Breaking Down Disney’s New First Look: The Details Everyone Should Be Talking About

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I’ve been studying these first video images of Disney Cruise Line’s next generation of ships…

And I’ll be honest with you.

There’s a LOT we don’t know yet.

We don’t have the names.

We don’t have deck plans.

We don’t know the restaurants, the adult spaces, or what that ENORMOUS glass-fronted space in the middle of the ship actually is.

All Images Disney Cruise Line

But here’s the thing…

There’s enough in these first images to get me very, very interested.

And maybe even a little hopeful.

Take a look at the video for yourself.

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I spend most of my time either writing, thinking about or sailing on Disney cruise ships. Sometimes I even do all 3 at the same time.

I love all the Disney ships. I’ve sailed on them, I continue to sail on them, and I’ll keep choosing Disney even when other cruise lines offer bigger ships, more attractions, and sometimes prices that make Disney look absolutely insane.

Why?

The Disney Difference.

That’s still the reason I go back.

And here’s what most people don’t realize…

I think Disney Cruise Line does something better than any other part of Disney right now.

The shine has definitely come off the Disney parks experience for me. I still enjoy the parks but much prefer the cruise ships.

But I still step onto a Disney ship and get THAT feeling.

That “this is why I come back” feeling.

And that’s exactly why I really hope Disney gets these next ships right.

Because the fleet is about to get very, very big.

Disney is heading toward 13 ships by 2030.

Now I know there is the issue that we don’t want to talk about.

Disney Wonder and Disney Magic are getting old and may not be sailing for too many years, but whatever their timeline, DCL is expanding rapidly.

This new class will sit between the Classic Ships and the newer, larger Wish Class ships. Disney says that positioning will allow them to reach new destinations and audiences.

That’s exciting.

But it also creates a problem…

How Do You Grow Without Losing What Made People Fall In Love In The First Place?

Here’s what I think is happening.

Disney has a chance to fix some of the Wish Class mistakes.

Let me say this first – I love the Wish Class too.

There are some extraordinary things about those ships. The Wish, Treasure, and Destiny are imaginative, beautiful, and packed with things that simply didn’t exist on the earlier ships.

And there’s a really interesting reason for that.

Laura Cabo, the Walt Disney Imagineering executive who led the creative development of the Disney Wish, was intentionally brought into the role despite having never been on a cruise ship before. Bob Weis specifically hired her in part BECAUSE she had no cruise-ship experience.

And you can see both the good AND the bad consequences of that approach.

The good?

The Wish Class feels genuinely different. There are ideas on that ship that wouldn’t have happened if Disney had simply designed another conventional cruise ship. The storytelling is extraordinary. There are spaces that make you stop and look.

There’s a real sense of Imagineering having been allowed to do what Imagineering does best.

And I don’t want Disney to lose that.

But here’s the problem…

A cruise ship is also somewhere people have to LIVE.

And some of the things that experienced Disney cruisers have questioned about the Wish Class are things that I suspect might look different if the designers had first spent hundreds of days actually sailing.

The adult pool area.

The location of the adult spaces.

The lack of a traditional wraparound promenade.

The way some restaurants are laid out.

The flow of people.

The sheer amount of premium and retail space.

So I don’t look at the Wish and think Disney made a mistake.

I look at it and think Disney LEARNED something.

I have faith that Claire Weiss who is the Portfolio Executive Creative Director and head Imagineer leading the development of the new 2029 Disney Cruise Line ship class is passionate about the design in the Disney tradition.

It is intresting to watch her talk about the design of Disney Wish in this first big reveal.

And now I want to see what Disney Cruise Line will do under her direction.

And believe me, I spend ALL day, every day writing about Disney cruises, creating content, and answering questions from cruisers. So when I see something in these images that looks different, I notice.

It didn’t give us much detail but it gave e enough to be very excited about this new class of Disney ships.

Related: How Much Does a Disney Cruise Cost?

Wait… Is That a REAL Promenade Deck?

This is the thing that jumped out at me from the new video.

Deck 4.

Look closely at the images.

There appears to be a substantial open deck running along the side of the ship, underneath the lifeboats. And it looks remarkably like a traditional Disney Cruise Line promenade.

In fact, if I’m reading these images correctly…

Disney may have brought back something longtime cruisers have been begging for: a proper wraparound Deck 4 promenade.

I’m deliberately saying “appears” because we don’t have official deck plans yet.

But LOOK at it.

There’s a continuous-looking exterior walking area. There’s railing. There’s space.

