Disney Magic and the Future Dream

 One of the best looking cruise ships is the Disney Magic which arrived today October 14 and berthed at Pier 20. Its profile is well balanced, thanks to the second funnel, which also establishes a faintly retro look. The black hull and gold stripe adds to the classic feel.

The ship was built by Fincantieri, Marghera (with the fore part built at Ancona) in 1998 and received a major refit in 2013 when it received the (Donald?) ducktail to improve stability. Its gross tonnage thus increased from 83,338 to 83,969. Passenger capacity remained the same, with 875 cabins giving 1,750 berths with double occupancy and 2,713 with maximum occupancy. The crew totals 950.

The ship has been a regular caller since its first visit here on June 12, 2012. On past visits the ship did use tugs if it was windy, but despite the breezes today, the ship sidled into its berth at Pier 20 unassisted. With the Norwegian Breakway already tied up at Pier 21-22, the Disney Magic quite literally side stepped to its berth, using its three forward and two aft thrusters.

Half a dozen line handlers, in high visibility vests, can be seen on the brow of Pier 20, at the yellow "Queen Mary" 150 tonne bollard ready to take lines and Dominion Diving's tug Roseway is standing by at the Tall Ships Quay to take headlines to the pair of orange 100 tonne bollards at that pier. [ See Shipfax posts of May 19, 20 and 22, 2022 for more on bollards.]

The Future Dream

Disney Cruises is negotiating to buy the incomplete "Global Dream" cruise ship. The 208,000 gt ship was under construction at MV Werften in Germany when ship owners Genting Hong Kong became bankrupt and the shipyard ceased operations in January 2022. The shipyard is to be sold to Thyssenkrupp Marine Sstems (TKMS) to be rebuilt for naval work. The 75% complete "Global Dream" will likely be completed by Meyer Werft in Wismar.

The "Global Dream" was designed for the Asian market with four person / interconnecting cabins which may well suit Disney's family friendly formula. However with a passenger capacity of 9,500 and 2,000 crew it may be too big even for Disney. Lets hope it doesn't become the "Disney Dumbo" white elephant.

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