Disney Cruise Line's New Ports and Itineraries in 2012

Would Disney Cruise Line unveil design details about their fourth ship, currently under construction, the Disney Fantasy? Nope. What character's statue would grace the new ships lobby, and which character(s) would dangle from the ship's stern? Nope. Was the leaked press release a ruse? Uh uh. Would they announce plans to add some of the Disney Dream's great new features to their older ships? Not a word. But Captain Mickey was on hand, cruise line president Karl Holz presented a concise overview of cruise line current events and the new itineraries, representatives from the City of New York expressed their happiness and appreciation for the economic benefits derived from the cruise line's first visit to New York, and everyone posed for pictures.

Wait... Do you want to read about the business of press and publicity, or do you want to know about those cruises? And why all the fuss in the first place? The full 2012 schedules for the recently-christened Disney Dream and her sister ship, the Disney Fantasy (which enters service in March 2012) have been public for quite some time, but the schedules for the older ships petered out in April. So the question was, "What will the Disney Magic and Disney Wonder do from April 2012 through the end of the year?"

May we have the envelope, please? (Captain Mickey actually did deliver an envelope to Karl during the press conference!) The Disney Cruise Line will be sailing from three new temporary home ports in 2012: New York City, Galveston,Texas; and Seattle, Washington. The cruise line will also be making first-time visits to Hawaii (Hilo, Maui, Honolulu, and Kauai), San Diego, and the Canadian ports of Halifax, Nova Scotia, and Saint John, New Brunswick.

The number of different itineraries seems staggering for a four-ship cruise line. The  Disney Magic will sail her traditional Eastern and Western Caribbean itineraries from Port Canaveral until the Disney Fantasy takes over those itineraries in late March. The Magic will stay around Port Canaveral a while longer, though, offering a few 7-night itineraries with Friday departures, and some 4- and  5-night Bahamas itineraries. Then, it's up to New York City (will she be greeted by spouting fireboats?), where she will offer eight, 8-night voyages to the Bahamas and Port Canaveral... Wait, didn't the Magic just leave Port Canaveral? Yes, but how else can Disney take cruisers to Walt Disney World for the day (park admission and bus transportation included in the cruise fare)?

But the New York story doesn't end there. While based in New York, the Magic will also offer nine, 5-night cruises up the New England coast to the Canadian Maritime Provinces, and three, 2-night "cruises to nowhere." The Magic will wrap up her New York visit in early September, then head down to Galveston. Texas to finish out her year, offering  a dozen 7-night Western Caribbean sailings (Grand Cayman, Cozumel, and Costa Maya), and one 8-night Holiday Cruise. Disney's many fans in Texas must be mighty happy around now.

Disney is also mixing things up on the West Coast. The Disney Wonder will continue with her 7-night Mexican Riviera cruises for much of the fall, winter, and spring seasons from her permanent home base in Los Angeles. But in April, prior to heading north to Alaska, she'll take that one-time-only 15-night cruise back and forth to Hawaii. Then, it's up the coast to her new Alaskan itinerary base of operations, Seattle, Washington. It seems cruisers have been very unhappy with the high airfares into Vancouver, and have been flying into Seattle anyway before taking bus, train, or rental car north to Vancouver. Why not make life a bit more convenient and economical? To satisfy the United States' arcane shipping rules, Victoria, British Columbia will be added to the familiar 7-night itinerary of Tracy Arm Fjord, Skagway, Juneau, and Ketchikan. After her return to Los Angeles in mid-September, the Wonder begins another new itinerary, a series of four, 7-night cruises visiting San Francisco, San Diego, and Ensenada, Mexico. Are they trying to dodge the end of hurricane season? Then, in mid-October, it's back to the 7-night visits to the Mexican Riviera.

Whew! While I haven't managed to catch it all (there are, naturally, several repositioning cruises, too), isn't this enough? Maybe. Let's not forget the excitement when the Disney Fantasy enters service!