DCL | New Ships, New Cruise Itineraries

Started by Dlrpfan, October 21, 2007, 03:00:12 PM

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Dlrpfan

Slightly old news but it had not been reported on the forum

QuoteBURBANK, Calif., (February 22, 2007) -- The Walt Disney Company (NYSE: DIS) plans to expand its successful cruise business by adding two new ocean liners, President and CEO Bob Iger announced today. Scheduled to launch in 2011 and 2012, the ships will more than double the passenger capacity for Disney Cruise Line to meet the sustained demand for Disney's family cruise vacations.

The company signed a letter of intent with Meyer Werft shipyard, based in Papenburg, Germany, to negotiate a contract to build the 122,000-ton new cruise liners, which will be two decks taller than the existing 83,000-ton ships, the Disney Magic and the Disney Wonder. Each ship will have 1,250 staterooms. Specific design plans and itineraries for the yet-unnamed ships are still in development and will be unveiled at a later date.

"Since our maiden voyage in 1998, Disney Cruise Line has been a huge success for our guests and for our shareholders alike," Iger said. "It has brought our unparalleled family vacation experience to the high seas, and has also generated high margins and double digit returns on invested capital. We're excited to announce the expansion of our fleet, which is a logical next step in what is a real growth business for us."

Disney Cruise Line established the family market within the cruise industry when the business launched in 1998. The first two ships were purpose built for families to reconnect and recharge while creating vacation memories that will last a lifetime. From a theater featuring live musical spectaculars to a luxurious spa for adults and nearly an entire deck dedicated to children's activities, the ships offer something for every member of the family. Disney Cruise Line continues to grow by attracting passengers who say they would not have cruised if it hadn't been for the Disney brand.

"Focusing on families has been smart business for us," said Jay Rasulo, Chairman of Walt Disney Parks and Resorts. "More than 95 percent of Disney Cruise Line guests rate their cruise experience as excellent or very good. Families know they can trust us to provide a quality, immersive Disney experience. As a result, Disney Cruise Line continually sets sail with the highest load factors in the industry of nearly 150 percent."

Similar to the original Disney Cruise Line ships, the new ships will be a modern interpretation of classic ocean liners of the 1930s. Disney Imagineers drew their inspiration from the original trans-Atlantic ships that featured a dramatic black hull with two funnels and porthole windows. The profile of the ships, with its gentle curves at the stern combined with sleek angles at the bow, are reminiscent of the art deco designs of the era. To add whimsy to the classic design, the Disney ships have the same exterior color palette as Mickey Mouse with black, white, red and yellow. The new ships will feature elegant, detailed Disney scrollwork at the bow and will evoke images of the glamour of the golden age of cruising.

Tom McAlpin, the President of Disney Cruise Line, said, "This is an exciting time for Disney Cruise Line, and we are looking forward to working with Meyer Werft to blend our innovation and creativity with their fine craftsmanship. Meyer Werft has a long tradition of building magnificent ships. We are confident that the result will be ships that take the immersive Disney family-focused cruise experience to an entirely new level."

New itineraries

Disney Cruise Line, which traditionally offers 3-, 4- and 7-night Caribbean cruises, has also enjoyed strong demand for new itineraries. Trips to the Mediterranean and to the West Coast have recently set booking records within the company and booked 30-50 percent faster than the existing itineraries at higher prices.

"With a larger fleet, we'll have greater flexibility to offer a variety of itineraries," Rasulo said. "This is a business that our guests love, and we're pleased to give them more options to explore the world with Disney with two new ships."
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Dan
Remember Dreams Come True! \":mickey2:\"

[size=100]\'We Keep Moving Forward\' [/i][/size] - Walt Disney

Disneyland Resort - 2007 2010
Walt Disney World - 2001 2003 2005 2006 2008 2009 2011 2012/2013
Disneyland Paris - 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2004 2005 2007
Disney Cruise Line - Disney Wonder: 2008 2009 Disney Dream: 2011 Disney Fantasy: 2012

Alpop

#1
I'm starting to wonder where all the money is coming from. 2 new ships, re building DCA, new DVC and DLRP is spending like crazy.

Hmmmm?

Dlrpfan

#2
Quote from: "Alpop"I'm starting to wonder where all the money is coming from. 2 new ships, re building DCA, new DVC and DLRP is spending like crazy.

