New Disney Ships: News, Rumors, Speculation.....and Names!

[MalvernPa]

Strongly disagree. Once they launch all these ships and their marginal customer becomes more price sensitive and less brand loyal to Disney, there’s simply no way this charade can continue.

An article in LA Times about Disney Cruise Line strategy..

https://www.latimes.com/entertainme...y-its-ships-are-a-bright-spot-for-the-company

 

[auntlynne]

Here’s the article @MalvernPa referenced:

Disney is doubling its fleet of cruise ships. What that says about the company’s strategy​

By Samantha MasunagaStaff Writer
Oct. 23, 2024 3 AM PT

When Cal State Fullerton professor 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 was hooked. She booked another Disney cruise to the Mexican Riviera aboard the Disney Wonder with her mom 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 vacationers like Stein, and it’s 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 Anaheim.

“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 fact that the company is investing heavily in the cruise line indicates that it sees future opportunity there, said Brent Penter, associate analyst at investment banking firm Raymond James. He expects Disney’s capital expenditures to rise 27% to $7 billion companywide next year, an increase driven primarily by final payments for the new ships.

Penter said the ships are “billion-dollar investments,” but they’re worth the expense.

“It’s a business that’s still small enough that demand really outstrips supply,” he said. “We think they’re doing the smart thing by investing in this business so that they can serve a lot more of that demand.”

Though 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 Burbank media and entertainment giant doesn’t break out financial results for the cruise line, but Raymond James estimates it brings in about $3 billion a year, comprising 3% of Disney’s overall 2023 revenue.

Disney in August said the cruise line, among other segments, had “improved results” compared to the prior year for Disney’s fiscal third quarter while its overall “experiences” division reported a 3% decrease in operating income. (That division includes the theme parks, merchandise and travel and leisure offerings such as the Aulani resort and spa in Hawaii.)

Disney is willing to take a short-term financial hit from its investment in an expanded fleet. The company warned analysts during its third-quarter earnings call that its fourth-quarter results would reflect pre-launch costs for two of its new ships.

“The business, even prior to COVID, ... continues to generate double-digit return on investment for our shareholders,” said 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% to 31.7 million, compared to 29.7 million in 2019, according to a May report from the Cruise Lines International Assn. trade group. By 2027, the number of cruise passengers is expected to reach nearly 40 million.

“It’s part of the total pent-up demand for tourism coming out of COVID,” said Andrew Coggins, Jr., 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’s 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.

For Disney, that’s meant adding new routes, particularly in the Asia market, and new onboard attractions. The company now represents about 5% of the total Caribbean market and 2.5% of the worldwide market, Mazloum said.

He called the cruise line a “significant contributor” to the experiences division, with a “long runway left.”

After launching in 1998, the Disney cruise line has capitalized on the company’s virtuous cycle strategy of having parks and experiences fuel interest in its movies and TV shows, and vice versa.

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 U.S. and world to interact with Disney characters outside of 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 said.

While some have groused that Disney theme park prices have gotten too expensive, the same hasn’t 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 $728.

Only 31% of respondents said the cruises were overpriced, despite Disney cruises being about two to three times more expensive than that of competitors, according to the survey, which interviewed 20 Disney “superfans,” annual passholders, travel agents and local business owners. Though comments acknowledged that the cruises were expensive, respondents felt it was worth it because of the “all-in” price.

David Hahn of Dothan, Ala., has been on many cruises and said he was 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’ll be enjoyable with less stress.

For years, Hahn channeled his love for all things Disney through the company’s sprawling parks, visiting Walt Disney World hundreds of times. But as the magic wore off in recent years because of massive crowds and long lines, this 37-year-old waste hauling operations manager turned to cruises instead. (He also worked at Disney’s resorts for several years until 2020.)

He’s taken three Disney cruise trips so far, sailing to the Bahamas aboard Disney ships and in 2019 proposing to his now-wife, April, aboard the Disney Dream. The crew helped him get his room ready for the proposal, with rose petals, champagne and towels shaped into hearts and animals.

“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,” said Hahn. “You’re going to pay for it, of course, ... but you’re going to get what you pay for.”

 

[Karin1984]

My brother just texted me a picture of the Disney Treasure. They are in the North of the Netherlands at the moment and came across the ship in the distance.

