Destinations for ships 5 & 6?

[jdb in AZ]

Right now, I don't really mind where the new ships end up. I would just love Magic and Wonder to be switched for the summer season, so that I can go on Wonder to a destination that I want to travel to! We live in the UK so the short flight to Barcelona is ideal, but we've done Magic in the Med twice now!

Claire

The Wonder was "winterized" to keep the passengers warmer in Alaska. DCL isn't going to invest in winterizing the Magic just so they can trade places. FWIW, Alaska is my favorite destination.

 

[Maggie'sMom]

Agreed. Disney's most popular port is also Castaway Cay. They need another Private Island, or they need to put another dock at Castaway Cay. A second Dock on the opposite side of the island would work. They would have separate area's for both ships, so that the current facilities aren't overwhelmed with double the number of people on the island. They would be separated by the forest/vegetation area, so if wouldn't effect the visitors from either ship. Just like having 2 Castaway Cay's, without the cost of buying a new island....

My understanding is the lease agreement for CC stipulates only a small portion of the island can be developed. I doubt they could build another dock on the other side of the island and create additional facilities without exceeding the maximum allowed percent of the island to be developed.

I know DCL was looking into Egg Island in the Bahamas. They did some soil tests and determined it wasn't feasible to develop it. There was a pretty big uproar about Disney potentially developing that island.

 

[kaseyC]

Oh, well then, we can take that as absolute fact.

But I thought I read, and I could just be imagining this, that some of the European ports couldn't handle ships the size of the Dream class ships and so those itineraries would have to be served by either the Magic or Wonder. Did I "dream" that up? (pun intended)

The Carnival Vista weighs almost 2x the Dream and sailed the Med prior to home porting in the US. Granted I don't know the itinerary and how it compares to the Disney Magic itineraries. You may very well be correct for north Europe.

We sailed the Vista last summer on an eastern med itinerary from Spain to Greece with port stops in France, Italy, and Turkey as well. We did not have to tender at any of ports.The Harmony of the Seas sailed the Med before home porting in Port Everglades. NCL will be sending the Getaway and Breakaway to sail the Baltic in 2017 and 2018. The Epic already sails the Med and has been seen 2011. I believe all of those ships are bigger than the Dream class.

 

[MyDisWorld]

My understanding is the lease agreement for CC stipulates only a small portion of the island can be developed. I doubt they could build another dock on the other side of the island and create additional facilities without exceeding the maximum allowed percent of the island to be developed.

I know DCL was looking into Egg Island in the Bahamas. They did some soil tests and determined it wasn't feasible to develop it. There was a pretty big uproar about Disney potentially developing that island.

I wasn't aware of the Lease limitations. I did a search and nothing came up in terms of percentage of land that could be developed. That being said, only 5% has been developed of the 1000 acre's on the Island. That is quite low. If they developed the opposite side of the island, it would still only be 10%. Approximately 110 acres out of the 1,000. Still seems quote low, but you might be right. That kills that idea, unless they re-negotiate.......

I suspect the Egg Harbor Deal was a media nightmare for Disney. I know they sited test results, that it was unfeasible, but I think that was their out.....

 

[SuperDry]

!Right. I was looking at the dreams displacement, not tonnage! my fault.

I'm pretty sure that the tonnage of a ship is exactly the same as its displacement, that is, as long as it's floating.

Regarding new markets, nobody has mentioned China. China is currently the fastest-growing cruise market in the world, with Shanghai being perhaps the biggest port. And, with Shanghai Disneyland now open, it might make a lot of sense for DCL to try to capture some of that market.

 

[MyDisWorld]

Regarding new markets, nobody has mentioned China. China is currently the fastest-growing cruise market in the world, with Shanghai being perhaps the biggest port. And, with Shanghai Disneyland now open, it might make a lot of sense for DCL to try to capture some of that market.

Good point! Didn't think about that. They could potentially move the Magic or the Wonder over there.....

The Magic first sailed in 1998. By the time the first new ship arrives, it will be 23 years old. For the most part, Cruise lines operate their ships on average 25-30 years before retiring. Mind you, Disney takes very good care of their ships, so they will possibly move it.

 

[Quellman]

I'm pretty sure that the tonnage of a ship is exactly the same as its displacement, that is, as long as it's floating.

Generally, tonnage is the amount the ship can be laden, specifically refers to a calculation of the volume or cargo volume of a ship. The displacement or displacement tonnage of a ship is the ship's weight. It is measured indirectly, by first calculating the volume of water displaced by the ship, and then calculating the weight of that water. By Archimedes principle, this is also the weight of the ship.


Displacement should not be confused with other measurements of volume or capacity typically used for commercial vessels such as net tonnage, gross tonnage, or deadweight tonnag.

 

[Disneymadhouse]

The Carnival Vista weighs almost 2x the Dream and sailed the Med prior to home porting in the US. Granted I don't know the itinerary and how it compares to the Disney Magic itineraries. You may very well be correct for north Europe.

