Alaska 2015

[mjp526]

When will DCL release the 2015 Alaska cruise dates? Thank you!

 

[PrincessShmoo]

When will DCL release the 2015 Alaska cruise dates? Thank you!

It's not for sure that DCL will be in Alaska for 2015, as none of the 2015 itineraries have been announced yet.

*Rumor* seems to be that the Dream & Fantasy itineraries will come out late this year, with the Magic & Wonder early next year.

 

[2disneycruzrs]

There were some folks speculating Disney might not be in AK in 2015. Watch for 2015 sailings to be released around October but summer 2015 my not be in that batch. AK sailings on other cruise lines for 2014 didn't even come out til Feb/Mar this year.

 

[su_A_ve]

There's a good chance for the Wonder to continue going to Alaska in 2015. Originally, the Wonder was going to do it's dry dock and get a nice facelift (and bigger buttocks) like the Magic is getting this coming fall.

But the Panama canal channel expansion will not be ready on time. The Magic cannot fit thru the channel until the expansion is complete.

But the Wonder's dry dock looks like it will be postponed as fall 2014 itineraries for it have been finalized and there are no breaks in the horizon. It might get the necessary inspections without having a full blown dry dock. Hence, it will still be able to fit thru the Panama canal and hence able to go to Alaska in 2015.

 

[peterpan47]

When will DCL release the 2015 Alaska cruise dates? Thank you!

For the last three years, the Alaska cruise dates have been released in March or April of the preceding year. We booked our Alaska 2012 cruise as soon as Silvers were allowed to book, which was April 8, of 2011. The same timing happened for the 2013 and 2014 Alaska cruises, so if Disney goes to Alaska in 2015, I suspect you should be able to expect the dates to come out in March or April of 2014.

 

[ShelsGoingToDisney]

Alaska 2014 dates were released on Feb 14, 2013.

 

[CBass]

Any possibility they would change the port of departure from Vancouver to Seattle?

 

[Spurr002]

There's a good chance for the Wonder to continue going to Alaska in 2015. Originally, the Wonder was going to do it's dry dock and get a nice facelift (and bigger buttocks) like the Magic is getting this coming fall.

But the Panama canal channel expansion will not be ready on time. The Magic cannot fit thru the channel until the expansion is complete.

But the Wonder's dry dock looks like it will be postponed as fall 2014 itineraries for it have been finalized and there are no breaks in the horizon. It might get the necessary inspections without having a full blown dry dock. Hence, it will still be able to fit thru the Panama canal and hence able to go to Alaska in 2015.

The Magic has been to the west coast before, why is it that she's now to large to fit through the Panama Canal? I know for awhile she did the Rivera cruises out of San Pedro.

 

[luv2sleep]

The Magic has been to the west coast before, why is it that she's now to large to fit through the Panama Canal? I know for awhile she did the Rivera cruises out of San Pedro.

The Magic? I thought that was the Wonder?

 

[jdb in AZ]

The Magic? I thought that was the Wonder?

Both classic ships have been on the west coast, first the Magic, then the Wonder was repositioned there in January 2011. The plan was to keep the Wonder on the west coast permanently, but the Mexican Riviera cruises weren't selling well, so they were canceled and the Wonder has been sailing back and forth -- cruising Alaska in the summer, and the Caribbean in the winter.

Right now, the Magic is still "small" enough to fit through the Panama Canal, but after her refurb at the end of the summer season, she'll have a larger rear end. The Magic and the Wonder are the largest passenger ships to ever sail through the existing locks of the Canal, with very little "wiggle room." They use eight locomotives (4 on each side) keeping the ships on the straight and narrow, and Canal pilots come onboard to guide them through. When we cruised through the Canal on the Wonder in Jan 2011 a chip of concrete from the Canal was found in a port hole, and the ship needed some touch-up painting when she reached port.

 

[mjp526]

Thank you!

 

[Yokelridesagain]

Any possibility they would change the port of departure from Vancouver to Seattle?

