A SEVENTH ship coming to DCL!

[NZMUM]

Yes we Aussies love our vacations. Pulling kids out of school is really no big deal here either. My kids miss 3 weeks last October while we were in the US and will miss 4 next April. We signed 1 firm took all of 2 minutes and that was it!
We'd cruise more often if Disney had a ship here part of the year.
Everyone knows of "Disney" but I'd guess few Aussies are aware there is a Disney cruise line though and few Aussies probably know the difference between DL and WDW. A bit of marketing would be required for a Disney cruise ship to be sustainable here. I have my fingers crossed it happens though

And so do we Kiwis. We also have had little trouble taking kids on holidays during school time.
Very few of us know that DCL exists (or even WDW). Disneyland is what is marketed to us. The bigget issue with DCL/WDW is the cost of flights. Departing from the east coast of Australia would mean we could cruise a lot more often.

 

[ChicosWife]

The Asian cruise market is also very dependent on casinos and smoking being allowed throughout the ship, so I am not sure if DCL is willing to fit it that much.

That sounds like the opposite of anything Disney would do. I say leave that market to other cruise lines, as their niche. I think DCL should stick to the classy, family-friendly markets that works so well for them... and me

 

[ChicosWife]

When you cruise an American based ship everything is in English. How is this any different?

It's not about the language, although for anyone who isn't Chinese, going on a Chinese cruise ship would be an extremely different experience. It's about the Disney experience as a whole. If Disney had originated in Asia, then one would expect an Asian experience. But, as I stated before, offering a ship in a specific market outside of what has proven successful, would eliminate a large customer base, IMO.

 

[FigmentSpark]

It's not about the language, although for anyone who isn't Chinese, going on a Chinese cruise ship would be an extremely different experience. It's about the Disney experience as a whole. If Disney had originated in Asia, then one would expect an Asian experience. But, as I stated before, offering a ship in a specific market outside of what has proven successful, would eliminate a large customer base, IMO.

Has anyone been to Shanghai Disney? I expect that would be an indicator of what a DCL ship that served the Chinese area would be like.

But an Asian market could be based out of Australia, not Hong Kong. It could be like the others, but maybe with more Asian foods.

 

[truck1]

Heres something else to consider. When DCL goes into a certain area,market or how ever you want to look at it, they'll send a test ship, to see how well it works. "They sent the Magic to the West Coast, for a few cruises, then went back a few years later, and now the Wonder is there semi permanent. They did the same thing with the Med. They sent the Magic, then sent her back and kept expanding so shes there, semi permanently. To date, DCL hasn't been anywhere near Asia. The closest they've come is sending the Wonder to Hawaii. Unless DCL is planning on sending a ship to the far western Pacific in 2019, I doubt very much they'll take a new build and spec it entirely for a market they haven't tested. They could potentially change up an existing ship, but I don't think that will happen in the next drydock cycle based on the length of time there in.

 

[BuzzLightyearInTampa]

Part of the issue is the time - they are sailing when schools are in session. When they had some cruises while school was still out a few years ago you could not get a cabin on them.

Yet they currently sail out of Florida with 4 ships when school is in session. The vast majority of the people who want to cruise in the winter want a warm weather cruise. I believe that is why the NYC cruises in colder months do not sell so well.

 

[JWG]

I think it's fair to say that 4 ships will stay permanently in the bahamas/caribbean. I'd imagine two ships doing 7 day cruises and two ships doing 3/4? Or maybe one of those doing 5 day. They can't really manage more than 4 with only one terminal. That would suggest 3 ships out and about doing the other sailings (southern caribbean, Med., western itineraries, etc.

I know nothing other than I expect there to be more than 2 ships permanently out of Port Canaveral.

 

[PrincessShmoo]

Has anyone been to Shanghai Disney? I expect that would be an indicator of what a DCL ship that served the Chinese area would be like.

But an Asian market could be based out of Australia, not Hong Kong. It could be like the others, but maybe with more Asian foods.

Yes, we just returned from China. Did "do" Shanghai Disney for a day. Besides Shanghai, there's Disney in Hong Kong as well as Tokyo, so there really is a Disney market in Asia.

Generally the food at Shanghai Disney was basic Chinese (real Chinese, not American Chinese) food. But they did have a few food places that had Western food (hot dogs, hamburgers, sandwiches).

Yes, all the signs were in Chinese as well as any narration on attractions. But there were often English translations on the same sign or nearby. And, of course, you can get a guide book in many other languages than Chinese.

We took a river cruise while in China that's heavily used by Western travelers. All announcements and pre-show information were first in Chinese then English (despite having only about 15% Chinese travelers on the ship).