We were looking at the Vista compared to the Magic for last summer (2016). The Vista was a lot cheaper, but I just couldn't jump ship from DCL. And when I looked at the itineraries for the date we were looking at they were near enough identical. I said to my DH I can't be parked next to Magic every day, and not be on it! So we booked Magic!

Claire

 

[Flossbolna]

The biggest differences I think you will see is that two ships will go to Europe in the summer. One exclusively in the Mediterranean and one in the North Sea/Baltic.

That is my guess, too. This is what they are doing currently: scouting out ports and opportunities in Northern Europe for when they have a longer season there. That's why itineraries in Northern Europe have been changing quite a bit. I think we will also see one ship making the crossing earlier in the year (April) and coming back later (November) like other cruise lines do to extend the Med season.

DCL isn't going to invest in winterizing the Magic just so they can trade places.

Considering that the winterization of the Wonder more or less was only the Outlook Cafe and since that has been taken away mostly by transforming it into the concierge lounge, there really is not much difference in which ship is better for colder climate. And the Magic has been doing plenty of colder climate cruises recently as well with Norway and Iceland.

 

[Disneymadhouse]

Considering that the winterization of the Wonder more or less was only the Outlook Cafe and since that has been taken away mostly by transforming it into the concierge lounge, there really is not much difference in which ship is better for colder climate. And the Magic has been doing plenty of colder climate cruises recently as well with Norway and Iceland.

You've given me hope that one day Magic and Wonder will switch!

Claire

 

[aprincessatlast]

The new ships are going to be in PC. I think one of the Dream/Fantasy is going to permanently be home ported in Miami.

Disney is not going to reinvent the wheel. No cruise line has a year-round ship at any one port on the West Coast. Disney is not going to do that.

The ships will be used to increase capacity into the Caribbean. Not spread themselves thin to service areas with lower demand. The Caribbean is the bread winner for any cruise line.

I agree that DCL will not reinvent the wheel. I thought DCL registered their ships in the Bahamas and usually had a contract to dock at a port (other than CC) for a set number of times before they could really expand into other markets?

With that said I am curious about China. All the big lines seem to have NEW ships heading there. If they are not new they are being refitted to meet China's clientele. Not sure what is different, but I know the lines all say that the ships are designed for chineses passengers, whatever that means?
I wonder if they will do something to the Dream and place it there? The Magic class seems too small for there when there are loads of mega ships all competing for China.

Who knows? What I do remember though was the amazing deals we got right before the Dream class debuted. Under a 1k for a 4 day for family of 4. Alhh..those were the days!!

 

[Club Disney Chandler]

Disney is not going to reinvent the wheel. No cruise line has a year-round ship at any one port on the West Coast. Disney is not going to do that.

Carnival has 3 ships year round in Long Beach, 2 of them do 2-4 night cruises to Mexico and the other does 7 nighters to Mexico with occasional 14 day Hawaii cruises. The ship that does the 7 night cruises is comparable in size to the Wonder, the other 2 ships are smaller.

The Wonder could easily spend 8 months in Long Beach or San Diego and do her Alaska runs in the summer. Check out the prices she is commanding for the spring and fall cruises out of San Diego. If DCL markets themselves properly and provides transportation from DL and LAX and SNA airports it could easily be done.

 

[Club Disney Chandler]

We were looking at the Vista compared to the Magic for last summer (2016). The Vista was a lot cheaper, but I just couldn't jump ship from DCL. And when I looked at the itineraries for the date we were looking at they were near enough identical. I said to my DH I can't be parked next to Magic every day, and not be on it! So we booked Magic!

Claire

Bummer, you missed out on an amazing ship. I didn't think I'd ever like a ship more than the Fantasy, but the Vista surpassed her. Had we not paid only $4000 for 4 people in 2 cabins for an 8 night cruise, we wouldn't have booked Carnival. I'm so happy we did though. We now have 18 more nights booked on the Vista and her sister Horizon in addition to the 15 nights on the Wonder and Magic over the next 15 months, there's no way we could do that if we just stuck with DCL only.

 

[cruiser21]

Bummer, you missed out on an amazing ship. I didn't think I'd ever like a ship more than the Fantasy, but the Vista surpassed her. Had we not paid only $4000 for 4 people in 2 cabins for an 8 night cruise, we wouldn't have booked Carnival. I'm so happy we did though. We now have 18 more nights booked on the Vista and her sister Horizon in addition to the 15 nights on the Wonder and Magic over the next 15 months, there's no way we could do that if we just stuck with DCL only.

This is good to hear. My sons second favorite ship was the Carnival Breeze. His favorite is still the Fantasy. I'm expecting him to really like the Vista. That's a really great price for a med cruise. I was thinking pp paid a lot of money to avoid being docked next to the Magic.

 

[GoofyLovingFamily]

What were the meals like in the main dining room of Vista. Was it extra charge for steaks and things. We went on Breeze in December 2015 and avoided the dining room after the first few nights. It was mostly fried chicken and pork chops and not cruise level food.

 

[cruiser21]

What were the meals like in the main dining room of Vista. Was it extra charge for steaks and things. We went on Breeze in December 2015 and avoided the dining room after the first few nights. It was mostly fried chicken and pork chops and not cruise level food.

