Disney Fantasy to have elaborate new dinner show

[k5jm]

Interesting...


http://travel.usatoday.com/cruises/...-cruise-ship-line-dream-mickey-mouse/171056/1

Next Disney cruise ship to have elaborate new dinner show

By Gene Sloan, USA TODAY
PORT CANAVERAL, Fla. -- Disney's next cruise ship, the Disney Fantasy, will boast a number of new features including an elaborate new dinner show, executives revealed today in a private briefing for a small group of journalists.

"We don't like to repeat ourselves," Disney executive Joe Lanzisero noted during the briefing, which took place on the line's three-month-old Disney Dream. "We have a very loyal fan base, and we want to give (them) a reason to experience both ships."

Scheduled to debut in March 2012, the 2,500-passenger Disney Fantasy is a sister ship to the Dream that is identical in size and general layout. But Lanzisero says the two vessels will be far from carbon copies of each other.

To be called "Animation Magic," the new dinner show will take place in the Animator's Palate restaurant on the Disney Fantasy and star an animated Mickey Mouse. The new show will be in addition to the Finding Nemo-themed experience involving a talking Crush that fills the Animator's Palate restaurant on the Disney Dream.

GALLERY: Illustrations of what Disney plans for new ship

Animator's Palate restaurants are a staple of all three Disney ships currently at sea. As on the Disney Dream, the Animator's Palate on the new Disney Fantasy will have an animation theme (pillars fashioned like huge pencils and brushes, character sketches on the walls) and involve the participation of diners.

Lanzisero offered writers attending today's briefing a sneak peek of the new Animator's Palate show as they sat in the Disney Dream's version of the restaurant. The experience begins with diners being invited to draw a character on the placemat at their dinner spot that later will be incorporated into the animated film projected on the eatery's walls.

"There's nothing more exciting than the first time you see your animation on the screen," said Lanzisero, a top executive at Disney's design division, Walt Disney Imagineering, who got his start in animation. Lanzisero is overseeing the creative development of the Disney Fantasy.

The new show centers around a Sorcerer-themed Mickey who appears on the walls of the restaurant just before dinner is served. Transforming static, black-and-white drawings of Mickeys around the room into colorful, animated Mickeys, the Sorcerer Mickey introduces a montage of food-themed moments from Disney and Pixar films. The montage is set to the song "Be Our Guest" from the movie Beauty and the Beast.

After the montage, diners have a few minutes to complete their placemat drawings, which then are whisked away behind the scenes. During dinner, the walls of the room are filled with classic Disney and Pixar characters celebrating over meals, and then after dinner Sorcerer Mickey returns for a finale that incorporates the passenger drawings.

During the demonstration of the dinner show, which was done in a sped-up form without a meal being served, the drawings of the journalists and Disney executives in attendance could be seen dancing across the walls of the room with Disney characters such as Jiminy Cricket.

As the show ends, credits roll on screen showing the names of the "guest animator" diners whose work was just shown.

The new dinner show is one of about half a dozen new elements for the Disney Fantasy revealed today. Executives also showed off plans for a nighttime entertainment district on the ship that varies markedly from the one of the Disney Dream, and the line also plans a new show for the ship's main theater that has an Aladdin theme. Disney's Aladdin -- A Musical Spectacular, it'll be called.

Also new will be a salon called Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique where children can receive princess and pirate makeovers (hair, nails and makeup) and purchase Princess costumes complete with crown, wand and shoes. Among the packages available will be "Captain Mickey Mouse" and "Princess Minnie Mouse" makeovers plus special Under the Sea packages. Prices for the packages have yet to be set, but executives say they'll be roughly the same as at similar salons at Disney parks on land.


Lanzisero also announced that the atrium of the ship will feature a cast bronze statue of "Mademoiselle Minnie Mouse." In a Disney tradition, each of its ship has a single main character in its atrium that serves as a focal point for Disney fans.

