Disney Fantasy sailed into New York harbor today two days ahead of her christening ceremony on March 1. At 1,115 feet long with room for 4,000 passengers the $900 million Fantasy offers some of the most amazing innovations at sea like her sister ship Disney Dream. However, there are some new additions and tweaks that make Fantasy different than Dream. Stay tuned to ExpertCruiser to find out what’s new as we cover the Disney Fantasy christening on March 1.

Disney Fantasy sails into NYC

Reported by Anita Dunham-Potter (editor@www.expertcruiser.com)

© www.expertcruiser.com - Your online consumer guide for cruise travel and information.

Wonder where the Disney Wonder will be next year? Last month, Stewart Chiron, a cruise industry expert who is nationally recognized as The Cruise Guy, boldly predicted an itinerary shift when the cruise line abruptly canceled four December 2012 sailings from Los Angeles to Mexico on the Disney Wonder. According to Chiron, bookings for Mexican Riviera sailings have been weak since the economic downturn began. Additionally, the recent rash of gang violence in Mexico hasn’t helped travelers confidence in visiting the area.

So, will the Mickey Mouse take on Carnival’s Micky Arison in Miami? Sure looks that way as Disney Cruise Line announced they would be holding a press conference in Miami on Wednesday, January 18. Stay tuned!

By Anita Dunham-Potter (editor@www.expertcruiser.com)

© www.expertcruiser.com – Your online consumer guide for cruise travel and information.

The top-of-the-ship views are spectacular, the interior exquisite, and the ambiance totally French – but it is the cuisine and service that make the Disney Dream’s new French restaurant Remy authentic. The idea for Remy was spun off the popular Disney movie Ratatouille and Remy is without question a Parisian experience at sea.

Dressed in long white aprons, black jackets and bow ties the pedigreed service staff has worked at the finest restaurants in Paris from Le Cinq at the Four Seasons Hotel George V to Le Bristol. The gourmet cuisine is by award-winning chefs, Chef Arnaud Lallement from l’Assiette Champenoise, a Michelin two-star restaurant just outside Reims, France, and Chef Scott Hunnel from award-winning Victoria & Albert’s at Walt Disney World Resort. Both chefs have collaborated to create a French-inspired menu featuring superior products and seasonal ingredients sourced from around the world. However, it will be French-trained Chef Patrick Albert who will be the executive chef for Remy and will provide diners with epicurean excellence each day aboard the ship.

Dinner at Remy is a lavish and leisurely affair. Tables are elegantly set with Frette linens, Riedel glassware, Christofle silverware and china made exclusively for Remy, with gracious accents such as purse stools for women’s handbags. There is also a private Chef’s Table dining room, Chez Gusteau that seats eight. The intimate room is furnished with rich décor inspired by the film – bold, red carpet, chairs and drapes with touches of gold, opulent chandeliers, and scenes of Paris on the walls. Chez Gusteau has its own entrance to the kitchen to allow the chefs easy access. Guests also may be seated in the glass-walled wine room amid more than 900 bottles of wine.

Diners will start off with a signature chilled Taittinger Champagne cocktail made tableside. There are two tastings menus to choose from that include wine pairings, or order a la carte from the menu. The menu is complemented by a stellar wine list. The restaurant offers two wine lists: a special French list with 200 vintages from most every region in France, and Remy’s Vault, a separate and exclusive wine list with rare wines from all over the world. Select wines from the French list also are available by the glass. From Remy’s Vault, 22 wines are selected as the best of the best. The list includes a 1947 Château Cheval Blanc, a single bottle retails for $25,000. Yes, there are $25,000 bottles of wine on a cruise ship! If that’s too much you can always pay $13,000 for a 1961 Château LaTour.

Artistry comes from the kitchen with focused tastes such as smoked bison with fennel salad and blood oranges; lobster with vanilla, bisque and lobster roe foam; wild loup de mer; Australian Wagyu; a tomato tart with Parmesan espuma; coastal turbot with vin jaune sauce and gnocchi, and young pigeon pie with foie gras, spinach and tomato. Simple sweet endings like a vanilla-poached pear or a dark chocolate praline with cocoa sherbet pair beautifully with post-prandial coffee service including French press and grand crème.

An additional charge of $75 per person is required to dine at Remy, in addition to the cost of wine and alcoholic beverages. Wine pairings selected from the French list are an additional $99. If you love French cuisine this is an experience not to be missed as Remy may possibly end up being the first restaurant as sea to be awarded a Michelin star. Time will tell.

By Anita Dunham-Potter (editor@www.expertcruiser.com)

© www.expertcruiser.com – Your online consumer guide for cruise travel and information.

Just as designing the Disney Dream was an intensive project so too is the entertainment that goes onboard. Last October, I was one of a handful of journalists to attend an exclusive preview of Disney Believe, the ship’s new Broadway-style show in Toronto. Disney Cruise Line maintains facilities there to workshop new entertainment, train actors, and recruit talent.

