The Disney Believe is starting to look a whole lot more like a cruise ship! Disney Cruise Line shared a major construction update Friday morning as the first of three enormous sections of its newest ship was floated out at the Meyer Werft shipyard in Papenburg, Germany.
The first completed section is known as a gigablock, and this one makes up the midship portion of the Disney Believe. That means somewhere inside this massive structure is the future home of the ship’s Grand Hall, one of the spaces we’ve already learned a little about as Disney begins revealing what guests can expect onboard.
If you’re wondering what exactly a gigablock is, the easiest way to think about it is as one gigantic piece of a cruise ship puzzle. Rather than constructing the entire vessel as one unit from the beginning, Meyer Werft builds huge sections separately, with components such as walls, plumbing, and wiring already installed. Those sections are eventually brought together and welded into the finished ship.
And “huge” might actually be underselling it. Disney says these gigablocks can weigh more than 31,000 tons.
With the midship section now floated out, work will continue on the remaining two major pieces of the Disney Believe. The forward gigablock is next, followed by the aft section. Eventually, all three will come together to form Disney Cruise Line’s newest ship.
The Disney Believe is scheduled to begin sailing in late 2027, and Disney has already revealed several details about the ship. Tinker Bell will adorn the bow, while Woody and Buzz Lightyear will appear together on the stern. Inside, the Grand Hall will draw inspiration from Moana, with Moana, Pua, and Heihei represented in the centerpiece sculpture.
There is still plenty we don’t know about the Disney Believe, but watching the actual ship come together makes that late-2027 debut feel a little less far away. For now, we have one VERY large piece of the puzzle floating outside the shipyard, with two more still to come.
We’ll be watching as construction continues in Germany and sharing the latest Disney Believe updates as this newest member of the Disney Cruise Line fleet takes shape.
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