A SEVENTH ship coming to DCL!

[Dug720]

Based on the huge discounts being offered for this fall on the Magic, I highly doubt it.

Part of the issue is the time - they are sailing when schools are in session. When they had some cruises while school was still out a few years ago you could not get a cabin on them.

 

[insureman]

It will be about 5,000 gross tons bigger. Yet feature the same amount of cabins.

Probably because of the increase in space needed to store the LNG fuel since it less dense than conventional diesel you would need more LNG storage space to keep the the same range . I am not a fan of sitting on that much LNG at sea since it is much more explosive than diesel. Just my opinion. See link about LNG on cruise ships.
https://adi-analytics.com/2016/12/14/lng-poised-to-fuel-the-next-generation-of-cruise-ships

 

[mevelandry]

I just hope that they won't make the three new ships too similar with all thesame shows and same dining rooms, etc.

They made the Dream and the Fantasy pretty similar, same for the Magic and Wonder (before dry dock).

I hope they will be all themed differently.

 

[AustinMommyofThree]

Seven ships, even though a major expansion to their supply, still doesn't give them enough ships to cover everywhere people would like to see them, but my thoughts include:

I hope they add more specialty restaurants, including some open to families. One of the things my family loves about RCCL is that our whole family can go to the specialty options. (I'm all for keeping Palo and Remy for only adults, but an all ages option would be a nice addition).

I think it is highly unlikely that they will send a ship full time to Asia without a casino and smoking allowed on board, and I would be very surprised (beyond surprised, actually) if DCL ever added those things.

I hope they keep at least two ships in the Caribbean full time so they can add new ports and itineraries. It would also be interesting to see if they'd ever locate one out of Galveston full time. While I know their Wonder sailings have not done particularly well, I think that's because they'd come for a while and then leave. RCCL's Liberty seems to do well and is generally booked up, so there seems to be a market if there is a consistent supply.

I don't think this is likely, but given DCL's "classic ocean liner" aesthetic, it would be interesting to see if they'd ever have a ship that makes transatlantic sailings on a regular basis, a la Cunard's Queen Mary II. They could even do it as a triangle, where the first cruise goes NYC to Southampton, then the ship goes from Southampton to Florida (Port Canaveral or Miami), then the ship goes from Florida to NYC (via Bermuda--although would that qualify as a "distant port"?) and then from NYC either back to Southampton OR back to Florida (again, via Bermuda, if that's legal) and then from Florida to Southampton. If Bermuda doesn't count as a distant port, then they could just go NYC--Southampton, Southampton--Florida, Florida--Southampton, Southampton--NYC.

Basically, my thinking with that is that while they may not be able to fill the ship to go transatlantic between the same ports every week, if they alternated ports it might fill the rooms. There are a lot of people, particularly older people, who enjoy the transatlantic cruises and if they were an actual itinerary (rather than just repositioning cruises) they might do well. But there's also a reason I'm not in the travel planning business so I'm more likely to be wrong than I am to be right. I'd love to do one during the summer with our family.

 

[_auroraborealis_]

Given the flip-flop of political climate, even though these are foreign registry ships, a Cuba sail would be leaving from Miami or PC. I do not see Disney doing Cuba any time soon due to the ephemeral nature of travel regulations. See also: http://www.miamiherald.com/news/nation-world/world/americas/cuba/article158491989.html

I do think they may keep the smaller ships one on the west coast/maybe Hawaii (hawaii has its issues as a cruise destination), and one in Europe. They may also do both Mexico and Caribbean itineraries at the same time using two of the ships.

 

[samily]

Probably because of the increase in space needed to store the LNG fuel since it less dense than conventional diesel you would need more LNG storage space to keep the the same range . I am not a fan of sitting on that much LNG at sea since it is much more explosive than diesel. Just my opinion. See link about LNG on cruise ships.
https://adi-analytics.com/2016/12/14/lng-poised-to-fuel-the-next-generation-of-cruise-ships

That article is interesting. It says the U.S. only has one port that bunkers LNG, while Europe has 20. I don't know how LNG is transported, but that may narrow down the region where the new ship will be located.

