UPDATE: Disney Cruise Line cancels departure ahead of Hurricane Dorian

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Disney Cruise Line's Disney at Sea with D23

Credit: Disney

Update 9/1/19:

We previously shared Disney Cruise Line’s announcement of the delayed departure of the Disney Dream ahead of Hurricane Dorian, which is now a Category 5 storm in the Bahamas and is expected to hit Florida’s east coast late Monday. Disney’s latest update regarding the status of the cruise ships states that one sailing’s return to Port Canaveral will be delayed while another sailing will be cancelled completely. Disney Cruise Line stated on its website that Disney continues to monitor the status of Hurricane Dorian in order to ensure the safety of guests, Cast Members, and crew.

Below is the latest update Disney Cruise Line shared this weekend regarding the status of Disney Dream sailings ahead of Hurricane Dorian:

Disney Dream – current sailing – UPDATED
Disney Dream’s current sailing was scheduled to return to Port Canaveral on Wednesday, September 4. However, after careful review of the currently forecasted path, and conversations with port officials in Florida, it does not seem likely that Port Canaveral will be available for our return on Wednesday.

Because of this, we will need to further extend this sailing and now expect Disney Dream to return to Port Canaveral one day later, on Thursday, September 5.

Since Disney Dream will now have additional time at sea, we have arranged a port call for tomorrow, Monday, September 2, in Grand Cayman.

Disney Dream – Monday, September 2 changed to Wednesday, September 4 – UPDATED
While we had hoped to preserve some portion of the voyage for our Guests’ enjoyment, we have had to change our plans given the inherently unpredictable nature of tropical storms and hurricanes. After careful review of the currently forecasted path, and conversations with port officials in Florida, we have decided to cancel the sailing completely. We understand this may be disappointing news, but we feel this was a necessary decision. The safety of our Guests and crew members is always our foremost concern.

Since the sailing was cancelled, Guests are eligible for a full refund of their voyage fare. Additionally, we want to offer Guests an opportunity to sail with us again and will provide them with a 20% discount on a future cruise.

Guests should contact us at 1-866-325-3905 or 407-566-7032 between Monday, September 9, 2019, and Thursday, October 31, 2019, to let us know if they would like to apply their credit to a new sail date between now and December 31, 2020, or receive a full refund. Guests who already moved to a different voyage will be able to apply the discount to their new sailing (some restrictions may apply).

We are truly sorry for the storm’s impact on our Guest’s vacation, and appreciate their understanding given the continued unpredictability of Hurricane Dorian’s path.

Original article

With Hurricane Dorian expected to hit the Orlando area early next week, Disney Cruise Line has officially delayed the departure of the Disney Dream.

We previously reported that Disney Cruise Line had issued a statement that they were closely monitor the status of Hurricane Dorian and they did not expect a change in their cruise itineraries leaving on August 31. But now that the hurricane has worsened as it quickly approaches Florida, Disney has adjusted their plans. The latest update from Disney Cruise Line regarding cruise departures came on Friday, August 30, and shared that while the departure of the Disney Fantasy will remain the same, the departure of the Disney Dream will be delayed.

hurricane dorian
Credit: ABC News

Here is the latest update from Disney Cruise Line regarding the status of cruises departing this week:

We continue to closely monitor the path and progress of Hurricane Dorian to ensure our guests enjoy safe and comfortable cruises, and to make certain our ships steer clear of the storm. The safety of our guests and crew is always our foremost concern. Since all tropical storms and hurricanes are inherently unpredictable, our plans may change from day to day based on the most current information. Please check this site often for the most up to date information.

Disney Fantasy – Saturday, August 31
At this time, based on the current predicted storm timing and path, we do not anticipate any changes to the Disney Fantasy sailing on Saturday, Aug. 31.

Disney Dream – Monday, September 2
Based on our most recent conversations with ports in Florida and to help our Guests better finalize their travel plans, we have decided to turn this cruise into a two-night sailing, with an expected departure from Port Canaveral on Wednesday, September 4, and an expected return to Port Canaveral on Friday, September 6.

At this time, we anticipate Disney Dream will visit Disney Castaway Cay on Thursday, September 5, dependent on whether it is impacted by Hurricane Dorian.

Guests that choose to continue with this sailing will receive a 50% refund of your voyage fare and a $250 onboard credit per stateroom.

Guests who do not want to sail on Wednesday must call us at 866-325-3905 or 407-566-7032 by noon on Sunday, September 1. Guests will then have until October 31, 2019 to choose a new sail date. They may change their reservation to a later date without incurring a change fee, though there may be a difference in price depending on the new sailing selected.

As you can see from the statement above, the Disney Dream, originally scheduled to depart form Port Canaveral on Monday, will now be departing on Wednesday, when Hurricane Dorian is expected to be in Orlando. The forecast at the time of this article’s publication says that Hurricane Dorian will be a Category 1 storm in Orlando on Wednesday. As Orlando Sentinel reports, Disney is simply trying to keep from bringing thousands of passengers into port just ahead of the hurricane.

Disney Cruise Line
Credit: Disney

“The fact that cruise lines are letting passengers cancel and rebook to a different cruise at the last minute without penalty shows that they acknowledge that the situation is unexpected and beyond anyone’s control and are somewhat relaxing their policies to accommodate passengers as much as they can,” Erica Silverstein, senior editor of Cruise Critic, said to the Orlando Sentinel.

Disney Cruise Line’s statement comes on the same day that Walt Disney World issued an announcement regarding the status of the theme parks with Hurricane Dorian fast approaching. Orlando International Airport also announced that it would be ceasing flights because of the storm.

Many families are opting to reschedule their Disney Cruise Line vacations with no penalty, while others may still keep their plans with Disney. Either way, we hope everyone continues to stay up-to-date with Hurricane Dorian as well as the updates from Disney Cruise Line and Walt Disney World as more news is released.

This is a developing story that we will update as more information becomes available.

Are you planning to take a Disney Cruise Line vacation on either the Disney Dream or Disney Fantasy, or are you opting to reschedule your trip? Let us know in the comments and stay safe this week!

Source: Orlando Sentinel, Disney Cruise Line

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