New Disney Ships: News, Rumors, Speculation.....and Names!

[Spork24]

Disney Adventure (already listed)
Disney Frontier
Disney Liberty

Named for lands at magic kingdom

Honorable mention land names
Disney Tomorrow (its sounds odd)
Disney Discovery (discovery island)

 

[RedSox68]

Disney Adventure (already listed)
Disney Frontier
Disney Liberty

Named for lands at magic kingdom

Honorable mention land names
Disney Tomorrow (its sounds odd)
Disney Discovery (discovery island)

I think Disney Discovery and Disney Liberty are terrific ideas! I will add your suggestions to page one.

 

[go oilers go]

Maybe not the right place to post this, but is pricing usually cheaper on a ships maiden voyage? I think that's the correct term...

 

[Dug720]

Maybe not the right place to post this, but is pricing usually cheaper on a ships maiden voyage? I think that's the correct term...

Yeah...NO. They also sell out super quickly.

 

[go oilers go]

Yeah...NO. They also sell out super quickly.

That's what I thought, but was hoping for a different answer

 

[Spork24]

So, how does the massive Norwegian Bliss fit through the locks?Any ship built by Meyer Werft has to fit under the bridges across the Ems for the transit out to the sea. I recently read about the Ems transit of the Norwegian Bliss and how they had special navigational tools for the bridges as there was only a couple of centimetres between ship and bridge. So, if the Bliss fits, the argument would be that Dream fits, too.

So I was thinking about this when I saw this pic of the Bliss in the Twitter today. Look how low profile the stack is. That’s how it fits with more decks than the dream class.

Only time will tell what Disney will do on the height.

(Hope I loaded the picture correctly)

 

[truck1]

So, how does the massive Norwegian Bliss fit through the locks?Any ship built by Meyer Werft has to fit under the bridges across the Ems for the transit out to the sea. I recently read about the Ems transit of the Norwegian Bliss and how they had special navigational tools for the bridges as there was only a couple of centimetres between ship and bridge. So, if the Bliss fits, the argument would be that Dream fits, too.

the bridges are elevated or opened, depending on the bridge. there is 1 bridge that is disassembled in part to allow large ships to pass. Tom when I'm at work I'll find the article that explains in detail the process. I want to say that there are like 6 capts involved, and they work no more the 90 minute shifts I pairs, 1 in front and 1 I the rear. not counting the tug capts. It takes roughly 10 hours to make the transit. There is special navigation programs on the bridge that will not only show where the ship is in the channel but where shell be if nothing changes. The bridge crew also trains for 2 weeks in a simulator befire the trip.

 

[Spork24]

the bridges are elevated or opened, depending on the bridge. there is 1 bridge that is disassembled in part to allow large ships to pass. Tom when I'm at work I'll find the article that explains in detail the process. I want to say that there are like 6 capts involved, and they work no more the 90 minute shifts I pairs, 1 in front and 1 I the rear. not counting the tug capts. It takes roughly 10 hours to make the transit. There is special navigation programs on the bridge that will not only show where the ship is in the channel but where shell be if nothing changes. The bridge crew also trains for 2 weeks in a simulator befire the trip.

Yeah, I think we settled the height requirement down the Ems a while back, the only bridges left on the Ems north of Meyer Werf are movable.

My point being that even though the bliss had more decks, it is in fact shorter than the dream class due to the short funnel.

Could we see shorter funnels on the new Disney class? LNG does burn cleaner so that could play into it possibly.

 

[Flossbolna]

So I was thinking about this when I saw this pic of the Bliss in the Twitter today. Look how low profile the stack is. That’s how it fits with more decks than the dream class.

Only time will tell what Disney will do on the height.

(Hope I loaded the picture correctly)

There is still no info as to the Bliss' height. But one thing that is of interest: That funnel was installed after the float out. The Dream and Fantasy floated out of the dry dock at Meyer Werft with the funnel installed. There might be other reasons for the funnel not being installed inside the dry dock, but one reason could be that it would not have fit through the gate otherwise.

 

[truck1]

Yeah, I think we settled the height requirement down the Ems a while back, the only bridges left on the Ems north of Meyer Werf are movable.

My point being that even though the bliss had more decks, it is in fact shorter than the dream class due to the short funnel.

Could we see shorter funnels on the new Disney class? LNG does burn cleaner so that could play into it possibly.

I wasnt sure. I didn't see anything definite.

Found the article I was looking for. Ill post the link in a minute.
To answer your question,no I don't think well see shorter funnels on the new" Improved Dream Class" Theres usually an operational requirement as to how high a funnel sits.For example, on the new Queen Mary, they put a scoop around the funnel to push any exhaust elements off the upper decks .The designers were looking for a way to keep her overall height down, but still not dump exhaust all over the back of the ship. Even on both the Dream and Magic class, when the conditions are right, you can smell the exhaust on parts of the ship. Even though LNG does burn cleaner then mgo, (marine grade oil) there still is plenty of things in the exhaust, that could be considered a health hazard. Theres just not as much as mgo. (I'm trying to find a breakdown of whats in each exhaust. So far Ive only seen where lng is cleaner but not contaminate free) So there is reason to keep the funnels tall. Then theres the ships waste burners that takes certain trash and burns it at sea which is something else that needs to be taken into account, as well as waste heat cooling systems, which takes the waste heat to reuse to help burn off contaminates, or heat water. All of that takes space.

