Disney Destiny cruise ship is getting ready to set sail

The Disney fleet is expanding yet again.

Later this month, the Disney Destiny cruise ship will make its maiden voyage from Port Everglades in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, officially becoming the seventh ship in the company’s lineup.

The Destiny, which is 221 feet tall and 1,119 feet long, can carry 4,000 passengers and 1,555 crew members. For its inaugural season, the ship will offer four- and five-night cruises to the Bahamas and Western Caribbean, including visits to one or both of the company’s island destinations, Disney Castaway Cay and Disney Lookout Cay at Lighthouse Point.

Like Disney’s other cruise ships, the new vessel features themed dining, curated lounges and premium on-board live entertainment. Disney’s portfolio of intellectual property has been the bedrock of its theme parks since the very first location opened its doors, and that’s translated to its cruise line as well.

The Destiny features a heroes and villains theme. Black Panther is the feature character within the Destiny’s Grand Hall, a prominent gathering space aboard the vessel, but guests will also be able to interact with iconic Disney villains and anti-heroes like Cruella de Vil, Maleficent, Dr. Facilier, Captain Jack Sparrow and Loki.

The Destiny sets sail at a time of rapid growth at the Walt Disney Company’s experiences division, which includes its theme parks, resorts and cruise line. The company, which hadn’t launched a new ship in a decade prior to the Disney Wish’s debut in mid-2022, added the Disney Treasure last year and is set to have 13 vessels sailing by 2031.

“We’re undergoing the largest expansion in our history,” Josh D’Amaro, chairman of Disney experiences, told CNBC. “The Destiny, I think, is just going to be another example of how we continue again to push the envelope on what a cruise experience can be.”

In fiscal 2024, the experiences division posted record revenue and profit, with revenue up 5% for the full year to $34.15 billion and operating income up 4% to $9.27 billion. As of the fiscal third-quarter of 2025, Disney anticipated the experiences segment would see 8% growth in operating income for the current fiscal year. The company reports earnings Thursday.

The experiences segment was the second-highest revenue driver for Disney last year behind its entertainment division, which tallied $41.19 billion in fiscal 2024. However, the entertainment segment’s operating profits were smaller, at just $3.92 billion.

Disney has become a leader in the family cruising space, despite its relatively small number of ships. Its fleet size of just seven ships is dwarfed by the largest cruise lines: Carnival, with more than 100 vessels; Royal Caribbean, with nearly 70; and Norwegian Cruise Line, with more than 30.

Disney is considered slightly more expensive than Carnival and Royal Caribbean for base pricing, but if guests choose to upgrade to larger cabins or add food packages or experiences to their itineraries on the major cruise lines, the prices can be similar.

Disney’s Destiny offers four-night cruises starting at around $2,300 for two adult guests and about $4,000 for a family of four. Five-night cruises start at $2,900 for two adults and $4,700 for a family of four. These prices can increase if travelers select premium rooms or book cruises tied to Halloween or Christmas or for select seven-night cruises aboard the Destiny.

Like other cruise ships in the space, the Disney Destiny features upscale restaurants, pools, spas and gaming rooms for kids, but the company injects storytelling into the mix.

Additionally, Disney accommodates diners using “rotational dining” on its cruise ships. Passengers don’t eat in one large mess hall — they are prescheduled to dine at different themed restaurants. Disney rotates the restaurant staff, too, to follow each group of passengers to their scheduled restaurant. As a result, guests have the same servers, busboys and restaurant managers throughout their trip, and the waitstaff gets to know the guests — and their preferences.

Among the themed dining halls aboard Destiny is Pride Lands, a feast of the Lion King, which invites guests to dine on a menu with authentic African flavors while live musicians take the stage to present a retelling of Simba’s story from cub to king.

At Worlds of Marvel, families will listen to a mix of hit songs and test their superhero knowledge while they eat. Rocket and Groot from “Guardians of the Galaxy” will be featured in an onscreen story that will unfold during the meal. The menu features nods to in-universe locations like Wakanda and the fictional Eastern European nation of Sokovia as well as New York, the home base of the Avengers.

A 1923 dining hall, named for the founding year of the Walt Disney Company, celebrates the legacy of Disney’s animation. This setting features more than 1,000 drawings, props and other tools of the animation trade, including artwork from “Hercules,” “Sleeping Beauty,” “Big Hero 6” and “Wreck-It Ralph.” The menu at 1923 is inspired by the fusion of cultural flavors found throughout California, including Asian, European and South American influences.

Guests looking for quick meals and snacks will have a number of other dining options including Cafe Megara and Cafe Merida as well as Edna Á La Mode Sweets, a confectionary with gelato, ice cream, cookies, candies and other specialty treats based on super-suit designer Edna Mode from “The Incredibles.”

