New Disney Ships: News, Rumors, Speculation.....and Names!

[mousefan73]

Asia is tricky. Would target group be Asians on Disney or westerners flying to Asia to sail DCL??

1. no tour company (DCL) would purposely target both asians( prticulary the chinese) and westerners. Culturaly/food needs/ expectations to diverse to mix. A ship half full of Chinese and Americans would be culturally a challenge. People in travel/ tourism know what I mean. Asians also expect all inkl. ( alcohol ).

2.CM told me Asia not happening anytime soon as DCL lacks language abilities for mid/upper level service. Multi-languages Needed. Sure they can hire, but a huge change

 

[OKW Lover]

Asia is tricky. Would target group be Asians on Disney or westerners flying to Asia to sail DCL??

1. no tour company (DCL) would purposely target both asians( prticulary the chinese) and westerners. Culturaly/food needs/ expectations to diverse to mix. A ship half full of Chinese and Americans would be culturally a challenge. People in travel/ tourism know what I mean. Asians also expect all inkl. ( alcohol ).

2.CM told me Asia not happening anytime soon as DCL lacks language abilities for mid/upper level service. Multi-languages Needed. Sure they can hire, but a huge change

I don't think the mix would really matter.
1 - the ships have an advantage on the restaurant front with three different venues. Easy enough to dedicate 1 or 2 for western or asian. Or they can establish rotations with asian on one set and westerns on another. Culturally there will be issues. Disney is pretty well set up to address those issues since 1/3rd of their existing 12 parks are in Asia and already deal with culture mixes.

2 - Yet other cruise lines manage to cover both Asia and western cruises. No reason Disney couldn't. Keep in mind that the on board CM's are all on contracts and turn-over regularly so its not an issue to hire the right mix for each area that the cruise is going to.

 

[Spork24]

Ill be shocked if we don’t see a classic Disney ship visit Asia for at least a month or so by 2025. I don’t see them doing it before the full fleet is delivered in 2023 though.

 

[Canadian Girl]

Can’t remember who told me but it sounded as if Disney was already over there on the ground scoping things out.

 

[bigAWL]

I would be shocked if Disney hasn't already done a LOT of market analysis in Asia. Whether that translates to a ship itinerary in the next ten years remains to be seen, even if they are in current talks with ports. Lots can change in the intervening time: economically, financially, or politically.

My point being that any one TA or CM could well have current and valid inside information at this point. That doesn't mean something is or isn't going to happen 5-10 years down the line.

 

[Canadian Girl]

The Chinese market is a huge, untapped financial goldmine. The economic transformation there in recent years has been phenomenal. In the end, profit might influence a lot of the decision. Safety of course would rank high as well and I believe that is a concern. China itself is quite safe for tourists but other countries maybe not so much. I have been there a few times and never felt uncomfortable other than just by the traffic. It will be interesting to see where all of this goes, pun intended lol and what $$$$ things might be. As a Canadian, our low dollar is certainly impacting a lot of the things I would like to do.

 

[Bellecruiser]

I would be shocked also if Disney didn’t put a ship at least part of the year in Asia. (Wouldn’t THAT Transpacific trip be fun???) In addition to its three parks, Disney has English language schools all across China. Using the mouse and other characters they teach English to different age groups. All of this is embedding them into the culture and creating a potential workforce for them.

I don’t know if they would have to change the ships a whole lot to adjust for different cultures. By the time this happens, if it does, they will have had years of experience in the parks there. They will know what needs adapting and how to do it. In addition, many Asians are curious about Western/Disney culture and want to experience it. What better way to do that but on a 4 day Disney Cruise?

This is going to be fascinating to watch!

 

[ChicosWife]

Asia is tricky. Would target group be Asians on Disney or westerners flying to Asia to sail DCL??

1. no tour company (DCL) would purposely target both asians( prticulary the chinese) and westerners. Culturaly/food needs/ expectations to diverse to mix. A ship half full of Chinese and Americans would be culturally a challenge. People in travel/ tourism know what I mean. Asians also expect all inkl. ( alcohol ).

2.CM told me Asia not happening anytime soon as DCL lacks language abilities for mid/upper level service. Multi-languages Needed. Sure they can hire, but a huge change

Agreed. I think they would have to determine a target audience and how will other cultures, other than Western or Asians fit into this mix? Personally, I don't see the draw for this type of itinerary, but that is just me.

 

[RedSox68]

I'm hoping the new ships will have the Coke Freestyle machines throughout the ships.

Yes -- and it would be about time!

 

[RedSox68]

I don't think it is very likely. They are in talks with PC to home port some or all of the new ships there. The Bahamas/Caribbean itineraries are DCL's bread and butter so they will want to keep them going. It's a quick way to get the ships paid off.
It would also be a large expense to outfit a brand new ship for the Asian market when DCL is untested there. Yes, Disney is huge there but they are likely to want to test the waters so to speak before making a large cash investment on that market.

