Calling All Disney Fans!

OK, I'm going to take a quick break from the maritime world to put in a shameless plug for a new Disney book by my wife and I - The Hidden Magic of Walt Disney World Planner.

While I can't really take much credit for it as Susan wrote the original Hidden Magic of WDW book to huge acclaim three years ago, this follow-up is much broader in scope and should offer real Disney fans - and those who have never been to the amazing Walt Disney World before - a genuine alternative guidebook to the usual formulaic style.

Using the 'hidden magic' as the starting point - the essential story-telling basis for all Disney attractions - we give visitors a full narrative guide to the wide-ranging experience that is Walt's superbly-created World.

As we say in the intro, "if you don't know the story, you're just taking another ride," and it really IS true that if you don't take some time to slow down, appreciate the wealth of art and design, and pay attention to what's actually going on all around you, you are likely to miss much of the true Disney experience and 'magic' as you go.

The new book acts as a guide, an information resource, a story and history of the parks, water parks, resorts, Downtown Disney and restaurants, and a special keepsake for all those little tokens, tickets, etc, that you pick up along the way, with built-in pockets for that kind of memorabilia.

There are also pages to write your own 'story' and detail your experiences and memories along the way, building into a real treasure trove of vacation fun.

But don't just take our word for it. Look up all the reviews on Amazon.com of both books, and then take a trip to the publisher's website here: http://www.adamsmediastore.com/product/the-hidden-magic-of-walt-disney-world-planner/reference

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A Fantasy Photo Tour

OK, no words this time, just a handful of our best photos from last week's preview cruise aboard the new Disney Fantasy:

Bahamian idyll - the ship at Disney's private island of Castaway Cay

That Art Nouveau touch - a design style reminiscent of the Golden Age of cruising

You want fun - try the main pool deck, complete with the AquaDuck flume ride

Or for the grown-ups - the tranquility of the adults-only Cove area

Classic look - the proper wrap-around Promenade Deck, complete with steamer chairs

All this and princesses, too - the true Disney family touch with the Atrium meet-and-greets

More soon...!

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A True Cruise Fantasy

We are just back from a 3-day media preview cruise aboard the new Disney Fantasy, the fourth ship in the stylish Disney Cruise Line fleet.

A sister to last year's Disney Dream, the Fantasy is a slightly tweaked version to cater for the fact the newcomer will offer the line's 7-day Caribbean voyages out of their main base in Port Canaveral, Florida (just an hour from Walt Disney World).

There is an extra kids' water-play area, called the AquaLab, a new small-pool in the adults-only Cove area, a bigger version of the superb Skyline bar and a completely re-themed entertainment district, called Europa instead of The District.

The cabins remain larger than average and there are two exclusive new shows in the superb Walt Disney Theater - Dreams (which starts out like High School Musical but morphs into classic Disney musical territory in superb fashion) and Aladdin, a full-scale musical presentation. Both feature the theater's amazing technological variety and staging wizardry and have a young, vigorous cast that deliver with great verve and energy.

Dining quality seems to have been quietly kicked up a notch, too. We ate in each of the Royal Court, Animator's Palate and adults-only Palo and, while the latter remains a stand-out location, the other two were not left in the shade by any means.

(As a quick aside for non-Disney regulars, Disney Cruise Line operates a rotational evening dining system that goes through each of the three main dining rooms in turn, changing the style, mood and menu each time. Hugely imaginative and also great fun, especially for families)

The new show that goes with Animator's Palate is also every bit as impressive as advertised. It starts with every guest being able to 'draw' their own cartoon figure (on a standardized template that makes it easier than it sounds) and these are then incorporated into the dining room's big finale presentation in dramatic, eye-popping style. One of the cruise's 'Don't Miss' moments.

Fantasy is also decorated in 1930s Art Nouveau fashion (as opposed to Art Deco on Dream) and there are some genuinely beautiful and classic design touches throughout which really hark back to that Golden Age of cruising (while providing every mod con possible, like the interactive 'Enchanted Art' throughout the ship, which comes to life when a guest passes by). 

The current Disney mania for interactive games in its Walt Disney World theme parks is now extended to the ship, too, with the Muppets featuring in an adventure quest game using the Enchanted Art pieces in an interactive scavenger hunt/puzzle. Great fun for all ages.

We were also impressed, as we were with Dream, with the adults-only options and areas, which continue to make this a great proposition for couples as well as just families. Disney simply has THE most impressive children's facilities anywhere, but the 'grown-ups' are not left out at all, and, with the exception of the main dining rooms, the overt 'Disney-ness' is not all-pervading or at all off-putting. This is a genuinely sophisticated and engaging cruise experience that - most importantly - still harks back to cruising's maritime traditions, and does it very well for everyone aboard.

Finally - Castaway Cay, Disney's private Bahamian island (below) continues to get better and more feature-packed seemingly with every visit. There are SO many activities here now you would probably need a week to try them all, but just chilling out on the well-provisioned beach, surrounded by blissful views and the impossibly azure waters, remains one of THE great experiences in the cruise pantheon.

