ORLANDO, Fla. — The vanguard of the last new era of Disney Cruise Line is moving along as Disney Dream, which first debuted at Port Canaveral in 2011, has left the only port it ever called home to make way for the first ship of a new era.
With the arrival of new Trident-class ship Disney Wish later this month, Dream left Port Canaveral for the last time on June 6, at least for now.
“The Disney Dream has always calls Port Canaveral home,” said Port Canaveral CEO Capt. John Murray. “It’s heading down to Miami and next year it’s going to Europe. So that ship probably won’t be back for a while. It’s been a long stay since she was delivered about 10 years ago.”
Dream’s christening ceremony took place on Jan. 19, 2011, amid fireworks and a performance by ship godmother, singer and actress Jennifer Hudson, who began her performing career on a Disney Cruise Line ship.
The third ship in the DCL fleet, Dream was a massive step up from the line’s original vessels Disney Magic and Disney Wonder.
The first of two ships in its class, Disney Dream was billed as a 4,000-passenger vessel, coming in at 130,000 gross tons and 1,115 feet long with 1,250 staterooms. The smaller Magic and Wonder are 84,000 gross tons and 984 feet long with 875 staterooms.
The Disney Wish is a little larger than Dream and its sister ship, Disney Fantasy, at 144,000 gross tons, 1,119 feet and 1,254 staterooms.
Dream, though, brought a new level of Disney’s signature adventurous touch with the introduction of the 765-foot-long AquaDuck, the popular water coaster that lets passengers take a slippery fast boat ride through a clear tube all around the top deck.
It also introduced fine-dining venue Remy, one of the highest extra-cost options sailing among major cruise lines. Scott Hunnell, then executive chef at Victoria & Albert’s in the Grand Floridian Resort and Spa at Walt Disney World collaborated on the menu. And its adults-only lounge area Pink was an effort to embrace parents on board.
“The Dream’s increased passenger capacity over the Magic and Wonder opened up the world of cruising to more guests each week which often are visiting Florida as part of a land and sea vacation,” said Scott Sanders, who runs the fan site DisneyCruiseLineBlog.com. “The Dream built on the success of the Magic and Wonder and expanded the overall guest experience which even led to changes on the Magic-class.”
Those changes included renovation the buffet style restaurants and the addition of concierge lounges, Sanders said.
Fantasy followed one year later, and will remain at Port Canaveral continuing to sail mostly seven-night Caribbean itineraries.
It’s seen some changes over the year, including the arrival of a “Beauty and the Beast” stage show in 2017 usurping “Villains Tonight!” It was also the first ship to get a dedicated Star Wars-themed area after a 2016 dry dock overhaul included the Millennium Falcon play space in the Oceaneer Club.
Disney Dream had been doing three- and four-night sailings to the Bahamas including stops at the private island Castaway Cay. Those duties will be handed over to Disney Wish, which begins service with customers on July 14.
Dream will call Miami home through next summer, sailing on and three-, four- and five-night voyages. It will then head to Europe for the first time, a duty that has been the purview of Disney Magic.
Disney Wish will be followed by two yet-to-be-named sister ships in 2024 and 2025, with at least one of the other new vessels also expected to call Port Canaveral home. It is expanding Dream and Fantasy’s AquaDuck concept to also include a dark ride, and will have brand new dining and entertainment concepts on board tied to Star Wars, Marvel and Frozen.
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