Disney Adventure

The 2025-built (as Global Dream) cruise ship Disney Adventure is currently under construction in Germany, being built by MV WERFTEN Wismar GmbH for DCL-Disney Cruise Line. This is the first of two GLOBAL class units ordered by GHK-Genting Hong Kong Ltd (1993-founded/2022-defunct) for the holding company's Asian subsidiaries Dream Cruises and Star Cruises. The first liner (Global Dream) was scheduled for launch in 2020 (inauguration in December) but, due to the Coronavirus crisis was postponed for 2022-Q1 and eventually canceled/sold.

The second vessel (unnamed sistership/IMO 9808998) was planned for Star Cruises and scheduled for launch and inauguration in 2023) but its name was never announced. After GHK filed for bankruptcy (on January 19, 2022), Global Dream's construction was halted/paused. Reportedly, at the time, the vessel was ~70% completed.

By max capacity (9500 passengers plus 2200 crew/total 11700 people as originally designed/2350 passenger staterooms), GHK's GLOBAL-Class represented the world's largest cruiser ever built.

The Disney Adventure vessel (IMO number 9808986) will be Bahamas-flagged (MMSI tba) and registered in Nassau. The second 2025-inaugurated DCL ship is Disney Destiny (Nov 2025) from the TRITON class.

With a redesigned max passenger capacity ~6000 (plus ~2300 crew), Disney Adventure is expected to enter service for DCL in 2025, with inaugural deployment in East Asia and homeporting in Singapore.

History - construction and ownership

On June 11, 2022, Christoph Morgen (GHK's MV Werften's insolvency administrator) announced that the unfinished sistership (the second GLOBAL-class unit/"Global Dream 2") would be sold for scrap. The unit had a completed lower hull with installed machinery (Including the engines) and some of the systems. The plan was for the installed systems and machinery to be removed and sold, and the half-finished hull to be separately sold at scrap prices.

On October 6, 2022, NDR 1 Radio MV (part of NDR-Norddeutscher Rundfunk German news agency) reported that the unfinished (~75-80% completed) mega-liner could be purchased by DCL-Disney Cruise Line. In an interview, Christoph Morgen said that there are purchase negotiations with DCL. The vessel will be completed in Wismar (under Meyer Werft's Papenburg yard's management) and could be delivered/inaugurated in 2024-Q4.

While the possible purchase price was not mentioned, the previously stated shipbuilding cost was EUR 1,6 billion. DCL's purchase interest was not officially announced, but on October 4th, Reinhard Meyer (Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania's Minister of Economics, Infrastructure, Tourism and Labor) mentioned "confidential negotiations" and that completing Global Dream will secure the employment of MV Werften Wismar's ~950 former employees. Global Dream's construction was suspended in January 2022 when MV Werften filed for bankruptcy.

Industry experts commented that with Global Dream Disney might enter the Asian market.

On November 16, 2022, DCL officially confirmed Global Dream's acquisition. The purchase of the unfinished vessel was announced by Josh D'Amaro (Chairman of Disney Parks, Experiences & Products). On November 30th was announced that Disney acquired the unfinished vessel (originally valued at EUR 1,8 billion) for just EUR 40 million.

Disney took over the vessel without warranty claims and stated that would complete/rebuild the liner at its own risk and expense, planning to invest ~EUR 1 billion for its conversion. It was commented that the cheap sale could result in a failure of the guarantees given for this shipbuilding project. Reportedly, GHK-Genting had taken out loans of EUR 650+ million from a consortium of 16 banks for Global Dream. To a large extent, the loans' repayment was secured by guarantees from the federal (Germany's) and Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania state governments.

The ship's new name (Disney Adventure) was officially announced on September 5, 2023.

DCL-Disney Cruise Line is a subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company (shipowner). The company was incorporated in 1996 as "Magical Cruise Company Ltd". Walt Disney also owns the Bahamian private island Castaway Cay (exclusive port of call - for Disney ships only), an exclusive Cruise Terminal at Port Canaveral (Orlando) Florida USA and the exclusive Lighthouse Point (privately-developed cruise resort complex on Eleuthera Island, Bahamas). Disney cruises are marketed as "family vacations" and feature unique and exclusive activities, such as costumed Disney Characters, adults-only deck areas, dedicated facilities for teens, kids and infants-toddlers, signature (trademarked) shipboard facilities and activities, themed live entertainment.

