A SEVENTH ship coming to DCL!

[AquaDame]

...A real live mutiny! Mickey would have fits! (seriously, that is pretty bad).

 

[dclpluto]

With 7 ships, they wouldn't miss one if it was down here in NZ/Australia

Sounds good. But if it comes there is no way that it will be there the whole year. Wouldn't be enough people to support it year round. A new Zeland and Australia cruise sounds great to me. But in reality once I look at plane prices and a 24 hour plane ride I will probably change my mind And thousands of other people.australia and new zeland might have 30 million people combine. 30 million sounds like a lot. But USA has over 300 and Disney has some problems filling 4 ships. That is also help from a lot of other countries mainly Canada, U.K. Probably the main two.but with Disney having some problems filling 4 ships with 7 it could happen. Think you might see one doing Asia and Australia area full time. But not one just in Australia.hopefully we will see better prices with 7 ships.

 

[JW9DVC]

Scott (DCLBlog) is saying it will be the same size as the other two... I'm sorry, I know a lot of people like that size.

It will be about 5,000 gross tons bigger. Yet feature the same amount of cabins.

 

[Pandafamily]

How long does Disney plan on keeping the Magic (1998) & the Wonder (1999) in service. " “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." (DCL blog). At some point they will need to retire the Magic & Wonder. The may be preparing for that day.

 

[soniam]

How long does Disney plan on keeping the Magic (1998) & the Wonder (1999) in service. " “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." (DCL blog). At some point they will need to retire the Magic & Wonder. The may be preparing for that day.

RCCL ships that debuted at the same time are still in service. They have had overhauls though, just like all of the current DCL ships. The bigger ships can't go to Alaska, through the Panama Canal, and many ports in Europe. So the Magic and Wonder have jobs for a long time.

 

[Msmit002]

RCCL ships that debuted at the same time are still in service. They have had overhauls though, just like all of the current DCL ships. The bigger ships can't go to Alaska, through the Panama Canal, and many ports in Europe. So the Magic and Wonder have jobs for a long time.

Actually, I think the Dream Class ships can now go through the new locks through the Panama Canal.

 

[Club Disney Chandler]

RCCL ships that debuted at the same time are still in service. They have had overhauls though, just like all of the current DCL ships. The bigger ships can't go to Alaska, through the Panama Canal, and many ports in Europe. So the Magic and Wonder have jobs for a long time.

Yes they can, the new part of the PC can accommodate the big ships and RCCL had Oasis Class ships sailing the Mediterranean, not to mention the big NCL and CCL ships have no problem in Europe.

 

[Lesley Wake]

If they expand to Australia/NZ I'd book in a heartbeat! I've been trying to figure out a NZ trip and have enough miles to get there. A Disney cruise would be perfect! But I don't know if I can wait that long!!!

 

[dclpluto]

How long does Disney plan on keeping the Magic (1998) & the Wonder (1999) in service. " “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." (DCL blog). At some point they will need to retire the Magic & Wonder. The may be preparing for that day.

Disney likes to keep things for a very long time. As long as they are still profitable for Disney they will be here.
DCL will probably see what 7 ships do with making money. If they have to do lot of discounts you might see them go down to five. But my guess magic and wonder will be around until ships 8 and 9 come. Maybe in 2028 have ship 8 come than retire the magic. Maybe retire the magic a little early so they won't have to hire a lot of new people. Maybe 3 month earlier than ship 8 will come or whatever they need. Than in 2029 when ship 9'comes retire the wonder a few months before that. Just my guess like everyone else here no one knows.

 

[mcgluvint]

Ok look, I would be disappointed if Disney moves to the Asian market. Disney is not ready to tackle this yet. And with seven ships, it just doesn't seem reasonable. If Disney even isn't sailing to Cuba yet why would they want to try Asia. When you have 20 plus ships, sure but I don't think right now would be reasonable. They need to just focus with what they ave right now. Adding destinations would be best to do later. Doing MAYBE 1-2 Asia cruises a year is possible but would be a waste of time. Disney needs to stay as this.

Magic- Full time Europe.
Wonder- Alaska/2-4 Hawaii cruises/year/ west coast/mexico/panama canal
Dream- Full time Bahamian
Fantasy- Full time Caribbean
5- Full time Caribbean
6- Europe, Bermuda, Cuba, Canada
7- Alaska and Bahamian

This would be great to me. I swear Asia is something Disney would regret. I know this is very controversial and would be happy to answer questions about it.

