The Passenger Vessel Services Act And How It Affects Cruises
The related law that has a real effect on the cruise industry since the cargo of a cruise ship is you is the Passenger Vessel Services Act of 1886, which is applicable even though it was enacted before the cruise industry existed as we know it.
The law says that if an itinerary begins and ends in a U.S. port, foreign-flagged cruise lines must call on foreign ports of call as well. As a result of these laws, you wont find, for example, itineraries on foreign-flagged ships that sail round-trip from Los Angeles to the Hawaiian Islands or from New York up and down the U.S. East Coast without also stopping in another country . These rules impact sailings to Canada, the Caribbean, Mexico, Panama Canal, Hawaii and Alaska the most.
Cruise lines create PVSA-compliant itineraries, but sometimes the chaos of travel intervenes. If a passenger disembarks early without calling on the foreign port, the line risks getting fined. Cruise travelers who miss the ship are also not allowed to embark in just any port of call. They must board in a place in the itinerary that includes a foreign port as part of the remaining portion of the cruise.
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Heres where it gets tricky: A cruise that begins and ends in the same U.S. port will not violate the PVSA if it stops in any foreign port. However, a cruise that begins and ends in different U.S. ports must stop in a distant foreign port to be in compliance.
- Guest Capacity: 1,950
- Length: 919 Feet
How Much Does A Cruise Ship Cost To Build By Cabin
This chart shows average cost by cruise cabin. That allows us to account for ship size and “normalize” the cost data. When buying an apartment building, you’d mostly like value it based on total number of units. Each apartment will command $X in rent. Similarly, each cruise cabin generates $Y in revenue.
It’s no surprise that the smaller ships rise to the top. These brands are considered “premium lines.” The drastic differences in price are obvious. Seabourn ships have cruise staterooms valued at more than 5x the cost of cabins on Pullmantur!
Why did we use cabins as a proxy for size?
To get the most of this analysis, you’ll want to compare ships with a similar quantity of cabins. Compare SAGA and Fred Olsen ships. The average roughly the same number of cabins per ship. SAGA spends over 2x the amount on a per cabin basis!
The data won’t completely represent the full picture. Celebrity has massive ships carrying over 3k passengers and also the Xploration with a capacity of 16 cruisers! To avoid this issue you’ll want to check out our complete list of ships by cost below.
Are Disney Cruises Sailing In 2021
The Disney Magic will resume delivering magical family vacations in the US with mostly 4- and 5-night itineraries sailing out of Miami, Florida, beginning October 28, 2021. For all sailings, Guests 12 years of age and older must be fully vaccinated at the time of sailing and take a COVID-19 test upon embarkation.
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Review Of Small Cruise Lines
Small ship cruise deals offer expedition-style travel in some of the most pristine regions of the world. Most of these deals are all-inclusive packages that include pre- and post-cruise hotels, all transfers , and often even both international flights to and from the destination country.
Small ship cruise travel is the best way to explore more exotic vacation destinations. You wont find much in the way of theater productions or casinos, but that leaves room for educational pursuits. Small ships commonly organize enrichment seminars on everything from local culture to photography. Sometimes local performers are welcome on board to entertain.
Small ships go into the smaller ports often inaccessible for big-sized vessels. This allows expedition travelers to experience the local people, culture and traditions of the destinations, and not only the tourist areas. This intimate travel experience includes viewing the wildlife up close, getting to know the crew and forming a bond with fellow passengers. Small ships, by definition, are with a way smaller passenger capacity, so youll likely meet the same people over and over on a daily basis.
Still, the biggest advantage of small-ship vacations is flexibility. Booking availability is usually great, so picking your departure date is easier. Not to forget the choice of unique itineraries on which are navigated the worlds most pristine destinations, including narrow fjords, remote islands, even inland waterways.
