Article from the Sentinel: Disney to add 2 ships to fleet They will be bigger than the Magic and Wonder, and will sail in '11 and '12. Beth Kassab | Sentinel Staff Writer Posted February 23, 2007 Walt Disney Co. announced Thursday that it has commissioned two new cruise ships, doubling its fleet after years of waiting for the right time to expand its cruise business. "We've always said that a number of factors needed to come together for us to move forward, not the least of which was the contract price we could negotiate with the shipyard," said Jay Rasulo, chairman of Walt Disney Parks and Resorts. "What has never been in doubt is the success of the business. This is a very successful business for us, one we always looked to for expansion." The company said it signed a letter of intent with German shipyard Meyer Werft to build new 122,000-ton liners that will be two decks taller than the two original ships known as the Disney Magic and the Disney Wonder. Disney would not say how much the ships are expected to cost, but dropped the Italian builder it used in the past. The new ships are scheduled to launch in 2011 and 2012, and Disney is keeping quiet so far on where they will be based. Last year Disney announced new Mediterranean itineraries based in Barcelona, Spain, to begin this summer, raising the possibility that at least one of the ships will be stationed there. The Disney Magic will sail a 14-day voyage from Port Canaveral to Europe, where it will stay from May until August. Rasulo said the European cruises have sold well and said the company would consider bundling cruise packages with stays at Disneyland Paris if they position a ship in Barcelona full time. "We have had guests inquire . . . ," Rasulo said. "If we decide to have a more permanent presence there, it's certainly something we'll look at." Also in question is what type of presence Disney will maintain at Port Canaveral, its homeport where Disney operates a large cruise terminal and where the Magic and Wonder have spent the most time since the cruise line launched in 1998. The company's contract with the port expires in 2008. Rasulo, however, said the company intends to maintain a strong presence in the Caribbean, where it owns an island it calls Castaway Cay. In recent years the company has also experimented at the Port of Los Angeles with voyages to the Mexican Rivera. The Magic spent the summer there in 2005. "I think the beauty of a cruise line is the flexibility and mobility that it provides in terms of where the ships wind up," Rasulo said. Disney currently carries about 262,000 cruise passengers a year, and the new ships will more than double that capacity. According to industry projections, 12.6 million people will set sail on a cruise this year, about 500,000 more than in 2006. The projected 4 percent growth this year is slower than the increase from 2005 to 2006, which grew by 1 million passengers, according to the Cruise Line International Association. With fierce competition among cruise lines, Disney is hoping to position itself as the ultimate getaway for families. "We continue to see the cruise industry as a real growth industry," Rasulo said. "We see many, many families who are first-time cruisers. . . . I'm absolutely certain that they will be back to sail with us again."