 

[Pandafamily]

Disney likes to keep things for a very long time. As long as they are still profitable for Disney they will be here.

True, but the cruise industry is very competitive and every line is trying to innovate. No company is as good at innovation and as Disney. And with there high standards this may cut the life of the Magic and Wonder. Just speculating like everyone else, and I like your time line.

 

[disny_luvr]

Anyone think there is a chance one would permanently sail from NYC?

 

[cruiser21]

I agree with DCL not going to Asia. 90% or more of American families can't afford to travel to China. DCL is a family/kid oriented cruiseline. I know it irritates certain people when I say that, but that's the reality. Of course there's always the exception. I don't know enough about China to know if they would support Disney. The European DCL cruises we have done have been mostly Americans. Can DCL fill the ships with Chinese families? Will the Chinese pull their kids out of school? Are they even allowed to pull their kids out of school?

Australians love to cruise and are very big on family vacations, and like Americans don't hesitate pulling their kids out of school for vacations. They do it for weeks at a time. I could see this being a good market for DCL.

 

[cruiser21]

RCCL ships that debuted at the same time are still in service. They have had overhauls though, just like all of the current DCL ships. The bigger ships can't go to Alaska, through the Panama Canal, and many ports in Europe. So the Magic and Wonder have jobs for a long time.

Not true. NCL is launching a brand new mega ship the Bliss serving Alaska and Panama next year. The two biggest ships in the world have been in the Med. The Harmony and the Symphony. NCL's giant the Getaway is in the Baltics as we speak. The Carnival's Vista which is the same size as the Fantasy has been all over the Med and Greek Isles. The Horizon will be there next year. The Panama Canal locks were widened. They now allow big ships.

 

[soniam]

Not true. NCL is launching a brand new mega ship the Bliss serving Alaska and Panama next year. The two biggest ships in the world have been in the Med. The Harmony and the Symphony. NCL's giant the Getaway is in the Baltics as we speak. The Carnival's Vista which is the same size as the Fantasy has been all over the Med and Greek Isles. The Horizon will be there next year. The Panama Canal locks were widened. They now allow big ships.

I had forgotten about the PC widening However, the really big ships still can't get up to some of the glaciers in Alaska and can't get to the smaller/smallest ports in Europe. The med itself is obviously big enough and so are the big ports. It's the out of the way places that can't fit big ships, not only due to the actual port facility sizes but also the size of the town. I still think Magic and Wonder will mostly be used for these itineraries.

 

[TestingH2O]

I am intrigued by the idea of two ships in Alaska. That would allow DCL to offer both round trip and one way itineraries. Some people would probably consider pairing a one way with an ABD land trip to get back where they started.

I know about the Bliss going to Alaska but I thought it was specially designed to access some of the smaller spaces while still holding more passengers. I could be totally wrong though.

 

[Club Disney Chandler]

Anyone think there is a chance one would permanently sail from NYC?

Based on the huge discounts being offered for this fall on the Magic, I highly doubt it.

 

[cruiser21]

I had forgotten about the PC widening However, the really big ships still can't get up to some of the glaciers in Alaska and can't get to the smaller/smallest ports in Europe. The med itself is obviously big enough and so are the big ports. It's the out of the way places that can't fit big ships, not only due to the actual port facility sizes but also the size of the town. I still think Magic and Wonder will mostly be used for these itineraries.

Does DCL go to any of the out of the out of the way ports? Maybe Norway and Iceland, but other than that it's the standard ports. Maybe with more ships they could start doing some unique ports. I know most cruise lines give their older ship the best itineraries. Is that due to port size or because the know people will book itinerary over the ship? I'm one of those people that will take a great itinerary over the ship any day. I agree with you I think DCL will do what all cruiselines do and put the new ships in the Caribbean and put their older ships on the best itinerarys.
I'm hoping the Wonder does what a few other Alaska ships do, Head to Australia in the Winter.

 

[cruiser21]

Based on the huge discounts being offered for this fall on the Magic, I highly doubt it.

The same thing happened last year. They lowered the price this year, and still can't sell them out. I would love to do one of the New York Quebec cruises next year. I won't be booking it in advance if I decide to do it.
I don't think Northeast schools get a Fall break. New York is not a cheap or easy place to cruise out of for the rest of the country. Florida seems to be everyones favorite cruise embarkation point.

 

[gary in florida]

New rumor, the 7th ship will have wings and fly to the moon!