South Florida Sun-Sentinel (Sunday)
Disney tour outfit expands cruises to Adriatic Sea
While Disney Cruise Line continues to expand its fleet of traditional large ships with the debut of Disney Wish this year, its sister group Adventures by Disney has been growing the company’s footprint for small-ship sailing.
The guided travel arm of the Disney empire, Adventures by Disney launched in 2005. It offers more than 45 itineraries on land and sea across seven continents. It dipped its toes into the smaller cruise market beginning in 2016 with river cruises and then expanded in recent years to offer Antarctic, Arctic and Galapagos Islands expedition cruising.
Now it’s venturing into the Adriatic Sea in Europe.
Both DCL and Adventures by Disney fall under the Disney Signature Experiences umbrella that also includes the Aulani resort in Hawaii and Disney Vacation Club.
The first Adriatic trip will come in 2024 with guests climbing
on board the Ponant ship Le Bougainville, named after French admiral Louis Antoine de Bougainville. The 430-foot-long small vessel began sailing in 2019.
It features 92 staterooms for up to 184 guests with two restaurants, an outdoor pool, multisensorial underwater lounge and a spa. As an expedition vessel, it features nine Zodiac inflatable boats for venturing off ship.
Adventures by Disney plans two Adriatic expeditions departing June 25 and July 2, each for a seven-night round-trip sailing from Venice, Italy. It will visit seven ports in Croatia and Montenegro. Bookings opened to the public on Oct. 27.
The new tour will include visits to Korcula, where Disney touts that guests can taste famous Mali Ston oysters, and Hvar for kayaking along the Pakleni Islands. Wine tasting, olive pressing, bike rides through vineyards and lavender fields of UNESCO site Stari Grad Plain, tasting Dalmatian prosciutto and exploring Montenegro’s Boka Bay by catamaran are among the options on the itinerary.
Also promised are options to visit Slovenia’s Predjama Castle and underground labyrinth Postojna Cave.
On board activities will include themed karaoke nights, game and trivia nights, a talent show and Disney movies. Adultsonly activities include cocktail workshops and fitness classes.
Those 12 and under have their own programming such as the “Pirates of the Adriatic” swim party, a pizza party and Dalmatian Dash scavenger hunt.
Adventures by Disney began offering river cruising on the Danube eight years ago, expanding to the Rhine in 2017, and Seine in 2019 while sometimes sailing the Rhone as well. They partner with AMAWaterways for the river voyages while partnering with GO Galapagos-Ecuador on its Galapagos Legend ship for Galapagos Island expeditions, and with Ponant for its Antarctic and Arctic expeditions.
Bookings for all of its expedition cruise options opened Oct. 27 at AdventuresByDisney.com.
Disney Cruise Line meanwhile continues to sail its newest ship Disney Wish, which debuted this summer in Port Canaveral. It’s the first of three new ships on order that will grow the DCL fleet to seven by 2025. Disney Wish sails year-round on three- and four-night voyages to the Bahamas and includes Disney’s private island Castaway Cay.
The four older ships sail from a variety of ports including PortMiami, Los Angeles, New York and Galveston, Texas while serving traditional cruising in the Caribbean, Alaska, Europe and the Mexican Riviera.
The next ship will be named Disney Treasure and is due for delivery to the line in 2024.