This is the time of year when cruise lines start announcing their cruise plans for next summer. The latest is Disney.
Deployment of Disney’s four ships — the Dream, Fantasy, Magic and Wonder — for summer 2017 sailings to Alaska and European ports, extended Caribbean sailings and Disney’s private island, Castaway Cay, is now public.
The Wonder will again be sailing to Alaska from Vancouver. On top of the usual ports, the ship is making inaugural stops at Icy Strait Point and sailing up to Hubbard Glacier. A new 9-night itinerary will cover it all on July 24, 2017.
The Magic will be making its run in Europe, with inaugural calls at Amsterdam and Portland (England), which will include access to the legendary Stonehenge. May 13, 2017 will mark the start of the ship’s 15-night Transatlantic crossing from Port Canaveral to Copenhagen. Both maiden calls and one of seven wonders of the medieval world will be celebrated on this cruise.
One to consider is a northern European itinerary that goes to Amsterdam, Warnemunde (Berlin), Stockholm, Helsinki, St. Petersburg and Tallinn (Estonia). The ship leaves Copenhagen on June 18 and disembarks in Dover 10 days later. Other European itineraries will showcase the Baltic, Norwegian fjords, Iceland, British Isles and the Mediterranean.
If it’s the Caribbean, Port Canaveral is Disney’s homeport. That’s where the Fantasy will be starting its first voyages longer than a week: 10-and-11-night cruises to the deep southern Caribbean. On June 17, there will be an 11-night sailing to Aruba, Barbados, Martinique, St. Kitts, Tortola and Castaway Cay. That will be followed on June 28 by a 10-night sailing to Aruba, Curacao, St. Kitts, Tortola and Castaway Cay.
Speaking of Castaway Cay, Disney’s exclusive Bahamian island will be frequented even more with double calls on select cruises on the Dream. On the list are 5-night cruises leaving June 2, 11, 16, 25, 30 and July 9; and 4-night cruises departing on June 7, 21 and July 5.
Short cruises and the same port twice…do we really need to see Disney’s island twice? It seems to me Disney is saving a lot of money here and I hope the price is adjusted for missing a non-Disney port.
All for now.
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