Cruise insider: A walk through the revamped Disney Dream
Disney Imagineers are kids at heart, so when they created the interactive fun in the Oceaneer Club aboard the Disney Dream, they designed a space they’d want to play in, said Danny Handke, lead creative designer at Walt Disney Imagineering.
“Tell R2D2 you’re breaking up with him,” he said.
The robot stands guard at the entrance to the new “Star Wars: Millennium Falcon” play area on the ship. And for the record, R2 doesn’t take kindly to being dumped. The news elicited shrill beeps, squawks and head turning.
“We started this over a year ago,” Handke said.
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The play area is one of the enhancements made to the 5-year-old ship during a three-week dry dock (scroll through the carousel above for a look inside the new area and other additions). The Dream was at Port Canaveral earlier this month taking on passengers for its second outing since returning to sea.
For “Star Wars” fans, broken-hearted R2D2 is just the start of the adventure. Young Rebels can take a seat at the helm cockpit and fly the ship. “As a kid, who wouldn’t want to pilot the Millennium Falcon?” Handke said.
Chewbacca’s bandoleer hangs at the entry of the engine room, and his bowcaster rests haphazardly on a shelf as if he just walked away for a moment or two.
“We have so many little hidden treats throughout this space,” Handke said. Press a flashing button, and you never know what will happen.
There’s also a Common Room for kids to play in. “We wanted to create an immersive environment,” said Imagineer Diego Parras. “This is actually like being in the Falcon.”
Imagineers take their job of bringing stories to life seriously, he said.
And the Falcon is just one of four new areas in the Oceaneer Club. Parents can check children ages 3-12 into the area and head off for their own adventures. Meanwhile, the younger set can hang out with the “Toy Story” gang in Andy’s Bedroom, meet up with Tinker Bell and her friends in Pixie’s Hollow or get lost in the fantasy world of the Disney Infinity Room. Disney Infinity is an action-adventure video game that lets players bring Disney, Pixar, Marvel and Star Wars characters to life.
Characters can live in their own world, or they can cross over into others, said Dylan Rodriguez, a youth activities counselor on the Dream. “You can play Mickey with Darth Vader,” he said. “They don’t have to be from the same movie.”
The idea is for the game to be like a child’s toy box, where lots of unrelated toys intermingle.
Also new to the dream is Vanellope’s Sweets and Treats, an ice cream and candy store taken straight out of the movie Wreck It Ralph. The bright shop takes over a space previously occupied by an arcade.
Every now and then, Sour Bill’s bald green head emerges from beneath a pile of gumballs in a large glass globe to lament in a monotone drone: “Hey, do you see your favorite racer on the leader board? I’m so happy for you.”
The shop features 20 flavors of gelato, most made on the ship, and 16 ice cream flavors, said Kelly Vanarsdall, food and beverage standards manager. Plus, there are truffles, lollipops and sweets sold by the pound.
Families can indulge in the Ralph’s Family Challenge Sundae, eight scoops of ice cream and eight toppings in a 52-ounce cup. “It’s meant to bring the family together for sharing,” Vanarsdall said.
Or a solo ice cream lover can have a go at Vanellope’s Go-Kart Sundae, three scoops and five toppings in a souvenir go-kart dish.
Other enhancements to the Disney Dream include Satellite Falls, a splash pool with a waterfall for adults, and a juice bar that serves fruit and vegetable smoothies.
The Dream has already made one four-day excursion since leaving dry dock, said Michael Gibbon, assistant cruise director. He describes the guest reaction as “amazing.”
“The guest flow has changed for the better,” he said, with people gathering in the new areas. “They loved it before, but now you can really see the difference.”
For a deck-by-deck tour of a Disney ship, scroll through the carousel below.
