2005 Magic Summer Info...

[Ella2]

...right from this site. I agree, I think it will be California.

http://www.wdwinfo.com/wdwinfo/cruise-new/cruise-rumor.htm

 

[Mjasp]

Guess it may be true then, too bad, I guess that will force me to try another cruise line (which may not be a bad thing) Will check out the RCL Voyager or Carnival Legend out of NY.

 

[Quirky Cruiser]

but it looks like the Magic will be going to CA. Our family won't be going - no interest in those ports. Instead, I think we're going to try RCCL Mariner of the Seas next April or next summer. Flying to Orlando is a lot easier than flying to CA for us. I'll miss seeing the Magic on the port cam every saturday!!!!

 

[moocow35]

I requested a quote for the May 14th - May 28th transition sailings to get an idea of just how much more it would be.

Thanks for the link Ella2:happy2:

Robin

 

[Carlnne]

I finally believe that this is more than just a rumor. I received a newsletter from Port Canaveral Chamber of Commerce today that mentioned Disney's "10 year contract for two ships that began May 1995". That means the contract does expire in May of this year and Disney could negotiate a change.

 

[ivanova]

I'd be more inclined to do the Aug 20th repositioning cruise if I could only afford it *sigh*

 

[minnieandmickey]

Well I know alot of you east coasters are not happy with this, but I am sure there are alot more West Coasters who are. If the Magic does come over we will be sailing the week of my son's 16th birthday! It will be my family's first Disney cruise, and my DD very first cruise. Still keeping my fingers crossed, and hoping that maybe someday there will be a permanent ship on this coast.

 

[Andrew DEREK UK]

There is so much detail it looks true;-

Rumors have been circulating for months that the Disney Magic will be based out of California on a 'test' basis starting in May 2005 through late August 2005. The rumor is that 7 night sailings will begin on May 28th 2005 out of Long Beach, CA, and that the itinerary will include certain stops in Mexico. While not yet confirmed, we've heard Puerto Vallarta and Cabo San Lucas as among the ports of call. The rumors we’ve heard is that the 7 day cruises will begin on May 28th and run through August 20th (meaning there will only be 12 cruises). If history is any indication, any time Disney does a 'special' itinerary, they tend to sell out fairly quickly.

The rumor also speculates that there will be two 14 day "transition" cruises, where the ship first travels to Long Beach from Florida, then again when it comes home to Port Canaveral (transition cruises are necessary in order to move the ship from one coast to the next). The rumor is that those itineraries will include Castaway Cay (of course) as well as several Mexican destinations that will not appear on the 7 night cruises (including Acapulco and Curacao. What we've heard (which we've found hard to believe, but we'll see) is that the 14 day transition cruises will be very well priced. For example, a Cat 6 on a 14 day cruise will run about $2400 per person, and Cat 11's will run about $1200 per person. For a 14 day sailing, that's great. We’ve also heard that there will be a limited number of staterooms offered on the transition cruises (again, this is rumor, but more than one person told us that they do not intend to sell out the entire ship on the transition cruise. This makes absolutely no sense to me, but that’s not unusual either : ). Of course, since it's a 'transition' cruise it is only "one way" and you'll have to make arrangements to fly back from California rather than Orlando (or vice versa depending on which transition cruise you choose). However, with air fares on many carriers being so good right now, that should not be too much of an issue.

Of course all of this is speculative until Disney confirms this, which we anticipate will happen during the Disneyland Press Event on May 4th & 5th, we won't know for sure. However, our confidence is fairly high that this information is accurate. We’ve heard this information from more than one source and over a period of the last several weeks.

Rumors on pricing have been sketchy, but we understand that the prices will be higher than what is currently charged on the East Coast cruises. For example, we heard from one CM that Category 12 staterooms will run between $1200 and $1600 per person (adult). We've heard that Category 5 staterooms will run between $2000 and $2700 per person and Category 6 staterooms will run between $1800 and $2600.

We think that this 'test' will be part of an overall plan to add a ship out of California on regular basis, but if that happens, it will be a few YEARS before a ship is ready. If you think you might be interested in doing a California Cruise, we suggest you fill out a special request form on the Dreams Unlimited Travel site (CLICK HERE). This will not be a guarantee of a stateroom or price, but it will get your request in as soon as they are released. Remember, the more full the ship gets the higher the price will go. If you want the lowest tier pricing available, you have to be among the first to book. Be sure to include the date you would like to sail. Since we are not sure of the exact dates, our agents will price out the date closest to what you requested. As I said, we expect the 7 night sailings to start on May 28th, which would mean the following sail dates:

May 28, 2005
June 4, 2005
June 11, 2005
June 18, 2005
June 25, 2005
July 2, 2005
July 9, 2005
July 16, 2005
July 23, 2005
July 30, 2005
Aug 6, 2005
Aug 13, 2005
Transition sailings are rumored to happen on May 14th – May 28th (from Port Canaveral to Long Beach, CA) and Aug 20th – Sept 3rd (from Long Beach, CA to Port Canaveral, FL). Keep in mind that if you book a transition cruise, they are, in effect "one way", meaning you will have to fly in to Orlando and out of Los Angeles (or vice versa).

