Given that Disney Cruise Line is getting to launch the Dream (i.e. that 128000-ton, 2500-passenger addition to the fleet) ... Well, I thought that it might be fun to use that launch as an excuse to launch Sunday content on JHM.
The Disney Dream arrives at its home port of Port Canaveral, FL on January 4th.Copyright Disney Enterprises, Inc. All rights reserved
Truth be told, this isn't so much new content as it is putting the Magical Definition podcast -- which Nathan Rose and I have been doing for a number of years now - right in the front window here at JHM.
A new day dawns for The Walt Disney Company as the Disney Cruise Lineexpands its fleet. Copyright Disney Enterprises, Inc. All rights reserved
And appropriately enough ... What Nathan and I are talking about on this week's show is the Disney Cruise Line. Which Mr. Rose has experienced 3 times now. Whereas I ... Well, I do eventually intend to get around to taking a Disney Cruise. But I try and explain in this week's podcast, I'm one of those guys who doesn't entirely get the appeal of cruising.
From stem to stern, the Dream is loaded with Disney-centric detail.Copyright Disney Enterprises, Inc. All rights reserved
Here. Give this show a listen and see if you can get where I'm coming from.
Your thoughts?
Jim hill what happened to you , you use to be cool what happpened to the stories that you promised to fnish, i dont get it ... you promise yet never deliver
I'm fortunate enough to be going on the Dream preview cruise that leaves this Sunday, the 23rd. It will be my first cruise with Disney, so I'm very interested to see if they even come close to being worth the premium price they charge. Despite having four kids, I've bypassed DCL for our cruises thus far because they're just outrageously overpriced. It costs something like 2 to 3 times as much to cruise Disney as it does a Norwegian or a Royal Caribbean. I find it hard to believe, given Disney's "committment to quality" lately, that they're actually worth it, but this will give me a chance to see.
Should be an interesting experience to say the least!
I've never done a Disney cruise. That being said though, Jim you have to go on a cruise at least once. Not necessarily a Disney cruise. Jim, you mention that you don't get the cruise thing. I wonder if that's due to the TV commercials all the cruise lines run. They always show all this so called "exciting" stuff, that's much less expensive to do on land. In that case, I recommend doing one of the Alaska cruises. You can still do all the "exciting" stuff on those ships if you wish but the scenery is spectacular.
Having written all that, cruising on a ship is a glimpse into the not too distant past. I happen to have a particular interest in the Titanic, thus cruising gave me an glimpse into what crossing the Atlantic may have been like. And the nice part about my cruise was we didn't see any ice bergs. Nor were we hit by any tsunami tidal waves. And if you want to imagine a Disney connection, remember that when Walt and Lilly traveled to Europe, they went on a ship. So you can imagine how traveling for them may have been like.
Jim, I've done one Disney cruise and I'll be doing two more this year, including a cruise on the Dream in about a month and a half. In terms of Disney experieinces and vacation experiences in general, I'd say a cruise is totally worth it.
There are always plenty of activities available on the ship for people of all age groups - when you see the schedule, your problem's more likely to be that you'll have too many things you'll want to do as opposed to not being able to find something! Even when there's a stretch where there's not much happening, there's usually something decent on the TV or in the ship's theatres, or there's always the chance to catch up on some reading or fall asleep in a deck chair. On DCL, you'll have the bonus of being able to walk around the ship and look for architectural cues and design cues from the golden age of ocean liners and all the hidden details Disney's famous for in the theme parks, including many nods to nautical references from Disney film history.
Last but not least, there's food, food and more food; sure, you can get some food at home in New Hampshire, but I can't imagine you have about half-a-dozen options for food already prepared for you that are either a quick walk away or can be brought to you! Even without considering the ports, there's a lot to enjoy on a cruise. Give it a shot!
One last thing: The trip to every park you and Nathan discussed? I'm in. I'll probably have to sell a couple of my vital organs to afford it, but I'm in!