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Disney Planning Not Two, But Three New Ships
Disney Cruise Line is planning not two, but three new ships in the next phase of expansion. By the time these three ships are sailing, they’ll have nearly doubled the size of our fleet! That means more families than ever before will be visiting spectacular destinations around the globe and creating magical memories at sea!
Last year, Disney told everyone that two new ships were going to be built at the Meyer Werft shipyard in Germany with scheduled completion dates of 2021 and 2023. This additional ship will be built at the same shipyard and is scheduled to be completed in 2022.
“We decided two ships wouldn’t be enough to hold all of the exciting new experiences we have been dreaming up to take family cruise vacations to a whole new level with immersive Disney storytelling, world-class family entertainment, and imaginative innovations that are fantastically fun and uniquely Disney,” Bob Chapek, Chairman of Walt Disney Parks and Resorts, said.
All ship names, design plans and itineraries are still in development, with each of the ships expected to have their own unique experiences. The three new ships will be powered by clean-burning liquefied natural gas and be the same size – approximately 135,000 gross tons with about 1,250 guest staterooms planned – which is slightly larger than the newest Disney Cruise Line ships, the Disney Dream and Disney Fantasy.
With a legacy of revolutionary design, Disney Cruise Line’s new ships will usher in the next generation of innovative cruise experiences designed especially for families that will transform the art-of-cruising and take guests on adventures in a way never dreamed of before.
Woodbrey Family Travel
Disney Cruise Line Unveils Ports and Itineraries for Early 2017
In early 2017, Disney Cruise Line returns to favorite destinations in the Caribbean and Bahamas on a variety of itineraries, most from popular Florida ports. Limited-time engagements in San Juan, Puerto Rico, and Galveston, Texas, complete the line-up for the first part of the year.
During these sailings, you will visit timeless tropical locales, dive into charming island cultures, sunbathe on golden beaches and revel in local marketplaces. Most cruises feature a stop at Disney Castaway Cay, a private island paradise reserved exclusively for Disney Cruise Line Guests.
Bookings open Gold and Platinum Castaway Club Members on Oct. 7, 2015 and to the public on Oct. 8.
Port Canaveral
With three of Disney ships in port and cruises spanning from three to seven nights, you have a full line up of options from Port Canaveral in early 2017. The best part? Every sailing includes a day at Castaway Cay!
The Disney Fantasy will continue to sail seven-night Eastern and Western Caribbean voyages, while the Disney Dream continues on three- and four-night cruises to Nassau and Castaway Cay. Beginning January 29, the Disney Wonder will alternate similar three- and four-night itineraries.
Miami
The Disney Magic continues sailing from Miami with three to five-night voyages to the Bahamas, plus select five-night Western Caribbean cruises, through March 31. Castaway Cay awaits guests aboard every one of these Disney Magic sailings! Other Bahamian ports of call include Nassau and Key West, while a stop in Grand Cayman or Cozumel headlines the Western Caribbean itineraries.
San Juan and Galveston
From San Juan, the Disney Magic sets sail on four seven-night cruises to the Southern Caribbean. Departing April 9, 16, 23 and 30, this limited-time engagement includes calls on Barbados, St. Lucia, Martinique, Antigua and St. Kitts.
The Disney Wonder completes a season in Galveston with two seven-night Bahamian voyages to Key West, Castaway Cay and Nassau on January 6 and 13. From there, the ship embarks on a six-night journey to San Juan on January 20 with stops in Cozumel, Grand Cayman and Falmouth, Jamaica. Also, on January 26, a three-night cruise aboard the Disney Wonder takes guests from San Juan to Port Canaveral.
Stay tuned for more information on Disney Cruises sailing in 2017.
– Cody Woodbrey
25 Fun Facts About the Disney Dream
- Maiden Voyage: January 26, 2011 – 4 Night Bahamanian Cruise
- Passenger Capacity: 4,000
- Gross Tonnage: 130,000 Tons
- Length: 1,115 ft, Beam: 136 ft, Draft: 26 ft
- Speed: Cruising – 22 Knots, Max – 23.5 Knots
- Crew: 1,458 Cast Members on board at all times
- Godmother of the ship is Jennifer Hudson
- Sorcerer Mickey Mouse is on the stern of the ship and is about 14 feet long and weights about 2,500 pounds. Constructed of stainless steel and Fiberblass.
