All aboard, Mickey fans. Disney Cruise Lines’ fleet will be almost tripling over the next seven years, from the current 5 to 13.
Disney Experiences chairman Josh D’Amaro closed the “D23 Ultimate Fan Event” in Anaheim, CA, with a promise of four more new cruise ships, in addition to the four that already are under construction (Disney Cruise Line Announces Fleet Expansion to Continue Period of Unprecedented Growth – The Walt Disney Company).
Disney already had announced four new ships: Disney Treasure, launching in December; Disney Adventure and Disney Destiny, coming next year; and a new Disney Wish sister ship being built in partnership with Tokyo Disney Resort owner Oriental Land Company. But the D23 announcement promises four more, to launch between 2027 and 2031.
The Disney Treasure, the newest ship in the Disney Cruise Line fleet, will set sail in December 2024.© Rendering courtesy of Disney Cruise Line
Disney recently revealed that Disney Destiny will feature a “The Lion King”-themed restaurant with windows that transition from sunrise to sunset, live musicians and storytellers, and songs like the “Circle of Life” and “Hakuna Matata.” Disney Treasure, meanwhile, will have a new onboard stage production all about “Moana,” featuring a 15-foot-tall puppet version of the fiery Te Kā.
The parks, too, will get a sprinkling of fairy dust. Magic Kingdom will add a new Villains land (Villains Cast a Spell Over Magic Kingdom with New Land – Disney Parks Blog) with two major attractions, shopping and dining areas; Hollywood Studios will add the first Montsters Inc. land in any Disney park; a section of Frontierland will add a Cars Land with two attractions; a new nighttime parade called Disney Starlight will debut next summer.
D’Amaro said occupancy across the five ships currently sailing reached 97% in the second quarter of this year.
“At Disney Experiences, Imagineers dream, create, design and build these stories into real places… Everything we’re going to share with you is in active development,” D’Amaro said in a statement. “Plans are drawn. Dirt is moving.”
In addition to the newly announced ships, Disney currently operates five ships and is planning on adding four more in the near future, including the Disney Destiny, which the company plans to launch in 2025. That ship will feature a heroes and villains theme along with recently-announced new restaurants like a “The Lion King”-themed spot complete with windows that transition from sunrise to sunset as you eat, tiered risers made to look like African drums, live musicians and storytellers, and favorite songs like the “Circle of Life” and “Hakuna Matata.” At D23, D’Amaro also detailed a new “Moana” show for Disney Treasure.
At its earnings call last week, Disney reported that revenue is up 4% overall and 3% at US parks and experiences. It announced four core objectives: reinvigorating the film studios, making streaming profitable, growing the ESPN business, and “turbocharging” its experiences business. CFO Hugh Johnston said, “we wouldn’t be making capital investments in an accelerated way if we didn’t expect to accelerate growth out of those businesses. And that’s true of the cruise ships as well.”
