Disney Cruise Line is postponing the maiden voyage of one of its two new ships.
Disney Adventure, the former Global Dream that was set to sail from Singapore, will not make its December 15 maiden voyage as planned. Disney Cruise Line is informing guests this evening that Disney Adventure's maiden voyage will move to March 10, 2026.
"As we work on the final touches to bring the Disney Adventure to our guests, we’ve encountered unexpected delays in the shipbuilding process," Disney Signature Experiences President Joe Schott said. "To ensure the experience we deliver reflects our commitment to excellence, we’ve made the decision to adjust our timeline. We know this may be disappointing to our guests, and we’re working directly with them to offer flexible rebooking options and uphold the trust they place in us."
Guests booked on the December 15 voyage will be rebooked automatically on the March 10 voyage at a 50% discount. Guests unable to make the new sail date will be fully refunded, then also offered 50% off any available Disney Cruise Line sailing, across the fleet, to be booked by March 31, 2026 with a departure on or before March 31, 2027.
Guests on other cruises scheduled before March 12 also will be given full refunds along with the same 50% discount offer on future cruises.
The largest ship ever launched by Disney Cruise Line, Disney Adventure is the company's entry into the Asian cruise market. Until now, the closest that DCL has sailed to the region has been with sailings from Australia. Disney Cruise Line also has plans to enter the Japan market with partner Oriental Land Co. Those plans, as well as development schedules for all other Disney Cruise Line ships, remain unaffected by the delay on Disney Adventure.
In November, Disney Destiny - the third Wish-class ship - will make its maiden voyage from Fort Lauderdale. Disney has started work on its fourth Wish-class ship, with plans for four more ships launching between 2029 and 2031, including the one for Japan.
Disney obtained the former Global Dream, a 208,000 GT vessel, in 2022, after owner Genting Hong Kong dissolved. Disney's Imagineers then set to redesign the ship to Disney standards. The ship has 2,111 passenger cabins, with a capacity of about 6,000 people. For more information about the ship, please see our post, A cruise fan's guide to the Disney Adventure.
Disney Adventure has left the shipyard in preparation for sea trials. You can track the ship's location here.
For assistance in planning a Disney Cruise Line vacation, please contact our travel agent for a free, no-obligation vacation quote.
I heard they might apply LL to the lifeboats, too. . .
"Guests booked on the December 15 voyage will be rebooked automatically on the March 10 voyage at a 50% discount."
If DCL can offer that, either the maiden voyage was severely underbooked or the rescheduled maiden voyage is underbooked. While the expectation would be that a non-insignificant percentage of guests won't be able to make the rescheduled date, but if DCL can automatically rebooked every passenger to March 10th, their reservations have to be running well short of capacity. I don't know much about cruising in Asia, but the fact that Disney can delay a maiden voyage by 4 months and fully rebook and accommodate all impacted guests while providing 50% discounts should tell you something about the market and demand.
Is DCL expanding too much too fast?
Also, the LL jokes are funny, but there are dozens of Reddit threads and other discussion forums dedicated to "strategies" for maximizing your time on DCL, which includes securing upgraded dining experiences, prime seating at shows, and reducing waits for character meet and greets.
"Is DCL expanding too much too fast?"
Probably. I've been to Disney more times than I can count, but I've never been on one of their cruise ships. They should really take advantage of their location and try to make a completely immersive experience for their guests. Instead , they've ditched any aspect of Luxury for even more meet-and-greets and those apparently awful Watermouse rides. I did consider it, but that was early March of 2020, and we all know how that would've ended.
One reason could be that Universal is expanding rapidly, but the only place they haven't expanded to is the cruise industry. Perhaps Disney is trying to maximize their cruise ships so there's no possible way that Universal could enter the market.
I don't think DCL is expanding to try to keep Universal out of the market - they're expanding because they see opportunity and DCL is one of the few divisions within the company where organic growth is feasible to satisfy Wall Street's demands. Ultimately, if Universal does choose to enter the market, it would probably be the same way Disney did it by striking a licensing agreement with an existing cruise line or outright buying a smaller cruise line. Disney's expansion plans won't stop Universal from doing that because Universal would be purchasing a stake in existing, established market share within the industry, not trying to launch a new cruise company.
I do think the lure of DCL is that all-immersive experience, which is why they have so much loyalty (enhanced by DVC and other marketing initiatives), I don't think recent decisions or offerings really impact that, and in fact some of the features on their newest ships increase the immersion and themed offerings on board to try to further enhance that experience. My biggest issue with DCL has been how they price their voyages, which is at the top of the market, all the while charging full fare for children when competitors frequently offer discounted or free fares for kids. Yes, Disney can do that because of their brand and the expectations for family experiences under the Disney brand, but it's tough to justify paying top-tier prices for what is rated as a mid-tier experience.
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They're trying to determine the best way to install Lightning Lane onboard to maximize profits.
Don't wanna wait in line for the elevator? Buy an LL for exclusive elevator use. Want to be closer to the characters for the opening set sail party? The LL will get you exclusive access to space directly in front of the stage. Buffet lines taking too long? Now you can....you get the idea ;)