NEW SHIP REVIEW
Editor Simon Veness runs the rule over
Disney Cruise Line’s dramatic newcomer
Disney Dials Up
A Real I Dream
t takes something dramatic to really catch the imagination of the cruise world these days. So Disney set out to create something über-imaginative
and, 13 years after their first ship wowed an appreciative public, they did it again. When Disney Cruise Line first set sail
with the Disney Magic in 1998, their design team came up with something that was thrillingly modern, packed with Disney’s own brand of entertainment and yet still had its roots firmly in maritime tradition. The new Disney Dream is half as big again as the Magic and sister ship Disney Wonder, and offers up at least 50 per cent more in terms of style and facilities, from the small-scale to the large, and just about everything in between. There are unique attributes like the Aqua-
Duck ‘water-coaster’ – a water flume ride that propels riders on two-person rafts above the main pool deck (and even out over the side of the ship at one point!) – and examples of Enchanted Art throughout the ship, portraits and paintings that come to life with some of Disney’s most beloved characters. The dining options include Disney’s first genuine gourmet experience at sea, the Remy Restaurant that offers cuisine by Michelin-starred French chef Arnaud Lallement and Walt Disney World’s own super-chef Scott Hunnel.
62 WORLD OF CRUISING I Spring 2011
“This is A SHIP that is supposed to ENTERTAIN AND AMAZE, and it does that MAGNIFICENTLY”
And there are again the kind of adults- only features that serve to underline why this is a great experience for couples as well as families, with the Cove Café, Palo Restaurant and District nightlife area all providing the kind of sophisticated and quality-conscious outlets Disney aficiona- dos have come to know and love. More importantly, this is still a ship in the old-fashioned sense. It does offer the glitzy, modern resort style we have come to expect from the 21st
century cruise
world, but it does not eschew tradition, with the sharp prow, twin-funnel design and interior promenades all serving as reminders of cruising’s glittering heritage. Nowhere is this better evidenced than
in the Concierge section of the Dream, a ship-within-a-ship area that features some genuinely gorgeous cabins, its own Lounge reminiscent of the Golden Age liners of the 1930s, and a private deck space above. In fact, while other lines have cautiously doodled their way towards re-creating the
ocean-going hierarchy we used to see in days gone by, Disney have gone full throttle for a First Class revival, a complete reinstate- ment of class-conscious delineation that died out with the old QE2 and her predecessors. In fact, I’d go as far as to say only the Queen Mary 2 can match the Dream for the kind of big-ship upper-echelon distinc- tion which rewards the more discerning (and wealthy) passenger these days. But one shouldn’t ignore the sheer fun factor of Disney’s latest and greatest, espe- cially with sister ship Disney Fantasy now only 12 months away. This is a vessel that is supposed to enter- tain and amaze in equal parts, and it does that magnificently, from the moment you enter the capacious Atrium for a traditional ‘welcome aboard’ personal announcement to the time you step off again after a 3, 4 or 5-day jaunt around the Bahamas that all include a stop at the company’s pristine
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