They did Vancouver in 2011, Seattle in 2012, and back to Vancouver this year and next, which makes one think that perhaps Vancouver was more popular...although that may have had more to do with itineraries than anything else. For whatever reason, the 2012 sailings had less time in several of the ports than any of the cruises that originated in Vancouver.

From a practical standpoint, the one disadvantage of Seattle is that they can't sail up or down the California coast to/from Seattle at the beginning or end of the Alaska season due to US cruising regulations (you can't sail from one US port to another in most circumstances), so for at least a couple of cruises per year they have to use Vancouver.

 

[MillauFr]

From a practical standpoint, the one disadvantage of Seattle is that they can't sail up or down the California coast to/from Seattle at the beginning or end of the Alaska season due to US cruising regulations (you can't sail from one US port to another in most circumstances), so for at least a couple of cruises per year they have to use Vancouver.

Yes they have to make a stop at Victoria which is on route from CA to Seattle. Seattle is easier/cheaper to get to, but Vancouver allowed more time in ports.

 

[Spurr002]

Both classic ships have been on the west coast, first the Magic, then the Wonder was repositioned there in January 2011. The plan was to keep the Wonder on the west coast permanently, but the Mexican Riviera cruises weren't selling well, so they were canceled and the Wonder has been sailing back and forth -- cruising Alaska in the summer, and the Caribbean in the winter.

Right now, the Magic is still "small" enough to fit through the Panama Canal, but after her refurb at the end of the summer season, she'll have a larger rear end. The Magic and the Wonder are the largest passenger ships to ever sail through the existing locks of the Canal, with very little "wiggle room." They use eight locomotives (4 on each side) keeping the ships on the straight and narrow, and Canal pilots come onboard to guide them through. When we cruised through the Canal on the Wonder in Jan 2011 a chip of concrete from the Canal was found in a port hole, and the ship needed some touch-up painting when she reached port.

Really? Wow that's pretty interesting. I thought the earlier post about making her "butt" bigger was just a joke since she's getting a refurb. Do you know what purpose making the rear end bigger has?

 

[Silverfox97]

Really? Wow that's pretty interesting. I thought the earlier post about making her "butt" bigger was just a joke since she's getting a refurb. Do you know what purpose making the rear end bigger has?

Stability. It's called a duck tail.

Sent from my iPhone using DISBoards

 

[jdb in AZ]

Stability. It's called a duck tail.

Sent from my iPhone using DISBoards

"Does this duck tail make my butt look big?"

 

[Spurr002]

Stability. It's called a duck tail.

Sent from my iPhone using DISBoards

Is that like the retractable fins on the Dream class ships? And is it just under the water line or above it too?

 

[Silverfox97]

Is that like the retractable fins on the Dream class ships? And is it just under the water line or above it too?

No. Those are the stabilizers. A duck tail is added at the back of the ship. It's visible above the water line. There are lots of pics of renderings out there where u can see it.

Sent from my iPhone using DISBoards

 

[Spurr002]

No. Those are the stabilizers. A duck tail is added at the back of the ship. It's visible above the water line. There are lots of pics of renderings out there where u can see it.

Sent from my iPhone using DISBoards

Okay I see what you mean now! But that still puts the Magic shorter than 1000 ft, which I thought was the max length for the canal.

 

[su_A_ve]

Okay I see what you mean now! But that still puts the Magic shorter than 1000 ft, which I thought was the max length for the canal.

As per the Panamax Wikipedia entry,

Length

Over all (including protrusions): 950 ft (289.56 m). Exceptions:

Container ship and passenger ship: 965 ft (294.13 m)
Tug-barge combination, rigidly connected: 900 ft (274.32 m) over all
Other non-self-propelled vessels-tug combination: 850 ft (259.08 m) over all

Now, DCL "could" request a one or two time exception to the above. However the new length would be 984 and the longest ship to ever travel was about 973. So doubt it...