Disney Cruise Line News & Press Releases

DISNEY DREAM BEGINS: Newest Disney ship
centerpiece of ceremony in Papenburg, Germany

Disney Cruise Line Guests Have More Flexibility
When Booking at the Walt Disney World Resort

Disney Cruise Line Summer Specials

Disney Channel Stars Ahoy! Kodak and Disney Cruise Line
Bring Exclusive Fan Experience to the High Seas

Disney Announces Names for New Cruise Ships: Disney Dream and Disney Fantasy

Disney Cruise Line Begins New Construction

Kids Sail for 50% Off on Disney Cruises this Spring

Disney Cruise Line Ranked As No. 1 Cruise Experience

Dateline Disney Cruise Line – December 2008

Disney Magic to Europe

Disney Wonder 2010 – Special 5 Night Cruises!

Disney Cruise Line Premieres First-Ever 3-D Cinematic Film Experience at Sea

Disney Magic Heads Into Dry Dock September 2008

It’s a “Suite Life” on the Disney Wonder with Disney Channel World-Premiere Event

Brand New Musical Aboard Disney Cruise Line Brings
Disney•Pixar’s “Toy Story” to the Stage for the First Time


Disney Cruise Line Announces 2010 Itineraries

Disney Cruise Line announced today (October 6, 2008) that the Disney Magic ship will return to the Mediterranean in 2010. This time, there will be several familiar as well as unique itineraries:

Two 14 Night Transatlantic Cruises

April 10 Departing Port Canaveral with stops in Castaway Cay, Funchal Portugal, Cadiz Spain, Gilbraltar United Kingdom and Barcelona Spain.

September 18 Departing Barcelona Spain with stops in Gilbraltar United Kingdom, Funchal Portugal, St. Maarten, Tortola and Castaway Cay and Port Canaveral.

10 and 11 night Mediterrean Cruises

11 Nights: 4/24, 5/15, 8/7, 8/28 Departing Barcelona Spain and stopping at Valletta Malta, Tunis Tunisia, Naples Italy, Civitavecchia (Rome) Italy, La Spezia (Florence/Pisa) Italy, Ajaccio Corsica, Villefranche France and Barcelona Spain.

10 Nights: 5/5, 5/26, 8/18, 9/8 Departing Barcelona Spain with same ports as the 11 night cruise, one less day at sea.

Links same as 11 night cruises above

7 and 8 Night Repositioning Cruises in Europe

7 Night: 6/5: Departing Barcelona Spain with stops in Gibraltar United Kingdom, Cadiz Spain, Lisbon Portugal and Dover England

8 Night: 7/30: Departing Dover England with stops in Cherbourg France, Vigo Spain, Lisbon Portugal, Cadiz Spain, Gibraltar United Kingdom and Barcelona

12 Night Northern Europe Cruises:

6/12 & 7/6: Departing Dover England, with stops in Oslo Norway, Copenhagen Denmark, Warnemunde (Berlin) Germany, St. Petersburg Russia (2 days), Helsinki Finland, Stockholm Sweden, Dover England.

12 Night Northern Europe Cruises:

6/24 & 7/18: Departing Dover England, with stops in Oslo Norway, Copenhagen Denmark, Warnemunde (Berlin) Germany, St. Petersburg Russia (2 days), Estonia, Stockholm Sweden, Dover England.

Official Disney Cruise Line Press Release

Deb's 2007 Mediterranean Trip Blog

For More Information contact Disney Cruise Line or the AllEars recommended Travel Agency, MouseFanTravel.com

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Disney Wonder 2010 Special 5 Night Cruises

Disney Cruise Line has also announced special cruises for the
Disney Wonder during the summer of 1010; 4 and 5 night sailings!

Special Sailings:

5 Night Cruises with 2 stops at Castaway Cay: May 30, June 13, June 27, July 11, July 25 & August 8

5 Night Cruises to Key West, Nassau and Castaway Cay: June 8, June 22, July 6, July 20, August 3 & August 17

4 Night Cruises to Nassau and Castaway Cay: May 2, 9, 16, 23; June 4, 18; July 2, 16, 30; August 13, 22, 29

For More Information contact Disney Cruise Line or the AllEars recommended Travel Agency, MouseFanTravel.com


Disney Cruise Line Recognized by Condé Nast Traveler as a Finalist in the Magazine’s 2008 World Savers Awards

CELEBRATION, Fla., (Aug 21, 2008) – Condé Nast Traveler magazine recently honored Disney Cruise Line as a finalist in four categories of the 2008 World Savers Awards recognizing Disney’s commitment to community outreach and environmental conservation.

