Disney Believe Revealed: Encanto Stage Show Coming to Disney Cruise Line’s New Ship
Months of teasers and a very enthusiastic collective of internet detectives full of guesses, predictions, and prognostications finally paid off on October 7 as Disney Cruise Line officially revealed Disney Believe in a livestream event from the Walt Disney Theater aboard the Disney Wish.
Disney Believe Sets Sail December 2027 | Disney Cruise Line
Disney Believe at a Glance
Disney Cruise Line pulled back the curtain on the Disney Believe, the fourth ship in the Wish class, and confirmed pretty much everything fans have been asking about since D23 back in August. We finally have a sail date, a home port, and a full tour of the ship's restaurants, lounges, and shows.
To start, Disney Believe sails her Maiden Voyage December 18, 2027, out of Port Everglades in Fort Lauderdale. She’ll run four and five night sailings to the Bahamas and Caribbean with stops at Disney Castaway Cay and Disney Lookout Cay. General bookings open October 19, 2026 with Castaway Club members getting first dibs starting as early as Monday, October 12, 2026.
This is the ship Disney has spent over a year hyping with concept art alone, so having actual dates and deck plans attached to it changes the conversation completely.
A Statue of Moana Anchors the Grand Hall of Disney Believe | Disney Cruise Line
We Finally Know What's Really on Board
Disney Believe joins the Disney Wish, Disney Treasure, and Disney Destiny as the fourth ship built to share the same general architecture. Except this time the ship's overall theme is built around promise and possibility, using stories about characters who believe in something bigger than themselves.
This new theme is a bit opaque, abstract and subjective compared the Disney Destiny’s more binary Heros & Villains theme. We’ve all gotten used to and embraced the conceptually black and white theming of the Destiny since her maiden voyage last November.
My Family in the Grand Hall of Disney Destiny on the Maiden Voyage | version 55.71
I think this shift in thematic tone from Destiny to Believe has made the reception of the Disney Believe a little hard to swallow for some; even if they don’t realize that’s why every announcement from Wednesday’s livestream didn’t hit like they had hoped.
FIRST LOOK: An Introduction to Disney Believe at D23 2026
Still, the throughline of belief in yourself and nature, etc. shows up all over the Believe. This starts right in the Grand Hall which centers on Moana standing with Pua and Heihei under a ceiling full of constellations and a chandelier with the heart of Te Fiti hidden somewhere inside it.
I think over time, the application of these malleable themes of belief, promise, and possibility will settle and Disney Believe will be emerge as a must-do, feel good ship to sail.
Encanto on stage in the Walt Disney Theater, Concept Art | Disney Cruise Line
The Headline Act, Encanto Makes Its Stage Debut
We’re gonna cut to the case and get to the good stuff. The show stopper announcement doing most of the heavy lifting here is Encanto! The hit musical is getting its first ever stage adaptation, exclusive to the Walt Disney Theater on Disney Believe. That’s right, We Don't Talk About Bruno is officially headed to the high seas and we can’t wait to talk all about it! Lin-Manuel Miranda himself made the announcement during the livestream reveal.
Tangled, The Musical Coming to Disney Believe in 2027 | Disney Cruise Line
Encanto will share the stage with a reimagined Tangled, The Musical, which is sailing over from the Disney Magic with new staging and effects built just for this ship. A new original Wish class production called Disney Seas the Adventure also returns to round out the theatre lineup.
READ MORE: Disney Believe's First Gigablock Just Floated Out and What Does That Even Mean?
Oaken’s Table, A Frozen Family Feast coming to Disney Believe in 2027 | Disney Cruise Line
A Frozen Feast - Again
On the dining side, the big new addition is Oaken's Table, A Frozen Family Feast. This dinner show in-the-round is set in a Scandinavian courtyard where Oaken and his cousins host the meal with live music and a brand new, previously untold piece of the Frozen story.
Oaken & co. will lead us in song from the center stage of a Scandinavian Summerhaus | Disney Cruise Line
This is by far the most controversial annoucnement of the reveal. Skeptics are disappointed that of all the possibilities available in the Disney canon they chose to repeat an IP for the signature dining rotation restaurant. I’ve heard people say they played it safe and opted for synergy to promote Frozen 3 rather than conceptualize how another franchise could’ve shined in the spotlight of the center stage of this restaurant.
I, for one, was hoping for a dinner show based on The Little Mermaid. Just imagine Sebastian’s “hot crustacean band” jamming out under sparkling lights like refracting water effects on the ceiling. Oh, well. Maybe next time.
Gazelle is the new two-story Zootopia themed Family Lounge on Disney Believe | Disney Cruise Line
Just Lounging Around
Over at Gazelle, the ship's two story entertainment hub themed to Zootopia 2, Judy Hopps and Nick Wilde will headline a new detective themed family show that Disney says is a first for the cruise line, with the same space shifting into adult only entertainment once the sun goes down.
Sea Notes is a Piano Bar themed to The Little Mermaid | Disney Cruise Line
Sea Notes is a piano bar built around Ariel's grotto from The Little Mermaid. This is the same space as De Vil’s on Disney Destiny. It’s become insanely popular due the improvised and interactive Treble-Making with Cruella show. Time will tell if Arial or Ursula can match Cruella’s wicked vibes.
I’d avoid the apples at Wishing Well if I were you | Disney Cruise Line
Wishing Well is a Snow White lounge with a gothic castle bar by night and a cottage style performance area pulled straight from the Seven Dwarfs.
