Innovative and high-tech details unveiled for Disney Dream, the newest Disney Cruise Line ship

The Disney Cruise Line has been slowly revealing more details about its newest ship, the Disney Dream, and its use of new innovations and technology. When the Dream is finally ready to sail in Jan. 2011, it will include a number of magic touches and interactive, immersive environments for Disney guests to enjoy.

Disney continues to reveal new information on Imagineering elements of the Disney Dream – as well as provide updates concerning the enhancement and expansion of Castaway Cay, Disney's private island, which is scheduled for completion summer 2010. These new features and interactive technology continue to enhance Disney Cruise Line’s reputation as a top-rated family cruise experience.

Be sure to check the end of this article for a new video highlighting the Disney Dream innovations!

As reported earlier by this column, Disney Dream will include a number of cruise-ship firsts and one-of-a-kind features. Among the highlights of these will new additions be the AquaDuck Water Coaster, the first ever cruise water coaster, and the Skyline Bar, with an ever-changing view of different cityscapes.

But the creative contributions of Walt Disney Imagineering to the interactive experiences of the Disney Dream are present in the ship’s details both large and small.

Animator's Palate allows guests to dine under the sea

Animator's Palate on the<br />
Disney Dream. © Disney
Animator's Palate on the Disney Dream / Photo courtesy of Disney Cruise Line

Disney has been promoting an updated, re-imagined Animator’s Palate – based on versions of the restaurant on the Disney Magic and Disney Wonder – since the initial announcements of the Disney Dream made at the D23 Expo and New York special media event. The restaurant’s basic design evokes an animation studio with brushes, paints, maquettes. A showcase for color, the room changes from black-and-white to color over the course of a dining experience.

New to the Dream will be the transformation of the dining area, including ceiling and walls, into an underseas world. The rooms LCD screens will become “portholes” that reveal a colorful coral reef and its residents, while the ceiling helps diners engage in a make-believe game of life “under the sea.”

Central to the new Animator’s Palate experience is a visit from Crush and other characters from Disney-Pixar’s Finding Nemo. Crush, Dory, Nemo, and other characters will swim around the restaurant, interacting with Disney guests in live, impromptu conversations – an extension of the concept used with Turtle Talk with Crush in the theme parks.

Oceaneer’s Club and Oceaner’s Lab offers interactive play floors

Interactive Play Floor © Disney

Interactive play floors in Disney Dream's children's area / Photo courtesy of Disney Cruise Line

Early announcements on the re-imagining of these popular kids’ area included the removal of age distinctions between the two areas and an emphasis on gaming. Disney also confirmed, in early media events, that interactive experiences with Crush and Stitch will take place in these children’s areas.

Another new delight for the two Oceaneer spaces is an interactive play floor that will blend gaming technology with storytelling fun, offering various games, activities and levels of difficulty. With the interactive floor, children can participate in team play or storytelling activities where their movements will control the action on the interactive floor. For instance, one game will have children controlling a virtual tilt maze via their movements around the floor’s perimeter. Or the floor becomes part of a storytelling experience, allowing children to fly over London streets with Peter Pan.

Enchanted Art transforms pieces into clues for a detective adventure

Enchanted Art provides clues to detective adventure game / Photo courtesy of Disney Cruise Line

The Enchanted Art that will be present throughout the Disney Dream provides guests with some magical storytelling presented as simple works of art, which then come alive. These framed LCD screens at first appears to be works done in traditional media – photography, oil paintings, travel posters, animated cells. But the Enchanted Art then transforms into one of many animated sequence options, offering a new experience each time a Disney guests drops by.

Newly released information reveals the Enchanted Art is a key component to a detective-themed interactive experience. In this ship-wide quest, guests of all ages work to find either stolen artwork or missing puppies in a self-paced adventure. Participants use a high-tech detective device, cleverly disguised as a simple card, to peek behind virtual canvases. There they will find clues that will help them solve the puzzle and foil the villain. With six potential villains and random events, the detective adventures can be played multiple times.

Innovation + imagination = New magical experiences aboard Disney Dream, Disney Parks Blog

The maiden voyage of the Disney Dream is scheduled for Jan. 26, 2011. The ship’s itinerary will alternate between three- and four-night cruises to the Bahamas and Castaway Cay; during summer months, the ship will offer four- and five-night itineraries with two stops at Castaway Cay.

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