Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse and Bob Chapek, Chairman, Disney Parks And Resorts (Disney/Image Group LA) .

ANAHEIM — It was a weekend of major announcements for Walt Disney Parks and Resorts, which unveiled an array of exciting new developments at D23 Expo 2017 in Anaheim, California.

Most surprising was the announcement of a seventh ship to Disney Cruise Line’s fleet. Last year, Disney announced plans to build two new ships at the Meyer Werft shipyard in Germany with scheduled completion dates of 2021 and 2023. The seventh ship will be built at the same shipyard and is scheduled to be completed in 2022.

(Disney/Image Group LA)

“We decided two ships wouldn’t be enough all of the exciting new experiences we have been dreaming up to take family cruise vacations to a whole new level with immersive Disney storytelling, world-class family entertainment, and imaginative innovations that are fantastically fun and uniquely Disney, said Bob Chapek, Chairman of Walt Disney Parks and Resorts. “By the time all three new ships are sailing, we’ll have nearly doubled the size of our existing fleet.”

All ship names, design plans and itineraries are still in development. Each ship will be powered by clean-burning liquefied natural gas and be the same size – approximately 135,000 gross tons with about 1,250 guest staterooms planned, which is slightly larger than the newest Disney Cruise Line ships, the Disney Dream and Disney Fantasy.

Mark Hamill at D23 EXPO (Joshua Sudock/Disney Parks).

During Chapek’s presentation, he also revealed the name for the new Star Wars-themed lands: ‘Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge’. The lands will first open at Disneyland, followed shortly by a second, identical location at Hollywood Studios at Walt Disney World. Both are expected to open in 2019 and will feature many characters from the films, including BB-8, Chewbacca and Kylo Ren. But it was the droid Rex that received the biggest applause from the audience; Rex may serve as a DJ at a cantina in Galaxy’s Edge, said Chapek.

Star Wars-themed luxury resort

The chairman also announced a Star Wars-themed luxury resort at Walt Disney World, which he says is “100% immersive”. Chapek did not announce an opening date or if construction is ongoing.

Other new attractions at Walt Disney World (Florida) include:

Guardians of the Galaxy. Fans of ‘Mission: SPACE’

Epcot

Exciting plans here include a new Ratatouille-themed attraction at the France pavilion, and a brand new E-ticket attraction based on Guardians of the Galaxy. Fans of ‘Mission: SPACE’ will soon experience a new Green Mission, which will take guests on a tour around the world, as well as an updated Orange Mission, making the trip to Mars even more spectacular. Plus, a new restaurant next to Mission: SPACE will be added.