Does Singapore’s 5-year deal with Disney Cruise Line mean ship has sailed for Hong Kong?

The great fanfare with which Disney Cruise Line revealed more details about its maiden voyage from Singapore, its first home port in Asia, in 2025 has raised questions over whether Hong Kong has missed the boat.

Although the deal between the cruise line, part of US entertainment giant Walt Disney Company, and the Singapore government was signed last year, a series of high-profile marketing activities in the city state on Wednesday made waves in Hong Kong.

The cruise line’s senior vice-president and general manager, Sharon Siskie, revealed that the new Disney Adventure ship would call Singapore its Asian home port for five years from 2025 and offer three- and four-night voyages.

“We’re bringing the magic of Disney Cruise Line to Asia for the first time ever, and we want to give our guests the cruise relaxation and Disney fun they can only experience aboard one of our ships,” she said.

Hong Kong’s two deepwater cruise terminals – Ocean Terminal in Tsim Sha Tsui and the Kai Tak Cruise Terminal – are still recovering slowly from a three-year Covid-related lockdown.

Jeff Bent, managing director of Worldwide Cruise Terminals which operates the Kai Tak site, said he tried to reach out to Disney during the pandemic in 2022, but in vain.