LNG-powered cruise ship Disney Destiny joins owner’s roster

German shipbuilder Meyer Werft has handed over the third cruise ship powered by liquefied natural gas (LNG) to Disney Cruise Line.

As disclosed, the delivery ceremony for the 340-meter-long vessel, named Disney Destiny, was held on schedule, i.e., on October 15 in Eemshaven, the Netherlands.

Disney Destiny is reportedly the seventh unit of its type to be owned and operated by Disney Cruise Line, an arm of the Walt Disney Company, and the sixth to be built for the U.S.-headquartered major by Meyer Werft.

Officials from Meyer Werft have shared that a sister ship is presently being built in Papenburg, with the delivery marked for the fall of 2027.

Now that it has joined its owner’s roster, the 144,000 GT Wish-class newbuilding, which will boast a capacity to host around 4,000 passengers, is expected to enter service no later than November 2025. It is understood that Disney Destiny was initially supposed to start sailing next year, with the date now moved back to November.

More importantly, as informed, owing to its ability to run on liquefied natural gas—which will allow the ship to significantly cut carbon dioxide (CO2), nitrogen oxide (NOx) as well as sulfur oxide (SOx) emissions—Disney Cruise Lines’ newest addition is projected to play an ‘important’ role in the company’s sustainability vision.

As previously reported, the keel laying ceremony for Disney Destiny—a sister ship to the previous two LNG-powered units, Disney Treasure and Disney Wish—was held in March last year. Meyer Werft has also been in charge of the construction of other sister vessels from the series, including Disney Dream, Disney Fantasy and Disney Adventure, previously known as Global Dream.

Unlike the other newbuilds, however, Disney Adventure, which was floated out of Meyer Werft’s Wismar yard on April 19, 2025, and, thus, touched the water for the first time, is capable of using green methanol as fuel.

This particular cruise vessel, estimated to be able to host 6,000 passengers, is hailed as the ‘inaugural’ ship in the cruising industry to be powered by this alternative fuel. Green methanol is said to be one of the cleanest energy sources currently available in the maritime industry.

As noted, Disney Cruise Line had purchased the vessel, which had at the time been under construction in Germany, back in November 2022. This took place following the previous owner’s filing for bankruptcy. Disney Adventure is, so far, planned to join the company’s fleet in March 2026.