Disney doing Bermuda cruises next year

Posted on 14 May, 2017 by Spacejunkie2

Disney Cruise Line fans will have two new ports to try in 2018, when the line has itineraries scheduled to call in Bermuda and Quebec City.

The Disney Magic will sail from New York in the fall of 2018 on five-day sailings that include two full days in Bermuda and six-day sailings that include three days in Bermuda.

Seven-day itineraries will depart both New York and Quebec City, with visits scheduled at Saguenay and Baie-Comeau.

From New York, the Disney Magic will also make seven-day round trips to Castaway Cay, Disney’s private island in the Bahamas, and Port Canaveral, where a one-day Walt Disney World Park Hopper ticket plus complimentary round-trip transportation between the ship and the theme parks is included.

Disney Wonder first cruise ship to use new Panama Canal locks

Posted on 2 May, 2017 by Spacejunkie2

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.

Carnival switching the Liberty and Valor

Posted on 14 November, 2016 by Spacejunkie2

Carnival Liberty

The Carnival Liberty’s propulsion problems persist, so Carnival Cruise Line said it will continue to operate modified cruises from Galveston, Texas, through the month of November to account for the ship’s inability to reach maximum speed.

The five-day cruise departing Nov. 26 will be the Liberty’s last from Galveston, as the ship will enter a previously scheduled drydock after that sailing and then be redeployed to Port Canaveral, Fla., to operate short Bahamas cruises starting Dec. 15. The Carnival Valor, meanwhile, will reposition to Galveston from Port Canaveral.

“This change is being made since Carnival Valor is better suited to operate at the higher speeds required for the four- and five-day Mexico itineraries from Galveston while Carnival Liberty is well equipped to handle shorter duration cruises from Central Florida,” Carnival said in a statement.

Carnival said its technical team, with the help of outside contractors, “continue to work to fully resolve” the Liberty’s propulsion problem.

Carnival canceled two Liberty cruises, the Oct. 31 and Nov. 5 departures, because of the technical issue, and it has modified the Nov. 10, 14, 19 and 26 departures.

For the four- and five-day cruises, Carnival is canceling calls at Progreso, Mexico. During the seven-day cruise departing Nov. 19, calls in Grand Cayman and Falmouth, Jamaica, have been scrubbed. All of the modified cruises’ departure and return times have been adjusted.

Guests sailing on these voyages will receive a $50-per-person credit to their shipboard accounts and a 25% discount on a future Carnival cruise. Guests also have the option of canceling and receiving a full refund.

To allow sufficient time for the Valor to reposition to Galveston, the ship’s four-day cruise departing Port Canaveral on Dec. 11 will be shortened to three days. Guests sailing on this voyage will receive a one-day, prorated refund of their cruise fare and a $25 per-person credit to their shipboard account. Guests also have the option of canceling and receiving a full refund.

Carnival will automatically transfer reservations for guests on the Liberty to the Valor and vice versa. Carnival noted that the Valor and Liberty are sister ships with similar accommodations and public venues, including Guy’s Burger Joint, the BlueIguana Cantina, the RedFrog Rum Bar and the BlueIguana Tequila Bar.