If you were planning a Disney Cruise Line vacation in 2025, be aware it may have just gotten canceled.
Recently, Disney Cruise Line unveiled plans for four new ships.
But they aren’t the ones you might be thinking of.
We already knew about the Disney Treasure launching this December, the Disney Adventure and Disney Destiny setting sail next year, and Disney’s collaboration with Oriental Land Company, which owns Tokyo Disney Resort, on a new OLC-owned ship inspired by the Disney Wish.
At the D23 Expo, Disney announced four additional ships scheduled to launch between 2027 and 2031. Combined with the previously announced ships, this expansion will double the size of Disney Cruise Line’s fleet within less than a decade.
“🚢 BREAKING 🚢 Disney Cruise Line will add 4 NEW CRUISE SHIPS to its fleet between 2027 and 2031!”
🚢 BREAKING 🚢 Disney Cruise Line will add 4 NEW CRUISE SHIPS to its fleet between 2027 and 2031! https://t.co/1GD2SapY6C 🤯 https://t.co/1GD2SapY6C #D23 #Horizons pic.twitter.com/XsMR3OkLY4
— Disney Parks (@DisneyParks) August 11, 2024
“The demand on our existing cruise fleet is extremely high, which presents a significant opportunity for us to invest in additional ships,” said Josh D’Amaro, Chairman of Disney Experiences.
He added, “We know that a substantial percentage of our guests choose to cruise with us specifically because it’s a Disney experience, and they rate us very highly, often leading to repeat visits.”
The new ships will help Disney reach even broader audiences. For instance, the Disney Adventure will be the first to sail Southeast Asia. “With this expanded fleet, we can connect with our fans globally and share our incredible stories,” D’Amaro noted.
In addition to this exciting news, Disney has been gradually revealing details about their upcoming ships.
Just yesterday, Disney offered a glimpse of the Disney Imagination Garden.
“Discover the Disney Imagination Garden, one of seven themed areas, coming to the @disneycruise Adventure 🌱✨”
Discover the Disney Imagination Garden, one of seven themed areas, coming to the @disneycruise Adventure 🌱✨https://t.co/bwWLhCC1vn pic.twitter.com/4z8qOfKFkC
— Disney Parks (@DisneyParks) August 20, 2024
The Disney Imagination Garden, one of seven themed areas aboard the Disney Adventure, is designed as an open-air deck that serves as the “central hub” of the ship. It features an enchanted valley backdrop with a three-deck-tall fairytale castle mural—reminiscent of the castles at Disney’s theme parks. A garden courtyard in front of the castle features a statue of Mickey Mouse from Fantasia, surrounded by meticulously manicured plants.
The area is styled like a pop-up storybook, with nature-themed elements that resemble paper cut-outs, bringing a fairytale to life. Guests will also encounter beloved Disney, Pixar, and Marvel characters throughout the space.
Beyond its aesthetic appeal, the Imagination Garden will house a Garden Stage for live performances and character appearances. One of the confirmed shows is Avengers Assemble!, featuring exciting stunts by Marvel superheroes as they battle evil.
While there will soon be a massive fleet of ships to choose from, the original and more “classic” Disney ships like the Disney Magic, Wonder, Fantasy, and Dream are still incredibly popular, with higher prices than ever, which forecasts the clear demand Disney must be seeing from their DCL side of the business.
Next year, however, it has been confirmed that two sailings have been pulled prior to guests booking them.
One DCL fan on Reddit shared, “About a week ago, the November 8 and 13 2025 Dream cruises were removed from the website, and in the past day people with reservations on those cruises were informed their cruises were cancelled. Does anybody have the inside scoop on what’s going on?”
At the moment, Disney has not yet given an explanation as to why these cancelations occurred, but with the Disney Dream typically holding around 2,500 guests per trip, that means up to 5,000 passengers likely just had their vacations ruined.
While those guests could possibly book another cruise, Disney cruises have a vast range in price depending on the time of year, and the closer that guests get to Christmas, the more pricey those cruises will become.
Fans are speculating that there may have been a dry dock change, however that is not confirmed.
In the past we have seen Disney cancel “sailings” on a much different type of ship — the Star Wars Galactic Starcruiser — toward the end of its run due to a lack of guests, but that is likely not the case for the Disney Dream.
Are you planning to sail with Disney Cruise Line in the near future?