New Disney Ships: News, Rumors, Speculation.....and Names!

[dad of 3 addicted to DCL]

Doing some research, it appears that the Mitsui O.S.K. Lines-operated MOL Benefactor, for a northbound transit of the canal on July 1, 2016, paid $829,468 for the NEOPANAMAX lock transit. Yikes!

 

[Pens Fan]

[QUOTE="truck1, post: 60430896, member: 244474"
Cruise ships are charged between 138 and 149 per berth to cross the canal which gets passed off to the cruisers. Most likely it's in the taxes section of the fare though I would t be surprised if it's part of the cabin price[/QUOTE]

I agree. I haven't looked recently, but in the past the taxes for the PC cruises were significantly higher than for other cruises - even allowing for the length of the cruise, number of ports, etc. Now, obviously I have no idea if they increase the taxes enough to cover the actual cost to cross the canal. It's possible that Disney is eating some of the cost simply to get the ship to the west coast and those oh, so profitable Alaskan sailings. Though I doubt it. They rarely have trouble selling that PC cruise, so I don't see any reason for them to be selling it at a loss. They are pretty good at selling their ships out at premium prices .

I suspect the decision to continue PC cruises will be determined on the perceived demand for having an extra ship in the Bahamas and the Caribbean during the Winter vs leaving it on the west coast year round rather than the cost of traversing the Panama Canal.

Edited to add: My personal preference would be that they offer an "around the Horn" cruise to get to the west coast on occasion. We've been interested in that itinerary for some time now, and reading @bobbiwoz 's recent posts has really got me thinking about it.

 

[luv2cruisedisney]

On the WBPC last month Puckett estimated that DCL paid around $585,000 in tolls for the canal. He said he's tried to get DCL to tell him the amount but they won't.

I was on the WBPC also and if I remember, on top of that estimate was a surcharge for a daytime slot. Regardless, my point is whether 4,5 or $700K it is expensive and I believe they will start limiting them when the new ships come online.

 

[darnheather]

And I did so love the 2 weeks on board! Think DCL will ever give us an around the Cape experience?

 

[WDW&DCLADDICT]

P&O Iona is now on the myers werft cam, i would expect disney to release ship names in either June or July

 

[FigmentSpark]

And here I was thinking it would be nice if they'd do more than 2 PC trips a year. Why not send another ship through in early July, do a few west coast things and then back. That, in addition to the Wonder in spring and fall might attract even more people. There are plenty of people who'd love to do a PC cruise, but they're always scheduled during school days.

Say, what about a Christmas PC cruise? One there and a New Year's one back?

 

[Boardwalk Family]

Just off the Fantasy and was told this by a Cast Member. First, the pools on the next three ships will be larger. Second, they will remove some of the internal lobby structures so that some of the rooms will have balconys that face inward. This is a FWIW.

 

[mmmears]

Doing some research, it appears that the Mitsui O.S.K. Lines-operated MOL Benefactor, for a northbound transit of the canal on July 1, 2016, paid $829,468 for the NEOPANAMAX lock transit. Yikes!

Well they will just pass on the cost to their customers. I used to ship stuff on those cargo ships all the time for work and they fit tons (literally) of products on them, so it's far different from a cruise ship. Plus many items bound for the east coast of the US can be shipped to Long Beach then transported by train.

Just off the Fantasy and was told this by a Cast Member. First, the pools on the next three ships will be larger. Second, they will remove some of the internal lobby structures so that some of the rooms will have balconys that face inward. This is a FWIW.

Interesting! I know the size of the pools is a common complaint so that wouldn't surprise me. Inward facing balconies is a surprise to me since DCL ships aren't wide like the RCL monster ships.

 

[Dug720]

Just off the Fantasy and was told this by a Cast Member. First, the pools on the next three ships will be larger. Second, they will remove some of the internal lobby structures so that some of the rooms will have balconys that face inward. This is a FWIW.

Gross. I hope this is not true. Talk about ruining the beauty of the atriums!

 

[truck1]

Doing some research, it appears that the Mitsui O.S.K. Lines-operated MOL Benefactor, for a northbound transit of the canal on July 1, 2016, paid $829,468 for the NEOPANAMAX lock transit. Yikes!

