Disney adds new stops and more Castaway Cay
LaughingPlace.com has a story regarding new itineraries coming in 2008 to the Disney Cruise Line. The Eastern Caribbean cruise will replace St. Maarten with either Tortola or St. Croix for only a select amount of trips. But what is even more exciting is that from mid-May to late-August the Four-Night Bahamian Cruise will add a second stop at Disney’s own Castaway Cay.
The Four-Night Cruise once featured a stop at, I believe, Freeport in the Bahamas. I was told by a crew member that guest feedback told them they would prefer have a day at sea to enjoy the boat, so that is why it changed to the most recent itinerary. For these 16 voyages that day at seas will be replaced with a visit to Castaway Cay.
This brings up an interesting question. Anyone who knows the Disney Cruise Line will tell you that Castaway Cay is enormously popular. Am I supposed to believe the majority of guest feedback said for all these years that they would rather have a day at sea than at Disney’s lush private island? Now I can only assume bringing guests to the island is more expensive than leaving them on the ship and the cost of these cruises is higher, but will the popularity of these new cruises change Disney’s thinking? Will this be a preview of a permanent change to the four-night cruises? I hope so.
KingBob said,
December 6, 2007 @ 1:40 am
With the price of fuel it’s probably cheaper to dock the boat at Castaway Cay than it is to keep the boat moving out at sea. More crew members can also take a break which could mean happier employees. But I doubt passengers really want a second day there. It’s a nice place to visit, but once is enough, IMO.
(I don’t recall Disney ships ever going to Freeport.)