The awards honor travel companies around the world in areas of leadership and social responsibility and focus on five key categories: Poverty Alleviation, Cultural and/or Environmental Preservation, Education, Wildlife and Health.

Disney Cruise Line was named as a runner-up in the Wildlife category for their involvement with the Disney Worldwide Conservation Fund (DWCF) which has distributed over $11 million to fund conservation programs and engage communities in protecting wildlife in more than 110 countries. Disney was also recognized for a long-term research project in the Bahamas, where researchers are transplanting long-spined sea urchins to control algae and encourage coral reef health and sustainability.

Honorable mentions were also received by Disney Cruise Line in the Cultural and/or Environmental Preservation, Poverty Alleviation, and Education categories, sighting the company’s commitment to community outreach in their ports of call. In 2007, Disney Cruise Line cast and crew members conducted over 65 volunteer projects in 19 port communities. This amounted to more than 6,000 hours of community service and support to local organizations working to make a difference in the lives of children and the environment. Additionally, an ongoing education program has engaged school children in the Cayman Islands to take an active part in preserving their local environments.

"It is an honor to be recognized as a leader in these areas," said Disney Cruise Line President Tom McAlpin. "This award is significant for us because it not only recognizes our company's dedication to being a responsible business partner, but it also celebrates the individual efforts our cast and crew members have taken part in to positively impact the communities of the ports we visit.

The World Savers Awards were determined by 17 judges who reviewed 142 applications and selected 38 finalists to honor as the best in exercising social responsibility.

"These finalists are prime examples of how the world's hotels, airlines, cruise lines and tour operators can inspire their peers to improve our world," said Condé Nast Traveler Deputy Editor for Special Projects Dorinda Elliott.

This year is the first year that cruise lines were included in the competition. The September issue of Condé Nast Traveler magazine, now on newsstands, features the awards as its cover story.


Disney Cruise Line to Extend Agreement with Port Canaveral

PORT CANAVERAL, Fla., (March 19, 2008) – Disney Cruise Line announced it has finalized an agreement with Port Canaveral to extend the company’s current contract 15 years through 2022. In addition, as part of its continuing commitment to the Central Florida area, the company will home port its two new ships in Port Canaveral. The new agreement between Disney Cruise Line and Port Canaveral was ratified today by Port Authority Commissioners.

As part of the new agreement, the Canaveral Port Authority will expand and modify the Disney Cruise Line port facility including an extension of the dock and enlargements and enhancements to the terminal building to allow for additional luggage and passenger capacity. A multi-level parking structure, scheduled to be completed by 2011, will also be built for Disney Cruise Line.

“We are very excited to call Port Canaveral our home and look forward to bringing our new ships here,” said Tom McAlpin, President of Disney Cruise Line. “The new enhancements being made to our terminal will provide guests an even more seamless transition from land to sea.”

Once completed, the enhancements to the already unique Disney terminal will provide for improved passenger flow and additional guest conveniences that together will contribute to the overall boarding experience. Disney Cruise Line will work with Port Canaveral to create a state of the art facility, which will contain several Disney touches that are certain to delight guests.

The terminal and dock enlargements are necessary to accommodate the new and larger Disney Cruise Line ships. Scheduled to launch in 2011 and 2012, they will be significantly larger than the existing Disney Magic and Disney Wonder.

Port Canaveral Chief Executive Officer Stan Payne said, “Disney Cruise Line has been extremely successful in drawing a strong family market to Port Canaveral since its launch 10 years ago. We’re thrilled that Disney has committed to stay here long-term and are looking forward to the two new ships home porting here.”

Port Canaveral continues to be one of the world’s busiest cruise ports. More than 3.5 million Disney Cruise Line guests have sailed from Port Canaveral since the line’s beginning in 1998, adding to the economic and tourism growth of Brevard County. Future itinerary information for Disney Cruise Line ships beyond 2009 will be released at a later date.


