Key Aspects:
- German federal police board the Disney Adventure during a refueling stop as it undergoes sea trials.
- The police arrested two workers with outstanding warrants.
- Despite the disruption, the ship continues sea trials and remains on schedule for delivery to Disney Cruise Line.
Just when passengers were starting to get excited about the debut of Disney Adventure, drama has already unfolded for Disney Cruise Line, which is renowned for its family-friendly atmosphere.
The 6,000-guest vessel had just left its German shipbuilder, Meyer Werft, on September 1, 2025, to conduct sea trials. While stopping at the Sassnitz-Mukran ferry port in Wismar on September 3, 2025, to refuel, German federal police made a dramatic entrance.
Turns out they were there to arrest two shipyard workers who were aboard the ship, in connection with two separate cases.
A spokesperson for the federal police told local media that they had executed a targeted operation to arrest workers with outstanding warrants.
One man detained, according to the media, was a 44-year-old from Croatia who has been wanted by the Augsburg, Germany, police in Bavaria for a 2022 drunk-driving offense.
The second man was a 24-year-old man from Slovenia who was wanted in Munich for fraud.
The first worker was allowed to remain with the cruise ship after paying a fine while the second was removed and taken to a correctional facility in Germany. Names of those arrested were not released.
While the police sting raised concerns, the 208,000-gross-ton Disney Adventure was able to continue on its maiden test run and sea trials.
Sea Trials Continue
Disney Adventure, now the largest ship ever built for Disney Cruise Line, officially began its sea trials on September 1. These are a series of rigorous testing of the vessel’s propulsion systems, navigation, safety systems, and overall seaworthiness to ready her for passengers.
The trials, which take place in open water, have the vessel in the Baltic and North Seas to expose it to any technical or mechanical issues while still under construction at the shipyard.
Currently, the ship has over 1,400 workers onboard to conduct these trials and once complete, Disney Adventure will undergo final outfitting of its exterior and interior and ready for delivery, including furniture installation, themed spaces, and entertainment venues.
The road to this milestone began all the way back in 2018 as Genting Hong Kong’s Global Dream, with steel cutting in March and keel laying in September of that year.
While part of the vessel was floated to the ship builder in 2019 for assembly, work stalled due to Genting Hong Kong’s bankruptcy, and Disney Cruise Line swooped in to buy the unfinished vessel in 2022.
With tweaks to transform the ship into a Disney vessel, she completed her float out in April 2025 and is expected to be delivered to the cruise line by late September 2025.
Following delivery, Disney Adventure will embark on a voyage to Singapore with planned stops at New York City; Nassau, Bahamas; and Port Canaveral, Florida, to provide a first look at the massive ship.
Her highly anticipated maiden voyage is scheduled for December 15, 2025, offering 3- and 4-night cruises to “nowhere” from the Marina Bay Cruise Centre Singapore. She will remain home-based in Asia.
