Update: All Disney Cruises Are Canceled Until April 30th, and Some Magic and Wonder Cruises in May Are Also Canceled

Earlier today, January 27th, on their website, Disney announced that all cruises on the Dream and the Fantasy are canceled through April.  Some cruises on the Magic and the Wonder in May have also been canceled.  Cruises on the Fantasy will resume on May 1st, cruises on the Dream will resume on May 3rd, cruises on the Wonder will resume on May 17th, and cruises on the Magic will resume on May 22nd.  

The last Magic cruise that was canceled actually wasn't from this announcement.  The cruise from May 9th to May 22nd would've been a 12-night transatlantic cruise, and it was canceled in a previous announcement from December.

This announcement increases the total length of the COVID-19 DCL suspension to around a year and two months.  Disney is continuing to refine their protocols for when cruises resume, so when cruises do resume, they're going to be much different than they were before the suspension.  I was thinking that this summer would be a good time to resume cruises, but now I'm not sure about that.

As usual, everybody affected by this suspension will have the choice of receiving a full refund or a 125% cruise credit, as long as they've paid their entire cruise price.  The Disney Cruise Line website gets updated before I update my blog, so be sure to check there for the most up-to-date news.

The Dream Is a Decade Old!

Exactly ten years ago today, January 26th, the Disney Dream's maiden voyage started.  The Dream is the third ship in the DCL fleet, and is the first of its class, the second being the Fantasy.  Since it was the first in the Dream class, it introduced many new features that set it apart from the existing ships.  Since then, some of the features first seen on the Dream have been adopted on the Magic and Wonder, but the Dream still has features you can't find on any other ship.  Let's celebrate this special day and look back at what the Dream brought to the DCL fleet.

First, let's take a look at the features that the Dream introduced that were completely new.  Nothing like these features were on the Magic or Wonder when the Dream started cruising in 2011.

One of the Dream's most noticeable features is the AquaDuck, the 765-foot long water coaster.  The AquaDuck was the first ever water coaster on a cruise ship.  Ever since my first cruise in 2012, the AquaDuck has been one of my favorite DCL features.  Even though it's not very long, it's so much fun to ride, especially right before and during the 5:45 dinner seating.  During that window of time, there's usually almost no line, so it's the best time to ride the AquaDuck.  There's also an AquaDuck on the Fantasy, and the AquaDunk (not Duck) was added to the Magic in 2013.  The AquaDunk is a drop slide, where single riders stand on a platform that folds in.  They are propelled through the tube and reach the end of the slide in a few seconds.  It's much shorter than the AquaDuck, but it's a good use of the limited amount of space on the Magic.

The AquaDuck goes through the forward funnel, and the Dream was the first ship to have Outlook.  Outlook isn't well advertised (there isn't even a page on the DCL website for it), and when I was on the Fantasy in January 2020, its doors were closed whenever I went up to it.  I probably should've checked if the doors were unlocked, because I might've been able to go inside!

The Dream also introduced Goofy Golf, a 9-hole mini golf course on Deck 13.  It's not as crazy as some of the mini golf courses on land, but it is goofier.  The Imagineers made great use of the limited space.  Did you know that a running track was planned for Goofy's Sports Deck?  It must've gotten pretty far into the Dream's planning.  In Welcome Aboard!:  The Creation of the Disney Dream, there's concept art that shows a running track between Goofy Golf and the wall.  It even says, "The sports deck offers table tennis and foosball tables, and is encircled by a walking track."  This makes me think that it must've been removed late in the Dream's design process, since this official Disney book was published with that false information.  Anyway, take a look:

I'm glad this plan didn't happen, since it would've made Goofy's Sports Deck too crowded.  Where would they have put the foosball tables?

Goofy's Sports Deck on the Dream also added sports simulators, available at an extra charge.  I've never done one, but they're probably fun.

Enough about sports.  Another noticeable feature the Dream introduced was Enchanted Art.  Scattered around guest areas, these paintings look normal at first, until they start to move and play sound.  These paintings are actually screens with speakers in the frame.  Some of them change throughout the day, which would seem incredibly weird if you didn't know they weren't normal paintings.

Some of the Enchanted Art paintings around the ship have a magnifying glass icon on the floor in front of them.  These paintings are part of something else the Dream added to the DCL world, the Midship Detective Agency!  This is a game where players go around the the ship to these special paintings and use a badge card to interact with them.  Players do various tasks in order to solve a mystery.  It's a lot of fun, and I think the Wish will have an updated, improved version of it.

Another fun feature the Dream added was the Vibe sundeck.  This is in the very front of the ship, and it has a few small pools and water sprayers.  Playing Uno in the Vibe sundeck pools is hard, I don't recommend it.  The sundeck is one of the main features of Vibe on the Dream and Fantasy, and it was never added to the Magic and Wonder because it can't be.  Vibe on the older ships is on Deck 11 in the Forward funnel, so there can't be a private Vibe pool area there.

The Dream was the first ship to have Remy and Meridian.  Remy is a French restaurant named after Remy the rat from Ratatouille.  It's only open to adults who pay an additional fee for a reservation.  Meridian is a bar between Palo and Remy.  It's also an adults-only area.  I don't know much about either of them since I've never been able to go, but I do know that the bathrooms near Palo, Remy, and Meridian are really nice.

Speaking of restrooms, the Dream was the first Disney ship where every public restroom is wheelchair-accessible.  It's not something Disney would advertise, could you imagine an advertisement for the Dream with this as a selling point?

Nothing makes me want to go on a Disney cruise more than knowing that every public restroom is wheelchair accessible.

The Dream's atrium made a major change to what had been in the older DCL ships.  On the Dream, there's only one fancy grand staircase.  The Magic and Wonder originally had two grand staircases, but that has changed to one in their Reimaginings.  Would that be considered an upgrade or a downgrade?

Right next to the atrium is Bon Voyage, another bar.  It's only on the Dream and Fantasy, and I really like the mural behind it.  The Fantasy has a different mural, but the one at the Dream's Bon Voyage shows the Dream in the era that the DCL ships imitate.  It also goes really nicely with the gold and white color scheme of the Dream's atrium.

