New Ports for Magic??? Someone must Know!!

[Laz]

I just found this article:

http://www.cruisecritic.com/news/news.cfm?ID=916

I would book the Magic in a FLASH is I Knew when they were heading to unique ports such a St. Lucia, Barbados, etc.

Someone in the know fill us in!!

 

[JanDave]

Hello: The Magic will be sailing to St. Thomas, Antigua and CC the week of 9/18/04 and 10/2/04. I'll be on the 9/18/04 cruise. Jan

 

[CathyCanada]

Hi Laz,
The Christmas 2004 cruise is a 10-night that will include St. Lucia, Antigua and Key West in addition to St. Maarten, St. Thomas and Castaway Cay.

So far, these are just select sailings as Jan said, and on 08/07/04, 08/21/04 and 09/04/04, the itinerary will be St. Thomas, San Juan and Castaway Cay.

Hope that helps!
Cathy

 

[Laz]

Don't they ever offer these exciting ports during the summer?? I am a teacher and can't go when they are offerred I only get the same ports that I have been to time and time again

 

[Dave_from_Marietta]

They're pretty much set in their ways with St. Maarten and St. Thomas on the eastern itinerary. Special circumstances (too detailed to go into) forced them to forego St. Maarten in favor of Antigua and San Juan for those five sailings next Fall. But if they get good response from the passengers on those sailings... who knows... they might make permanent changes in the future.

 

[Mjasp]

Dave...without going into detail, can you give us a rough idea on the circumstances that made them switch.

Thanks
Joanna

 

[Dave_from_Marietta]

DCL was considering moving the Magic completely to another market during the summer/fall of 2004. They were so confident that they'd be elsewhere, they notified the various port authorities that they wouldn't need their docking slots. Ultimately they abandoned that idea, but St. Maarten's port authority had already given the docking slot to somebody else.

 

[Mjasp]

Thanks Dave

 

[DCL_Cruiser]

Dave,

Good theory, but the truth is DCL just wanted to test new ports based on requests from repeat guests.

DCL Cruiser

 

[AnnMorin]

Originally posted by DCL_Cruiser
Dave,

Good theory, but the truth is DCL just wanted to test new ports based on requests from repeat guests.

DCL Cruiser

How do you know that if I may ask? I thought Dave sounded right on track as DCL was going to do the mediterrian and scrapped that after people balked at the price and with the global instablity due to the war.

 

[CathyCanada]

DCL_Cruiser is right, Ann. I know from friends that I have that work for Disney.
CC

 

[AnnMorin]

Hey Cathy that is great to know! I hope they make a permanent change for December 2004 or we will be taking a different line that year. We really want to see other ports- I love Disney cruise and would choose them first over any other line if they go somewhere else.

 

[CathyCanada]

I'm with you, Ann!! When we cruise together in December that will be my 6th 7-night cruise and while I love them, I would like to see something new, too.
CC

 

[Mjasp]

Yeah...Until you both get to CC the last day and then stand on the rebooking line for an hour Friday night, because no matter how much you think you want something new, you realize you'll just do a different excursion, because you won't get CC on another line.

 

[AnnMorin]

Thats right cathy I forgot you will be on my birthday bash!
Mjasp- I really have felt that way I so enjoy spending my bday with disney and fully intend to ALWAYS spend my bday on a cruise ship in the caribbean- I love Disney and could not imagine a better cruise line (tried others none compare) that said though I REALLY want to see other islands and such. This year we have that solved by going to Anguilla on the dolphin swim- but honestly for the almost $600.00 that is costing on top of our cat. 6 I could probably do a 11 day Royal Carb. or such with the veranda still. IF Disney changes ports for Dec. 2004 I will stay with them if not, I will try someone else just for a change.

 

[Mjasp]

I thought the 2004 dates are all out.

My friend who we cruised with last year, has sailed DCL 3 times and now has #4 booked with us in August 2004, the other 3 families joining us all cruised DCL once, myself included. She is trying to convince us to try either Carnival to Bermuda or RCCL the 9 day, both out of NYC.

I won't rule it out if the price is right as we get closer.

 

[Dave_from_Marietta]

Lest you think I was pulling that “theory” out of my........, when Disney decided to <i><b>not</b></i> reposition the Magic to the Mediterranean during Summer 2004, it went ahead and opened up booking for most of the rest of 2004 (they had been taking reservations only up through April, 2004 until they decided). But when they opened up most of the rest of 2004, they still held back booking on the 7 Eastern weeks in question. There was some speculation at the time as to the reason. I mistook speculation for established fact. My mistake.

Anyway... DCL_Cruiser and CathyCanada (it seems weird to type that without “Webmaster” in front of it) are the voice of authority here.