A few weeks ago, Disney Fanatic reported that Disney Cruise Line had officially registered in Australia, opening up the real possibility for the cruising segment of Disney Parks Experiences and Products to expand “Down Under.”
At the time, our coverage was fact-based speculation, with no recent official word on the matter coming from Disney. But, just a few days ago, Disney Cruise Line’s Vice President of Marketing and Sales International, Jeff van Langeveld, spoke with Cruise Weekly and openly expressed Disney Cruise Line’s desire to make the expansion happen.
“We will need to expand beyond our current itineraries and markets,” he confirmed. “Australia and New Zealand are big cruise markets with a strong affinity for Disney, so naturally that’s going to be a big focus for us going forward.”
Having a home port in the Australian reaches of the South Pacific also opens the possibilities for Disney Cruise Line to venture to nearby destinations like the Great Barrier Reef, Indonesia, Vietnam, and Singapore.
The Disney Cruise Line fleet currently operates four ships, the Disney Magic, Disney Wonder, Disney Dream, and Disney Fantasy, with a fifth ship, the Disney Wish, delivered from , and expected to arrive in Port Canaveral, Florida, for her maiden voyage later this summer. Two other Triton-Class cruise ships are expected to follow the Wish into service in 2024 and 2025. Current sailing operations are underway in the Caribbean, Europe (the Mediterranean and Northern Europe), as well as Alaska, the American West Coast, Baja, the Panama Canal, and Hawaii. But, more ships mean the ability to take more passengers to more places.
van Langeveld also clarified that many Disney Cruise Line passengers are “new-to-cruise clients” driven by the strong Disney Brand. This statistic suggests Disney Cruise Line has no fear of breaking into a new Disney-hungry market.
We at Disney Fanatic will continue to monitor this story, and we will update our readers on this and other Disney Cruise Line news as more developments come to light.