Disney Cruise Line to sail to Jamaica

Disney Cruise Line today announced plans for its first trips to Jamaica, to begin in late 2013.

The family-friendly operator says the 1,754-passenger Disney Wonder will stop at Falmouth, Jamaica during new seven-night Western Caribbean itineraries out of Galveston, Texas that will kick off in October. The ship also will stop at Grand Cayman and Cozumel, Mexico.

A historic Georgian town on Jamaica's north coast, Falmouth opened to cruise ships in 2011 after the construction of a 32-acre, two-berth port complex that is a joint venture between Royal Caribbean and the Port Authority of Jamaica. It serves as a gateway to a wide range of attractions in northern Jamaica including bamboo raft rides along the Martha Brae River and tours of plantation homes.

Disney kicked off its first sailings out of Galveston in September, with four-, six-, seven- and eight-night voyages to the Caribbean and Bahamas on the Disney Magic. The ship will remain in Galveston through the spring before repositioning to Europe for the summer. The Disney Wonder will arrive in Galveston next fall.

DIsney says the Disney Wonder will operate five sailings of the new itinerary to Jamaica in October and November 2013. In addition, the ship will sail a series of seven voyages on a new itinerary from Galveston to the Bahamas that includes stops in Key West; Nassau, Bahamas; and Castaway Cay, Disney's private island in the Bahamas. The Bahamas trips will take place between September and December 2013.

The Disney Magic is one of five cruise ships sailing out of Galveston this year. Also based in the port full- or part-time are the 3,690-passenger Carnival Magic, 2,758-passenger Carnival Triumph, Royal Caribbean's 3,114-passenger Mariner of the Seas and (starting in December) the 3,080-passenger Crown Princess