The Disney Fantasy's maiden voyage is scheduled for March 31, 2012, out of Port Canaveral. The ship will sail seven-night Caribbean itineraries, alternating between an Eastern Caribbean route (with stops in St. Maarten and St. Thomas) and a Western Caribbean route (Grand Cayman, Costa Maya, Cozumel). Special Eastern Caribbean sailings in November and December 2012 will stop in St. Thomas and San Juan, Puerto Rico. All the itineraries will include a stop at Disney's private island in the Bahamas, Castaway Cay.

Fares for the voyages start at $959 per person for a standard inside stateroom, based on double occupancy.

Cruise Loggers, what do you think of the new features that Disney plans for the Disney Fantasy? Share your thoughts below.

 

[Launchpad11B]

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[rlduvall]

How exciting. Thanks for posting this. I have always wanted to do a Disney Cruise but could never justify the cost over other quality cruiselines. In October I got a great price for my family on the June 2012 Fantasy; this really pumps me up. If I could only get my DH as excited - he can't believe I would book a cruise 18 months out - he just doesn't get it.

 

[safetymom]

Thanks Mike! They just talked about the Fantasy on the news but didn't provide details.

 

[Shell54]

Paragraph 3 of the article says the Fantasy will be a 2,500 passenger ship, I thought it was the same size as the Dream (4,000 passengers).

The interior photos look beautiful thanks for posting

 

[Evan&Kimberly]

I think it looks fab! I have some other ideas that would be nice to see. I would love to see a themed restaurant from Alice and Wonderland maybe something with the Mad Hatter @ Tea them or the Queen of Hearts themed. Also an animators palate that could be themed after princess Ariel and her crew and how could we forget about a Aladdin and Jasmine themed Royal Palace restaurant my mind is just filled with all sort of ideas!

 

[OKW Lover]

Wow - looks great. Thanks for posting this Mike. Can hardly wait to cruise on her. But first there's still the Dream.

 

[k5jm]

Those pics look great Mike! Or artist renderings, or whatever they are.

Alicia will love the Statue in the Lobby.

 

[maria-fan-22]

SO COOL! Can't Wait!

 

[OKW Lover]

Alicia will love the Statue in the Lobby.

Disney has a statue of a shoe in the lobby of the new ship?

 

[shellyminnie]

Thanks Mike!! This looks fantastic!! I'm loving the fact that Minnie is being spotlighted in the atrium!!!

 

[DisneyTimes]

We are booked for the May 5th cruise and can't wait These new bits of information, and pictures, just keep making it better and better.

 

[ADP]

Looks absolutely terrific! Thanks for posting this Mike!

 

[wdwscout]

Very cool. Can't wait.

Note to self: start practicing Mickey drawings- it may take me until Dec 2012 to make a decent rendering!

Thanks Mike!

 

[chirurgeon]

Very cool. Can't wait.

Note to self: start practicing Mickey drawings- it may take me until Dec 2012 to make a decent rendering!

Thanks Mike!

Linda, next trip to DHS, take the animation class. I plan on hitting it several times next trip.

Kim

 

[mainegal]

Not sure about my drawing ability. I will be happy to see your drawings on the wall.

Lobby - I like the way the chandelier ceiling is reflected in the carpet. But I really like the Dale Chihully chandelier on the Wonder better.

The rest of the public rooms look very nice. Long time for me. I will notbe on the ship unti December 2012.

 

[MelissaFromRI]

Looks AMAZING !!!!!!
I WANNA GO ON A CRUISE !!!!!!!!!!!

 

[NancyIL]

Paragraph 3 of the article says the Fantasy will be a 2,500 passenger ship, I thought it was the same size as the Dream (4,000 passengers).

The interior photos look beautiful thanks for posting

There are 1,250 cabins, so 2,500 is the number of passengers at double occupancy. Many cabins will have more than 2 people in them, so the maximum capacity is 4,000 people. http://disneycruise.disney.go.com/ships-activities/ships/fantasy/

 

[Cherinva]

Wow...this is awesome...guess I need to start drawing so I can have something worthwhile....the pictures look great, I can't wait to board her....come on December 2012 !!!!

 

[Tink rules]

It's about TIME they gave Minnie her own SHIP!!!!!!