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Did you know that the first-ever Florida Disney Cruise predates the founding of the Disney Cruise Line?
The Disney Cruise Line has certainly expanded since premiering back in 1998. And with so many new developments on the horizon, many folks are already looking ahead to Disney Cruise 2024 endeavors. Others are trying to find out all they can about future sailings for tentative, yet-to-be-confirmed vacations, wondering, “Is a Disney Cruise worth it?” There’s also that ongoing debate between taking a Disney Cruise versus Disney World vacation options.
The last 25 years have certainly proven fruitful for the Disney Cruise Line. But it was the Walt Disney Company’s previous partnership with another cruise company that initially inspired the formation of the Disney Cruise Line of today.
Here at Inside the Magic, we’re taking a nostalgic look back at Disney’s first, short-lived stints in the cruising industry and how those previous experiences eventually influenced the founding and formation of the Disney Cruise Line.
Related: Questions to Ask When Considering a Disney Cruise
Disney’s Decision to Go Cruising
After becoming CEO of Disney in 1984, Michael Eisner saw lucrative potential in possibly offering themed Disney Cruises from Florida. The cruise industry throughout Florida and the Bahamas was already emerging as the next big thing, and it could be good for Disney to get in on the act. There was even the idea of offering a Walt Disney World Resort and cruise destination combo package.
Disney World had only been in operation in Orlando, Florida, for a little over a decade, though, and was somewhat struggling financially. Therefore, the only way to test the waters was to partner with an existing cruise line. So that’s what they did, with two experimental projects involving two big-name cruise lines of the day.
Related: Disney Legend Michael Eisner Still Teaching Bob Iger
One-Week Cruises with Norwegian
One of Disney’s experimental partnerships was with Norwegian Caribbean Lines. That was when they offered a unique FantaSea Cruise between November 3 and 10 in 1984, which sailed from Miami to St. Thomas, the Virgin Islands, Nassau, and the Great Stirrup Cay—Norwegian’s privately owned Bahamian island.
The one-week cruise, with rates ranging from $975 to $2,710 a person (double occupancy, round-trip airfare included), included many highlighted hits. There were onboard cosplay Disney Characters, a live-action recreation of the Pirates of the Caribbean attraction, a Goofy-themed Olympics held on deck, classic Disney movie showings, and even nighttime fireworks.
Partnership with Premier
During the Norwegian stint, Disney also tested a potential Premier Cruise Line partnership. In working with Eastern Air Lines, which was at the time dubbed “The Official Airline of Walt Disney World,” Premier Cruise Line offered a special Disney World Cruise weeklong combo package. It included round-trip airfare, a three to four-night cruise to the Bahamas on their S.S. Royale from Cape Canaveral, and a three to four-night stay at Disney World. Complimentary rental car service with unlimited mileage, Park admission, and Disney World Resort lodging were also covered.
Disney’s Big Red Boat
The experiment was such a success that from 1985 to 1992, Premier became the official cruise line of Walt Disney World. In devising an almost eight-year contract, Premier agreed to pay licensing fees to Disney to feature Characters, names, and other products onboard their fleet of large, distinguishable red boats. The name “Big Red Boat” even became synonymous with Disney Cruises.
What Happened to Disney’s Big Red Boat?
It’s a challenging question to answer, given the mystery surrounding Premier’s decision to pull away. All was well and mutually prosperous between the two companies throughout their contract. But when it ended, instead of renewing negotiations with Disney, Premier made the bold move to break ties and look elsewhere. That’s when they signed an alternate deal with Warner Brothers to start featuring Looney Tunes Character Cruises.
Premier’s decision left Disney high and dry, searching elsewhere for a cruise line to partner with. Royal Caribbean and Carnival were considerations, but nothing ever came from discussing it with either company. If Disney hoped to stay “afloat” in the sailing industry, the only viable option would be to form a Company-founded cruise line.
The Disney Cruise Line Emerges
Things were looking up for Disney financially, so by 1994, plans were underway to begin work on what was tentatively known as “Disney Vacation Cruises,” with a launch date planned for 1998. There was still that matter of adding ocean liner vessels to its fleet, though, so in 1995, Disney commissioned its first two ships, Disney Magic and Disney Wonder, to be built by Fincantieri S.p.A. in Italy. By 1996, the new cruise line was incorporated in the United Kingdom as Devonson Cruise Company, Limited, but was later renamed “Magical Cruise Company” that same year.
Castaway Cay
Because the sailing destinations at the time would be based in the Bahamas, Disney decided to include a special island stopover as part of its cruising package. So, Magical Cruise Company purchased a private island, previously known as “Gorda Cay” in 1996 for $25 million. And so was born Castaway Cay—a Disney Cruise Private Island exclusively accessible to those embarking on Disney Cruises.
To this day, stopovers at Castaway Cay are Included in all Disney Cruise Bahamas excursions for Guests to disembark and enjoy beachside activities like snorkeling, swimming, sunbathing, and more. You may even run into a couple of Disney Characters who are also out enjoying the scenic Island surroundings.
Related: OpEd: Disney Cruise Line Should Offer Overnight Stays on Castaway Cay
Continued Growth
Disney Cruise Line Cruises have been sailing since July 30, 1998. And while taking a Disney Cruise from Miami to the Bahamas or from Port Canaveral to the Bahamas are still classic offerings for Guests, there also now exist far more available sailing options and destinations at other established ports of call both nationally and internationally. The Cruise Ship lineup has also expanded and now comprises a fleet of five different vessels—Disney Magic, Disney Wonder, Disney Dream, Disney Fantasy, and Disney Wish.
Disney may have gotten off to a humble start in the cruise line industry, treading water under the watchful eye of a parenting cruise line. But with the establishment of the Disney Cruise Line, it’s all been smooth sailing ever since.
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Have you or someone you know ever been a passenger on one of Disney’s earlier Big Red Cruise excursions? We want to hear all about the experience in the comments below.