Disney Cruise lines set sail in Australia

[aussienetman]

https://travel.nine.com.au/latest/disney-cruise-ship-coming-to-australia-new-zealand/9a963f98-1fe8-4cfc-aac2-696c2ca0c862

For the first time ever, Disney Cruise Line is sailing Down Under with 2-, 3-, 4-, 5- and 6-night cruises from Auckland, Brisbane, Melbourne and Sydney. Embark on an unforgettable voyage immersed in the magic of Disney storytelling—from award-winning entertainment, festive deck parties and spectacular themed events to world-class dining, imaginative kids clubs and beloved Characters throughout your sailing.

The inaugural sailing of this limited season in Australia and New Zealand departs October 28, 2023, from Sydney.

Bookings open to the general public from Thursday September 29, 2022 at 8am AEST / 11am NZDT. 

For more information, visit disneycruise.com

Edited September 12, 2022 by aussienetman

[Naazon]

https://disneycruise.disney.go.com/cruises-destinations/magic-at-sea/?fbclid=IwAR2TKeTP8PXLLFN1aDbMWXTApWXBsTuR5da4GdRgR_Btdk-lK-27C1khCYM

[Slick]

Interesting to sea Disney starting to test the waters in Australia.

[Coasterjoe]

Yeah I am pumped for this! This is probably the closest we will ever get to having a Disneyland in Australia. 

[zacsta_1997]

I was extremely excited to see this news so naturally I decided to look into it.
 I had a heart attack when I saw the starting price per person for a 2 night cruise tho!!
Ive been on many cruises, And I love them. But almost $800USD, ($1160AUD) per person for 2 nights is very very very expensive. That’s $3200USD for a family of 4 to stay for 2 nights (converting it to AUD would cost this family of 4 $4650AUD, and that’s for an interior room without a window)

3 night Cruises through P&O for instance is half that price per person.  
 

I know your paying for the Disney experience. But $800USD per person compared to $400AUD per person is an extreme price hike, especially for a measly 2 nights. 

11 minutes ago, Coasterjoe said:

Yeah I am pumped for this! This is probably the closest we will ever get to having a Disneyland in Australia. 

Apparently they’re looking at a possible location in Adelaide. So we may have a Disneyland soon. 

[Coasterjoe]

7 minutes ago, zacsta_1997 said:

Apparently they’re looking at a possible location in Adelaide. So we may have a Disneyland soon. 

Yes I remember that article circulating but my feeling was it was driven more from the people here that are trying to make it happen as opposed to Disney actually being interested in building a park here. Perhaps the cruise coming here is a bit of a test for something bigger but I seriously doubt we have the capacity for a permanent Disney park especially in Adelaide. 
 

One thing ive always thought would work really well here is some sort of mini Disney attraction/park based on finding nemo at sydney harbour. But the cost of development and finding space at sydney harbour alone would be a turn off for Disney. 
 

Ive also thought that some sort of Disney roadshow that visits the showgrounds at all the major cities could be pretty cool. 

[Noll_57]

1 hour ago, Coasterjoe said:

One thing ive always thought would work really well here is some sort of mini Disney attraction/park based on finding nemo at sydney harbour. But the cost of development and finding space at sydney harbour alone would be a turn off for Disney. 

A stand-alone Disney hotel should do pretty well here too.

[Brad2912]

We’re saving for a family trip to Disneyland, which would be a first for my wife and son. This would be a fantastic intro close to home, but at those 2 nights would cost more than the return flights to LA.

so out of range of most families 

[Rivals]

A friend and i were looking into going on the cruise but we figured out very quickly just how expensive the rooms are, we found;

- cheapest room type 2 people = $2,204.68 total

- most expensive room type x2 people = $5,165,98 total

I think it’s pretty safe to say it is way too expensive.

As for visiting disneyland, i’d much rather a Six Flags or Cedar Fair park as that targets my demographic a lot more and also isn’t nearly $1000 a ticket (or whatever it is). 

[Coasterjoe]

Yeah I can respect that, Id prefer CP over Disneyland any time. I did really love Disneyland when I went there but yes, no denying how stupidly expensive it is. Personally I do think Disneyland is at least a one and done for any theme park enthusiast, but I can also see why you wouldn’t be enthusiastic paying what would be a season pass for the entire cedar fair chain for a single day in magic kingdom. 

[Tricoart]

I, for one, welcome our new insect overlords.

[Coasterjoe]

Personally I’ve always been not overly keen to go on a cruise and I fall in the camp of people that might be swayed to go on a Disney cruise and here is why. 
 

1. I have small children 

2. Disney have a certain standard of entertainment for all ages and I have never regretted spending the money to go to one of their shows/events. 
 

I just feel that a Disney cruise is not much different price wise to another cruise company, but you know Disney will do it well because its Disney. I expect a Disney cruise to be much more than just a cruise with Disney characters. It’s the whole experience that Disney bring, from the customer service, to the quality and detail in everything they do, so yes, I can relate to people who might be considering a Disney cruise when they wouldn’t consider a regular cruise. 
 

I think its unfair to assume that every adult who wants to go on a Disney cruise is a weirdo who wants a photo with Donald Duck. 

