Disney Cruise Line will operate itineraries in southeast Asia for the first time from 2025, thanks to a deal with the Singapore Tourism Board.
The cruise line and tourism board will collaborate to homeport a new Disney cruise ship year-round exclusively in Singapore for at least five years from 2025.
More details about the maiden voyage, itineraries and onboard experiences will be announced at a later date.
The 6,000-passenger ship will feature new Disney experiences as well as the line’s themed entertainment and dining, and characters such as Captain Mickey Mouse and Captain Minnie Mouse, Disney princesses and Marvel superheroes.
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News of the collaboration was revealed in Singapore by Josh D’Amaro, Disney Parks, Experiences and Products chairman, and Singapore’s minister for transport and minister in charge of trade relations, S. Iswaran.
The minister described it as a “landmark collaboration” and a “major milestone”.
“The ship will be the largest in the Disney fleet,” he said.
He said the country’s cruise sector is recovering from the pandemic, with 1.2 million passengers in 2022, about two-thirds of pre-Covid levels.
“It bodes well for the recovery to pre-Covid levels soon,” he said.
Josh D’Amaro, Disney Parks, Experiences and Products chairman, said the ship is the eighth announced for the Disney Cruise Line fleet, and will be the seventh-launched vessel. It will be powered by green methanol, one of the lowest emission fuels available, he added.
Thomas Mazloum, president of Disney Signature Experiences, who oversees Disney Cruise Line, confirmed the vessel is the partly completed mega-cruise ship Global Dream acquired in November 2022 after the failure of former Crystal Cruises owner Genting Hong Kong.
Disney is working with the Meyer Werft shipbuilding company to complete the cruise ship in Germany.
“We are spending an immense amount of time creating the magic of Disney,” he said.
Mazloum said the current fleet operates in the US and Europe with a predominantly American clientele but the new vessel will be Disney’s first to focus on an international and Asian market.
Keith Tan, Singapore Tourism Board chief executive, said the cruise industry is worth about S$630 million (£383 million) a year and supports 7,000 jobs in the country.
“The arrival of the Disney Cruise Line ship will increase that significantly,” he said.
He said the new ship fits with the destination’s current profile for visitors, attracting families as well as young adults, solo holidaymakers, business travellers and incentive groups.
“It reinforces our existing strengths as a multifaceted destination for different groups,” he said.
The tourist board will also work with Singapore’s Changi airport to ensure a “seamless” experience for passengers arriving by air for fly-cruises.