Will the Dream be staying in Europe for the summers?

[coloradocutie]

We love the classic ships. Has anyone heard if the Magic be returning to Europe in the future? Or is the Dream there for the foreseeable future?

 

[auntlynne]

 

[auntlynne]

 

[JM_97]

I always assumed it would be the Fantasy that would go to Europe because of the European themed adult area.

But there's really no way to know. Especially now with more ships coming, Disney could mix it up if they really wanted to. In general, I think the Magic and Wonder will slowly start doing the more "exotic" destinations and the newer ships do more of the "traditional" sailings (Bahamas, Caribbean, Mexico, etc).

 

[DCLCruiseFan09]

We love the classic ships. Has anyone heard if the Magic be returning to Europe in the future? Or is the Dream there for the foreseeable future?

From my understanding, the Magic no longer meets Emissions requirements for many places in Europe which is the reason for the change. I think if they were able to keep the Magic going to Europe they definitely would have.

I would expect the Dream to continue the European Itineraries. After all, up until this point the Magic was the only ship that had done Europe cruises on DCL.

 

[disneyfaninaz]

From my understanding, the Magic no longer meets Emissions requirements for many places in Europe which is the reason for the change. I think if they were able to keep the Magic going to Europe they definitely would have.

I would expect the Dream to continue the European Itineraries. After all, up until this point the Magic was the only ship that had done Europe cruises on DCL.

Yes, the Magic is getting older and would be too much money to retrofit her emissions output. Also, it's a shame that the Magic cannot do Europe because the Dream is too big to do some of the ports like Kirkwall in Scotland.

 

[Louise97]

I've been wondering this too, eagerly awaiting the next itinerary release to find out! I hadn't considered the emissions ruling out the Magic. I thought I'd read somewhere that the Dream would sail year-round from Port Everglades but perhaps it's just DCL need to base one of their ships there rather than the Dream specifically.

 

[DCLCruiseFan09]

I've been wondering this too, eagerly awaiting the next itinerary release to find out! I hadn't considered the emissions ruling out the Magic. I thought I'd read somewhere that the Dream would sail year-round from Port Everglades but perhaps it's just DCL need to base one of their ships there rather than the Dream specifically.

Don't Forget that the Fantasy will probably be moving there in 2024 whenever the Treasure comes.

7 night Sailings and Port Everglades go hand in hand. Basically, every ship that sails out of Fort Lauderdale is on a 7 night or longer sailing so it would be a great fit. Would be nice if they could start doing more regular longer itineraries too. (IE, More Southern Caribbean, Longer Eastern/Western itineraries, etc.)

Miami didn't sell well for the Dream so they are most likely going to let the Magic stay there with its limited footprint (No permanent terminal like originally planned, etc.) and continue the Miami/San Juan/Galveston/NOLA sailings which is a great fit for the ship in my mind.

 

[coloradocutie]

Yes, the Magic is getting older and would be too much money to retrofit her emissions output. Also, it's a shame that the Magic cannot do Europe because the Dream is too big to do some of the ports like Kirkwall in Scotland.

Thanks so much for the information. Would the Dream's size affect potential Norway ports? TIA.

 

[DCLCruiseFan09]

Thanks so much for the information. Would the Dream's size affect potential Norway ports? TIA.

Honestly, We just did the 7 night Norway from Copenhagen in August 22. I'd think if you were doing a Norwegian Fjord cruise, the options would be more limited as the Magic is certainly smaller (87k vs 125k Tonnes I believe)

We did Oslo, Alesund, Gothenburg. I couldn't imagine the Dream would have issues with any of those ports.

Sounds like a Scotland port is already off the table though Sadly (Kirkwall).

I keep secretly hoping that Disney decides to rebuild the Magic and Wonder keeping the smaller/Same size and same service level but I am sure that is wishful thinking.

 

[Drfate102]

I keep secretly hoping that Disney decides to rebuild the Magic and Wonder keeping the smaller/Same size and same service level but I am sure that is wishful thinking.

Sadly, as the Wonder is my favorite Ship, I don't see this happening. As an industry, Cruise Lines are going bigger.

I am planning Europe in May 2024 and I fully expect to be on the Dream. And since this is my first big International trip, I think I would be really happy with the familiarity of the Dream.

 

[DCLCruiseFan09]

Sadly, as the Wonder is my favorite Ship, I don't see this happening. As an industry, Cruise Lines are going bigger.

I am planning Europe in May 2024 and I fully expect to be on the Dream. And since this is my first big International trip, I think I would be really happy with the familiarity of the Dream.

Never Say never! Look at the Norwegian Prima and that line of ships.

I really think any of the ships in Europe would be enjoyable. The Dream is a wonderful replacement.

 

[holula]

Thanks so much for the information. Would the Dream's size affect potential Norway ports? TIA.

Anthem of the Seas which is larger than the Dream does Norway with no issue. The main issue disney seems to have is they book all their ports late and always seem to get leftovers for Norway!

 

[coloradocutie]

Never Say never! Look at the Norwegian Prima and that line of ships.

I really think any of the ships in Europe would be enjoyable. The Dream is a wonderful replacement.

