Disney has grown its Cruise Line quite a lot over the last few years. What started with the Disney Magic in 1996 has grown into a whole fleet consisting of five ships, including the Magic, Wonder, Dream, Fantasy, and now the Disney Wish, which was introduced this year.
Disney
So far, it’s been smooth sailing aboard all five ships as Guests explore and have fun discovering everything there is to experience on each ship.
However, one ship had trouble leaving the dock recently due to an unexpected reason.
Yesterday we learned that passengers on board the Disney Wonder were actually stuck and had their departure time delayed due to issues with the local tugboat companies. There was apparently a strike with the tugboat companies, meaning the ship had no choice but to remain docked until the issue was resolved.
This was confirmed in a tweet from Brooke Geiger McDonald (@BrookeGMcDonald), a passenger aboard the ship:
An announcement from the captain stated that Disney Wonder’s departure from Vancouver has been delayed due to a local tugboat strike but no one onboard is bothered by the delay. #disneycruiselinepic.twitter.com/wTjAnThHP4
Beginning Sept. 23, 2022, for sailings aboard the Disney Dream, Disney Fantasy, Disney Wish and Disney Wonder and beginning Nov. 7, 2022, for sailings aboard the Disney Magic, fully vaccinated Guests are no longer required to participate in COVID-19 testing in order to sail. Guests who are NOT fully vaccinated must continue providing proof of a negative COVID-19 test taken one to 3 days before the sail date. However, Guests who are not fully vaccinated will no longer be required to complete a second test at the terminal on embarkation day.
The following SeaMail will be sent to guests who have booked through travel agents on impacted sailings:
Dear [Guest Who Booked Through A Travel Agent],
All of us at Disney Cruise Line look forward to welcoming you aboard soon. We are reaching out with important updates to the COVID-19 testing requirements for your sailing.
Earlier this month, we communicated that beginning on September 2, 2022, for sailings departing U.S. and Canadian ports, Disney Cruise Line will only require Guests ages 12 and older to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 at the time of sailing, as defined by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
Additionally, beginning September 23, 2022, for Disney Wonder, Disney Dream, Disney Fantasy, and Disney Wish sailings departing the U.S., fully vaccinated Guests are no longer required to participate in COVID-19 testing. Unvaccinated Guests (ages 11 and younger) will need to submit proof of a negative COVID-19 test taken 1-3 days before the sail date. Unvaccinated Guests will no longer be required to complete a second COVID-19 test at the terminal on embarkation day. Acceptable vaccines and testing information for Guests ages 11 and younger can be found in the Know Before You Go section of DisneyCruise.com.
COVID-19 Testing Requirements for Disney Wonder, Disney Dream, Disney Fantasy, and Disney Wish sailings from the U.S. beginning September 23, 2022
Face Coverings
Fully Vaccinated Guests(All guests ages 12 and over)
No testing required.
Optional
Not Fully Vaccinated Guests(Ages 11 and younger)
Pre-Embarkation Testing:COVID-19 test 1-3 days before the sail date. The test must be a rapid or lab-based PCR test, or Nucleic Acid Amplification Test (NAAT). Rapid antigen tests are not accepted.
Optional, Highly Recommended
Upload Proof of Vaccination and/or COVID-19 Test Results
In order to sail, all guests 12 and older (who are required to be vaccinated), plus those under 12 that are vaccinated, must upload their proof of vaccination to the Inspire Diagnostics Safe Passage website by midnight prior to embarkation day. Unvaccinated Guests must upload a negative COVID-19 test result to the Inspire Diagnostics Safe Passage website by midnight prior to embarkation day. Uploading these documents is a requirement for adults and children, regardless of age. A parent or legal guardian will need to use their own account to provide this information on behalf of minors. To learn more about how to provide proof of your negative COVID-19 test result, please visit Before Leaving Home: Know Before You Go.
The Disney Dream docks at Castaway Cay, Disney’s private island in the tropical waters of the Bahamas, reserved exclusively for Disney Cruise Line guests. In a setting of crystal-clear turquoise waters, powdery white-sand beaches and lush landscapes, the 1,000-acre island offers one-of-a-kind areas and activities for every member of the family. (David Roark, photographer)
After appropriate documents have been uploaded and reviewed by Inspire, Guests should see the words “Clear to Arrive” or “Clear to Sail” in the Pre-Sail Screening section when they log into their Safe Passage account before arriving at the port.
It is also recommended that Guests bring a copy of their proof of vaccination or negative COVID- test result with them to the port. Guests who fail to upload proof of vaccination and/or COVID-19 test results may be delayed or denied boarding. If you have any questions about your Safe Passage registration or status, please contact Inspire Diagnostics at 877-250-5132.
