Disney Treasure prepares for its maiden voyage amid major cruise expansion

• The Disney Treasure embarks on its maiden voyage later this month.
• Disney plans to double the size of its cruise fleet in the coming years.
• Disney plans to invest $60 billion in parks and cruises amid challenges for its TV business.

The 1,119-foot-long Disney Treasure is set to make its maiden voyage from Port Canaveral, Florida later this month as the entertainment giant embarks on a major expansion of its cruise operations.

The Treasure is one of seven new liners Disney plans to launch by 2031, more than doubling its fleet.

Disney is still a fairly small operator yet is enjoying “unprecedented growth” with very strong demand for its cruises, experiences chief Thomas Mazloum told Theme Park Insider last month.

“We offer a premium brand within the cruise sector and the occupancy, and frankly, the business is performing very well,” he said.

The Treasure was christened by Disney CEO Bob Iger the night before it set sail as a display of 1,000 drones transformed into characters from films including “Aladdin” and “Moana” to the soundtrack of Disney songs. Singer Jordin Sparks also performed a song written for the ship, The Wall Street Journal reported.

The Disney Adventure is due to come into service in the 2025 fiscal year and be based in Singapore, with the Disney Destiny arriving the following year.

Disney said last year it planned to almost double its investment on theme parks and cruises line to $60 billion over a decade.

The move comes amid the ongoing decline of its linear TV business. Its networks including ABC and cable channels saw profits fall 38% to $498 million for the third quarter, while revenue dropped 6% to $2.5 billion in the third quarter.

However, the entertainment giant reported better-than-expected earnings for the quarter and surprised investors with a strong outlook for the next three years. Disney stock has gained more than 28% this year, valuing the company at $211 billion.

Investors seem unconcerned that public sparring between Iger and president-elect Donald Trump during his first term could affect Disney’s creative output and CEO succession.