Disney Cruise Line
| File:Disney Cruise Line logo.png | |
| Location | Disney Cruise Line, Cape Canaveral, Florida, USA |
|---|---|
| Operated by | The Walt Disney Company |
| Theme | Cruise Ships |
Disney Cruise Line is owned by The Walt Disney Company and headquartered in Celebration, Florida. The business is run by President Tom McAlpin as part of the Walt Disney Parks and Resorts division.
It operates two cruise ships, the Disney Magic and the Disney Wonder, along with Castaway Cay, a private island in the Bahamas designed as an exclusive port of call for Disney's ships.
The Disney Magic began operation July 30, 1998. The Disney Wonder began operation August 15, 1999. The Disney Magic and Disney Wonder have 875 and 874 staterooms respectively. The ships are virtually identical in their design, with a few variations in restaurants and entertainment venues. Both contain areas designed exclusively for various age groups, including toddlers, young children, teens, and adults.
They are the first in the industry to be designed and built from the keel up as family cruise liners, with the goal of accommodating parents and children. In October 2006, additional family amenities were added to the Disney Wonder including features specifically geared toward toddlers, making the ship even more suitable for families with young children.
Disney Cruise Line was created in 1995 when the company commissioned its two ships at Fincantieri in Italy, ending an arrangement with Premier Cruises for the maritime segment of its vacation packages.
In February, 2007, Disney Cruise Line announced plans to build two new ocean ships. The ships are approximately 50% larger than the Magic and Wonder, and are scheduled to launch in 2011 and 2012. The company signed a letter of intent to negotiate a contract to build the 122,000-ton new cruise ship with Meyer Werft shipyard, based in Papenburg, Germany.
Disney Cruise Line offers three-, four- and seven-night cruises to various destinations in the Caribbean; a daytime stop at Castaway Cay is included in all itineraries. Cruises depart from Disney's Art Deco-themed terminal in Port Canaveral, Florida. Some "land and sea" packages include a stay at Walt Disney World Resort as well as transportation to the pier 50 miles away. See also the section below titled "Special Itineraries".
Ships
The Disney Magic and its sister ship serve also as supply vessels for Castaway Cay, the private Disney island in the Bahamas. The ships even provide data services for the island when in port allowing guests to charge gift and other purchases to their cabins continuing their cashless vacation.
Disney Wonder and sister ship Disney Magic are the first vessels to be designed, from the keel up, as family cruise ships, with the precise goal of accommodating parents and children. Low tech things like the split bathrooms, even in small cabins, and high tech services like the parental pagers are two of the many design features that set them apart from other cruise ships.
The interior is a mix of art deco streamline style of the transatlantic liners of the 1940s and 1950s and the graphic signature of all the Disney movies of the last decades. The Disney characters are also there in abundance, though usually very subtly. The ship's horn plays When You Wish Upon a Star.
Disney Magic
| Disney Magic | |
| Placed in Service: | 1998 |
| Built: | Fincantieri Shipyard, Italy |
| Status: | in service |
| Tonnage: | 83,000 gross tons |
| Length: | 964 feet |
| Beam: | 106 feet |
| Speed: | 21.5 knots |
| Decks: | 11 |
| Complement: | 2,400 passengers, 945 crew |
| Registry: | Bahamas |
The Disney Magic is the original cruise ship operated by The Walt Disney Company under its subsidiary Disney Cruise Line. Its sister, the Disney Wonder, launched in 1999.
Built in 1998 by Italian shipbuilder Fincantieri, the Disney Magic can hold approximately 2,400 guests. It currently sails on 7 day itineraries including Disney's private island Castaway Cay, St. Maarten, St. Thomas, Key West, Grand Cayman, and Cozumel (depending on specific cruise).
In June 2005, the Disney Magic was dispatched to the West Coast in honor of Disneyland's 50th Anniversary.
The Disney Magic entered scheduled 10-day drydock refurbishment on October 1, 2005 at the Norshipco shipyard in Norfolk, Virginia. Several enhancements took place during this time. The Vista Spa and Salon received a 1,700-square foot expansion including three new spa treatment suites. Three conference rooms on deck 2 were transformed into an additional children's area called Ocean Quest. A 24-by-14 foot LED screen was affixed to the forward funnel in the family swimming pool area where movies and major sporting and broadcast events are shown. Subtle enhancements have been added to Parrot Cay restaurant that change every evening during dinner.