A less-noteworthy but still cool feature that debuted on the Dream were the Magical Portholes in inside staterooms.  These portholes are screens that receive live videos from outside of the ships.  There are two different video feeds, one for port and one for starboard.  The live video received by a Magical Porthole depends on the side of the ship it is on, which is a really nice touch.  Since it's a screen, Disney characters sometimes appear in the porthole.  On the Fantasy, during Star Wars Day at Sea, Star Wars ships like the Millennium Falcon can fly by.  Unlike normal portholes, these can be turned off!

The Dream's Oceaneer Club and Oceaneer Lab introduced the Magic PlayFloor, a large grid of screens that respond to movement and pressure when stepped on.  Kids can play games by stomping on the floor, which is an interesting way to play.  It's a good thing there aren't any staterooms on Deck 4, because the stomping is probably pretty loud at times.  Sorry, D Lounge!

The Dream was the first Disney ship to let guests talk to Crush, the turtle from Finding Nemo, in Animator's Palate.  It's amazing how he can talk to guests as if he really exists.  If Crush was my teacher, he'd make online school so much more entertaining.  He's talked to my family twice, which is totally righteous, dude!

Finally, Enchanted Garden and Royal Palace were first seen on the Dream.  Enchanted Garden is really pretty when the lights change throughout the dinner to simulate a sunset.  It's also on the Fantasy, and they're practically identical.  Royal Palace is only on the Dream, and it looks like a fancy royal palace.  It's the least exciting of the Dream's rotational restaurants.  It's not bad, but I prefer the other two.  Royal Palace's counterpart on the Fantasy is Royal Court, which is very similar to Royal Palace, except for the name.  

Next, let's look at what the Dream added but something similar already been seen on the Magic and Wonder.  The similar features on the older ships have been converted to be more like what's on the Dream and Fantasy for continuity across the fleet.

The Dream introduced Cabanas, the tropical buffet restaurant.  It wasn't the first buffet restaurant on the Disney ships, that was Topsider Buffet on the Magic.  Cabanas is Finding Nemo-themed, with a massive, colorful mosaic of characters from the movie.  There are also seagulls from Finding Nemo scattered around the restaurant.  Cabanas was originally exclusively on the Dream, until the Fantasy started cruising in 2012.  It was added to the Magic in 2013 and to the Wonder in 2016.

Eye Scream and Frozone Treats were also first seen on the Dream.  Since then, they've been added to the other ships, except on the Wonder, Frozone Treats is Sulley's Sips.  I think Sulley's Sips goes better with Eye Scream, since both of them are Monsters, Inc. themed.

The Dream introduced a new layout of the poolside quick-service restaurants with Flo's Café.  On the Magic and Wonder, the three restaurants, Pinocchio's Pizza, Duck-in Diner/Pete's Boiler Bites, and Daisy's De-Lites, are spread across the pool deck.  However, on the Dream and Fantasy, all three of the restaurants, Luigi's Pizza, Tow Mater Grill, and Fillmore's Favorites, are grouped together.  Having them all in one place is convenient, but they can get crowded.  Which version is better?

The adults-only pool deck area was enlarged on the Dream.  On the Magic and Wonder, the only pool deck area reserved for adults is the Quiet Cove.  On the Dream, adults get most of Deck 13 Forward, except for the Concierge Sun Deck.

Also, Waves and Currents, two of the pool deck bars, originated on the Dream.  The Magic and Wonder had the Signals bar, but the Dream increased the pool deck adult-beverage options.  

The Dream is the only ship to have Pub 687, Pink, and Evolution.  Skyline first appeared on the Dream, but is also on the Fantasy.  Pub 687 is really cool since it's named after the Dream's hull number, assigned to it by Meyer Werft, the shipyard where it and the Fantasy were built.  It has photos and various items from the Dream's construction.  I wish the Fantasy had done something like this, it has O'Gills Pub instead, which isn't quite as cool.

Senses Spa & Salon debuted on the Dream.  It's larger than the Vista Spa that was on the Magic and Wonder, and it added new features, like the Chill Spa.  I remember going to Senses with my parents on the first day of a cruise once for a raffle, and I was so bored.  Even with the Chill Spa for teenagers, it's still mainly for adults.  Senses has replaced the Vista Spa on the Magic and Wonder.

The Arr-Cade was first seen on the Dream, but it was the equivalent to Quarter Masters Arcade on the Magic and Wonder.  The Arr-Cade has been removed from both the Dream and the Fantasy, replaced with specialty dessert shops Vanellope's (on the Dream) and Sweet on You (on the Fantasy).

The original it's a small world nursery (there aren't any capital letters in the title, but it's okay, most kids under age three can't read or know capitalization rules) is on the Dream.  Flounder's Reef was the nursery on the older ships, and it has been replaced by the it's a small world nursery.

The Dream was the first DCL ship to have the "modern" shops, Mickey's Mainsail, Sea Treasures, and White Caps.  On the Magic and Wonder, the shops were Treasure Ketch, Mickey's Mates, and Radar Trap.  I'm not sure on this, but having the word 'trap' in the name of a store probably isn't the best way to get customers.  These shops have been renamed with the newer names in the years since the Dream has been around.

The D Lounge has become a feature on all of the DCL ships, and it originated on the Dream, like many other features, as we've seen.  On the Magic and Wonder, the D Lounge was previously Studio Sea, which was similar to the D Lounge.

The Dream added a lot to the DCL ships, and I hope the Wish adds just as many new features or more than the Dream did.  For our first cruise in 2012, my family and I went on the Dream, and we had so much fun that we went on eight cruises after that.  Even though it's just been doing 3, 4, and 5-night cruises for the past decade minus most of 2020, it's introduced many to the world of DCL.  The Dream is lucky, it gets the day off!  It's spending the day off the coast of Port Canaveral with the Wonder and the Fantasy.  The Dream really is living the Dream today!

Congratulations on a decade of being in service, Disney Dream!

Which Funnel Is It?

