Disney Magic

Last updated

Disney Magic
DisneyMagicdepartsCanaveral.JPG
Disney Magic departing Port Canaveral
History
Civil Ensign of the Bahamas.svg The Bahamas
NameDisney Magic
Owner The Walt Disney Company
Operator Disney Cruise Line
Port of registry Nassau, Bahamas
OrderedApril 27, 1995 [1]
Builder Fincantieri (Marghera, Italy) [2]
Cost US$400 million [3] (equivalent to $772 million in 2024)
Yard number5989 [4]
Laid downOctober 31, 1996
LaunchedMay 13, 1997
Sponsored by Patricia Disney
ChristenedJuly 28, 1998 [5]
CompletedJune 30, 1998
Maiden voyageJuly 30, 1998 [2]
In service1998–present
Identification
StatusIn service
General characteristics
Class & typeMagic-class cruise ship
Tonnage83,338  GT [2]
Length294 m (964 ft) [6]
Beam32.25 m (105.8 ft) [4]
Height52.3 m (172 ft) [7]
Draft7.7 m (25 ft) [4]
Decks11
Installed power5 × 16-cylinder Sulzer diesel engines turning Ansaldo generators producing 11,520  kW (15,450  hp) each [8]
Propulsion
  • 2 × 19 MW (25,000 hp) GE motors turning propellers
  • 3 × 1,800 kW (2,400 hp) Fincantieri bow thrusters
  • 2 × 1,800 kW (2,400 hp) Fincantieri stern thrusters [8]
Speed
  • Service: 21.5  kn (39.8 km/h; 24.7 mph) [6]
  • Maximum: 24.7 kn (45.7 km/h; 28.4 mph) [4]
Capacity
  • 1,750 passengers (double occupancy)
  • 2,713 passengers (maximum)
Crew950
Notes

Disney Magic is a cruise ship owned and operated by Disney Cruise Line, a subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company. She is the first ship in the Disney Cruise Line fleet and the lead vessel of the Magic class. The ship was followed by her sister ship, Disney Wonder (1999).

Contents

The Magic class was ordered on April 27, 1995, and built by Fincantieri at its shipyard in Marghera, Italy. Construction of the vessel began with the keel laying on October 31, 1996, and the ship was launched on May 13, 1997. She was completed on June 30, 1998, christened on July 28, 1998, and entered service with her maiden voyage on July 30, 1998. The ship reportedly cost approximately US$400 million (equivalent to $772 million in 2024).

Disney Magic contains 11 public decks, can accommodate 2,700 passengers in 875 staterooms, [2] and has a crew of approximately 950. The ship features an Art Deco design incorporating stylistic references to ocean liners of the early 20th-century, including a long, low profile and a black hull with red accents, which also reflect the colors associated with Mickey Mouse. The vessel carries yellow lifeboats that match the color of Mickey's shoes rather than the standard safety orange, a choice that required a waiver under international maritime regulations. [9]

History

Disney Magic at Cabo San Lucas, Mexico. Disney Magic2.jpg
Disney Magic at Cabo San Lucas, Mexico.

Disney had cruise ship designs drawn up by February 1994. [10] 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 constructed at Fincantieri's Ancona shipyard and the stern at their Marghera shipyard. [4] [11] [12] [13]

The planned maiden voyage was March 12, 1998. [2] Ticket sales began in September 1997. Delays due to construction of MS Rotterdam and weather at Fincantieri postponed the maiden voyage to late July 1998. The bow was towed to the Marghera shipyard, where the two halves were joined. [2]

Disney Magic began service on July 30, 1998, from Port Canaveral in Florida, initially sailing three- to four-night cruises to Nassau, Bahamas and Castaway Cay. [14]

The ship has been periodically repositioned for seasonal cruises, including Southern California, Vancouver, the Mediterranean, Galveston, Texas, and New York City. During these deployments, she operated itineraries to Mexico, Alaska, Europe and New England. [14] [15]

Disney Magic on December 2010(2).jpg
Disney Magic Baie-Comeau.jpg
Disney Magic before (left) and after (right) the addition of its "ducktail"

In September 2013, Disney Magic underwent a dry dock at Navantia's shipyard in Cádiz, Spain. A 6-meter (20 ft) "ducktail" sponson was added to improve efficiency. Updates included renovations to cabins, lounges, restaurants, and the spa, and new features such as "Marvel's Avengers Academy", AquaDunk, and AquaLab. [16] [17] Several restaurants and clubs were replaced or re-themed in later years. [18]

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Disney Magic was anchored in Dover, England from May 2020 and operated UK-only "staycation cruises." She returned to Miami in October 2021 and resumed Bahamian itineraries, returning to Europe in summer 2022 before sailing back to the United States for fall deployments. [19] [20] [21]

In May 2023, Disney Magic completed a three-week dry dock in Freeport, Bahamas, during which shore power systems were installed to connect the ship to port electricity and reduce emissions. The Soul Cat Lounge, an adults-only jazz club–themed area inspired by the movie Soul , was added, and the concierge lounge and staterooms were renovated. [22] [23]

Recreation

Disney Magic at Port of Venice. The AquaDunk slide was added in 2013. Disney Magic (14346824710).jpg
Disney Magic at Port of Venice. The AquaDunk slide was added in 2013.

