Title : The Disney Wish; A critical analysis of a unique service innovation

Student Name : Daniel Morais

Student ID : AA-DIHTM-013
Date : 28th October 2022
Unit Title : Principals Of Entrepreneurship
Lecturer : Mr. Dimuth Rubesinghe

Page | 1
Table of Contents
Executive Summary.....................................................................................................................................3
1.1– Introduction.........................................................................................................................................4
2.1 –Introduction to the Disney Wish .........................................................................................................5
2.2-Foreword on branding ......................................................................................................................5
2.3-Product Diffrentiation efforts ...........................................................................................................5
3.1- Marketing Strategies…………………………………...........................................................................6
3.2-Market Research and target market………………………………………………………………….6
3.3-Market analysis………………………………………………………………………………………7
3.3.1-SWOT............................ ............................ ............................ ............................ ........................7
3.3.2-PESTLE............................ ............................ ............................ ............................ .....................8
3.3.3-Competitor analysis…...................................................................................................................9
4.1–Efficency of applied marketing ..........................................................................................................10
4.2 –Future marketing direction…...…………………………………………………………………….10
5.1–Feasibility of Disney Wish in the current market  …………………………………………………...11
6.1 –Barriers to entry ................................................................................................................................12
7.1- Feasibility of Disney Wish in the upcoming market…………............................................................13
8.1- Conclusion............................ ............................ ............................ ............................ ........................14
Reference List.......................................................................................................................................15,16

Page | 2
Executive Summary 

The Disney Wish, the latest addition to the line of cruise ships, is a product backed by a strong brand i.e.,
Disney. The cruise is a unique service innovation, incorporating technology and themes based on
mainstream media. In addition to the effective application of the 4p’s, The Wish has successfully
identified its target market as the upper-class American consumer. Following the analysis by SWOT and
PESTEL strategies, it can be concluded that careful and efficient planning is required to maintain the
sustainability of the ship. Through competitor analysis it is clear that the Disney Wish dominates among
potential competitors, further supported by the barriers of entry it forms discussed later within this report.
The wish has made effective progress in the current market by creating value for the customer, however
this report identifies consistent evolution will keep the product relevant in the upcoming market.

Page | 3
1.1 Introduction

Through this report the author aims to identify and critically characterize the Disney Wish and ultimately
discuss its sustainability in the long run. The author after establishing Disney’s position of the brand
analyses the unique value of the product, and proceeds to detail the marketing strategies used by the
Disney Wish. A market analysis is provided, SWOT, PESTLE and a brief competitor analysis and its
efficiency is evaluated. Finally, the long-term sustainability of the product, along with barriers to entry
created by Disney Wish is delineated.

Page | 4
2.1 Introduction To The Disney Wish 

The Disney Wish, Disney's newest cruise ship, set sail in July 2022. The ship combines state of the art
technology and ingenious design choices to appeal to both those seeking luxury as well as families and
children who enjoy Disney's iconic stories (Parr, 2022).

With a total human capacity of 4000, The Disney Wish has 1,254 suites as well as numerous guest
experience amenities. The ship boasts one of the most extensive product and service offerings that has
ever been present on a cruise ship (dclfan.com,2022).

2.2 Foreword on Branding 

Disney’s brand has been developed with such efficacious value, that it has become a significant staple in
the entertainment industry (Robbins, 2014). Over time their brand has been strongly ingrained as a brand
with quality service staying true to core family values (Jean, 2015), and further expanding by associating
their brand to famous motion pictures such as Star Wars and Marvel (Schnoor, 2020). Disney founded its
Cruise line in 1955, and has strongly established its brand and its product offerings in the cruise market
(Sanders, 2022). Due to being the latest product to join the fleet The Disney Wish has received high
demand from their market.

