In the 20+ years that Disney Cruise Line (DCL) has been sailing, it’s become a favorite for many. Over the years, it’s grown from 1 ship to 4, and its passengers have enjoyed sailing in the Caribbean, the Mediterranean and Alaska, among many other ports of call.
Due to the coronavirus pandemic, 3 of the DCL ships (The Disney Dream, Fantasy and Wonder) are currently docked at Port Canaveral – they have paused operations for the time being. The fourth ship, the Disney Magic, has taken crew from the other ships and is on its way to Europe to return their European crew members back home.
The process of Disney parks reopening has begun. But it appears that DCL will be the last of the Disney entities to get back to business.
Walt Disney Company CEO Bob Chapek spoke about DCL during the company’s second-quarter earnings call:
…And in terms of the cruise ship business, we agree that that will probably be the last of our travel oriented businesses to come back online
Interestingly enough, long term all of our data and our research shows that our guests will be just as interested in cruising with us long term. Obviously not in the next few months but much more resilient than any of the competitive businesses because of that love for Disney and assurance that they feel, that they trust our business to act in a responsible way to help to the extent possible protect them against some of the woes that have plagued the industry since COVID has hit.
Disney Cruise Line has officially suspended all new departures through June 18, 2020, Disney Magic Sailings through July 2, 2020 and Vancouver Sailings until the end of June. Of course, those dates are subject to change. And I suspect they will, since cruise ships that start in the U.S. can’t even begin sailing until at least July 24, and I’d bet the farm that might get extended.
Disneyland has availability for hotel reservations from July 1 onward. Walt Disney World has recently changed the availability of dates for its hotel reservations from June 1st to July 1st. That’s not to say either or both won’t be delayed to a later date, but it does suggest, if DCL will indeed be the “last” entity, that those June 18th departures are eventually going to be pushed back.
Meanwhile, Disney is in the midst of building 3 new ships. However, the company is also anticipating delays to its new-build schedule, according to an SEC filing.
“The company has credit facilities to finance three new cruise ships, which were to be delivered in 2021, 2022 and 2023 although delays are now expected as a result of the COVID-19 impact on the shipyard,” Disney stated in the filing.
*** Feature Image: Disney
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This post first appeared on Your Mileage May Vary