It would take me about 3,5 hours to travel there. If it's still there this weekend, I might go and have a look myself.

 

[MalvernPa]

Here’s the article @MalvernPa referenced:

Disney is doubling its fleet of cruise ships. What that says about the company’s strategy​

By Samantha MasunagaStaff Writer
Oct. 23, 2024 3 AM PT

When Cal State Fullerton professor 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 was hooked. She booked another Disney cruise to the Mexican Riviera aboard the Disney Wonder with her mom 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 vacationers like Stein, and it’s 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 Anaheim.

“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 fact that the company is investing heavily in the cruise line indicates that it sees future opportunity there, said Brent Penter, associate analyst at investment banking firm Raymond James. He expects Disney’s capital expenditures to rise 27% to $7 billion companywide next year, an increase driven primarily by final payments for the new ships.

Penter said the ships are “billion-dollar investments,” but they’re worth the expense.

“It’s a business that’s still small enough that demand really outstrips supply,” he said. “We think they’re doing the smart thing by investing in this business so that they can serve a lot more of that demand.”

Though 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 Burbank media and entertainment giant doesn’t break out financial results for the cruise line, but Raymond James estimates it brings in about $3 billion a year, comprising 3% of Disney’s overall 2023 revenue.

Disney in August said the cruise line, among other segments, had “improved results” compared to the prior year for Disney’s fiscal third quarter while its overall “experiences” division reported a 3% decrease in operating income. (That division includes the theme parks, merchandise and travel and leisure offerings such as the Aulani resort and spa in Hawaii.)

Disney is willing to take a short-term financial hit from its investment in an expanded fleet. The company warned analysts during its third-quarter earnings call that its fourth-quarter results would reflect pre-launch costs for two of its new ships.

“The business, even prior to COVID, ... continues to generate double-digit return on investment for our shareholders,” said 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% to 31.7 million, compared to 29.7 million in 2019, according to a May report from the Cruise Lines International Assn. trade group. By 2027, the number of cruise passengers is expected to reach nearly 40 million.

“It’s part of the total pent-up demand for tourism coming out of COVID,” said Andrew Coggins, Jr., 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’s 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.

For Disney, that’s meant adding new routes, particularly in the Asia market, and new onboard attractions. The company now represents about 5% of the total Caribbean market and 2.5% of the worldwide market, Mazloum said.

He called the cruise line a “significant contributor” to the experiences division, with a “long runway left.”

After launching in 1998, the Disney cruise line has capitalized on the company’s virtuous cycle strategy of having parks and experiences fuel interest in its movies and TV shows, and vice versa.

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 U.S. and world to interact with Disney characters outside of 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 said.

While some have groused that Disney theme park prices have gotten too expensive, the same hasn’t 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 $728.

Only 31% of respondents said the cruises were overpriced, despite Disney cruises being about two to three times more expensive than that of competitors, according to the survey, which interviewed 20 Disney “superfans,” annual passholders, travel agents and local business owners. Though comments acknowledged that the cruises were expensive, respondents felt it was worth it because of the “all-in” price.

David Hahn of Dothan, Ala., has been on many cruises and said he was 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’ll be enjoyable with less stress.

For years, Hahn channeled his love for all things Disney through the company’s sprawling parks, visiting Walt Disney World hundreds of times. But as the magic wore off in recent years because of massive crowds and long lines, this 37-year-old waste hauling operations manager turned to cruises instead. (He also worked at Disney’s resorts for several years until 2020.)

He’s taken three Disney cruise trips so far, sailing to the Bahamas aboard Disney ships and in 2019 proposing to his now-wife, April, aboard the Disney Dream. The crew helped him get his room ready for the proposal, with rose petals, champagne and towels shaped into hearts and animals.

“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,” said Hahn. “You’re going to pay for it, of course, ... but you’re going to get what you pay for.”

Did you read the entire article?

 

[asgur5]

Sorry, I beg to differ. There are barely (if at all) any direct flights from Asian cities to MCO, but TONS of direct flights to Changi from all corners of East and SE Asia in under 6 hours. The population there is much, much larger than North America and the demand is definitely high for the first ever Disney ship in Asia, within easy reach. The sailings from Australia are still a 9+hrs flight for many of these countries so we can't really compare how those have done to a brand new market with potential.

