I have a theory that the most underrated job on any cruise ship is the cruise director. They are the person who makes sure there is a deck party, a Broadway-style show, a fireworks display at sea, and a trivia night, all at once, for thousands of people, and somehow still look like they are having the time of their life.
So when Disney announced who will fill that role on the Disney Believe, I paid very close attention.
On October 6, Disney Cruise Line announced that Trent Hitchcock will be the opening Cruise Director when the Disney Believe takes its maiden voyage next year.
If his name sounds familiar, that is because we have been writing about him all week. Trent was the very first person to welcome the group at the start of the Disney Believe scavenger hunt aboard the Disney Wish, and he explained why the number 723 mattered, since that is the ship’s hull number. He also hosted Disney Cruise Line’s largest trivia event on Day Two, when the whole ship played a 20-question game about stories coming to the Disney Believe. So in a way, he has already been the voice of the ship before it exists.
On every Disney Cruise Line ship, the cruise director oversees the entertainment, youth activities, and recreation onboard. With a team of more than 200 crew members, Trent makes sure guests of all ages have a variety of things to do, from deck parties to fireworks at sea, from events and activities to Port Adventures, and Disney Cruise Line’s signature Broadway-style shows. In other words, if you have ever stood on the deck of a Disney ship and thought, “how is this much happening at once?” that is the department he runs.
Trent has been with Disney Cruise Line for nearly 20 years, and for 10 of those years he has served as a cruise director. He was part of the opening team for the Disney Destiny, and by his own count, he has worked on every ship in the fleet except the Disney Adventure. In Disney’s words, he joked that his ship bingo card is almost full, which is the best resume line I have ever read.
When he was asked what he loves most about the job, Trent said it is the pride he feels waking up every day knowing he gets to lead an incredible entertainment operation, and the joy he sees in guests who come aboard to experience the storytelling. He added that seeing it through your own children’s eyes is the best part, which, if you have ever watched a kid meet Mickey at sea, you completely understand.
The ship is still more than a year from its first voyage, but Trent has already started preparing. He explained that initial conversations about entertainment begin about a year before a ship launches. Next year, he will head to Papenburg, Germany, where the Disney Believe is being built at the Meyer Werft shipyard, and he will stay with the ship for its maiden voyage and its inaugural season. He said he cannot wait to see the ship for the first time, especially because this is the first time he will be so closely involved from the very beginning.
He also called it an honor and a privilege to be the opening cruise director who closes the Wish class, which makes sense, since the Disney Believe is the fourth ship in that class, following the Disney Wish, the Disney Treasure, and the Disney Destiny.
I love this announcement, and I think it says something good about how Disney is approaching the Believe. Naming a seasoned cruise director a full year ahead, and letting him be part of the process from the start, feels like a sign that the entertainment is being treated as a core part of the ship and not an afterthought. And as someone who has spent a week laughing at this scavenger hunt, I can say that having a host who clearly loves the job makes a reveal feel like a party.
I will also admit I like that Trent seems like the kind of person who sees a ship through a kid’s eyes, even after nearly twenty years at sea. That is a rare thing, and it is exactly what you want in the person guiding the fun on a family cruise.
And the timing could not be better. The very next day, on October 7, Trent helped lead Disney Cruise Line’s big reveal presentation aboard the Disney Wish, alongside Tracy Wilson, a senior vice president of Disney Cruise Line, where we learned that the Disney Believe will begin its maiden voyage on December 18, 2027, sailing from Port Everglades in Fort Lauderdale. That means the man who has already welcomed us to the ship in a scavenger hunt will be the one standing on deck when it sets sail for real. We covered everything from that reveal, including the new venues, lounges, and shows, so if you missed any of it, you can catch up on our other Disney Believe posts.
Come hang out with us at Theme Park Scope for more Disney Believe news, and tell us in the comments what you would ask Trent if you had five minutes with him.
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