Disney Cruise Line drops name updates for new ship, Bahamas destination

Disney Cruise Line revealed the names of what will be its seventh ship in the fleet as well as its new Bahamas destination opening next summer during presentations at the Destination D23 events at Walt Disney World on Saturday.

Disney Adventure is the new name for what had been the unfinished Global Dream cruise ship that DCL acquired this year from the Genting Hong Kong group that ran Dream Cruises, Crystal Cruises and Star Cruises before it filed for bankruptcy.

And the updated name for Disney’s second private Bahamas destination is Disney Lookout Cay at Lighthouse Point. Previously just referred to as Lighthouse Point, the 700-acre site on the southern end of Eleuthera will begin welcoming cruise line guests in June 2024.

Thomas Mazloum, president of Disney Signature Experiences, which includes DCL, Adventures by Disney and Disney Vacation Club, said the name reveal for Disney Adventure was fitting for what will be the largest ship in the fleet coming in at 208,000 gross tons.

“Needless to say, this will be our biggest Adventure yet,” he said.

It’s currently under construction at the MV Werften shipyard in Wismar, Germany, and will be headed to sail out of Singapore serving the Southeast Asia market when it debuts in 2025.

Disney Cruise Line queues up old and new features for new ship Disney Treasure

It will be the seventh of eight ships in the DCL fleet by the end of 2025. Its next ship Disney Treasure will debut in December 2024 out of Port Canaveral with a yet-to-be-named sister ship to Disney Treasure and 2022’s Disney Wish to round out DCL’s current expansion plans.

Disney Adventure will run on green methanol, which would make it one of the first in the cruise industry to use the low-emission fuel for the vessel. In an effort to stem environmental emissions, cruise lines have been switching from traditional diesel on new ships including the use of liquefied natural gas, which is what powers Disney Wish.

Construction of the Global Dream began in 2018 and original plans called for it to have the longest roller coaster at sea, but what exactly will be on board for Disney Cruise Line has yet to be determined.

“Aboard the Adventure, the families will go on fantastical voyages across the sea experiencing Disney, Pixar, Marvel stories representing truly every corner of the Disney world and beyond, and that’s without ever leaving the ship,” Mazloum said.

Disney earlier had cited Singapore’s strategic location with access to airports and port infrastructure behind the move that will let the ship also access the Australian market. Southeast Asia features more than 40 UNESCO World Heritage Sites.

Disney Cruise Line announces new Bahamas destination Lighthouse Point to open next year

Tackling the Asian market leaves North America to its existing fleet, but with the potential for seven of its eventual eight ships to tackle the Caribbean and the Bahamas, DCL is welcoming its second private destination to relieve pressures on its existing Castaway Cay, which the line has operated since 1998.

“Trust me when I tell you there’s some pretty awesome, great collaboration happening right now between our teams and some unbelievably talented artists and cultural advisors in the Bahamas,” Mazloum said. “Together we’re going to shape an experience that truly celebrations that natural beauty, the traditions, the artistry of this one-of-a-kind nation.”

The site includes a main beach, family beach and adults-only beach plus an Arts and Cultural Pavilion, water play area with two slides, gaming pavilion, market-style dining, shopping and kids club.

Previous statements from Disney Cruise Line have said the plan for Lighthouse Point would see similar traffic as Castaway Cay, between three and five weekly visits from cruise ships year-round.

As part of the agreement between Disney and the Bahamas, at least 190 acres, including the southernmost tip of the purchased land, would be donated back to the government to become a national park.

The plan calls for developing only 16% of the 700 acres, the use of elevated walkways to reduce the impact on the landscape and a pier design that was able to avoid dredging. Plans call for at least 90% of the power for the site to come from solar energy.

For its debut, DCL is giving most of the first sailings to the destination to its first ship Disney Magic out of its new second Florida home port at Port Everglades.

Only two of the initial sailings are on tap from Port Canaveral, the line’s traditional home, both on Disney Fantasy and not its newest ship Disney Wish.

Sailings among both Port Canaveral and Port Everglades to Lighthouse Point open up in fall 2024 ahead of the arrival of Disney Treasure.