Disney Cruise Line has named Trent Hitchcock the opening cruise director of the Disney Believe, the fourth and final Wish-class ship, which sets sail on its maiden voyage December 18, 2027, from Port Everglades in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Hitchcock will run the onboard entertainment operation for that maiden voyage and into the ship’s inaugural season, Disney announced October 6 on its Disney Believe Ship’s Log.
“Bringing a new ship to life is a special time and being the opening cruise director to close the Wish class is an honor and a privilege,” Hitchcock said. “I can’t wait to share the Disney Believe with all our guests.”
Nearly 20 Years With Disney Cruise Line
Hitchcock is no stranger to a ship launch. He has been with Disney Cruise Line for nearly 20 years, 10 of them as a cruise director, and he was part of the opening team for the Disney Destiny. He has worked on every ship in the fleet except the Disney Adventure. “My ship bingo card is almost full!” he said.
Cruise directors oversee entertainment, youth activities and recreation on Disney ships. Hitchcock leads a team of more than 200 crew members who handle everything from deck parties and fireworks at sea to Port Adventures and the line’s Broadway-style stage shows.
Asked what he enjoys most about the job, he pointed to “the pride I get every day waking up knowing that I get to lead an incredible entertainment operation aboard the ship, and the enjoyment I see in every guest that comes on board to experience our storytelling.” He added that seeing it “through your own children’s eyes” is the best part.
Heading To The Shipyard Next Year
The Believe is still more than a year from open water, but Hitchcock is already preparing. “Initial conversations for me begin around a year out when we start talking and developing from an entertainment perspective,” he said.
Next year he will head to the Meyer Werft shipyard in Papenburg, Germany, where the Believe is under construction, and stay with the ship through its maiden voyage. He said he can’t wait to see the ship for the first time, especially since he has never been this closely involved with a new ship from the very beginning.
What We Know About The Disney Believe
Construction is moving along. The first of the ship’s three gigablocks, the midship section that holds the Grand Hall, floated out of the shipyard on September 18, with the forward and aft sections still to come. The ship has also passed its keel laying, marked with a custom Tinker Bell coin placed under the keel for good luck.
Onboard, the Grand Hall will be themed to Moana, with a bronze statue of Moana, Pua and Heihei at its center. Woody and Buzz Lightyear will ride on the stern, and Tinker Bell will grace the bow. Disney revealed more of the ship’s venues on October 7, and several are shows Hitchcock’s team will run: the first stage adaptation of Encanto and Tangled: The Musical in the Walt Disney Theatre, plus a new family detective show starring Judy Hopps and Nick Wilde in Gazelle, a Zootopia-inspired entertainment hub. The ship will also have a new Frozen family feast restaurant called Oaken’s Table, a Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs lounge called Wishing Well, a Little Mermaid piano bar called Sea Notes, and spots inspired by Inside Out 2 and Big Hero 6.
Booking for the inaugural season opened to Castaway Club members in waves starting with Pearl members on October 12, with Silver members, Disney Vacation Club members and Adventures by Disney Adventure Insiders following on October 15, and it opens to the general public on Monday, October 19.
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