From The Rhine To The Rhinos, Disney Adds Something For Everyone

by Cheryl Rosen April 19, 2016

New Adventures by Disney itineraries are coming in 2017. Photo: Disney.

At a massive press event in Orlando, Disney over the past two days debuted an overabundance of news—new neighborhoods and attractions in the theme parks, new cruise destinations and ships, new land vacations—coming to virtually every business in the Disney stable.

At lunch today, Disney announced a new Rhine cruise, plus new Adventures by Disney up and down the East Coast, out West, and in China.

Among the most exciting is an eight-day family-oriented Rhine cruise that will sail down the river in Germany, the Netherlands, France, and Switzerland on a brand-new AmaWaterways ship. Carrying 160 passengers and 8 adventure guides, the ship is being customized by Disney designers to accommodate families, with some larger and some connecting staterooms.

Walt Disney World itself will be a featured excursion on one of three new Adventures by Disney programs, as part of the “Backstage Magic: Central Florida” trip that also will include horseback riding at a local ranch and a visit to NASA. Two other U.S. trips will focus on Washington and Philadelphia to the east and Montana and Yellowstone to the west, the latter including “glamping” outside the park in high-end tents and a dude ranch experience in Big Sky, MT.

For the more adventurous, the VIP Shanghai Disney Resort adventure will incorporate a visit to Shanghai Disneyland, Disney’s newest theme park, scheduled to open this summer. In addition to the privilege of being among the first to enter the park, guests will get backstage tours and storytelling sessions about the mammoth construction project.

Also on the Disney agenda are “some very exciting enhancements to the Disney Wonder later this year,” said Karl Holz, president of Disney Cruise Line and New Vacation Operations, though he declined to give further details.

Lunch is over now; I have to go check out the new Star Wars show. Stay tuned tomorrow for Part 2 of what’s coming, focusing on Summer Awakening in Disney World Orlando.