So Who is thinking about booking DCL for AK?

[lagbunch8]

I know I know it isn't def yet but, if DCL does sail to AK in 2010 who is going to book?

 

DH and I are very interested in AK and look forward to seeing the $$ prices $$ :eek: ;) before we decide. Something longer than 7 nights would be nice.

 

Also I would think there would be some repo cruises in the mix if Magic goes to AK. Those would most likely be out for us because of the kids with school.

 

Anyone else interested? Thoughts? Come on jump on the speculation train--it's fun.:D

[ElsieToo]

I know I know it isn't def yet but, if DCL does sail to AK in 2010 who is going to book?

 

DH and I are very interested in AK and look forward to seeing the $$ prices $$ :eek: ;) before we decide. Something longer than 7 nights would be nice.

 

Also I would think there would be some repo cruises in the mix if Magic goes to AK. Those would most likely be out for us because of the kids with school.

 

Anyone else interested? Thoughts? Come on jump on the speculation train--it's fun.:D

 

I would definitely consider it - I'm interested in seeing if the DCL prices come down a bit once they have a larger fleet, thus less demand.

 

i don't know that there would be much in terms of repositioning cruises, though. Magic already does some "special" cruises in Mexico, so I could see them starting the Alaska route following another of those cruises. I think it would mean just taking one single longer cruise from LA/San Diego up to Alaska and would only add an extra couple of days to a "standard" Alaska route out of Seattle or Vancouver.

 

Just guesses, though, of course. :)

[ducklite]

We've already decided that we will change our 2009 eastern booking to an Alaskan itinerary for 2010. Because we'd be waiting an extra year to sail, we're not really price sensitive on it. (As long as it's less than Regent, which the last time we priced, it for 2009 was going to run us a base far of $14,000 or so for two of us!)

[ducklite]

I think that they will offer those cruises out of Seward, Vancouver, or Seattle.

 

My guess is that they will stay with the seven day itinerary, starting in either Vancouver or Seattle and ending in Seward and the alternate week starting in Seward and anding in Vancouver or Seattle. Either way they'd need the Vancouver port to have their non-US port of call. I think they will keep the ship in Alaska for a 2-3 month span.

 

There would be a nice repo cruise in each direction with port calls along the California coast. :) I imagine that in the winter months that ship will sail Mexico.

[lagbunch8]

We've already decided that we will change our 2009 eastern booking to an Alaskan itinerary for 2010. Because we'd be waiting an extra year to sail, we're not really price sensitive on it. (As long as it's less than Regent, which the last time we priced, it for 2009 was going to run us a base far of $14,000 or so for two of us!)

 

I'm planning on pushing my 2009 date back as well. Which would be good for us because we would have more time to save. Our first DCL cruise was $9000 for a 7 night Eastern magic cruise in April -2 cat 9 cabins. I assume that anything "special" that DCL might offer will be a bit more + airfare + all those wonderful AK tours. I don't think we would do a land tour after but, that would be a great option for others. ABD actually does AK trips now.

[ducklite]

I feel your pain. Our adult son will be tagging along, so we've got a Cat 3 booked. I can't remember how much exactly, but close to $8K I think. We won't need airfare, in fact DH and I will probably stop in California on the way to or from to visit Napa for a few days, and our son will meet us in the city of departure the day before the cruise.

[NancyIL]

I cruised to Alaska in 2007 and 2008, and would love to go again. Just not sure if I want to be on a ship with so many KIDS!

[lagbunch8]

I cruised to Alaska in 2007 and 2008, and would love to go again. Just not sure if I want to be on a ship with so many KIDS!

 

 

I would look into a cruiseline other than Disney then.

 

That's like me saying I would love to sail with HAL but I don't know if I want to cruise with so many old people. :D

[Magic3forme]

we are going to rebook on board in Sept, but I am willing to push it back for Alaska. :)

[ElsieToo]

My guess is that they will stay with the seven day itinerary, starting in either Vancouver or Seattle and ending in Seward and the alternate week starting in Seward and anding in Vancouver or Seattle. Either way they'd need the Vancouver port to have their non-US port of call. I think they will keep the ship in Alaska for a 2-3 month span.

 

They don't need Vancouver at all, actually. We did a Princess Alaska route that was 7 nts r/t from Seattle and we stopped in Victoria, BC (lovely city!) instead. The shorter r/ts aren't as nice as the single direction cruises in AK, though. You don't ever get up to Glacier Bay and the really beautiful glaciers up there, so I'm hoping they'll offer something like a 10 nt r/t out of Seattle or a 7 nt from Seattle to Seward.

