Disney Dream cruise

[Michael Black]

#7, Richard, can I ask which ship you preferred to work on. As passengers we loved the Magic, we did 4 transatlantic cruise on her. We are going on the Dream again next year and hoping to do the eastbound transatlantic in 2025, which looks like it will be the Fantasy.
Regards Michael

[Des Taff Jenkins]

Hi Micheal.
Just a news update here, not meant and probably wouldn't put you off.
A Cruise Liner has docked in Adelaide with many passengers suffering from Covid and diarrhea, passengers complained that two of the decks stank of excrement . I think that the ships that are trading from Aus are not kept up to the standard of the UK.
Des

[happy daze john in oz]

Des, that Princess ship.
Facts from the company to me via e-mail as we are booked on her for Christmas/New Year, did same on her last year.
She arrived in Melbourne October 26 from northern hemisphere, here for the season.

Yes there was an out break of the virus and Noro virus.

Reported cases of virus was only 8 of which 6 were crew.
Only 2 noro virus reported to the medical center.
So the real numbers, who knows.
Company say possible both were there before the ship arrived in Oz.

But having observed the actions of many who use the toilets am not surprised.
About 20% of men who go never wash their hands after, my wife says female it is at about 35% who do not.

[Richard Simpson]

#7, Richard, can I ask which ship you preferred to work on. As passengers we loved the Magic, we did 4 transatlantic cruise on her. We are going on the Dream again next year and hoping to do the eastbound transatlantic in 2025, which looks like it will be the Fantasy.
Regards Michael

Michael, Big question. I was on the Wonder throughout the build in Italy and then for 11 years after that so, not surprisingly I had a very real affection for her. I've never known a ship so intimately. She genuinely was a very freindly ship with a fantastic atmosphere on board and a great buzz about her. This was partly as a result of being on 3 & 4 day runs for all that time, which is full on hard work but very satisfying.

The Dream I visited her during the build, I wrote the Technical Manual for her, so a few yard visits were valuable but never felt quite the same level of attachment. I was with her for six years. She certainly had bigger and better facilities, bigger shops, the AquaDuck, bigger shows etc. but I think she lost a little of the warmth of the atmosphere as a result of the size.

The Magic I think will always have a place in many hearts simply because she was the first. She had a tougher time of it in the first few years, mainly as a result of demanding itineraries, but Disney pour huge amounts of money into the ships to keep them looking fresh and at thier best.

The summer itinerary around the UK - Iceland - Norway - Baltic etc. is a superb itinerary and I think is one of the best ones out there, irrespective of which ship you do it on. I was glad that was my last trip as it was such a memorable one and fitting that it was on the Magic, which was where I started as a yard inspector all those years before.

[Richard Simpson]

I thought you might like a couple of pictures of them. The Dream is a publicity shot from sea trials and the Magic ones I took when I went on a walk around the end of Geirangerfjord.

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[Michael Black]

Richard ,We did a 3 day cruise on the Wonder, to see if my wife would like it in 2008. Our next one was a 14 day transatlantic from Barcelona to port canaveral in 2010 so I guess you could say she did.
Disney do a good job of keeping their ships in top condition. Tried to talk my wife around to doing next year's westbound but it is late in the year, Oct/Nov and we all know the North Atlantic can be a bit lumpy that time of year.
Regards Michael

[Michael Black]

#12, #13 Des, John
Saw that as well, as John says a lot is down to passengers behaviour, not washing hands, not using the supplied hand wipes, touching food in the buffet, using the same cup for refills at the soda station etc.
They have hand washing facilities at the entrance to the buffet and a crew member asking people to use them but some still just walk straight in.
Still not to enough to put us off, �� just be more cautious.
Regards Michael

[Ivan Cloherty]

I thought you might like a couple of pictures of them. The Dream is a publicity shot from sea trials and the Magic ones I took when I went on a walk around the end of Geirangerfjord.

Looks like you had a long walk Richard!

[Richard Simpson]

Looks like you had a long walk Richard!

Probably not as far as it appears. The ship is right at the end of the Fjord and it was probably only a 20 minute walk round to the far side. The trek up the hill was a bit more demanding but the path runs alongside rapids so it is quite spectacular and the veiws when you get up there are well worth it.

[Ivan Cloherty]

Probably not as far as it appears. The ship is right at the end of the Fjord and it was probably only a 20 minute walk round to the far side. The trek up the hill was a bit more demanding but the path runs alongside rapids so it is quite spectacular and the veiws when you get up there are well worth it.

Last time I was in the fjords was 1952 coming back from Bear Island to dodge the weather, the wonder of it stays with me to this day.