Disney acquires unfinished cruise ship for its new largest vessel (RENDERINGS)

Disney Cruise Line (DCL) has changed the trajectory of a partly-built cruise ship that was previously destined for the scrapyard.

The company has acquired the incomplete hull of the “Global Dream” vessel of the now-defunct Genting Hong Kong cruise line, which went bankrupt last year. Construction progress on the vessel at the shipyard in Wismar, Germany was initially impacted by the pandemic.

Once complete in 2025, the yet-to-be-renamed ship will be the eighth vessel on the DCL fleet, and Disney’s largest cruise ship by a significant margin over DCL’s three new Triton class vessels, which includes the 2022-built Disney Wish, the planned 2024 completion of the Disney Treasure, and the planned 2025 completion of a yet-to-be-named ship.

Global Dream will have a 208,000 gross tonnage (GT) — far higher than the 144,000 GT of the Wish, the current largest, and her future sister ships. When complete, it will be the first DCL vessel to be amongst the 10 largest cruise ships in the world, based on GT.

According to maritime publication Fleetmon, the vessel’s construction by the previous owner and shipyard has reached a 75% stage of completion based on its previous design.

Walt Disney Imagineers are now in the process of completely redesigning the ship’s features and layout. Few details have been provided at this very early stage of planning, but as can be expected it will feature “innovative Disney experiences along with the dazzling entertainment, world-class dining, and legendary guest service that set Disney Cruise Line apart.”

Previous design

Artistic rendering of the previous design of the Global Dream under previous ownership. (Genting Hong Kong)

New Disney design

Preliminary artistic rendering of Disney Cruise Line’s redesign of the Global Dream, which will be renamed. (Disney)

The vessel’s previous owner designed the vessel with 2,350 staterooms for up to 9,000 passengers, plus 2,200 crew. DCL has indicated its redesign will reduce the passenger capacity to about 6,000, but with a slightly increased crew of 2,300, which suggests more spaces of the ship will be dedicated to entertainment, programming, and services than the original design.

Like other DCL vessels, the Global Dream will have a contemporary transatlantic ocean liner aesthetic, with the same Mickey Mouse-inspired colours and the signature red funnels.

It will be one of the first cruise ships in the world to run on green methanol, which produces less emissions compared to traditional heavy marine fuels.

A different German shipyard that built the Disney Dream, Disney Fantasy, and Disney Wish will complete the partly-built vessel to DCL’s new specifications.

DCL has noted this ship will be based outside the United States, but did not provide a specific location. Under its previous owners, the vessel was intended to serve the Asian market.

Disney Wish at Disney’s Castaway Cay. (Gabriel Lam/Daily Hive)

Fireworks night on the Disney Wish. (Gabriel Lam/Daily Hive)

Grand Hall of the Disney Wish. (Gabriel Lam/Daily Hive)