 

Last week, the YouTube channel Ems -Dollart Media uploaded the above video, giving people a first look at of one of the Wish's funnels.  This was one of the most exciting construction updates we've had so far, but the rest of the Wish isn't ready for this to be installed yet.  Unfortunately, the video only gives us a look at one side of the funnel, so the information I can pull from it is limited.  Working with what we have, let's try to figure out which of the Wish's funnels this is.

On the funnel, the Disney Cruise Line logo is easily identifiable.  Also, here are rectangular holes at the bottom of the funnel, so doors will probably go there.  The top round section, which is normally black, will be added to this funnel later.  On the front of the funnel, there's something.  At first, I thought this would be part of the deck and nobody would see it, but it won't.  Take a look at one of the Dream's funnels:

See the white horizontal bars?  They don't go all the way down to the deck, so the thing sticking out of the front of the Wish's funnel won't be part of the deck.  The front section also has rectangular gaps, which are probably for doors.  Since there are door frames, this area probably won't be for a water slide or a pool deck feature for guests.  I'm really interested to see what this weird section becomes, since there's nothing like it on any of the existing funnels.

Enough about strange areas with door frames.  If you look back at the photo of the Dream's Aft (functional) funnel, there is a staircase on the port side of the funnel that leads to the AquaDuck.  The artist's rendering of the Wish has an AquaDuck, and since it's so popular on the Dream and Fantasy, I'm sure there will be an upgraded version of it on the Wish.  If the funnel in the video is the Wish's Aft funnel, it's probably where the new AquaDuck will start from, so the staircase will be added eventually.  On the Dream and Fantasy, the staircase goes through the Disney Cruise Line logo on the port side, and the video is of the port side of one of the Wish's funnels, but there's no hole in the logo.  The Wish could have the AquaDuck entrance on the starboard side, so there may be a hole on the other side.  Or, the hole could be added in later.  Maybe the staircase will be completely inside the funnel so there won't even be a hole in the logo.  

Further evidence that this is the Aft funnel is inside the funnel.  Take a look at the top left corner of the video.  There's a platform inside!  This could be part of the staircase and line for the AquaDuck.

While there is a lot of proof that the funnel in the video is the Aft funnel, it could also be the Forward funnel.  The doors on the sides could lead to the Midship elevator lobby.  Assuming that the doors on the bottom are on Deck 12, it looks like there's enough room for two more decks, 13 and 14.  There probably won't be more than 14 guest decks because the Wish will only be a little larger than the Dream and Fantasy.  The platform inside that I mentioned earlier could be temporary and only there until the actual decks have been built.  If this is the Forward funnel, glass will be added when the real decks get built.  Also, on the Dream and Fantasy, the AquaDuck goes through the Forward funnel, but this funnel doesn't have any AquaDuck-shaped holes in it.  If the Wish's upgraded AquaDuck runs through the Forward funnel, holes will be added in the future.

On the four current ships, Funnel Vision is on the back of the Forward funnel.  On the Dream and Fantasy, it's toward the bottom of the funnel:

Since the video doesn't show the back of the funnel, it's impossible to tell if Funnel Vision can go there.  I think there'll be more videos of this funnel in the future, and hopefully they show it from other angles.  

As of now, I don't know which funnel it is.  It could be either one.  While writing this post, it was easier for me to find reasons why this funnel is the Aft funnel, so that seems more likely.  But again, this video only showed part of the funnel.  If I could just see the back and other side of the funnel, maybe I'd be able to figure out which one it is.  If you have any ideas on which funnel this is, feel free to leave a comment.  The DCL ships only have two funnels, so if you guess one randomly, you have a 50% chance of being correct!

Update: All Disney Cruises Are Canceled Until March 31st

Yesterday, January 12th, on their website, Disney announced that all cruises are canceled until March 31st.  Cruises will resume on April 2nd on the Wonder and Dream, and they'll resume on April 3rd on the Magic and Fantasy.

Like the last four suspensions (not counting the one that canceled some cruises longer than seven nights), this group of cruises was canceled partially because Disney is still refining their protocols for cruising in a world with COVID-19.  Also, in March, I don't think the world will be ready for resuming cruises.  I think they'll resume at some point this year, but I don't know when.  Summer would be nice, but is it even a possibility?  We'll see what happens.

The first pandemic-related suspension canceled cruises in March 2020.  So, this announcement means that in March 2021, there will have been no cruises for an entire year.  Not only has the cruise suspension been bad for Disney and other cruise lines, it's disappointed so many people who were looking forward to going on a cruise.

Although that's unfortunate, at least people affected by the suspension can choose to receive either a full refund or a 125% cruise credit, as long as they've paid the full price of their cruise already.  If you'd like to learn more about this suspension, be sure to visit the Disney Cruise Line website.

Will the Wish Have a Midship Detective Agency?

The Midship Detective Agency is one of my favorite features of the Dream-class ships.  Although it's pretty easy if you've played it many times, it's still a lot of fun, especially for first-time cruisers.  It's really popular, and when I've been on the Dream and Fantasy, I've seen a lot of kids and families hurrying around the ship to find their next painting.  Since it's enjoyed by so many people on the Dream and Fantasy, the Wish will probably have its own Midship Detective Agency, or something similar to it.  

Although it's really fun, the original Midship Detective Agency is limited, thanks to its decade-old technology.  The designers could only do so much with the technology of the existing Midship Detective Agencies, which may be why there are only three cases.  If the Wish has a version of the game with new technology, the developers will have much more freedom when designing the game and new, more creative cases are almost guaranteed.

Speaking of new technology, how will the Wish's game differ from the Dream-class version?  I'm not sure.  Recently, Disney announced that the Sorcerers of the Magic Kingdom game at Disney World is closing later in January.  This game appears to be similar to the Midship Detective Agency, since players go around the park and hold up cards that probably have patterns on one side that the game's cameras can read.  Disney is shutting this game down because of changes in how Disney World guests use mobile devices and because of decreased demand for the game.  After removing Sorcerers of the Magic Kingdom, Disney may replace it with something similar, but with upgraded technology that allows players to use a mobile device to play.  

