Disney Dream: From Stem To Stern
By Anne Kalosh

Disney Dream is not just 45 percent bigger than what Disney is now calling its "classic ships," but it's better in all areas. The line has had more than a decade to hone what was already a great product in Disney Magic and Disney Wonder, so count on the new ship to impress.
   
The AquaDuck coaster is one "Wow" factor, looping high above the pool deck, through both funnels, and out over the sea, jaw-dropping just to look at. Water gushes continuously through a clear acrylic tube, where the one- or two- rider rafts are propelled by Master Blaster hydro jets. At night it will be lighted. Unfortunately, AquaDuck wasn't available for media to try--look for the ride to premiere Friday in a "Good Morning America" exclusive.
   
Even prior to its launch, much has been made of all the technology and animation, from the digital "Finding Nemo" characters who joke with kids in real time to the virtual portholes in the inside staterooms to the Enchanted Art that springs to life in its frames.
   
Not everything was running yet, but an Animated Art piece off the atrium was ingenious and fun, something to catch the eyes of adults along with the kids.
   
There's also much more variety, a more differentiated experience for adults, more upscale dining, and more sophistication overall. The materials throughout are lush and beautiful--inlaid marbles, Murano glass, handcrafted mosaics, hand-tufted carpets.
    
Rotational Dining Returns
Disney invented the concept of rotating diners and their servers through three different restaurants on different nights. On the Dream, they take it to another level, with a transformation during one meal. Animator's Palate changes from a classic animation studio into Nemo's undersea world, where Crush, the talking turtle, works the room by moving from window to window, with real-time conversation, greeting kids by name.
   
How does he do it? Disney won't tell. "Technology serves magic for us," says Bruce Vaughn, chief creative engineer for Walt Disney Imagineering. "We go to extremes to offer an extraordinary experience."
   
When the Animator's Palate dinner ends, a terrazzo walkway lights up with fiber optic Dalmatian puppies "leading" diners to the exits.
   
Of the other main restaurants, Royal Palace is an opulent room inspired by Disney princesses, with details like roses, tiaras, slippers, and apples throughout. Enchanted Garden is meant to convey the gardens of Versailles and sports a Disney ship's first indoor fountain. The look and amenities transform from daytime to evening, with flowers that open, trellises changing to wrought-iron gates, and the addition of a chocolatier making truffles at night.

The menus are different in each restaurant, too. It's fresh, seasonal, and organic (organic chicken, sea bass) in Enchanted Garden, California/Pacific Rim cuisine in Animator's Palate, and continental (beef Wellington, rack of lamb) in Royal Palace--a far cry from the original mac & cheese and hamburgers of the line's early days.
   
The Dream's casual buffet dining area was improved into a space called Cabanas, with nine specialized food stations (sushi, pizza, salad bar, Italian, desserts) and indoor-outdoor seating. Here is a fabulous mosaic tile wall with an underwater scene designed by Pixar artists working with Italian mosaic tile craftsmen.
   
Specialty Dining
Remy is in Art Nouveau, the perfect style for a fancy French restaurant. And this one is really fancy, with a menu by two-star Michelin Chef Arnaud Lallement of l'Assiette Champenoise in Reims, France, and AAA Five Diamonds Chef Scott Hunnel from Victoria & Albert's at Walt Disney World Resort.
   
At $75 a pop, it's priced the same as the Chef's Table on Allure of the Seas and Oasis of the Seas but doesn't include wine. Even so, Disney predicts hot demand; Remy sold out on the maiden voyage in 16 minutes.
   
Palo, Disney's signature Northern Italian specialty restaurant, was enlarged to 170 seats, with outdoor seating for 26, and has Hungarian crystal and Murano glass chandeliers. "We're kicking it up a notch," says Ozer Balli, vp hotel operations. The menu has Colorado rack of lamb and handmade pastas. The cover is $20.
   
Staterooms
All staterooms have a classic, yacht-like feel, very upscale. And the design was tweaked in countless ways during the 1.5 years in mock-up testing, according to Kevin Cummins, one of the ship's project managers.
   
For example, although the Dream's inside staterooms are 161 square feet, as on the classic ships, they feel roomier. The 147 insides with Magical Portholes are selling first, and the passengers who've been offered free upgrades from these rooms are turning them down.
   
The oversized "portholes" get live video from five high-definition cameras positioned outside the ship. The view corresponds to the stateroom location, port or starboard, forward or aft. Every 15 minutes or so, a different animated Disney character may swim or fly by.
   