The pricing for cruise ships is different the how they price cargo ships. I dont remember all the details off hand but basically theres 1 price for an occupied berth and a different price for unoccupied. For cargo it goes by teus which is tonnage equivalency units, which is usually a lot more then the average cruise ship. Alot of ships off load cargo also and have it trained to the other side so the ship meets the specs to transit the canal. I wouldnt be surprised in the future to see prices for cargo ships to exceed 1 million for special passes.

 

[truck1]

Gross. I hope this is not true. Talk about ruining the beauty of the atriums!

I doubt it's true. The cabins really aren't set up to overlook the atrium to start with, considering the new ships are basically improved Dream class with very close dimensions. Thinking about it, I cant think of cabins near the atrium to begin with. There all foward or aft of the atrium.

 

[darnheather]

Just off the Fantasy and was told this by a Cast Member. First, the pools on the next three ships
will be larger. Second, they will remove some of the internal lobby structures so that some of the rooms will have balconys that face inward. This is a FWIW.

Hahahahaha no way to the balconies. What a hideous thing that would be. I think the mega ships that have them are grotesque.

 

[Pens Fan]

Gross. I hope this is not true. Talk about ruining the beauty of the atriums!

I agree. As a dedicated balcony lover, I would never book an inside facing one. I don't see the point. The whole allure of the balcony is the sea view (and air) for me. I really don't have any desire to look out over the atrium and deal with the noise. Then, as you pointed out - it pretty much ruins the whole feel of the atrium. That is one of my favorite things about a Disney ship.

 

[OKW Lover]

Hahahahaha no way to the balconies. What a hideous thing that would be. I think the mega ships that have them are grotesque.

I'm not a fan of those interior balcony rooms either. But just because the existing RCL Oasis class ships may be ugly to many that doesn't mean that Disney couldn't design one that is aesthetically pleasing.

 

[darnheather]

I'm not a fan of those interior balcony rooms either. But just because the existing RCL Oasis class ships may be ugly to many that doesn't mean that Disney couldn't design one that is aesthetically pleasing.

I just couldn't see children on them screaming at their friends down below being something that would be ok with anyone and yet that would happen ALL the time. Or the kids would find something to play ball with. I have a kid that would do just that.

 

[ChicosWife]

The Panama Canal cruises are very expensive for the cruise line. While DCL never relases the actual # the guestimate is somewhere in the $700k price range for a crossing.

With the availability of new ships I could see them leaving one or 2 on the west coast and not doing the PC cruises. Not based on anythiing other than my own thought process. but I could see PC cruises becoming a thing of the past

I hope not. I hope to one day sail on one of these with DCL.

Just off the Fantasy and was told this by a Cast Member. First, the pools on the next three ships will be larger. Second, they will remove some of the internal lobby structures so that some of the rooms will have balconys that face inward. This is a FWIW.

If that's true, I vote for the larger pool, but a no vote to the inside balcony. Not that my vote matters, but if it did...

 

[Pens Fan]

Well, this is a bummer. One place the Disney ships won't be going in the future is Glacier Bay. NPS just issued their new 10 year contracts for the park:

https://www.nps.gov/glba/learn/news/glacier-bay-issues-new-contracts-for-cruise-ship-services.htm

I wonder if Disney even tried for one this time around? I recall a story about the last time NPS issued these contracts that Disney had withdrawn their application at some point during the process. That was years ago and I have no clue if it was even true, but I definitely remember hearing that story when we were planning our first Alaskan cruise back in 2012.

 

[MissDaisyofTexas]

Do we know what month in 2021 the new ship will start sailing? Any guesses?

 

[DynamicDisneyDuo]

Do we know what month in 2021 the new ship will start sailing? Any guesses?

Port Canaveral has said in an official announcement they expect them late in 2021. They could just be hedging their bets in case there are issues. DCL has, in the past, started sailing the new ships in the Spring. It all depends on when they get started with them, how long it takes to finish them and if there are any issues found during sea trials, the trip across the Atlantic, etc... that have to be addressed.

 

[cgolf]

Just off the Fantasy and was told this by a Cast Member. First, the pools on the next three ships will be larger. Second, they will remove some of the internal lobby structures so that some of the rooms will have balconys that face inward. This is a FWIW.

So they are going to something similar to either the promenade rooms on the RCCL Freedom class if these rooms are internal to the ship or like the Oasis class? I am guessing it would be more internal rooms based on the size I expected these ships to be. A little bummed by this though, because that means less inside rooms We generally cruise insides because for us we don't use the room enough to justify spending more money on larger rooms with a view and the savings mean more cruises for us