Back-to-Back Sailings
Guests who are not fully vaccinated and traveling on back-to-back sailings will be required to complete a COVID-19 test between sailings, paid for by Disney Cruise Line.
Guests Recently Recovered from COVID-19
In some cases, people who have recently recovered from COVID-19 may still test positive for the SARS-CoV-2 virus. If Guests have tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 within 11 to 90 days of their sail date, they may qualify to be considered as “90-Day-Recovered,” with the appropriate documentation and subsequent approval. Not-fully vaccinated Guests who are considered “90-Day-Recovered” are not required to participate in COVID-19 testing during the pre-embarkation phase of their voyage. For details on what documentation is required, please visit Before Leaving Home: Know Before You Go.
Online Check-in
You must complete Online Check-in beginning 30 days prior to your sailing. You will need to submit the required documents as well as select a Port Arrival Time. All Guests, including our Platinum Castaway Club Guests, will need to select a Port Arrival Time. Please be aware that Guests will not be permitted at the terminal or in parking areas before their scheduled arrival time. Guests who arrive early will be asked to return at their scheduled arrival time, and Guests arriving after their scheduled time may be delayed and asked to wait behind those arriving at their scheduled time. Online Check-in can be completed or modified up to one day prior to sailing. After completing Online Check-in, you will receive a Port Arrival Form by email. Bring this with you to the port to expedite your arrival.
As our health and safety protocols and operational guidelines are subject to change, please visit the Know Before You Go section of our website for the latest information and answers to many frequently asked questions.
Guests booked on the Disney Wonder, Disney Dream, Disney Fantasy or Disney Wish September 23, 2022, through December 31, 2022 may modify or cancel their sailing by September 12, 2022 without any Disney-imposed cancellation fees. Please contact your travel agent for details on how to cancel or modify your booking. Please note that change fees and cancellation fees imposed by third-party suppliers, such as airlines and hotels, as well as travel insurance, are not refundable. Refunds will be processed back to the original form of payment. Standard cancellation policies and terms and conditions apply for any cancellation or modification requests received on or after September 13, 2022.
The “We Don’t Talk About Bruno” might have simmered for now, but Encanto (2021) still remains one of the most exciting Disney properties released in recent years.
Encanto‘s traditional theatrical outing was short-lived, hindered by the pandemic crisis and subsequent protocols. However, a flashy Disney+ release on Christmas Eve proved to be the perfect formula for the House of Mouse, and the rest is history. Even with continued strong viewership on Disney’s growing streaming service, Encanto will once more return to the theater with an exclusive new opening act.
From its lukewarm beginnings in November 2021, when it netted just over $200 million worldwide, the Walt Disney Animation Studios classic made a triumphant comeback when it was released on Disney+ the following month. Since then, Encanto has proven to be a force to be reckoned with. The sleeper hit has been decorated with multiple awards such as the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature at the 94th Academy Awards and hit numerous accolades in the music industry.
“We Don’t Talk About Bruno” made Disney history after reaching number one on the Billboard Hot 100, overtaking Frozen‘s (2013) “Let It Go”, and beating the previous record holder, “A Whole New World” from Aladdin (1992). Further commercial success came with the Original Soundtrack hitting the coveted number one spot on the U.S. Billboard 200 and U.K. Album Charts, thanks, in part, to popular songs like “Bruno”, “The Family Madrigal”, “Waiting On A Miracle”, “Surface Pressure”, and “What Else Can I Do?”.
Many Disney fans likely discovered Encanto through Disney+, as well as its popularity on social media in spaces like TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube, meaning the opportunity to see it in theaters had already been and gone. However, Disney has announced Encanto‘s return to the company’s own movie theater — the El Capitan Theatre in the heart of Los Angeles.
In addition to Encanto, Disney and Pixar Animation Studios’ Coco (2017) will also have showings at the El Capitan; both are being released on the big screen to celebrate National Hispanic Heritage Month. Per a press release:
HOLLYWOOD, CALIFORNIA – August 26, 2022 – Tickets are on sale now to watch Disney and Pixar’s “Coco” September 9-12 and Disney’s “Encanto” September 16-22 presented by Disney+ at the El Capitan Theatre this September.
Before each showing of “Coco,” guests can see the Mariachi Divas, Ballet Folkórico De Los Ángeles and a Fiesta of Lights featuring music from the movie as they enter the theatre. Guests can also take photos at a “Coco”-themed photo op featuring a replica of Ernesto de la Cruz’s guitar.
