The first gigablock of the Disney Believe, Disney Cruise Line’s newest ship, floated out of the Meyer Werft Shipyard in Papenburg, Germany today, marking a real construction milestone ahead of the ship’s late 2027 debut. Disney builds each ship in large prefabricated sections called gigablocks, some weighing more than 31,000 tons, that get welded together once every piece is finished. This first section covers the ship’s midship, including the Grand Hall, with the forward section coming next and the aft section after that.
The Grand Hall itself was revealed back at D23 2026 in August, themed around Moana, with a bronze statue of Moana, Pua, and Heihei set to anchor the space, layered with Polynesian-inspired finishes. Disney also showed off the ship’s exterior artwork at the same event: Woody and Buzz Lightyear sculptures etching the ship’s name into the stern with giant crayons, and a hand-painted Tinker Bell design on the bow drawn from the 1953 Peter Pan. Claire Weiss, Disney Experiences’ Portfolio Executive Creative Director, described the ship as built around the idea of belief itself, in magic, family, nature, and yourself.
The Disney Believe will be the fourth ship in the newer Wish-class lineup, joining the Disney Wish, Disney Treasure, and Disney Destiny, and is set to sail in late 2027 with venues and entertainment drawing on Encanto, Frozen, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Moana, and The Little Mermaid.
Our take: a gigablock floating out is not the flashiest milestone, but it is the kind of update that actually confirms a 2027 sail date is on track rather than aspirational. The character mix so far, Moana in the Grand Hall, Toy Story on the stern, Tinker Bell on the bow, is one of the more scattered combinations DCL has put on one ship, and it will be worth watching how it all reads together once more of the ship gets revealed.
Disney Cruise Line will keep updating its own Ship’s Log as construction continues. We’ll keep following the Disney Believe here alongside our other Disney Cruise Line coverage as more of the ship comes into focus.
