Captain Minnie poses on board Disney’s newest cruise ship The Wish.
Disney
ເປັນເວລານຶ່ງທົດສະວັດແລ້ວ Disney has expanded its cruise fleet. Its newest addition, set to launch in a couple weeks, is a 1,119-foot floating theme park.
The Disney Wish is one of more than 30 ships from a variety of leaders in the cruise space expected to debut before the end of 2022, and dozens more are slated to join the seas through 2027.
The fifth addition to the company’s fleet of cruise liners, The Wish is scheduled to make its maiden voyage from Port Canaveral, Florida, to Castaway Cay, Disney’s private island in the Bahamas, on July 14.
The Wish sets sail at a time of transition and recovery for the cruise industry, which was battered by the pandemic and health restrictions. In addition to headwinds from guests, who have been slow to return to on-sea vacationing, the industry now faces economic pressures from rising ຄ່າໃຊ້ຈ່າຍນໍ້າມັນເຊື້ອໄຟ ແລະ ອັດຕາເງິນເຟີ້.
Disney is betting that franchises like Marvel and “Frozen,” as well as innovative spins on classic cruise experiences, will entice travelers back to the high seas.
Beyond typical Disney flourishes on cupcakes and candy apples, the Wish’s Star Wars-inspired Hyperspace Lounge boasts a $5,000 Kaiburr Crystal drink served in a camtono, a container often used by bounty hunters in the space opera franchise. It’s unclear what is in the drink, but it has become one of the most talked-about facets of the Wish after members of the media were given a test cruise of the ship this week.
Other, less expensive experiences include a “Frozen” sing-along dinner and a Marvel dining experience. The ship also has the first ever Disney attraction on board, the AquaMouse.
While overall passenger numbers are set to exceed pre-pandemic levels by the end of 2023, the cruise industry has never had the same pricing power as other travel and hospitality sectors, leading some analysts to raise concerns about short-term recoverability of the overall business. Especially, as rival brands like Carnival are saddled with three-times as much a debt as they had before the pandemic.
Arendelle: A Frozen Dining Adventure is Disney’s first “Frozen”-themed theatrical dining experience, bringing the kingdom of Arendelle to life through immersive live entertainment — featuring favorite characters like Elsa, Anna, Kristoff and Olaf — and world-class cuisine infused with Nordic influences.
Disney | Matt Stroshane
“Getting back to that financial position where you can play offense rather and playing defense or being in survival mode, it’s just a longer climb,” said David Katz, an analyst at Jefferies.
Royal Caribbean’s stock is down around 61% compared to the same time last year and Carnival is down around 68%.
Disney has a little more wiggle room because its overall business is much more diverse. The company operates a media empire as well as hotels, theme parks and cruises.
Disney does not separate out its cruise business when reporting earnings. Instead, it is wrapped up in its parks, experiences and products segment, which saw revenues more than double to $6.7 billion during the fiscal second quarter, compared to the prior-year period. For comparison, this segment generated $6.2 billion during the same quarter in 2019.
Shares of Disney are down around 66% compared to the same time last year.
Cruising the high seas
Immersive dining experience
Like Disney’s newest immersive hotel, the Galactic Starcruiser in Florida, the Disney Wish offers interactive and immersive storytelling at several of its restaurants.
It’s “Frozen”-based dining experience is essentially a theater-in-the-round, with tables instead of stadium seating. The dinner is a celebration of the engagement of Anna and Kristoff and features singing and dancing from the pair alongside Elsa, Olaf and Oaken. The menu is inspired by Nordic cuisine.
Worlds of Marvel is the first-ever Marvel cinematic dining adventure, where guests play an interactive role in an action-packed Avengers mission that unfolds around them, complete with a worldly menu inspired by the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Disney | Amy Smith
Its Worlds of Marvel cinematic dining adventure brings guests along on an Avengers mission centered around Ant-Man and the Wasp, who offer to show diners the latest Pym technology. The Quantum Core enabled the shrinking and growing of things, but the demonstration doesn’t go according to plan and an unexpected villain arrives to steal the technology.
Ant-Man and the Wasp team up with other Avengers like Captain American and Captain Marvel to stop them.
For Star Wars fans of legal age, Disney’s Wish has the Hyperspace Lounge, a high-end bar designed to replicate the luxurious yacht-class spaceship owned by Dryden Vos in “Solo.”
For the first time on a Disney ship, guests embark on a space-jumping tour of the Star Wars galaxy at Star Wars: Hyperspace Lounge, a high-end bar styled as a luxurious yacht-class spaceship aboard the Disney Wish.
Disney | Amy Smith
Here, guests are served signature beverages inspired by destinations in the Star Wars universe, including jungle planet Batuu, desert planet Tatooine and lava planet Mustafar – which is also known as the home of Darth Vader. While they sip cocktails and test out the tasting menu, ships can be seen out the viewport jumping to lightspeed.
ການສະເຫນີທີ່ເປັນເອກະລັກ
In addition to the AquaMouse, there are six pools staggered among several tiered decks.
“We know we have got something very powerful here,” said D’Amaro.