Late 2014 Itinerary Changes for the Disney Dream and the Disney Magic – Possible Dream-y Dry Dock?

There is word circulating this morning that Disney Cruise Line will be repositioning the reimagined Disney Magic from Miami to Port Canaveral in the fall of 2014. This relocation will result in some itinerary changes for the Disney Dream. Disney has been notifying guests and travel agents via email (see copy below) who are booked on the select fall 2014 sailing aboard the Disney Dream with information on these itinerary changes.

DCL Dream Itinerary Change Letter to Travel Agents June 3, 2013

There are quite a few itinerary changes for the Disney Dream, and I tried to compile them as best as possible into the calendar below.

Disney Dream Fall 2014 Calendar

According to the email from Disney Cruise Line to travel agents, affected guests booked on these sailings will automatically be moved to the revised sailing. If guests have any questions about their upcoming voyage or wish to make modifications to a reservation they can begin calling 866-858-7416 on June 11, 2013.

Based on the Disney Cruise Line’s online sailing calendars, the [Disney_Dream] dates between October 23, 2014 and November 16, 2014 are no longer listed and have yet to be replaced with the revised dates.

Disney Dream Fall 2014 DCL Schedule

The Dream was originally set to transition to a Monday/Friday 3/4-Night rotation on November 17, 2014 which was quietly revealed along with Disney’s February itinerary announcement. Earlier this year when we sailed on the Fantasy, we found itineraries in the printed brochure showing 7-Night Westerns for the Disney Wonder beginning from Port Canaveral on Sunday November 16, 2014 following her dry dock. This would be made possible with the Disney Dream’s switch to Monday and Friday sailings; although they sailings are not yet bookable.

With today’s news that the reimagined Disney Magic will be sailing from Port Canaveral, this could potentially allow the Disney Dream to take a few weeks off, as she will be due for her first dry dock. We speculated a possible November 2014 timeframe for dry dock back in February. More specifically, I think the Disney Magic will be covering for the Disney Dream.

The Disney Magic is currently scheduled to finish sailing 7-Night Southern Caribbean sailings from San Juan and return to Miami on October 20, 2014. The current Grand Cayman port calendar suggests that the Disney Magic itineraries will be altered with her first call now appearing on November 5th instead of November 2nd.

Disney Magic Grand Cayman Late 2014

With the changes to the Disney Dream itineraries around the same week as the Disney Magic returns from San Juan, it is possible that the Disney Dream sailings beginning October 23, 2014 are actually aboard the Disney Magic. This is still not clear (and is purely speculation on my part), but it would appear we may soon find out sooner than later as more details surface.

We could very well see the Disney Magic on Mondays & Fridays, the Disney Wonder on Sundays, and Disney Fantasy on Saturdays all sailing from Port Canaveral while the Disney Dream is in dry dock.

I reached out to Disney Cruise Line for comment on the potential dry dock of the Disney Dream, as well as clarification on the itinerary changes. However, at the time of publication, I have yet to receive a response. I will update this post with any new information.

17 Replies to “Late 2014 Itinerary Changes for the Disney Dream and the Disney Magic – Possible Dream-y Dry Dock?”

  1. ndwest

    I think you used incorrect dates when referring to the 7-nt Southern Caribbean sailings on the Magic. Those sailings aren’t until Sept/Oct 2014, not 2013. You might want to correct this in your original blog post. Thanks for the head’s up of the potential changes though!

    Reply
  2. Stephanie J

    I think that there’s still a 2013 mistake in the third to the last paragraph, referring to the Dream sailings actually being on the Magic. 🙂

    Reply
  3. Vanessa C

    Would really like to know for sure, whether The Wonder will be doing a dry dock…but more specifically a renovation/refurbish prior to my sailing on December 30, 2014 out of Miami. This is super important for me to know simply because I booked this sailing/itinerary based on it being New Years Eve and it would be on the Magic (a newly renovated ship). As of today, I received a letter stating that everything is staying the same with my reservation with the exception of the ship. This is a rather Large and Important thing for me. Do you have any “for sure” knowledge of the Wonder getting a facelift? Thanks.

