Disney Cruise Line has secured a deal that takes it one step closer to sailing from Southern California year round.
Disney now sails from San Diego for a few months each spring, before its ships head north for the Alaska sailing season. That schedule leaves Southern California without Disney cruises for most of the year.
But the DCL is the midst of its biggest expansion, with the fleet set to grow to 13 ships by 2031. Right now, Disney's fleet has six cruise ships, with two more launching late this year. With the fleet more than doubling within six years, that creates opportunities for Disney to offer more sailings from current departure ports while also expanding to new ones.
Disney has identified the west coast as an expansion priority for its cruise line. [See Disney looks to more ships to serve more fans in more markets.] Now, the company has come to an agreement with one of its popular port destinations to expand service.
Earlier this month, the City of Avalon on California's Catalina Island approved a deal that gives the Disney Cruise Line preferred access to anchorage areas on Tuesdays year-round. The deal also gives Disney the same preferred access on Saturdays from mid-September through mid-May. (That corresponds to the months when ships are not sailing in Alaska.)
Avalon is a tender-only port, so an anchorage deal is how cruise lines get access. Disney's deal with the city takes effect in 2027. It's a five-year deal, with options for two five-year extensions. Disney is guaranteeing to deliver 120,000 guests a year to the port, as part of the agreement. [The deal was first reported by Cruise Hive, but details have been confirmed by multiple other sources, including from within Disney Cruise Line.]
It's unimaginable that Disney would sign a deal for port access that it did not intend to use. Under the deal, Disney will have access to the port for approximately 86 arrivals a year. Doing the math, that works out to a guarantee of about 1,400 guests per arrival. That suggests that Disney would continue to send its smaller Magic class ships to the California port, as its new, larger Wish-class ships take on more itineraries in Florida and the Caribbean.
Disney's ships are flagged to The Bahamas, and U.S. federal law prohibits foreign-flagged ships from sailing 100% domestic itineraries. So Disney will need to make arrangements with Mexican ports to support year-round departures from Southern California before those itineraries can be set and announced.
Disney is bringing both the Magic and the Wonder to Alaska for the 2026 season, as it works up to what looks like a major west coast expansion for 2027. See Alaska is getting some Disney Magic next year for details on the latest announced Disney Cruise Line itineraries.
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