Robert Downey Jr launches gigantic new Disney ship in our region

Disney Wonder, the cruise ship that sailed Australian waters for the past three summers, may have departed with no plans to return, but a new Disney ship has arrived in our region.

Disney Adventure, the largest ship in the cruise line’s fleet and first to be based in Asia, launched in Singapore on Wednesday night with a christening ceremony led by the ship’s godfather, actor Robert Downey Jr.

Disney Adventure is significantly larger than the other ships in Disney’s fleet and one of the biggest cruise ships in the world, weighing in at 208,000 gross tonnes. It has 2111 staterooms and capacity for 6700 passengers (the next largest in the Disney fleet is 144,000 tonnes and accommodates a little more than 4000 passengers at maximum).

Downey Jr joined chairman of Disney Experiences Josh D’Amaro and president of Disney Signature Experiences Joe Schott to christen this ship at the climax of a spectacular stage show in the onboard theatre, featuring a medley of songs from Disney films performed by Filipino singer Jed Madela and Australia’s own Dami Im, who belted out Let It Go from Frozen among several other hits.

D’Amaro was recently named the successor to Bob Iger as chief executive for all of Disney, an indication of how seriously the company is now taking its tourism operations, which are led by its theme parks and cruise line.

Disney Adventure features seven movie-inspired areas including a Toy Story-themed water park and “Marvel Landing” – a superhero-themed area on the upper deck featuring rides including the world’s longest roller coaster at sea. In a nod to the ship’s base in Asia, the ship features an arcade area based on Big Hero 6, an animated movie that is among Disney’s most successful across Asian film markets.

Inspired by the original Disneyland theme park’s Main Street thoroughfare, two open-air areas – Disocovery Reef and Imagination Garden – cut a swathe through the centre of the ship, allowing many of the interior rooms to still have balconies.

There are six main dining restaurants, each with a different theme, with passengers rotated through the different spaces during cruises to get the opportunity to try most of them.

The vessel has a fascinating backstory. Originally commissioned by Hong Kong-based Genting Dream Cruises and named Global Dream, the unfinished ship was put up for sale after the cruise line went into receivership during the pandemic.

After 10 months on the market, Disney purchased the ship, reportedly built at a cost of $US1.8 billion ($2.5 billion), for a “favourable” price. Designed to carry up to 9000 passengers – which would have set a world record for the highest capacity of any cruise ship – Disney substantially redesigned Global Dream, reducing its capacity to 6000.

Disney Wonder was based in Australian ports for the past three years over summer, the first time a Disney ship had homeported anywhere south of the equator. However, the ship became one of several to quit cruising Australia in recent years. Cruise lines have cited the cost of operating in Australia, the cost of relocating the ships from the other side of the world, and the profitability of other regions. Disney’s ship also may have proven too expensive for some Australian cruisers, with prices significantly higher than rival family cruise operators, and onboard expenses charged in US dollars.

The cruise line, first launched in 1998, has expanded rapidly recently – Disney Adventure is the company’s third new ship in the past two years. The fleet is set to expand from its current eight ships to 13 by 2031.

After a shakedown cruise carrying industry guests and media this week, the first official passenger sailing of Disney Adventure will depart on March 10. The ship is committed to homeporting in Singapore for the next five years and will operate year-round offering three- and four-night sailings. Three-night cruises start from $US1060 per person.

The writer travelled as a guest of Disney Cruise Lines.