Disney Cruise Line continues to release bits of information on its new ship currently under construction, the Disney Dream.
The ship was Disney’s first new build in over 10 years. At 128,000 tons, the Disney Dream spans 14 decks and carries up to 4,000 passengers in addition to 1,480 cast and crew. There are 1,250 staterooms – Eighty-eight percent of them are outside rooms, and of those, 90 percent have a private verandah. In true Disney style, the ship will feature state-of-the-art technology so guests will encounter unexpected magic throughout their cruise. The Disney Dream won over 62 awards, including Best for Cabins and Best for Families in 2019.
Virtual portholes: Inside cabins will have a porthole with real-times views of the outside provided by high definition cameras placed on the exterior of the ship. Animates characters will also pop up from time to time.
The AquaDuck will be the cruise industry’s first water coaster. The AquaDuck is an exhilarating high-speed flume ride featuring twists, turns, drops, uphill acceleration and river rapids – all while traversing the upper decks of the ship. At one point, you glide 13 feet over the side of the ship allowing you to look down into the ocean 150 below.
Re-designed restaurant: When travelers enter the Animator’s Palate restaurant, they will find a room decorated like an art studio, with character sketches, colored stencils and paint brushes. As the meal progresses, wall-mounted LCD screens change, transforming the area into what appears as an undersea world. Crush, the lovable turtle from the movie Finding Nemo, will swim around the screens engaging guests in live conversations. While Crush moves around the restaurant, other characters from the movie join him including Dory, Nemo, Squirt and Bruce.
Enchanted Art: Throughout the ship you will find framed LCD screens that come to life as guests walk by. Part of the Enchanted Art experience on the Disney Dream includes an interactive detective game where a special card allows guests to peer behind the virtual canvases to discover clues. You play the game at your own pace to solve the mystery. The game offers six potential villains, and the outcome will be different each time you play.
Magic PlayFloor: On the Disney Dream, Disney’s children club the Oceaneer Club and Oceaneer Lab (the youth spaces designed for cruisers ages 3-10), will feature an inter-active play floor as well as large screens where popular Disney characters come to life and interactive with the kids. With this unique concept, Disney Dream has blended gaming technology with storytelling. It allows a group of children to engage and their movement control the action. Youth counselors also incorporate the Magic PlayFloor into storytelling activities onboard which immerses the kids into their favorite Disney films. Imagine the stories your kids will tell when they fly over the streets of London with Peter Pan, maybe even ride some ocean waves with Crush from “Finding Nemo” or the ultimate race around a track like Lightning McQueen from “Cars.”
Also a part of the Oceaneer’s lab is Star Wars: Millennium Falcon: where you join the Rebel Alliance in this intergalactic arena! There are arts and crafts, you can design a starship, train like a Jedi or climb into Han Solo’s cockpit as part of the Jedi Training: Experience the Force.
Broadway at Sea: There are three live entertainment shows to enjoy aboard the Disney Dream. First is Beauty and the Beast – Tale as old as time enjoy this magnificent musical production. There is another show, “the Golden Mickey’s” which is also a live show with a tribute to the enchanting movies of Walt Disney such as Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, The Little Mermaid, The Lion King and One Hundred and One Dalmatians just to name a few. Hollywood-style awards show with spectacular songs and special appearances by Mickey and friends. Last but not least is “Disney’s Believe” a musical about a workaholic father who reconnects with his daughter through a little Disney magic. More than 300 costumes and 200 moving elements along with some of your favorite Disney Characters and many memorable songs from film classics such as Aladdin, Cinderalla, Peter Pan and Mary Poppins just to name a few.
Disney Dream offers 3- and 4-Night Bahamian Cruises from Port Canaveral (near Orlando). Port of Call include the Bahamas and Disney’s Castaway Cay private island. The Disney Dream first set sail on January 26, 2011.
