New check in procedures for Disney Cruise Line guests

Disney Cruise Line has recently updated their procedures both for online check in and check in at the cruise terminal. Both sets of changes should make it both easier and faster for guests to get checked in for their cruise vacations.

Guests will be able to complete online check in information prior to their cruise.  A series of characters in portholes will guide guests through the process of online check in. Continue reading

Is the “Disney Difference” Really Worth the Price Difference?

Disney’s Cruise Line is on the “wish list” for many families but quite often when they begin to look in to the possibility, they are faced with a bit of sticker shock. Yes, Disney’s cruise prices are often higher than those of other cruise line and the question most families ask is “do you think it’s really worth the difference in price?”  My answer is most definitely, yes!

Don’t get me wrong, you can have a fantastic cruise vacation on another cruise line, but when it comes to family cruises Disney stands head, shoulders and mouse ears above the rest.  Disney is proud of the little things they call the “Disney Difference” that sets them apart from the other cruise options out there.  “Disney Difference” translates loosely into “the things Disney does right.” It’s those little details that helped earn them the distinction of being named the #1 cruise experience by the Annual Readers’ Choice Awards for Condé Nast Traveler magazine.  Those little details also keep Disney Cruise Line in high demand.  With only 3 ships (as of January 26th with the addition of the Disney Dream), the supply of staterooms is relatively small for any given week.  High demand, small supply…you do the math!

So what specifically is it that makes a Disney Cruise vacation worth the higher price? Continue reading

The Dream is Home and Ready for Disney Cruise Vacations!

Fireworks, water pageantry and cheering fans greeted the newest ship in the Disney Cruise Line® fleet as it arrived for the first time at Port Canaveral, Fla., on Jan. 4, 2011.

Hundreds of people lined the shores to welcome the Disney Dream™ to its new home. The 4,000-passenger luxury liner cruised into the newly expanded, state-of-the-art port facility at sunrise accompanied by a flotilla of watercraft.

The arrival of the Disney Dream in Florida will allow Disney’s existing ships to depart for adventures to other parts of the world. On January 6th, the Disney Wonder departed for West Coast-based itineraries including the Mexican Riviera and our first-ever cruises to Alaska. This summer, the Disney Magic will return to Europe for visits to popular ports in Italy, France and Spain, plus stops in Tunis in northern Africa and the island nation of Malta. The Disney Dream will sail 3-, 4- and 5-night cruises to the Bahamas beginning with its maiden voyage on Jan. 26, 2011.

The Disney Dream, and in 2012 her sister ship, the Disney Fantasy, are exciting additions to the Disney Cruise Line fleets. The Dream will boast several cruise industry firsts including virtual portholes in a all inside staterooms and the AquaDuck, the first water coaster at sea

My family will have the pleasure of checking out the Disney dream during a Magical Preview Cruise on January 23rd for Disney’s EarMarked conference. Check back the week of 1/23/11 for photos and my impressions of the ship!

See ya real soon!

Lori Hardegree
Magical Memories Travel
lori@magicalmemoriestravel.com

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