Love the speed boat Mickey! Looks like the Miami lifestyle suits you fine. Captain Mickey Mouse officially kicked-off the countdown for the arrival of the Disney Wonder to Port Miami with a Disney-style unveiling of a larger than life banner proclaiming “See You Real Soon.”… Read More »Disney Cruise Line Prepares for Inaugural Season from Miami
I’ve never been aboard a Disney cruise ship at Christmas, but I hear it’s a special time. Beyond the decorations and specially costumed walk-around characters, there are special meals and holiday entertainment to enjoy. Here’s a fresh video with highlights from across the Disney Cruise Line fleet revealing how the Christmas holiday is celebrated. There are also a few wonderful shots of decorations at Castaway Cay and the Cape Canaveral terminal too.
As it’s the first Christmas Season for the Disney Fantasy, it’s the very first time decorations have been erected on the ship. Disney recently shared a video showing the installation of the big 20ft tall atrium lobby tree in Time-Lapse video. Which you can see below the jump:
Read More »Disney Cruise Line Christmas Decor and Characters Showcased
Guests lucky enough to experience a Disney Cruise Line vacation around Thanksgiving have the option of enjoying a very special dessert: pumpkin cheesecake. If you want to get a taste of what it’s like to eat on a Disney ship for Thanksgiving, or if you… Read More »Disney Cruise Line – Pumpkin Cheesecake Recipe
Disney Cruise Line has announced new itineraries that include stops in Jamaica for the first time in late 2013. The new seven-night Western Caribbean sailings will embark on the Disney Wonder and call on Falmouth, Jamaica, as well as Grand Cayman and Cozumel, Mexico and… Read More »Disney Cruise Line to Visit Jamaica for First Time
By all accounts the first 5 days of the most recent 7 day cruise on the Disney Fantasy were fantastic. Sure they had to skip Castaway Cay due to hurricane Sandy, but sometime you have to roll with the punches when you travel during Hurricane season. Well, the last night of the cruise the Fantasy did a lot of rolling. The ship and is passengers encountered 12 hours of 40-50 foot swells and 80 MPH winds as it sailed back to Port Canaveral overnight. It sounds like Captain Tom Forberg was at the helm, which means the ship was in capable hands, but still a frightening experience for any guest to endure.
The question being debated online is whether Disney intentionally sailed into rough weather hoping to keep to a tight turnover schedule for the ship or if they found the storm stronger than expected. The ship was within 200 miles of the storm, well within the tropical storm strength winds of the 1000 mile wide Hurricane Sandy. I tend to believe Disney Cruise Line thought the storm would weaken as it moved north, but instead it strengthened and slowed down capturing the Disney Fantasy in its impact zone. In the end, not an ideal scenario for Disney Cruise Line. They probably could have erred more on the side of caution, but it sounds like the close encounter with a hurricane wasn’t intentional.
A few videos have surfaced and things look like they got pretty severe. There were many reports of damage on the ship from broken doors to smashed furniture. Remy and Palo apparently were a mess with many dishes and glasses lost in the rough seas. Additionally, some rooms experienced slight flooding as pools overflowed and flooded those decks. Luckily there were no reports of injuries.
This iReport from CNN has some of the most dramatic footage.
More videos from onboard the Disney Fantasy below the jump:
Read More »Hurricane Sandy Creates Some Scary Moments Aboard The Disney Fantasy
Today is a big day in the history of the Disney Cruise Line, the Disney Magic arrived in Galveston, Texas to kick off the Disney Cruise Line’s inaugural season sailing from the Port of Galveston. In 2012 and 2013, Disney Cruise Line will sail from Galveston on a variety of itineraries to the Caribbean and Bahamas, with some cruises taking guests to the Walt Disney World Resort and Disney’s private island, Castaway Cay.
“We are excited to add even more variety to our offering of itineraries from the Port of Galveston,” Disney Cruise Line President Karl Holz said in a statement. “The addition of shorter getaway cruises and voyages that call on our most popular port of call, Disney’s Castaway Cay, rounds out an impressive array of itinerary options from Galveston.”
To salute the arrival of the Disney Magic to the Lone Star State, members of the Ghostriders equestrian drill team from Houston, galloped nearby as the ship sailed into port.
Read More »Disney Magic Reaches Galveston, Texas for Inaugural Season
Congratulations to the team at Disney Cruise Line who have been named the number one for families for the fourth year in a row. Travel + Leisure magazine named DCL as No. 1 in the Large-Ship Cruise Lines for Families category in the Travel +… Read More »Disney Cruise Line is Tops for Families for Fourth Year in a Row
I include the Frost family among the many families who make a pilgrimage to Disneyland or Disney World around the holidays as part of a family tradition. But I also know a fair number of families and friends who make an effort to take on of the Disney Cruise Line’s special holiday themed voyages as well. With the list of entertainment released this week, I can’t say I blame them.
Disney Cruise Line kicks off the holiday cheer with special Thanksgiving voyages setting sail Nov. 17 with a seven-night Western Caribbean cruise on the Disney Magic, Nov. 18 with a seven-night Mexican Riviera cruise on the Disney Wonder, Nov. 21 with a four-night Bahamian cruise on the Disney Dream and Nov. 17 with a seven-night Eastern Caribbean cruise on the Disney Fantasy. Guests will enjoy a bountiful Thanksgiving Day feast, with Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse and friends dressed in traditional Thanksgiving attire.
Special stem-to-stern holiday events begin in December during each of the cruises and include:
When the Disney Fantasy, Disney Dream and Disney Wonder stop at Disney’s private island in the Bahamas, Castaway Cay, during the holidays, the celebration continues with “snow flurries,” decked-out Christmas trees, Disney character meet-and-greets, holiday carolers, and holiday-themed activities and crafts for children.
Onboard activities include holiday crafts for youngsters and the big NFL football games broadcast live on the ships’ outdoor, jumbo LED screen – Funnel Vision – located near the Goofy’s family pool on deck 9 of the Disney Magic and Disney Wonder and near Donald’s family pool on deck 11 of the Disney Dream and Disney Fantasy.
Read More »Disney Cruise Line Promises A Christmas To Remember