NEW YORK — The Disney Dream will have a four-deck-high water coaster when the ship debuts 15 months from now, Disney Cruise Line said on Thursday.
At an event here showcasing details of the line's first new ship since 1998, Disney said the Dream would introduce the AquaDuck, a combination water slide and roller coaster.
Riders seated on inflatable rafts will zip through a 765-foot-long tube (that’s more than two football fields) from the ship’s highest point, through a funnel and a tube 13 feet off the ship’s side.
The AquaDuck is one of many new amenities the 4,000-passenger ship will introduce. Other innovations are animation-driven, such as "enchanted art" placed throughout the ship that will animate when passengers approach it and will change depending on who is looking.
And in a twist that will change the feel of the humble inside cabin, the Dream’s windowless staterooms will be outfitted with "virtual portholes" offering live video feeds via cameras outside the ship, corresponding to the cabin’s place onboard.
Since this is Disney, the virtual portholes will have virtual visitors, such as an animated starfish or pirate ship.
"It’s all about the unexpected magic we deliver to blow our guests away," said Greg Dauberger, a director with Walt Disney Imagineering.
In the children’s area, the Dream will have an animated turtle that engages kids in conversation about ocean life. The turtle will "remember" the children's names.
Dauberger said the interior design of the Dream would be a blend of art deco and "Disney whimsy," such as a statue of Admiral Donald gracing the atrium.
"We take classic architecture and add our own touch to it," Dauberger said. "You will know you are on a Disney ship."
Purpose-built for families, Disney’s ships have always been focused on creating separate spaces for children in different age groups, and also for adults. The ship will be almost 50% larger than the current Disney vessels, and many of its spaces will grow by that much, as well.
The Dream will have Disney’s first tween area, rounding out youth programming that has always had specific areas for babies, children and teenagers.
On the Dream, it will add a space just for children ages 11 to 13, who don’t quite identify with high schoolers but are too old to for the elementary school kids.
Edge, the tween club, will be located in the forward funnel (the same one that has the water coaster shooting through it) and will have a "blog spot" for social media access, video games and a private dance floor.
A 9,000-square-foot indoor-outdoor space will give teenagers a private deck area on the ship’s bow with wading pools and fountains for cooling off, and deck games such as ping-pong and foosball.
They also get a dance floor where they can get in the DJ booth and try their hand at spinning tracks.
The younger Dream passengers will have playrooms themed around Disney movies, such as a Toy Story room, a Monsters Inc. area and a Finding Nemo space.
For adults, an area on the ship called the District will encompass five nighttime entertainment areas. The District will have a dance club, sports bar, champagne room and lounge where virtual cityscapes change daily.