 

[kmix78]

Magic- Full time Europe.
Wonder- Alaska/2-4 Hawaii cruises/year/ west coast/mexico/panama canal
Dream- Full time Bahamian
Fantasy- Full time Caribbean
5- Full time Caribbean
6- Europe, Bermuda, Cuba, Canada
7- Alaska and Bahamian

Yes- I wish we could get a year round ship out of California, offering more than 2-3 night cruises. There were only two 7-night opportunities for Mexico this year, which drives the price up.

 

[eskimoinparadise]

Yes they can, the new part of the PC can accommodate the big ships and RCCL had Oasis Class ships sailing the Mediterranean, not to mention the big NCL and CCL ships have no problem in Europe.

Actually, I think the Dream Class ships can now go through the new locks through the Panama Canal.

While Dream class ships may physically be able to fit through the new locks, they are both too tall (216 ft.) to fit under the Bridge of the Americas on the Pacific side of the canal. Their air draft is seven feet higher than RCCL's Freedom class ships (209 ft.), and they don't fit under the bridge. Ships that large that sail in Asia can only get there by going the Suez route, or by making the journey around the tip of South America or Africa.

 

[maria-fan-22]

I am very excited about three new ships. As for locations, the Magic and Wonder are simply more able to visit more exotic ports. Yes, larger ships can go to place like Alaska and the Med, the smaller ships are able to go to ports that are more remote. As others stated, larger ships can't get as close to glaciers or into smaller ports.

I think Disney is gearing up to enter the Asian market. Disney has an incredibly large following in Asia already(see three major resorts) and I think Disney will be more able to cater to that market through what they learned with those parks and simply the name Disney. However, I don't think three ships would go there. An article I was reading was saying how Disney wasn't sure the Magic would do well in Asia, which makes me think one of the new ships will be designed with Asia in mind.

I wouldn't count on a full time Australia ship yet either, however I think Australia is a very good option for them part time. I am speculate that the bahamas and carribean will remain the only full time market, but they will add one or two more ships there. Then I will guess that Asia and Alaska will share a ship. Leaving ships 6 and 7 to travel. I will not guess on which ships will go where or when since we don't know what the three new ships will be designed for. However, since they will all be LNG, they will have to be tethered to ports that allow LNG.

 

[gary in florida]

New rumor, the 7th ship will have wings and fly to the moon!

It's amazing how much traffic regarding the new names, where the ships will be based for something that will not happen for 4 years plus!

 

[CamColt]

So.... the 7th ship will be the 6th ship launched?

Makes perfect sense, doesn't it? LOL!

Anyone think there is a chance one would permanently sail from NYC?

I would be happy with that one....or even some out of Boston. NYC in the fall is great for those that don't have kids with school schedules but for those of us with kids in HS, college, and myself working in a school, we just can't do it. Sail out of the Northeast in the summer and we are there! The money we save on airfare justifies the extra cost of DCL.

 

[BartmanLA]

All speculation aside, NONE of this is going to make any difference for at least 4 years, then 5 years, then 6 years when the 7th ship rolls out, who knows what the cruise market will be like by then, creating all kinds of wish lists for destinations and ports just isn't feasible at this time, the political climate, economies, and social situations can change in just a few weeks/months so who know's what will be the preferred vacation spot by then. Sure voicing places you hope they will cruise to is great, and they might even create itineraries that will include some or all of them. Until they lay the first keel and start construction of the ship and release any information about what new and exciting areas on the ship they're going to be putting in that might indicate the possible market they'll be sailing that ship to, we just won't know and really it would be highly unlikely we'd have any significant influence on DCL's decisions about where they'll base the new and current ships as the fleet grows. DCL has been at this long enough now 20+ years to know that long range plans can be a guide but not necessarily is going to dictate what they're going to do with each of the new ships. It will just be an exciting and suspenseful next 5 or 6 years for all of us to learn exactly what they're going to do.

 

[dclpluto]

I just hope that they won't make the three new ships too similar with all thesame shows and same dining rooms, etc.

They made the Dream and the Fantasy pretty similar, same for the Magic and Wonder (before dry dock).

I hope they will be all themed differently.

The new ships in my guess will have a new show that will be on all three new ships Like the magic and wonder has Disney dreams and the dream and fantasy has disney believe. Ship 5,6,7
Will have one that will be on all three ships. Than each one will pick up a old show that will be on the other ships. Than ship 5,6,7 will get one on their very own. So there will be 4 new shows combined on the new ships.
Just my guess.

