Disney Cruise Line Minimizes Waste & Single-Use Plastic at Sea and on Land

[Disney4me]

Disney Cruise Line continues to implement new initiatives to support its ongoing efforts to minimize waste, including the elimination of single-use plastics, across its fleet. From its ships to island destinations, Disney is dedicated to exploring innovative ways to reduce its impact on the environment and support Disney’s environmental goals.

Island Destinations in The Bahamas

Disney Lookout Cay at Lighthouse Point is Disney Cruise Line’s all-new island destination on the island of Eleuthera that celebrates the rich culture and natural beauty of The Bahamas. Disney Cruise Line took the opportunity to rethink its food and beverage services, resulting in the new island destination operating without any guest-facing single-use plastics. For example, all meals and drinks are served with reusable dishware, flatware and cups.

Disney Cruise Line has also recently introduced redesigned trash cans at Disney Castaway Cay, its island destination in the Abaco chain of islands in The Bahamas. With separate receptacles for recycling and food scraps, these new bins allow waste to be properly sorted and recycled more effectively and efficiently.

Costumes & Entertainment

Many crew member costumes featured fleetwide are made from recycled plastics. For example, aboard the all-new Disney Treasure, nearly 90 percent of all guest-facing costumes include elements made from recycled plastic waste.

Costumes featuring recycled plastics can also be seen onboard the Disney Wish in the Broadway-style show “Disney The Little Mermaid.”

Ship Equipment & Operations

Disney Cruise Line has recently recycled more than 20 miles of retired ship mooring lines, which are routinely replaced every seven to 10 years to comply with safety requirements. Minimizing waste sent to landfills, the initiative turned approximately 225,000 pounds of used plastic mooring lines into entirely new products like flowerpots and buckets.

Disney Cruise Line also continues to encourage its vendors to develop innovative solutions that reduce waste from packaging, shipping and more. For example, the cruise line purchases guest room towels in bulk, helping reduce excess single-use plastic wrap.

Dining & Merchandise

Many single-use plastics have already been removed or replaced onboard Disney ships, including items like plastic merchandise bags and straws. In fact, Disney Cruise Line has eliminated the use of nearly 1 million plastic merchandise bags annually by switching to reusable bags onboard.

When Disney Cruise Line stopped using plastic straws across its fleet 2018, it eliminated more than 14 million plastic straws it typically gave out each year. More recently, flavored straws that guests enjoy with their drinks are now offered at select locations at island destinations and onboard ships.

Likewise, onboard lounges, like Cove Café, now serve specialty coffees in plastic-free, all paper cups. Plastic water bottles have also been replaced with recyclable aluminum options that can be refilled at water stations across each ship in both guest and crew member areas.

Guest Staterooms

Guests who have previously sailed with Disney receive amenities and lanyards in their staterooms as part of the Disney Cruise Line Castaway Club loyalty program. Instead of traditional single-use plastic sleeves, these items are now packaged with paper-based materials. Since making this transition in 2024, Disney has removed over 3 million plastic sleeves from its onboard operations.

Guests will also notice refillable bath product dispensers in bathrooms, replacing plastic amenity containers. By switching to refillable dispensers in all guest staterooms in 2019, Disney Cruise Line removed an annual distribution of more than 2.2 million plastic amenity containers across its fleet — a total of 18 tons of plastic waste.

Disney Cruise Line remains committed to taking action to support a healthier planet for people and wildlife — collective efforts the company calls Disney Planet Possible. Learn more about The Walt Disney Company’s environmental goals at impact.disney.com.

The post Disney Cruise Line Minimizes Waste & Single-Use Plastic at Sea and on Land appeared first on Disney Experiences.

View the full article