The Dream is here…the Disney Dream that is…

Well it is now January 6, 2011 and I think it is time to move on with what's new in the shipping and cruising world, besides there is not much more to say about the CUNARD!!!! Float in the Rose Parade….IT WAS BEAUTIFUL!!!....ok now I will stop. There is

nothing more to say ….See?...Nothing.

There is however some stuff to be said about Disney Cruise Line and even more so, the new Disney Dream…

The day before yesterday (January 4th for me) the newly completed and delivered Disney Dream, (we will call it DD for short…that way I don’t have to write out Disney Dream every time I want to make reference to the Disney Dream, because lets face it, even thought this article is about the Disney Dream, writing Disney Dream over and over again will probably get tedious and I don’t want to wear out the name Disney Dream by writing Disney Dream again and again so from now on Disney Dream will no longer be Disney Dream but will be (at least in this article) “DD”….I am rambling now aren’t I? Anyways, back to my rudely interrupted sentence…) arrived at Disney Cruise Lines (DCL) home port of Port Canaveral, Florida. And I must say….FINALLY!! (photo above- Disney Dream docked at DCL's cruise terminal in Port Canaveral, Fl)

It seems like (to me at least) that the cruising and shipgeek world have been waiting forever for this new ship to finally arrive. DCL announced their plans for 2 new ships back in February 2007 and didn’t even start construction until 2 years later in March 2009. Finally about a month ago the ship was delivered to DCL, that’s over 3 years that I have been waiting! (I guess it really isn’t that long in retrospect…but it seemed long).

(photo at right- early rendering of Disney Dream and Disney Fantasy along with Magic and Dream)

Anyways, let's talk about the ship. Disney Dre…..I mean, DD is the first in a new class of ship, of which there will be 2, DD and Disney Fantasy, being built for DCL. Disney’s last ship the Disney Wonder came out over 10 years ago in 1999, which itself was an identical twin (on the outside) to her sister ship the older, (by one year) Disney Magic (my favorite in DCL’s fleet). Those two ships were the first in Disney’s Cruise Line venture, and basically the first in the industry to be designed from the keel (bottom or back bone of a ship) as family oriented cruise ships.

Over the last 12 (almost 13) years of operation for the line, DCL has gained a reputation for a very high quality product with everything from their ship's food, to their service and even to their custom built terminal, receiving very high praise.

And despite what you might think, even though this is a Disney company and you would think that kids would be all over the place and out of control, this has never been the case for DCL. In fact, it’s quite the opposite. With the great design and amenities for different age groups, Disney has managed to keep kids controlled, well behaved and very entertained in their own dedicated areas. At the same time adults have many of their own spaces to relax and enjoy their cruise while still being able to have that Disney-ness in their cruise.

I hardly ever hear any major complaints about the line, in fact there is only one thing that I know has plagued (if that’s the right word) DCL, and the only thing that I know that has kept people away from the line…the prices. DCL is considered to be part of the mass market segment of the cruise industry, like Carnival, Royal Caribbean and NCL, and you might think that their cruise fares would reflect that…not the case. Much like the Disney Parks, DCL is somewhat over priced which in my opinion is only partially justified. Why? I will tell you…there are 2 reasons for this expensiveness, 1) Disney can charge more just because they are Disney, people love and have an emotional attachment to the brand and will pay A LOT of money for it. 2) Disney really does offer a high quality product despite being mass market (that whole “Disney Detail” thing is true). Their ships are immaculate all the time (which is not an easy or cheap accomplishment), their design is great, their food is great (from what I have heard), their entertainment is some of the absolute best in the industry (not surprising when you consider what Disney is) and the product as a whole is good. But like I said, that all comes at quite a pretty penny (for a mass market line that is). Don’t get me wrong…I love to see a company that is popular and doing well…I just wish I could afford it. :o

Anyways, I am going on too long about DCL, this article is supposed to be about DD.

DD represents a large expansion both in size and capacity for Disney. The ship is over 40% larger than its older fleet mates, and can hold over 1600 more passengers (4000 which means on some cruises the ship might seem crowded). And while the ship has much of the same things the older Disney ships have it will be introducing several new things to DCL and to the industry as a whole.

