Disney Cruise Line
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Disney theme park | |
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| Disney Cruise Line | |
|---|---|
| Location | Port Canaveral, Florida, USA |
| Opening Day | July 30, 1998 |
| Resort | Disney Cruise Line |
| Theme | Cruise ships |
| Website | Disney Cruise Line homepage |
| Operator | The Walt Disney Company |
Disney Cruise Line is an American cruise ship company owned by The Walt Disney Company and headquartered in Celebration, Florida. The business is run by President Tom McAlpin as part of the Walt Disney Parks and Resorts division.
It operates two ships, the Disney Magic and the Disney Wonder, along with Castaway Cay, a private island in the Bahamas designed as an exclusive port of call for Disney's ships.
The Disney Magic began operation July 30, 1998. The Disney Wonder began operation August 15, 1999. The ships each contain 875 staterooms [1] and are virtually identical in their design, with a few variations in restaurants and entertainment venues. Both contain areas designed exclusively for various age groups, including toddlers, young children, teens, and adults.
They are the first in the industry to be designed and built from the keel up as family cruise liners, with the goal of accommodating parents and children. Unlike most ships of their type, they do not include casinos.
Unlike most ship's horns, which have a single or two-tone sound, the horns on both Disney ships play a seven-note melody from When You Wish Upon a Star.
Disney Cruise Line was created in 1995 when the company commissioned its two ships at Fincantieri in Italy, ending an arrangement with Premier Cruises for the maritime segment of its vacation packages.
Contents |
[edit] Disney Magic
| Disney Magic | |
| Placed in Service: | 1998 |
| Built: | Fincantieri Shipyard, Italy |
| Status: | in service |
| Tonnage: | 83,000 gross tons |
| Length: | 964 feet |
| Beam: | 106 feet |
| Speed: | 21.5 knots |
| Decks: | 11 |
| Complement: | 2,400 passengers, 945 crew |
| Registry: | Bahamas |
The Disney Magic is the original cruise ship operated by The Walt Disney Company under its subsidiary Disney Cruise Line. Its sister, the Disney Wonder, launched in 1999.
Built in 1998 by Italian shipbuilder Fincantieri, the Disney Magic can hold approximately 2,400 passengers. It currently sails on 7 day itineraries including Disney's private island Castaway Cay, St. Maarten, St. Thomas,St. Croix,Tortola, Key West, Grand Cayman, and Cozumel (depending on specific cruise).
In June 2005, the Disney Magic was dispatched to the West Coast in honor of Disneyland's 50th Anniversary.
The Disney Magic made a transatlantic crossing in May 2007 to sail around the Mediterranean, visiting ports including Barcelona, Cadiz and Gibraltar.
Beginning May 25, 2008, the Disney Magic is scheduled to sail 12 consecutive seven-night cruise vacations from the Port of Los Angeles to the Mexican Riviera ports of Cabo San Lucas, Mazatlán and Puerto Vallarta. Disney Cruise Line will also offer two 15-night repositioning cruises, sailing from Port Canaveral through the Panama Canal, departing May 10, 2008, with the return sailing to Florida on August 17, 2008.
The Disney Magic entered scheduled 10-day drydock refurbishment on October 1, 2005 at the Norshipco shipyard in Norfolk, Virginia. Several enhancements took place during this time. The Vista Spa and Salon received a 1,700-square-foot (160 m²) expansion including three new spa treatment suites. Three conference rooms on deck 2 were transformed into an additional children's area called Ocean Quest. A 24-by-14 foot LED screen was affixed to the forward funnel in the family swimming pool area where movies and major sporting and broadcast events are shown.
[edit] Disney Wonder
| Disney Wonder | |
| Placed in Service: | 1999 |
| Built: | Fincantieri Shipyard, Italy |
| Status: | in service |
| Tonnage: | 83,000 gross tons |
| Length: | 964 feet |
| Beam: | 106 feet |
| Speed: | 21.5 knots |
| Decks: | 11 |
| Complement: | 2,400 passengers, 945 crew |
| Registry: | Bahamas |
The Disney Wonder is a cruise ship operated by Disney Cruise Line.
The Disney Wonder alternates between 3- and 4-night cruises. Visiting Nassau and Disney's own private island Castaway Cay, with the 4-night cruise offering an additional day at sea.
In October 2006, the Wonder went into dry dock for a general sprucing up and the addition of new features, many of which were introduced to the Disney Magic in 2005.
A toddler pool was added that features interactive fountains and splash zones. A new computer simulator was put into the refurbished Oceaneer Lab that lets kids "steer" Disney Wonder in and out of port. A 24 x 14 ft (4.3 m) LED screen affixed to the forward funnel and overlooking the Goofy Pool offers Disney movies and television programs. The Vista Spa, as well as the meeting and conference facilities and the Quiet Cove adults-only pool, were renovated and expanded too.
[edit] Ships 3 and 4
Disney Cruise Lines announced on February 22, 2007 that 2 new ships are to be added to its fleet in 2011 and 2012.[2] The ships are to be built by Meyer Werft shipyard, based in Papenburg, Germany. These newest 122,000 ton ships will be 2 decks taller than the Disney Magic and Disney Wonder and will have 1,250 staterooms each. The ships have not yet been named. Disney Cruise Line has negotiated with the Port Canaveral port authority and has extended their contract for 15 more years, through 2022 at least. As part of this contract the port authority will expand and upgrade the dock in order to accommodate the new ships (both of which will be home-ported there) and the terminal will be enlarged to accommodate more passengers and luggage and finally a parking garage will be built and completed by 2011.
[edit] References
- Durand, Jean-Françcruois. Autour du Monde Paquebots / Cruise ships around the world Editions marines, 1996. [bilingual text]
- Schwartzman, M. T. ed.. Fodor's 99 the best cruises. New York : Fodor's Travel Publications, Inc., c1998.
- Ward, Douglas ed.. Berlitz ocean cruising & cruise ships. London : Berlitz, 2003.