2.3 Product Differentiation efforts 

The Disney Wish is the first cruise to have an atrium stage and an environmental theater with visual
effects for specialized and interactive performances.  The atrium was purposefully constructed from the
start to showcase live entertainment and serve as a primary point for entertainment. Furthermore, the ship
has several restaurants themed around Disney's most recent (and widely famous) entertainment, such as
"Arendelle: A Frozen Dining Adventure," as well as old classic offerings, such as "Star Wars” Venues
(Parfitt, 2022). All things considered it is clear that Disney’s Wish is a unique service innovation that has
the capability to continue innovating to remain sustainable. (Discussed in 5.1 page 11)

Page | 5
3.1 Marketing Strategies

Disney’s Wish Cruise ship strategically applies the marketing mix, 4p’s, effectively as the cruise provides
a plethora of onboard activities for passengers of all ages, either individually and sometimes jointly. Each
night of the voyage, passengers will be treated to a variety of Broadway-style stage productions as well as
classic films and character appearances (dclfan.com,2022). A family nightclub, deck parties, and a family
pool are among the amenities provided. There is an open-alarm terrace as well as a massive atrium titled
"Cinderella’s ball" that holds celebrations every night and several experiences.  Casual and sophisticated
restaurants with live entertainment, a buffet, cocktails and snack bars and further a steakhouse as well as a
luxury pool area and relaxation areas designed only for adults looking for a more exclusive and private
relaxation point away from children and/or the crowds of families present on the ship. Other Offerings
include a plethora of kid’s clubs, various interactive programs present onboard and multiple Disney
merchandise shops (disneycruise.com 2022). Due to the large range of product offerings the Disney Wish
is Comparatively more pricey than potential competitors. The Cruise has an all-inclusive starting price of
$1,751 and can reach $5,843 for a concierge room (Disney Holidays, 2022).

The Official website addressing the Disney Wish is very interactive and informative with multiple
promotional videos available on the internet, additionally online bookings and ship tracking systems are
available on the official website (disneycruise.com 2022). Further Travel-agents and airlines offer
package deals that offer the Disney Wish cruise as its main attraction. However, as a result of Disney’s
cemented brand name as a world-renowned brand the need for promotion is low, however The Disney
Wish made use of a lot of digital marketing strategies by inviting social media influencers and celebrity
names on its maiden voyage (Sanders, 2022), and additionally due to Disney’s Reach in the entertainment
industry, The Wish is promoted during cinema advertisements (Ellie, 2022). 

3.2 Market Research and target market  

From 2010 to 2019 the number of American tourists opting for cruises, leaving from American ports
increased by 5% (Plunkett Research, Ltd., n.d.). Additionally, post covid, the luxury cruise industry saw a
rise in interest by way of google surveys and cookie data (Himler, 2022). Additionally, it is a known fact
that the cruise line is heavily influenced by iconic Disney culture and therefore The Disney Wish caters to
a similar target market to Walt Disney theme parks i.e., children, young-adults and families however
since a cruise operation is significantly more expensive, the target consumer must have stable high-
income rates and typically belong to upper class due to the environment on the ship. Disney’s cruise
operation is based in the United States of America and therefore their customers primary location will be
from America, however due to their global reach and partnerships with travel agents, Disney is also able
to attract international target consumers.

Page | 6
3.3 Market Analysis 

3.3.1 SWOT 

Strengths Weaknesses

 The cruise line has strong  Very High Staff Turnover

suppliers

  Lack of advertisement leaves the product vulnerable to

 Large Range of Offerings competitors

 Strong Brand  Comparatively more expensive than competitors 

Opportunities Threats

 Start efficient marketing  High expense toll when trying to increase staff retention
procedures

 New Sail routes  Major competition 

 
                                               (Hoeing, 2022)
 

Page | 7
3.3.2 PESTLE

Political

 International political tension

 Trade restrictions

Economical 

 Predicted global economic recession 

Social

 Acceptance of cultural diversity 

 Changes social norms

Technological

 New technology that can be implemented into attractions 

Legal

 Governmental oceanic regulations 

 Consumer protection regulations

Environmental 

 Changing weather conditions                                                 (Fern Fort University,

2022)

Page | 8
3.3.3 Competitor analysis 

The Disney Wish is by far Unique, in comparison with its competitors due to its main attribute being the
successful incorporation of iconic Disney culture into the product offered, and as a result among its direct
competitors that provide, to some degree similar, attractions, The Disney Wish dominates significantly,
however The Disney Wish is on par with other luxury cruise offerings that do not provide similar
entertainment services but however focus on other and/or similar target consumers

Cruise
Employees Revenue Generated (2022)

The Disney Wish 1555 $925mn - $1.7Bn

Crystal Serenity 1250 $25Mn - $30Mn

Discovery Princess 1474 $900Mn - $1Bn

Koningsdam 1530 $55Mn

Seven Seas Explorer 1716 $1Bn- $2Bn

Silver Muse 1635 $800Mn- $1.2Bn

(Owler, 2022)
                                 
