are still in development.
Disney said it expects each vessel to "have its own unique experiences."
The three new ships will be powered by liquefied natural gas
and be approximately 135,000 gross tons with about 1,250 staterooms, making
them slightly larger than the Disney Dream and Disney Fantasy, which entered
service in 2011 and 2012.
The line's first two ships, the Magic and the Wonder, were
introduced in 1998 and 1999.