Thank you, DCLCruisefan09! I have never heard of the Norwegian Prima line... whoa- those prices are so much better than DCL... even if you go with the Haven product... Wow. How does NCL compare in your experience? For that price we may consider switching lines for Norway.

 

[DCLCruiseFan09]

Thank you, DCLCruisefan09! I have never heard of the Norwegian Prima line... whoa- those prices are so much better than DCL... even if you go with the Haven product... Wow. How does NCL compare in your experience? For that price we may consider switching lines for Norway.

Honestly, The big thing you really need to decide is if it is worth the "disney price premium" for the experience for you and your family. Will you miss the disney characters, entertainment, etc on the ship OR are you really going for the destination?

If destination is your number one choice, I would choose Norwegian hands down. Reason? This frees up more for port adventures/experiences in destination for you.

If I'm thinking correctly, Norwegian was the first to use the Haven product as "a ship within a ship." People rave about it and for the cost the level of service is, in most people's opinion, incredible. The bid upgrade program that Norwegian has is also great where you can bid on available rooms (there is a minimum bid) and get some really phenomenal deals. For that reason, I often tell others to avoid booking Haven off the bat because through the bid you can get some great savings.

I had friends get off the Prima a few weeks ago and rave about the ship. I look forward to trying it myself at some point in the near future. I'm just happy to see a major liner shift to a smaller ship format and recognize the value of it. Gives me hope that Disney could do something amazing recreating the Magic and Wonder.

 

[JM_97]

Don't Forget that the Fantasy will probably be moving there in 2024 whenever the Treasure comes.

7 night Sailings and Port Everglades go hand in hand. Basically, every ship that sails out of Fort Lauderdale is on a 7 night or longer sailing so it would be a great fit. Would be nice if they could start doing more regular longer itineraries too. (IE, More Southern Caribbean, Longer Eastern/Western itineraries, etc.)

Miami didn't sell well for the Dream so they are most likely going to let the Magic stay there with its limited footprint (No permanent terminal like originally planned, etc.) and continue the Miami/San Juan/Galveston/NOLA sailings which is a great fit for the ship in my mind.

I wonder why the Dream didn't sell well in Miami.

 

[Flossbolna]

I wonder why the Dream didn't sell well in Miami.

I am getting the impression that in the markets where they had the Magic previously and now the Dream they are struggling because of the higher capacity. Meaning, they sell as many cruises as before, but still the ship is less booked because it has more staterooms.

Look at the European season this summer. Nearly all cruises have IGT, OGT and VGT rates available already now, many months before sail time. It used to be (pre-Covid) that these rates only came out after PIF date. I am starting to get the impression that DCL might be getting close to saturating the market - or at least the market for people who are willing to pay those very high fares DCL currently wants to charge.

 

[holula]

I am getting the impression that in the markets where they had the Magic previously and now the Dream they are struggling because of the higher capacity. Meaning, they sell as many cruises as before, but still the ship is less booked because it has more staterooms.

Look at the European season this summer. Nearly all cruises have IGT, OGT and VGT rates available already now, many months before sail time. It used to be (pre-Covid) that these rates only came out after PIF date. I am starting to get the impression that DCL might be getting close to saturating the market - or at least the market for people who are willing to pay those very high fares DCL currently wants to charge.

Some of those Europe cruises were absolutely ridiculously priced to the point where Europeans could fly to the US and take an equivalent length cruise for cheaper. It’s cheaper for me to fly to Vancouver and do Alaska than to sail from the UK, which is a bit ridiculous.

 

[DCLCruiseFan09]

I wonder why the Dream didn't sell well in Miami.

The big thing that someone said above is pricing. When the ship moved to Miami, I was looking at pricing and they wanted the same premium they were getting out of Canaveral for the ship. Miami has a really high saturation of Royal/Carnival/Norwegian ships. Disney's sticker price is so much higher to get on the ship than any of the other options.

When I looked at some of the first 5 night cruises out of Miami, they wanted 4500 for two in a verandah. For the same price, I could book 10-14 days in a verandah on Carnival, Royal, MSC easily. They were running about 2200 for two in a verandah for a 7 night

To sum it up: They significantly overpriced it for the market. That's why they were doing the "up to 40% off sailings from Miami" for a while. That brought it down to be a little bit more reasonable. I repriced around 2700 for a Verandah with the savings for the same cruise which is a much more reasonable amount.

 

[Louise97]

Some of those Europe cruises were absolutely ridiculously priced to the point where Europeans could fly to the US and take an equivalent length cruise for cheaper. It’s cheaper for me to fly to Vancouver and do Alaska than to sail from the UK, which is a bit ridiculous.

This. The pricing was high, and then on top of that the terrible GBP-USD exchange rate made it even more expensive for us in the UK. Transatlantic flights have been really pricey too - going by the discussion on the Facebook group for our cruise, some people have been paying as much for flights as for the cruise.

There's also a fair amount of competition. We're on the May 20 out of Barcelona on a 7 night sailing. On our same departure day, Celebrity and MSC have 7 night sailings going to very similar ports. Both are cheaper than DCL's original pricing, the *GTs have brought them more in line with each other. Unless people specifically want Disney, they're likely to book one of the other lines.