Disney is preparing to bid farewell to Sydney Harbour as its final cruise departs next month, leaving a significant void for countless enthusiasts.
The company, Disney Cruise Line, which launched its operations in Sydney in November 2023, announced last year that it would conclude its voyages, with the last ship scheduled to embark on February 2.
In a statement to Yahoo in August, Tristan from Disney Cruise Line’s shoreside guest services leadership team said, “We are constantly exploring new destinations for our guests and crew members.”
He added, “Australia and New Zealand remain on our radar for potential future sailings. However, since itineraries beyond the 2026/2027 season have not been released, we can’t provide any further details at this time.”
Following this departure, travelers from Down Under looking to experience a Disney cruise will need to head to Singapore, which will be the nearest port offering Disney cruises.
It is believed that one of the factors leading to the cessation of Disney’s Australian cruises was the higher cost compared to other cruise lines operating out of Sydney.
Some keen cruisers voiced their disappointment online and said they wouldn’t be going on another Disney voyage unless it returned to Australia.
‘It’s too expensive as it is. Can’t justify paying to travel somewhere to get on a cruise,’ one person said, while another commented, ‘I was on it in November last year and miss it so much. Hopefully one day in the future it comes back.’
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Another added: ‘ I won’t be going on another one. I’m so sad.’
Others said it was a great opportunity to get to explore other parts of the world.
‘For Aussies, Singapore is the closest and airfares are pretty good. Changi Airport is great for easy access to Japan, Hong Kong or Shanghai to pop in a park visit,’ one fan said.
Disneyland’s current locations include California, Hong Kong, Paris, Shanghai and Tokyo, with Florida ‘s flagship park called Magic Kingdom.
Plans have also been unveiled for a Disney theme park in Abu Dhabi.
The move comes after Disney executives shot down rumours that a theme park may be built in Australia.
Rumours that the Walt Disney Company was planning to build a park have swirled for years, with fans, politicians and tourism bodies alike joining in on the calls.
Potential locations for the park were considered across Melbourne and the Gold Coast, with one Victorian politician even narrowing down three spots in his electorate.
Disney Cruise Lines will set sail out of Sydney Harbour for the final time on February 2
Libertarian MP for South East Metro David Limbrick told the Victorian Parliament in 2024 that south-east Melbourne was the ‘only logical place for the happiest place on earth’, as his electorate is filled with tens of thousands of families with children ‘looking for things to do’.
However, Disney executives said Australia doesn’t have the base population to support a park, unlike in California, where Disney’s first theme park was built, which has a population of 33.5million, and Tokyo which has 39million residents.
According to data gathering platform Statista, Disneyland Tokyo alone hosted approximately 15 million visitors in 2023 – a far cry from the 1 million visitors Australia’s largest theme park Dreamworld attracts each year.
Village Road Show, who own Warner Bros. Movie World, SeaWorld, Wet Wild and Paradise Country and Australian Outback Spectacular, said they hosted over 4million guests across all of their theme parks by the end of financial year 2024.