                                                                                    

4.1 Efficiency Of Applied Marketing

Page | 9
The official website promoting Disney explicitly shows the latest innovations through strategically
captured images and a plethora of video advertisements, however the website has the potential to be
confusing to a consumer who is not tech savvy. The booking processes are standardized and make it easy
for a customer to make bookings for the cruise. Furthermore, Disney’s strategy to invite celebrity names
on its maiden voyage as well as the massive social media coverage by influencers lead to a large rise in
interest of the product from their target customer, resulting in cruise making approximately 1bn in gross
revenue in a period of 3 months (Owler, 2022)

4.2 Future marketing direction

Disney being one of the largest media companies existing globally, has a multitude of resources, but
however the cruise fails in the advertising and promotion areas as there is no consistent promotion being
done, however this can be owing to the fact that the Wish is relatively new and still has peak interest from
their market although eventually various advertisement strategies will potentially be of benefit to the
cruise. Major competition in the Caribbean can be successfully avoided if Disney continues to innovate
and remain sustainable.

The Wish will have to consistently update its licenses to be able to sail the routes as well as to add new
cruise tours to the sailing schedule. Weather patterns will have to be carefully monitored before
confirming cruise dates so to avoid choppy weather during voyages. Disney’s Wish is already equipped
with the latest technological additions, however as technology evolves Disney will need to keep updating
The Wish to maintain its feasibility in the long run.

Page | 10
5.1 Feasibility Of The Disney Wish In The Current Market

For any product or a service to continue to be successful it needs to create value for the customer
(Armstrong, Kotler and Opresnik, 2020), and therefore careful analysis needs to be carried out to identify
the aspects in a product that need to fit the needs of the customer. A successful analysis can help one
identify the target market, competitors and potential costs of the product or service. (Ash, 2021)

Disney has identified for the demand for the cruise ship, as the introduction to the Disney Wish was
announced 5 years ago in 2017 and has been highly anticipated, as stated by Hubers (2022) by Disney
Consumers. Therefore, with the addition of the luxury cruise ship equipped with the latest technology and
themes based on latest productions in the media industry, the Wish already creates value for the customer.
Further the Wish has a unique offering i.e., an adult only Star Wars Lounge and pools, an offering not
prominently present among cruise ships, this creates additionally value sustainability as it creates the
opportunity for adults to relax separately as well as simultaneously cater to children interest thereby
giving opportunities for families (target market), both adults and children to enjoy the cruise in a manner
that creates value for them.

Page | 11
6.1 Barriers To Entry

It is crucial to introduce Porters five forces, developed by Michael Porter in 1979, within this report to
gain a better understanding of potential barriers to entry Disney Creates as a result of the introduction of
The Wish. Porters five forces is a structural framework that aids in assessing the position and competitive
strength of a business organization (CGMA, 2019). The five forces are supplier power, consumer power,
competitive rivalry, threat of substitution and threat of new entry (Angela, 2021).

Its important to establish that Disney is a giant in the market economy and therefore commands a lot of
power from its suppliers, and therefore there are relatively a large number of suppliers for its Disney
Wish and its easy for Disney to negotiate with suppliers and switch over if the current supplier does not
wish to agree to their terms, ultimately making this force weak. Disney owns a plethora of mainstream
media franchises and therefore many customers are prepared to pay premium prices to experience the
quality innovations present on the Wish. Although Disney faces competition the cruise line does not have
any similar competition, as all their cruise ships iconic Disney experiences, although, the cruise line does
have various substitutes, the experience present on the Wish, owing to the fact that Disney is a cultural
icon, cannot be available on substitutes and therefore the force can be considered moderate, the threat of
new entry is relatively the weakest force, as Disney has been building its media empire for generations,
and similar companies have not expressed interest in joining the cruise market. In retrospect the
establishment of the Wish is firm with a large number of barriers to potential competitors.

Page | 12
7.1 Feasibility Of Disney Wish In The Upcoming market

The primary source of innovation for Disney Wish is External Media. Disney owns a large part of
mainstream media that gains a large amount of international attention. For the Disney Wish to continue to
be successful, they need to be consistently innovating, this is possible by combining the addition of new
technology and changing themes to suit the characters portrayed by their media franchises. The
combination will consistently add value to the cruise as their consumers will continue to have new
experiences to obtain value out of.