Hmmmm?
Maybe Disney found the weee pott of gold at the end of the rainbow  :lol:
Dan
Remember Dreams Come True! \":mickey2:\"

[size=100]\'We Keep Moving Forward\' [/i][/size] - Walt Disney

Disneyland Resort - 2007 2010
Walt Disney World - 2001 2003 2005 2006 2008 2009 2011 2012/2013
Disneyland Paris - 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2004 2005 2007
Disney Cruise Line - Disney Wonder: 2008 2009 Disney Dream: 2011 Disney Fantasy: 2012

Dlrpfan

#3
Done a little digging today and ound a little more info
http://www.meyerwerft.com/page.asp?lang ... 0&did=1396

http://redaktion.meyer-neptun.de/exfile ... sney-e.pdf
The names of the ships are stll unknown
Dan
Remember Dreams Come True! \":mickey2:\"

[size=100]\'We Keep Moving Forward\' [/i][/size] - Walt Disney

Disneyland Resort - 2007 2010
Walt Disney World - 2001 2003 2005 2006 2008 2009 2011 2012/2013
Disneyland Paris - 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2004 2005 2007
Disney Cruise Line - Disney Wonder: 2008 2009 Disney Dream: 2011 Disney Fantasy: 2012

AmericanMouse

#4
Ships number three and four are rumored to be dubbed Disney Wishes and Disney Dreams as per their current theming as of 6/19/08.

Anthony

#5
Ahaaa! They're finally advertising Disney Cruise Line to us!

http://www2.disney.co.uk/wdtc/disneyint ... 09/cruise/
...

experiment627

#6
Quote from: "Anthony"Ahaaa! They're finally advertising Disney Cruise Line to us!

http://www2.disney.co.uk/wdtc/disneyint ... 09/cruise/

As the US-market has some, uhm, problems right now, they better have too.  :wink:

Might be tempted to go on that cruise that stops at Helsinki (for professional reasons, actually... though I guess it will be hard to convince my boss of that...  :wink: )

Thomas_626

#7
a tad too expensive, perhaps at some point in the future  :)

Dlrpfan

#8
Just a little update that im sure you have alredy heared about, Bob Iger announced at the annual shareholders meating that the new ships are to be called the Disney Dream and Disney Fantasy.
www.cruisesarefun.com/archives/314

Also the Disney Wonder will be moved from it's homeport in Port Canaveral to Los Angeles in 2011, and will be replaced by the Disney Dream.
http://www.cruisecritic.co.uk/news/news.cfm%3FID%3D3148
Dan
Remember Dreams Come True! \":mickey2:\"

[size=100]\'We Keep Moving Forward\' [/i][/size] - Walt Disney

Disneyland Resort - 2007 2010
Walt Disney World - 2001 2003 2005 2006 2008 2009 2011 2012/2013
Disneyland Paris - 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2004 2005 2007
Disney Cruise Line - Disney Wonder: 2008 2009 Disney Dream: 2011 Disney Fantasy: 2012

dagobert

#9
Construction of the new Disney Dream ship started:

http://www.abendblatt.de/wirtschaft/haf ... Dream.html

dagobert

#10
Allears.net posted some news about the expansion of Castaway Cay. Take a look.

http://land.allears.net/blogs/dnews/200 ... ng_mo.html

Is there anybody on this forum who has already been on a Disney Cruise and on Castaway Cay?

Owain

#11
Ahhhh, ive always been intrested in ships so im keeping my eyes and ears on this project !

Ive been wanting disney to take advantge of castaway cay for ages now, and they finally are. The new additions sound great and amazing. Very river country, with the floating platforms  :wink:

netjack

#12
The Disney Dream will be unveilled on October 29th in New York. I guess we will see some nice little concept art popping up then :)
http://micechat.com/forums/disney-cruis ... -29-a.html

BTW: On D23 Expo Karl Holtz presented the Atrium signature-statue for the new ship: Admiral Donald Duck!

A rough picture of the statue can be seen here:
http://freizeitparkweb.de/cgi-bin/dcf/d ... &viewmode=

netjack

#13
http://www.disneycruiselineevents.com/disneydream/

Live Webcast of the Unveiling begins in about an hour...

netjack