Disney Cruise Line will bring two of its three newbuilds (currently on order/underconstruction) to Port Canaveral FL, under a 20-year operating agreement the cruise port has reached with the line.
The deal calls for Disney to have 3 ships based at the port, up from the current 2. Port commissioners are expected to vote on the contract at a meeting on Wednesday, May 22.
Disney Cruise Line's two largest ships in the current 4-ship fleet, Dream and Fantasy, are based at Port Canaveral. Under the new deal with the port, the cruise company will have 3 ships based at Port Canaveral - two that will be built, plus one of its existing.
Construction of the two Disney ships is scheduled to be completed in 2021 and 2022. The line is also building a third new vessel, scheduled for completion in 2023.
As part of the deal, Disney will increase the number of sailings it guarantees from Port Canaveral. The current guarantee is 150 cruises per year. The total will increase to 180 per year in 2023, then to 216 per year in 2024 and beyond.
Port Canaveral intends to make a total of US$46.48 million in upgrades to its Cruise Terminal 8, that is exclusively used by Disney, as well as to Cruise Terminal 10, which the line will share with other cruise companies.