Conclusion

Page | 13
The Disney Wish creates value to the customer, by being a unique product and service innovation,
ultimately, although the product is currently relevant, grossing over a billion in as short as 3 months, post
initial “hype” the Wish will have to keep being a service innovation consistently creating value, by
integrating new themes and attractions based of their current and/or future characters under Disney
licensing.

Reference List

Page | 14
Angela L. (2021). Porter’s Five Forces - Disney. Publications Oboolo. [online] Available at:
https://www.oboolo.com/marketing/international-marketing/case-study/porter-five-forces-disney-
628643.html. ‌

Ash, K. (2021). Research Guides: ENTR 2P91: Entrepreneurship: Product / Service Analysis. [online]
researchguides.library.brocku.ca. Available at:
https://researchguides.library.brocku.ca/ENTR2P91/product-service [Accessed 27 Oct. 2022]. ‌

CGMA (2019). Porter’s Five Forces of Competitive Position Analysis. [online] CGMA. Available at:
https://www.cgma.org/resources/tools/essential-tools/porters-five-forces.html.

dclfan.com (2022). Disney Wish Cruise Ship. [online] Available at: https://dclfan.com/disney-wish-cruise-ship/
[Accessed 18 Oct. 2022].

Disney Holidays. (2022). Disney Dream and Disney Fantasy. [online] Available at:
https://www.disneyholidays.co.uk/disney-cruise-line/ships/disney-wish/ [Accessed 19 Oct. 2022]

disneycruise.com (2022). https://disneycruise.disney.go.com/why-cruise-disney/wish/. [online] Available at:

https://disneycruise.disney.go.com/why-cruise-disney/wish/.

Ellie (2022). Disney Marketing Strategy: How Disney Becomes The Entertainment King? [online] Available at:
https://www.mageplaza.com/blog/disney-marketing-strategy.html#disneys-4-mainmarketing-strategies.

Fern Fort University. (2022). Disney Cruises PESTEL / PEST & Environment Analysis[Strategy]. [online]
Available at: http://fernfortuniversity.com/pestel/nyse4/2722-disney-company.php.

Himler, P. (2022). Of Cookies & Cruises. [online] Forbes. Available at:

https://www.forbes.com/sites/peterhimler/2012/12/08/of-cookies-cruises/?sh=26aa46e67214 [Accessed
26 Oct. 2022]
.
Hoenig J. (2022). Disney WISH Lines SWOT Analysis. [online] Available at: https://prezi.com/p/cixjp/disney-
wish-lines-swot-analysis/ [Accessed 27 Oct. 2022]
.
Hubers. A (2022). Disney Wish begins conveyance. [online] Cruise.Blog. Available at:
https://cruise.blog/2022/03/disney-wish-begins-conveyance#:~:text=The%20Highly%20Anticipated

Page | 15
 %20Disney%20Wish&text=The%20next%20two%20ships%20of [Accessed 27 Oct. 2022].

Owler. (2022) https://www.owler.com/business /disneycdruise/competitors [Accessed 27 Oct. 2022].

Parfitt, D. (2022). Top 10 reasons to book the Disney Wish over other Disney ships. [online] Attractions
Magazine. Available at: https://attractionsmagazine.com/top-10-reasons-book-disney-wish/#:~:text=The
%20Disney%20Wish%20is%20the [Accessed 19 Oct. 2022]. ‌

Parr, C. (2022). Disney Wish: Inside Disney’s New Cruise Ship. [online] Pursuitist. Available at:
https://pursuitist.com/disney-wish-cruise/ [Accessed 18 Oct. 2022].

Plunkett Research, Ltd. (n.d.). Disney Cruise Line. [online] Available at:
https://www.plunkettresearch.com/company-profile/disney-cruise-line/ [Accessed 26 Oct. 2022].

Robbins, M (2014). The Most Powerful Mouse in the World https://trace.tennessee.edu

Sanders. S (2022). The Disney Cruise Line Blog. [online] Available at: https://disneycruiselineblog.com/.

Schnoor, A. (2020). The Secret of Disney’s Brand. [online] Medium. Available at:
https://bettermarketing.pub/the-secret-of-disneys-branda1e4432cf6fd.ogle.com/do
cument/d/10YVDIUO20rvaKYVzWYN4m_ZsVw5KYKpeOlNI45z2 M9U/edit

Page | 16