The pricing that we’ve heard is substantially higher than the Caribbean cruises, and we feel this is due (in part) to the fact that these are unique cruises and Disney has been very successful with specialty cruises (as I said, they book out quickly, and usually do well). If the cruises do not sell well (which I’m doubting), they will adjust the price accordingly. We just want to make sure that we release what we’ve heard, and remind everyone that this is still unconfirmed, but if it is something that interests you, you should look to make plans fairly soon. We will release more as we get the info.

 

[CRSNDSNY]

Sounds like it will be too expensive for us.

I'm happy for all of the West coasters, though.

 

[WDWLVR]

I'd love to do a repositioning cruise but can't afford it $ or vacation wise. I've done the Mexican Riveria before so no interest there. We were hoping they would be doing shorter 3/4 day cruises with a Disneyland stay. That we would do. As it looks now we'll just plan a trip to Disneyland for the 50th.

 

[Mjasp]

Originally posted by WDWLVR
We were hoping they would be doing shorter 3/4 day cruises with a Disneyland stay. That we would do. As it looks now we'll just plan a trip to Disneyland for the 50th. [/B]

Mary...Now that is something I may consider.

Joanna

 

[Carlnne]

We were hoping they would be doing shorter 3/4 day cruises with a Disneyland stay. That we would do. As it looks now we'll just plan a trip to Disneyland for the 50th.

I am surprised that 3-4 day cruises wont be included. I thought the whole point was to celebrate Disneyland's 50th. Offering land sea type packages would force attendance at Disneyland. I think the shorter cruise would have encouraged east coasters to visit Disneyland. I would have considered it but a 7 day cruise would not allow much time for us to fit in any days at the park.

 

[Ella2]

Unfortunately the ports on the 3- and 4-day cruises out of LA/Long Beach are not exactly thrilling. Catalina and San Diego are nice enough, but Ensenada is really not a place I ever want to see again, and I've been there twice.

I think there will be PLENTY of interest in the longer cruise among the Western U.S. folks and DCL will have no trouble filling the ships for the 7-night cruise. It is just SO much a better itinerary.

It is interesting, though, as it will be tough to sell a 7-night cruise AND a Disneyland stay...that is a good point!

 

[Andrew DEREK UK]

Two points;-

Cost cost cost, The report says the costs will be higher than carribean as only 12 cruises.

second point.

I have undertaken a transitional cruise from Fort Lauderdale to LA through panama cannal.

The Pacific and the carribean are two complely different seas ( oceans)

Carribean is hot, glassy like and very enjoyable, as soon as we went to the Pacific the Princess ship was going up and down and it was a lot cooler! (whilst we didnt encounter any storms it rained a lot)

This was a May cruise!

So remmber not good for people who do not like too much movement!

 

[lotsofboys]

Being annual passholders to Disneyland, I can tell you from experience that they do not need to force attendance at Disneyland. Very often, especially in the summer months, Disneyland gets overcrowded to the point where no more guests are allowed to enter the park.

My guess is the repositioning is just to help celebrate the 50th anniversary, not necessarily to draw more people to the parks. Just my humble opinion though.

We can't wait. We've done 2 cruises on the Magic and the airfare savings alone will practically pay for a cruise out here

 

[inkkognito]

I was definitely hoping to sail on the trip over the 4th of July week, but those prices are scary! Oh well, we might still bite the bullet and do it. It would be fun to do something totally different and still be on one of our favorite ships. We've done four on RCCL, but it just wasn't the same.
Barb
Visit the Platinum Castaway Club at: www.castawayclub.com

 

[mbw12]

Just wondering everyones thoughts on this:

Will the prices for the Carribean 3/4 night cruises go up significantly, due to customer demand? Meaning that I am sure alot of people that thought they would take a 7 night cruise in 2005 to the Carribbean, might now do a 3/4 night cruise instead?

We are contemplating doing a spring/summer cruise to the Carribbean adn were just wondering how you think the West coast cruise will affect us?

 

[inkkognito]

I dunno, but that's why we booked our other five 2005 cruises now. Normally, we book them as soon as the dates open, but we waited longer than usual this year because we were hoping to book California at the same time. Prices and choice of stateroom are two big reasons to book as early as possible...you can always cancel later, but you can't get that early booking discount if you wait.
Barb
Visit the Platinum Castaway Club at: www.castawayclub.com

 

[Disneycrazymom]

I also was hoping for a land and sea package with Disneyland. Since the park is as much of the reason to travel to CA as the cruise would be for us. I wonder if it goes well and they eventually put a ship in CA full time, if a land/sea package would be offered? It is a great oppertunity for everyone in the West. Enjoy!

 

[minnieandmickey]

I'm not sure how the pricing is that much higher. If I booked a 7 day cruise for July 2004 , it came out to be 2800 pp. Now I do know there is a early booking discount offered, so I checked what Easter week 2005(chose this because it is a peak week just like the summer months are a peak time to travel) would be and it was the same price as the 2004 July price. This is for a Cat 6
To me it just doesn't seem that big of a price jump. Now coming from the east coast and adding on airfare I can see the point, but now you can all see why the West coast is so excited this is happening. Personally though I wish they were doing the 3/4 day cruise with a 3/4 day DL package, but I will take what I can get.