Disney Cruise Line: Fleet, Technology & Business Strategy
This paper examines Disney Cruise Line (operated by the Magical Cruise Company Limited, a Walt Disney Company subsidiary) as a business intelligence study. It surveys the company's fleet history — from the Disney Magic and Wonder to the newly launched Disney Dream and the forthcoming Disney Fantasy — and highlights the Dream's groundbreaking onboard technologies, including the AquaDuck water coaster, virtual portholes, and LED screens. The paper then identifies areas for improvement, drawing on Gartner's 2011 strategic technology forecast to recommend mobile tablet distribution for queue management and RFID/GPS child-tracking systems as practical enhancements to the guest experience.
- Company Overview and Fleet History: Disney Cruise Line origins, subsidiaries, and fleet timeline
- Disney Dream: Features and Innovations: Disney Dream's size, technology, and onboard attractions
- Guest Experience Challenges: AquaDuck wait times and guest satisfaction gaps
- Technology Recommendations for Improvement: Tablet distribution and RFID child-tracking proposals
- Works Cited: Sources cited in MLA format
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What makes this paper effective
- It grounds business recommendations in a named external authority (Gartner's 2011 strategic technology forecast), lending credibility to the proposed enhancements.
- It balances descriptive reporting of existing features with critical identification of shortcomings, demonstrating analytical thinking rather than simple summary.
- Specific details — ship tonnage, passenger capacity, ride length, screen dimensions — add precision and support the paper's business intelligence framing.
Key academic technique demonstrated
The paper applies a problem-solution structure at the micro level: it establishes Disney Dream's positive reputation, acknowledges a concrete guest pain point (AquaDuck wait times), cites industry research to validate a technology trend, and proposes a targeted solution. This technique shows how to move from observation to evidence-backed recommendation — a core skill in business writing.
Structure breakdown
The paper opens with a corporate overview and fleet timeline, then profiles the Disney Dream in detail. A brief critical section flags the AquaDuck wait-time problem, which bridges into two technology recommendations (mobile tablets for queues; RFID child tracking). The works cited section uses MLA-style formatting. The argument is linear and compact, making it a clear model for a short business intelligence brief.
Company Overview and Fleet History
The Magical Cruise Company Limited, which does business as Disney Cruise Line, provides cruise line services. Incorporated in 1996 and headquartered in London, United Kingdom, the company operates as a subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company (Bloomberg, 2011).
Disney Cruise Line consists of four ships: the Disney Magic and the Disney Wonder, whose maiden voyages took place in 1998 and 1999 respectively, as well as the Disney Dream and the Disney Fantasy. The 4,000-passenger Disney Fantasy — Dream's sister ship — was under construction at the time of this writing and scheduled to begin sailing in March 2012. The Disney Dream is the third ship in the Disney Cruise Line fleet, having sailed its maiden voyage in January 2011. For the first time, Disney Cruise Line planned to set sail from three new home ports in 2012: New York, Seattle, and Galveston, Texas (Disney Cruise Line, 2011).
Disney Cruise Line has been a commercial success ever since its launch with only two ships. For years, both vessels sailed at full capacity and at premium rates. Tom Staggs, chairman of Walt Disney Parks and Resorts, was asked why it took Disney more than a decade to introduce a third vessel. His response was direct: "Getting the asset right is far more important than getting it done quickly" (Sloan, 2011).
Until January 2011, it had been more than twelve years since Disney Cruise Line last launched a new ship. The Disney Dream, at 128,690 tons with a 2,500-passenger capacity, is 40% larger than the Magic and Wonder and stands two decks taller. Dream itineraries offer three-, four-, and five-night Bahamian cruises departing from Port Canaveral, Florida (Independent Traveler, 2011).
Disney Dream: Features and Innovations
Billed as the most high-tech cruise ship ever built, the Disney Dream features an innovative use of technology throughout the vessel. Among its most celebrated attractions is the AquaDuck, the world's first shipboard water coaster. The 765-foot-long flume ride features twists, turns, drops, uphill acceleration, and river rapids, all while crossing the ship's upper decks.
Additional technological highlights include Enchanted Art, which comes alive in the ship's corridors and stairwells. A 24-by-14-foot LED screen faces Donald's Pool, attached to the forward funnel. Playrooms feature video games, three green-screen-enabled animator's studios, and Wii-filled recreation areas. Complimentary "Wave Phones" in every cabin allow guests to call or text other passengers anywhere on the ship.
Inside cabins also include another industry first: virtual portholes. These are flat screens designed to resemble traditional portholes, projecting a real-time view of the outside of the ship via high-definition cameras and a live video feed — giving interior stateroom guests the sense of an ocean view (Independent Traveler, 2011).
Guest Experience Challenges
While reviews of the Disney Dream experience have been overwhelmingly positive, there are nonetheless areas where improvements are needed. According to USA Today reporter Gene Sloan (2011b), the wait to ride the acclaimed AquaDuck exceeded 30 minutes at times. Given the ride's popularity, there is probably little that structural changes alone can do to reduce AquaDuck wait times significantly. However, technology can be used to make the wait less burdensome for guests.
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