How do you make sure a cruise ship is shipshape?
Take it for a test `drive,’ of course. The Disney Magic, which is scheduled to make its maiden voyage April 30 from Port Canaveral, Fla., is now plying the waters off the coast of Italy on its second sea trial.
The Magic passed its first five-day trial with flying colors, said Amy Foley, a spokeswoman with Disney Cruise Line.
The sea trials test mechanical and structural aspects of the 85,000-ton ship, with particular attention paid to the engines. For obvious reasons, cruise companies want to minimize the vibration that passengers experience when the engines are at full throttle.
The Magic was within acceptable levels, Foley said.
“It performed exceptionally well.”
The ship is expected to arrive soon in Port Canaveral from the Fincantieri Shipyard near Venice, but Foley said the date has not been set.
Bookings on the ship are running strong, Foley said. Although there is still space on every sailing, much of the space on 1998 cruises already has been sold. The cruise line is not yet taking reservations for 1999, she said.
Most of the passengers are first-time cruisers, a reflection of the industry expectation that Disney’s appeal will entice this group.
Disney is encouraged that about 40 percent of its bookings have been made by adults traveling without children. The ship was designed to appeal to children and their parents without turning off honeymooners, seniors and other adults, Foley said.
The pool deck, for example, has three pools–one for adults to relax by, one for activities such as volleyball and a third just for kids.
“The ship is large enough and designed well enough so that if you’re an adult you feel like the ship was created for you,” Foley said. “If you’re with the family, you feel like it was created for a family.”
Children aboard the Disney Magic will have nearly 15,000 square feet of space to explore, with areas for storytelling, games and other activities designed for specific age groups. It’ll also feature a teen club.
Adult activities will include a swank adults-only restaurant and the nightlife venue Beat Street, a variation of Disney World’s Pleasure Island. On the ship’s top deck, sports fans can visit the ESPN Skybox, located in a decorative funnel on top of the ship. The second funnel is a working smokestack.
For after-dinner entertainment, choices include Studio Sea, a family-oriented nightclub patterned after a sound stage; the 270-seat Buena Vista Cinema, featuring Disney films; and the 1,040-seat Walt Disney Theatre, which will serve as the ship’s entertainment showcase, featuring a different 45- to 55-minute musical each night.
Before passengers set foot on the ship, Disney hopes to woo them with its $27 million terminal at Port Canaveral, which opened last month. The Art Deco-style building is intended to make the time-consuming and often tedious boarding process quick, easy and maybe even fun, with its Mickey Mouse flourishes and a terrazzo floor that features a map of the cruise route.
Although construction delays at the shipyard put off the Magic’s arrival by more than a month, construction of the second ship, the Disney Wonder, is on track for a December launch from Port Canaveral.
Both ships will offer identical seven-night cruise-hotel packages that combine a three- or four-night stay at Walt Disney World with a three- or four-day cruise to Nassau and Castaway Cay, Disney’s private island in the Bahamas.
Depending on season and accommodations, prices range from $1,309 to $3,619 per person for a seven-day package, which includes air fare and a stay at Walt Disney World, and from $799 to $2,469 for a three- or four-day cruise.
For reservations, contact a travel agent or call Disney Cruise Line at 800-WDW-CRUISE or 407-566-7000.
