Disney Cruise Line quietly challenges Royal Caribbeam, Carnival
The Mouse House's cruise ship line wants to take the fight to its rival in a key port.
Right now, if you want take a Disney cruise on one of the line’s buzzed-about new ships, your departure port options are mostly limited to Florida.
The brand-new Disney Treasure is now sailing from Port Canaveral, Florida alongside the 2022-launched Disney Wish. And in November, the Disney Destiny, the cruise line’s new heroes- and villains-themed ship will debut from Fort Lauderdale.
Related: Savvy Disney vacationers use this service to save big on trips
But as Disney Cruise Line continues its multi-year fleet expansion, which includes new Disney cruise vacations in Asia, too, the cruise line may be about to go bigger in Texas.
Although Disney Cruise Line has not yet made any announcements about its future plans in Texas, Port of Galveston CEO Rodger Rees recently made some bold statements regarding the cruise line's plans for its sailings from the Texas port.
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Disney Cruise Line may be about to announce a major expansion in Galveston
In a recent meeting with the Galveston City Council, Rees revealed that Disney Cruise Line plans to expand its cruise schedule from the port in 2027, the Galveston County Daily News reported.
Rees said that in 2027, the cruise line will begin sailing year-round from Galveston, and likely on a larger and newer ship.
Currently, Disney Cruise Line sails seasonal cruises to the western Caribbean from the port on board the oldest ship in its fleet, the Disney Magic.
Recent incidents of plumbing leaks and backups reported on board the 27-year-old Disney Magic have left passengers wondering whether it’s about time for the cruise line to retire its beloved maiden vessel.
Related: Disney Cruise Line dealing with plumbing problems
Considering that most mainstream cruise lines expect to get about 30 years of service out of each ship, it would make sense that Disney would replace the 2,700-passenger Disney Magic as it expands in Galveston.
Rees even suggested that the bigger ship headed to Galveston could be Disney Cruise Line’s biggest ship yet — the 6,700-passenger Disney Adventure megaship that the cruise line is launching in December from Singapore.
However, Disney Cruise Line has previously said that the Disney Adventure will sail from Singapore for at least five years as part of a collaboration with the Singapore Tourism Board.
It’s much more likely that a 4,000-passenger Wish-class ship will sail from Galveston in 2027 — potentially the fourth ship in the class, which the cruise line plans to launch that year.
Family cruise lines are becoming increasingly interested in Galveston
Although Princess Cruises recently dropped Galveston from its future cruise itineraries after 20 years of sailing from the popular port, other cruise lines are making major investments in Texas.
Cruise lines plan to invest more than $200 million in western Caribbean cruise itineraries and Galveston is well poised to facilitate much of that growth, Rees told the city council. He said that’s because Florida’s biggest cruise ports are running out of room to expand and more people than ever now live within driving distance of Galveston.
Royal Caribbean invested in a new cruise terminal at the Port of Galveston in 2022, and other family-focused cruise lines including Norwegian Cruise Line and MSC Cruises have since inked long-term agreements with the port, too.
Related: MSC Cruises takes another bold step in its ambitious growth plan
Galveston is a convenient cruise departure port for many families in Texas and surrounding states who want to explore the western Caribbean, so it makes sense that Disney Cruise Line would want to increase its capacity there, too.
This year, more than 400 sailings carrying around 1.75 million passengers are scheduled to depart from Galveston. Following the opening of MSC Cruises’ brand-new $156 million Galveston cruise terminal in late 2025, the growing port expects eventually welcome more than two million passengers annually.
