Thursday, October 7, 2010

Disney Dream Nears Completion

In just a few weeks—on Saturday, Oct 30, 2010—Disney Dream, to date the biggest cruise ship built by Meyer Werft Shipyard in Papenburg, Germany, will leave the yard's covered building dock (pictured here). The floating-out manoeuvre is supposed to commence around 5 pm and Disney Dream is scheduled to float out of the dock for the first time. In Disney fashion, the event will include a unique celebration to mark the milestone as the ship nears completion. While they aren't saying what the celebratory event will include, we predict at least a significant character appearance and the possibility of Disney's signature fireworks at the time when water reaches the hull.

Upon leaving the building dock, Disney Dream will remain in the yard harbor. On the following Sunday, tests and trials teams from Meyer Werft and Disney Cruise Line will perform functional tests of various technical systems such as the stabilizers and the rudders. Afterwards the cruise ship will remain berthed alongside the yard's pier for two weeks while the remaining interior work is completed and more trials and acceptance tests will be conducted.

The ship is likely to leave Meyer Werft and be conveyed down the river Ems on the second weekend in November. The exact date of the Ems conveyance will be published on MeyerWerft.com approx. 1-2 weeks in advance. Changes to the undocking time schedule or delays due to weather conditions are always a consideration on a conveyance voyage.

Disney Dream is the first of two ships Meyer Werft is building for Disney Cruise Line (USA). She is 1,115 feet long, 125 feet wide, and can accommodate as many as 4,000 passengers. Her powerful engines enable the Disney Dream to operate at a speed of up to 23.5 knots. Scheduled to launch on Jan 26, 2011, at 128,000 Gross Tons, she is the biggest cruise ship ever built in Germany and among the three longest cruise ships in the world.

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

Convey, conveyed and conveyance are not nautical terms.
Disney at least attempts to associate their ships with the sea, unlike the floating, for the moment, behemoths which offer the occasional glimpse of the sea.

Linda Coffman, AKA Cruise Diva said...

Perhaps they are not "nautical" terms in regard to ships on the sea, but appropriate for making the trip up the river.

Linda

Anonymous said...

Do you know if Disney or Meyer-Werft will broadcast the floatout anywhere? I know a lot of people would love to watch it!

Linda Coffman, AKA Cruise Diva said...

I'm not sure if video will be available, but you could watch the websites to see if they announce anything ahead of time.

Linda