History
By February 1994, Disney had finalized initial designs for its first cruise ships.[8] On April 27, 1995 Disney Cruise Line ordered Disney Magic and Disney Wonder from Fincantieri in Italy.[9] The ships were constructed in two sections, with the bow built at Fincantieri's Ancona shipyard and the stern at its Marghera shipyard. The bow section was later towed to Marghera, where the two halves were joined.[6][10][11] Construction of Disney Magic began with the keel laying on October 31, 1996. The ship was launched on May 13, 1997, completed on June 30, 1998, and christened on July 28, 1998, by Patricia Disney.
The planned maiden voyage for Disney Magic was March 12, 1998.[6] Ticket sales began in September 1997, and in January 1997 the first ticket for the ship's inaugural voyage was raffled on the Lifetime television channel.[12] Construction delays related to Fincantieri's concurrent work on MS Rotterdam limited available labor, and additional setbacks were caused by supplier delays and adverse weather conditions. As a result, the maiden voyage was postponed several times.[6]
Disney Magic began service on July 30, 1998, from Port Canaveral in Florida, initially sailing three- to four-night cruises to Nassau, Bahamas and Castaway Cay.[13]
The ship has been periodically repositioned for seasonal cruises, including Southern California, Vancouver, the Mediterranean, Galveston, Texas, and New York City. During these deployments, she operated itineraries to Mexico, Alaska, Europe and New England.[13][14]
In September 2013, Disney Magic underwent a dry dock at Navantia's shipyard in Cádiz, Spain. A 20 ft "ducktail" sponson was added to improve efficiency. Updates included renovations to cabins, lounges, restaurants, and the spa, and new features such as "Marvel's Avengers Academy", AquaDunk, and AquaLab.[15][16] Several restaurants and clubs were replaced or re-themed in later years.[17]
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Disney Magic was anchored in Dover, England from May 2020 and operated UK-only "staycation cruises." She returned to Miami in October 2021 and resumed Bahamian itineraries, returning to Europe in summer 2022 before sailing back to the United States for fall deployments.[18][19][20]
In May 2023, Disney Magic completed a three-week dry dock in Freeport, Bahamas, during which shore power systems were installed to connect the ship to port electricity and reduce emissions. The Soul Cat Lounge, an adults-only jazz club–themed area inspired by the movie Soul, was added, and the concierge lounge and staterooms were renovated.[21][22]
