Disney Cruise Line will soon be operating one of the biggest cruise ships in the world, and now we know where its base of operations will be.
In the latter half of 2022, we learned that Disney Cruise Line purchased the incomplete behemoth Global Dream from a failing cruise company. Sporting 208,000 gross tons, it will be the biggest ship in the Disney fleet by a long stretch–far larger than the Triton-Class ships such as the Disney Wish and the upcoming Disney Treasure. But in announcing the acquisition of the Global Dream, they made it clear that it would not serve any Western markets. Now we know that Disney Cruise Line will use this ship to launch services out of Singapore!
Under a recently signed Memorandum of Understanding, Disney Cruise Line and Singapore Tourism Board agreed to collaborate to homeport a brand-new Disney cruise ship exclusively in Singapore for at least five years beginning in 2025.
“This is a very exciting year for The Walt Disney Company — 2023 marks our 100th anniversary,” D’Amaro said. “As part of this, Disney Cruise Line is currently undergoing an ambitious expansion with new ships and new destinations around the world. We are incredibly excited to make Singapore the home port to our seventh-launched ship, which will sail from here year-round starting in 2025.”
This new ship, still unnamed, is expected to have a capacity for 6,000 passengers and 2,300 crew. Singapore has already made a name for itself as a cruise port with other western cruise lines like Royal Caribbean International and offers easy access to the wonderous region of Southeast Asia from the coast of India to the islands of Indonesia and over 40 UNESCO World Heritage Sites. We at Disney Fanatic previously speculated that Singapore could be the home for this new ship, but we had no confirmation until now.
“We look forward to welcoming the magic of Disney Cruise Line to Singapore in 2025,” said Keith Tan, Chief Executive, Singapore Tourism Board (STB). “This is an important milestone for STB and reflects Disney Cruise Line’s strong confidence in Singapore and Southeast Asia. The new Disney cruise ship will be an attraction itself and is expected to boost the tourism sector in Singapore for many years to come.”
Disney’s announcement of expansion into Singapore and Southeast Asia comes on the heels of its expansion into Australia and New Zealand with the Disney Wonder and the unveiling of the newest private destination Lighthouse Point on the Bahamian Island of Eleuthera.
It goes without saying that this is a time of unprecedented expansion for Disney Cruise Line, and we at Disney Fanatic will continue to update our readers as more developments come to light.