Disney Cruise Line's next new ship will call Fort Lauderdale home. Disney Believe is set to make its maiden voyage from Port Everglades on December 18, 2027, a Saturday one week before Christmas, and will keep sailing from the Broward County port after that on four- and five-night trips to The Bahamas and the Caribbean. Disney and the port announced the plan on October 7, and public bookings open October 19.

Not a first, but a bigger footprint

Disney is not new to Port Everglades. The cruise line already runs a dedicated terminal there, a space of more than 104,000 square feet that Walt Disney Imagineering redesigned for Disney guests, with murals of characters from Pixar's Finding Nemo. Port Everglades is the line's second year-round homeport in Florida, and Disney Destiny began sailing from Fort Lauderdale with its own maiden voyage on November 20, 2025.

What changes in 2027 is scale. Believe is the fourth ship in Disney's Wish class, the line's newest and largest family of ships, and the decision to base it here means Fort Lauderdale gets a second brand-new Disney vessel in roughly two years. According to the port's announcement, the deal builds on an existing 15-year agreement between Disney and Port Everglades.

For context, Port Everglades already ranks among the three busiest cruise homeports in the world and expects more than 5 million cruise passengers this season. Disney's fleet stands at eight ships today, with five more in development that would bring it to 13 by late 2030.

What is actually on board

Disney walked through the ship during a livestream reveal, and its Disney Parks Blog post lays out the details. A few that stand out:

  • Encanto on stage. The Walt Disney Theatre will debut a stage adaptation of Encanto, which the port describes as the first anywhere and Disney says will play only on this ship. Tangled: The Musical moves over from the older Disney Magic with a reworked set, and the Wish-class original Disney Seas the Adventure returns.
  • A Frozen dinner. Oaken's Table: A Frozen Family Feast is a new Scandinavian-style courtyard restaurant, with Anna and Kristoff making appearances.
  • A Moana atrium. The central Grand Hall takes its look from Moana, including a chandelier designed to suggest moving water.
  • A Zootopia hub. A new venue called Gazelle runs family activities by day and adults-only entertainment at night, with a family show built around Judy Hopps and Nick Wilde.
  • New bars and cafes. Wishing Well is a Snow White-themed lounge; Sea Notes is a piano lounge styled after Ariel's grotto; Skygazers is an observatory-themed pub for adults with craft beer and sports on screen; Big Hero Sips and Cafe Kakamora handle coffee and snacks.
  • A suite in the funnel. The two-story Believe Tower Suite sits inside the forward funnel, sleeps eight and is themed to the lands of Magic Kingdom. It exists only on this ship.

Returning favorites include the 1923 and Worlds of Marvel restaurants, the Haunted Mansion Parlor with a new drink list, and Inside Out: Joyful Sweets, now with nearly 20 gelato and ice cream flavors. Disney says most staterooms have ocean views and about 70 percent have verandahs.

Why the short sailings matter here

Four- and five-night cruises are the format that fits a South Florida calendar. They line up with a long weekend or a school break without burning a full week of vacation, and they are the trips a Broward or Palm Beach family can reach by car instead of by flight. Port Everglades sits at 1850 Eller Drive, less than two miles from Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport, which also makes it an easy handoff for out-of-town relatives flying in to join a sailing.

Short itineraries also mean more departures. A ship running four- and five-night loops turns over its passengers roughly twice a week, so a homeported Wish-class vessel brings a steady stream of families through the port, the hotels along the airport corridor and the restaurants nearby. The port says the expansion will support local jobs and hospitality businesses in Broward, and Disney says it will keep up local community work through its VoluntEARS program, charitable giving and partnerships focused on youth, education, wish-granting and conservation.

Booking and timing

General bookings for the Believe's inaugural season open Monday, October 19, 2026, through Disney Cruise Line's site or a travel agent. Disney has said more on itineraries, onboard experiences and community programs will come closer to the ship's arrival, so specific ports of call for individual sailings are worth confirming at the time of booking.

The broader Disney news from the same announcement points in the same direction: more ships, more ports, more sailings, including a fall 2027 run of Disney Wish voyages from New York and an expanded schedule in San Diego. Fort Lauderdale's slice of that growth is a ship nobody has sailed on yet, departing from a terminal a short drive from home.

What it means if you live here

For Fort Lauderdale residents, the practical upside is simple. The newest ship in the Disney fleet will leave from your own port, on trips short enough to fit between school weeks, starting in the 2027 holiday season. If a family cruise has been on the someday list, the maiden-voyage season is a 14-month planning window, and the booking clock starts October 19.