Departure Ports And Destinations
Both Disney Dream and Disney Fantasy depart year-round from Port Canaveral, Florida, with the former taking guests to the Bahamas and Disney’s private island, Castaway Cay, and the latter also going to the Caribbean. Disney Magic and Disney Wonder use several different ports, including Port Canaveral, Port Miami and Galveston. Disney Magic goes to the Bahamas, the Caribbean and Europe, while Disney Wonder travels to Alaska, the Caribbean and the Bahamas.
References
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Coffee Shops And Snack Shops
Whats interesting about a Disney Cruise is that the snacks and pastries youll see in the coffee shop or kiosk are all included, but the specialty coffee will cost a little extra.
Drink prices are roughly similar to Starbucks, if not a notch lower. Be sure and ask for the Cafe Fanatic card if youre a regular as your sixth drink will be free.
In addition to the included ice cream, your ship may have some shops with ice cream that costs extra. This can get confusing to kids, so I want to warn you a bit ahead of time. On the Dream youll find Vanellopes, which is stuffed with candies, gelato and ice cream all for an extra charge.
Theres a juice bar on the Dream and Fantasy, but know that it also costs extra.
New Vacation Operation Unit
In February 2009, Tom McAlpin left the Disney Cruise Line presidency and was replaced by Karl Holz as president of Disney Cruise Line and New Vacation Operations. In early 2009, Disney and Canaveral Port Authority extended their agreement to 2022 with expansion to the terminal to handle the new class of ships. A re-posting of the Disney Magic to Europe in 2010 adding DCL’s first North European cruises with Mediterranean cruises.
With the arrival of Disney Dream in 2011, Disney Wonder was relocated to Los Angeles. With the arrival of Disney Fantasy in 2012, Disney Magic was relocated to New York City in May 2012 for only the Summer season, before relocating to Galveston, Texas.
In late 2012, Disney Wonder began sailing cruises out of Miami, Florida, respectively. In 2013, the Disney Magic relocated to Barcelona, Spain and the Disney Wonder relocated to Vancouver, British Columbia. for the summer season. In Autumn 2013, the Magic and the Wonder returned to the United States but switched home ports, with the Magic leaving out of Miami and the Wonder leaving out of Galveston. In January 2014, the Wonder took over for the Magic in Miami and the Magic joined the Dream and Fantasy in Port Canaveral, placing all four ships in the state of Florida for the first time. Since then, the Magic and the Wonder have once again switched places.
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What To Expect For Kids
The key reason we chose to sail with the Disney Magic was the addition of to the Oceaneer Club. One of my twins is a HUGE fan of Marvel characters, and, right now, we cannot meet them in any Walt Disney World park. Disneyland is quite a hike for us, so the Disney Magic was going to be our best bet.
What if your kids are not fans of Marvel characters? No worries, there are lots of other great choices for activities in the Oceaneer Club and Oceaneer Lab. Teens and tweens can check out the cool Edge and Vibe areas that have activities and entertainment geared to their age groups. Of course, you may find it difficult to drag your kids away from the amazing pools and splash pads on board too!
Disney Signature Experiences Unit
Soon after a March 2018 conglomerate wide reorganization that formed Disney Parks, Experiences and Products segment division, Disney Cruise Line and New Vacation Operations was renamed Disney Signature Experiences along with a new president, Jeff Vahle.
Disney Cruise Line purchased in early March 2019 another Bahamas destination, Lighthouse Point property on the island of Eleuthera from the Bahamas Government. The cruise line was looking for another Bahamas location since the announcement of the third ship expansion in 2016.
In February 2020, Disney Wonder moved its home port to New Orleans. From March 14 until July 2021, Disney Cruise Line ships suspended operations due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Sailings resumed in the form of “Staycation Cruises”, closed loop cruises of 2 to 4 nights from the United Kingdom ports of Liverpool, Southampton, Newcastle, and Tilbury for London.
