Delivery of Disney Wish delayed due to Omicron variant
The emergence of the Omicron variant of COVID-19 continues to cause disruption to the cruise industry, with the latest knock-on effect impacting the delivery date for the new Disney Wish. Disney Wish was scheduled to enter service on June 30th, 2022, cruising roundtrip from Port Canaveral, Florida, but will now sail her maiden voyage on July 14th the same year.
In a statement announcing the delay, Disney Cruise Line said the shipyard had cited the spread of the Omicron variant of COVID-19 as a reason for the delay.
“The shipyard has notified us that despite their very best efforts, they will need more time to finish our ship in part due to the pandemic and particularly the arrival of the Omicron variant in Germany at a critical point in the process,” said Thomas Mazloum, President of Disney Cruise Line, in a letter to guests.
Disney Wish will sail the same 3- and 4-night cruises to Nassau and Castaway Cay, Disney’s private island in the Caribbean, as previously announced, and the cruise line is reaching out to booked guests to help them reschedule.
In the video letter, Mazloum said he continues to be impressed by the shipyard’s work, despite the delay.
“While it’s true, we are shifting the timing a bit our teams are making incredible strides,” he said. “This ship is going to be everything, Absolutely everything we envisioned, a majestic new member of our family, complementing our other ships while bringing to life incredible new spaces, experiences and entertainment.”
“During my visits to the shipyard, I’ve been absolutely amazed by the innovation and ingenuity our teams are bringing to their work. The future is bright indeed. And you will see a whole new dimension of Disney magic when the Disney Wish launches.,” Mazloum added.
Disney Wish is widely regarded as the cruise line’s most ambitious ship to date. At 140,000 gross tons and carrying more than 2,500 passengers, she is the largest cruise ships built for Disney, and will also be its first LNG-powered vessel.
The real ambition, however, is in her onboard features, entertainment and facilities. The ship offers the first ever Disney attraction at sea, a new set of “Beauty and the Beast” themed specialty restaurants, enhanced adults only spaces and new theatre productions among other new experiences and features, drawing on the full Disney cannon, from Marvel and Pixar to Star Wars.
The ship is under construction at the Meyer Werft shipyard in Germany, and is the first in a planned trio of sister ships in Disney’s new Triton class.