Three days is definitely too short a time to spend aboard - but the new alternating 7-day east and west Caribbean itineraries are well worth considering.

Be sure to order your Summer edition of World of Cruising magazine as we will have a full review, with extensive photos, from our preview.

For booking options, be sure to check out this link with the UK's leading cruise agent specialists, The Cruise Line Ltd.

Time Spent at Sea has moved and can now be found at World of Cruising. You can follow World of Cruising on Twitter and Facebook for the very latest in cruise news.

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It's A Fantasy Float-Out

Disney Cruise Line are now firmly on course for the arrival of their new Disney Fantasy vessel in March with the official float-out today of the 128,000-ton ship at the Meyer-Werft Shipyard in Papenburg, Germany.

The second new ship in as many years, DCL will unveil the ship with inaugural events in both New York and Port Canaveral  (Florida) in March, when Fantasy will also start regular 7-day Caribbean voyages from the line's purpose-built terminal just 45 minutes from Walt Disney World.

Numerous bloggers and Tweeters were in Papenburg for the big event - which included the inevitable Disney speciality of fireworks - and you can see the best of them on the following links from Stewart Chiron (@CruiseGuy) and Chris Owen (@orlandoChris):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ht7gemvtv2s&feature=youtu.be&a

http://www.chriscruises.net/2012/01/cruise-video-disney-fantasy-float-out-ceremony/?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter

You can also read the full report on Disney Cruise Line's own website, here: http://dclnews.com/galleries/2012/01/09/disney-fantasy-float-out/#photo-1

Don't forget you can also follow World of Cruising on Twitter at www.twitter.com/worldofcruising or just @WorldofCruising.

Time Spent at Sea has moved and can now be found at World of Cruising. You can follow World of Cruising on Twitter and Facebook for the very latest in cruise news.

If you haven't already, subscribe to the World of Cruising magazine today.

Disney's 'Wow!' Event

Almost 13 years ago, Disney startled the cruise world with their debut vessel the Disney Magic. They followed up a year later with Disney Wonder, and everyone sat back awaiting the next Big Thing from the fledgling Disney Cruise Line.

And waited. And waited.

It seems DCL was in no hurry to 'push the envelope' until they were absolutely sure the market was ready for some more Disney sea-going Imagineering. And this year, the market was right.

I have already detailed the preamble to the launch festivities of the new Disney Dream, and, on Wednesday, it was time to see the finished work for real. Along with a whole heaped helping of that Disney style and entertainment to go with it.

So, after a 7.45am start from the Grand Floridian Resort at Walt Disney World, off we all set in the Art Deco DCL buses for Port Canaveral and the naming ceremony.

Disney has its own (Art Deco) terminal at the port, and the quayside was all set up with a huge stadium-style seating area, complete with a stage more than 50 yards wide and backed by a huge video screen. The ship herself sat at anchor in the harbour, away from the terminal and with a small attendant barge, with a huge (think about 20ft tall) 'champagne' bottle sitting on top.

Now, we fully expected a Big Show. Disney are renowned for putting on a visual extravaganza for all their significant events.

What we got was an absolute eye-popping spectacle of the first degree, a 30-minute theatrical production of non-stop colour, movement, song, dance and special effects. A complete entertainment pageant with every bell and whistle Disney could muster.

While the senior Disney executives introduced the event, it was left to Mickey, Minnie, Goofy, Pluto and the rest of the gang - along with a cast of hundreds of performers, dancers, singers, band members (including the US Navy's SouthEast Band) and giant, stilt-like characters - to make it a cavalcade of pure fun in the best traditions of Walt himself.

We watched, entranced, as this huge cast took us through a series of set-piece features designed to fill the big 'champagne bottle' with enough 'dreams' for the official launch. We had Captain Jack Sparrow and a pirate 'invasion,' a host of Disney Princesses, the 'Wildcats' of High School Musical and a marching band, culminating in the ship's godmother, actress and singer Jennifer Hudson (and a former Disney Cruise Line entertainer!) appearing on a riser behind the stage to join with Mickey and the Fairy Godmother (naturally) in performing the time-honoured ceremony.

With the vast stage filling up once more with everyone who had already taken part in the earlier scenes, a helicopter appeared to lift up the big 'champagne bottle' and carry it over to touch it to the ship's hull - at which point the fireworks show took over and we were truly bowled over by a daytime pyrotechnic finale.

With all that, it was time to return to the Terminal and sip a glass of celebratory champagne ourselves, prior to embarkation on the Disney Dream and the next part of the inaugural festivities - a two-day cruise on the ship itself.

More soon...!

Time Spent at Sea has moved and can now be found at World of Cruising. You can follow World of Cruising on Twitter and Facebook for the very latest in cruise news.

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Disney Magic Before The Dream

We suspected Disney would throw a pretty amazing party as the start of all their inaugural events for the new Disney Dream, and we were right.

Not only did we enjoy a wonderful evening at their Magic Kingdom theme park here in Orlando, but they also provided an excellent presentation into their marketing and creative thinking, and then put it all into practice for us with a superb show on and around Cinderella's Castle.

