Sharon Siskie on Disney's growth and Treasure's emotional tugSharon Siskie on Disney's growth and Treasure's emotional tug

The response to Disney Treasure has been 'incredible,' according to Sharon Siskie, SVP and general manager, Disney Cruise Line.

'Guests fell in love with Disney Wish' in 2022, she said, 'so now to be able to turn around and launch Disney Treasure in such close proximity to Wish, we have a lot of momentum, a lot of positive energy.'

Several things stand out in the feedback Siskie's getting.

It's the first time DCL's brought park attractions to a ship, adding 'a lot of emotional connection and excitement.' Lounges include the Haunted Mansion Parlor (from the Haunted Mansion ride), Periscope Pub (from the submarine Nautilus in 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea) and Skipper Society (from Jungle Cruise).

Haunted Mansion Parlor PHOTO: DISNEY CRUISE LINE

As well, she's hearing praise for Disney Treasure's 'beauty and creativity, the artwork, the attention to detail, the color palette, the adventure theme. All those elements are really resonating. It's a different set of Disney stories coming to life.'

Growth drivers

In 2023 the Walt Disney Co. signaled plans to nearly double the investment in what was then called its Parks, Experiences and Products segment — including cruise — to approximately $60b over the next decade. Cited were Disney Cruise Line's high yields and double-digit return on investment.

Plus, DCL nets the company's highest guest satisfaction scores.

'Excess demand'

'We have excess demand,' Siskie said in an interview aboard Disney Treasure. 'And we know we can deploy assets to different places and reach new guests' who may not live near a Disney park, such as Australians and Singaporeans.

After Disney Fantasy's 2012 introduction, it was a decade before the next-generation Disney Wish arrived. As Siskie noted, the momentum's picking up now, with Disney Treasure to be closely followed in 2025 with an unprecedented two new ships in a year — the Wish-class Disney Destiny and, dedicated to Singapore, the 208,000gt Disney Adventure (originally World Dream).

Four more newbuilds of undisclosed style and size are planned to arrive between 2027 and 2031, plus Oriental Land. Co.'s Wish-class ship, for Japan, is set for late 2028 delivery.

Newbuild platform TBD

Whether the four DCL newbuilds will continue the 140,000gt, 2,500-lower-berth Wish series is 'very much still to be determined,' according to Siskie. 'It's too early to comment in any way about what we might do. There are too many considerations at this point.'

It's a lot of capacity in the pipeline, which she called 'energizing. We're very bullish ... When you think about all the Disney fans, all the guests who visit Disney theme parks, all the US consumers who've never taken a cruise before, there's tremendous opportunity. We're very excited, and we feel very confident in the future.'

Asia presents strong potential. And the US is 'still an untapped market for cruising in general and Disney Cruise Line in particular.'

Disney Treasure will sail seven-night cruises from Port Canaveral PHOTO: CANAVERAL PORT AUTHORITY

Inaugural exposure

This week Disney Treasure is wrapping up a series of introductory sailings from Port Canaveral, and the ship got exposure in New York with its naming festivities held there.

These events are leading up to the Dec. 21 maiden voyage before Treasure settles into its regular Port Canaveral schedule of seven-night itineraries to the eastern and western Caribbean and The Bahamas, while Disney Wish continues its three-/four-night pattern.

Emotional connection

Siskie deemed Disney Treasure a 'wonderful experience. From the minute you step on board into the Grand Hall, you really feel it.'

The genie's lamp — one of many details in Disney Treasure's Grand Hall PHOTO: DISNEY CRUISE LINE

That spacious, Aladdin-inspired venue with its sweeping staircase, deep, rich colors, monumental chandelier, arabesques, mosaics and bronze statue of Aladdin and Jasmine on their flying carpet make a strong first impression.

Right off the Grand Hall is Siskie's favorite spot, Scat Cat Lounge.

She explained: 'I was 6 years old when "The Aristocats" came out and it was the first animated movie I'd ever seen.' Blueprints for the lounge made her 'smile from ear to ear.'

Scat Cat Lounge PHOTOS: DISNEY CRUISE LINE

And when she saw the actual room, from the door handles in the shape of musical notes to the integration of the art and all the details, she loved it.

'It's an adult space and yet it's using animation and a classic story ... And then activating it with entertainment in the evening. It's special ... such creative IP use.'

Treasure gave the opportunity to 'bring more Disney stories to life,' such as the new stage production, 'Disney Tale of Moana.' The timing coincides with 'Moana 2' opening in movie theaters as a major success, outperforming the first Moana film (grossing $717m so far, according to 'Deadline,' topping that other box office sensation, 'Wicked').

Siskie said 'Moana' is yet another element that 'helps solidify our position as a leader in family cruising' by 'continuing to enhance our experience.'

She added DCL caters to all kinds of families — those with young children, those with older kids and those adults who come back to sail after their children are grown — and 'the spaces for the adults have that same level of passion and creativity and detail that the spaces for the children do.'

Details, details

Disney's penchant for detail is unsurpassed.

Siskie pointed to 'The Lion King'-inspired carpet in a corridor outside the royal suites where the designers used drawings of patterns in the sand.

'The Lion King'-inspired carpet PHOTOS: ANNE KALOSH

'They could have gone with an animated version and been very overt. But they chose a very clever, very subtle approach, which I thought was brilliant,' she said. It's those details, those special 'didn't have to do it,' but they did, 'So you're really wowed.'

And overhead, the light fixtures have metal cutouts that cast little shadows of lion shapes on the lamps' rim.

'To me, that was just amazing,' Siskie said. 'It's things like that that make it so unique.'