But, again, the food aboard was primarily in the Chinese style, with a few Western offerings.

 

[ChicosWife]

Heres something else to consider. When DCL goes into a certain area,market or how ever you want to look at it, they'll send a test ship, to see how well it works. "They sent the Magic to the West Coast, for a few cruises, then went back a few years later, and now the Wonder is there semi permanent. They did the same thing with the Med. They sent the Magic, then sent her back and kept expanding so shes there, semi permanently. To date, DCL hasn't been anywhere near Asia. The closest they've come is sending the Wonder to Hawaii. Unless DCL is planning on sending a ship to the far western Pacific in 2019, I doubt very much they'll take a new build and spec it entirely for a market they haven't tested. They could potentially change up an existing ship, but I don't think that will happen in the next drydock cycle based on the length of time there in.

Good thinking...

 

[truck1]

Good thinking...

Every once in a while I have a coherent thought.

But in all seriousness, assuming DCL is going to follow past practice, and port trends, Id expect to see 3 ships out PC, Magic in the Med and prob NY (possibly swapping for a Dream class ship), at least 1 out of Miami, the Wonder out of Cali/Vancouver, and the last to be seen. Possibly PR. I don't think Galveston is a serious consideration, but Ive been wrong before. On a scale of 1-10 with 10 being likely Id guess that Galveston is a 5 maybe a 6.

The main issue that I see, is that DCL is lacking in imagination department as far as itins. When all 4 ships were here in Fl, they did all of the exact same routes. Just different days. When 1 of the Magic class was in Miami, that was a perfect opportunity to do southerns, that usually aren't done. If Carnival, Princess, and RCL can do it in 7 days, out of Miami, and go to Aruba, Roatan,Curacao etc, theres absolutely no excuse DCL cant either. They've had plenty of opportunities to try something different and they dropped the ball big time.

 

[darnheather]

I've been to Disney Sea in Tokyo. It was beautiful. I liked it FAR better than Disney Paris. The signage was in several languages and the food was a nice mix of Japanese and Western. The Crush Turtle Talk and other ride voice overs was all in Japanese but it did not deter my family and I from having a terrific time.

 

[ChicosWife]

Every once in a while I have a coherent thought.

But in all seriousness, assuming DCL is going to follow past practice, and port trends, Id expect to see 3 ships out PC, Magic in the Med and prob NY (possibly swapping for a Dream class ship), at least 1 out of Miami, the Wonder out of Cali/Vancouver, and the last to be seen. Possibly PR. I don't think Galveston is a serious consideration, but Ive been wrong before. On a scale of 1-10 with 10 being likely Id guess that Galveston is a 5 maybe a 6.

The main issue that I see, is that DCL is lacking in imagination department as far as itins. When all 4 ships were here in Fl, they did all of the exact same routes. Just different days. When 1 of the Magic class was in Miami, that was a perfect opportunity to do southerns, that usually aren't done. If Carnival, Princess, and RCL can do it in 7 days, out of Miami, and go to Aruba, Roatan,Curacao etc, theres absolutely no excuse DCL cant either. They've had plenty of opportunities to try something different and they dropped the ball big time.

True. Also, I can't imagine that they wouldn't have a lot of sales on a Hawaiian itinerary, even it it was a couple of times per year.

 

[o&smom]

They most likely have most of the details worked out. I would expect, if things hold true to the past, that the new ship will float out in late 2020 and be ready for a early (Feb or March) Maiden, with the other 2 following on a similar time frame. I would expect to see the first blocks or steel cutting in Late 18 early 19

The Fantasy came into service around the beginning of April, 2012. We are hoping for the same in 2021 as my son graduates that year and really wants to cruise on the new ship to celebrate. I would assume Disney would want to have the ship ready to take advantage of the busy summer season for families. Only time will tell.

 

[truck1]

The Fantasy came into service around the beginning of April, 2012. We are hoping for the same in 2021 as my son graduates that year and really wants to cruise on the new ship to celebrate. I would assume Disney would want to have the ship ready to take advantage of the busy summer season for families. Only time will tell.

Assuming DCL follows past practice , I see no reason why the new ships wont be doing febish thru Aprilish at the latest maidens. All 4 ships to date had Feb thru April dates. The Fantasy was moved up 1 week to March 31 due to beimg done early, and the Magic and Wonder originally had Feb and March dates before they too were moved due to construction delays. I'm planning on that time frame, but can work around it if I need to. Planning to do all 3 ships.

 

[PrincessShmoo]

Planning to do all 3 ships.

Aren't we all?

 

[truck1]

Aren't we all?

Probably. The 2022 ship will be my retirement cruise. Well close to it. I'll retire in May that year.