When Cal State Fullerton professor Andi Stein set sail on her first Disney Cruise trip to the Bahamas for research more than a decade ago, she was on the fence about the idea. Unsure what it would be like voyaging with so many youngsters, she booked a short four-day journey. By the time she came back, Stein was hooked.
She booked another Disney cruise to the Mexican Riviera aboard the Disney Wonder with her mom about two months later. Her fandom has persisted since then. Last year, she took a seven-day cruise on the Disney Fantasy to the Caribbean.
“Disney really understands entertainment, and that carries through onto their cruise ships,” said Stein, who wrote a book about the Disney brand. “But they add the luxury experience that a cruise can provide that you’re not necessarily going to get in the theme parks.” Walt Disney Co.
is banking on winning over more vacationers like Stein, and it’s spending big bucks to do so. Disney plans to expand its five-ship fleet to eight ships by next year. By 2031, the company will have 13 ships worldwide, Disney experiences chairman Josh D’Amaro said in August at the D23 fan event in Anaheim .
“Expanding our fleet gives more people, in more parts of the world, the opportunity to experience a vacation at sea like only Disney can provide,” he said at the event. The fact that the company is investing heavily in the cruise line indicates that it sees future opportunity there, said Brent Penter, associate analyst at investment.