D23 Expo talks details of the Fantasy, newest Disney Cruise Line ship

This past weekend’s D23 Expo offered a session on the newest ships for the Disney Cruise Line (DCL).  The Sunday morning presentation was entitled “Imagineering the Dream and the Fantasy.” Led by Imagineers Joe Lanzisero and Bob Zalk, the presentations covered some of the details of the new ship.

The highlight of the Disney Cruise Line presentation was the information on a new experience at Animator’s Palate, one of the rotational dining experiences, on the Disney Fantasy. The restaurant will feature an experience in which guests draw characters. These drawings will be collected – and later given back – for an animated dinner show featuring guests’ artwork integrated with classic Disney sequences. There are nine zones in the restaurant, so the drawings will appear where the guests artists’ are dining.

Some of the other highlights of the 45-minute presentation and the D23 Expo focused on the Disney Fantasy, some of which had been announced earlier:

• A new character will appear on the Disney Fantasy, but who has yet to be revealed. Soon, the Imagineers promised.
• A statue of Mademoiselle Minnie Mouse will grace the atrium lobby of the Disney Fantasy.
• The Disney Fantasy’s virtual portholes will feature some new characters, including Winnie the Pooh, Woody and Buzz, Kaa even Band Leader Mickey and other related characters.
• Europa will be the night-time adult district, themed to evoke European travel. As with the Disney Dream, it will offer lounges and bars. The main club will be called The Tube and one of Europa’s bars will be O’Gill’s, an Irish pub. The Skyline Bar will feature views of seven cities.
• Changes are in store for Enchanted Garden, another DCL restaurant, including light fixtures that “come to life.” The restaurant will transition throughout the day.
• The Fantasy will have a Goofy miniature golf course.

During the talk, Lanziero and Zalk also discussed the challenges and inspirations of designing a cruise ship.  They emphasized that DCL, just as the theme parks, deals with storytelling at its core.

But there are some essential differences – guests aboard a cruise ship are immersed in a space for a much great period of time compared to that of a Disney theme park (e.g living, dining in a space for days vs. the short time spent in an attraction.) To help with this, the DCL experience focuses, in part, on creating a sense of discovery for guests.

Other notes:

• In terms of theming the Disney ships, DCL works to balance a sense of old-style cruise elegance with Disney touches, such as the “whimsy” in the atrium.
• One of DCL’s innovations in the cruising industry has been to create a variety of dining atmospheres – casual, elegant and entertainment-focused.
• The focus on keeping families together was one of the reasons DCL linked the Dream’s age-specific kids’ clubs, the Oceaneer Lab and Oceaneer Club.

The Disney Fantasy sets sail on its maiden voyage March 31, 2012. The Disney Cruise Line ship will offer week-long Caribbean cruises.

Related articles

• Disney D23 Expo – Walt Disney Parks and Resorts Arena presentation (examiner.com)
• Walt Disney Parks Take Fans Through the “Carousel of Projects” at Disney’s D23 Expo, August 19-21, 2011 (chipandco.com)

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