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Tribune News Service

When Andi Stein set sail on her first Disney Cruise trip to the Bahamas for research more than a decade ago, she was on the fence about the idea. Unsure what it would be like voyaging with so many youngsters, she booked a short four-day journey.
By the time she came back Stein, a professor at California State University, Fullerton, in the US state of California, was hooked. She booked another Disney cruise to the Mexican Riviera aboard the Disney Wonder with her mother about two months later.
Her fandom has persisted since then. Last year, she took a seven-day cruise on the Disney Fantasy to the Caribbean.
“Disney really understands entertainment, and that carries through onto their cruise ships,” said Stein, who wrote a book about the Disney brand. “But they add the luxury experience that a cruise can provide that you’re not necessarily going to get in the theme parks.”


Walt Disney Co is banking on winning over more holidaymakers like Stein, and it is spending big bucks to do so.
Disney plans to expand its five-ship fleet to eight ships by next year. By 2031, the company will have 13 ships worldwide, Disney experiences chairman Josh D’Amaro said in August at the D23 fan event in the US city of Anaheim, the home of Disneyland Resort.
“Expanding our fleet gives more people, in more parts of the world, the opportunity to experience a vacation at sea like only Disney can provide,” he said at the event.
The expansion also means adding new routes, particularly in the Asia market, and new onboard attractions.
The fact that the company is investing heavily in the cruise line indicates that it sees future opportunity there, says Brent Penter, associate analyst at investment banking firm Raymond James.

Penter says the ships are “billion-dollar investments”, but they are worth the expense.
“It’s a business that’s still small enough that demand really outstrips supply,” he says. “We think they’re doing the smart thing by investing in this business so that they can serve a lot more of that demand.”
Although still a relatively small business, the Disney Cruise Line is becoming an increasingly important part of the company’s financial picture, and is currently a bright spot as the firm’s parks segment begins seeing signs of softening demand.
“The business, even prior to Covid, … continues to generate double-digit return on investment for our shareholders,” says Thomas Mazloum, president of Disney’s New Experiences Portfolio and Disney Signature Experiences, which includes the cruise line. “With our expansions, we certainly expect similar, attractive returns from our future ships.”
The cruise industry was growing before the pandemic, but took a big plunge once the virus spread. Demand for such tourist voyages have since rebounded.
Last year’s global passenger volume was up 6.8 per cent to 31.7 million, compared to 29.7 million in 2019, according to a May report from the Cruise Lines International Association trade group. By 2027, the number of cruise passengers is expected to reach nearly 40 million.
This growing fleet … truly enables us to bring that experience – that Disney experience, that vacation experience – to new audiences and new places
Thomas Mazloum, president of Disney’s New Experiences Portfolio and Disney Signature Experiences
“It’s part of the total pent-up demand for tourism coming out of Covid,” says Andrew Coggins Jnr, a cruise industry analyst who teaches at Pace University’s Lubin School of Business. “The industry is very bullish about what’s coming up ahead.”
That is why many cruise lines, ranging from major players such as Royal Caribbean and Carnival Corp, which is the biggest cruise parent company, to smaller operators like Disney, are building new ships and expanding their business.
Disney cruises offer themed experiences at sea that focus on characters from popular franchises such as Pixar, Star Wars and Marvel. Guests interact with Disney characters aboard, hear talks from animators, eat at themed restaurants and watch Disney stage productions.
Disney views the cruise line as a “movable asset” that serves as an ambassador of the company’s brand, Mazloum said. The ship allows guests from all areas of the US and world to interact with Disney characters outside the parks and combines that experience with travel destinations, he said.
“This growing fleet … truly enables us to bring that experience – that Disney experience, that vacation experience – to new audiences and new places all around the world,” Mazloum says.

While some have groused that Disney theme park prices have got too expensive, the same has not been said of the cruise line, according to a survey conducted this summer by Raymond James.
A recent two-day cruise aboard the Disney Magic from Auckland, New Zealand, for one person started at US$728.
David Hahn of Dothan, in the US state of Alabama, has been on many cruises and says he is willing to pay the high price for Disney’s quality of service. He tells family members to choose a Disney cruise over a visit to the theme parks because it will be enjoyable with less stress.
“When you go on the ship, you’re kind of secluded, you’re surrounded by all the Disney, the atmosphere, you get that feeling of great hospitality,” says Hahn. “You’re going to pay for it, of course, … but you’re going to get what you pay for.”


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Why is Disney going big on its cruise line? To offer a luxury ‘Disney experience’

Disney Cruise Line’s ship the Disney Wish in Germany, 2022. By 2031, the company will have 13 ships, up from its current five. Photo: TNS

A pedestrian walks past the cruise ship Disney Wonder in San Diego, 2020. Photo: TNS

The Disney Treasure, a ship in the Disney Cruise Line fleet, will set sail in December 2024. Photo: TNS

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Gleneagles in Auchterarder, Scotland, a Michelin Guide three-key hotel. Photo: Gleneagles

Raffles London at the OWO (above) is one of 14 hotels in the UK and Ireland awarded three keys, the top rating, in the first Michelin guide to hotels in the British Isles. Photo: Raffles

Gleneagles in Auchterarder, Scotland, is awarded three keys in the new Michelin hotel guide. Photo: Gleneagles

Fife Arms in Braemar, Scotland, was awarded two keys in the Michelin guide. Photo: Fife Arms

Australia’s Top End: this cruise showcases the northern Kimberley region’s majestic natural beauty

Anchored off one of the pretty beaches in the Kimberley. Photo: Seabourn

A Zodiac cruise takes guests along King George River, visiting its famous twin waterfalls in the background. Photo: Seabourn

Beneath one of the stunning waterfalls at King George River. Photo: Seabourn

A shore excursion at Freshwater Cove, an old camping ground for the Dambimangari traditional owners. Photo: Seabourn

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Zipping along King George River, with its famous twin waterfalls in the background. Photo: Seabourn

Over aeons, incredible tectonic pressures have pushed up ancient rock sea beds and folded them into fascinating layered patterns. Photo: Daven Wu

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The West Lake’s Leifeng Pagoda is among the most popular attractions in Hangzhou. Photo: Xiaohongshu/@DenJay

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Lifestyle

Travel & Leisure

Entertainment

By 2031 the company will have 13 ships, up from its current five. These are billion-dollar investments – but Disney thinks they’re worth it


By 2031 the company will have 13 ships, up from its current five. These are billion-dollar investments – but Disney thinks they’re worth it.


Travel news and advice

Disney

Luxury cruises