Disney Wonder
| Disney Wonder | |
| Placed in Service: | 1999 |
| Built: | Fincantieri Shipyard, Italy |
| Status: | in service |
| Tonnage: | 83,000 gross tons |
| Length: | 964 feet |
| Beam: | 106 feet |
| Speed: | 21.5 knots |
| Decks: | 11 |
| Complement: | 2,400 passengers, 945 crew |
| Registry: | Bahamas |
The Disney Wonder is a cruise ship operated by Disney Cruise Line.
In October 2006, the Wonder went into dry dock for a general sprucing up and the addition of new features, many of which were introduced to the Disney Magic in 2005.
A toddler pool was added that features interactive fountains and splash zones. A new computer simulator was put into the refurbished Oceaneer Lab that lets kids "steer" Disney Wonder in and out of port. A 24 x 14 ft. LED screen affixed to the forward funnel and overlooking the Goofy Pool offers Disney movies and television programs. The Vista Spa, as well as the meeting and conference facilities and the Quiet Cove adults-only pool, were renovated and expanded too.
Ships 3 and 4
Disney Cruise Lines announced on February 22, 2007 that 2 new ships to be added to its fleet in 2011 and 2012.[1] The ships are to be built by Meyer Werft shipyard, based in Papenburg, Germany. These newest 132,000 ton ships will be 2 decks taller than the Disney Magic and Disney Wonder and will have 1,250 staterooms each. The ships have not yet been named.
Key features
Children's activities
- The Disney Magic and the Disney Wonder have some of the best designed children's spaces at sea. The Oceaneer's Club is a play space designed with a Peter Pan theme with storytelling, climbing area, computers, dress-up area and other fun activities. The Oceaneer's Lab offers a distinctly fun, different environment with activities including science, cooking, video games and creativity. Teen guests also have their own dedicated space in the forward funnel atop the ship. Called "Aloft," on the Wonder and "The Stack" on the Magic, it is modeled after a studio loft space, with comfortable couches, televisions, mp3 listening stations, and games just for teens. When the ship calls at Castaway Cay, all three groups have activities and spaces designed just for them as well, including Scuttle's Cove for children 3-12 and the Teen Beach.
Dining
- The Disney Wonder and her sister ship introduced rotational dining through highly themed environments to cruising. The three main restaurants, Triton's (on the Wonder)/Lumiere's (on the Magic), Parrot Cay and Animator's Palate each provide unique dining experiences. There is also a buffet and an alternative, adults-only restaurant Palo, along with counter service on deck 9 near the pools.
Recent Additions
- In the staterooms, new bathroom products were introduced, plus more luxurious bath towels. Sealy Posturepedic Premium Plush Euro-top mattresses, new pillows and Frette 300-thread-count, 100 percent Egyptian cotton linens were added.
Special itineraries
In the summer of 2005, the Disney Magic sailed through the Panama Canal to Los Angeles for 12 seven-night cruises along the Mexican Riviera as part of the Happiest Homecoming on Earth, which celebrates the 50th anniversary of Disneyland. Afterward, the ship returned to its previous Caribbean routes.
During the summer of 2007, the Disney Magic will offer 10- and 11-night Mediterranean cruises departing from Barcelona, Spain. After leaving Barcelona, the ship will stop at
- Palermo, Sicily
- Naples, Italy
- Olbia, Sardinia
- Civitavecchia, Italy
- La Spezia, Italy
- Marseilles, France
- Villefranche, France
On the trans-Atlantic cruises (one Eastbound and one Westbound) the Magic will stop at
In 2008, the Disney Magic will return to Los Angeles for 12 consecutive seven-night cruises from the Port of Los Angeles to the Mexican Riviera ports of Cabo San Lucas, Mazatlán and Puerto Vallarta. On August 17, 2008, the Disney Magic will return to its home port of Pt. Canaveral, Florida with a 15-night Panama Canal Repositioning cruise.
References
- Durand, Jean-Françcruois. Autour du Monde Paquebots / Cruise ships around the world Editions marines, 1996. [bilingual text]
- Schwartzman, M. T. ed.. Fodor's 99 the best cruises. New York : Fodor's Travel Publications, Inc., c1998.
- Ward, Douglas ed.. Berlitz ocean cruising & cruise ships. London : Berlitz, 2003.
External links
- Disney Cruise Line official site
- Google Maps link to Port Canaveral, shows the terminal where the Disney Wonder and Disney Magic dock
- Stateroom Reports and Reviews
- Reviews and Blogs
- Disney Cruise Line Press Site
- Disney Cruise Pictures and Reviews