- The Sorcerer Mickey Mouse was sculpted in California, manufactured in Sarasota, FL, painted in Orlando and then transported by ship to Germany for final installation on the Disney Dream. The “ornament” traveled appropriately 15,000 miles.
- Admiral Donald is the featured statue in the main atrium
- There are 1,250 Staterooms – Inside: 150, Oceanview: 199 and Verandah 901
- The ship horn whistles 7 different musical tunes; “When you Wish Upon a Star”, “makes no difference who you are”, “Yo Ho”, “It’s a Small World”, “Be Our Guest”, “Hi Diddle Dee Dee” and “A Dream is a Wish Your Heart Makes.”
- Ship Builder was Meyer Werft (Papenburg, Germany)
- Disney’s ships are the only ships to have four captains – the ship’s captain, Captain Mickey, Captain Hook and Captain Jack Sparrow.
- The ship can make over 1,200 tons of fresh water from seawater each day
- Disney is the first cruise line to introduce the rotational dining concept, where guests rotate between three different restaurants each night.
- The Dream’s Art Deco-Style chandelier has thousands of hand-crafted Swarovski crystal beads (88,680 beads) and colorful glass-work. Crafted in Brixen, Italy, the chandelier is 22 feet diameter at the ceiling plate and comes down 13 feet from the ceiling and is plated with 24kt gold
- On arrival day, cast members will transport approximately 14,000 suitcases
- There are approximately 80,000 lights on board – Double the industry average. The large number is the result of Disney’s flare for theatrical experiences – accomplished primarily with LEDs and other environmentally friendly lighting.
- There are two huge mosaic walls based on the Disney-Pixar animated film “Finding Nemo” located in Cabans casual-dining restaurant. Hand-crafted uniquely for the Disney Fantasy and Disney Dream by Italian artists, each wall is more than 25 feet wide and more than 8 feet high and contains approximately 194,500 tiles in 200 colors of hand-crafted Venetian enamel.
- The Dream was the first ship to have a water rollercoaster at sea, known as the Aquaduck!
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Subtle nautical motif adorns Disney Cruise Line ships, including traditional maritime symbols and lettering that only the conscientious sailor can spot. For example, on the carpet in the Disney Fantasy and Disney Dream stateroom corridors, a ship’s wheel encompasses a map of the world and nautical flags spell out the name of the ship.
- Palo, the adult-exclusive dining, located on deck 12, can seat up to 144 guests (128 inside – 16 outside)
- All pools are filled with freshwater and are heated when the temperature drops below 75 Degrees
- The Walt Disney Theatre can seat 1,340 guests
– Cody Woodbrey
“Frozen” is Coming to the Disney Cruise Line This Summer
For the first time this summer, on select sailing on both the Disney Magic and Disney Wonder sailings Alaska and Europe, Disney will bring the land of “Frozen” to life. For one day of the sailing, the ship will be transformed into the land of “Frozen”. Guests will be able to immerse themselves in a new deck party, a three-song stage show production number, character meet and greets with some of your favorite “Frozen characters, new ashore adventures and much more.
Here are some of the all-new happenings for these select cruises:
- Memorable moments with Anna, Elsa, and for the first time in forever sing-along, with appearances from Kristoff and Olaf
- “Anna’s Chase for the Chocolate” a scavenger hunt with a special surprise for finishing the game… I think the surprise might have something to do with chocolate!
- “Do You Want to Build a Snowman” activity with kids learn now to use their magical powers to make snow and ice like Queen Elsa
- “The Maypole Swirl and Twirl” for guests wanting to learn traditional Scandinavian dances, all while spinning and braiding giant ribbons
- “Frozen” themed dining experience, the evenings dinner menu includes traditional Nordic fare and special dishes inspired by the film
- “Freezing the Night Away with Anna, Elsa and Friends,” an all new family-friendly interactive deck party featuring Princess Anna, Queen Elsa, Kristoff and everyone’s favorite snowman, Olaf
With the Disney Magic sailing to Norway, guests will be able to have an even more immersive experiences. “Frozen” will make its debut in an all new production “Disney Dreams… An Enchanted Classic”. In this production, Princess Anna, Queen Elsa and Olaf along with your beloved Disney characters will teach an young girl the power of her dreams.