    Reply
    1. Scott Sanders Post author

      DCL would not comment on any other dry dock information. I would imagine the dust will settle in the next week or so and we will all have a better idea.

      Reply
  4. nystrom4

    Kind of funny since I am booked on the magic sailing OCT31, 2014 and just go an email saying the wonder will now be doing this sailing to the grand cayman. I might call the whole thing off now unless the wonder get dry dock before that sailing. In my email it advised us to wait until jun 12th that more information will be avail then. Waiting to find out what the plan is.

    Reply
  5. Chris Laliberte

    There’s a new rule regarding drydocks. Basically if a ship is less then 15 years old and hasn’t grounded the line can ask for an in water inspection by divers or rovs instead of a dry dock. Thus can only be done once every 5 years

    Reply
    1. Scott Sanders Post author

      Thank you for sharing this information. Where can I read more about this new rule? In the case of the Wonder, what determines her age? She will turn 15 in 2014.

      Reply
    2. Emily

      Chris,

      It’s looking like there will indeed be a short space at the end of 2014 for the Dream to get her quick dry dock (presumably close, like in the Bahamas as a previous poster commented), thus pushing the Wonder’s off (I would guess Jan-Feb 2015 or so). What’s the dry dock rule? A 2 week dry dock every 3 years, and then how often for the ‘major’ (4-6 wk long) dry docks?

      Reply
      1. Chris

        Assuming that DCL hasnt got plans for the Dream, it is possible for a dry dock though it seems to be a little long for an intial. Basically the dry dock rule is that a ship must undergo extensive inspections 2x in a 5 year peoriod not to exceed 3 years. With the advances in ship building and rov technology, IMO has decided that if a ship is less then 15 yoa, she can have 1 in water inspection inplace of a drydock. But certain conditions have to be met, such as the ship cant have touched bottom at all, they have to ask permission etc. Its not a given. A cruiseline basically decides how long the ship will be in for, based on what they plan to do. Until this year, the Magic class has traditonally stayed around the 2 week mark. Most lines have also, for 1 reason or another. If there is major work to be done, and Ill use one of RCCLs ship lengthening drydocks as an example, then the time frame will be longer. The yards know down to the day and hour, how long it will take to do any given job thrown at them. Its one of the ways that a yard is selected, and a line can prepare in advance. Another reason is that all of the parts are waiting on the ship. Its rare for something to have to be custom made, while the ship is there. Its usually waiting.

        Reply
  6. Chris

    Im looking for the links I used. With the Magic class its a little different because DCL decided to do some major changes to them, and those changes can only be done while the ship is out of service. Ill be honest and say Im not sure what the date is that they use for the drydock interval.

    Reply
    1. Scott Sanders Post author

      Thanks for the link.

      This was an interesting footnote:
      If an in-water survey in lieu of dry-docking is proposed for the 15th anniversary of the ship’s construction, it should be subject to specific agreement of the Administration based on a dry-dock examination within the previous 30 months

      Seems like it would be cutting it really close with the Wonder.

      Reply
      1. Chris

        Welcome. There cutting just as close with the Magic. Her last drydock was up until Oct 14thish 2010. My wife and I were married on her first cruise out of drydock, on the 16th same year.

        Reply
      2. Chris

        Theoretically, the Wonder will go in no later then Sept of 14. Her last drydock was in Sept of 11. She should look fairly close to the Magic when they are done.

        Reply
  7. nystrom4

    I am hoping you all are right. I really want to do this sailing and am very unsure if we should. Not unless the wonder gets the changes the magic is getting. You all are giving me hope that could be happening. I know Disney normally does to one then the other. But this is just driving me crazy.

    Reply

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