I was really hoping for a Snow White themed lounge and I got it. Wishing Well will occupy the same space as The Sanctum, Skipper Society, and The Bayou.
Wishing Well is the Snow White themed central lounge on Disney Believe | Disney Cruise Line
Skygazers, an observatory themed pub with craft beer and live sports on the screens, is the one major space Disney didn't tie to a specific film. This is another venue theme that fell flat with initial reactions. Skygazers neither commits to an individual IP like on other Wish-class ships nor the traditional British / Irish pub settings found on Magic or Dream class ships.
Skygazers pub is an themed after an observatory | Disney Cruise Lien
This left many scratching their heads in bewilderment but again, I think this is a case of Disney teaching us how to treat them by conditioning us to always expect an explicit them then reversing course and offering a vague, interpretive concept. I kind of love it.
The ultimate selling point for Skygazers will be the execution of the subtly. Subtle Disney is my favorite brand of Disney. Think of Palo, The Rose, the first 4 ships in Disney’s fleet. Even the new Imagineering clothing concept .YNSD.
They all succeed because of their complex textures and emphasis on solid design principles and story. The Disney is there, you just have to look a little harder for it. This engages the mind and makes a stronger emotional connection to the thing you’re experiencing rather than if you’re being hit over the head with it.
I predict Skygazers will be a sleeper hit on Diney Believe.
Big Hero Sips coffee cafe on Disney Believe | Disney Cruise Line
Cafe Kakamore also serves coffee on Disney Believe | Disney Cruise Line
Coffee Cafes, Kids Club, and MORE!
Two new coffee stops round out the usual common spots. Big Hero Sips channels San Fransokyo from Big Hero 6 and Café Kakamora is named for Moana's coconut armored pirates.
Not to be left out of the re-theme, kids get a Disney's Oceaneer Club entrance themed to Monsters, Inc. This leads to the same five different zones including a Marvel Super Hero Academy and a Star Wars Cargo Bay.
Monsters, Inc. will welcome kids to the Oceaneer Club on Disney Believe | Disney Cruise Line
While the AquaMouse water ride returns at 760 feet long with a new Port Adventures storyline. For families who just want pool time, there's a seven pool family district and a dedicated Toy Story splash zone for younger kids.
Magic Kingdom Tower Suite | Disney Cruise Line
Staterooms and Suites
Staterooms follow the same specific theming. The Believe Tower Suite is a two story, nearly 2,000 square foot suite built into the ship's forward funnel, with design details pulled from Magic Kingdom and a Cinderella Castle art piece inside.
Peter Pan themed headboard and artwork can be found in Concierge Staterooms | Disney Cruise Line
The Royal Reef Suite nods to The Little Mermaid, the Royal Rose Suite to Beauty and the Beast. Meanwhile the run of concierge rooms goes full Peter Pan.
About 70 percent of all staterooms have a verandah, and there are more than 450 connecting doors throughout the ship for bigger families and groups.
Moana themed headboard and artwork can found in staterooms on Decks 2, 6, and 7 | Disney Cruise Line
Stateroom themes include Moana, The Lion King on Decks 2, 6, 7. You’ll find Inside Out and Toy Story themed staterooms on Decks 10 and 11. And on Decks 8 and 9 you’ll discover Coco and Zootopia staterooms.
What’s Old Is New Again
Meanwhile, The Haunted Mansion Parlor is back for a third ship in a row. Many hopeful internet sleuths were convinced a new theme or even an overlay for the lounge would materialize.
The Nightmare Before Christmas appearing in the Disney Believe teaser back in March had everyone all but convinced, myself included, that the immersive lounge occupied by Haunted Mansion would, at the very least, get a Nightmare overlay similar to Disneyland’s popular Haunted Mansion Holiday.
ACHIEVEMENT UNLOCKED: Read All About the Centuries Old Tradition of Keel Coins and the Disney Believe Keel Laying Ceremony
Returning favorites include 1923, Worlds of Marvel, and the adults only Palo Steakhouse, joined by a new-to-class French forward restaurant called Enchante, with a menu from three Michelin starred chef Arnaud Lallement.
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Artist rendering of Disney Believe | Disney Cruise Line
All Aboard, Planning Your Own Disney Believe Sailing
If you've been waiting to get serious about a Disney Believe cruise until it felt like a real, bookable trip, this is that moment. General bookings open October 19, 2026 for sailings beginning December 18, 2027, so mark that date if you want first crack at cabin categories before the early excitement thins them out. Since the Believe sails out of Port Everglades, it's also worth checking Fort Lauderdale flights and pre cruise hotel rates now, especially around that maiden voyage week, since those will likely be the first to climb in price.
LOWEST PRICE: Book Early to Get The Best Price, Stateroom Availability, and Payment Flexibility. Click Here To Get Started.
Because the Disney Believe shares its basic layout with the Wish, Treasure, and Destiny, anyone who's already sailed one of those ships has a pretty good sense of how the Believe will flow deck to deck, just with an entirely new cast of stories filling in the details.
If this is your first Wish class booking, budget extra time on embarkation day to actually explore before dinner. Between the Grand Hall, Oceaneer Club, Gazelle, and all the themed lounges, there's a lot more to see on day one than most guests expect.
Alright, that’s all for now. See ya next time.