In another change, the closet doors now swing, instead of sliding, to alleviate rattling. Pull-down beds are topped with a faintly-lighted sky scene. Linens are Frette, 300 threat count, and every room has an iPod docking station and 22-inch flat-screen television on a swivel arm. Also, this time around, the bedframes are elevated to give more space under for suitcase storage.
   
Disney's signature bath and a half design is found in nearly all the 1,250 staterooms (not the 121 inside rooms). A whopping 1,000 staterooms are
connecting.
   
There are 21 suites, with a living area and master bedroom, a solarium-style glassed-in balcony with a window that opens, a walk-in closet, two bathrooms including a whirlpool tub and separate shower stall in the master bath. These sleep five, including a fold-down Murphy bed and a sofabed. A pair of royal suites are on Deck 12 forward with a whirlpool tub on the veranda among the features.
   
Children, Tweens & Teens
Oceaneer Club is for three to 10 year olds. Disney has moved away from specific age groupings to interest areas, and the choices on the Dream are vast. For example, there's a "Finding Nemo" space with a submarine. Andy's Room is stocked with larger-than-life "Toy Story" characters, while Pixie Hollow is Tinker Bell's realm with a pixie tree, craft stools, and dress-up costumes.
   
Oceaneer Lab focuses on discovery and exploration, with workshops and an Animator's Studio. In the Sound Studio, kids can create music by moving their hands across laser beams.
   
Among the coolest elements are two Magic PlayFloors. They have light sensors activated by movement, such as foot stomping. Games here include pizza-making with funny ingredients or a contest of fly-catching with a frog's tongue.
   
There's a nursery, too, for infants and toddlers ages 3 months to 3 years. Childcare is $6 an hour.
   
On the pool deck, the Donald Pool for families, and Mickey's Pool with its slide, are adjacent on the Dream. Ages 8 and younger get Nemo's Reef, a water-play area with pop jets, bubblers, and a mini slide.
   
Moving up in age, Tweens (11-13) get Edge, housed inside the forward funnel. The AquaDuck even zips riders through this space.
   
    Senses Spa contains a separate Chill Spa for ages 13-17 with two treatment rooms. Vibe is the key-card teen area (ages 14-17), with a media room, dance club, technology for creating and editing videos, and more. It opens to an outdoor space in the ship's bow, with a big game board, two dipping pools, chaise lounges, and banquette seating with loose cushions.
    
Adult Spaces
The company tapped a cutting-edge nightclub designer, Manhattan's ICrave, to create The District, a nighttime playground for adults. There are five venues.  Pink, for instance, is themed on Champagne bubbles and pours a special pink cuvee created for Disney by Taittinger, while the Skyline Lounge has themed cocktails and virtual cityscapes that change every night.
   
"What we learned from our classic ships is that some of our spaces were too big," says Jim Urry, vp of entertainment. "This has more intimate, cozy spaces." It's hipper too, with an edgy nightclub called Evolution.
   
Senses Spa & Salon is one of most elegant shipboard spas. It spans two decks in the forward section of the ship and has a rainforest theme in natural greens, blues, and soft browns, with luscious materials. There are 17 treatment rooms and two enormous Villas for couples, each with a balcony whirlpool tub and shower.
   
Adjacent to the spa on Deck 11 is the adult pool area and the Cove Cafe with Internet terminals (the ship also has Wifi throughout). Two large whirlpool tubs for adults have glass bottoms for views all the way down to the ocean. (Two more of these are for families.)
   
Entertainment
The 1,340-seat Walt Disney Theatre is a huge, stunning space. It stages three shows; the all-new "Disney's Believe" joins "Villains Tonight!" and an updated "The Golden Mickeys" awards show. Boxes for concierge-level passengers offer amenities packages.
   
The separate Buena Vista Theatre for movies has a 3-D screen with Dolby sound. New are continuous movie showings and a real concession stand with popcorn, candy, and drinks for sale.
   
Disney's pirate deck party, a once-per-cruise extravaganza that culminates with fireworks, has been crafted into three parts. It will kick off in the early evening with "Mickey's Pirates" for children, capped by "Buccaneer Blast," with an enhanced pyrotechnic show, and, starting later, Club Pirate will be a more adult party.
   
Even the atrium, with its grand staircase and massive one-and-a-half-deck-tall chandelier, will double as an entertainment space for special events with elaborate concealed sound and lighting systems.
   
A Disney Standout
When Magic first debuted in 1998, many expected something phenomenal because of the Disney name. At the time reviews noted the differences such as the rotational dining. But overall the tone was seen as fairly derivative beyond Disneyesque elements. However, with Dream, Disney has produced a ship worthy of the name that will stand out, not only among 2011's crop of newbuilds but for years to come.