As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to rock the cruise industry, the maiden voyage of the Disney Wish, Disney Cruise Line’s new addition to the fleet, has been postponed until summer 2022.
In a statement to travel agents, Disney announced the change:
Originally planned to sail in early 2022, the Disney Wish is now scheduled for its maiden voyage in summer 2022 due to pandemic-related delays at the Meyer-Werft shipyard in Germany. As previously announced, the Disney Wish will be powered by liquefied natural gas or LNG, one of the cleanest-burning fuels available. At approximately 144,000 gross tons and 1,250 guest staterooms, the ship will be slightly larger than the Disney Dream and Disney Fantasy.
Previously, the ship was planned to set sail in January 2022. Back in April, Meyer Werft, the shipbuilder responsible for the Disney Wish, said in a video to its staff that its production timeline, which includes two additional “Triton” class ships for Disney Cruise Line, could be delayed to keep the business operational with no new orders expected until 2023 or 2024. While the Disney Wish’s debut will only be pushed back for a matter of months, this could further alter plans for the following two ships even more. When they were initially announced in 2018, the plan was to launch the trio in 2021, 2022, and 2023, respectively. With Disney Cruise Line already having suspended departures through early December, it may be a slow return to the magic.
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