Disney Cruise Line Accidentally Overstated Emissions by 36 Times

A new report by Forbes reveals that Disney Cruise Line accidentally overstated their emissions by 30+ times for two years.

Disney Cruise Line Overstated Emissions

A large cruise ship docked at a pier in a tropical location with clear turquoise waters and a sandy beach in the background, providing the perfect setting for your daily recap of maritime adventures.

Though it operates as Disney Cruise Line, Disney’s cruise company is actually run by Magical Cruise Company, a subsidiary based in the United Kingdom. The Streamlined Energy and Carbon Reporting (SECR) regulations introduced by the U.K. government in 2018 require large companies using more than 40,000 kilowatt-hours of energy in the country to provide detailed emissions disclosures beginning in April 2019.

As Forbes notes, all cruise lines are under pressure to be more environmentally friendly and clearly communicate regarding their emissions. Financial statements reveal that Magical Cruise Company had to recalculate their 2021 and 2020 emissions reports, revealing that they actually overestimated their emissions by a significant amount.

Two pages of a financial report from Magical Cruise Company, Limited, detailing the director's report and key financial metrics for the period from October 3, 2021, to October 1, 2022. This section also includes an analysis comparing our performance to Disney Cruise Line regarding emissions control and safety records.
Source: Forbes

The cruise line’s 2021 financial statements showed that the energy consumption used to calculate emissions was 5,046,135,433 kilowatt-hours for the period ending on October 2, 2021. The same statements showed that the energy consumption used to calculate emissions was 2,043,627,827 kilowatt-hours for the period ending on October 3, 2020.

The 2022 financial statements retroactively reduced these numbers to 170,763,841 kilowatt-hours for 2021 and 56,583,468 kilowatt-hours for 2020. Respectively, these are 30 times and 36 times lower.

The statements reveal similar retroactive updates to the tons of carbon dioxide equivalent (tCO2e) numbers. The old statements indicate Disney Cruise Line generated 1,302,416 total gross tCO2e for the 2021 period and 527,992 total gross tCO2e for the 2020 period.

The 2022 statements have lowered these numbers to 46,000 total gross tCO2e (2021) and 15,242 total gross tCO2e (2020). These numbers are 28 times and 35 times lower, respectively.

The 2022 financial statements do not give a reason for the reductions to previous years. Disney declined to give an official statement to Forbes but did explain the updated numbers.

Last year, Disney Cruise Line discovered that the previous emission figures had been miscalculated. Before realizing the error, they calculated emissions based on fuel used in U.K. waters as well as unused fuel remaining on ships when they left and re-entered the area. This method led to unused fuel being counted on multiple occasions.

Disney Cruise Line recalculated the previous emissions and is now only reporting the fuel used while the ships were in U.K. waters.

Forbes pointed to a recent survey by facilities management and services provider company Mitie that found more than half of U.K.-based sustainability professionals found the SECR reporting requirements too complicated, which could explain how Disney made such a glaring error.

A large cruise ship docked at the end of a long, concrete pier extending over the sea at Disney Lookout Cay, with people walking toward the ship under a partly cloudy sky.
Disney Magic docked at Lookout Cay

Though emissions being lower than originally reported is good, a lack of accurate reporting could be a problem. U.S.-based environmental organization Friends of the Earth gives Disney Cruise Line an overall C grade but an A for transparency, stating “Disney is one of the cruise lines that responded to our inquiries about its environmental practices with specifics.”

Despite the overall C, Disney Cruise Line is still near the top of Friends of the Earth’s Cruise Ship Report Card, falling behind only Regent Seven Seas Cruises, which has a C+. Disney was recently downgraded from the top position for its development of Lookout Cay at Lighthouse Point, which Friends of the Earth states could cause destruction to the ecologically rich area of the Bahamas.

Disney Cruise Line currently has five ships sailing, with the Disney Treasure launching this December. The Disney Destiny and Disney Adventure will follow in 2025. Tokyo Disney Resort owners Oriental Land Company are developing a ship for a 2029 launch. And Disney announced four more ships in development, bringing the total to 13 ships sailing by 2031.

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