Could Disney do this with the Wish's Midship Detective Agency?  They could, which would be interesting.  Many DCL guests keep their mobile devices with them as they go around the ship to look at the DCL Navigator app and to take photos.  So, using a mobile app to play would be convenient, especially if the Midship Detective Agency was part of the regular DCL Navigator app.  In addition to not requiring a badge to play, using a phone would eliminate the need for the case booklet, since that would just be part of the app.  Also, modern smartphones have many features that could enhance the game.  For example, the game could incorporate augmented reality to make what's happening in-game appear in the real world.

The possibilities associated with using a smartphone to be a Midship Detective are exciting and would make the game distinct from its original Dream-class version.  However, many of the people I've seen playing the Midship Detective Agency on the Dream and Fantasy were kids, many of whom do not have their own phone or mobile device.  So, by using an app to play, people without a phone or other device to use wouldn't be able to play.  Another issue with using an app on the Wish would be connection.  If you've been on a Disney cruise, you probably know that the DCL Navigator app isn't very reliable because of poor Wi-Fi connection.  I'm hoping the Wish fixes this problem, but you never know, it still may leave something to be desired.  A poor connection would make a fun game significantly less fun.  Additionally, using a phone would take most of the action off of the Enchanted Art and onto a small phone screen, which isn't nearly as special.  Finally, after guests finish the game, the badge, the case booklet, and the mini pencil are fun, included souvenirs.  The main attraction of the Midship Detective Agency is being able to interact with paintings, and using a phone would take some of the magic out of it.

While the Wish's new version could let players use smartphones to play the game, having players use a badge and a case booklet is the better way to go.  Upgrading the technology used in the Enchanted Art and the badges is a must, as this would open up new gameplay possibilities.  Maybe when starting a new game, players will be able to choose between using a phone or a badge.  If this is the case, there should not be any difference in gameplay between the two control schemes so nobody feels like they're missing out.  If phones are a control option, I really hope they sell a Midship Detective Agency badge themed phone case in the shops.  It wouldn't be necessary to play the game, of course, but it would look cool.

This is unrelated to control options, but I hope the Wish adds a harder case.  The existing three are great, but they are over pretty quickly.  The current hardest case is The Case of the Stolen Show, and it's my favorite partially because it's a little more challenging and takes longer.  To make it longer, the game could make players visit every Enchanted Art location and backtrack to some they've already been to.  To make it harder, the map could be removed from the booklet so players wouldn't know where each painting is.  Or, if Mickey's feeling extremely harsh, there wouldn't even be a booklet for the difficult case.  Players would have to remember everything they've done and all of the suspects they've crossed off.  Another way to make it harder would be to not allow any mistakes.  If a player chooses the wrong suspect or does a task wrong, they'd lose.  These changes would add more variety to the game and make it more worth doing for experienced Midship Detectives.  The difficult case would encourage first-time detectives to play the game multiple times throughout their cruise to work their way up through the difficulty levels.  I'd probably start with the hardest one since it sounds like the most fun.

I really hope the Wish has an upgraded Midship Detective Agency.  The new technology would increase the gameplay possibilities and allow the developers to go all out when creating the new game.  It may also allow for new control options.  Hopefully they'll add that hard case and that phone case!

2020 in Review

2020 has been a weird year.  The COVID-19 pandemic caused Disney and pretty much every other cruise line to cancel all of their cruises since March.  In normal years, severe weather like a hurricane is the only reason to cancel a cruise, so that first announcement of cancelations was a huge surprise for me.  So much happened this year, and to me, it felt like it went by really fast.  To end the year, I'm going to go over everything I posted about this year.

In January, I woke up from my four month blogging hibernation.  In 2019, I was very fortunate to get the opportunity to contribute to the 2020 edition of The Unofficial Guide to Disney Cruise Line, and my first post of the year announced that I was featured in that book.

My second post of January was an announcement of my upcoming cruise on the Fantasy.  After that post, I went on the Fantasy and I had an amazing trip.

After that cruise, at the beginning of February, I wrote about the maritime signal flags on the Fantasy, on Castaway Cay, and one in Cozumel.  I really enjoyed hunting for them and seeing their hidden messages.  In that post,  I said that I missed a few flags on Castaway Cay, and I said I'd get them next time.  Little did I know that there wouldn't be a next time, at least not next January.  My family still hasn't decided what cruise to use our 125% credit on.

After that post, I wrote about my time on the Fantasy the previous month.  It was a great cruise, even though we could only stop at half of our planned destinations.  The extra time on the ship gave me time to take over a thousand photos, and going through all of them took a while.  In the future, I probably won't be doing any massive posts about cruises.  Instead, I'll break them up into sections that are more manageable.

Later in February, I wrote about my experiment with the Midship Detective Agency.  In that post, I tested my Midship Detective Agency badge from an unfinished game on the Dream to see if my game progress was saved.  I also closely examined the Midship Detective Agency Headquarters and found some cool details.

After that, I wrote about Quacks, the confusing poolside store.  It's not on the Dream or Fantasy anymore, and it might have been removed from the Magic and Wonder in their minor dry dock renovations in France earlier this year.

I also wrote about the Vista Gallery on the Fantasy.  It was moved from Deck 4 to Deck 2 to make room for the new Tiffany & Co. store.  The new location isn't bad, it just doesn't feel as special.  As I said in that post, "it's more of a Vista Hallway now."

My first post of March was about Star Wars Day at Sea 2020, the day when I went to a show that explained the basics of Star Wars two times.  It wasn't a waste of my time, no way.

On March 14th, Disney canceled all of their cruises through the month of March.  At the time, I didn't think the suspension would be extended very far past March, maybe until the end of April at the most.  Now I'm thinking the suspension will go until the end of April 2021.  Later that day, Disney extended the suspension!

My next post after that was about White Caps, a store that used to sell essential vacation items like sunscreen, but now sells expensive goods like jewelry.  Well, it sold expensive goods before March.  Since March, business at White Caps has been pretty slow.

Later in March, we learned that the Wish's construction had started!  Not everything that happened in March was bad.

My penultimate post of March was about the Wonder and its Alaskan cruises in the summer of this year.  It turns out that I had nothing to worry about, since there were no cruises in the summer.

My final post of March was the announcement that all Disney cruises were canceled until April 28th.  Cruises on the Wonder were canceled until the beginning of July.

