In 2016, Disney Cruise Line announced they would be building two more ships. Then, in 2017, they added a new release to that announcement, with a third ship to be built at the same time.

The original schedule called for the completion of one ship every year for the years of 2021, 2022, and 2023. This schedule was altered to adjust to global conditions in 2020 and 2021.

Exact new release schedule has not been released for all three ships, but here's what we know:

These three new vessels will join Disney Wonder, Disney Magic, Disney Dream, and Disney Fantasy in the DCL fleet.

The first of the three ships to be completed was the Disney Wish and it was finished at the end of 2021, with its first voyage taking place in summer 2022.

The second of the three ships will be called Disney Treasure and estimated completion date will be in 2024.

Here is an early artist rendering (released March 2018) of the new Disney Cruise ships.

It was originally speculated that the interior of each ship would maintain the feel of "the golden age of ocean cruising". The first four ships in the fleet are decorated in Art Deco or Art Noveau styles.

The Disney Wish, however, departed from this styling, and its interior is better described as fairy tale elegance, or, as Disney puts it, a "castle on the sea."

The Disney Treasure will have a brand-new theme that is unprecedented in Disney Cruise Line's previous models. The motif of adventure, which draws from Walt Disney's fascination with discovery, will open the door for immersive onboard experiences that bring travelers up close and personal with some of Disney's most famous stories and characters.

No information has been released about possible new Disney itineraries, but growing the fleet allows Disney Cruise Line to more readily expand and reach other parts of the globe.

Most common speculations involve Asia, as cruising in Asia has grown in popularity.

Additionally, Australia, Hawaii, and greater European expansion are all possibilities.

We don't yet know the names of all three of the new ships, however we know the first ship was christened as the Disney Wish and the second will be called Disney Treasure.

When the existing ships were released in pairs, each vessel's name was synonymous with that of her sister ship. (Examples: Wonder & Magic, Dream & Fantasy.)

There are rumors that DCL will use a similar naming technique and have each ship receive a name that is similar to each of the others released in same time frame.

It's fun to speculate at possible names for the new Disney ships, and when the ships were first announced, we stated that we liked Enchantment, Wish and Imagination as possible new names.

Brag time - we got the first one right with Disney Wish but as for the others, your guess is as good as ours!

Public documents from Port Canaveral are referring to the new Disney ships as "Triton". It is unknown if this is the future name of one of the ships or simply a code name created to distinguish these new build-outs from existing vessels. (Source)

When announced, the three new ships were planned to be just slightly larger than the Disney Fantasy and Disney Dream.

• Expected Staterooms: 1,250
• Tonnage: 140,000

(The Dream/Fantasy both weigh 130,000 tons and have 1,250 staterooms.)

This prediction came true in the Disney Wish with:

• Staterooms: 1,254
• Tonnage: 140,000

Meyer Werft is a shipbuilder in Germany and is under contract with Disney Cruise Line to complete each ship.

This is the same builder that built Disney Dream and Disney Fantasy.

Port Canaveral, Florida was originally announced to be the home port of two of the new DCL ships.

Nothing was announced regarding about the third ship and its main port.

With the announcement of three new ships, DCL will be increasing its fleet from four to seven total ships on the seas.

This will put extra stress and demand on the crowning experience of Disney's Caribbean itineraries: Castaway Cay.

As such, Disney has scoured the Bahamas in search of "new Castaway Cay" to develop.

This would add a new Disney private island as a destination where its expanded fleet can take its passengers for a magical beach diversion.

Disney Cruise Line has announced that Lighthouse Point, on southernmost end of the island of Eleuthera, Bahamas will be ready to open for ships in 2024.

Like Castaway Cay, this new destination will be developed, maintained, and run as Disney property.

Instead of constructing a new private island, Disney Cruise Line decided to purchase expansive property on an existing Bahamian island, Lighthouse Point on Eleuthera, to build a new "escape experience" similar to Castaway Cay.

Advantages to building directly on a populated Bahamas island over a private island include:

• Staff with local residents that live nearby. Currently, DCL must ferry local crews to Castaway Cay.
• Construction can make use of local crews and equipment, saving time and expense of transportation to the island.
• With a larger airport with regular flight traffic, Disney could more easily build immersive experiences and offer more excursion possibilities.

Castaway Cay is largely undeveloped (only about 10% of the island is developed), but its remote nature, while admittedly its largest draw, must be a barrier to ongoing development and addition of new amenities.