Walt Disney Company CEO Bob Chapek has expressed his hopes for a limited resumption of cruising by fall 2021.
“We’re anticipating that with some luck, the increase of the number of vaccinations out there and the encouraging trends that we’re seeing, maybe by this fall, we might be able to have some limited operations of our cruise ships,” Chapek said during the Q&A part of The Walt Disney Company’s 2021 Annual Meeting of Shareholders held virtually on March 9.
Chapek added that the restart date depends on “the incidence of the virus and the vaccination of the general public.”
“So, we look forward – though, when we do open up – to using the very same disciplined guidelines that we’ve used in our parks to safely reopen and use those same guidelines on the Disney Cruise Line,” he added.
According to Chapek, Disney is “very anxious” to get its Disney Cruise Line back in business.
“As you know, the cruise industry had been quite hit hard by COVID. And as of right now, we don’t have any definitive information in terms of when we’ll be able to reopen our cruise lines,” he said.
Chapek also mentioned during the meeting that the construction of Disney’s fifth cruise ship, the Disney Wish, is continuing with a maiden voyage scheduled for summer 2022.
