The latest news out of Walt Disney World is that the resort’s flagship hotel, the Disney Wonder, is returning to full operation after a 17-month hiatus. The ship, which only sailed in a reduced capacity due to the technical issues, will resume daily operations and sail from Port Canaveral to the Caribbean starting Tuesday, January 3rd.
On September 20, Disney announced it would be “pausing” its cruise vacations to the U.S. in order to complete a “comprehensive overhaul” of its fleet. The cruise line blamed the decision on rising fuel costs, dry-docking costs, and maintenance costs, but a few months later, Disney announced that the fleet had been completed and was now ready to sail.
The Disney Dream has run into some hard times lately, and now it’s standing down for a while to fix some emergency issues. Disney says the ship will return to the U.S. after being out of service since May 2017, and the company says the repair work is part of a regular inspection and maintenance schedule. Disney’s Cruise Line says the ship will return to Alaska service in early 2018 and then resume regular cruises between Alaska and Hawaii in the summer.. Read more about royal caribbean and let us know what you think.
On August 9, just after 8 p.m., the Disney Dream set sail from Port Canaveral on her first voyage since the epidemic. The vessel’s sole port of call during the four-day trip will be Castaway Cay. Before returning to her homeport of Port Canaveral, the ship will remain here for two full days.
Vaccinated and unvaccinated passengers are welcome aboard the Disney Dream, enabling the ship to sail with the usual contingent of families with children. The Disney Dream is the first DCL ship to obtain the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s conditional sailing certificate.
The First Disney Dream Cruise Since March 2024
The departure of the Disney Dream on Monday was the first time the ship has sailed with paying passengers since the halt in operations began in March 2024. The Disney Dream will re-enter service on an itinerary that includes two full days in Castaway Cay.
Also read: Everything You Need to Know About Disney’s Castaway Cay in the Bahamas
Although a stop in Nassau, Bahamas was originally planned, the cruise company suddenly cancelled it without providing any formal explanation. Most likely, the cruise company wants to reduce the danger of infection aboard from passengers who have been offshore while also providing them greater control over the situation onboard.
For the foreseeable future, the ship will alternate between a 3-day and 4-day schedule sailing to the Bahamas, providing families with children with a fantastic chance to spend a few days on board a Disney cruise.
Because Disney’s primary market is families with small children, and children under the age of twelve are not able to be vaccinated, the company decided to take a route that involved the ship taking a CDC test cruise, which Dream did on July 19, followed by shakedown cruises with crew members and invited guests.
There have been some adjustments on board as a result of Disney’s need to comply with the CDC’s tougher requirements for cruise lines sailing with unvaccinated passengers. So, what’s new this year aboard compared to previous year?
Darryl Brooks / Shutterstock.com / Darryl Brooks / Shutterstock.com / Darryl Brooks / Shutterstock
What It’s Like to Cruise on a Disney Ship
Despite the fact that the 129,690 gross ton Disney Dream has capacity for 2500 people at double occupancy, the ship is now operating with much fewer passengers to comply with CDC rules. When passengers board a Disney cruise ship, the first thing they’ll notice is that the embarkation procedure has been strictly controlled. Guests must arrive at a specified time at the terminal, where they will be divided into vaccinated and unvaccinated groups.
Guests who have been vaccinated may bypass the normal security checks and go aboard. Unvaccinated passengers must self-administer a COVID test, wait for the results, and then continue aboard if the result is negative.
In addition, the required lifeboat drill has altered. Guests may now go to their assigned lifeboat stations and have their cards checked, and that’s it—no more crowds swarming the ship.
Other modifications include dedicated gym times for vaccinated passengers, no self-service aboard (including self-service drink fountains, buffets, and ice cream), and social distancing throughout the ship, including the pool deck.
What happened to the rest of the Disney crew?
Disney is gradually resuming service on its fleet, one ship at a time. The Disney Magic began sailing from Liverpool this month, offering 3-night cruises.
The Disney Fantasy will sail a 3-night Bahamas cruise on August 26 to Nassau and Castaway Cay, and a 4-night Western Caribbean cruise from Port Canaveral to Cozumel on August 29. She will begin revenue operations on September 4 from Port Canaveral on an itinerary to Tortola, St. Thomas, and Disney’s Castaway Cay. There has been no word from Disney on whether or not the calls in St. Thomas would go through as planned.
On September 24, Disney operations will begin on the west coast of the United States, with the Disney Wonder sailing from San Diego on 2-night excursions to Ensenada. Last but not least, Disney’s newest cruise ship, the Disney Wish, which will be the biggest in the fleet, will set sail from Port Canaveral on June 17 of next year.
Disney has announced that it will restart its cruise ship operations in the U.S. after a 17-month hiatus. The Disneyland Dream will be sailing out of Galveston, Texas on June 23rd, followed by the Disney Magic on June 26th. The Disney Wonder will be sailing out of Port Canaveral, Florida on June 29th. The Disney Dream and Disney Magic are sister ships that have been sailing since 1997. The Disney Wonder was added to the fleet in 2008 to provide a third vessel for cruises from Port Canaveral.. Read more about disney cruise 2024 and let us know what you think.
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