Disney Cruise Line Announces Winter 2020 Itineraries (January – May) – Featuring New Orleans and a Return to Hawaii

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Disney Cruise Line announced their winter 2020 sailings today during a #DisneyParksLIVE event streamed on YouTube. The big reveal is that the Disney Wonder will repositioning from Galveston to sail a series of cruises from New Orleans with Caribbean and Bahamian itineraries. Before New Orleans, the Wonder will return to San Juan for Southern Caribbean sailings. The Wonder will embark on the 2020 Westbound Pananma Canal cruise from New Orleans and resume Baja and Mexican Riviera sailings from San Diego. Finally, the Wonder will head to Vancouver taking guests to Hawaii. A return one-way Hawaiian cruise will return the Wonder to Vancouver in mid-May.

The Disney Magic will continue to sail  4- and 5-night Bahamian and 5-night Western Caribbean cruises from PortMiami before the May 11, 2020, Eastbound Transatlantic. The Disney Dream and Disney Fantasy will remain at Port Canaveral. The Disney Dream will continue sailing alternating 3- and 4-night Bahamian cruises on Fridays and Mondays. The Disney Fantasy will stick with the alternating 7-night Western and Eastern Caribbean cruises.

DCL Captain Mickey New Orleans

Today’s release extended the available sail dates through mid-2020. These new sail dates will allow guest to plan vacations more than one year out, as well as take advantage of opening day pricing for some of the new itineraries.

Although the dates were announced today, general booking will not open until Thursday October 4th. However, there will be a tiered booking period beginning Monday October 1st.

  • Monday October 1st –Platinum Castaway Club members & Disney’s Golden Oaks residents
  • Tuesday October 2nd – Gold Castaway Club members
  • Wednesday October 3rd – Silver Castaway Club members & DVC members who have not previously sailed with DCL
  • Thursday October 4th, first time cruisers will be able to book.

As was the case with the last itinerary release, Castaway Club members can book online beginning Monday! The only caveat is that this is for new bookings only as the website is not set up to move a placeholder to a new sail date. Those types of bookings will still require a phone call.

The following bears repeating, please do NOT try calling today to book; this will just clog up the phone lines and bog down the reservation cast members. There may be people attempting to book an available cruise vacation today.

The video above was from the DisneyParks Youtube Channel, but has been set to unavailable. Below is an archived copy of the announcement.

Disney Magic Winter 2020 Sailings

The Disney Magic will continue to sail 4- and 5-night Bahamian as well as 5-night Western Caribbean cruises from PortMiami leading up to the a probable May 11, 2020 Eastbound Transatlantic cruise.

Miami

35 Replies to “Disney Cruise Line Announces Winter 2020 Itineraries (January – May) – Featuring New Orleans and a Return to Hawaii”

  2. Gina

    It is exciting that DCL is cruising out of New Orleans but I wish it was the Magic instead of the Wonder. If I’m going to fly somewhere for a cruise, I want it to be on a different ship, not the same one I’ve been sailing on out of San Diego. I can’t keep seeing all the same shows! Do you think they will announce which cruises are going to be MDAS? That’s the one I’m actually wanting to book for Jan 2020. Should I assume it will be the same sailings as 2019? Thank you Scott for making it so easy for me to just come to one place to get all the info! I sure love your site and appreciate everything you post.

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    1. Kathy

      I agree. I would love for them to flip the Wonder and Magic for a change. I’m cruising on the Magic out of Miami and would love to have a different option the following year. Scott, what is your thinking about why the Magic does the Transatlantic/Europe gig and the Wonder continues to do the Alaska/West coast gig?

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          1. Scott Sanders Post author

            The Magic spends a considerable amount of time in the Med during the summer. The Magic’s time in cold weather is much less than the Wonder. Plus the Magic is not encountering icebergs.

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  3. John

    Hopefully, Disney is not leaving Galveston, because this now makes people in Austin, Dallas, and San Antonio practically out of driving distance as compared to Galveston. Even driving from the city of Houston will be about a 6-hour drive which is the closest major city.

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  4. Jay z

    agree John.. we have done eight cruises out of Galveston and if they pull out of Galveston dont think we can make the drive to New Orleans

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  5. Rhonda S Tilly

    As a resident of South Mississippi and a Platinum cruiser, DCL made one of my greatest wishes come true today! I am beyond thrilled. DH has been wanting to go to Key West forever, so that looks like the one for us!

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  7. Denise S

    Scott, When would you estimate they release the Summer 2020? My April plans are shot due to Florida FSA schedule! My wallet vibrates as I type! Thanks so much!

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      2. Maggie

        I don’t think it is that much of a departure from previous years, if you look at the 2015 release date. In 2015 booking began on the first Thursday in October for the general public. With the new schedule of releasing the week before booking begins, they seem to have moved the release earlier, but kept the booking week. So, booking for the general public again begins on the first Thursday in October.
        Also, I think both 2016 (Matthew) and 2017 (Irma, Maria) had hurricanes in that September, early October time frame and that might have delayed an otherwise planned earlier release? Pure speculation, but it is interesting that 2018 with no hurricane went back to the same time frame as 2015.

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    1. Scott Sanders Post author

      Christopher,
      I generate at base map using open source QGIS mapping software. I use Photoshop to add the itinerary lines and the ships to indicate sea days. Arrows are used on some maps to indicate travel direction when there is no sea day.

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  9. Stefan

    Can anybody estimate the prices for both Hawaiian journeys in the cheapest verandah category (not Navigator’s verandah)?

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    2. Alison

      Would you really want to b2b for this one? We did the inaugural Hawaiian cruise (roundtrip back then) and with all of the sea days it seemed very long. They had plenty of Hawaiian-themed activities on the way to Hawaii (lei making, Hawaiian language class, star gazing), but little to do for the adults on the way back. We were painting many animation cels and making a lot of Flubber!

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  11. Wendy Chor

    Not sure if someone has asked this but when will the release be for 2020 (June-December) into 2021? Is that something we know yet?

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  12. Bec H

    Hawaii itineraries were sold out before it reached Silver. I keep checking and have only seen 1 room come up for Hawaii to Vancouver but it wasn’t big enough for my family of 4. What do you think the chances are of cancellations and getting a stateroom on sold out cruises? Should I just accept defeat?

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  13. skywalkerwritesblog

    My wife and I were really lucky to get a Hawaiian itinerary (booked online as Silver members from the airport as we made our way to Orlando for our 7-Night Eastern Caribbean sailing on the Fantasy); we were hoping for the (slightly cheaper) Oceanview 09B GTY room, but wound up getting a (slightly pricier) 09A.

    No matter what, though, we’re really excited to be going to Hawaii in 2020! It’ll be our third cruise, second time sailing on the Wonder.

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  14. Richard W Hebert

    I keep waiting and hoping that Disney will soon be releasing their summer 2020 cruise itineraries. I’ve been checking almost daily, and nothing as of yet.

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  15. John Welch

    Hi Scott, do you know if Disney offered any land and sea packages at Aulani on the previous Hawaiian cruises? If so, do you know how far in advance they were offered?

    Thanks for all work keeping tabs on DCL. This page is a great resource. Whenever someone asks about doing a cruise with Disney I always direct them here.

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