The Disney Magic will be offering a variety of sailings from Barcelona, including four, seven and 14 night cruises, with the new itineraries expected to be available to book as early as tomorrow (26th Jan) afternoon. Disney have previously offered Med sailings during the 2010 and 2011 summers, which had proved enough of a hit with fans that they are returning to our shores next year.

Disney Cruise Line's 2013 sailings will include popular ports of call in France, Italy, Greece, Malta, Majorca, Croatia and Turkey, taking in the region's famous sites, tourist attractions and beaches. These family-friendly holidays will combine the history, charm and romance of Europe, with Disney's unique onboard experience, filled with their own magical brand of entertainment and style.

New to Disney Cruise Line are their four night sailings departing on 9th July 2013 and 6th August 2013, that will take in Villefranche and Palma de Majorca, combining the cruise with land based tours to the likes of Nice and Monte Carlo. These four night sailings, as well as their seven night itineraries are bound to be a hit with families during the school holidays.

The 1,750 passenger Disney Magic will also be offering longer 10, 11, 12 and 14 night sailings around the Med, taking in the highlights of the European coastline, during the stunning summer season. Perfect for enjoying the variety of European culture, from the comfort of a fun-filled, family-friendly cruise ship.

Though the Disney Magic no doubt appeals to families, with their onboard entertainment — such as Disney favourites in the theatre and on the big screen, breakfast hosted by popular characters and character meetings for kids — they are also incredibly popular with couples and grown-ups, looking for a magical cruise.

With the sailings being limited to the summer, and having swapped the Med for New York and the Caribbean in 2012, Disney's return to Europe will no doubt be popular with fans. So, with deals about to hit the shelves, brace yourself and get ready to get in quickly for the perfect family cruise.

Written by Stephen Adam
© Iglucruise

As well as passenger numbers growing the use of European ports has also enjoyed a steady rise with 23.8 million visits in 2009, which is a 9% increase on the previous year.

The European cruise industry is now generating more than €34 billion of goods and services per year and provides nearly 300'000 jobs. With nearly 4.8 billion passengers cruising in Europe in 2009 who spent €1.3 billion on services including flights, port taxes, hotels and excursions - an increase of 7.65 % 2008. Passengers also spent €1.45 billion while visiting ports during their cruise holiday, 1.7% up on 2008.

Manfredi Lefebvre d’Ovidio, chairman of the ECC and deputy chairman of Silversea Cruises, said: "2009 was an unprecedented year with all holiday sectors being affected by the economic downturn. Therefore it’s particularly rewarding that these latest figures show the resilience of the European cruise industry which is outperforming other holiday sectors... The total value of goods and services generated in 2009 has reached €34.1 billion, a rise of nearly 6% over the previous year. The industry has also increased the amount it spends on services, supplies and equipment to €5.4 billion, growth of 86% over the last five years. However, we have not been immune to the recession and have seen a slight reduction in direct expenditure – down just over one per cent to €14.05 billion which was as a result of a downturn in ship building. Although at least 29 ships are being built in Europe between 2010 and 2014, new orders have slowed. European yards need encouragement to enable them to be as competitive as possible and to stimulate further new orders. There’s huge potential for further growth provided new ships continue to be built."

ECC Vice Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of MSC Cruises Pierfrancesco Vago added: "The figures released today clearly demonstrate that the European cruising industry is a resilient business which can deliver valuable economic output. The core reason for this success is the appeal of a cruise holiday - it offers such an incredible array of choices for all ages, from luxury to budget, while consistently providing high standards and exceptional value for money."

Written by Stephen Adam

Dominic Paul, managing director, Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd, UK and Ireland, explains: “The new luggage service has been designed to further enhance the exceptional service experience our guests receive whilst on-board any of our UK based Royal Caribbean International and Celebrity Cruises ships. We see this service as particularly useful to our guests with mobility issues, large families or need to travel some distance to the port. The service extends the holiday from the moment guests leave their front door, right up until their return by providing an easy and convenient luggage transportation which takes the burden of dealing with baggage away from our guests”.

This great new service is set to cost £35 per luggage item each way and is available for the UK based sailings onboard the Independence of the Seas, Jewel of the Seas and Celebrity Eclipse. The safe and secure service will be trackable allowing cruisers to monitor the location of their suitcase after collection, which is usually between 24 and 96 hours prior to departure from UK mainland addresses.

Written by Troy McGuire

On August the 6th the Disney Magic added it's name to the many cruise liners that have rescued sailors, yachtsman and even refugees. The ship was sailing between Gibraltar and Barcelona when "the shipboard team heard crew members from two other vessels talking on the radio about sighting a boat and then losing a visual of it" according to Disney. The ship then joined the search and on finding the powerless boat the 18 stranded Algerians were rescued.

The sailors were given cabins and meals and were to be handed over to the care of local authorities in Barcelona once the ship docked in the Spanish city.

The P&O Ventura came to the aid of an injured yachtsman back in 2008, after receiving his mayday call and the Norwegian Dawn once rescued two sailors in one day. One of the more dramatic rescues happened in 2009 when the Carnival Glory made a three hour detour to rescue nine Cuban Refugees.

Written by Troy McGuire