Yeah there is a lot of people in asean who are within a flight of 3-4 hours. They arent people who can afford disney cruises. Asean have a gdp per capita of 5000 usd. This compares to usa of 85000 and singapore of 84000. These people dont have the money.

Japans a big rich market. But its roughly the same distance from australia as singapore (maybe an hour different). Both markets have similar amount of japanese tourists each year. There arent many japanese people coming down to australia to visit the wonder.

That leaves the chinese market. Maybe it will work. I doubt it though given there are three disney parks all closer to china then singapore. If you want a disney trip you are going to those places from china. Not a 3-4 day disney cruise all the way over in singapore. Do many americans on the east coast fly to the west coast for a disney cruise? Maybe if the cruise was longer and went to hong kong it might attract a whole heap of chinese disney tourists as a joint trip. But that aint happening.

 

[jwalk03]

I’m sure Disney did tons of research before committing multi-billion dollars to this ship and agreeing to a 5-year deal. So I am going to assume there are plenty of customers that can in fact afford to book these Disney cruises to nowhere from Singapore.

 

[Lucien Franciosa]

Yeah there is a lot of people in asean who are within a flight of 3-4 hours. They arent people who can afford disney cruises. Asean have a gdp per capita of 5000 usd. This compares to usa of 85000 and singapore of 84000. These people dont have the money.

Numbers can be misleading. Gdp per capita is only an average it doesn't give us information on economic distribution (from a total of $3.8 Trillion). We are talking about over 670 million people, in the world's fifth largest economy and is one of the world's fastest growing economies. It is also a young population with over 325 million, or more than the total population of the USA, being under the age of 35... certainly a target market. But more, it doesn't even pass the sniff test, if there is no money in Asean, how they can afford airplane travel which is not cheap? That implies an affluent subpopulation. It can't all be tourists. Remember the original comment was about how much air travel there was.

 

[asgur5]

Numbers can be misleading. Gdp per capita is only an average it doesn't give us information on economic distribution (from a total of $3.8 Trillion). We are talking about over 670 million people, in the world's fifth largest economy and is one of the world's fastest growing economies. It is also a young population with over 325 million, or more than the total population of the USA, being under the age of 35... certainly a target market. But more, it doesn't even pass the sniff test, if there is no money in Asean, how they can afford airplane travel which is not cheap? That implies an affluent subpopulation. It can't all be tourists. Remember the original comment was about how much air travel there was.

A 2 hour flight costs 150 dollars. A disney cruise is in the thousands. disney cruise prices are luxury cruise prices.

Who knows, maybe the singapore cruise will be way cheaper then disney usually offers.

 

[Lucien Franciosa]

A 2 hour flight costs 150 dollars. A disney cruise is in the thousands. disney cruise prices are luxury cruise prices.

Who knows, maybe the singapore cruise will be way cheaper then disney usually offers.

I knew that would be your reply, point is there are people with money, $150 is still a lot for someone with none, and suggests there are those with plenty such that air traffic is routine. And out of a population of over 600 million are you going to say Disney can’t routinely fill one big boat? lol

 

[LAX]

A 2 hour flight costs 150 dollars. A disney cruise is in the thousands. disney cruise prices are luxury cruise prices.

Who knows, maybe the singapore cruise will be way cheaper then disney usually offers.

Not sure about Singapore specifically, but Disney still has pretty strong "brand image" in most of Asia. Many people from there are willing to pay top dollars for a Disney vacation. I don't know how well that would translate into a Disney cruise, though.

LAX

 

[scroogie]

A 2 hour flight costs 150 dollars. A disney cruise is in the thousands. disney cruise prices are luxury cruise prices.

Who knows, maybe the singapore cruise will be way cheaper then disney usually offers.

The resort hotels at the Asian parks are routinely sold out, including deluxe properties that cost an arm and a leg.

 

[auntlynne]

Did you read the entire article?

Not a word. I was just trying to make it available for those that don’t like to follow links. (Edit: maybe I did. I remember seeing Dothan, AL, in the text. Or was it just when copying and pasting).

Is it any good or informative?

The Adventure and the long pier at LC are topics which seem to have firm camps - and too combative for my reading pleasure.