April started with some unfortunate news, some of the crew on the Wonder got COVID-19.  That was probably a result of the Wonder's most recent cruise, a 14-night Westbound Panama Canal cruise.

The next suspension extension canceled cruises until May 17th.  This is when I started to realize that the world wouldn't just go back to normal quickly, and I knew even more cruises would get canceled.

The following group of cancelations was only for the Magic, canceling cruises on the Magic until June 7th.

My next post was a bunch of random facts I've learned about Disney Cruise Line throughout the years.  Do you know who the room 5148 1/2 belongs to?  Which ship has a piano bar that's made to look like an actual piano?

After that, I wrote about something I wanted on the Wish, a more reliable DCL Navigator App.  Maybe during the suspension, Disney has improved the Wi-Fi connection on their ships so it reaches everywhere on the ship, not just some places.  If not, I just hope they make it work better on the Wish.

April ended with a really long cancelation announcement.  All cruises on the Dream and Fantasy were canceled until June 18th and all cruises on the Magic were canceled until July 2nd.  Cruises on the Wonder were still canceled until July because of the Canadian government's restrictions.

I started off May writing about the Wish again.  This time, I wanted it to have an improved pool deck.  In this post, I said that I preferred the way that the Dream and Fantasy have the poolside quick service restaurants laid out compared to the Magic and Wonder, but after writing a later post, I changed my mind about this.

On May 6th, the Magic, Dream, and Fantasy were together in Port Canaveral.  If you thought this was cool, wait until you see them in France!

In my next post, I tried to figure out why the Magic was heading to Europe.  The Magic was the first of the ships to go to Europe during the suspension, and eventually the other three ships went to Europe as well.

The next suspension extension canceled cruises until July 27th.  This announcement meant that most of the summer cruises were canceled.

After that, I learned that Disney removes their cruises from their website before making a cancelation announcement.  I found out that the Magic wouldn't be doing any European cruises and the Wonder wouldn't be doing any Alaskan cruises in 2020 before there was an official announcement.

Later in May, I found some cool 360° photos of various areas around the DCL ships.  Some of the photos even let you move around a limited area, which was nice.

At the end of May, I put my favorite DCL photos together into one post.  My favorite was the one of the person walking through the AquaDuck at 7:26 in the morning.

June started with the cancelation of all cruises on the Wonder until September 14th.  I had already known this was going to happen, since the cruises were previously removed from DCL's website.

I noticed that while the Dream and Fantasy were docked in Port Canaveral, neither of them were docked at the DCL terminal.  This was probably because the renovations to the terminal had started.

Soon after that, Disney finally made the official announcement canceling cruises on the Magic until October 2nd.  It's funny, I didn't think these cancelations would be extended.

The next thing I wished for on the Wish was a larger variety of cruises in the Bahamas.  I'm sure Lighthouse Point will add some variety to the Bahamian cruises, when it is completed and ready for guests in 2022 or 2023.

On June 19th, Disney canceled all cruises on the Dream and Fantasy until September 15th.  This announcement didn't affect the Magic or Wonder, since cruises on those ships were canceled until October 2nd and September 14th, respectively.

Later in June, I looked really closely at a drawing of Lighthouse Point and thought about what it will be like.  I think Disney will announce more about Lighthouse Point in 2021 along with more Wish information.  Maybe we'll get a land plan, like a deck plan but for an island.  Wait, no, that's just a map.

I finished June detailing Disney's Cruise Date Flexibility Policy.  This policy is really consumer-friendly, and as the name suggests, flexible.  It lets people book a cruise and reschedule it up to fifteen days before that cruise with no penalties or fees.

My first post of July was a tutorial on how to leave a comment.  Nothing has changed about the commenting process, so it's still useful today.

After that, I took a look at the reopening practices and restrictions at Disney World and applied those to the DCL ships.  I'd prefer if there weren't any restrictions when cruises resume, but I know there will be some in an effort to make sure everyone stays safe.

Disney did another one of those remove-the-cruises-from-the-website-before-there-is-an-official-announcement things in July, this time with the remaining cruises in September.  Wouldn't it make more sense if they removed the cruises at the same time as they made the announcement?  It would be less confusing.

Next, I took a look at some of the potential restrictions on the dining options on the DCL ships.  One of my favorite activities to do on a cruise is to get an ice cream cone from Eye Scream before going down to my room or to dinner and eating it in the elevator.  It doesn't ruin my appetite.  Anyway, there will probably be designated eating areas on the ships when cruises resume, so I wouldn't be able to have an elevator snack.

On July 20th, Disney made the official announcement that all cruises on the Wonder, Dream, and Fantasy are canceled until the end of September.  The Magic wasn't affected by this, since Magic cruises were canceled until October 2nd in an earlier announcement.

At the end of July, Disney announced cruise itineraries for fall 2021, and I took a look through them.  When I first looked at these, I didn't think I would be going on any of them, but my family is looking through them and trying to decide on one, since our cruise in January 2021 got canceled.

During the first weekend of August, I watched Tangled:  The Musical at home with my family.  Disney posted it to the Disney Parks YouTube Channel to allow anyone with an internet connection to watch it.  It wasn't as good as it would've been if I was in the Walt Disney Theatre, but it was great, given the circumstances.

On August 6th, Disney canceled all cruises until Halloween.  I wasn't too scared by this announcement, I had a feeling that cruises weren't going to resume by October.

In my next post, I considered the potential restrictions that may be in place at the youth clubs when cruises resume.  There's so much to take into account when planning the reopening process, and I'm glad I'm not in charge of making the plan.

Later in August, my family and I went to a beach in North Carolina.  At our rental house, there were maritime signal flags on the wall of one of the bathrooms.  Of course, I figured out what they said.

My next post was about a video of someone riding the AquaDuck on the Disney Parks YouTube Channel.  Disney tried to make me think it was a video of the Fantasy's AquaDuck, but it was actually the Dream's.

Writing my next post, about the different classes of poolside quick service restaurants, made me realize that I prefer the poolside restaurants on the Magic and the Wonder over those on the Dream and the Fantasy.

At the beginning of September, the Wish was still scheduled to begin cruising at the start of 2022.  That was good news, since I was worried that it had been delayed due to COVID-19.

