Expanded Panama Canal- larger Disney ships

[Sur]

http://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world...-canal/ar-AAhDVe1?li=BBnb7Kz&ocid=mailsignout

I hope to take one of the larger ships through the canal, someday. This is great progress.

 

[dclpluto]

http://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world...-canal/ar-AAhDVe1?li=BBnb7Kz&ocid=mailsignout

I hope to take one of the larger ships through the canal, someday. This is great progress.

DCL is scheduled to take the wonder through the new locks next year. Is what I read from a article that someone posted here about a week ago. The fantasy or dream won't go through the Panama Canal until the new ships come.

 

[xavier2001]

DCL is scheduled to take the wonder through the new locks next year. Is what I read from a article that someone posted here about a week ago. The fantasy or dream won't go through the Panama Canal until the new ships come.

Just wondering where that info came from. The 2018 PC dates have not been released yet and I know that the contract for the Dream and Fantasy to go out of Port Canaveral ends in 2017. I don't necessarily expect the Dream class ships to go through right away but a girl can hope. I"m anxiously awaiting the 2018 PC dates because its near the top of my list of cruises I want to take.

 

[Judyat]

They may wait quite awhile before 2018 dates. Given that Panama can raise prices to go through Disney and others may think twice about it. It costs the Wonder over $00,000 to go through now and they say it could easily go to 1 million. They charge a tonnage fee and a per berth fee. If the cruise isn't sold out they get a bit of a break per berth but not much. We were on the last cruise in May and it was not sold out. It was also the last time the Wonder would go through the old locks. It was mentioned at one of the PC talks on the ship that possibly Disney would just keep a boat on the West coast. It was just a thought but they are definitely looking and watching closely at prices to go through. And given the articles I have recently read about the new canal that could have it's own problems. They took the cheapest bid and that is creating it's own problems with poor concrete etc. Time will tell. Disney never knows exactly how much it will cost to cross until right before when the bill is due and it's due before they go through. We got ballpark figures and they are higher and as they mentioned could easily double.

 

[Robin"D"]

Reason the larger ship / Dream or Fantasy won't be able to go is that they are to tall...they won't fit under the Bridge of America ....

Robin "D"

 

[xavier2001]

They may wait quite awhile before 2018 dates. Given that Panama can raise prices to go through Disney and others may think twice about it. It costs the Wonder over $00,000 to go through now and they say it could easily go to 1 million. They charge a tonnage fee and a per berth fee. If the cruise isn't sold out they get a bit of a break per berth but not much. We were on the last cruise in May and it was not sold out. It was also the last time the Wonder would go through the old locks. It was mentioned at one of the PC talks on the ship that possibly Disney would just keep a boat on the West coast. It was just a thought but they are definitely looking and watching closely at prices to go through. And given the articles I have recently read about the new canal that could have it's own problems. They took the cheapest bid and that is creating it's own problems with poor concrete etc. Time will tell. Disney never knows exactly how much it will cost to cross until right before when the bill is due and it's due before they go through. We got ballpark figures and they are higher and as they mentioned could easily double.

I figure that there will at least be a Westbound in 2018 because the Wonder will be going to Europe for her dry dock, then out of Miami for the Winter so if they want to get a ship to the West Coast permanently it has to get there somehow. But your reasoning is why when the dates do come out I"m going to jump on it lol!

 

[xavier2001]

Reason the larger ship / Dream or Fantasy won't be able to go is that they are to tall...they won't fit under the Bridge of America ....

Robin "D"

So I'm guessing the other cruise lines keep their ships on the West Coast, b/c we saw some Holland American ones WAY taller than the Fantasy, they were overwhelming!

 

[OKW Lover]

Reason the larger ship / Dream or Fantasy won't be able to go is that they are to tall...they won't fit under the Bridge of America ....

Robin "D"

I recall a discussion about the air draft of the Dream/Fantasy here sometime in the past year or two and I thought the answer was that they would fit with a few feet to spare.

 

[arlopop]

They may wait quite awhile before 2018 dates. Given that Panama can raise prices to go through Disney and others may think twice about it. It costs the Wonder over $00,000 to go through now and they say it could easily go to 1 million. They charge a tonnage fee and a per berth fee. If the cruise isn't sold out they get a bit of a break per berth but not much. We were on the last cruise in May and it was not sold out. It was also the last time the Wonder would go through the old locks. It was mentioned at one of the PC talks on the ship that possibly Disney would just keep a boat on the West coast. It was just a thought but they are definitely looking and watching closely at prices to go through. And given the articles I have recently read about the new canal that could have it's own problems. They took the cheapest bid and that is creating it's own problems with poor concrete etc. Time will tell. Disney never knows exactly how much it will cost to cross until right before when the bill is due and it's due before they go through. We got ballpark figures and they are higher and as they mentioned could easily double.