When I suggested some might like to combine a 3-night Adventure with a different cruise line doing port stops from Singapore - since it’s a long-haul for many of us, there was such pushback that I just opted to stop commenting. Although I did continue to read. And maybe I didn’t communicate my point well.

I’ve had two Eastern hemisphere vacations and enough DCL cruises that I am not really following this new ship. I don’t want to get more wanderlust.

Sorry for my rant.

 

[HyperspaceMountainPilot]

Someone asked if people would fly East Coast to West Coast for a Disney cruise (this happens all the time every summer for Alaska cruises) and my family, despite living within an hour of Disneyland, flys 5 hours to MCO/FLL once or twice a year to do DCL sailings to the private islands. If this ship is truly unique, I think it will get a lot of Disney fans world wide who want to tack on 3 days to a visit to Tokyo or HK or Shanghai.

I think it’s possible that they may need to occasionally have more aggressive discounts on the standard cabins, but I don’t think they will have any trouble filling the high end suites (I hope I’m wrong though because I would love to have the chance to upgrade cheaply).

 

[Karin1984]

I decided to take the train to Eemshaven, one of the most Northern parts of the Netherlands.

Here the Disney Treasure is docked. Now let's see how close I can get to the ship.

 

[Karin1984]

She is big, beautiful and ready, by the looks of it. Spoke to a local and the Disney Treasure might leave on the 29th.

The big screen is working, the curtains are up in the staterooms. Saw some crew walking around.

Pictures from my phone. Got better ones on my camera.

 

[Duckbug.Ducktales]

She is big, beautiful and ready, by the looks of it. Spoke to a local and the Disney Treasure might leave on the 29th.

The big screen is working, the curtains are up in the staterooms. Saw some crew walking around.

Pictures from my phone. Got better ones on my camera.

View attachment 907136

View attachment 907135

Love, love the Peter Pan and Hook scene in the back. Thank you for sharing!

Has this made you want to go on it? (If you weren't booked on it already)

 

[Anku]

Someone asked if people would fly East Coast to West Coast for a Disney cruise (this happens all the time every summer for Alaska cruises) and my family, despite living within an hour of Disneyland, flys 5 hours to MCO/FLL once or twice a year to do DCL sailings to the private islands. If this ship is truly unique, I think it will get a lot of Disney fans world wide who want to tack on 3 days to a visit to Tokyo or HK or Shanghai.

I think it’s possible that they may need to occasionally have more aggressive discounts on the standard cabins, but I don’t think they will have any trouble filling the high end suites (I hope I’m wrong though because I would love to have the chance to upgrade cheaply).

Singapore isn't that close to Tokyo and Shanghai, flight times are 7hrs & 6hrs respectively, so longer than flying between LA and Orlando. So if someone wants to do both Tokyo& Singapore it's because they're already planning to do a full fly around Asia trip, not because Singapore is near so they might as well tack it on.

Singapore is actually slightly closer to Perth in Australia. Depending on airline and timing, it may even be cheaper for Perth residents to fly to Singapore to do the Adventure than fly to Sydney to do the Wonder.

 

[JM_97]

She is big, beautiful and ready, by the looks of it. Spoke to a local and the Disney Treasure might leave on the 29th.

The big screen is working, the curtains are up in the staterooms. Saw some crew walking around.

Pictures from my phone. Got better ones on my camera.

View attachment 907136

View attachment 907135

The Wish was impacted by the pandemic so I'm hoping the Treasure has a smoother start. I was originally critical of DCL's shift to IP heavy ships (compared to the Magic, Wonder, Dream, Fantasy) but it's slowly growing on me.

 

[Karin1984]

Love, love the Peter Pan and Hook scene in the back. Thank you for sharing!

Has this made you want to go on it? (If you weren't booked on it already)

I am curious about the new ships, but I am not in a rush. I still need to tick off the Dream and the Fantasy.

But it was fun to see a bit of Disney in the Netherlands.

 

[Duckbug.Ducktales]

The Wish was impacted by the pandemic so I'm hoping the Treasure has a smoother start. I was originally critical of DCL's shift to IP heavy ships (compared to the Magic, Wonder, Dream, Fantasy) but it's slowly growing on me.

The first ships are so pretty in that the beaux arts/art deco theme goes throughout almost all the spaces. But so long as I can still have access to those older ones, I don't mind having something different in the new ones.