Disney Cruise Line to call Singapore its exclusive home port

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Disney Cruise Line to call Singapore its exclusive home port

SINGAPORE: Mickey and friends are coming to town and calling it home, on a ship at least.

A new Disney Cruise Line vessel will make Singapore Singapore its exclusive home port from 2025, in a partnership between the Singapore Tourism Board STB and the cruise line.

Singapore will be the company's first exclusive home port in Southeast Asia.

The As-yet unnamed ship will be the eighth and largest in the Disney Cruise Line fleet and the largest cruise ship welcomed to Singapore's shores, said Minister-in-charge of Trade Relations S Iswaran at the official announcement on Wednesday, which is a major milestone in the evolution of our cruise industry.

In November of this year, Disney Cruise Line announced that it would acquire Genting Hong Kong's Dream Cruises' unfinished ship, after the latter filed for bankruptcy through its holding group.

The new ship that will call Singapore its home port is the Disney Cruise Line acquired from Dream Cruises, according to Thomas Mazloum, president of Disney Signature Experiences.

The construction of the ship is projected to be completed in a shipyard in Germany under the management of Meyer Werft, the same company that built three other Disney Cruise Line vessels.

The new ship will have a passenger capacity of about 6,000 with about 2,300 crew members.

The 208,000 gross-ton ship is expected to be among the first in the cruise industry to be fueled by green methanol, one of the lowest emission fuels, said STB and the cruise line in a joint press release.

Iswaran said that Disney Cruise Line's decision to home port in Singapore confirms our position as the region's premier cruise hub and major player in cruise tourism.

It is important that Disney has chosen Singapore to host its first cruise ship in Southeast Asia. It speaks volumes of our region's potential for cruise tourism, and to become, as some have described it, the Caribbean of the East. He said that Disney's expansion to the cruise line is currently undergoing an ambitious expansion with new ships and new destinations around the world, and that 2023 marks Disney's 100th anniversary.

Magic meets the sea on the Disney Cruise Line, as we like to say. He added that our ships are the true destination for many guests.

Passengers can look forward to themed restaurants, Broadway-style shows with interactive characters and Disney kid clubs. The ships also feature Mickey Mouse-inspired colors and signature red funnels.

More details about the maiden voyage of the Singapore-based ship, itineraries and onboard experiences will be announced at a later date.

As Singapore emerges from the COVID 19 pandemic, its cruise industry is recovering well, in tandem with global travel, said Mr Iswaran.

In 2022 1.2 million passengers passed through Singapore's ports, or two-thirds of pre-COVID 19 levels.

Iswaran said this bodes well for the industry to recover to pre-pandemic levels soon.

The cruise industry currently contributes approximately S $630 million of Singapore's GDP, and accounts for about 7,000 jobs here, said Keith Tan, STB CEO.

He said that the Disney Cruise Line ship will increase this considerably, given the ship's capacity.

Mr Mazloum said Disney expects and welcomes very strong interest from the Southeast Asian market, since it is Disney Cruise Line's first appearance in the region.

He added that the other ships are mostly catering to clients from the US market.