We are on the EBPC this fall (last cruise before dry dock) and our understanding is the Wonder will go through the old locks on this cruise - this will be the last time. Reports seem to indicate that the dry dock will add the ducktail and after that she won't fit through the old locks.

 

[Jeanwill]

We are on the EBPC this fall (last cruise before dry dock) and our understanding is the Wonder will go through the old locks on this cruise - this will be the last time. Reports seem to indicate that the dry dock will add the ducktail and after that she won't fit through the old locks.

We are on the same cruise. We were told it would be going through the old locks in September.

Also, just a thought...if Disney were to keep a boat on the West Coast, I would think they would still want one of the smaller ones to navigate through the Alaskan fjords, bays, etc.

 

[Sur]

We are on the same cruise. We were told it would be going through the old locks in September.

Also, just a thought...if Disney were to keep a boat on the West Coast, I would think they would still want one of the smaller ones to navigate through the Alaskan fjords, bays, etc.

YES! I didn't think of that!

 

[sharksfinatic17]

Also the Wonder has enclosed some of the areas in order to make it a bit more comfortable for chilly Alaska.

 

[seacruise]

So I'm guessing the other cruise lines keep their ships on the West Coast, b/c we saw some Holland American ones WAY taller than the Fantasy, they were overwhelming!

Holland America doesn't have any ships near the size of the Dream/Fantasy, so probably some other lines ships you saw.

Princess is the only line I am aware of that has announced itineraries specifically through the new locks. They are going to use the post-panamax Caribbean Princess on partial canal itineraries starting in late 2017.

 

[Flossbolna]

I figure that there will at least be a Westbound in 2018 because the Wonder will be going to Europe for her dry dock, then out of Miami for the Winter so if they want to get a ship to the West Coast permanently it has to get there somehow. But your reasoning is why when the dates do come out I"m going to jump on it lol!

The drydock is happening this year. The current schedules have the Wonder go through thePC twice post refurb (so possibly after the duck tail was added and she then won't fit into the old locks) twice: spring 2017 and fall 2017. It does look like she will be using the new locks in 2017 already if they add the duck tail.

 

[Judyat]

Interesting when we were on the May PC cruise they said this would be the last time the Wonder would go through the old locks. Guess that has changed. Given all the information on the new locks though makes me think they should continue to use the old locks too. Of course with the dry dock refurb they will need to switch to new next year. Will be interesting to see what happen after that.

 

[xavier2001]

The drydock is happening this year. The current schedules have the Wonder go through thePC twice post refurb (so possibly after the duck tail was added and she then won't fit into the old locks) twice: spring 2017 and fall 2017. It does look like she will be using the new locks in 2017 already if they add the duck tail.

Doh, that's what happens when I post all jet lagged, I get confused on my dates. I'll just go back to crossing my fingers that it happens in 2018 b/c the 2017 dates don't work for us and we don't have the funds set aside after just doing Alaska. Thanks!

 

[xavier2001]

Holland America doesn't have any ships near the size of the Dream/Fantasy, so probably some other lines ships you saw.

Princess is the only line I am aware of that has announced itineraries specifically through the new locks. They are going to use the post-panamax Caribbean Princess on partial canal itineraries starting in late 2017.

We saw the Noordam in Vancouvers port which is the biggest and newest in Holland Americas fleet, it looked HUGE, hard to believe the Fantasy is bigger (and yes you are right I looked it up to double check lol).

 

[seacruise]

We saw the Noordam in Vancouvers port which is the biggest and newest in Holland Americas fleet, it looked HUGE, hard to believe the Fantasy is bigger (and yes you are right I looked it up to double check lol).

We've actually been on the Noordam, it's probably a 10 year old ship now. It is roughly the size of the Magic/Wonder, maybe even a bit smaller. Must be shorter as it can go through the current locks.

 

[ShelsGoingToDisney]

We've actually been on the Noordam, it's probably a 10 year old ship now. It is roughly the size of the Magic/Wonder, maybe even a bit smaller. Must be shorter as it can go through the current locks.

I sailed on the Noordam back in 1996 and 1998 and it didn't seem too terribly new then, but they did replace it with a new ship, same name within this last year I believe! My parents just sailed on it in May in Alaska.

 

[OKW Lover]

The Noordam at 948' long is roughly the same size as the Wonder at 965', according to google.