Disney Dream

The Disney Dream is a cruise ship operated by Disney Cruise Line, which is part of The Walt Disney Company's Disney Experiences division. She is the third ship of the overall fleet and the first of the Dream-class, and was followed by a sister ship, the Disney Fantasy.

History and construction
In February 2007, Disney Cruise Line announced that it had commissioned two new ships. The first steel cut, for scrollwork on the ship's hull, was in March 2009, at the Meyer Werft shipyards in Papenburg, Germany. Later that month the two ships were named, with Disney Dream set to enter service first, followed by her sister ship, Disney Fantasy. The design of Disney Dream was unveiled at a press conference in New York City, on October 29, 2009.

The keel of Disney Dream was laid on August 19, 2009. On June 1, 2010, the final section of the ship, the bow, was put into its place, completing the exterior, with work continuing on the interior of the ship. Float-out took place on October 30, 2010, and Disney Dream had her maiden voyage on January 26, 2011.

Disney Cruise Line took possession of Disney Dream on December 8, 2010. She arrived in Port Canaveral, Florida on January 4, 2011. Disney Dream was christened on January 19, 2011, by Jennifer Hudson, who began her career as an entertainer on Disney Wonder. Disney Dream's maiden voyage began on January 26, 2011, calling on Nassau, The Bahamas, and Disney's private island, Castaway Cay.

Since the ship's launch, the Disney Dream has sailed almost exclusively on three and four-night sailings to Castaway Cay and Nassau. It has now announced plans to debut itineraries for European destinations as of summer 2023. This will include the United Kingdom, France, Spain, Norway, Denmark, Greece and Italy. On June 7, 2022, Disney Dream temporarily relocated to Miami. On November 20, 2023, Disney Dream moved to her new home port at Port Everglades' Cruise Terminal 4.

Design
Disney Dream is 40% larger than the two older ships in the Disney Cruise Line family, Disney Magic and Disney Wonder, with a gross tonnage of, a length of 1114.7 ft and a width of 137 ft. Disney Dream has 1,250 staterooms, carries 2,500 passengers (double occupancy) or a maximum of 4,000 passengers, and a crew of 1,458.

The ship has 14 floors, a black hull, a white superstructure, twin red funnels, and yellow lifeboats.

The ship’s interior includes a combination of Art Deco design and features from the world of Walt Disney. The interior cabins are fitted with virtual portholes ("Magical Porthole") that broadcast the view of the outside and animated Disney characters.

Disney Dream’s art deco-style chandelier, located in the atrium, was created with thousands of hand-crafted crystal beads along with colorful glass work. Crafted in Brixen, located in Northern Italy, the chandelier is 22 feet in diameter at the ceiling plate and comes down 13 feet from the ceiling. It is 24kt gold plated with a total of 88,680 Swarovski crystal beads ranging in size from 6 mm to 12 mm.

Every Disney Cruise Line ship has an atrium lobby statue celebrating a classic Disney character; Disney Dream's is Donald Duck portrayed as an admiral.

On-board activities
Activities aboard Disney Dream include a 9-hole mini-golf course, a walking track, digital sports simulators, and a full-sized basketball court that can be converted for use as a soccer pitch, volleyball court, or football/table tennis area. There are also two smaller sports courts and two hangouts for younger children.

The ship features the AquaDuck, a 765-foot (233-meter) long winding water slide with a four-deck drop and a course that winds over the edge of the ship and through the ship's forward funnel. The AquaDuck runs the width of the ship and the length between the funnels, almost the size of a U.S. football field. In addition to pools of various sizes, there are also hot tubs for adults & families, some of which have glass in the floor.

Entertainment
Disney Dream also includes two theaters:


 * Walt Disney Theater (1,340 capacity; live original productions: Beauty and the Beast, Believe and The Golden Mickeys)
 * Buena Vista Theater (399 capacity; motion pictures)

Among the leading-edge technical effects in the Walt Disney Theater is an infrared camera with motion tracking, allowing the movement of performers to be blended with projected digital animated effects.

Rotational dining concept
Every night of a Disney Dream cruise, guests dine at a different restaurant. This is called "rotational dining".

The rotational dining restaurants on the Disney Dream are Enchanted Garden, located on deck 2 midship, Royal Palace, located on deck 3 midship, and Animator's Palate, located on deck 3 aft. As well as rotational dining, the Disney Dream also has two specialty restaurants: Palo and Remy, respectively serving Northern Italian and French cuisine. Specialty dining is an additional cost and is exclusively for adults.

Youth Clubs
The ship features a nursery, Oceaneer Club, Oceaneer Lab, Edge, and Vibe for kids entertainment. In December 2023, Disney Cruise Line abruptly changed the age ranges for Oceaneer Club and Lab from 3-12 to ages 3-10, with some guests receiving less than a week notice of the change without any option to cancel or re-book.