After making the post about the poolside restaurants in August, I decided to design my own version of the Wish's pool deck, complete with a deck plan.  I doubt my version is completely accurate to what the Wish's pool deck will look like, but I hope I'm right about some things.

Later that month, Disney delayed the Wish.  It was scheduled to start cruises in January 2022, but this announcement didn't give a definitive time of when it will be rescheduled.  

After that, I attempted to solve the mystery of why Disney unlisted the video announcement of the Wish's name.  We still don't know why it was unlisted...

On September 15th, Disney canceled cruises until December 6th at the earliest.  The four ships were scheduled to resume cruises at various times in December, but that didn't happen.

My next post was about Wave Phones, everyone's favorite outdated technology on the Disney ships.  I'm predicting that they'll be replaced by an upgraded DCL Navigator App when the Wish starts cruising.

The post after that was special, it was my 100th post!  To celebrate the occasion, I wrote about the updated cruise payment and cancelation policy.  Like the Cruise Date Flexibility Policy, this is more relaxed than the normal DCL policy as a result of the strange year 2020 has been.

At the end of September, I found a petition that was intended to stop Disney from building on Lighthouse Point.  At the time of writing, it had around 319,000 signatures, but now, it has around 440,000 signatures.  As I said in the post, I don't think this petition will work, since Disney already has everything planned out at Lighthouse Point.

I started October thinking about what Disney will name the sixth and seventh ships.  I hope the Disney Seagull never happens.

October was when I started to think that my cruise in January 2021 was going to get canceled, and having almost no activities listed on the DCL Navigator App made this seem even more likely.

On October 14th, all four of the Disney ships were together for the first time!  This may never happen again, and it's a shame Disney didn't do anything to mark the occasion.

The next day, Disney announced that the Wish will start cruises in summer 2022.  This could mean as early as June or as late as September.

Next, I looked through the early 2022 DCL itineraries.  I was hoping this announcement would include the Wish, but since it got delayed, it doesn't.  Still, there are some pretty cool itineraries.

It was unfortunate Disney didn't do anything with the four ships together in France, but that doesn't mean other people didn't do anything special!

For my last post in October, I wrote about ice cream and the different, unusual flavors I've had at Eye Scream.

I started November questioning why part of the Dream was gray.  We also got to see another video of the four ships together in France, which was great.

 

On November 3rd, Disney canceled the remaining cruises in 2020.  

I watched a video updating the Wish's construction, but I went overboard with speculating.  If you go back and read that post, be sure to read what me from the future said about me from the past.

Later in November, I found an old Arr-Cade card.  It's pretty much useless now, but it's a relic from DCL's ancient past (any time before 2017).  

In November, Disney delayed the sixth and seventh ships.  The sixth ship will now start cruising in 2024, and the seventh will start cruising in 2025.  In 2025, the Magic will be 27 years old.  I'm guessing it'll still look new.

After that, I wrote about the Dream's Disney Infinity room and how it will be replaced in the future.  It might have gotten replaced already, we just don't know.

Disney's next announcement canceled cruises until the end of January 2021.  This announcement meant that the cruise that my family and I were planning to go on was canceled.  We weren't too sad about it, since we knew it would either get canceled or be heavily restricted.

At the end of November, the Wonder came back to the US, and the others followed it.  The Magic is the only DCL ship still in Europe.

December started off with another Wish construction update.  There were some sections of the Wish at the Meyer Werft shipyard that were unmistakably part of the Wish.

After that exciting update, I looked around the DCL website and found a hint that might mean the Wish's deck plans are coming soon.  

Next, Disney canceled cruises until the end of February 2021.  This is the latest general cancelation announcement, but I'm thinking it will be extended.

A few days later, I realized my mistake when I went overboard with speculating.  The big ship section I saw wasn't part of the Wish, it was actually the AIDAcosma.

The latest minor cancelation announcement came earlier this month.  Disney canceled three cruises that were longer than seven nights to comply with the CDC's Conditional Sail Order.  The Magic is still doing some cruises longer than seven nights in Europe in 2021, but this is fine, since the United States' CDC can't control what happens in Europe.

My biggest post of December was about the Disney Dream in Disney Infinity.  In this post, I explored all of the Disney Cruise Line content in the Disney Infinity game, unlocked with an Oceaneer Band.

After that, I looked through the updated Disney Cruise Line website.  Disney made some changes that are really helpful and convenient.  They also made their website prettier.

To celebrate Christmas, I got the entire Disney Cruise Line fleet together on my family's Christmas tree.  It wasn't quite as impressive as the real thing, but they looked great together.

On Christmas Day, Disney announced the character statue that will be in the atri- Grand Hall of the Wish.

To go along with that announcement, a website for the Wish was launched.  It doesn't reveal anything new, but it will be where new Wish information is first announced!

My last post of the year is this one, and you're already on it, so I won't link it.  I'm surprised that I managed to write 80 posts this year.  There was a lot of Disney Cruise Line news this year, and I'm expecting 2021 to have just as much or even more news than this year.  In 2021 we'll be able to say that there's a new DCL ship coming next year!

2020 was a great year for my blog and I, and I'm thinking 2021 is going to be even better!  I hope you have a fantastic 2021, and as my teachers said, "See you next year!"

The Wish Has a Website Now!

Following the recent announcement of the Wish's Grand Hall Statue, a website dedicated to the Wish was launched.  As of now, the website doesn't have any new information about the Wish, but it will probably be where information about it is first announced.

Upon opening the website, visitors are greeted by the Cinderella statue announcement video and the phrase, "A Wish Come True".  Under that, the website reaffirms that the Wish will launch in summer 2022, and below that is a button where users can enter their email address associated with their Disney account to get email notifications about Wish news.  I've already signed up for the email notifications, and if you haven't already, I recommend you sign up for them if you're looking forward to the Wish.

