Disney Cruise Line is targeting the UK market to lead its European growth ahead of basing one of its ships in the region for the next two summers.

Speaking as the company unveiled details of its new ship Disney Dream (pictured), which launches in 2011, the line’s chief executive Tom Wolber stressed that the main challenge was the lack of awareness among UK consumers.

“People like Disney, but they have no idea that Disney has a cruise line and we have never marketed it in the UK because we only had two ships,” he explained.

But this is changing from early next year when the line’s first major marketing campaign kicks in to promote Disney Magic’s five-month European season, when it will operate four 12-night Baltic sailings from Dover and a series of cruises from Barcelona.

A Kids Sail Free offer giving a free child place for every fare-paying adult is already running and the company is planning more promotions for the New Year, including plans to boost trade training and familiarisation trips.

By Christmas, it expects to have sealed a deal with Amadeus, enabling it to take cruise bookings in pounds rather than dollars as it does at the moment.

The line currently works with just three UK companies – Virgin Cruises, Reader Offers and Iglu - but it intends to bring more partners onboard to widen the range of companies it sells through.

Wolber expects Americans to account for most of the passengers on Disney’s European sailings - up to 90% - but he said UK demand for both the Baltic and Mediterranean cruises “had not disappointed” and said advance bookings for the Baltic were going “exceedingly well”.

“We have to start somewhere in Europe and the UK market has a strong affinity with Disney and Florida, and it is the biggest cruise market in Europe,” he added.

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