At least one business person will mark the inaugural visit to St. Thomas Wednesday of the cruise ship Disney Magic with a Disney theme.
Janelle Zachman, owner of Going Seanile on Charlotte Amalie's waterfront, had a friend send mouse ears from Disney World, and Zachman and her employees will have them on to greet the 2,400 passengers – including lots of children.
Other welcoming gestures planned include a flotilla of local boats escorting Disney Magic to the West Indian Co. dock, and music by the Rising Stars Steel Orchestra and dancing by a mocko jumbie troupe as the passengers disembark.
Along with Mickey Mouse, Disney Cruise Line president Matt Ouimet and program manager Jane Adams will be aboard the ship when it arrives at St. Thomas.
The vessel, christened two years ago at Port Canaveral on Florida's east coast, is 964 feet long, weighs 83,000 tons, has 11 decks and can carry up to 2,400 passengers, plus crew. Readily recognizable from afar for its mouse ears atop the smokestacks, it includes a 977-seat theater that features Disney films, a Pinocchio's Pizzeria and a Pluto's (hot) Dog House.
In a release, WICO president Edward Thomas said, "We are excited to have this vessel call here because it represents a new emphasis on family-oriented cruising." He noted that the ship "will be a year-round caller, and we can expect to see a large number of children taking advantage of the many attractions of this destination."
The president of one of those attractions, Trudy Prior of Coral World, said the marine park "should be the premier attraction for Disney." Prior said she expected to have a good-sized tour group from the ship.
On this, its first 7-day Caribbean cruise, the Magic departed Port Canaveral on Saturday, called at St. Maarten on Tuesday and will go from St. Thomas (where passengers are promised "breathtaking panoramic views and endless activities") to Disney's private Castaway Cay in the Bahamas on Friday, then return to Port Canaveral.
Thomas encouraged the St. Thomas-St. John Hotel and Tourism Association to make contact with the passengers and encourage them to return to the island as overnight guests. "Until we have diversified our economy, we must pull out all the stops to increase our overnight hospitality business," he said.
Thomas noted that the construction areas along the WICO dock are off-limits to visitors.
Zachman said she and her band of merry mice plan to make their usual morning run through the Havensight area, Mickey Mouse ears and all.