[Guest 239]

I haven't been on a DCL ship yet, but from my experience on other cruise ships and what I've researched, Disney is in a league of its own with their family-orientated cruise ships. Their dedication to family entertainment and experiences once onboard is just something you don't get with other cruise lines so I can definitely see this being popular. There is going to be a lot grandparents spoiling their grandkids this Christmas haha. 

Cost is pretty extreme compared to other lines, but considering that if you want a Disney experience you need to go overseas, for some people this will be their best opportunity to get a proper Disney holiday.

Remember - that price includes entertainment from morning to night, food, and a whole assortment of other additions. You pay a fortune on those things on a regular holiday on top of accommodation and travel so I see this as being fairly reasonable compared to the usual 'Australia Tax' we pay for less. 

Whilst touted as temporary, I highly doubt this will be last time we see DCL in Australia. Disney has been trying to tap the Australian market for decades but hasn't been able to stick the landing. This is a perfect way to get the thousands of dollars that they want from wealthy Australians without the investment of permanent infrastructure. 

 

Edited September 13, 2022 by Guest 239

[Coasterjoe]

16 minutes ago, Guest 239 said:

Cost is pretty extreme compared to other lines

 

Well yes and no, twin shares for disney start at around $790AUD for 2 day cruise and your base fare for a short cruise on most other cruises would be around $500AUD. So an additional $290 is not really a huge hike in price considering you are paying for the Disney experience.

And like you said, if you consider the price is all inclusive, thats a pretty budget holiday for a Disney themed holiday. 

[jjuttp]

What im finding the weirdest about this is that the prices are being advertised as USD. It's a cruise originating in these 2 countries and returning to these 2 countries. Why not use their currency?

[Guest 239]

43 minutes ago, jjuttp said:

What im finding the weirdest about this is that the prices are being advertised as USD. It's a cruise originating in these 2 countries and returning to these 2 countries. Why not use their currency?

A lot of cruises function in USD. Everything on Royal Caribbean is priced in USD and then they just convert it to the local currency when you pay for something. I imagine it just makes it easier from a finance perspective. 

[Chalky]

Could Ardent Leisure, owner of Dreamworld theme park located on the Gold Coast be a significant beneficiary with Disney cruise ship heading to Australia and making Brisbane  one of its destination ports. 

The miserable struggling Ardent Leisure share price may indicate market has little confidence but could ex-Disney employees and now Ardent Leisure board of directors assist this struggling organisation through their connections and potential partnership with struggling Ardent. 

1. Director Randy Garfield - 20 year Executive Vice President of Worldwide Sales & Travel Operations at Walt Disney Parks & Resorts, he led the worldwide sales, convention services, resort contact centres and distribution marketing efforts for the Disneyland Resort, Walt Disney World Resort, Disneyland Paris, Hong Kong Disneyland Resort, Shanghai Disney Resort, Disney Cruise Line, Disney Vacation Club, Adventures by Disney, Aulani-a Disney Resort & Spa in Hawaii and Golden Oak.

I note Randy has exposure and experience with Disney Cruise Line

2. Director Erin Wallace - 30 year career at the Walt Disney Company spanned many roles in Theme Parks and Resorts concluding with Executive Vice President of Operations Strategy, Planning, Revenue Management and Decision Sciences, encompassing all of Disney Parks’ domestic and international sites. After joining Disney as an industrial engineer in 1985, Erin’s roles included Senior vice President of Walt Disney World Operations where she oversaw the largest and most popular resort destination in the world, Vice President of Walt Disney World’s Magic Kingdom and General Manager for Disney’s Animal Kingdom and Disney’s All-Star Resort

Regardless, since having joined Ardent as board of directors, the Ardent Leisure (ALG:ASX) miserable share price under Mr. Wisse continues to disappoint, maybe the far in the distant two American based directors Erin and Randy can finally unveil what they have been going if anything to secure Disney to struggling Ardent and their theme park(s). 

If they can't, surely people located in Australia can step into their positions as opposed having two folks located some significant distance away from Aust.

In the meantime yeawnnnn, the share price, dark pool trading, bots seam to continue to supress this struggling ALG:ASX share price. 

 

[Chalky]

20 hours ago, Coasterjoe said:

Yeah I am pumped for this! This is probably the closest we will ever get to having a Disneyland in Australia. 

highly unlikely that Disney would apply business in South Australia, not the most travelled national and international destination preference.  Likely scenario, Queensland where the international airport will generate further influx of travellers to the region.  Furthermore, one of the Disney port destinations is Brisbane. 

Brisbane shall further benefit from improved infrastructure due to Olympics, increased hotel and caravan park facilities and surplus land (Dreamworld) would prove significantly beneficial for Disney.  

Let's not also overlook the importance of Disney undertaking film production and their investment in main production films in Queensland all making Disney and Queensland a near perfect match.  

[Coasterjoe]

This conversation has gone completely off topic. Why the hell are we justifying how people should spend their money? People spending to go on Disney cruises is no different to us spending on theme parks. It’s about investing in what fills your bucket of happiness and if your bucket filler is hanging out with Mickey and friends all power to you. I don’t believe in judging people for their preferences. Just let people live their life. 

[Moderator]

We've tidied this topic up a little bit.

The Great Millennial Debate has been moved to the Chit-Chat forum should anyone wish to continue with that.

[Eartpukaem]

Yes, this was just recently announced live on stage at Disney's D23 expo, so there won't be much information online just yet.