Disney introduces first new cruise ship in a decade, entering metaverse According to Reuters

By Dawn Chmielewski

PORT CANAVERAL, Fla. (Reuters) – CEO Bob Chapek is christened Walt Disney (NYSE:) Co’s first new cruise ship in a decade on Wednesday, the culmination of the first project that the former amusement park executive championed before the company’s board of directors.

The launch of Disney Wish with 4,000 passengers will be a bright spot for Chapek, who became CEO of Disney in February 2020 and was given a three-year contract extension on Tuesday following recent controversies that set questions about his tenure.

The yachting business is part of Disney’s massive products, experiences and theme park unit, which has recovered from the pandemic shutdown. Operating income hit $4.2 billion in the first half of fiscal 2022, recovering from a loss of $535 million a year earlier.

Disney didn’t disclose how much of the holiday vacations contribute to earnings, but Chapek told investors in November that the business was generating a “double-digit return on investment” given the high rates Disney charges .

The Wish is the fifth ship in the growing Disney Cruise Line fleet. Two more ships will be delivered in 2025.

The 144,000-ton Wish is setting sail as the yachting industry works to attract customers back after a 15-month shutdown during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The International Association of Cruise Lines estimates that it could take until the end of 2023 for passenger numbers to surpass pre-pandemic levels in 2019, when 29.7 million people boarded ships around the world.

The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention still recommends that COVID-19 is “easily spread among people in close proximity to each other on a ship” and that even vaccinated passengers can become infected.

In Disney Wish, the company will be looking to entice vacationers with what it advertises as the first attraction at sea, AquaMouse. The theme park-like ride incorporates animated short films featuring Mickey Mouse and other Disney characters as guests pass through 760-foot (230-meter) winding tubes suspended above the ship’s upper deck.

A new dining experience that brings families into the worlds of Disney’s “Frozen” and Marvel’s Avengers. For adults, Disney created a Star Wars-themed hyperspace lounge that evokes the futuristic look of the star cruisers in “Solo: A Star Wars Story.”

The ship also boasts an interactive experience that blends the physical and digital worlds, using the Disney Cruise Line navigation app. This app turns the user’s phone into a virtual “spy goggles” to observe constellations in the night sky (appearing as Disney and Pixar characters) and go on adventures.

The interactive game marks a step towards achieving Chapek’s goal of establishing a presence in the metaverse. The CEO has advocated virtual experiences as a way to keep Disney consumers connected with the characters and stories they love between movie releases and amusement park trips.

Disney Wish will depart its maiden voyage on July 14 from Port Canaveral, Florida.

Disney has been embroiled in controversy in the state after the company opposed legislation restricting LGBTQ discussion in schools. That prompted state lawmakers to pass a measure removing the company’s self-governing status for Walt Disney World in Orlando, though the effort has yet to bear fruit.

Employees at Disney have called on the company to speak out against the LGBTQ act, which opponents dubbed the “Don’t Say Gay” bill.