Disney Destinations Senior Vice President Worldwide Sales & Events Javier Moreno and Vice President, Marketing & Sales International Jeff van Langeveld shared the latest US theme park and Disney Cruise Line updates with Karryon in an Australian travel trade exclusive at IPW24.
This includes a whopping USD$60 billion (around AUD$90.5 billion) investment into the parks and resorts segment in the coming decade (but no new parks are planned… yet).
“This is nearly double what we invested in the parks and the cruise ships over the last 10 years,” van Langeveld said.
Cruise newness
On the horizon, Disney Cruise Line will launch its second Australasian season later in the year after a sold-out successful first outing in 2023 with expanded itineraries aboard Disney Wonder.
Its largest ship to date, the 6,000-passenger Disney Adventure, will also homeport from Singapore in 2025, presenting more cruising opportunities for the APAC region.
“Australia and New Zealand have a very high Disney and cruise affinity and [Disney Magic at Sea sailings] started as a strategic approach to bring some Disney post-pandemic but we quickly realised the demand and sold out very quickly,” van Langeveld said.
Disney Cruise Line’s newest ship, Disney Treasure, will embark on her inaugural sailing from Fort Lauderdale on 21 December 2024.
“Disney Treasure is going to be an amazing great opportunity to live Disney and Disney Cruise Line in a whole new way with new stories that will be told aboard,” Moreno said.
The brand will also debut a second island in The Bahamas – Lookout Point – in June.
Van Langeveld describes the new island as “big ‘B’ Bahamian culture and little ‘D’ Disney” and more akin to the Aulani, A Disney Resort in Hawai’i in look and feel than the original Castaway Island.
“It will be very much a celebration of the local culture, the music, the foods of that experience,” he said.
“I think it’ll be a differentiator – people will want to both of those islands on their cruise or select a cruise that goes to one and then another one in the future.”
While there’s no plans to bring back the much-loved 10-day Disneyland Resort ticket for Aussies and Kiwis, the duo says there are lots of ways the brand continues to support the travel trade.
New for Disneyland
For instance, Aussie travellers who have not visited Disneyland Resort or Walt Disney World Resort post-pandemic will be wowed by more than 50 new or reimagined attractions opened since 2019.
These include new experiences such as Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway, Avengers Campus, Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance and reimagined rides and attractions.
The brand also has a new three-day ticket offer for Disneyland Resort in market from 29 May to early September 2024 from USD$149 (AUD$226) per child to USD$299 (AUD$452) per adult, depending on the time of visitation.
Van Langeveld said the significant investment signals a continued commitment to the evolution of the theme parks and resorts.
“It says a lot to me. It says that we are committed to these brands and these stories and they’re going to invest to make sure that it continues to be fresh and interesting.”
“I think Walt said it best: ‘Disneyland will never be completed. It will continue to grow as long as there is imagination left in the world.'”
Moreno added that the ‘Disney magic’ leaps across all cultures and countries.
“We create lifetime memories. This is really what we do. What makes it very special,” he said.
