Tag Archives: mexico

Disney Wonder first cruise ship to use new Panama Canal locks

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Disney Wonder transiting the New Panama Canal Locks

Disney Cruise Line said its 2,713-passenger Disney Wonder became the first cruise ship to transit the new locks of the Panama Canal.

The Wonder was expanded in length in a drydock in late 2016 to 984 feet. The original locks in the canal can accommodate ships no longer than 950 feet. The new locks, completed in 2016, are built parallel to the original ones and can take ships up to 1,201 feet long.

The Disney Wonder’s Panama Canal crossing is part of a 14-night voyage from Port Canaveral to San Diego, where the ship will sail cruises to Baja, Mexico, before a summer season from Vancouver to Alaska.

Acapulco drawing more cruise ships

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Photo Credit Dave Jones, Acapulco Cliff Diver.

Acapulco said the number of cruise calls scheduled for 2017 is up 64% from last year.

The destination said it has 28 calls on tap for the year, up from 18 last year.

The port authority said the calls are coming from a variety of lines, including Norwegian, Regent Seven Seas, Silversea, Oceania, Crystal, Global Cruises, Saga and Hapag-Lloyd.

Holland America Line recently canceled eight visits to Acapulco this year because of security-related concerns. The port said it had arranged a meeting with HAL executives to “present them with ongoing security advances at the port.”

“Similarly, a meeting is scheduled with the Operations Committee of the Florida Caribbean Cruise Association (FCCA) to deliver a firsthand report on the operation of cruise ships at the destination,” the statement said.

Carnival Fantasy to sail Mexico cruises from Alabama

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Carnival Fantasy to sail Mexico cruises from Alabama

Carnival Cruise Line will move the Carnival Fantasy to Mobile, Ala., for a year-long series of four- and five-night cruises to Mexico, starting November 2016.

The move cements Carnival’s return to Mobile, a drive-market port that it pioneered and then abandoned in 2011.

The Fantasy will depart Thursdays for Cozumel on four-night itineraries, and depart Mondays or Saturdays on five-night itineraries that will visit either Progreso or Costa Maya.

“Carnival Fantasy’s four- and five-day cruises from Mobile provide consumers with an affordable way to visit stunning Mexican ports from a convenient homeport while offering our valued travel agent partners an exciting new short vacation option to market to their clients,” said Christine Duffy, Carnival’s president.

If current itineraries hold, Carnival will have ships based in Galveston, New Orleans, Mobile and Tampa for the 2016-17 winter season.

Before it starts service from Mobile, the Fantasy will be renovated, getting new venues such as Guy’s Burger Joint, Blue Iguana Cantina, Red Frog Rum Bar and Blue Iguana Tequila Bar.