Disney Cruise Line Speculation (Hang onto your hats!)
This is just speculation and nothing has been officially announced,
I have heard some rumors, but I do not state them as fact. What I’m saying is a
sad fact/reality for all cruise ships.
FACT: In 2028 Disney Magic turns 30. In 2029 Disney Wonder turns 30.
This is important to know and is vital information! These ships are
magnificent and well maintained, even at 30 they “look” nearly new. Disney does
a fantastic job of maintaining them both at an operational and appearance level.
I think it is a possibility DCL could keep them in the active fleet until 2035
or maybe a few years longer. But not much longer. The ship(s) may be sold for
scrap, sold to another cruise line to “fix up” and rename, or they could be
scuttled/sunk and turned into a start of a new coral reef. These are the traditional
options.
An important fact to understand is the functional life of a
Cruise Ship is 30 years. At that point they are retired. Technology has
changed. Things can’t be altered because they are incased in steel walls.
Equipment ages and fails after time and again, it is in steel walls so hard to
deal with. Also, Inside and Oceanview cabins with no open window or balcony begin
to smell a little funky. DCL has gone to great lengths to stop this but people
use skin products, perfume and other things that smell. Body oils begin to seep
into the walls and stay, no matter how well you clean.
The chances of DCL selling the ships to another line are
slim to none. There is too much Intellectual Property on these ships.
Scrapping/Recycling would be hard but is possible. They could keep control of the IP while doing
it. Sinking the ships after they have stripped out the IP and whatever else
they need to is also a possibility.
Rumors are out there that Crew and Shoreside Cast Members
and suggesting and pushing for a fourth option! Turn them into shoreside
hotels! That would be a great option and opportunity for DCL!
Because of the possibility of a third ship being added to
San Diego to Catalina I believe one or more of the 5th-Class of
ships may be coming 2029-2031 and will call San Diego homeport for at least
part of the year. I’m thinking it is possible for the third ship of that class
to have its Maiden Voyage out of San Diego. Again, this is a possibility and
actually a hope with no announcements or rumors to back the idea. I’m thinking
of the ports of call the ships could go to and looking at the way DCL likes to
handle ports the smaller ships make more sense to me.
After 2031:
- I think DCL will continue to grow. There is a lot of demand. There are a lot of opportunities for DCL.
- DCL could announce more of the 5th-Class of ships or they could add a 6th-Class of ships to be build.
- DCL could expand further to add homeports in the US West Coast, Europe, Asia, Australia/New Zealand.
