A huge player in the family entertainment industry, the Walt Disney Company has made another addition to its expanding retail cruise line with the new Disney Dream liner.

On the 26th of January, the ship (which is reported to have cost $900m to construct) will make its maiden voyage in the Caribbean. One of the key features to appear in promotional literature so far is the high-speed water flume which leads riders around the back and sides of the liner.

Another large-scale liner, dubbed the Disney Fantasy, is currently in the construction stage and is due to be launched in early 2012. The two new liners will join the Disney Wonder and Disney Magic ships which were introduced in the latter half of the 90s.

However, the two new ships eclipse their predecessors in size by around 50%, following the trend of Disney’s competitors such as Carnival and Royal Caribbean who have been adding ever-larger ships to their fleets. The latter introduced the Oasis of the Seas to the world’s oceans in 2009 which is currently the biggest cruise ship active – it carries 6,000 passengers, compared with the new Disney Dream’s capacity of 4,000.

The unique selling point of the Disney cruise liners are their décor – predominantly early 20th Century in its styling in an effort to capture the spirit of cruising back in its formative years. Editor of Cruise Week newsletter Michael Driscoll has stated that the move may be an attempt to draw in repeat customers, as those who have traveled on the original liners will have grown up and keen to seek a different experience.

Reported by Claire Blackthorne.

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