Tag Archives: disney fantasy

Disney Gets Approval for ‘Test Cruise’ with Volunteers

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Disney Cruise Line will conduct a test and simulation cruise for the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) with volunteer guests aboard the 2010-built Disney Dream out of Port Canaveral for a two-night cruise.

Disney follows Royal Caribbean International as the second cruise line to get CDC approval for the test cruise option, which will lead to letting a ship operating with non-vaccinated passengers under health and safety protocols. 

For cruise lines opting to require 98 per cent of guests and 95 per cent of the crew to be vaccinated for COVID-19, there is no test cruise requirement and fewer regulations. However, some brands appear to be set to have some ships go through CDC certification to have more non-vaccinated guests to target family travel.

In a letter sent out Thomas Mazloum, President of Disney Signature Experiences announced the news in a letter.

“We now have the green light to conduct our two-night simulation cruise aboard the Disney Dream from June 29 to July 1, sailing from Port Canaveral. The ship will sail with volunteer passengers and test our newly developed health and safety protocols, which have been meticulously tailored to the current public health environment. All of these protocols are essential to cruising responsibly, and Disney Cruise Line couldn’t be more committed to making vacation dreams come true as it prioritizes the wellbeing of all who step aboard our ships,” Mazloum wrote.

“Today, as we move closer to restarting our U.S. cruises, I want to spotlight the tremendous resilience and positivity of the team. Your collaboration and continued enthusiasm throughout the pandemic have been nothing short of amazing, as we’ve researched, drafted, revised and refined our comprehensive roadmap for cruising again. It has been no small feat – and I’m extremely proud of everyone.”

Disney Delays Launch Dates of 2 Ships by 2 Years

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Disney Wish postponed.

Disney Cruise Line will be postponing the launch of its sixth and seventh ships from 2022 and 2023 to 2024 and 2025, respectively.

This was announced by CEO Bob Chapek during the question and answer part of the Nov. 12 financial results conference call.

Chapek blamed the delay on having to go through and adapt to “quite thorough” latest CDC guidelines.

“They really entail some really high hurdles in terms of not only testing by the potential guests that we host on the ships but also a process that has to happen in order to certify our first sailings,” he said. “Those will necessarily result in delays beyond what we had hoped in terms of getting our ships back in service and making magic for our guests.”

Chapek also reminded that the launch of the Disney Wish, the cruise line’s fifth ship, was postponed from the end of 2021 to summer 2022.

Pandemic-related issues at the Meyer Werft shipyard in Germany were cited as the reason for the six-month delay back in mid-October when it was first announced.

Chapek added that the cruise line sees a “very, very strong demand” for its new cruise ships.

“We hope and expect that the world will back to normal by then, and anticipate having a fine time trying to fill up the demand of those ships. And we think there’s going to be so much pent-up demand that we don’t expect to have many issues given the love that our guests have for Disney Cruise Lines,” Chapek said.

New Disney Wish Set to Debut in Summer 2022

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Disneys Tangled Rapunzel painting the stern of the New Disney Wish cruise ship.

Disney Cruise Line has announced the Disney Wish will debut later than expected, citing the COVID-19 pandemic and confirming the ship will enter service in summer 2022.

“Originally planned to sail in early 2022, the Disney Wish is now scheduled for its maiden voyage in summer 2022 due to pandemic-related delays at the Meyer-Werft shipyard in Germany,” the company announced.

“As previously announced, the Disney Wish will be powered by liquified natural gas or LNG, one of the cleanest-burning fuels available. At approximately 144,000 gross tons and 1,250 guest staterooms, the ship will be slightly larger than the Disney Dream and Disney Fantasy.”