The Adventure Is Out There

Disney will debut its first cruise liner in Asia in 2025. Simon Clays embarks on a four-day, two-stop cruise in Florida for a preview of the new ship, The Adventure

- Simon Clays

THE MAGIC OF DISNEY, already making waves off the coast of Florida with its cruise liners, is gearing up for its first dedicated Asian cruise with the launch of its biggest liner to date, The Adventure. This is big news for Asian Disney fans and cruise lovers alike. As the liner will depart and return to Singapore, it means that no one across Asia is further than five hours away for an encounter with the world's best-known mouse, his furry, oversized friends, a raft of Princesses, and all the franchises that the Disney empire has accumulated in the last few decades.

Empire is apt as Star Wars is part of Mickey's roster, as is Marvel, Pixar, Big Hero 6 and Pirates of the Caribbean, which isn't really a franchise as it started life as a Disney ride in 1967, but has since grown to epic, nautical supernatural proportions.

But this is background. A pixel short of a full-length Pixar. So, what is the real deal with Disney as a cruise operation? As a precursor to next year's high adventures on the South China Sea, I was invited on board the Disney Charm which sails out of Port Canaveral in Florida and skirts around the Bahamas for four nights, making a brief stop at it's capital city of Nassau and a half-day at Disney's very own tropical idyll and beach resort, Castaway Cay.