It’s still not completely clear and I could be wrong, but there are high hopes that this new class of Disney ships will bring back the Promenade Deck.

That would be a BIG deal.

Because this is something I love about the Classic and the Dream Class Disney Ships.

Deck 4 is one of my favorite places on the ship.

You can walk. You can sit. You can watch the ocean. You can get away from the noise. You can walk after dinner when you’ve eaten far too much.

You can simply be outside.

And that sounds ridiculously simple.

But it matters.

The classic ships have a wonderful feeling of being ocean liners. That was the original concept that Michael Eisner wanted for DCL way back when the design for Disney Magic was being discussed. The newer ships have perhaps lost too much of the connection with the original concept.

And I really hope Disney has realized that people don’t necessarily want to lose that sense of being at sea.

So if this really is a full wraparound promenade?

We have to wait and see.

But What Is That HUGE Glass Wall on Deck 5?

And this is where I think something is being missed.

I haven’t seen nearly enough people talking about that enormous glass wall.

Look at the images.

Right in the middle of the ship, there’s this huge area of floor-to-ceiling—or at least very substantial—glass on what appears to go from Deck 3 to Deck 5.

It’s completely different from the rows of balcony staterooms above it.

It isn’t just a little window.

It’s a MASSIVE visual opening in the side of the ship.

And I want to know what’s behind it.

Now, here’s where it gets interesting…

All the Disney ships have the Grand Hall or atrium entrance on Deck 3, with the interior space going up to Deck 5. You can stand on Deck 3 and look up through multiple levels to that beautiful ceiling.

So if this glass wall is on Deck 5, and we’re looking at a traditional Disney atrium setup…

This could be an absolutely STUNNING ocean-facing atrium.

Think about it.

You walk onto the ship on Deck 3. You look up and see that gorgeous chandelier or centerpiece. But instead of just looking at interior balconies and port holes.

You’re looking at the OCEAN.

That would be completely different from any Disney ship we’ve seen before.

It’s unlikely to be a restaurant on that level because you’d have to have the ceiling on Deck 4, and that’s not going to happen with a multi-deck atrium space.

But an atrium with a massive ocean view?

That would be spectacular.

That changes everything.

That makes the space feel like it’s actually ON a ship.

And I really, really hope that’s what we’re looking at.

Because if it is, Disney has done something genuinely innovative while still keeping the traditional Disney cruise ship layout that actually works.

Wait… Is That a Mickey Mouse Pool on the BOW of the Ship?

Okay, I need to talk about this because I haven’t seen ANYONE else mention it yet.

Look at this

There appears to be a Mickey Mouse-shaped pool on the bow.

Let me say that again.

A Mickey-shaped pool. On the FRONT of the ship.

And here’s why this could be really, really good news…

If Disney has created a separate kids’ pool space on the front of the ship, that means they’re not competing for the same real estate as the adult pool areas.

One of the biggest complaints about the Wish Class has been the adult pool situation. It’s small. It’s crowded. It feels like an afterthought.

But if the kids have their own dedicated Mickey pool up front…

That potentially frees up a LOT more space for a proper adult pool area somewhere else on the ship.

And at the same time, they could finally give adults the kind of pool space we’ve been asking for.

Space that doesn’t feel like it was squeezed in wherever there was room left over.

This could be one of those design decisions that actually solves multiple problems at once.

Kids get something special and uniquely Disney.

Adults get more room.

And the ship doesn’t feel like everyone is fighting for the same square footage.

Now, I’m making some assumptions here because we don’t have deck plans yet.

But if I’m right about this…

Disney may have actually listened to the feedback about pool space.

And that would be huge.

Please, Disney, Give Adults Somewhere REALLY Good To Go

This is probably my biggest hope for the new ships.

The Wish Class adult spaces have been a subject of a LOT of discussion among cruisers.

And I understand what Disney was trying to do.

But I don’t think the answer is simply finding somewhere to put an adult pool and a few loungers.

I want Disney to rethink the whole concept.

Adults are paying for these cruises. A lot of them are paying A LOT.

And Disney increasingly recognizes that adults are an important part of its cruise business.

So give us somewhere wonderful.

Give us a space that feels as though it was designed specifically because someone asked: Where would an adult actually want to spend an afternoon at sea?

I want shade. I want views. I want comfortable seating. I want a pool that’s actually usable. I want somewhere peaceful.

And I don’t want to feel as though the adult area was what was left after everything else had been allocated.

In fact all I want is for you to go back to the Classic Ships and Dream Class Ships concepts and make those even better..

Please We Need More Space in the Restaurants

This is another one.

