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 News from Around Banderas Bay | March 2005 
Magic Coming to Puerto Vallarta
 Donna Balancia - Florida Today
| The Magic will hit Puerto Vallarta every Tuesday as the first port of call on the Western itinerary.
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Puerto Vallarta - Carnival Cruise Lines representatives and others in the know are not discussing the company's latest work, dubbed "The Pinnacle Project." But many attendees of this week's 21st annual Seatrade Cruise Shipping Convention in Miami already have an idea what the news is about.
"There is a trend towards bigger ships, and many fleets are looking to add at least one or two," said Maurizio Cergol, an executive ship designer with Italian ship-builder Fincantieri.
His company built the Carnival Glory and the Disney Magic, based at Port Canaveral, the nation's second-busiest cruise port behind the Miami in passenger counts. Many ports already are vying for an opportunity to get another ship.
"We're always looking to expand and, yes, we've heard there are plans in the works," said Gina Rathbun, director of cruise marketing for the Tampa Port Authority. Port Canaveral has two Carnival ships year-round, the Fantasy and the Glory.
Cergol said the latest Carnival project may not merely be a new ship - in the 200,000-ton category - but it may be the beginning of an entire new class of ship. By comparison, the Glory is 110,000 tons and the Fantasy is 70,367 tons.
Both Giuseppe Bono, chief executive officer of Fincantieri, and Robert Dickinson, president and CEO of Carnival, declined to comment on the project. "It's premature," Dickinson said. "Nothing's on the table yet."
Cergol said, while many companies are looking at super-cruise-ship size, anything more than 200,000 tons start getting weighty. "Over that weight, it becomes a matter of draft, and there are other issues, like getting passengers on and off, and getting into port," he said.
The people of Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, have been in training in anticipation of the arrival of the Disney Magic. Disney Cruise Line will be repositioning the Magic from Port Canaveral to the Port of Los Angeles in California in celebration of the 50th anniversary of Disneyland. The Magic will make seven-day journeys from May 28 through the middle of August from Long Beach to ports of call in the Mexican Riviera.
"No, we're not wearing mouse ears or anything," said Gary Woroniuk, general manager of Travelex, a tour operator based in Puerto Vallarta. "Disney has sent a team down to Puerto Vallarta, and we are working very closely with the company, learning Disney style."
There will be 18 tours offered to Disney Magic passengers in Puerto Vallarta, including horseback riding, mountain hikes, and scenic and educational tours. "This is a great opportunity for us to get the word out that we are a family-friendly destination," Woroniuk said.
The Magic will hit Puerto Vallarta every Tuesday as the first port of call on the Western itinerary. The ship docks at Mazatlan and Cabo San Lucas before it returns to Los Angeles every Saturday through Aug. 20, when it makes the return trip to its home-port of Port Canaveral.
"The people coming off the Magic to see Puerto Vallarta will get a glimpse of the real Mexico," Woroniuk said. "It's quiet in the summer months. There are a lot fewer people touring and it is the time of the year when the Mexicans are traveling. It's wonderful." |
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