All Disney ships to sail from Florida in early 2015

Posted on 13 November, 2013 by Spacejunkie2

All Disney ships to sail from Florida in early 2015

By Jerry Limone

All four of Disney Cruise Line’s ships will sail from Florida ports in the first four months of 2015, three from Port Canaveral and one from Miami.

Bookings for these 2015 winter cruises open to the public on Nov. 14.

The Disney Dream will sail three- and four-day Bahamas cruises, and the Disney Magic will sail seven-day eastern and western Caribbean cruises. Both ships will be based in Port Canaveral. The Disney Fantasy will sail seven-day eastern Caribbean cruises from Port Canaveral.

The Disney Wonder will sail from Miami on four-day Bahamas and five-day western Caribbean cruises.

Ships will call at Disney’s private island, Castaway Cay, on all cruises.

Port Canaveral approves new cruise terminal

Posted on 8 November, 2013 by Spacejunkie2

Port Canaveral approves new cruise terminal

By Tom Stieghorst

Port Canaveral will gain another cruise terminal under a plan approved by port commissioners.

The 185,000-square-foot terminal, along with a 1,000-square-foot parking garage, will be the first on the south side of the port channel in the Cove restaurant and retail area.

That’s the same side of the port where a striking new Exploration Tower is set to open this month. The combination of the tower, restaurants and retail will for the first time give passengers pre- and post-cruise activities within walking distance of the ships, said Port Canaveral CEO John Walsh.

The terminal is expected to cost $80-$85 million and be ready for use by November 2014. It will be able to handle the largest ships in the industry, Walsh said.

Construction is expected to start in January, with tenants to be announced shortly.

Currently, Carnival Cruise Lines, Disney Cruise Line and Royal Caribbean International are prime users of the central Florida port.

To accommodate the new terminal, Port Canaveral will relocate its recreational boat ramps to a new, larger complex at the channel’s entrance west of Jetty Park.

Disney adds lifeguards to its cruises

Posted on 4 November, 2013 by Spacejunkie2

Disney adds lifeguards to its cruises

Disney Cruise Line has reportedly become the first major cruise line to install lifeguards on all of its ships.

Although no official announcement has been made, passengers on board the Disney Dream and Disney Magic have seen lifeguards stationed by family pools since late September, according to Cruise Critic.

Disney Fantasy and Disney Wonder are expected to follow suit with the new policy within the next couple of weeks.

Lifeguards will be on duty at all times the pools are open, which is generally all hours of the day, apart from night-time and if there’s bad weather. Disney stated that it regularly looks at its policies on these and all issues and is always willing to make changes where necessary.

Currently, most cruise lines do not provide life guards for their pools. However, the issue has been cast into the media spotlight in the last few weeks following the drowning of a young boy onboard a ship operated by Carnival.

The tragic event occurred onboard the Carnival Victory while it was at sea and en-route to Port Miami in the US. At the time, Carnival told the Associated Press: “To the best of our knowledge it is the first time a child has drowned aboard one of our ship.

“Carnival extends its heartfelt sympathy to the family during this very difficult time. The company’s CareTeam is providing assistance and support.”

Although such cases are rare, it did prompt many to suggest that cruise lines and hotels have an obligation to ensure that youngsters in their pools are safe. On the other hand, some remain adamant that the responsibility for watching children while they are on a cruise ship remains with parents.

According to Carol Finkelhoffe, chair of the Cruise Line & Passenger Ship Committee in the US, all cruise lines should be providing lifeguards for family pools. She said earlier this month: “Someone should be watching the pool. It’s foreseeable that these types of accidents can happen … and they should do something to prevent them.”