Is Universal Getting into the Cruise Line Business?

Universal at Sea? Comcast President Floats Idea of Future Cruise Offerings

Universal might be trading park hoppers for port stops someday, and we are very here for the idea of a Minions-at-sea moment. During the UBS Global Media and Communications Conference 2025, Comcast president Michael Cavanagh casually dropped a little nugget that has theme park fans’ ears perked up like a velociraptor at feeding time. While talking about the future of Universal Destinations & Experiences, he noted that, in the longer term, offerings “like cruises that Disney does” are opportunities the company could lean into as they grow their experiences business. That’s not an announcement of a Universal cruise line, but it is the clearest on-the-record hint we’ve heard that ships might be on their long-range radar.

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The comment came in a broader conversation about how Universal is expanding beyond traditional theme parks. Epic Universe is opening in Orlando, a new park is on the roadmap in the U.K., Universal Kids Resort is heading to Frisco, Texas, and smaller destination concepts like year-round Halloween Horror attractions are popping up in new markets. Cruises were mentioned in that same breath as another way to extend the brand, suggesting that leadership sees the seas as a logical next frontier once the current slate of projects is sailing smoothly.

So what could a potential Universal-branded cruise experience look like someday? The IP buffet is absolutely loaded. Picture Illumination and DreamWorks characters anchoring family pools and deck parties, a dedicated Super Nintendo World play zone, late-night horror experiences inspired by Halloween Horror Nights for grown-ups, and cinematic dining themed to Jurassic World, Fast & Furious, or classic Universal Monsters. You could easily imagine Epic Universe and the Orlando resort acting as pre- or post-cruise “home ports,” turning a weeklong vacation into a land-and-sea combo that rivals anything currently on the market.

Of course, actually launching a cruise line is a massive lift. Ships are incredibly expensive to build, ports have limited space and complex logistics, and Universal would be stepping into waters dominated by experienced players like Disney Cruise Line, Royal Caribbean, and others. So it makes sense that Cavanagh framed cruises as a longer-term idea, not something imminent. For now, Universal’s plate is already overflowing with Epic Universe, the U.K. park plans, new concepts like Universal Kids Resort, and continued investment in their existing destinations.

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Still, the fact that cruises are being mentioned publicly at a major investor conference tells us they are more than a throwaway “what if.” It signals that Universal sees itself less as “just” a theme park company and more as a global experiences brand that can show up wherever fans want to vacation, whether that’s in Orlando, Osaka, a Halloween haunt in Vegas, or someday on the open ocean. Until we see a funnel with a giant “U” on it, everything remains speculation, but it is very fun speculation. For now, we’ll be watching the horizon and daydreaming about booking the inaugural Universal Monsters Midnight Sailing, complete with foggy promenades and a very dramatic organ soundtrack.

If Universal ever does officially dip a toe into the cruise market, expect it to be bold, IP-packed, and designed to plug right into the growing universe of Universal destinations around the world. For now, though, it’s just a tantalizing “maybe someday” from the top of the Comcast tower that has fans imagining a future where the next big Universal vacation starts at a cruise terminal instead of a turnstile.

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