Disney Cruise Line
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Disney Cruise Line is 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 cruise 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 Disney Magic and Disney Wonder have 875 and 874 staterooms respectively. The ships 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. In October 2006, additional family amenities were added to the Disney Wonder including features specifically geared toward toddlers, making the ship even more suitable for families with young children.
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.
Disney repeatedly has said it plans to expand its fleet of ships but is waiting for more favorable economic conditions, primarily the currency exchange rate, since the shipyards it likely will use to construct a third and fourth ship are located in Europe. Plans for these ships are drawn up and have been approved; however, they have not been put into effect yet.
Disney Cruise Line offers three-, four- and seven-night cruises to various destinations in the Caribbean; a daytime stop at Castaway Cay is included in all itineraries. Cruises depart from Disney's Art Deco-themed terminal in Port Canaveral, Florida. Some "land and sea" packages include a stay at Walt Disney World Resort as well as transportation to the pier 50 miles away.
In the summer of 2005, the Disney Magic sailed through the Panama Canal to Los Angeles for 12 seven-night cruises along the Mexican Riviera as part of the Happiest Homecoming on Earth, which celebrates the 50th anniversary of Disneyland. Afterward, the ship returned to its previous Caribbean routes.
On March 21, 2006, Disney announced that the Disney Magic will offer 10- and 11-night Mediterranean cruises departing from Barcelona, Spain during the summer of 2007. After leaving Barcelona, the ship will stop at numerous ports in Italy and France. Bookings began on April 4, 2006, and are filling up quickly.
[edit] Reference
- Durand, Jean-François. Autour du Monde Paquebots. Cruise ships around the world. Editions marines, 1996. [bilingual text]
[edit] External links
- Disney Cruise Line official site
- Disney Cruise Line Podcast
- Google Maps link to Port Canaveral, shows the terminal where the Disney Wonder and Disney Magic dock
- Disney Cruise Line Jobs
- CruiseJournals.com - Cruise Community Pages
- Disney Cruise Line at LoveToKnow Cruises
