MAKE A WISH AND SET SAIL TO LIGHTHOUSE POINT
Disney’s anticipated new ship expected to hits seas in 2022
Disney Cruise Line has finally unveiled details of its newest cruise ship, which will be named Disney Wish.
Scheduled to set sail in January of 2022, the ship was first announced back in 2016, but few details have been available since then. Disney Wish will be the fifth ship in the Disney Cruise Line fleet, following Disney Magic, Disney Wonder (1998 and 1999); and Disney Dream and Disney Fantasy (2011 and 2012).
Disney Cruise Line’s greatest strength is its ability to appeal to both kids and adults. My own voyage earlier this year aboard Disney Dream left a remarkable impression on me, in a way that most three-day cruises to the Bahamas don’t. From service to food to entertainment, Disney excels in every category, treating kids like princes and princesses, and adults like valued friends.
Disney Wish keeps this feeling of inclusive whimsy going. Guests will be greeted by a three-storey atrium that is designed to feel enchanted. Certainly, the renderings make this space look positively fairy tale-like, departing a touch from the grand old ocean liner design that is prevalent among the first four ships in the fleet.
Each Disney vessel has a character suspended from its stern. Aboard Disney Wish, that character will be Rapunzel. Existing characters featured are Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck, Goofy and Dumbo — see if you can spot them the next time you’re in port with one of Disney’s magical ships.
Other than that, we don’t know much else about Disney Wish — exact public rooms and features are still under wraps. What I can tell you, however, is that this ship will be the first in a three-ship order. Each vessel will come in at 140,000 tons (slightly larger than Disney Dream and Disney Fantasy) and will be powered by liquefied natural gas technology.
Disney will also be rolling out another private island experience in the Bahamas to coincide with the debut of Disney Wish. The line’s existing island, Castaway Cay, is already known as one of the best private islands in the Caribbean. My own stop there this year proved it to be quintessential Disney: friendly, welcoming, and exceedingly well thought-out.
Disney’s newest private island retreat will be known as Lighthouse Point. Located on the island of Eleuthera in the Bahamas, Disney is designing Lighthouse Point to be sustainable and equitable to the Bahamas. The cruise line will develop less than 20 per cent of the property and will feature an open-trestle pier that eliminates the need to dredge a channel for the ship to sail into. Disney says it is also committed to incorporating Bahamian art and traditions into the new stop.
Construction on Disney Cruise Line’s new Lighthouse Point destination in the Bahamas could begin as early as 2020, pending approval of an environmental impact and management plan.
If you can’t wait until 2022 to set sail with Disney, the line currently offers a variety of sailings to the Caribbean, Mediterranean, Northern Europe, Transatlantic crossings, Alaska, Mexican Riviera, Hawaii, the Panama Canal, and the Pacific Coast.
The thing to remember with Disney is that its voyages sell out all day, every day, and this is particularly true of the most popular vacation times. It pays to book early to get the best cabin selection and itineraries, particularly for high-demand itineraries like Hawaii and the Panama Canal.
With Disney Wish launching, the line will be able to explore new destinations and sailings to delight cruisers young and old. Visit portsandbows.com, sponsored by Expedia Cruise Ship Centers, 1-800-707-7327, www.cruiseshipcenters.com, for daily updates on the latest cruise news, best deals and behind-the-scenes stories from the industry. You can also sign up for an email newsletter on the site for even more cruise information. Aaron Saunders may be contacted directly at portsandbowsaaron@gmail.com.