Minister Doncher announces return of Disney Cruise Line in January
PORT ST. MAARTEN—Minister of Tourism and Economic Affairs Mellissa Arrrindell-Doncher on Tuesday announced that the Disney Fantasy cruise ship will be returning to the destination in January 2018, a major accomplishment for destination St. Maarten. The Disney Fantasy sails seven-night Eastern and Western Caribbean itineraries. The vessel will also be making several port calls in February and March.
“We are very excited to welcome Disney back to our shores. This shows great confidence in the destination and our product and we thank Disney Cruise Line for being a great partner to St. Maarten as we continue to rebound from a very difficult year.
“Despite what we recently went through with hurricane Irma, we aim to maintain St. Maarten as a premier destination of choice for cruise visitors through meticulous planning, new experiences and a commitment to excellence.”
The Minister also used the opportunity to commend the hard work and effort of Head of the St. Maarten Tourist Bureau Rolando Brison and Business Development Officer at Port St. Maarten Alexander Gumbs, who were key in ensuring that Disney made it back to St. Maarten.
She explained that Brison and Gumbs were both integral in these discussions over the last weeks as the destination ramped up its marketing and communication efforts to showcase that St. Maarten has a great product that can be offered to the passengers of Disney.
“It is important to highlight the efforts of St. Maarten’s young professionals who together with all stakeholders will lead the revitalization and re-invention of our cruise product. We must continue to put our faith and confidence in them as they have shown they can get the job done,” the Minister said.
Disney Fantasy entered service in March 2012. The vessel is 130,000 tons; 1,115 feet long, 121 feet wide, and 14 passenger decks high. The vessel has a passenger capacity of 4,000 and carries 1,458 crew.
Since its launch in 1998, Disney Cruise Line has established itself as a leader in the cruise industry, providing a setting where families can reconnect, adults can recharge and children can experience all Disney has to offer.
Guests can sail out of ports around the world on exciting itineraries to the Caribbean, Bahamas, Alaska and Europe, among others. The homeport for Disney Cruise Line remains Port Canaveral, Florida, where it has its own specially designed cruise terminal.
Disney Cruise Line currently operates four ships, namely, Disney Magic, Disney Wonder, Disney Dream and Disney Fantasy. Three additional ships are to join the lines fleet in 2021, 2022, and 2023.
Disney Cruise Line was distinguished as Best for Families by the 2016 Cruise Critic Editor’s Picks Awards; named Best Cruise Line by Conde Nast Traveler 2017 Reader’s Choice Awards #1 Top Large Cruise Ship; and for the 2017 Cruise Critic Cruiser’s Choice Awards, the cruise line was honored with eight first-place honors, including Best Overall Ship in both Large and Mid-Size categories.
Photo captions:
- Head of the St. Maarten Tourist Bureau Rolando Brison (left) and Business Development Officer at Port St. Maarten Alexander Gumbs (second from right) with Disney Cruise Line Officials.
- The Disney Fantasy will return to St. Maarten in January 2018. Top photo.