This is not all for guests sailing to Norway! Guests will also have the opportunity to experience all-new port adventures that bring the story of Arendelle to life. One of the signature adventure ashore in Ålesund, Norway, will immerse guests in the charm of Norway with the help with Anna and Elsa themselves.
The summer “Frozen” fun doesn’t stop there but expands to all Disney Cruise ships; Disney Wonder, Disney Magic, Disney Dream and Disney Fantasy. Olaf with his warm hugs, will join the sisters from Arendelle in an all-new meet and greet experience. On the first night of the cruise, guests will be given a personal navigator with information where they can get tickets to participate in the meet and greet. You must have a ticket in order to participate, so get your ticket as soon as you can.
Cruises that port at Disney’s private Island, Castaway Cay, will also enjoy a new addition the island, Olaf’s Summertime Freeze bar. Specialty non-alcoholic frozen drinks will be served and is located near Pelican Point Tram stop by the Disney Castaway Cay Family Beach.
I’m not sure about you, but I am pretty excited about all the new “Frozen” happenings this summer. If you were thinking about taking a cruise, this might be the perfect time to go! For even more information or to book a Disney Cruise, please contact me today!
– Cody Woodbrey
25 Fun Facts About the Disney Fantasy
- Maiden Voyage: March 31, 2012
- Passenger Capacity: 4,000
- Gross Tonnage: 130,000 Tons
- Length: 1,115 ft, Beam: 136 ft, Draft: 26 ft
- Cruising Speed: 23.5 Knots
- Crew: 1,450 Cast Members on board at all times
- Ship Cost: $900 Million
- Dumbo & Timothy are located on the stern of the ship, weighing over 2,300 pounds. Dumbo is just over eight feet tall and has a wingspan of seven feet. Timothy is a little smaller with the height of 2’6″.
- It took 747 days or 17,928 hours to build the Disney Fantasy
- Godmother of the Fantasy is Mariah Carey
- Mademoiselle Minnie Mouse is the featured statue in the main atrium. She is dressed in vintage fashion with a parasol and streamer luggage at her side.
- Ship Builder was Meyer Werft (Papenburg, Germany)
- There are 1,250 Staterooms – Inside: 150, Oceanview: 199 and Verandah 901
- The ship horn whistles 7 different musical tunes; “When you Wish Upon a Star”, “makes no difference who you are”, “Yo Ho”, “It’s a Small World”, “Be Our Guest”, “Hi Diddle Dee Dee” and “A Dream is a Wish Your Heart Makes.”
- There are over 5,336 beds on board
- In 1 month, over 15,776 cans of Coca-Cola will be consumed
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The Fantasy’s Art Nouveau-inspired chandelier cascades downward from a massive, illuminated stained-glass flourish on the ceiling in vibrant hues of greens and blues. The chandelier itself is more than 10 feet in diameter, a one-of-a-kind work of art evoking a peacock in stained glass and more than 60,000 clear Swarovski crystal beads.
- The adult nightlife district Europa features five clubs and lounges that treat the senses to a taste of Ireland, England, France and Italy plus stunning skylines and signature cocktails inspired by Russia, Greece, Hungary and Spain.
- Muppet Pepe the King of Prawn is the star of the ship’s new Midship Detective Agency game, and has his very own stateroom. Located down the hall from the Oceaneers lab, the door to stateroom 5148 ½ is decked out with Pepe’s activity schedule, photos of his Muppet friends and notes from guests.
- Staterooms are 25% larger than the current industry average
- The AquaDuck is raised so to create more space on the upper-deck to party and relax.
- The Aqualab is the newest addition to the Disney Cruise Line. This 1,800-square-foot get wet area on Deck 12 is filled with pop jets, geysers and bubblers.
- Disney is the only Cruise Line that shows first run movies
- Each of the main restaurants on board can hold up to 696 guests; Enchanted Garden – Deck 2, Animator’s Palate – Deck 3 and Royal Palace – Deck 3
- Disney was the first cruise line to be granted special permission from the U.S. Coast Guard to have their lifeboats painted yellow, instead of the traditional orange. Disney made this request in order to keep the color theming of the ship consistent.
– Cody Woodbrey
Woodbrey Family Travel Blog 