Brand New Musical Aboard Disney Cruise Line Brings
Disney•Pixar’s “Toy Story” to the Stage for the First Time

Copyright Disney Enterprises, Inc

CELEBRATION, Fla. — Disney Cruise Line will transform one of the most beloved animated features of all time into a stage spectacular aboard the Disney Wonder cruise ship when "Toy Story-The Musical" makes its debut at the Walt Disney Theatre this spring. This is the first time the popular Disney•Pixar classic has been adapted for the stage.

Preserving the humor and heart of the original "Toy Story" film from Pixar Animation Studios, "Toy Story-The Musical" explores the true meaning of friendship as Buzz Lightyear and Woody transform from jealous adversaries to best friends with an unbreakable bond. The show's elaborate costumes capture the vibrant colors and playfulness of the animated characters. Guests of all ages will delight in an original collection of show tunes that retell the story in a fun and energizing way.

"World-class Disney entertainment is an important hallmark of Disney Cruise Line that sets us apart from the rest of the cruise industry and one of the reasons guests sail with us again and again," said Disney Cruise Line President Tom McAlpin. " 'Toy Story-The Musical' represents the next generation of staged entertainment for Disney Cruise Line and a great enhancement to our incredible array of entertainment aboard the Disney Wonder."

Following the storyline of the original Disney•Pixar film, "Toy Story-The Musical" will give guests a toy's eye-view of life in Andy's room. The musical opens with an introduction to Woody, a pull-string talking cowboy who has long been six-year-old Andy's favorite toy.

But Andy's birthday brings a new arrival — Buzz Lightyear, the coolest action figure in the universe. Woody's jealousy gets the better of him and he schemes to get rid of his new rival, but things go dreadfully awry. Woody and Buzz find themselves outside of Andy's room and in a hostile world. Working together and overcoming their differences, they find their way back to Andy — along the way developing an appreciation of one another and creating a friendship.

"The 'Toy Story' film offered us a rich story and some incredible visual elements to build upon," noted Jim Urry, vice president of Entertainment for Disney Cruise Line. "The team we assembled created costumes, set designs and a whole new musical score to literally transport our guests into the middle of the whimsical world of Buzz and Woody."

Taking audiences into that world was no small task. Larger-than-life props help transform the 977-seat Walt Disney Theatre into a toy-sized world of fun and adventure. A rear projection screen aids the transformation between human-sized and toy-sized scenes and takes the show from the comfort of Andy's room … to the frenzied world of Pizza Planet … to the frightening room of Andy's neighbor, Sid.

Using Randy Newman's Oscar nominated hit song "You've Got a Friend in Me" as a departure point, this production has a new eight-song score that brings the story to life. New York-based Valerie Vigoda and Brendan Milburn from the band GrooveLily blended together pop, rock and folk music to create a contemporary score that truly captures the heartfelt whimsy of the animated tale.

The costumes for "Toy Story-The Musical" are some of the most complex ever developed for a Disney Cruise Line production. Costume designer Ann Closs-Farley created an extraordinary vision for what the characters would look like on stage. With a combination of articulated puppets and inflatable costumes, the "Toy Story" characters come to life — including a nearly 9-foot-tall version of Rex the dinosaur and a 4-foot-round Hamm the piggybank.

In all, "Toy Story-The Musical" represents one of the largest productions ever developed for a cruise ship. This is just the second time a Pixar animated feature has been adapted for the stage by Disney Creative Entertainment. In early 2007, "Finding Nemo-The Musical" debuted at Disney's Animal Kingdom at Walt Disney World Resort and has been a tremendous success.

"When we first thought of bringing 'Toy Story' to the stage, there was a great deal of excitement about the project," said Anne Hamburger, Disney Creative Entertainment executive vice president. "Everyone on our team could immediately see how the heart and comedy of these characters could come alive in a memorable way that is unique to musical theatre."

"Toy Story-The Musical" compliments an already stellar lineup of entertainment performed every voyage on the Disney Wonder, joining stage shows "The Golden Mickeys" and the award-winning "Disney Dreams."

A leader in the family cruise segment, Disney Cruise Line offers three-, four- and seven-night itineraries to the Bahamas and the Caribbean. Land/sea vacation packages that include a stay at Walt Disney World Resort are also available.