Disney Cruises, which started out as more or less a sideline for the theme parks 25 years ago and is still a special kind of niche operation in the cruise world is about to get a lot bigger—but its basic appeal will still be to the Disney family-focused fan base.
Disney officials just announced plans for four more ships, on top of four that are scheduled to debut this December and next year, one of them a joint project with the Disney partner that owns Disneyland Tokyo.
When the four new ships are ready, the fleet will total thirteen, up from today’s five. That will move the line into mid-size among cruise operators. Notably, as the fleet expands, the ships are being based in more ports, expanding the market far beyond the original focus on Port Canaveral, just down the road from Disney World.
Disney is confident the market is there for its ships: “The demand on our existing cruise fleet is very, very high, so we know there’s a big opportunity here to invest aggressively in incremental cruise ships,” Disney Experiences Chairman Josh D’Amaro told USA TODAY. “We know that when guests get on one of our ships, 40, 50% of them are saying the only reason I’m cruising today is because Disney is here.”