I love Disney’s restaurants.

I love the storytelling.

I love rotational dining.

I love that Disney can turn dinner into entertainment.

But some of the newer restaurants simply feel way to crowded to me.

Tables are close.

This is a picture of Arendelle – the tables are so close together, not only is there little point in asking for a private table, but the Servers have a huge problem getting around the tables so they can do their job efficiently.

That is a design problem.

A restaurant isn’t a photograph.

People have to sit there for two hours.

Servers have to work there.

And I would much rather have a slightly less spectacular restaurant that gives everyone some breathing room.

So my hope for these ships is simple:

Please design the restaurants for the people who actually have to use them and go back to the concepts of the Classic ships and the Dream Class ships. They work so much better.

And Then There Is Concierge…

This one makes me nervous.

Because I completely understand why Disney will want more Concierge.

The premium Disney can charge for Concierge is enormous.

And from a business perspective, it makes perfect sense.

If people are prepared to pay a huge premium for a room, lounge access, private outdoor space and additional service, Disney is obviously going to look very carefully at how much of that space it can sell.

But here’s what worries me.

The emphasis on the Wish Class was creating a better space for Concierge. And it takes up a LOT of space.

Space that most people can’t afford.

Every square foot of Concierge space is square footage that isn’t available to everyone else.

And I don’t want Disney ships to slowly become ships where the best spaces are reserved for the people who can afford the biggest premium.

I really hope they don’t increase the percentage of ship capacity devoted to Concierge on these new ships.

One of the things I still love about Disney Cruise Line is that you can book a regular stateroom and still feel as though you’re having a very special vacation.

You can walk into that Grand Hall.

You can enjoy the shows.

You can eat in the rotational dining restaurants.

You can experience the Disney Difference without paying Concierge prices.

I want that to remain true.

Because if Disney starts devoting more and more of the ship to premium spaces that most families can’t access, the experience for everyone else gets diminished.

And that’s not the Disney Cruise Line I fell in love with.

Give Me Another Haunted Mansion Parlor

Well, not exactlly another exact copy of that, but something just as innovative.

This is where I think Disney can absolutely knock it out of the park.

The Haunted Mansion Parlor is one of those experiences that makes me think:

Yes. This is why I sail Disney.

It isn’t just a bar.

It is an experience.

I would love another Haunted Mansion Parlor-style experience on these ships.

But please…

Make it bigger.

Give people room to actually enjoy it.

That is the sort of thing I think Disney should be putting into the ships.

More experiences that you can’t get anywhere else.

Less space that simply exists because it can generate revenue.

And Maybe A Little Less Expensive Jewelry?

I know.

I know.

The jewelry stores make money.

Disney isn’t giving prime real estate to jewelry because they have run out of ideas.

But there is so much valuable space on some Disney ships devoted to luxury retail that I can’t help thinking:

Do we really need quite this much of it?

If you gave me a choice between another jewelry store and another beautiful ocean-view lounge, I know which one I’d choose.

And I suspect a lot of cruisers would agree.

The Disney Difference Is What I’m Worried About

I keep sailing with Disney because I still believe it has something other cruise lines don’t quite manage — the Disney Difference.

But I have noticed a change. When Disney had four ships, the service felt remarkably consistent. As the fleet grew, so did the number of new crew, new ships and new passengers, and I think some of that consistency was inevitably lost.

That matters because when you pay a Disney premium, it has to be about more than characters, theming and entertainment.

It has to be the whole experience.

And for me, that is still something Disney Cruise Line does better than the parks.

So I don’t want these new ships to simply be another version of the Wish. I love the Wish, but this is an opportunity to take the best of the newer ships while bringing back some of what we loved about the older ones.

Give us the promenade. Give adults a genuinely great outdoor space. Give the restaurants room to breathe. Give the crew space to work. Give us another Haunted Mansion Parlor-style experience, fewer jewelry stores and, please, don’t keep increasing the proportion of Concierge space.

Most importantly, don’t let the Disney Difference get diluted as the fleet grows.

That’s why I’m looking so closely at these first images. That apparent Deck 4 promenade has really caught my attention. And then there’s that huge wall of glass on Deck 5. What is behind it?

Maybe it’s an ocean-facing atrium. Maybe it’s something we haven’t even imagined yet.

We don’t know.

And perhaps that’s the most exciting thing about these ships.

Disney has the opportunity to take everything it has learned over the last 30 years and create something genuinely new without losing what made us fall in love with Disney Cruise Line in the first place.

I don’t want more Disney stuff.

I want more Disney magic.

And there is a difference.