- Disney Cruise Line is leaving Australia, a significant disappointment for the Australian cruise industry.
- The Disney Wonder will now be sailing out of San Diego instead.
- The ships’ new itineraries will be significantly pricier than her Aussie sailings.
Disney Cruise Line has now revealed its sailings for the 2026/27 season. Sailing out of San Diego off the West Coast of America, the ship will offer three to seven-night sailings.
The cruise line’s departure is another heavy blow to Australia’s cruise industry after the departure of Virgin Voyages, as well as reduced capacity from homestay favourites like Princess and Royal Caribbean.
On the Disney Wonder’s new route, the ship will sail down to Mexico and visit ports like Mazatlan, Puerto Vallarta, Cabo San Lucas and Ensenada.
But prices for seven-night sailings from San Diego start from more than $8000 per person. These prices are much higher compared to what is on offer in Australia and New Zealand for Disney Wonder‘s last season in the region.
The most affordable cabins on sale from California are priced from $6186.
For a four-night cruise, prices are at least $1000 more per cabin.
Many Australian cruisers had complained about Disney Cruise Line’s high price point, especially compared to other family and contemporary cruise lines.
It’s also been suggested that a problem for Disney was encouraging Aussies to repeat a cruise, but Disney is less likely to run into problems when sailing out of the USA, due to the much larger population. California alone has over 10 million more people than the total of Australia.
This could explain why the cruise line has decided to pivot to California, instead of continuing sailings out of Australia and New Zealand.
The Australia and New Zealand upcoming season for Disney starts in just a couple of months, and in theory, prices should already be inflated, as cruises become more expensive the more cabins that are booked.
Many other cruise lines, such as Carnival and Royal Caribbean, have also been deploying more ships to the West Coast of the USA. Favourable weather conditions mean ships can sail year-round there and consumers seem ready to spend. Many of Australia’s favourite ships can be seen around the USA West Coast over the next couple of years, such as Ovation and Quantum of the Seas, and Carnival Luminosa.
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