Michael72688
New Member
I was just wondering if DCL will ever buid newer bigger ships?
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Will DCL ever expand?
- Thread starter Michael72688
- Start date
It's been almost four years since the last ship came out (Wonder) and the cruise industry is booming!
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niteobsrvr
Well-Known Member
Maybe Disney has finally learned their lesson about building too much capacity into their physical entertainment facilities. Two ships that are booked all the time are better than 3 or 4 half full ones.
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I haven't heard anything of this officially either. I would think that it would be announced if Disney was building another ship.
In 2001, there were no current plans announced for a 3rd ship (this coming from the President of DCL).
This past spring, I met one of the people that made both maiden voyages from Italy across the ocean. He hadn't heard anything about another ship then.
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niteobsrvr
Well-Known Member
True, but Disney just isn't in the cruise line business. They are in the "Family" Cruise Line business. It may not seem like a big difference but if you talk to folks who go cruises frequently, you will find many of them would rather not have lots of children aboard and in fact prefer the more adult oriented nature of the vacation.
Of course, that doesn't mean that everyone feels that way which is why Disney went the cruise line route. DCL fills in a gap or niche in the market the other major lines haven't shown much interest in as of yet.
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mbaker1277
New Member
I am a travel agent and a cruise specialist, and usually have pretty reliable industry knowlidge. First of all, the cruise industry IS NOT booming. Usually a cruise line puts in an order for up to 6 new ships to debut over the course of the next few years, with Carnival, Royal Caribbean and Princess being the leaders. Afet September 11, the cruise industry took a HUGE hit. We saw prices as low as $200 for a 7 day cruise. The cruise lines have not even come close to recuperating their losses yet. That being said, most of the major cruise lines have cancelled most of their upcoming orders for new ships, with only one or two new ones coming on board in the next few years. There are too many empty cabins sailing, and the prices are much higher than before. We do not forsee Disney building or refurbishing any new ships in the near future. Theirs is a specialty market, not like the other lines. Since there are only 2 ships, and the prices are greater than almost any other line out there, they can keep their bottom line o.k. I don't think the demand for family oriented cruises is enough for them to spend such a huge amount of money when the cruise industry as a whole is doing so poor now. But maybe 5 or 6 years down the road we may see an anouncement. Just my 2 cents worth!
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Can you tell me which cruises are sailing with open rooms? I've been on three cruises since 9/11 and all of which have been booked, I was on Voyager of the Seas, Disney Wonder, and Carnival Pride, and not one open room. We were looking at booking a cruise for this fall and our travel agent held some rooms because she said they were booking so fast, and I live about a half hour from Port Canaveral, and the Carnival Glory just came in and our local news did some stories about the cruise industry was doing just fine. And what is this I've heard about the "Ultra-Voyager" Class of ships, although it's just a hand shake it is still a good chance those ships could be built.
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mbaker1277
New Member
The ships you are referring to are very new ships, thus there is a higher demand for them and they are filling to capacity. Also, alot of people like to sail out of Port Canaveral because it is either much more convenient due to driving distance or lower airfares. The newer ships will always fill first. We always have space available on the 3 and 4 day cruises out of port Canaveral and Miami up until the day before, and sometimes they are giving away free airfare just to get the ships filled. Holland America, Princess, and Norwegian are other cruise lines who are having trouble filling their cabins. People want to sail on the newest and biggest ships. Also, we are a BIG market for the New Orleans port, because it is within driving distance, therefore both of the ships sail to full capacity. But other ports such as Miami. Ft. Lauderdale, Jacksonville, Tampa, and Galveston are not faring as well. Yes, RCCL is TALKING about building a ship that would dwarf the Voyager class, but that is just talk. Believe me, the travel industry is not the best business to be in right now, that is why I don't predict any new builds for DCL in the near future. But I also could be wrong!
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