Disney Cruise Line has yet to announce official restart plans for Disney Wonder, but this week sent it through the Panama Canal on its way to California.
The sister ship to the Disney Magic has traditionally spent the summers sailing in Alaska, but missed out on a second year of that business because of the COVID-19 pandemic. The ship has not sailed with passengers since March 2020.
It recently left Port Everglades where it was in port for refueling and supplies, and made its way to the Panama Canal making the crossing on Aug. 25.
The company still has sailings out of San Diego, through, to the Mexican Riviera listed on its website beginning Sept. 24.
Scott Sanders, who runs Disney Cruise Line Blog, not affiliated with the company, posted videos of its transit in a couple of time-lapse clips.
Disney Cruise Line shut down all four of its ships during the pandemic, only bringing Disney Magic back sailing from England in July followed by the restart of Disney Dream from Port Canaveral on Aug. 9. Dream performs three- and four-night sailings to the Bahamas including stops at the line’s private island Castaway Cay.
Disney Fantasy is slated to begin sailing from Port Canaveral as well on Sept. 11. It will for the first month of service be limited to four-night sailings to just Castaway Cay before plans to restart seven-night Caribbean itineraries.
The cruise line will beginning Sept. 3 be requiring all passengers 12 and older to be fully vaccinated to fall in line with an emergency order issued by the Bahamas that will not let cruise lines dock at any of its ports including private islands without fully vaccinated passengers. There are exceptions to those 11 and under who cannot be vaccinated yet, as well as those with a medical reason for not being able to be vaccinated. The Bahamas order lasts through October.
Disney Magic continues to sail in England limited to UK residents with voyages planned through early October ahead of a planned transatlantic crossing to begin service in Miami, according to its website. The first Miami voyage available to book is Oct. 21, but an official U.S. restart date has yet to be announced by the cruise line.
Disney is set to welcome a fifth ship in the fleet next summer when Disney Wish makes its way to Port Canaveral in June. It’s the first of three ships in a new class that will grow the DCL fleet to seven ships by 2025.