 

[truck1]

There is still no info as to the Bliss' height. But one thing that is of interest: That funnel was installed after the float out. The Dream and Fantasy floated out of the dry dock at Meyer Werft with the funnel installed. There might be other reasons for the funnel not being installed inside the dry dock, but one reason could be that it would not have fit through the gate otherwise.

There is a show on cable, and cant remember off hand what its called, but they were in MW yard, from the beginning to the first cruise of a ship. I want to say it was Anthem of the Seas off the top of my head. If not it was a NCL ship. Anyway, one of the problems that the builders ran into was the overhead cranes. When they went to install the funnel as a complete unit, the crane operator realized that because of the size of the funnels, and the size of the ship, he couldn't land the funnels on the ship because of other obstructions. The funnel would have hit something on the ship because they couldn't get it high enough to clear. So they put it back down, and cut the funnel horizontally in 2. So, if they've learned from that issue, they may install the funnel outside where there is no obstruction. Or the funnel may have arrived late. I know at least 1 if not both of DCLs funnels were built at another location and barged to Papenburg.

 

[truck1]

https://www.wired.com/2014/09/conveyance-quantum-of-the-seas/

This explains a lot of what goes into doing a transit on the river.

 

[FigmentSpark]

https://www.wired.com/2014/09/conveyance-quantum-of-the-seas/

This explains a lot of what goes into doing a transit on the river.

Very interesting. Thanks for posting that.

 

[truck1]

Very interesting. Thanks for posting that.

Your welcome. Its amazing sometimes what you stumble on when your not looking.

 

[dcassetta]

So I was thinking about this when I saw this pic of the Bliss in the Twitter today. Look how low profile the stack is. That’s how it fits with more decks than the dream class.

Only time will tell what Disney will do on the height.

(Hope I loaded the picture correctly)

Thanks for that photo. The Bliss is too tall and boxy for my taste, but that bow painting really is beautiful.

 

[dtk07]

I'm enjoying this topic.

What could the new cruise ships mean for Disney Cruise pricing?

Disney Parks and Resorts seems to be pushing the envelope across the board regarding what they can get away with charging. Currently the supply/demand balance is not in the consumers favor. I'd like to think these new ships might allow prices to stabilize somewhat and maybe a few more deals for flexible travelers.

 

[PrincessShmoo]

I'm enjoying this topic.

What could the new cruise ships mean for Disney Cruise pricing?

Disney Parks and Resorts seems to be pushing the envelope across the board regarding what they can get away with charging. Currently the supply/demand balance is not in the consumers favor. I'd like to think these new ships might allow prices to stabilize somewhat and maybe a few more deals for flexible travelers.

Sadly, that's what the thinking was before the Dream & Fantasy joined the fleet.

 

[Intr3pid]

I'm enjoying this topic.

What could the new cruise ships mean for Disney Cruise pricing?

Disney Parks and Resorts seems to be pushing the envelope across the board regarding what they can get away with charging. Currently the supply/demand balance is not in the consumers favor. I'd like to think these new ships might allow prices to stabilize somewhat and maybe a few more deals for flexible travelers.

The cruise industry in general is bracing for a big leap in supply over the next 3 to 5 years. Pretty much every cruise line is bringing out new ships (and in big strides). This would help prices - except that the industry is also now pretty much an 'oligopoly' (concentrated in a few hands).

I think the prices in the Caribbeans will improve. Less so for Alaska and Europe (maybe excl. Med). The season is very short and all the current Caribbeans cruisers or the first timers will be looking to try out these other itineraries next.

And if the oil prices continue marching up, those increases will show up in the fares.

 

[dtk07]

And if the oil prices continue marching up, those increases will show up in the fares.

I didn't even think of this potential.

 

[truck1]

The cruise industry in general is bracing for a big leap in supply over the next 3 to 5 years. Pretty much every cruise line is bringing out new ships (and in big strides). This would help prices - except that the industry is also now pretty much an 'oligopoly' (concentrated in a few hands).

I think the prices in the Caribbeans will improve. Less so for Alaska and Europe (maybe excl. Med). The season is very short and all the current Caribbeans cruisers or the first timers will be looking to try out these other itineraries next.

And if the oil prices continue marching up, those increases will show up in the fares.

On the assumption that the oil prices doc limb, DCL already has in place a fuel surcharge. Itll be tacked on as a fuel surcharge, but only if oil goes past a certain value. When it comes down again, itll come off. The last time they did it was in 2012.

This is a continuation from a different thread where the conversation got a little off topic, but still applies here.



