New Disney ship rekindles Walt’s fire

by Chris Owen on

Disney Cruise Line Imagineers worked overtime looking for just the right mix of on-board features for the new Disney Dream, sailing January 26. The line has infused a spirt of imagination, grandeur and magical wonder that even Walt Disney himself might not have dreamed of.

“These new additions are near perfect moves for Disney,” says cruise industry expert, Stewart Chiron CEO, CruiseGuy.com. “Timing of their introductions couldn’t have been better. The biggest ships have been previously introduced and now all of the attention will be clearly focused on Disney’s newest class of ships.”

On board Disney Dream, the first new ship for the line since 1999, are more features, attractions and at-sea innovation than ever before.

The AquaDuck, a flashy on-board roller coaster unlike any attraction at sea, has twists, turns, drops, acceleration and river rapids – all while racing around the upper decks of the ship. Inside cabins with virtual “portholes” provide a real-time view outside of the ship via a live, high-def feed.

The 4000-guest Disney Dream combined with upcoming Disney Fantasy in 2012 will double the number of ships in the fleet and triple passenger capacity. But competition for guests has never been tougher and they will be up against new feature-heavy ships from other lines.

“As when Disney Magic was introduced, the cruising public had no idea how ‘fantastical’ these ships could be.” said Chiron adding “Now with about 13 years of ship operations and shipbuilding experience under their magical belt, hold on! Dreams will come true in ways made possible only by Disney.”

Hopes are high that new Disney Dream and upcoming Disney Fantasy will roll back the clock to a time wonder and magic when their existing ships were the latest and greatest at sea. Walt would like this.

Disney gets keys, takes new ship for a spin

by Chris Owen on

It’s been a while since Disney Cruise Line launched a new ship. 1999 to be exact was when the line so closely linked with a magical and enchanting cruise experience for children of all ages drove off the lot with a new build.

Under construction for nearly two years, new Disney Dream officially became the property of Disney Cruise Line as the ship was handed off at Meyer-Werft shipyard in Germany. Next week the new ship will be Port Canaveral bound where her first revenue cruise will begin on January 26.

“The Disney Dream is an extraordinary ship, in part because of the collaboration of the superb shipbuilders at Meyer Werft and the innovative technology and storytelling that our Disney team has developed and implemented aboard,” said Karl Holz, president of Disney Cruise Line. “I cannot wait for our guests to experience this newest addition to our fleet, a ship that will delight and surprise all ages.”

Making space for Disney Dream at a newly-updated cruise terminal at Florida’s Port Canaveral moves Disney Wonder to the West Coast where sailings will include voyages to Alaska, a first for the line and a move applauded by fans of cruise vacations.

Disney Dream is scheduled to sail three-, four- and five-night cruises to the Bahamas. Sister ship Disney Fantasy, one of several new ships due out from an assortment of cruise lines, is currently in production at the Meyer Werft shipyard. Disney Fantasy is scheduled to set sail alternating Eastern and Western Caribbean itineraries in 2012, also from Port Canaveral.

Cruise lines head back to Alaska

by Chris Owen on

After turning a cold shoulder to an Alaska that seemed determined to tax cruise ships out of the market, many lines are heading to the land of the midnight sun with more ships, sailings and capacity. Today’s announcement by Norwegian Cruise Lines to position Norwegian Jewel on an inside passage itinerary from Seattle is the latest in a string of “Can’t we all just get along?” moves.

Joining Norwegian Pearl sailing to Glacier Bay from Seattle, Norwegian Jewel will sail Alaska’s inside passage replacing Norwegian Star that will sail to Bermuda for the first time from her new home in New York City.

Earlier this year the Alaska legislature, on the heels of a low-capacity season, voted to lower the prevously raised head tax on cruise passengers. Later in the year, Princess Cruises announced a fourth ship to be added to it’s popular Voyage of the Glaciers run after two years of running a reduced capacity.

“We are particularly appreciative of the efforts of Governor Sean Parnell and the Alaska state legislature that have resulted in meaningful progress toward resolving the challenges facing Alaska’s recovery as a cruise destination,” said Princess President and CEO Alan Bucklew.

As some cruise lines head back to Alaska, others who have never been there before are joining in too.

Disney Cruise Line is sailing North with Disney Wonder as the line doubles its size by adding Disney Dream debuting in January and Disney Fantasy in 2012. Another first-timer, Oceania Cruises will send their Regatta on a series of departures from San Francisco, Vancouver or Anchorage.

It’s good to see the cruise lines and politicians play nice.

Flickr photo by brh_images

New cruise ships on the horizon

by Chris Owen on

A testament to the popularity of cruise vacations, a bunch of new cruise ships are on the horizon and coming out in 2011, 2012 and beyond.

The recent worldwide recession has caused cruise lines to redeploy ships to more profitable waters with Royal Caribbean pulling out of the West coast US market altogether. But new ships on order, while slowed during recession’s lowest point, have returned with several new orders made in just the last few months.

  • Celebrity Cruises sails Celebrity Silhouette in the Fall of 2011 followed by another yet-named ship in the Spring of 2012
  • Costa Cruise Line’s new Costa Favlosa sets sail in the Summer of 2011 ahead of Costa Fascinosa in Spring 2012
  • Disney Cruise Lines new Disney Dream sails in January 2011, followed by Disney Fantasy in 2012, more than doubling the size of the Disney fleet
  • MSC Cruises continues to grow with MSC Fantastica in May 2012
  • Norwegian Cruise Lines, still high off the debut of Norwegian Epic last July has ordered two more ships to debut Spring 2013 and 2014
  • Princess Cruises also has two new unnamed ships on order, one for 2013 and one for 2014
  • Seaboun Cruises who just added Seabourn Sojourn this year, will add Seabourn Quest in May 2011

As the cruise industry continues to grow and mature, look for more new-builds and the refurbishment of older ships to add new-ship features during scheduled dry-dock maintenance.

Disney Dream Cruise ship nears completion

by Chris Owen on

Sailing from Florida this January, new 4000-passenger Disney Dream is just about ready to go. The new ship sailed out to sea last month for testing and to complete adding final details. Joining sister-ships Disney Wonder and Disney Magic, the new ship will have all the features of her two sisters plus some new attractions.

  • The ship will feature a first-of-its-kind water coaster, called the “Aqua-Duck” that will send guests racing above and around the upper decks of the ship.
  • Animator’s Palate restaurant will magically transform into an undersea wonderland with live, impromptu interactions with Crush, the animated sea turtle from Disney-Pixar’s “Finding Nemo.”
  • Themed children’s spaces will immerse children in their favorite Disney stories and feature some of today’s most innovative technology.
  • A nighttime entertainment district just for adults will be filled with sophisticated, trendy, fanciful and fun-filled venues.
  • Inside staterooms will have a “special” view thanks to a cruise industry first virtual porthole concept.

The Disney Dream will sail alternating three- and four-night cruises to the Bahamas and Disney’s private island, Castaway Cay. During summer 2011, the ship will sail four- and five-night itineraries with two stops at Castaway Cay.

Disney Dream starts sailing from Port Canaveral on January 26, 2011. Due to popularity, the maiden voyage is nearly full. However, there is still limited availability on the second Disney Dream voyage, January 30.