PAPENBURG, Germany — Externally, the Disney Dream is an evolution of Disney's classic Magic and Wonder: an ocean liner blueprint with a long bow, rounded superstructure and twin funnels.
As for the internal experience: In a warehouse in the Meyer Werft shipyard here, filled with samples of fittings that resembled a Hollywood prop house, Bruce Vaughn, Disney Corp.'s president of creative operations, described the Dream's interior as a combination of elegance and "Disney whimsy." (View our slideshow here.)
"Everything was made especially for the ship, and nothing is off the shelf," he said.
Later, in the ship's multideck atrium as painters, drillers and fasteners toiled, Disney Cruise Line President Karl Holz explained, "Our guests will enter here to the sounds of a pianist and may even see a princess descend the grand staircase."
Vaughn said the ship's streamlined exterior — Disney eschewed the addition of more cabins to avoid the typical boxy appearance of most modern cruise ships — is meant to "give a first impression that will get people excited by just seeing its pleasing proportions." And for the thousands of onlookers who braved the cold, rainy weather during the ship's float-out here on Oct. 30, the company might have already achieved that goal.
The interior, meanwhile, is designed to give an exciting "second impression." Art deco stylings will include a 1.5-deck-tall, 24 karat gold-plated Swarovski crystal chandelier centerpiece; hand-carved stone inlays; plaster friezes; and hand-tufted carpets.
During a five-hour ship tour, an iPad containing a keynote program with renderings of the myriad "in progress" spaces was provided for reference.
When it sets sail in January, the Dream will amp up many popular features of the previous ships, including the line's rotational dining, where guests and their servers will be assigned a different 697-seat restaurant each night.
Adjacent to the Atrium, the Royal Palace restaurant will feature "lazy susan" revolving-booth seating and opulent decor inspired by four Disney princesses: Cinderella, Snow White, Belle from "Beauty and the Beast" and Aurora from "Sleeping Beauty." Cuisine will further the theme with dishes such as king salmon and princess cakes.
The Animator's Palate will have an underwater motif, with Crush (the surfer-dude turtle from "Finding Nemo") and other characters virtually swimming through LED displays for real-time interactions with diners, who will chose from a Pacific Rim and California-cuisine menu.
In the Enchanted Garden, which is fashioned after the gardens of Versailles, the setting gradually transforms from day to night and the offerings will be "fresh, seasonal and organic," according to Ozer Valli, Disney's vice president of hotel operations.
This being Disney, a focus of the tour was on the playplaces and hangouts for kids.
The Oceaneer Club, for example, will cater to children ages 3 to 10, who can interact with a number of Disney characters, navigate ships through virtual sea scenarios or compete on a play floor, an industry first where foot movements control a number of virtual games and scenarios.
Tweens ages 11 through 13 will have their own lounge inside the (fake) forward funnel, and ages 14 through 17 get a 9,000-square-foot club atop the ship's bow with its own sunbathing and deck area.
Adults may adjourn to the exclusive nighttime entertainment area called the District, with its themed lounges, bars and nightclubs. The Skyline Bar will feature a high-definition projection of a different cityscape (Paris, New York, Tokyo, Rio de Janeiro, Chicago) each night with matching music, drinks and food.
The main nightclub, Evolution, boasts fog screens, butterfly-shaped banquettes and backlit ceilings emulating deep orange Monarch and brilliant blue Morpho butterfly wings.
Pink, a champagne bar named for the pink elephant in "Dumbo," will sport bubble-shaped Italian light fixtures and offer its own exclusive brand of Taittinger champagne.
Cued by sense detectors, there will be 22 pieces of "Enchanted Art" throughout the ship that evolve from still images of classic Disney characters to animated scenes. These works will also be interactive through the self-paced Goofy Detective Co. adventure game, where guests can hold up a card that will make something happen in the image as part of a "technological scavenger hunt."
Complete with its own concession stand, the 399-seat Buena Vista Theater will have cinema-type seating and will be the first at sea to show Dolby 3D Digital films.
Three, 55-minute shows will be performed nightly in the 1,340-seat Walt Disney Theater, which will offer state-of-the-art effects, LED screens on its ceiling for light shows and excellent sight lines. As with the two dining seatings, guests can choose their preferred show time in advance.
Of the ship's 1,250 cabins (1,000 of which interconnect), 150 are inside cabins that feature "Virtual Portholes" fed by real-time LED projections from four outside positions around the ship. Disney characters, like the starfish from "Finding Nemo," randomly make cameo appearances in the video view.
Vaughn said the feature could be turned off whenever desired and that these were the first rooms on the ship to sell out. "We offered complimentary upgrades, but most guests would not take them," he said.
Cabin sizes will range from 169 square feet to 1,781 square feet. Nineteen concierge-level suites on Decks 11 and 12 will have gated access and balconies partially enclosed by glass canopies.
All cabins feature new "scan key" technology and yacht-inspired decor with a soothing deep blue, red and white palette.
In addition to an expanded 196-seat version of Palo, the line's popular Italian a la carte dining option, there will be a new 66-seat venue called Remy, inspired by the movie "Ratatouille" and featuring French cuisine.
Overlooking the Dream's stern, the spaces share the 50-seat Meridian Lounge, with steamer-trunk leather banquettes and navigational decorative motifs. Remy's rich menu will be overseen by two-star Michelin chef Arnaud Lallament and will cost $75 per person.
In addition to a large inventory of French vintages stored in tailor-made leather wine holders, Remy will also house a wine vault with five bottles of 1947 Chateau Latour, with an estimated value between $10,000 and $20,000 per bottle.
Near the end of the ship tour, participants reached the family pool area, between the two massive, red-and-black funnels, and viewed the AquaDuck, the 765-foot, acrylic-tube "water coaster" suspended above the football-field-size deck area. One of the ship's most anticipated features, it is capable of handling up to 250 people per hour.
The minute-long ride employs "master blaster" water jet technology that whooshes guests at speeds of up to 14 feet per second through both funnels and, at one precipitous loop, 160 feet above the sea.