Entertainment

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, [24] and A Final Farewell Show.[ citation needed ] Former shows included Villains Tonight!, which was replaced by Tangled. [24]

Dining

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 Magic'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 clubs

The ship features a nursery, Oceaneer Club, Oceaneer Lab, Edge, and Vibe for kids entertainment. [25]

References

  1. McNary, Dave (April 27, 1995). "Disney moving into cruise ships" . UPI. Retrieved February 9, 2026 via Gale OneFile.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Saunders, Aaron (October 1, 2013). Giants of the Seas: The Ships that Transformed Modern Cruising. Seaforth Publishing. pp. 76–78, 179. ISBN   978-1-84832-172-4 . Retrieved May 4, 2016.
  3. "Disney Magic". CruiseMapper. Retrieved February 5, 2026.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 "Disney Magic". Fincantieri.
  5. "Long-Awaited Disney Magic is Christened". Travel Weekly. July 29, 1998. Retrieved February 8, 2026.
  6. 1 2 "Ship Profile". Disney Cruise Line. 2002. Retrieved February 5, 2026.
  7. "Disney Magic". The Disney Cruise Line Blog. Retrieved February 5, 2026.
  8. 1 2 "Disney Wonder Engineering Technical Information" (PDF). Disney Cruise Line. July 2019.
  9. Iovine, Julie V. (January 16, 1997). "Now It's Heigh-Ho, Off to Sea We Go". The New York Times . Retrieved December 30, 2013.
  10. Dezern, Craig (February 20, 1994). "Disney Contemplating Creation Of Cruise Line". Orlando Sentinel. Retrieved May 4, 2016.
  11. "Where Do Disney Cruise Line Ships Come From? | The Kingdom Insider". March 23, 2020.
  12. "Archives: Disney Magic Float Out at Fincantieri – Cruise Industry News | Cruise News". Cruise Industry News.
  13. @HistoryAtDisney (January 18, 2018). "Disney Magic Construction, Disney Cruise Line" (Tweet) via Twitter.
  14. 1 2 Nefer, Barb. "Disney Cruise Line History". USA Today. Gannett. Archived from the original on May 5, 2016. Retrieved December 30, 2013.
  15. Sloan, Gene (September 24, 2012). "Disney kicks off first cruises from Texas". USA Today Travel. USA Today. Retrieved October 22, 2012.
  16. Lomer-Camarena, Kyara (September 28, 2014). "South Florida Parenting". Orlando Sentinel. Retrieved October 31, 2014.
  17. Sloan, Gene (April 26, 2013). "Disney Magic to get a major makeover". USA Today. Retrieved April 26, 2013.
  18. Tribou, Richard. "'Tangled' restaurant to replace Carioca's on Disney Magic". dailypress.com. Archived from the original on August 14, 2019. Retrieved August 14, 2019.
  19. Wright, Joe (February 27, 2021). "Disney Magic set to continue long stay in Dover after cruise schedule postponed until August". Archived from the original on February 27, 2021.
  20. Wallace, Katie (April 16, 2021). "BREAKING: Disney Magic At Sea Dates Revealed!". The Kingdom Insider. Retrieved February 1, 2022.
  21. "BREAKING: "Disney Magic at Sea" UK-Only Disney Cruise Line Itinerary Confirmed". WDW News Today. March 26, 2021. Retrieved February 1, 2022.
  22. Giannopoulos Peros, Evily (May 5, 2023). "Disney Cruise Line Debuts New 'Encanto' and 'Soul' Inspired Experiences on the Disney Magic". Disney Parks Blog. Retrieved February 12, 2026.
  23. Sanders, Scott (May 5, 2023). "Disney Magic Returns to Service After 21-Night Dry Dock with New Places to Lounge". The Disney Cruise Line Blog. Retrieved February 12, 2026.
  24. 1 2 Tribou, Richard (November 15, 2015). "'Tangled' takes center stage aboard Disney Magic". Orlando Sentinel. Retrieved October 28, 2016.
  25. "Youth Clubs". disneycruise.disney.go.com.