Template:Short description Template:About Template:Use mdy dates
Template:Infobox ship imageTemplate:Infobox ship careerTemplate:Infobox ship characteristicsDisney Magic is a cruise ship owned and operated by Disney Cruise Line, a subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> She is the line's first vessel, later followed by the Disney Wonder, Disney Dream, Disney Fantasy, Disney Wish, and Disney Treasure. She has 11 public decks, can accommodate 2,700 passengers in 875 staterooms,<ref name=gos/> and has a crew of approximately 950. The interior of Disney Magic is decorated in the Art Deco style.
The ship has 20 bright yellow lifeboats which, along with the black, red, and white colors of the ship itself, match the colors of Mickey Mouse. This change from the standard safety orange took a waiver of international maritime rules.<ref name=nyt>Template:Cite news</ref> As with other Disney cruise ships, the ship's horn blast plays a snippet of "When You Wish Upon a Star".<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Disney MagicTemplate:'s "godmother" is Patricia Disney, former wife of Walt Disney's nephew, Roy E. Disney.<ref name="ut" />
HistoryEdit
Planning and constructionEdit
Disney had cruise ship designs drawn up by February 1994.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Disney Cruise Line in 1995 ordered Disney Magic and Disney Wonder from Fincantieri in Italy. The ship was built in two halves with the bow built at Fincatieri's Ancona shipyard and the stern at their Marghera shipyard.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>Template:Cite tweet</ref>
The planned maiden voyage was for March 12, 1998.<ref name="gos">Template:Cite book</ref> In January 1997, the first ticket for Magic's first trip was raffled off on Lifetime channel, while ticket sales would begin in September 1997.<ref name="nyt" /> Delays on the construction of MS Rotterdam kept additional workers from the Magic. Thus, by November 1997, the cruise line initially rescheduled the ship's initial voyage to April 30, 1998. However, further delays from suppliers and poor weather conditions at Fincantieri pushed back the maiden voyage even further by a few months. The bow was towed to the Marghera shipyard where the halves were joined.<ref name="gos" />
ItinerariesEdit
With livery and design evocative of the RMS Queen Mary,<ref>"Now it's heigh-ho, off to sea we go," Ocala Star Banner (newspaper), 1997-01-26, Section D pg8</ref> Disney Magic set sail on her maiden voyage on July 30, 1998, out of her home port, Port Canaveral in Florida.<ref name="gos" /> The ship's initial cruises were to Nassau, Bahamas with a stop at Disney Cruise Line's Castaway Cay over three to four nights.<ref name="ut" />
Originally, from 2000, Disney Magic had been undertaking weekly cruises to Castaway Cay and the Caribbean islands out of Port Canaveral.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
In May 2005, Disney Magic was dispatched to the West Coast as part of Disneyland's 50th Anniversary celebrations and as a test for California expansion. The transfer cruise sold out quicker than expected. Bookings from first time Disney cruisers were up for these cruises by at least 60%.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
In May 2007, Disney Magic started her inaugural Mediterranean cruises out of Barcelona, Spain. At the end of the summer, she returned to her home port of Port Canaveral.<ref name="ut">Template:Cite news</ref> In the summer of 2008, Disney Magic was moved to Los Angeles once again.<ref name="Garcia0330">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> The ship returned to Barcelona in 2010 for another summer of Mediterranean cruises, as well as several northern European cruises before again returning to Port Canaveral in September.<ref name="ut"/>
In May 2012, Disney Magic was relocated to New York City, where she sailed 8-night cruises to the Bahamas, New England, and Canada. In September, she was relocated to Galveston, Texas for the remainder of the year and offered 4-night Caribbean cruises, 6, 7, and 8-night Western Caribbean cruises, and 8-night Bahamian cruises.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> In June 2013, Disney Magic was re-positioned to Barcelona for the summer.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
Disney Magic was put in for an overhaul at Navantia shipyard, Cadiz, Spain.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> In October 2013, Disney Cruise Line completed renovations to the ship,<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> including updates to the ship's cabins, lounges, restaurants and spa and introduced new features including; "Marvel's Avengers Academy", a play area based on Marvel's Avengers characters, the AquaDunk and the AquaLab, consisting of a pool and waterslide.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The short-lived Carioca's restaurant replaced Parrot Cay, which would later be replaced with Rapunzel's Royal Table in 2018. Club Disney Junior replaced the Mickey Mouse Club and other changes were made.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
In 2010, Disney Magic sailed Disney Cruise Lines' inaugural Northern Europe itineraries, homeported in the port of Dover, 70 miles from London, England. She sailed to Norway, the British Isles, and the Baltic Sea during her brief three-month season. With the October 6, 2017 cruise from New York to the Bahamas, Disney Cruise Line held its first Marvel Day at Sea.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Disney Magic was anchored in Dover, England on and off from May 2020 and was due to stay until at least August 2021.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> At that time, she sailed a series of "staycation cruises" (no port visits or excursions, subject to restrictions) exclusively in the United Kingdom.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> UK cruises concluded on October 4, 2021, when Disney Magic repositioned to Miami, Florida and commenced cruises to the Bahamas. Then, in the summer of 2022, she returned to Europe for European cruises before returning to the US for the fall.
In May 2023, Disney Magic completed a three-week dry dock maintenance period in the Bahamas, followed by trials and operations from San Juan, Puerto Rico, serving the Southern Caribbean and ABC itineraries.
RecreationEdit
EntertainmentEdit
Entertainment on Disney Magic includes live Broadway-style shows with many Disney characters at the Walt Disney Theater, the Buena Vista movie theater, which features both Disney films and first-run movies, several night clubs and lounges, several pools, and many Disney-themed parties and celebrations, including a Sail-Away Celebration, Pirate Night, and sometimes a Marvel or Star Wars Day at Sea.
On the ship's forward funnel, there is a 24-by-14 foot LED screen known as the Funnel Vision, due to its location on the rear of one of the ship's funnels, where guests can watch various movies and shows either from the deck or from inside Goofy's Pool.
Shows from the Walt Disney Theatre may include: All Aboard, Let The Magic Begin, Twice Charmed: A Twist on the Cinderella Story, Tangled the Musical, Disney Dreams: An Enchanted Classic,<ref name=os>Template:Cite news</ref> and A Final Farewell Show.Template:Citation needed Former shows included Villains Tonight!, which was replaced by Tangled.<ref name=os/>
DiningEdit
Disney Cruise line is known for pioneering the rotational dining setup, in which guests and their wait staff rotate through three differently themed restaurants throughout their cruise. The Disney MagicTemplate:'s restaurants include Lumiere's (serving primarily French Cuisine), Rapunzel's Royal Table (serving German-inspired food), and Animator's Palate (which is present on three of the other Disney cruise ships). Additionally, the upscale, adults-only restaurant Palo, situated at the rear of the ship, requires a separate reservation and serves high-end Italian cuisine.
Youth ClubsEdit
The ship features a nursery, Oceaneer Club, Oceaneer Lab, Edge, and Vibe for kids entertainment.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
ReferencesEdit
External linksEdit
Template:List of ships built by Fincantieri Template:Disney Cruise Line Template:Walt Disney Parks and Resorts