A group of roughly 2,000 media and media guests were treated to special access to the theme park, starting with a special forum with Disney's top executives and 'Imagineers' detailing a lot of what was in store.

For Disney fans in particular (of which Susan and I are certainly two!), they unveiled a lot of the design process and forthcoming attractions of the major new Fantasyland redevelopment, which is currently under way and will begin to open in late 2012.

There has been a lot of secrecy and rumour over the content of the new 'land' in the park, but we can now say that it will be a truly extensive makeover, more than doubling the size of the existing Fantasyland area and bringing in two major new rides, including a Snow White-themed indoor roller-coaster that will have all-new ride technology for a more dynamic ride experience.

Other highlights include the Voyage of the Little Mermaid ride, a new Dumbo attraction, a Princess meet-and-greet area (replacing the current Snow White ride), a Beast's Castle area (including a major new restaurant) and Belle's Cottage, which will be a fully interactive area with the character from Beauty and The Beast.

More importantly, there were a good few hints about what's in store for us later today with the Disney Dream naming ceremony, and we will shortly be heading off for Port Canaveral for the inauguration itself at 10.40am local time (3.40 in the UK).

With typical Disney efficiency, our luggage will be transported separately from our hotel room here in the Grand Floridian resort so we don't need to carry or tote anything and it should all turn up in our cabin after our arrival.

The naming ceremony (10.40-11/05am) will be followed by a gala lunch onboard - and the chance for our first proper look at the ship.

More importantly, everyone who can't be here can follow the whole thing online, on a special Disney webcast, on this link:

www.disneycruise.com/dream

You can also follow on Facebook - http://www.facebook.com/DisneyCruiseLine - and Twitter - http://twitter.com/DisneyCruise.

Finally, last night concluded with a truly memorable and eye-catching debut of the new 'The Magic, The Memories and You!' show on the Castle, with the Wishes fireworks show (above) immediately afterwards.

This really has to be seen to be believed as it involves state-of-the-art cinema projection on the whole of the Castle and creates an absolutely stunning effect of illusion and creativity.

Now, on to Port Canaveral...!

Time Spent at Sea has moved and can now be found at World of Cruising. You can follow World of Cruising on Twitter and Facebook for the very latest in cruise news.

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Countdown to Disney Dream - T-Minus 1 Day!

OK, we are fully checked in at our Disney resort (the superb Grand Floridian) and registered for the media preview cruise of the new Disney Dream tomorrow.

The check-in procedure at the resort’s convention centre (above) was extremely smooth and we were soon photographed and presented with our room keys and information packet. It bodes well for an exciting and well-organised few days.

We know Disney very well from almost 20 years of working in the Orlando area and writing about the amazing Walt Disney World resort for our various guidebooks (like the Brit Guide to Orlando and my wife’s The Hidden Magic of Walt Disney World), so we have pretty high expectations of any event run by the House of Mouse.

Amazingly, among the welcome material for all the media was an individual iPod Touch, fully loaded with a special Disney Dream app to provide a self-guided tour of the ship along with a special ‘scavenger hunt’ for 15 distinctive signs throughout the vessel with a unique Mickey Mouse-shaped code ready to be scanned and unlocked!

The “Wow!” factor is already high, and we have yet to even glimpse the new ship!

But, before we can get to Port Canaveral tomorrow morning for the inuauguration and naming ceremony – to be performed by former Disney Cruise singer and now Academy Award-winning actress Jennifer Hudson – there is a party to attend.

And there's no such thing as an ordinary party with Disney. This evening's shindig will be a special-guests-only extravaganza at the Magic Kingdom, with the very first look at the new 'The Magic, The Memories And You' projection show on Cinderella's Castle, along with dinner and fireworks.

It all promises to be a superb overture to the Main Event tomorrow, and the excitement around the resort is palpable. This is no ordinary ship inauguration, folks!

Stay tuned for more soon......

Time Spent at Sea has moved and can now be found at World of Cruising. You can follow World of Cruising on Twitter and Facebook for the very latest in cruise news.

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Let The Disney Dream Begin!

This week marks the christening and inauguration of Disney Cruise Line's latest and grandest ship, the Disney Dream.

And World of Cruising will be on hand for all the fun and festivities, ready to provide a detailed, first-hand look at one of the most exciting new vessels of 2011.

The whole will last four days, starting with a special presentation with Disney's 'Imagineers' (that special blend of creative designer that is both an imaginative innovator and engineer) from the Magic Kingdom theme park tomorrow (Jan 18).

The event will then continue with the naming ceremony at Port Canaveral on Wednesday, followed by a 2-day media preview cruise for Disney Dream, calling at Disney's superb private island of Castaway Cay.

Wi-fi permitting, we will be able to provide daily reports and feedback from the ship and make sure Time Spent At Sea readers get a real insider's look at all that's in store from this 128,000 stunner, complete with its unique AquaDuck 'water-coaster' ride (above).

Stay tuned, now...!

Time Spent at Sea has moved and can now be found at World of Cruising. You can follow World of Cruising on Twitter and Facebook for the very latest in cruise news.

If you haven't already, subscribe to the World of Cruising magazine today.