The difference between speculation and an educated forecast is the level of research, but I agree this isn't the topic of the thread. You make some interesting points, so I will add my thoughts here:

1. While the ships are paid off, their amortization and the resulting impact on reported profits go on for a couple of decades.

2. I don't quite follow how comparing Alaska and the Caribbeans are apples to oranges when Disney has to make a decision on where to deploy its ships. (A) The marginal taxes for the prices I quoted previously are ~$400 per room per sailing. For 9 sailings, that's $3,200 extra per room. So, instead of saying that Disney is charging ~60% more in Alaska, let's say 55%. The point remains. (B) The industry average is higher for a reason: you need to accommodate 12 months of cruising passengers into just 4 months of the season. (C) Operating costs can go in either direction. Cruising industry has more pricing power against the Alaskan ports given their contributions to the local town economies. Then, Disney handles and charges quite a bit of the premium Alaskan port excursions, while it funds your "excursions" in Castaway Cay.

3. Disney cruise line isn't a separate division. It's a product offered by 'Disney Signature Experiences', which comes under the strategic decision-making of Disney Parks and Experiences. Bob Chapek, who heads up the parks/experiences, pulls the trigger on strategic growth. And here is what their leadership is saying today:
https://www.travelpulse.com/news/en...als-are-considering-opening-another-park.html

4. No need to brand 2 billion of population as smokers and gamblers. They are, in fact, more involved in multi-generational family travel than most of us in North America. Even for North American/European cruisers, all luxury cruise lines spend a considerable amount of time in Asia Pacific every year.

5. I agree that Disney won't just jump into something like a 10-year port contract with Shanghai or Tokyo, but it could in the way it "tested the waters" in Europe. The reason it hasn't yet been to Asia Pacific is straightforward: no available ship.

6. Long 10-/11-day itineraries are going to be one-offs for Disney. (Those Disney prices are astronomical - compared to Princess or RCI.) Only a small segment of the cruising population wants to splurge that much in the Caribbeans. And if Disney really saw much upside in exotic itineraries, they could try it already - as they currently have four ships operating in the Caribbeans outside of spring/summer.

When I said apples to oranges, theres a couple of reasons why. First, without knowing what the opening day pricing is for both ships, we really don't know what the actual comparison is. Reason is, that as cabins go on sale, and are booked, the price will increase. I don't know what the actual system they use is, but, I do know that a given cabin category goes up in price the closer a cruise gets to sailing, and the faster it books. Its a tiered system and has been mentioned herre before. 2nd, Disney is becoming more and more industry compliant for lack of a better term. If the industry average for Alaska is say 2500 pp, Disney will use 2500 pp as its base. If the industry average is say 1500pp for a 7 day carib, Disney will use 1500pp. The difference between the industry and DCL is DCL hardly ever discounts cruises regularly anymore. The industry as a whole does. 3rd, without knowing the full numbers, we have 2 different sized ships were talking about. 1 with a capacity of roughly 2500 and the other with 4000. So its entirely possible that even though a given amount of sailings are sold out on the Wonder, the same amount of cruisers are on the Fantasy. It just takes her longer to reach capacity due to her size. Even gs has told me that she sails roughly 90 capacity on average thu the year. It would be closer to use Princess as an example, with a similar sized ship, and its base price prior to any discounts as comparisons.

Im not branding an entire population. What I am saying is that its 2 different cultures. They may travel as an multi generation family unit, but the ships over there, are modified for that specific market. Norwegian Joy is NCLs newest that is being specifically built for the Asian market. I think its 2 different expectation between what you and I would expect on a cruise, and what the Chinese culture expects.

I read the article from the stock reports etc. I took it as what the land parks are looking at. Its rare for the cruise line to get mentioned in a stock update. Unless its a honorable mention that they are building new ships. Like Ive said before. Asia may be on DCLs radar, but it will be several years at least before DCL goes over.

DCL is doing more and more over 7 day trips. Alaska, Europe, and there have been a few in the Caribbean. I agree that DCL should be doing test runs to new ports in the Carib. Why there not Im not sure. I don't know if its lack of vision or something else. And it goes back to what I mentioned before. If the industry doesn't have a problem making it to say Bonaire on a regular basis from Miami, why cant DCL? There is none. The whole thing of needing PR is a cop out. If it were me, and the Magic is in Miami, Id send her south for 7 days, and mix in an 8 or 10 every so often. Someplace other then the normal east wests that she and the Fantasy were doing. The Wonder is or was in Galveston. Send her to the Canal and back. Theres other islands near there like Granada. PC is getting busier every year. They want the number 1 cruise spot bad.( I was shocked when I saw the 25 year plan drawing. Lets just say if they do everything that's on their drawing, you wont recognize the port. Itll almost be a necessity to stay at the port the night before. ) There in 2nd behind Miami. I would not be surprised if they don't throw Disney a bone, to help them get there since the contract is up about the same time the new ships are due. ​