USA: Disney Cruise Line Announces Two New Ships

Disney Cruise Line’s fleet continues to grow: As the shipping company, a subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company, announced a few days ago, two new family cruise liners will set sail in 2021 and 2023. Like their predecessors “Disney Dream” (cf. EAP, issue 1/2010) and “Disney Fantasy” the new ships will be built at Germany's Meyer Werft shipyard, located in the city of Papenburg. Along with the “Disney Magic” and “Disney Wonder” cruise ships, which have already sailed the world's oceans since 1998 and 1999, the Disney fleet will then comprise a total of six ships. “We pride ourselves on the unforgettable vacation experiences we deliver to our guests each and every day, and the expansion of our Disney fleet will allow us to create even more magical memories for families at sea and in incredible cruise destinations around the world,” says Robert A. Iger, Chairman and CEO of The Walt Disney Company.

With approximately 135,000 gross tons each, the two new ships will be slightly larger than the Disney Dream and the Disney Fantasy. Each ship is currently planned to include about 1,250 guest staterooms. While design plans, ship names and itineraries are still in development, the Walt Disney Imagineering team is already working on the creation of new exciting family experiences for the two cruise liners. More details about the new ships will be announced at a later date. (eap)