Carnival does a lot of American type food where as the Disney is more French? I get tired of the rich food on DCL. I wish they would serve some fried chicken or meatloaf one night... like wise Carnival could offer more variety. As long as the food is palatable I'm good. I can't remember any cruise where the food was really memorable. I'm not sure what you mean by cruise level food in the MDR. To me it's all mass produced and good, but nothing really great.

 

[Club Disney Chandler]

What were the meals like in the main dining room of Vista. Was it extra charge for steaks and things. We went on Breeze in December 2015 and avoided the dining room after the first few nights. It was mostly fried chicken and pork chops and not cruise level food.

The food was fine for me, but presentation wasn't nearly as pretty as on DCL. They had a lot of the same same stuff as DCL, beef Wellington, prime rib, lobster and there was always salmon, chicken and steak. They also had an appetizer every night called the Didja, as in, "did you ever think you'd eat this?" One night it was rattlesnake, frog legs, escargot and stuff like that. I tried it every night. The frog legs could have been great if they had been fried crispier.

You can also upgrade every night to one of the Fahrenheit 555 Steakhouse steaks in the MDR, I think it was a $15 charge and well worth it to get the filet, great cut of meat.

 

[MyDisWorld]

What were the meals like in the main dining room of Vista. Was it extra charge for steaks and things. We went on Breeze in December 2015 and avoided the dining room after the first few nights. It was mostly fried chicken and pork chops and not cruise level food.

That's what I have been hearing. Because the new trend is "Specialty Dining", the stories I've been hearing is the MD food is on the decline on "some" ships. Which makes sense, from a business standpoint. I personally was afraid that was going to start happening.

This really could be a whole new topic, but with competition between the cruise lines increasing, and the popularity of cruising increasing, Cruise lines are always looking to find new revenue streams. Specialty Dining is now available in some form on most ships, but is widely available on the newest ships from most Cruise Lines. Specialty dining is allowing the Cruise Lines to collect additional revenue for food they previously provided free (or included with your Cruise).

They are not removing the "included" meals from the Main Dining Rooms, and you are not asked to pay extra, so they technically haven't taken anything away. BUT, if they lower the quality of food being offered, then people will be more inclined to spend the extra at the specialty dining.

Palo and Remy on DCL make sense, in that they are "Adult Only". On a ship designed around families, it provides a sanctuary for those looking for some time away from their kids, and for people that aren't traveling with Kids. Plus it provides a great option for people looking for a dining experience that is a step up.

When I started Cruising, there was no Specialty Dining. Everyone ate in the Main Dining Room, and there was usually only one. Lobster was usually on the menu also. Maybe not every night, but it was offered at least a few nights on a 5 day cruise. These days, it's no longer offered, or on some ships (Carnival) there is a $20-$25 Charge to have Lobster with your meal. Not a huge price for Lobster these days, but again, previously there was no extra charge. Even at that price, it is only about an 6-8oz tail.

 

[truck1]

Historically, DCLs new ships were homeported in Port Canaveral. BUT when the Dream class made its appearance, the renewed contract with PC stated that the Dream and Fantasy by name would homeort in PC for a set number of years, before the verbiage changed to 2 ships. That part of the verbiage expired I think last year. Now, its anyone's guess what DCL will do when the first new build comes in, but I would not be surprised to see 3 DCL ship in PC even after the 2nd new build comes in. Im thinking one of the new builds, plus possibly a Dream class ship and possibly a Magic class ship. Then the Magic class ship will get bumped with the arrival of the other new build. The trend at Port Canaveral lately is to be adding ships to route, and then over time, changing the smaller ships for bigger ships and I don't see why DCL wouldn't add a 3rd ship, like Carnival and RCL have done.

 

[MyDisWorld]

Historically, DCLs new ships were homeported in Port Canaveral. BUT when the Dream class made its appearance, the renewed contract with PC stated that the Dream and Fantasy by name would homeort in PC for a set number of years, before the verbiage changed to 2 ships. That part of the verbiage expired I think last year. Now, its anyone's guess what DCL will do when the first new build comes in, but I would not be surprised to see 3 DCL ship in PC even after the 2nd new build comes in. Im thinking one of the new builds, plus possibly a Dream class ship and possibly a Magic class ship. Then the Magic class ship will get bumped with the arrival of the other new build. The trend at Port Canaveral lately is to be adding ships to route, and then over time, changing the smaller ships for bigger ships and I don't see why DCL wouldn't add a 3rd ship, like Carnival and RCL have done.

While I agree with you, I cannot help but wonder how many ships PC can ultimately handle? The New MSC ship will sail from Miami, as well as the first of 3 new ships from Virgin Voyages, the new Carnival Horizon, and the upcoming RCCL Symphony of the Seas. And those are just the ones I can think of off the top of my head. MSC, RCCL, CARNIVAL and VIRGIN all have additional ships in the pipeline after those I mentioned. I personally prefer PC, but it seams as though Miami is getting a LOT of the new ships coming online in the next few years. This then lead to the obvious question, how many ships can Miami Handle?