Disney Cruise Line may be returning to New York: send the Disney Believe
The fourth Wish-class ship is expected in 2027, and rather than simply adding more capacity to an existing homeport, Disney could use Believe to establish a meaningful seasonal presence in New York: Bermuda, Canada and New England, the Bahamas and perhaps longer Caribbean itineraries.
Disney teased a “big announcement” with an image containing six partial coordinates. The first, 40° 46.3' N, points tantalizingly toward New York City. The others appear to correspond with past or present Disney Cruise Line homeports, suggesting new itineraries are coming.
For me, a Disney return to Manhattan would be personal.
My first-ever cruise was a five-night Halloween on the High Seas sailing aboard the Disney Magic from New York in October 2022. And when I say “first cruise,” I mean beginner. I boarded without knowing what rotational dining was. I didn’t know there were adults-only spaces. I barely knew what I was supposed to be doing. Then we sailed past the Statue of Liberty.
There was something extraordinary about beginning a Disney vacation in Manhattan, watching New York recede behind us, and waking up somewhere entirely different. We spent an overnight in Bermuda, a concept that seemed almost absurdly glamorous to a first-time cruiser especially when one considers how expensive land vacations to Bermuda area. And somewhere between Bermuda and lingering over coffee at Cove Café, I discovered that I loved being at sea with Disney. Prior to that, though we were already hard-core Disney Parks fans, we had only cruised on Royal Caribbean and Princess cruise lines.
Four years later, Disney Cruise Line is a very different company. Its rapidly expanding fleet gives it the opportunity to think beyond its traditional Florida strongholds—and New York deserves a place in that future. Which brings me to Disney Believe.
The fourth Wish-class ship is expected in 2027, and rather than simply adding more capacity to an existing homeport, Disney could use Believe to establish a meaningful seasonal presence in New York: Bermuda, Canada and New England, the Bahamas and perhaps longer Caribbean itineraries.
New York provides an enormous drive-and-fly market, an iconic departure experience and something Disney does exceptionally well: a sense of occasion.
Disney Believe sailing past the Statue of Liberty? That feels less like wishful thinking and more like a homecoming waiting to happen.