 

[Quellman]

Probably because of the increase in space needed to store the LNG fuel since it less dense than conventional diesel you would need more LNG storage space to keep the the same range . I am not a fan of sitting on that much LNG at sea since it is much more explosive than diesel. Just my opinion. See link about LNG on cruise ships.
https://adi-analytics.com/2016/12/14/lng-poised-to-fuel-the-next-generation-of-cruise-ships

I don't remember if it was [COLOR=#808080]@MUN[/COLOR] or one of the other knowledgable folks,@truck1 but remarked that the increase in tonnage on the ships might allow them to push out the sides of the ship so it looks less like an I-Beam when viewed from the front. This is how the dream class ships are. Of course this will increase public spaces as well!

 

[truck1]

How long does Disney plan on keeping the Magic (1998) & the Wonder (1999) in service. " “We decided two ships wouldn’t be enough to hold all of the exciting new experiences we have been dreaming up to take family cruise vacations to a whole new level with immersive Disney storytelling, world-class family entertainment, and imaginative innovations that are fantastically fun and uniquely Disney,” Bob Chapek, Chairman of Walt Disney Parks and Resorts, said." (DCL blog). At some point they will need to retire the Magic & Wonder. The may be preparing for that day.

Ships are typically built to last between 40 and 50 years. It can vary though depending on all of the safety requirements. When the QEII was retired as an example, the SOLAS requirements had changed, and it was cheaper to retire the ship, then retrofit her to meet the current standards. I think she was in her 30s when she was retired. Had SOLAS not changed, theres a good chance shed still be sailing today. The Magic class is not quite but almost to the halfway point of their service lives.

 

[truck1]

I don't remember if it was @MUN or one of the other knowledgable folks, but remarked that the increase in tonnage on the ships might allow them to push out the sides of the ship so it looks less like an I-Beam when viewed from the front. This is how the dream class ships are. Of course this will increase public spaces as well!

That was me, prior to the LNG announcement.

 

[truck1]

As far as where are the new ships going etc, look at what DCL is doing now and in the past. DCL has already said that the Magic is the Ambassador ship, and the use her to test new itins etc. DCL is also following the industry as a whole. Had this conversation on a different forum.

So looking at where the future DCL expansion plans are, I would speculate an increased presence in PC and the Caribbean, along with the Med. Potentially one of the Dream class taking over for the Magic freeing her up to try even more new ports.

 

[gary in florida]

All speculation aside, NONE of this is going to make any difference for at least 4 years, then 5 years, then 6 years when the 7th ship rolls out, who knows what the cruise market will be like by then, creating all kinds of wish lists for destinations and ports just isn't feasible at this time, the political climate, economies, and social situations can change in just a few weeks/months so who know's what will be the preferred vacation spot by then. Sure voicing places you hope they will cruise to is great, and they might even create itineraries that will include some or all of them. Until they lay the first keel and start construction of the ship and release any information about what new and exciting areas on the ship they're going to be putting in that might indicate the possible market they'll be sailing that ship to, we just won't know and really it would be highly unlikely we'd have any significant influence on DCL's decisions about where they'll base the new and current ships as the fleet grows. DCL has been at this long enough now 20+ years to know that long range plans can be a guide but not necessarily is going to dictate what they're going to do with each of the new ships. It will just be an exciting and suspenseful next 5 or 6 years for all of us to learn exactly what they're going to do.

Agree, like I said
New rumor, the 7th ship will have wings and fly to the moon!
and
it's amazing how much traffic regarding the new names, where the ships will be based for something that will not happen for 4 years plus!

 

[squirk]

I am wondering if Meyer-Werft already had an "opening" to build a ship for 2022, or if DCL bought out another cruise line's "slot". If the latter, I wonder who it was.

For purely selfish reasons, I'd love it if the LNG fueling needs make New Orleans a more attractive embarkation port. It'd be nice to only have to drive 45 minutes to port vs. 10 hours.

 

[mich723]

I'm excited to hear about the 7th ship getting announced. I'm from Pennsylvania and I know many cruiseines around this area sail out of NYC, New Jersey, and Baltimore. I'd love to see more cruises leaving from those ports. I don't mind flying, but if I had a choice, I'd like to drive an hour or two vs a flight each time.