While Coco audiences will get the exclusive themed experience detailed above, those seeing Encanto will be treated to a new opening act from Mirabel Madrigal herself. That’s right, Disney says “Moviegoers can watch Mirabel live on stage before each showing of Encanto.” Mirabel joined the Disney Parks team in Disneyland Resort last year and finally made her debut at the Walt Disney World Resort over the summer, her appearance at the El Capitan is sure to make these showings of Encanto even more memorable.
Well, it’s official. The sixth installment of the Pirates of the Caribbean film franchise has been confirmed by the producer of the Pirates films, Jerry Bruckheimer.
Since actor Johnny Depp was first given the boot by Disney, there has been wild speculation about whether Disney would continue on with another film following the fifth installment. The general consensus among fans of the franchise is that they’d welcome a sixth film, but not if Captain Jack and Johnny Depp are absent.
And while there’s no announcement related to a Depp-Sparrow return as of yet, Pirates producer Jerry Bruckheimer has confirmed that they are moving forward with a sixth film, according to the website, Giant Freaking Robot. Bruckheimer also confirmed that one of the franchise’s original writers, Ted Elliott, will return to write the sixth film as well. To date, Elliot has worked on four of the five Pirates films as a writer.
Bruckheimer shared his excitement about bringing back Ted Elliott during a recent interview.
“I’m very excited; it’s going to be terrific,” Bruckheimer said. “We’re just putting this together right now. We’re still working on the screenplay, but it’s very unique and has one of the original writers who wrote the first one, Ted Elliott. He’s got a great command of the language, and he writes great characters and tells terrific stories.”
But of course, the elephant in the room–or online–as it were, is the continually looming question about actor Johnny Depp’s return and a reprisal of his famous swashbuckling role. And so far, we only see question marks.
Fans of the actor, as well as of the Pirates of the Caribbean films, have wondered whether the defamed actor would be back to create the sixth film in the uber-popular franchise. Rumors have swirled for months about Disney offering a contract to actress Margot Robbie to star in the sixth film and embody a new character, thus steering clear of Captain Jack’s persona altogether.
So, will Johnny Depp return to reprise his famous Sparrow role?
Perhaps no topic has been the subject of more rumors, speculation, and opinion pieces than that of actor Johnny Depp’s victorious return to the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise and that of Depp’s reprisal of Captain Jack Sparrow. As far as is publicly known at this time, there’s no contract between Depp and Disney for him to return. However, based on Bruckheimer’s own words, it doesn’t seem 100% out of the scope of possibility.
According to a July 20, 2022 post on ScreenRant, Bruckheimer “previously confirmed Depp isn’t involved in Pirates of the Caribbean 6 at this point but that ‘the future is yet to be decided.’”
In an era of reboots, take-twos, and franchise reprisals–not to mention the fact that Depp’s contributions led to the Pirates franchise becoming a multi-billion entity–it’s easy to see why Bruckheimer would continue with another Pirates of the Caribbean film. But both fans and critics agree that a Pirates film minus Depp could easily prove disastrous.
Jerry Bruckheimer also produced this summer’s most successful film, Top Gun: Maverick–another title that easily fits into the “reboot” category. The film has grossed $684,219,728 to date, and that number keeps growing. And regardless of Disney’s stance, Bruckheimer has to know that rebooting the Pirates franchise without Johnny Depp would be akin to rebooting the Top Gun franchise minus Tom Cruise.
He also has to know that for fans of the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise, no Depp cameo will do; they want Captain Jack Sparrow, and they want him now.
But two things remain uncertain: first, whether Disney will ultimately offer Depp a reprisal contract, and second, whether Depp would accept such a contract, especially after Disney stood against, rather than with, Depp during his recent trial.
World Princess Week may already be halfway over, but there is still plenty of time left to celebrate and discover the princess that’s inside everyone! Today, we’re making a very special journey as we embark on the Disney Wish to honor our two favorite queens – Anna and Elsa. These heroines inspire us with their acts of bravery, sense of adventure and sisterhood and stories of love that could melt anybody’s heart.
Speaking of love, guests can now help Queen Anna and Kristoff celebrate their love story during Arendelle: A Frozen Dining Adventure aboard the Disney Wish, the newest ship in the Disney Cruise Line fleet. This first-of-its-kind theatrical dining experience picks up where Walt Disney Animation Studios’ “Frozen 2” left off by inviting guests to attend a royal engagement party for Queen Anna and Kristoff! Queen Elsa and Olaf host the celebration with catering provided by their friend Oaken’s “Hearty Party Planning Services.” For the first time in ever, guests can dine inside the iconic Arendelle castle as they enjoy live musical performances by their favorite characters, sparkling special effects and an exciting grand finale that brings everyone to their feet.
Today, we’re sharing a special message from Oaken as he prepares for the festivities and even quizzes the newly engaged couple to find out just how well they really know each other! Check it out below.