The Disney Believe show has been more than two years in the making. The line partnered with renowned Broadway director Gordon Greenberg, along with choreographer Patti Columbo and writer Kirsten Childs, to create an original production that is unlike any other show at sea. A master illusionist was brought in to help with thrilling character moments and to create stage magic the producers worked with 3D modeling, design, and animation to create the sets, costumes, and even the special effects that will be used. “We had to up the ante with Dream,” said David Duffy, the line’s Creative Director, Entertainment and Port Adventures. Indeed they have. Duffy states that the show will play in the state of the art theater on Dream that rivals those on Broadway and London’s West End. Greenberg added that the technology used in the show will be ground breaking with things that have never been used on Broadway like front and rear projection.

With the story, design, and casting all in place the 24-member cast spent 10 weeks rehearsing in Toronto and six weeks onboard the Dream while under construction in Germany. As I watched the rehearsal of several high-energy scenes it’s very clear the performers are the cream of the crop from around the globe. There’s no lip-syncing at Disney its live vocal performances at their best.

Disney Believe tells the story of a workaholic father who, through the power of Disney magic, reconnects with his daughter and learns a valuable lesson about what is important in life. The show takes guests to the garden of Dr. Cornelius Greenaway, a brilliant botanist obsessed with cultivating his precious plants. Dr. Greenaway is so preoccupied with his garden that he overlooks the birthday of his daughter, Sophia. Saddened, Sophia makes a special birthday wish and the impossible happens: Genie from Disney’s “Aladdin” appears to make her wish come true. Joined by a host of characters, Genie takes Dr. Greenaway on a journey where he learns that magic is real and is embodied in his beloved daughter. More than 20 of Disney’s most beloved characters take the stage during Disney Believe, including Cinderella, Peter Pan, Mary Poppins, Belle (“Beauty and The Beast”), Rafiki (“The Lion King”) and Princess Tiana (“The Princess and the Frog”).

I couldn’t wait to so see the show when I boarded the Disney Dream for its christening on January 19. David Duffy was right; the Walt Disney Theater where the show is held is impressive. Spanning three decks with orchestra and balcony seating, the 1,340-seat theater is resplendent with art deco styling recalling luxurious show places of a bygone time, best of all there are no obstructed views. At the same time, it is equipped with theatrical technology that Gordon Greenberg noted making it one of the most advanced venues on land or sea thus allowing stories to be experienced in a whole new way.

Disney Believe turned out to be better and more colorful that I had imagined. John Massey, the Disney performer who plays Genie, stole the show with his silly wise cracks and dancing. The music and costumes were spectacular; however, it was the story line that made the most impact. I noted a lot of teary eyes and smiles leaving the theater. But the best sight was seeing all the fathers holding their precious children a little bit tighter.

By Anita Dunham-Potter (editor@www.expertcruiser.com)

© www.expertcruiser.com – Your online consumer guide for cruise travel and information.

Disney’s newest ship Disney Dream was christened in a lavish spectacle that only Disney could pull off. Featuring every Disney character imaginable the christening included a helicopter lifting a gigantic bottle of champagne to break on the bow, elaborate fireworks, and Oscar-winner and the Dream’s godmother Jennifer Hudson singing at the ceremony.

The much-awaited, 130,000-ton, 2,500-passenger vessel features a lot more bells and whistles than its sister ships and offers the cruise industry’s first AquaCoaster at sea. The ship also boasts virtual portholes in inside staterooms and new entertainment options.

ExpertCruiser is onboard for all the festivities and will be blogging live from the ship. Here are some photos from today’s events and tour of the ship. Tomorrow we visit Castaway Cay and will include much more information about Dream’s amazing dining options.

By Anita Dunham-Potter (editor@www.expertcruiser.com)

© www.expertcruiser.com – Your online consumer guide for cruise travel and information.

Disney’s newest and largest cruise ship, the Disney Dream, arrived in grand style Tuesday morning at Port Canaveral. The 130,000-ton ship took center stage when it arrived in port with a show that included fireworks. The arrival of the Disney Dream in Florida marks the end of the ship’s nearly two-year construction journey and the start of an exciting new era for Disney Cruise Line.

Building on the success of its other two ships the Magic and Wonder, Disney decided to go even bigger, constructing the Dream, a ship that stands five decks taller and about half a football field longer than its predecessors. The Disney Dream is not a typical cruise ship. Disney has added unique touches that include a high atop the ship water coaster called the Aqua-Duck, which takes passengers down a four-deck drop and out over the edge of the ship. Additionally, every stateroom has a view or at least a virtual one. Passengers with interior cabins that might not be able to see the world go by will be able to see out of the ship through virtual portholes. Disney Dream will carry 4,000 passengers to vacations to the Bahamas. Stay tuned for more coverage on the Disney Dream at www.expertcruiser.com.

© www.expertcruiser.com – Your online consumer guide for cruise travel and information.