Disney Ship Touches Water for the First Time in Milestone Moment
The Walt Disney Company is famous for making dreams a reality, and now the dream of bringing Disney Destiny to life is one step closer to coming true.
The upcoming Disney Cruise Ship, which is expected to enter service at the end of this year, has been under construction in Germany’s Meyer Werft shipyard since the spring of 2024.
As her launch date steadily approaches, she has now just met a major construction milestone in which she touched water for the first time.
While many people might think that this moment refers to the “float out,” in which a new-build transitions to the open water for the first time, we’re talking about the “float up.”
“Last week, the Disney Destiny completed another exciting construction milestone at Meyer Werft Shipyard when it touched water for the first time,” Disney Cruise Line shared on March 24, 2025.
“The process, known as ‘float up,’ began by filling the building dock with water from the Ems River in order to lift the Disney Destiny from the floor of the chamber,” continued the construction update.
Once the 144,000-gross ton vessel had been lifted, she was then re-positioned within Hall 6 to allow construction teams and engineers to start testing different systems onboard, including the main engines.
As testing gets underway, crews will also start turning their attention to the Triton-class ship’s interior design and amenities – which is a huge undertaking in itself.
“In the coming months, the shipyard team will continue to focus on building out the legendary interior spaces coming to the Disney Destiny,” the cruise line continued.
For example, the cruise cabins that were constructed and prefabricated at an offsite location – as was the case with the recently launched Disney Treasure – will be brought to the shipyard to be installed onboard in the near future.
The staterooms are themed after classic Disney heroes, with designs inspired by characters like Hercules, Mulan, The Incredibles, Raya (“Raya and the Last Dragon”), and Merida (“Brave”).
The Journey to Completion
Disney Destiny is well on her way to her maiden voyage – which is a 4-night Bahamas sailing that will embark from Fort Lauderdale (Port Everglades), Florida, on November 24, 2025.
During the Disney-themed voyage, the 4,000-guest ship will only call on DCL’s private islands in the Bahamas: The original Castaway Cay and the new Disney’s Lookout Cay at Lighthouse Point.
Since her keel laying ceremony on March 20, 2024, the younger sister to Disney Wish and Disney Treasure has come a long way.
The final blocks, or sections of the ship, were put together at the end of last year – and now the ship’s exterior is nearing completion.
As of the previous update in February 2025, the bow art had been completed. While all Disney ships feature characters at the bow, the new addition proudly features Minnie Mouse as a caped hero – fitting the “heroes and villains” theme of the ship.
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Now that Disney Destiny has gotten her feet – or should I say hull – wet, she can start looking forward to her official float out. This will likely take place in the late summer or early fall.
The float out is a more formal process where the newly constructed ship makes her way out to the ocean for the first time – and is usually commemorated with a special ceremony and much fanfare.
As the Meyer Werft shipyard is located inland to avoid storms in the North Sea, the float out process is somewhat complicated – as the ship will need to travel about 20 miles backwards down the Ems River to reach the ocean.
From there, she will be formally delivered to the cruise line and will have to undergo her sea trials to ensure she is fit to begin her career at sea.
Disney Ship Touches Water for the First Time in Milestone Moment