The Disney Dream and Disney Fantasy entered service in January 2011 and March 2012, respectively. These ships were built at Meyer Werft shipyard in Papenburg, Germany. These new 129,690-ton ships are 339.5 m long and 36.8 m wide. They are two decks taller than the Disney Magic and Disney Wonder and have 1,250 staterooms each. The Disney Dream was the first ship to have a water coaster.
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Jewel Of The Seas Size
The Royal Caribbean Jewel of the Seas has a construction date of 2004 and a total size of 90,090 gross tons. The ship measures 962 feet in length and falls in line as number 22 among Royal Caribbeans 36 existing and former cruise ships. Its included in Royal Caribbeans Radiance Class. At full capacity, the Jewel of the Seas holds 2,969 passengers. That includes 2,110 cruise vacationers and 859 staff members. The Royal Caribbean Jewel of the Seas total number of staterooms is 1,142.
- Gross Tonnage: 90,090 GT
Which Disney Cruise Is The Best For You And Your Family
With four great options to choose from and two of each as a tiebreaker for the first and second spots, choosing the best Disney Cruise ship for you and your family can get confusing and a little overwhelming.
But you can quickly narrow down your choices by knowing what you might want to explore or experience on a Disney Cruise. To help you choose, we will first categorize the Disney experience on each cruise ship, from dining to family entertainment to kids and adults-only activities.
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Disney Wonder Ship Highlights
- Adults-only Quiet Cove pool deck
- Goofy’s Pool and Mickey’s Pool
- Dory’s Reef splash pad for toddlers
- AquaLab interactive play area
- Twist ‘n’ Spout water slide
- Wide World of Sports deck
- It’s a Small World nursery
- Chill Spa for teens
- Character experiences and meet and greets
- Walt Disney Theatre stage shows, including Frozen
- Buena Vista Theatre featuring Disney movies
- Numerous adults-only lounges and clubs
- Casual and gourmet restaurants
Freedom Of The Seas Size
The Royal Caribbean Freedom of the Seas has a construction date of 2006 and a total size of 154,407 gross tons. The ship measures 1,112 feet in length and falls in line as number 11 among Royal Caribbeans 36 existing and former cruise ships. Its included in Royal Caribbeans Freedom Class. At full capacity, the Freedom of the Seas holds 5,142 passengers. That includes 3,782 cruise vacationers and 1,360 staff members. The Royal Caribbean Freedom of the Seas total number of staterooms is 1,946.
- Gross Tonnage: 154,407 GT
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Disney Cruise Ships By Size With Comparison Chart
Below you’ll find a complete list of Disney Ships by Size. From their smallest ship, the Disney Wonder, to the largest Disney cruise ship , the Disney Wish.
While some cruise lines differ in size by a factor of 5x between their biggest and smallest ships, Disney has less variance. It also has significantly fewer ships. Once completed, the Disney Wish will be the fleet’s 5th ship. Compare that to Carnival and Royal Caribbean’s massive fleets .
However, the difference in size between the Magic Class of ships vs Disney Class is worth noting. The Dream and Fantasy are roughly 55% larger than the Wonder and Magic! If you’re in the “bigger is better camp,” you’ll want to opt for the Dream Class.
Here at Gangwaze, we don’t discriminate when it comes to our Disney ship size. Sometimes we need a bit more breathing room. Think big family reunions. While other times we prefer a cozier cruise.
First, a little clarification is needed before checking out our sizing chart below. We’re comparing Disney cruise ships by size using the metric, “Gross Tonnage.” This always causes a few shoulder shrugs in our community. We’re not simply talking, “weight.” The definition is a bit nuanced. And by “nuanced, we mean “boring.” Here it is nonetheless.
Ok, we’re done with today’s course on maritime verbiage. Here’s the good stuff.
Does Disney Ship Size impact cruise price?
