Due to the devastating impact of Hurricane Ian in Florida, bookings opened even earlier today for the highly prized Disney Cruise Line Australia and New Zealand season on Disney Wonder sailing from Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and Auckland in 2023.
Prior to bookings going on sale today, Flight Centre Travel Group had already reported a pre-sale waitlist of up to 25,000 interested parties earlier in the week.
Creative Cruising General Manager Caroline Hitchen said, Our thoughts are with the Disney family and all those affected by Hurricane Ian. Due to operational impacts, Disney brought forward their general release times, and we have been working to support our Agency partner bookings from 01.30 am this morning.”
“Creative Cruising has seen incredible demand for the Disney Wonder sailings, a phenomenal market response here in Australia and New Zealand. It is fantastic to see the cruise industry continue its strong recovery in 2022.
“The team and network of Agents have been working around the clock, fuelled by coffee and a little bit of the Disney Magic, to make as many dreams come true as possible!” added Ms Hitchen.
Countless agents all over Australia also reported a late night and early morning as they successfully secured bookings for their clients.
On Tuesday night, Disney Cruise Line held a VIP Gala launch at The Sydney Opera House for media and travel suppliers.
The spectacular event featured photo opportunities aplenty, an appearance from Captain Mickey and Minnie and a live performance from Ricki-Lee, who sang several Disney classics.
Speaking at the event about why Disney had chosen to bring the magic down under, Thomas Mazloum, President, New Experiences Portfolio and Disney Signature Experiences, said, “As we were going through our sense of how to deploy these new ships, we were really looking all around the world and I hands down I have to tell you all that everyone within our organisation said it’s got to be Australia and New Zealand. It’s got to be this magical place.”
“Why is that? Over the years, we’ve clearly seen the affinity for Disney within Australia and New Zealand. We see and have experienced so many more people coming to our parks around the world and we finally decided to bring the magic. It’s time to do it.
“We didn’t just want to come to Australia and New Zealand to take you to other places in Australia and New Zealand. We really wanted to give people the opportunity to experience all the great things about the Disney stories, whether it’s the stories about Disney, Pixar, Marvel, Star Wars, or anything you can possibly imagine that makes a Disney cruise,” added Mazloum.
Thanking the crowd at the event, Mazloum said, “I promise you all we are going to make our fans in Australia and New Zealand very, very happy. We are thrilled to introduce the magic of Disney to this wonderful, beautiful place here on earth.”
The ‘Disney Magic at Sea’ sailings will offer an enchanting holiday experience with beloved characters from Disney, Marvel, Pixar and Star Wars on board, plus imaginative dining and spectacular entertainment – all in one cruise.
The exclusive cruises aboard Disney Wonder range from two to six nights, departing from four home ports: Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and Auckland, for the first time.
The inaugural sailing departs Sydney on 28 October 2023.
For more info, head to DisneyCruiseLine.com/AUNZ