[NancyIL]

They don't need Vancouver at all, actually. We did a Princess Alaska route that was 7 nts r/t from Seattle and we stopped in Victoria, BC (lovely city!) instead. The shorter r/ts aren't as nice as the single direction cruises in AK, though. You don't ever get up to Glacier Bay and the really beautiful glaciers up there, so I'm hoping they'll offer something like a 10 nt r/t out of Seattle or a 7 nt from Seattle to Seward.

 

There are roundtrips from Seattle that go to Glacier Bay - and they're on Holland America and NCL. Some roundtrips from Seattle go to Hubbard Glacier, and that's even farther north than Glacier Bay. Also - one-ways begin or end in Vancouver, not Seattle. I don't know why - they just don't. (Might be the foreign port requirement, because Seattle and Seward are both U.S. ports.)

I would look into a cruiseline other than Disney then.

 

That's like me saying I would love to sail with HAL but I don't know if I want to cruise with so many old people.

I expect Disney to attract lots of families with kids, so my comment was kind of tongue-in-cheek. My HAL Alaska cruise had quite a few kids onboard, but they weren't as obvious as on DCL. For instance, I didn't notice any strollers.

[ElsieToo]

There are roundtrips from Seattle that go to Glacier Bay - and they're on Holland America and NCL. Some roundtrips from Seattle go to Hubbard Glacier, and that's even farther north than Glacier Bay. Also - one-ways begin or end in Vancouver, not Seattle. I don't know why - they just don't. (Might be the foreign port requirement, because Seattle and Seward are both U.S. ports.)

 

Thanks, Nancy - I didn't know that. We didn't really consider NCL or HAL when we did our AK trip so I wasn't aware of their itineraries. It seems odd to me that one ways can't go out of Seattle - they could still port at Victoria or Vancouver for a day and meet the requirement, yes?

[NancyIL]

It seems odd to me that one ways can't go out of Seattle - they could still port at Victoria or Vancouver for a day and meet the requirement, yes?

I don't know what the law is regarding travel between two different U.S. ports. I also can't say one-ways have never been done from Seattle - but not in the past few years that I have been paying attention to itineraries.

[Host Mick]

I don't know what the law is regarding travel between two different U.S. ports. I also can't say one-ways have never been done from Seattle - but not in the past few years that I have been paying attention to itineraries.

 

The Merchant Marine Act of 1920 (The Jones Act) requires that foreign-flagged ships that carry passengers between US ports stop at a foreign port somewhere in the itinerary. It also provides restrictions on crewing and repairs. The intent was that shipping lines would build their ships in the US but instead, it has created strange inineraries like Hawaii, Kiribati, Hawaii and Hawaiian cruises that leave from San Diego, go to Ensenada then go to Hawaii. There's also the Alaska cruises that stop in Vancouver rather than another US port. So how has that worked out for the US Merchant Marine? US shipyards now build less than 1% of the world's large commercial shipping tons. The act has nearly destroyed the US merchant marine and commercial shipbuilding by providing disencentives to build American hulls and use American crews.

The Jones Act has failed but some congresscritters want to "strengthen" it by requiring that the foreign port visit be 72 hours. Rather that creating more shipbuilding and crew jobs, this move is expected to destroy the already weak West coast cruise industry.

 

[/rant]

[NancyIL]

The Merchant Marine Act of 1920 (The Jones Act) requires that foreign-flagged ships that carry passengers between US ports stop at a foreign port somewhere in the itinerary. It also provides restrictions on crewing and repairs. The intent was that shipping lines would build their ships in the US but instead, it has created strange inineraries like Hawaii, Kiribati, Hawaii and Hawaiian cruises that leave from San Diego, go to Ensenada then go to Hawaii. There's also the Alaska cruises that stop in Vancouver rather than another US port. So how has that worked out for the US Merchant Marine? US shipyards now build less than 1% of the world's large commercial shipping tons. The act has nearly destroyed the US merchant marine and commercial shipbuilding by providing disencentives to build American hulls and use American crews.

The Jones Act has failed but some congresscritters want to "strengthen" it by requiring that the foreign port visit be 72 hours. Rather that creating more shipbuilding and crew jobs, this move is expected to destroy the already weak West coast cruise industry.

