What is the Expected Lifespan of a Cruise Ship?

What is the Expected Lifespan of a Cruise Ship?

To be honest the expected lifespan of a cruise ship is 30 years. What happens next is up to the cruise line that owns it. Disney Magic will turn 30 in 2028 and Disney Wonder shortly thereafter in 2029. What is going to happen to them? Honestly, we don’t know. When will the ships retire? Again, we just don’t know.

 

Here are the options:

• Many cruise lines are sold off to a lower quality cruise line. They go to an extended dry dock for a complete inspection and the ship is completely reworked. They are cleaned up, renamed and rechristened.
• Scrap the ship for whatever you can get for the parts and components.
• They may sink the ship to make a new coral reef.
• There is a 4^th option that cruise lines have not availed themselves of but there are rumors about Disney doing it. None of these rumors are from a source who can verify this. I have heard enough to know Disney has heard about this idea and is possibly considering it. The 4^th option is to turn it into a seaside hotel docked somewhere.

 

Lets go back to when will they retire. I personally believe Disney will keep the ships sailing as long as possible. They will balance the cost of maintenance, standard operating expenses against the money earned continuing to use the ships. If they see if it is worth keeping them going rather than retiring them they will. Just because they can keep them going does not make it financially wise.

 

I strongly believe Disney is already looking at the ships last and maybe next standard, legally required, drydock/maintenance reports to make the decision. These drydock checks happen every 5 years. Magic had her last one May of this year. She will not be due for another drydock until 2031. So, I believe we will know about Magic’s fate around that time. They may already know it is time to retire her. That could be why the construction timeline of new ships was sped up. Disney Wonder had her last drydock in 2024. Wonder will be due for her next drydock until 2029. We will know then if she will retire or not.

 

If both ships pass inspection and dealing with maintenance and desired upgrades is not too expensive DCL may keep them running until the next Drydock inspection. I believe as long as they pass inspection they will keep them running. I can see Magic sailing until 2031 or 2036 and Wonder continuing her travels until 2034 or maybe longer. We will have to see.

 

I’ll be honest I’d love to see the two sisters eventually retired and turned into seaside hotels. Host them like a cruise ship. You can check in or out on a schedule like the ships normal Itinerary. Check in on Fri and check out Monday. Check in on Monday and out on Friday. Have the shows in the theater like you do at sea. Deck Parties, all ship board entertainment as normal. The Kids Clubs would be open and Rotational Dining would be served. They could even offer Port Adventures to local places. You can stay on the ship or go explore during the day. Totally up to the guest.

 

Having them as a hotel would allow people to experience the fun of a Disney Cruise without sailing. This would be good for people who are afraid of sailing. It would be great for those with medical conditions that do not allow for sailing away from shore. It would be wonderful for those who get seasick! Everyone could experience what a Disney Cruise is like, or at least get a sample.