Lower on the page is a quote about the Wish from Laura Cabo, a Portfolio Creative Executive for Walt Disney Imagineering.  She says, "Daring to dream even bigger, our Imagineers are creating a breathtaking new world of enchantment aboard the Disney Wish. Upon arrival, families will step into the Grand Hall, a veritable castle on the seas rising 3 decks in height and literally shimmering with regal details. Inspired by classic Disney fairytales, this space will serve as the majestic heart of the ship, welcoming and delighting all ages and setting the tone for a magical voyage ahead."  Unfortunately, she didn't go into details about the "breathtaking new world of enchantment", so we'll have to wait to find out more about it.  

That's everything from the Wish's new website!  As I said earlier, this website will probably be where new information about the ship gets announced, so it can't hurt to check it occasionally.  Having this website operational might mean that new information is coming sometime soon.  Maybe the deck plans will be announced soon.  The fifth box is still there.  I'm thinking that 2021 is going to be a big year for Disney Cruise Line news, and I'm excited to see what happens!

The Wish's Grand Hall!

Yesterday, December 25th, a video about the Disney Wish was uploaded to the Disney Parks YouTube Channel.  This video revealed the character statue that will be in the atriu- sorry, Grand Hall of the Wish.  We already had one rendering of the Wish's Grand Hall, but this revealed much more than that did.

This image is the older rendering, released in 2019.

It's Cinderella!  According to the video's description, this is a rendering of the Wish's Grand Hall, the new name for the Lobby Atrium on the upcoming ships.  It looks pretty similar to the other rendering, but this one is more detailed and more realistic.

The Cinderella statue is much different from the atrium statues on the current ships.  This statue is on the floor!  On all of the other ships, the statues are on pedestals, like Minnie on the Fantasy:

The Cinderella statue looks like it will be larger than the existing statues, possibly life sized!  It would be too big to go on a pedestal.  However, since it will be on the floor, the statue will probably have to be cleaned very frequently, since it'll be easier for people to touch it.  Interestingly, the older rendering shows a pedestal where the Cinderella statue is in the new rendering.  

Since Cinderella will be the statue in the Grand Hall, I'm thinking the restaurant right next to the Grand Hall will be Cinderella-themed.  On the Wonder, there's a statue of Ariel in the atrium, and right behind it is Triton's, The Little Mermaid-themed restaurant.  If they do the same thing with the Wish, the rotational restaurant by the Grand Hall will be Cinderella-themed.

In the video, look behind Cinderella.  One of the rotational restaurants will probably be there.  Look at the section slightly to the left of the statue.  There's something that looks like a person holding an oar, and next to that is a smaller person holding what looks like a hook.  It's Moana and Maui!  To the left of Moana, there's something that kind of looks like a chicken, and that's probably Hei Hei, the chicken in Moana.  I can't tell what the rest of the small maybe-statues in that section are, but they're probably all related to Moana.

To the left of the Moana maybe-statues is another group of statues.  One of the larger maybe-statues here looks like a woman in a dress, so it's probably another Disney princess.  It looks like these maybe-statue groups line the entire wall behind the Cinderella statue, the exterior wall of what may be a restaurant.  So, will this restaurant be princess-themed?  I think so!

The video gives us another look at the Wish's grand staircase, and yup, it's pretty grand.  It will go two decks above the Grand Hall's main floor, which will probably be on Deck 3.  Assuming it's Deck 3, the staircase will go up to Deck 4 and Deck 5.  

It doesn't look like there's another grand staircase going down to Deck 2 like there is on the Dream and Fantasy.  The main reason for that staircase is Enchanted Garden on Deck 2.  Since the Wish won't have a fancy staircase going down to Deck 2, there probably won't be a restaurant down there.  The Wish's Deck 2 will probably be exclusively staterooms.  The Wish will probably a restaurant layout something similar to what the Magic and Wonder had, two on Deck 3 and one on Deck 4.  Deck 3 and Deck 4 don't have any staterooms on them, so they're better for a restaurant, a place where hundreds of people go every day.

The carpet of the Grand Hall looks like it has a floral design, so you can expect to see flowers hidden around the Grand Hall.  The carpet looks more like blue than in the older rendering, where it looked more like purple.  The design even continues on the bottom of the grand staircase!  I'm not sure if this will be painted or light, but from the rendering, it looks like light to me.  

The current DCL ships have colors that are common around the main areas of the ship.  For example, when I was on the Fantasy in January, I noticed a lot of green.  You can see it in the photo of the Minnie Mouse statue above.  With that in mind, the colors blue and white are probably going to be common around the Wish.  

There are some really comfy-looking couches to the left of the Cinderella statue, and I hope to sit on them one day.  They were shown in the older rendering, but they look more comfortable in the video.

Looking up on what are probably going to be Deck 4 and Deck 5, the railings appear to have colored glass inserted throughout the design, shown in both the older rendering and the new video.  I don't see any Hidden Mickeys on the railings, but this is just a rendering, so there may be some in the railings of the real Wish.

On Deck 4 directly above the Cinderella statue, there's a large painting of what looks like Cinderella and Prince Charming at a ball.  This art goes well with the colors of the Grand Hall.  There might be another one on the other side, but the grand staircase is in the way.  On the right side of Deck 4, there's a nondescript desk.  It's right in front of a porthole, and it may be either the Future Cruise Planning desk or the Disney Vacation Club desk.  Or, maybe it's the Port Adventures desk.

In the center of Deck 4, it looks like there's an entrance to another area.  This might be the Vista Gallery, since that's where it was on the Dream and Fantasy before they sadly got moved.  Deck 2 just isn't the same as Deck 4.

On Deck 5, there's a pair of doors.  This might be the entrance to the D Lounge or another attraction like the Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique or the nursery.

It's not shown in the video, but there will likely be a piano in the Grand Hall.  Live music is one of my favorite features of the atriums, and it would be a shame if the Wish's didn't have a piano.

Also not shown is the Grand Hall's chandelier, but we already know what it might look like, thanks to the older rendering.

Earlier in the month, I squeezed a lot of information out of a 39-second video.  This video was 38-seconds and I managed to squeeze even more out of it!  The 3D rendering of the Grand Hall got me thinking:  Does a 3D rendering of the entire ship exist?  It would be so much fun to explore a new ship without having to wait until summer 2022.  Since the Wish's construction is under way, there probably is, along with a physical scale model.  I doubt we'll ever get to see either of those, though.  If we could, it would be amazing, but I think I'd prefer to be surprised on the real thing instead of finding everything in a virtual version.  As we've all learned in 2020, seeing things in person is so much better than on a screen.  Finally, the renderings are not the final design of the Wish, so there may be some minor changes on the real ship.  The Wish is scheduled to launch in summer 2022, and for DCL fans like me, that can't come soon enough!