 

[/rant]

 

Those requirements are due to the Passenger Vessels Services Act of 1886 - and that's the one legislators were tinkering with last spring: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Passenger_Services_Act

 

The Jones Act is a bit different: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Merchant_Marine_Act_of_1920

 

Roundtrip Alaska cruises leaving from a US port like Seattle or San Francisco usually make their foreign port stop in Victoria or Prince Rupert - not Vancouver.

[Host Mick]

Those requirements are due to the Passenger Vessels Services Act of 1886 - and that's the one legislators were tinkering with last spring: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Passenger_Services_Act

 

The Jones Act is a bit different: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Merchant_Marine_Act_of_1920

 

Roundtrip Alaska cruises leaving from a US port like Seattle or San Francisco usually make their foreign port stop in Victoria or Prince Rupert - not Vancouver.

 

They're both changes to what is now 46 USC. Different sides of the same coin.

 

Vancouver, Victoria or Prince Rupert just the same the point is made.

[hencoll]

We've already decided that we will change our 2009 eastern booking to an Alaskan itinerary for 2010. Because we'd be waiting an extra year to sail, we're not really price sensitive on it. (As long as it's less than Regent, which the last time we priced, it for 2009 was going to run us a base far of $14,000 or so for two of us!)

 

We also have a 2009 booking that we will transfer to a 2010 date if its an Alaska itinerary or the Baltics/Northern Europe (the other big rumor!!;) ).

[pluto,]

i hope they go somewhere special in 2010 alaska or europe somewhere other than the carribean again. have the boring carribean cruises for 9 months but please go somewhere special for three months a year.no good cruises in 2009 and in 2008 they only had 2 good cruises.

[NancyIL]

Looks like DCL will be in Alaska in 2011 at the earliest. They'll be in northern Europe in 2010.

 

**Let's see if this works. According to the port of Copenhagen's schedule, the Disney Magic will be there on June 15, 2010: http://www.tv.cphport.dk/coins/KbhHavn.nsf/anloebCruiseAll?openAgent&lang=1 You'll have to change the year to 2010 and scroll to June.

[ducklite]

OK, they'll have four ships by then. I think we're safe in assuming that one will stay in FL doing the same 3/4 that the Wonder has been doing.

 

That leaves three more.

 

Why couldn't one do an Alaska route in the summer and SOCAL/MEX in the winter, while another sails Europe in the summer and the Caribbean in the winter?

 

I'm sure they've got it all worked out, but I can't imagine they would bother to spend the money and time to bid on those Alaska sailings beginning in 2010 if they weren't planning on using them.

[NancyIL]

I'm sure they've got it all worked out, but I can't imagine they would bother to spend the money and time to bid on those Alaska sailings beginning in 2010 if they weren't planning on using them.

 

They can't be in Alaska AND Europe at the same time in 2010. Check the cruise forum on that other Disney board. :) The Magic will be in Oslo and Copenhagen next summer, and not sure where else yet.

[ducklite]

They can't be in Alaska AND Europe at the same time in 2010. Check the cruise forum on that other Disney board. :) The Magic will be in Oslo and Copenhagen next summer, and not sure where else yet.

 

Maybe I'm confused--when are the two new ships being delivered? That's what I'm talking about, when they have four ships sailing. I was under the impression that in 2010 they will have four ships on the water.

[Mozart527]

No, they will still only have two. The first of the two new ships is slated to be christened in Spring 2011.

[ducklite]

No, they will still only have two. The first of the two new ships is slated to be christened in Spring 2011.

 

Ah, OK, that makes sense now. Sorry for the confusion.

 

Have to think about this then, but still thinking maybe we'll reschedule and cruise to Europe instead of the 2009 Eastern we've got booked.

[Ripley's Lady]

What ship and what cruiseline is the ship in your original email picture?

That's an awesome night shot of the ship with lights!!

 

While Alaska IS on my bucket list, I want to be

on THAT ship wherever it goes!!

PS How ever did you put that ship photo on the email??:confused:

 

They don't need Vancouver at all, actually. We did a Princess Alaska route that was 7 nts r/t from Seattle and we stopped in Victoria, BC (lovely city!) instead. The shorter r/ts aren't as nice as the single direction cruises in AK, though. You don't ever get up to Glacier Bay and the really beautiful glaciers up there, so I'm hoping they'll offer something like a 10 nt r/t out of Seattle or a 7 nt from Seattle to Seward.