Disney uses cruise line to boost tour biz

[CR Resort Fan 4 Life]

http://thedailydisney.com/blog/2009/11/disney-uses-cruise-line-to-boost-tour-biz/

 

[Mouseaholic!!!]

I suspect that since these new ships will not arrive until 2011 - they are trying to ride the cruise coat tails of Royal Caribbean's newest Oasis of the Seas - scheduled to arrive in Florida later in November.

Although I am not a fan of megga cruise ships ---- and this one is megga X10.....it's getting a GREAT DEAL of advance buzz because there is NOTHING like it afloat. <---- that's a good thing AND a bad thing depending on what your idea of a great cruise is.


Oasis of the Seas 220,000 gross tons

Disney Dream and Disney Fantasy 128,000 gross tons....pretty average size in the cruise biz today.


I don't think anything afloat can match the number of REALLY COOL things to do on the Oasis of the Seas.....but 220,000 is just TOO big for DH and myself.

 

[Condorman]

I hear the Disney Dream will have one feature the Oasis of the Seas won't:

Onboard the Disney gift shop you will be able to buy medical insurance, but I hear you have to be a hard-working CM in order to get it and all others don't qualify.

It's a shame the Oasis has such a lousy schedule and touches base with so many loser ports of call. Haiti -- really? They know anyone who might book that ship comes for the the ship and not the destinations. That's where Disney excels: They provide a vessel not too big, but with all the right gimmicks and gadgetry. They've cornered the market with children, who have to bring their parents, who thereby spend more money, and happily delivers all of them unto their very own private island. I don't know how Disney does it but they have no equal, and they continue to spike the ball at the top of their game.

Disney FTW!!!

 

[Mouseaholic!!!]

I hear the Disney Dream will have one feature the Oasis of the Seas won't:

Onboard the Disney gift shop you will be able to buy medical insurance, but I hear you have to be a hard-working CM in order to get it and all others don't qualify.

It's a shame the Oasis has such a lousy schedule and touches base with so many loser ports of call. Haiti -- really? They know anyone who might book that ship comes for the the ship and not the destinations. That's where Disney excels: They provide a vessel not too big, but with all the right gimmicks and gadgetry. They've cornered the market with children, who have to bring their parents, who thereby spend more money, and happily delivers all of them unto their very own private island. I don't know how Disney does it but they have no equal, and they continue to spike the ball at the top of their game.

Disney FTW!!!

....actually Royal Caribbean has some of the best private island experiences in the biz. Labadee is a great adult destination.....truly beautiful!

True, their facilities ashore for children are not Castaway Cay and Oasis guests will suffer from having to tender ashore (no dock at the private island)----one of the reasons DH and I do not prefer the larger cruiseships.

Oasis is 40% larger than the next largest cruise ship - Royal Caribbean's Freedom class.

I guess for people who will enjoy the Oasis - the schedule isn't all that important. After all, with everything there is to do on that ship.....how could you possibly have time for trips ashore. Heck - the ship has it's own ZIP line!

As far as medical coverage....the best I have ever seen is Travel Guard. If the insurance is purchased within the first week of booking your holiday, it will cover ALL pre-exhisting conditions. Exception coverage.

Anyway....it's a tough economy to add a ship with the capacity of 5,400....look at all the discounts Disney is giving away to tempt people to stay in their parks and cruise on their ships!

One thing the Oasis IS doing is causing a great deal of buzz in anticipation of her arrival on the East Coast......good for cruising in general.

 

[jlewisinsyr]

It's a shame the Oasis has such a lousy schedule and touches base with so many loser ports of call. Haiti -- really? They know anyone who might book that ship comes for the the ship and not the destinations.

Although Haiti is not the first port of call that comes to my mind, I think that's a great thing too. The traditional ports of calls are major tourist traps for lack of a better term. They offer little in the way of actual cultural experience that is in not regimented into a standardization.

Some of the best ports of call are the lesser known ones because they offer a much more immersive experience. One that is wonderful is Isla Roatan in Honduras. It's a very small port in a poor country (it's actually an island off the mainland, but general idea is the same). It has some of the most beautiful waters in the Caribbean, why? Because it's not overly commercialized and the crowds are manageable. The diving and snorkeling are amazing, food and activities are varied and fit many different desires.

Compare that to the mega ports of Grand Cayman, Cozumel, Jamaica, etc. These ports have been destroyed by tourism.

 

[Mouseaholic!!!]

Although Haiti is not the first port of call that comes to my mind, I think that's a great thing too. The traditional ports of calls are major tourist traps for lack of a better term. They offer little in the way of actual cultural experience that is in not regimented into a standardization.

Some of the best ports of call are the lesser known ones because they offer a much more immersive experience. One that is wonderful is Isla Roatan in Honduras. It's a very small port in a poor country (it's actually an island off the mainland, but general idea is the same). It has some of the most beautiful waters in the Caribbean, why? Because it's not overly commercialized and the crowds are manageable. The diving and snorkeling are amazing, food and activities are varied and fit many different desires.

Compare that to the mega ports of Grand Cayman, Cozumel, Jamaica, etc. These ports have been destroyed by tourism.

You make a very good point.