Meyer Lays Keel for Disney Destiny, Line’s Third LNG Cruise Ship
Work on the third LNG-fueled cruise ship ordered by Disney Cruise Line marked a key milestone with the keel laying of the vessel at the Meyer Werft yard in Papenburg, Germany on March 20. The cruise ship which will be named Disney Destiny is part of a large expansion of the company’s cruise operations that launched in 1998 and which today has five ships with three more construction projects all managed by Meyer now underway.
The order for the new class was initially placed in 2016 going to Meyer which had built the line’s previous two cruise ships delivered in 2011 and 2012. The order was expanded in 2017 to include the third ship, which is also the last of Meyer’s pre-pandemic orders. The first of the new ships, Disney Wish entered service in 2022.
Work is currently underway at Meyer’s covered building dock for the Disney Treasure which is due to be delivered later this year. In yesterday’s ceremony, the first block (measuring 38.9 meters wide, 14 meters long, and 6.3 meters high) of the next cruise ship was placed directly in front of her sister ship creating a unique photo opportunity. Like her sister ships, the new cruise ship will be approximately 144,000 gross tons with 1,250 passenger cabins. Passenger capacity is approximately 4,000 people with 1,555 crew.
Disney announced the design theme of the Disney Destiny will be "Heroes and Villains," drawing on the legacy of beloved Disney stories, characters, and theme park attractions. Onboard, the cruise line says guests will encounter heroes and villains alike – including those from beloved Walt Disney Animation Studios stories like "The Lion King," "Hercules" and "One Hundred and One Dalmatians" – within the spaces, experiences, and entertainment throughout their voyage.
Disney Treasure nearly complete stands tall over the keel laying of her sister ship in the Meyer building hall (Meyer)
The latest addition to the fleet is due to enter service in 2025. She follows Disney Treasure which is scheduled for her maiden voyage this December. Meyer is also managing the conversion of the unfinished Global Dream which was purchased by Disney from the bankruptcy of Genting Hong Kong and MV Werften. The ship is also due to enter service in 2025 sailing year-round from Singapore as the Disney Adventure.
"With the keel laying, we have reached another milestone in our partnership with Disney Cruise Line. The third ship in the Wish class will also impress with Meyer quality and be rich in Disney storytelling," says Thomas Weigend, Chief Sales Officer of the MEYER Group and Managing Director of Meyer Werft.
The order as the last from before the pandemic is critical as it provides work for the shipyard and its employees as Meyer continues to deliver the remaining cruise ships in its orderbook. Work is underway on the Silver Ray which was recently floated out from the building dock and is due to enter service in the coming months for Royal Caribbean Group’s Silversea Cruises and Disney Treasure as well as NYK’s Asuka III due to deliver in 2025.
Meyer also recently reached an agreement with Carnival Corporation to build another of the line’s large LNG-fueled cruise ships. It will be the second built in Papenburg and the fourth overall for Carnival Cruise Line. The ship is due to be delivered in 2027 as the tenth LNG-fueled cruise ship built by Meyer for Carnival Corporation. Meyer is diversifying its operations beyond cruise ships to rebuild its business after the pandemic.