Activities On The Disney Cruise Ships
Each of the ships offer lots of activities, including first-run Disney movies in the Buena Vista theater and Broadway-style stage live shows in the Walt Disney Theater. Other activities include family and adult game shows, beverage tasting seminars, Bingo, and animation classes. There are also Disney character greetings on every ship. Check the Navigator or the app to see the full schedule of events.
The shows on the four ships are different. My favorite show is currently Frozen, which plays on the Wonder. A close runner-up to that is the new Beauty and the Beast show that runs on the Disney Dream. Other newer shows are Aladdin on the Disney Fantasy and Tangled on the Disney Magic.
Ships on a Caribbean itinerary typically have a pirate night during one night of the cruise. Its so much fun definitely go to the fireworks if theres a pirate night during your cruise.
On the Disney Fantasy and the Disney Dream, kids will love the Midship Detective Agency. This free game lets you become a detective while finding clues throughout the midship section of the boat. When my kids were younger, wed accompany them on their quest. Once they were a bit older, they loved the freedom of doing it on their own.
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Cruise Ship Size Increase Over Time
The trend is clear. The largest cruise ships in the world today measure roughly 8x the size of vessels 40 years ago! Cruise lines proudly boast their biggest and newest ships. Each is guaranteed headlines when breaking the previous record for biggest ship.
Look at the chart below. Weve analyzed nearly 300 ships over the past 50 years. The graph represents average ship size for the included periods.
Its interesting to look at the average ship length versus tonnage. While new vessels today are nearly 5x the gross tonnage as decades ago, ship length has increased roughly 2x. What does that mean? Ships are getting significantly beefier. These massive gains are found in both height and width. Some of the largest ships in the world have 20 total decks and span 167 feet from side to side .
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Disney Cruise Ship Sizes
With Disney’s signature sense of magic and host of beloved characters woven into every detail of its ships, Disney Cruise Line promises an onboard experience that’s unparalleled. Passengers young and old know as soon as they set foot on any one of Disney’s four ships Disney Magic, Disney Wonder, Disney Fantasy and Disney Dream they’ll enjoy impeccable service and unlimited opportunities for family-friendly fun while voyaging across the oceans. Disney’s fleet consists of two sets of twin vessels, with the Magic and Wonder the smaller, older set, and the Dream and Fantasy the larger, newer two. Neither set of twins are identical, however, and each offers a unique configuration and features of its own. Ship size is usually a minor factor, with amenities, dining options, departure ports and, above all, destinations, at the top of most potential passengers’ considerations.
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In 2017, Disney Cruise Line announced that it’s growing its fleet to a total of seven ships by 2023. The three new ships will be larger than any in the existing fleet, but they will host passengers similar to the amount that Disney Dream and Disney Fantasy host.
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Features And Amenities On Every Disney Cruise Ship
Passengers on any of Disney Cruise Line’s fleet can expect deck parties, live entertainment, full-service spas, character greetings, kids’ clubs and first-run Disney movie screenings. All four ships also have identical stateroom offerings: a choice of Concierge, Verandah, Oceanview and Inside cabins. Numerous pools and water parks are also on every ship, with a few differences. Disney Dream and Disney Fantasy each have three pools and two hot tubs, whereas Disney Magic and Disney Wonder each have two pools and four hot tubs. Magic, Dream and Fantasy ships all feature an AquaDunk water park, a clear acrylic water coaster elevated up and over the decks. Wonder and Fantasy offer a different water park, AquaLab.
Serenade Of The Seas Size
The Royal Caribbean Serenade of the Seas has a construction date of 2003 and a total size of 90,090 gross tons. The ship measures 962 feet in length and falls in line as number 21 among Royal Caribbeans 36 existing and former cruise ships. Its included in Royal Caribbeans Radiance Class. At full capacity, the Serenade of the Seas holds 3,027 passengers. That includes 2,143 cruise vacationers and 884 staff members. The Royal Caribbean Serenade of the Seas total number of staterooms is 1,013.
- Gross Tonnage: 90,090 GT
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