The DCL Christmas Tree Ornament Fleet

Back in 2017, when I was on the Dream, I bought an Disney Dream Christmas tree ornament from Mickey's Mainsail.  All four ship ornaments have been available in the Disney Cruise Line section of ShopDisney.com at times, but currently, they aren't listed.  

Since that Dream cruise, I've increased my collection until last year, when I got the last one!

On the tree, the Magic is at the top, the Wonder is below it, the Dream is below the Wonder, and the Fantasy is at the bottom.  These ornaments are pretty detailed, but they aren't completely accurate.  Let's take a closer look.

The Magic

The Wonder

The Dream

The Fantasy

The Dream and Fantasy have their names on the sides, but the Magic and Wonder don't, probably since on the real ships, their names aren't in the same place that the names on the Dream and the  Fantasy are.  I really like these ornaments, but something that bothers me about them is that the Magic and Wonder ornaments are larger than the Dream and Fantasy!

The explanation I have for this is that the Magic and Wonder ornaments were designed before the Dream and Fantasy launched.  Then, when the Dream and Fantasy ornaments were designed, the Magic and Wonder ornaments weren't used as references.  

With my problem with the ornaments out of the way, let's look closely at them.  Since they're bigger, the Magic and Wonder ornaments are more detailed.  The top decks of them are more colorful and even have the decks textured.  However, these ornaments are outdated and don't show the changes made in their reimaginations, like the AquaDunk (on the Magic), the AquaLab, or the Twist n' Spout.  I don't have a problem with this, since it's not very noticeable unless you look at them super closely, like I did.

Since they aren't up to date, the Magic and Wonder ornaments still have Mickey's Slide and Mickey's Pool, in addition to Goofy's pool, the Quiet Cove Pool, and the crew pool!

The Dream and Fantasy ornaments feature the AquaDuck, Mickey's Pool (but no Mickey's Slide), Donald's Pool, and the Quiet Cove Pool.  There's no Vibe sundeck pool, but there is a silhouette of Mickey's head at the front of the ships.  Remember when it was gray?  Don't worry, I won't waste any time today speculating about an ornament.

The bows of all four ships.

The sterns of all four ships don't have the characters on them like the real ships do, but making tiny character models and painting them would be a challenge.  They do have tiny versions of the name art that the real ships have on their sterns, but they're below the gold line instead of part of the line.  This is understandable, since the ships are so small, which probably makes it nearly impossible to get everything exactly right.

If you celebrate Christmas, I hope you have a Very Merrytime!  If you don't, have a great December 25th!

The Updated Disney Cruise Line Website

 The Disney Cruise Line website was recently updated.  There weren't any major changes, like adding the Wish's deck plans, but they did remove "finder.deck-plans.facet-bar.ship-wish".  It was replaced with an empty box:

Besides that, the site mainly received a minor visual update.  However, there were a few things I found that were changed, and some of them are pretty nice features.  Let's take a look!

Starting out on the website's homepage, the cruise finder bar has been changed.

This change may appear to be just a minor cosmetic change, but clicking on the search tabs reveals that there was a substantial change made.

The cruise date selection used to just be a list of months, and users could click on the months they wanted to see cruises for.  Now, though, it's much more friendly, as it asks a question!  "When would you like to sail?"  It also changed the look and size of the month boxes, which makes them easier to select, especially on a mobile device.

The next tab shows the destinations that the DCL ships sail to.  Like the previous tab, it now asks a question.  "Where would you like to sail?"  Also like the previous tab, this tab used to just have a list of destinations, but now, it shows photos of them.  

The next tab is the departure port tab.  The question here is "Where would you like to depart from?"  Like the destinations, there is now a photo of each departure port.

This is the tab to select how many people are going on the cruise.  This question is "Who's sailing?"  Online, you can book up to five people per room, and four rooms per one cruise.  If you want take over twenty people or book more than four rooms on a cruise, you can make multiple reservations, contact a travel agent, or call DCL.  This policy has not changed with the new website update.

The last tab, for other search filters, has some miscellaneous search filters.  Keeping with the friendly question theme, this tab asks, "Would you like to experience a Themed or Holiday Cruise?", "How many nights?", and, "What ship would you like to sail on?"  I don't know why there's a "14 or More" option, since the longest DCL cruises are 14-nights.  Maybe once the Wish starts sailing one of the existing ships will occasionally do longer cruises.  I don't think this will happen, though, because the 14-night Panama Canal cruises don't sell as well as other cruises because they're so long.  

If you select a filter in one tab, the filters in the other tabs will update to show this change.  For example, if you choose January 2022, you can't select Alaska as a destination, because there aren't any Alaskan cruises in the winter.  This feature was here before this update, but I thought it was worth mentioning.  

This cruise ends exactly one year from the date I wrote this post, so I chose it to show the other updates to the DCL website.  Next to the cruise date, it says that this cruise starts on a Thursday and ends on a Monday.  This is super helpful and a great addition.  Now, I don't have to waste time looking on a calendar to see what day of the week the cruise starts on and ends on!  Another helpful change is the addition of the "Sailing on..." text on the right side.  It said the name of the ship before this update, but having the name of the ship in the font that's actually on the ship makes it more obvious.  

This doesn't have anything to do with the update, but for some reason, there are two different photos for Very Merrytime cruises.  I don't really know why Disney would do this, but it does add some variety to the cruise selection page.  I guess that's a good thing.

This update didn't include anything mind blowing, but the small updates that were made were nice.  Having a pleasant user experience while searching for cruises may get more people to decide to book a cruise, so this update is good for both users and Disney.  As the Wish gets closer to completion and more is announced about it, there will probably be more interest in DCL, so it's good their website was improved for the potential new guests!  When more gets announced about the Wish, I know I'll be using the DCL website a lot.