SorcererMickey
July 12th, 2004, 00:59
Mickey will cruise to Mexico - Disney line to test the waters for expansion
By RICHARD VERRIER
Los Angeles Times
When Mickey Mouse took to the high seas six years ago, there were plenty of skeptics.
But Mickey and the Disney Cruise Line that bears his colors have emerged as respected players in the competitive cruise business. Now, encouraged by brisk business in Florida and an industrywide expansion, Walt Disney Co. is exploring ways to transport Mickey’s family-oriented cruises beyond the Sunshine State.
Disney Cruise Line will inaugurate its first West Coast cruises out of the Port of Los Angeles next year with the 2,600-passenger Disney Magic ship. Ostensibly, the weeklong voyages to Mexico, running May through August, are being offered to mark the 50th anniversary of Disneyland.
There’s another reason: to test the waters for regular land-to-sea packages tied to the Disneyland Resort. Disney also is contemplating cruises in the Mediterranean and Hong Kong, where the company is building a Disneyland theme park.
Disney Cruise Line operates out of Port Canaveral, Fla., with two ships — Disney Magic and Disney Wonder — that offer three- and four-night cruises to the Bahamas as well as seven-day itineraries to the Caribbean.
Expanding that fleet wouldn’t be easy. A ship takes about three years to build and can cost $500 million. It’s unclear whether Disney has the appetite to take on such an investment. Disney hasn’t committed to a third ship. President Bob Iger has indicated that ship construction in Europe right now would be expensive given the dollar’s weakness.
By RICHARD VERRIER
Los Angeles Times
When Mickey Mouse took to the high seas six years ago, there were plenty of skeptics.
But Mickey and the Disney Cruise Line that bears his colors have emerged as respected players in the competitive cruise business. Now, encouraged by brisk business in Florida and an industrywide expansion, Walt Disney Co. is exploring ways to transport Mickey’s family-oriented cruises beyond the Sunshine State.
Disney Cruise Line will inaugurate its first West Coast cruises out of the Port of Los Angeles next year with the 2,600-passenger Disney Magic ship. Ostensibly, the weeklong voyages to Mexico, running May through August, are being offered to mark the 50th anniversary of Disneyland.
There’s another reason: to test the waters for regular land-to-sea packages tied to the Disneyland Resort. Disney also is contemplating cruises in the Mediterranean and Hong Kong, where the company is building a Disneyland theme park.
Disney Cruise Line operates out of Port Canaveral, Fla., with two ships — Disney Magic and Disney Wonder — that offer three- and four-night cruises to the Bahamas as well as seven-day itineraries to the Caribbean.
Expanding that fleet wouldn’t be easy. A ship takes about three years to build and can cost $500 million. It’s unclear whether Disney has the appetite to take on such an investment. Disney hasn’t committed to a third ship. President Bob Iger has indicated that ship construction in Europe right now would be expensive given the dollar’s weakness.