Norwegian Dawn Met by Protesters in Key West

The Norwegian Dawn was met by a group of protesters when it called in Key West, Florida on Dec. 9.

The protesters are part of the Safer, Cleaner Ships (SCS) movement, which aims to uphold the wishes of the Key West locals who voted in favour of limiting persons disembarking from cruise ships to 1,500 persons per day.

63.34 per cent of voters indicated that desire during the 2020 election in the city, which also held a referendum on three cruise industry-related issues that day.

That was later essentially overturned by a Florida Senate transportation bill that declared “any local ballot initiative or referendum may not restrict maritime commerce.”

"Large cruise ships like Norwegian Dawn are just too big for our shallow channel and harbour. Every time one of these ships comes in, they drag the seafloor and leave a silt plume that runs from the reef to the harbour,” said Arlo Haskell, SCS treasurer.

“We have a lot of active boaters in Key West and everyone here knows this is way outside the bounds of responsible navigation. It is illegal propeller dredging and it violates water quality standards established under the US Clean Water Act and Florida law. Someone needs to step in and do something to stop these illegal acts. Until then, the protests will continue."

The 2,200-passenger Norwegian Dawn is operating a 12-night round Caribbean itinerary from/to Tampa.

Disney Cruise Line’s Super Plans

PHOTO: Spider-Man, Captain America and Thor posing in front of the Disney Cruise Line logo. (photo courtesy of DIsney Cruise Line)

Several famous superheroes are currently sailing aboard Disney Cruise Line’s Disney Magic from New York City, but that’s only a fraction of the excitement on its way.

We had the opportunity to ask Ms. Jennifer Haile Tinn, Senior Manager of Marketing Strategy some questions about just what can be expected now and into the near future—including current Caribbean itinerary concerns—for the growing fleet.

TravelPulse: How would you say Marvel Day at Sea will compare to Star Wars Day at Sea? Being on the smaller Disney Magic versus the larger Disney Fantasy, will the scope be any different?

Jennifer Haile Tinn: The scope of Marvel Day at Sea is just as epic as Star Wars Day at Sea. From character experiences to deck show spectaculars, both Marvel Day at Sea and Star Wars Day at Sea offer unique and epic experiences for our Guests. Marvel Day at Sea is home to the largest assembly of superheroes ever on a cruise ship with some of the most popular Marvel Super Heroes.

Guests can sign up for guaranteed meet and greets with Spider-Man, Iron Man and, for the first time, Black Panther during the sailing. In addition, guests have the chance for heroic encounters with Captain America, Thor, Black Widow, Hawkeye, Doctor Strange, Star-Lord, Gamora, Groot and the sinister Loki. Even adults can get in on the action with the Guardians of the Galaxy, celebrating a galactic dance party in Ravagers Nightclub.

TP: With the fleet nearly doubling soon, what future itineraries are being considered? Might we see more frequency of departures on the West Coast, Hawaii and Asia, for instance? When can we expect to hear more in regard to the new ships’ onboard features?

JHT: While we are excited to nearly double our fleet by 2023, we aren’t ready to share details about the new ships’ features quite yet. We will be returning to the West Coast in early 2018. The sailings will depart from San Diego with seven Disney Wonder cruises to Baja and the Mexican Riviera—five-night sailings visit Cabo San Lucas and Ensenada, Mexico and two- and three-night cruises call on Ensenada.

TP: How is Disney Cruise Line reacting to the Caribbean’s recent hurricane damage and port changes? Do you foresee them affecting the new itineraries from January through April at all? (For 2018, Disney will embark on eight Caribbean cruises from Miami during this time.)

JHT: We are continuing to monitor the condition of ports in the Eastern Caribbean and making modifications to our itineraries as needed. Please check our website for the latest updates to our itineraries: https://disneycruise.disney.go.com/guest-services/advisory/.

TP: So, what does it all mean? By the time Disney has seven ships, deployments are likely to greatly expand. Currently, the latest Disney Dream and Disney Fantasy sail exclusively from Florida with only the Disney Magic and Disney Wonder heading elsewhere. That’s sure to change.

The brand will probably want to base its three newest sister-ships from Port Canaveral to pair up with Walt Disney World vacations, freeing up the other four to more regularly go elsewhere. The Disney Wonder already seasonally deploys on the West Coast up to Alaska.

However, the line may opt to send the larger Dream or Fantasy up North instead to offer greater capacity with jaunts to Hawaii in between. There’s definitely reason to reach the islands more often with Disney’s Aulani on Oahu, after all.

I then foresee the remaining larger sister-ship going to Europe and the Wonder to Asia, both potentially year-round. With so many Disney theme parks in these other destinations, there are plenty of international fans to cater to.

Remarkably, that still leaves the Magic open to doing additional itineraries. It could easily embark on exotics, becoming a more prominent ocean extension of Adventures by Disney, for instance.

Needless to say, with seven ships versus four, Disney’s options are considerable, and its guests will benefit substantially.