I must respectfully disagree. Disney is huge in Asia and I can see them having a ship over as a huge draw for people and a wonderful marketing ploy -- it would also get more people to their parks Here's hoping. Maybe Disney could finally venture into the world cruise market - have one or two a year. That would be awesome.

 

[DynamicDisneyDuo]

I must respectfully disagree. Disney is huge in Asia and I can see them having a ship over as a huge draw for people and a wonderful marketing ploy -- it would also get more people to their parks

I did not say it's never going to happen. I just don't think it will be one of the new ships. As I clearly stated, they are going to want to test the waters first. The most logical way to do this is to send one of the older ships over.

 

[RedSox68]

I did not say it's never going to happen. I just don't think it will be one of the new ships. As I clearly stated, they are going to want to test the waters first. The most logical way to do this is to send one of the older ships over.

Old or new -- I'll take it. Fingers crossed they go over sooner rather than later (like before 2025!)

 

[Dug720]

I'm hoping the new ships will have the Coke Freestyle machines throughout the ships.

And if they do that, I hope they allow free soft drinks from bars or leave one station as-is for those of us who don't want to taste what the people in front of us had. Or for older people who are completely paralyzed by them and cannot figure out how to use them (see it at the movie theaters all the time).

 

[cvaska]

And if they do that, I hope they allow free soft drinks from bars or leave one station as-is for those of us who don't want to taste what the people in front of us had. Or for older people who are completely paralyzed by them and cannot figure out how to use them (see it at the movie theaters all the time).

The secret is to flow some water through, then fill your cup with your drink of choice

 

[Dug720]

The secret is to flow some water through, then fill your cup with your drink of choice

Even then, I have yet to have just a plain diet Coke taste right. They are never calibrated correctly.

 

[Bellecruiser]

And if they do that, I hope they allow free soft drinks from bars or leave one station as-is for those of us who don't want to taste what the people in front of us had. Or for older people who are completely paralyzed by them and cannot figure out how to use them (see it at the movie theaters all the time).

Huh? I am older, and have no clue what you are talking about. I have no problem getting free drinks (water) from the bars. Are you talking about cokes? I don’t understand what you mean by “taste what the people in front of had.” Sorry.

 

[dcassetta]

Huh? I am older, and have no clue what you are talking about. I have no problem getting free drinks (water) from the bars. Are you talking about cokes? I don’t understand what you mean by “taste what the people in front of had.” Sorry.

Freestyle machines are loaded with lots of different drinks and flavorings, and then people press buttons to choose what they want. Because the same dispenser is used for all of the beverages, it's possible that your drink of choice would have some leftover flavor from the previous guest.

 

[Dug720]

Huh? I am older, and have no clue what you are talking about. I have no problem getting free drinks (water) from the bars. Are you talking about cokes? I don’t understand what you mean by “taste what the people in front of had.” Sorry.

Yes. Right now, any sodas gotten from a bar are charged (I believe) whereas those in the dining rooms or from self-serve dispensers are included in the cruise fare. (I could be wrong about the charge from the bars...not 100% on that as I've never tried it.)

And as @dcassetta said, with the freestyle machines, it is definitely possible to taste the flavors of whatever the person in front of you had. And with all the various flavors going on, that can be gross. And the machines are rarely calibrated correctly, so the drinks never really taste right anyway.

 

[Intr3pid]

Here is how I think the Asian dabble may happen.
1. Before any new ship is in, Wonder does summers in Alaska, shoulder season in Hawaii and California, and winters in the Caribbeans.
2. Before the first ship shows up, invest in the Hawaiian itinerary - just like with Panama Canal. Repeat cruisers, "graduate" cruisers if you may, and a higher mix of adults and those looking for different experiences. (Aulani expansion follows.)
3. Once the first ship shows up, flip the Hawaiian itinerary to other side (as well) and hit either Australia/NZ or the Disney parks in Asia in late fall/early winter. This would be a "trial" just as Hawaii was this year. Again, target market would be those who filled the Hawaiian itineraries.
4. If there is any success, continue with it part-time (incl. full winter) until the second and the third ships show up.
5. With 7 ships, more time can be spent in Asia - incl. one ship going possibly full-time. Or one ship can do what the Cunard's Queens do in the winters - a world (or Asia) cruise in small segments.

An example trial (in 3 above) incl. the parks could be:
1. Honolulu to Tokyo (with stops in the Hawaiian islands) in 10 or 11 days
2. Tokyo, Shanghai, and Hong Kong (hitting the parks) in 7 days
3. Reverse #2
4. Reverse #1

Less risky as well. You don't need to rely a whole lot on Asian customers to fill the ship. Plenty of current cruisers who want to hit the parks and /or combine Hawaii with something different.

And quite a bit more color can be added to the itineraries if spending the whole winter in Asia/Pacific/Australia!

 

[Spork24]

I did not say it's never going to happen. I just don't think it will be one of the new ships. As I clearly stated, they are going to want to test the waters first. The most logical way to do this is to send one of the older ships over.

I fully agree that it won’t be a new ship, but the new ships would free up a classic ship to have availability to head across the pacific now and again.