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Disney Cruise Line Announces New Intineraries and Ports for 2014

Disney Fantasy at Sea

I know that most families, our included, are barely thinking two weeks ahead most of the time, but if you’ve ever wanted to take a Disney Cruise 2014 is shaping up to be an amazing year for the Disney Cruise Line. The division is realigning its ships so that all four will be departing from Florida at the same time in early 2014.

In the early part of 2014, the Disney Magic will return to Port Canaveral, Fla., joining the Disney Dream and Disney Fantasy, while the Disney Wonder will homeport in Miami. During this time, guests will have more opportunities than ever to enjoy a Disney cruise that visits Disney’s private island in the Bahamas reserved exclusively for Disney Cruise Line guests, Castaway Cay.

This will mean busy days for the white sand beaches and azure waters of Castaway Cay. Guests will also be tempted to combine a visit to Walt Disney World Resort and experience the expanded Fantasyland at Magic Kingdom. At least that’s the plan.

2014 Itinerary Details below the jump:

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castaway cay christmas with Mickey!

Disney Cruise Line Christmas Decor and Characters Showcased

castaway cay christmas with Mickey!

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:

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Disney Cruise Line – Pumpkin Cheesecake Recipe

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 Wonder

Disney Cruise Line to Visit Jamaica for First Time

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

Hurricane Sandy Creates Some Scary Moments Aboard The Disney Fantasy

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:

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Disney Cruise Line is Tops for Families for Fourth Year in a Row

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

Disney Cruise Line Sets Halloween Entertainment for Late October

It’s going to bee a not-so-scary time aboard the Disney Cruise Line this Halloween. The four ships will treat guests sailing during late October to a spook-tacular good time with special activities and holiday themed events. Guests of all ages will enjoy the special decorations,… Read More »Disney Cruise Line Sets Halloween Entertainment for Late October

Disney Fantasy – Executive Panel Discussion

The Disney Fantasy is now sailing regularly from Port Canaveral making thousands of guests happy on every 7 day cruise. I was fortunate enough to be invited to one of the preview cruises. There were plenty of great opportunities to explore the ship and hear… Read More »Disney Fantasy – Executive Panel Discussion