Fuels
Left: Disney has unveiled plans for fleet expansion, bringing the total to 13 ships by 2031.
Transforming vessels towards efficiency
In this expansion plan, the Disney Cruise Line, one of Disney Experience’s strongest-growing businesses, has revealed it will build a fourth ship in the Wish class, alongside the Wish, Treasure and Destiny. The unnamed new ‘Wish’ class ship will be 144,000gt and powered by liquified natural gas (LNG), with a capacity for 4,000 pax and debut in 2027. It will also be adding three smaller ships, to be delivered in 2029, 2030 and 2031. These new ships are designed with a significant focus on fuel efficiency and energy optimisation, equipped with hydrodynamic hulls and streamlined designs intended to reduce drag. Using lighter construction materials will also help decrease overall weight, contributing to less fuel consumption. Aboard these vessels, next-generation propulsion systems will leverage advanced power and propulsion technologies, including battery arrays supporting primary engines, to overall optimise energy use.
emissions. As new fuel types become available over time, the vessels can be adapted to use additional options, Disney says. However, the widespread availability of these alternative fuels at the scale required for the cruise industry is still developing, and their production processes also have environmental considerations. For example, the sustainability of HVO depends on the source of the vegetable oil. “Our team of Disney Imagineers is dreaming up this new class of ships to be as fuel and energy-efficient as possible, and our guests will see the difference – from a more hydrodynamic design to lighter materials and energy-efficient technology throughout the ships,” said Philip Gennotte, portfolio project management executive, Walt Disney Imagineering. “We’re very proud to continue to support Disney’s broader environmental goals, now and into the future.”
Such designs enable vessels to operate on various alternative fuel types, such as renewable methanol and hydrotreated vegetable oil (HVO), further minimising CO2
A wider ripple effect This growth vision for Disney indicates a broader World Cruise Industry Review /
www.worldcruiseindustryreview.com
trend in the industry as other operators expand fleets while actively considering alternative fuels to enhance sustainability. Norwegian Cruise Line (NCL) is leading sustainability efforts to adopt methanol as an alternative fuel choice, modifying its next four Prima-class ships with a $1.3bn change order, increasing passenger capacity and ensuring methanol-readiness in propulsion systems. The company also seeks to reduce GHG intensity by 10% by 2026 and 25% by 2030, compared with a 2019 baseline with intensity measured on a per capacity day basis.
Carnival Corporation plans to have 16 LNG- powered ships by 2033, including eight Carnival Cruise Line vessels, accounting for 30% of its capacity. This initiative aims to reduce greenhouse gas emissions through technologies advancing energy efficiency and waste management.
LNG reduces sulphur and particulate emissions. However, it’s important to note that LNG still emits greenhouse gases, particularly methane, and methane slip from engines is a significant concern. The claim that LNG “cuts greenhouse gas emissions by up to 20%” can vary depending on engine technology and LNG source, and methane slip can reduce or negate these gains. Ships with LNG engines can easily switch to bio or synthetic LNG with minimal modifications. LNG fuel causes less engine wear, eliminating the need for scrubber systems and reducing costs associated with low- sulphur fuel.
In 2015, Carnival Corporation made history by developing the world’s first LNG-powered cruise ship. Since then, many cruise lines have followed. In February 2025, Royal Caribbean announced its latest Icon-class ship, Legend of the Seas, which will be the vacation company’s fourth ship powered by LNG and feature environmental applications ranging from waste heat recovery systems to shore power connection, advancing Royal Caribbean Group’s goal towards introducing a net-zero cruise ship by 2035. Royal Caribbean’s ‘net zero’ goal is ambitious and will require significant technological advancements.
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