For many, Disney cruises are a family affair. So, the company has dedicated spaces for every age group. 

It’s a Small World nursery offers babysitting services for children ages 6 months to 3 years, while older children can head over to Disney’s Oceaneer Club, which features several immersive spaces themed to Marvel’s superheroes, Disney’s princesses, Star Wars and Mickey and Minnie Mouse.

There’s a two-story venue called Saga that plays host to interactive shows and events like “Match Your Mate” and “Family Time Game Show,” as well as Edge, a space for tweens to make friends and play games, and Vibe for those aged between 14 and 17 to watch movies, listen to music and hang out.

The Walt Disney Theatre will be the home to a Broadway-style production of “Hercules,” a show that features innovative puppetry and state-of-the-art effects.

Each cruise will also include live performances of “Frozen, a Musical Spectacular” and “Disney Seas the Adventure.” There will also be Pirates Rockin’ Parlay Party, a nighttime spectacular featuring a live rock band and fireworks, an “Incredibles” themed sports area and all-you-can-watch complimentary movie screenings at Wonderland and Never Land Cinemas.

Similar to the Wish and the Treasure, the Destiny also has a Toy Story-themed area that includes a splash pool, wading pool and family waterslide. There’s also an adapted version of the AquaMouse water coaster called “Sing a Silly Song.”

Disney has also designed locations that are just for adults.

Quiet Cove is sequestered away from the bustling family activities and features an infinity pool, a poolside bar and a cafe. Senses Spa offers spa and beauty treatments, while Senses Fitness is an exercise and wellness facility.

The Disney Destiny also features De Vil’s piano lounge, a lavish locale for trendy cocktails, and the Sanctum, a lounge that takes inspiration from Doctor Strange from the Marvel universe.

“We’re continuing to take intellectual property or franchises, not just from the big screen, but from our theme parks as well,” D’Amaro said. “We did that with ‘Haunted Mansion’ on our last ship, and ‘Haunted Mansion’ will be back on the Destiny this time, as well. But, you’ll also see a ‘Pirates of the Caribbean’ lounge, for example, which is just gorgeous, and I think our guests are going to respond exceptionally well to it.”

This is the second time that Disney has brought its theme park IP to its cruise line. The Haunted Mansion Parlor debuted on the Disney Treasure last year, and a similar lounge area, featuring ghostly design elements and spooky cocktails, will be on board the Destiny.

There’s also Cask & Cannon, which is the eclectic but cozy pub inspired by “Pirates of the Caribbean” attraction. This is the first time “Pirates of the Caribbean” has been brought aboard a Disney ship in this capacity. The destination will feature themed drinks and decor.

The Disney Destiny’s launch will be quickly followed up by the maiden voyage of the Disney Adventure, which will service Singapore starting in March 2026. Additional ships will launch between 2027 and 2031, bringing the Disney cruise fleet to 13 vessels.

“From a business perspective, the Disney cruise line is very important, not only to the Disney experiences segment, but to the Walt Disney Company,” D’Amaro said. “This is a huge brand ambassador for us. So, the ability to take all of the stories that we have to tell and bring them around the world with an asset that moves is very, very powerful for us.”

D’Amaro noted that the segment has seen double-digit returns on its cruise ships and continues to generate high occupancy and strong future bookings.

But, Disney’s cruise line isn’t the only piece of the company’s experiences business that is expanding. There are construction plans across the globe for Disney’s theme parks and resorts.

“We are in the middle of turbocharging the Disney experiences segment of the Walt Disney Company,” D’Amaro said. “So, it’s a really special time for this part of the business. We have more projects underway right now than we have ever had in the history of the company.”

The Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando, Florida, is seeing its largest expansion ever at Magic Kingdom with the addition of a villains-themed land and a “Cars” area being added in Frontierland. A “Monsters Inc.” land is coming to Hollywood Studios and the Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster is being rethemed to feature “The Muppets.” At Animal Kingdom, the company is adding an “Encanto” and an “Indiana Jones” attraction.

On the West Coast at Disneyland Resort in Anaheim, California, Avengers Campus at the California Adventure Park will be expanded to include two more rides. The company is also adding an “Avatar” area and its first ever “Coco” attraction.

Internationally, the company is set to break ground on its seventh theme park resort in Abu Dhabi. Disneyland Paris, Hong Kong Disneyland, Shanghai Disneyland and Tokyo Disney are all getting new attractions based on popular IP.

“We have so many more stories to tell, and it’s happening all over the world,” D’Amaro said. “Every single one of our destinations is undergoing a significant transformation, adding new capacity, adding new stories, adding new ports.”