For example…
-I’ll start with the biggest and most obvious, the “Aquaduck”, a water slide rollercoaster like thing that will take its riders (who sit in an inflatable inter-tube) from a starting platform high in the aft funnel, over the side of the ship, down the length of the pool deck, through the forward funnel and down to the end of the ride. In total it is over 760ft long. (photo below- "Aquaduck" rendering)

-Inside staterooms will have a large round LED ‘‘porthole’’ showing a high definition video feed from cameras located around the perimeter of the ship. It will be just like a real window (except its only 2D) showing what’s outside the ship, like weather conditions. Also at times you will see Disney characters float past, like the Starfish from “Finding Nemo” (who will stick to your ‘window’) or the house from “Up”.
-There are several new restaurants onboard. The most significant, in my opinion, is the upscale venue, “Remy”, a French cuisine restaurant decorated in beautiful Art Nouveau style and based off of Disney and Pixar’s hit movie, “Ratatouille”. (photo at right- rendering of Remy)
-And besides that, the only other thing I can think of off the top of my head is a scavenger hunt thingy. Somehow using the art work around the ship Disney will send their passengers on scavenger hunts.

There is more but I just can’t remember off the top of my head and anyway, its not just about the new stuff. Its also about the tried and true.

A few of the things that will carry over from the older ships, Wonder and Magic, are…
-The restaurant “Animators Pallet” an eatery centered around Disney’s animation. On the original ships the room is covered in black and white animator cells, sketches and drawing that as the courses are served change to color (a very cool effect, actually). On Disney Dream, the room will have screens all over the wall, where diners will see Crush the turtle from “Finding Nemo” appear and interact (talk) with them. (Personally I prefer the original Animator’s Pallet over this new-fangled thing but it is still pretty cool.)
-Huge 18ft x 30ft LED screens over the family pool area.
-A family friendly design.
-Adult only spaces (which is nice for parents, couples and singles, with all of whom DCL is very popular).
-Rotational Dining. This is a dining concept Disney started with their older ships where passengers rotate between 3 different restaurants every night (including Animator’s Pallet).
-Three separate pool areas; one for Adults (Quiet Cove Pool), one for families (The Goofy Pool) and one for younger kids (The Mickey Pool) which features a water slide.
-Split bathrooms in the staterooms.
-A very Disney-esque style of design and cruising.

On the outside the ship is a gorgeous modern, kind of dumbed down, interpretation of old ocean liners. When I say ‘dumbed down’ I mean that her lines have been cleaned up and simplified so the ship resembles the sort of cliché ocean liner that you see in generic travel pictures (un-like Cunard’s Queen Mary 2 which is a real ocean liner and who’s looks reflect that fact), this isn’t a bad thing though because it really is a beautiful ship.
The Stern is a little odd from behind (not really very pretty like her older fleet mates that have some beautiful sterns) and her funnels could be a little bigger and the forward one should be taller (it is shorter so the air flow to the real working funnel, the after one, is undisturbed ) but other then that I can’t find much fault with the exterior of this ship. (photo below- early profile drawing of Disney Dream Class)

The inside is interesting to say the least. In general she is Art Deco on the inside with a Disney twist. Other spaces are a little more stylized but not in a tacky sort of way. My favorite room would have to be the Lobby for its Art Deco style. (photo at right- Dream's lobby)

The ship was built by Meyer-Werft shipyards in Papenburg, Germany and believe it or not was actually built inside a gigantic building called a building shed. She was built piece by piece by placing huge sections of the ship together in the dry dock and welding them together to form the ship (most people find this absolutely amazing). On October 30th, 2010 she was launched (meaning she was taken out of the building) to much praise and fanfare. The remaining work was carried out else where (like Hamburg) after her sea trials, which I hear went smoothly and she was finally handed over to DCL on December 9th 2010. (photo at left- Disney Dream being pulled out of the building shed, Oct 30th, 2010)

Now she’s here waiting to start her maiden voyage to the Caribbean on January 26th and a very, I am sure, successful and lucrative future beyond. I am very excited about her; yes I know…I am excited about every ship, along with the rest of the shipping, cruising, Disney and ShipGeek world. She will be a grand addition to the Disney Cruise Line fleet and I can’t wait to see the reviews on her.

I will now finish this overly long (my longest so far I think) article by saying that my only wish in regard to this ship is, I wish Disney would lower the price, or at least allow me to do a visit so I could see the ship! Or if not that I wish they would let me at least visit the Disney Wonder when she is out here in Los Angeles in just a few days! PLEASE DISNEY?!!!....I am wishing upon a star!! PLEASE!...pretty please? :D

I will write more on Disney Dream as soon as there is more to report so stay tooned!