Disney Cruise Line adding two new ships

With only two mid-sized ships, those booking a Disney Cruise get an education in the law of supply and demand: a very popular product, plus not-too-many staterooms, equals consistently higher prices and scarcer availability. So Disney's announcement that it's building two new ships, for delivery in 2011 and 2012, more than doubling current capacity, has perked up sea-loving mouse-ears everywhere.

Disney's first experiment in cruising, partnering with now-defunct Premier Cruises on land-and-sea Disney vacations aboard The Big Red Boat, worked so well that Disney decided to build two of its own ships, delivered in 1998.

Since then, Disney cruises have been well-reviewed by passengers, and apparently by Disney's bean-counters too. "Since our maiden voyage in 1998, Disney Cruise Line has been a huge success for our guests and for our shareholders alike," explained Disney president and CEO Bob Iger. "It has brought our unparalleled family vacation experience to the high seas, and has also generated high margins and double digit returns on invested capital. We're excited to announce the expansion of our fleet, which is a logical next step in what is a real growth business for us."

Substantially larger than Disney's existing 83,000 ton vessels, the new 122,000-ton ships will each have 1,250 staterooms, and a construction contract was awarded to Meyer Werft in Papenburg, Germany.

For now Disney is holding back details about any new onboard goodies, other than assuring that their Imagineers are working hard to delight and amaze the families who will undoubtedly swarm onboard.