Disney Magic out of LA (newspaper story)

[crewser]

BUSINESS

Tuesday, May 4, 2004
Disney to sail from `L.A.
Entertainment conglomerate will base one of its two ships on West Coast in what could be a permanent expansion.


COMING SOON: The Disney Magic docks in November in Cape Canaveral, Fla. Next year it will call the Port of Los Angeles home.
JOE SKIPPER, REUTERS
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By MICHELE HIMMELBERG
The Orange County Register


The Disney Cruise Line will operate one of its two ships from the Port of Los Angeles next year, a test run for what could eventually become a permanent expansion of the cruise line, the company said.

The Disney Magic will offer 12 seven-night cruises beginning next May, one component in the Walt Disney Co.'s celebration of Disneyland's 50th anniversary.

Disneyland turns 50 on July 17, 2005, and the company will announce its plans to commemorate the event on Wednesday. Disney's 10 parks around the world are expected to play a role in saluting the original theme park.

"We thought (the cruise line) would be fresh piece of entertainment to bring to the West Coast to highlight the importance of the Disneyland anniversary to us," said Jay Rasulo, chairman of Walt Disney Parks and Resorts.

"It's breakthrough entertainment for consumers, it fits right in with the trend in multifamily travel that we're seeing, and it highlights the global nature of the 50th anniversary celebration."

Disneyland already has begun sprucing up for the 50th, with new paint and landscaping in several areas, and new attractions are expected for the 18-month-long anniversary party.

The Disney Cruise Line began operating out of Cape Canaveral, Fla., in 1998 and has been a successful addition to the company's entertainment offerings.

Two ships cruise the Caribbean and the Bahamas with activities that target families and aim to entertain both children and adults.

In California, the 2,600-passenger Magic will leave from San Pedro next summer and dock in three Mexican ports - Puerto Vallarta, Mazatlan and Cabo San Lucas.

It will travel from its home port in Florida through the Panama Canal to the Port of Los Angeles, and then return in the fall of 2005.

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CONTACT US: (949) 653-6262 or [email]mhimmelberg@ocregister.com[/email]

[crewser]

Disney Cruise Line will have booking information available tomorrow (5/5) after 1PM.

[Zitofamily]

Yippee! [img]http://messages.cruisecritic.com/infopop/emoticons/icon_smile.gif[/img] I am so excited to get this news. Thank you for posting this article.

We sailed on the Magic on the Halloween 2003 cruise and had the time of our lives. We will definitely be sailing out of LA during this anniversary celebration. Much cheaper for us to get to LA than it is to get to Florida.

[Suebee]

Woo Hoo! We live in Hawaii and were 90% on an Alaska Cruise next summer...now we have some serious thinking to do...the kids would go CRAZY on a Disney Cruise!

NCL Star 1/04
What's Next? Alaska 2005 - Ask me about an official CC group!