Return of drydocked Disney Magic postponed

[Jason 426]

A major makeover of one of Disney's four cruise ships, the Disney Magic, is running slightly behind schedule, prompting Disney today to postpone the vessel's return to service by five days.

Disney says a five-night cruise out of Miami on the Disney Magic scheduled for Sunday has been canceled. The ship's first sailing since an unprecedented, five-week overhaul in dry dock is now set for Oct. 25.

"We encountered challenging weather conditions that made the necessary work impossible to complete in time for the first cruise," Disney Cruise Line spokeswoman Rena Langley tells USA TODAY. "Clearly, we want the ship to be perfect when we welcome guests aboard."

The makeover of the Disney Magic began last month in a dry dock in Cadiz, Spain and was scheduled to be completed this week as the ship crossed the Atlantic from Cadiz to Florida without passengers.

Passengers on the canceled sailing will receive a full refund as well as reimbursement of airline change fees. In addition, passengers also are being offered a complimentary sailing on the Disney Magic between now and May, 2014. Alternately, passengers can choose a 35% discount on any future Disney cruise in the Bahamas or Caribbean, taken within two years and excluding holiday sail dates.

The makeover of the Disney Magic is one of the most comprehensive of any cruise ship in recent years and includes a complete revamping of deck-top areas, restaurants, children's clubs and more.

The changes to the 1,754-passenger vessel include the removal of its iconic Mickey Pool, being replaced by a new watery fun zone for kids, and the addition of what's billed as one of the most thrilling water slides ever on a cruise ship.

USA TODAY Travel got an exclusive behind-the-scenes look earlier this month at the makeover in Spain, rolling out a series of videos on the project that can be seen in the carousel below and HERE and HERE.

By Gene Sloan, USA TODAY

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[crazy4disney 65]

Wow... The offer is very generous, which doesn't surprise me, and the delay if she isn't perfect doesn't surprise me -- Disney would never do like some other cruise lines that sail again when a refurb is "mostly done," and just work the remaining bugs out with the guests as guinea pigs.

But in following all the changes to be made, I somehow missed that they are removing the beloved Mickey pool... The Mickey pool WAS a "watery fun zone for kids." That just stinks. My son is sad too -- but says he is so glad he got to grow up with the truly "iconic" pool.

I feel bad for the guests who got cancelled at this late date, but the Magic's refurb will be (mostly) worth it!

-gina-