Disney Believe First Look: Moana Grand Hall, Woody and Buzz on the Stern, and Tinker Bell on the Bow
Disney Cruise Line's fourth Wish-class ship, the Disney Believe, came into focus at D23. The late 2027 vessel gets a Grand Hall themed to Moana with a bronze statue, Woody and Buzz Lightyear etching the ship's name on the stern in crayon lettering, and a hand-painted Tinker Bell design on the bow, with stories from Encanto, Frozen, Snow White, Moana, and The Little Mermaid throughout.
The Disney Believe, the fourth Wish-class ship in the Disney Cruise Line fleet, got its first real reveal at D23: The Ultimate Disney Fan Event. Portfolio Executive Creative Director Claire Weiss unveiled plans for a Grand Hall themed to Moana, stern sculptures starring Woody and Buzz Lightyear, and a hand-painted Tinker Bell design for the bow. Themed around promise, possibilities, and the power of believing in one's own happily ever after, the ship sets sail in late 2027.
Key Details
- Ship Name: Disney Believe, fourth ship in the Wish class
- Theme: Promise and possibilities, celebrating dreamers
- Maiden Season: Late 2027
- Grand Hall: Themed to Moana, with a bronze statue of Moana, Pua, and Heihei
- Exterior: Woody and Buzz Lightyear etching the ship's name on the stern; Tinker Bell filigree on the bow
- Sister Ships: Disney Wish (enchantment), Disney Treasure (adventure), Disney Destiny (heroes and villains)
- Built At: Meyer Werft Shipyard, Germany
- Plan At: DisneyCruise.com
A new ship built around belief
For more than 100 years, Disney storytelling has encouraged families to believe in their dreams and pursue them boldly, and the Disney Believe channels that legacy into its design from the ground up. As the fourth ship in the Wish class, it joins a fleet where stories from Disney, Pixar, Marvel, and Star Wars surround families from the moment they step on board. What distinguishes each Wish-class ship is its own design theme shaping everything from venues and entertainment to decor: the enchantment-themed Disney Wish, adventure-themed Disney Treasure, and heroes-and-villains-themed Disney Destiny came first.
Onboard, tales of characters who believe in themselves will come to life in venues and entertainment drawn from the worlds of Encanto and Frozen, the wishing wells of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, and the depths of the sea with Moana and The Little Mermaid.
"This ship celebrates belief in magic, family, the power of nature, and belief in yourself. And all the stories we tell onboard will be tied together by the core Disney notion of believing in something fantastical." - Claire Weiss, Portfolio Executive Creative Director
A Grand Hall shaped by Moana
Like its sister ships, the Believe centers on a Grand Hall, the atrium gathering space each Wish-class ship themes to a different Disney story. The Believe's channels the open-ocean optimism of the Moana films. A bronze cast statue of Moana with her companions Pua and Heihei anchors the space, gazing out toward the horizon, and the room is layered with artisanal Polynesian finishes that honor the cultural traditions of the film's South Pacific setting.
Woody and Buzz take the stern
Every Disney Cruise Line ship carries unique character artwork on its hull, and the Believe hands the job to the Toy Story duo. Larger-than-life sculptures of Woody and Buzz Lightyear will appear on the stern, working together to etch the ship's name across the back of the vessel with giant yellow crayons. In place of the looped calligraphy seen across the rest of the fleet, the Believe's name will be written in playful lettering that mimics the franchise's block-style font, a nod to Andy writing his name on the bottom of his toys and a first for the fleet.
Tinker Bell graces the bow
The bow gets a more delicate treatment: a hand-painted filigree of Tinker Bell as she first appeared in Walt Disney Animation Studios' 1953 classic Peter Pan, flanked by silhouettes of Peter, Wendy, Captain Hook, and other characters from the film flying amid the swirling design.
The Believe's ship's log is now open
Disney is documenting the build publicly through an official Disney Believe Ship's Log on its parks blog, promising looks inside the building dock at Meyer Werft Shipyard in Germany, artist sketchpads, and rehearsals for the ship's Broadway-style stage shows as Disney Cruise Line, Walt Disney Imagineering, and Disney Live Entertainment bring the vessel to life.
Booking window
With a late 2027 maiden season, itineraries and opening-day booking dates have not been announced yet. If the Wish, Treasure, and Destiny rollouts are any guide, expect itinerary announcements roughly a year ahead of the first sailing, with the earliest booking access going to Castaway Club members. Guests eager to set sail sooner can browse current itineraries at DisneyCruise.com, and expect dining, show, and stateroom reveals to roll out through Disney's Ship's Log in the coming months.