Getting closer to a third Disney Cruise Line ship
So now we get to the end of the intriguing information in the Wall Street Journal article that we’ve been discussing today. (Read the two posts below for the rest) This has to do with further confirmation of an impending expansion to the Disney Cruise Line fleet…
More concrete are plans for the cruise lines. Mr. Rasulo says that business could double in the next few years, with a “few more cruise ships.” Disney has been waiting for better contract terms and prices before going ahead with more ships, although it is likely to approve some soon. Disney Cruise Line now accounts for between 5% and 8% of the division’s $10 billion annual revenue.
For years, Disney has expressed the intention to launch a third ship. The answer always was that changes in the exchange rate made the cost of a third ship too high, and that they would wait. According to this, that seems to have changed, and a new ship should be announced soon. I have yet to hear from anyone that contracts have gone out to build the ship, so if an announcement were made in the near future it would still be quite some time off.
But one has to wonder why Disney is doing this. The plans are “more concrete”, yet it is “likely to approve some soon”? Then why mention this so publicly? In fact, why are they mentioning any of this at all? They are making it clear that these are just ideas and no plans are anywhere near set. Then what is gained from revealing all these plans? Isn’t this just setting Disney fans up for possible disappointment and the Disney Company for severe criticism if these plans are never realized?
Mike said,
February 10, 2007 @ 2:00 pm
This ship would be a West Coast ship, would it not?
David said,
February 11, 2007 @ 8:46 pm
Yes, that appears to be the case. But the launch of this ship is years away, so things can change. It would make sense either way. Using a ship to do summer cruise out of New York would also be a cash cow.