GHK was a global entertainment, hospitality, and leisure company based in Hong Kong. It ordered two cruise vessels to be custom-built to serve the Asian market, specifically China. With the new Dream Cruises brand, the company started to offer a separate brand for each of its market segments, with the other two being Crystal Cruises (luxury segment) and Star Cruises (contemporary segment).

The financing package for both Global Class units (EUR 2,6 billion / ~EUR 1,3 billion per vessel) was structured by KfW IPEX-Bank GmbH as part of a consortium which also included BNP Paribas (France), Citibank (USA), Credit Agricole Group (France), DescriptionCredit Suisse Group AG (Switzerland) and DescriptionDNB ASA (Norway). The newbuilds are planned for assembly at 3 different MV Werften-owned shipyards. GHK's total investment in this shipbuilding project is ~EUR 3,1 billion (~USD 3,44 billion). The package was backed/guaranteed by Finnvera (Finland).

With GT 204,000 tons and max capacity (6000 pax+2300 crew), Global Dream/Disney Adventure is one of the largest passenger ships in the world. For comparison, the ever-largest (Royal Caribbean's ICON-Class) has volume/gross-tonnage 248,655 GT-tons.

Disney Adventure ship review (onboard facilities and amenities)

DCL revealed details on Disney Adventure ship's facilities in late June 2024.

The ship has seven differently-themed activity zones/districts - Imagination Garden, Discovery Reef, San Fransokyo Street, Wayfinder Bay, Town Square, Marvel Landing, and Toy Story Place.

Disney Imagination Garden is an open-air venue housing a garden and live performances.

Disney Discovery Reef complex groups shops and dining venues named after popular characters from movies like "The Little Mermaid" (1989), "Lilo & Stitch" (2002), "Finding Nemo" (2013), "Luca" (2021).

San Fransokyo Street is an entertainment zone for interactive games, family fun activities, shopping, and watching movies/cinemas.

Wayfinder Bay is a poolside sundeck with a Pacific Island-themed design inspired from the "Moana" animation (2016).

Town Square is a fantasy forest-themed zone consisting of bars, lounges, cafes, restaurants, shops and entertainment venues.

Marvel Landing is an Avengers-themed zone, with attractions and activities featuring Marvel's superheroes.

Toy Story Place groups themed food venues and water playgrounds.

Traditionally for DCL ships, Disney Adventure's guests can expect to meet professional staff costumed in popular Disney characters, to enjoy live stage performances, grand shows, scheduled signature events, karaoke sessions, quizzes and game shows, to watch first-run Disney movies, among others.

Among the ship's standout features is Ironcycle Test Run (the longest roller coaster at sea) allowing guests to experience an exhilarating test drive of Tony Stark’s latest Ironcycle prototype.

Other attractions include Pym Quantum Racers, Groot Galaxy Spin, Toy Story Place (a family-friendly water-play area), Marvel Landing (an interactive space celebrating iconic Disney Marvel characters).

Disney Adventure's dining options include traditional for DCL venues such as Animator’s Palate. The ship will also feature world-class entertainment, including the exclusive Broadway-style musical Remember (inspired by Disney-Pixar's Wall-E).

Spanning seven themed areas (from San Fransokyo Street to Disney Imagination Garden), the vessel offers endless exploration opportunities for all ages.

The ship has a total of 25 elevators/passenger lifts (12x forward and 15x aft).

The waterslides' entry levels are on the 19th floor.

Lido Deck's swimming pools are on the 17th floor.

Of all 20 decks, 9 are with staterooms/passenger accommodations.

On the upper deck, there is a Marvel-themed activity zone, including the Iron Man Roller Coaster (length 250 m/820 ft), and a stage for live shows featuring Marvel superheroes and villains.

Dining options emphasize traditional Asian cuisines - from Indian and Japanese dishes to bubble tea.

Note: More details, including on staterooms and official deck plans are expected to be gradually revealed in the coming months.

Global Dream ship review

In May 2019, GHK unveiled more GLOBAL-Class vessel details. They are designed to have the industry's first Theme Park at Sea, the largest Cinema at Sea, the longest Roller Coaster at Sea, the industry's largest standard-category staterooms (sized 20 m2), Panoramic Atrium elevators (glass-walled and bottomed lifts) plus 8x 2-lane escalators, as well as self-guided robotic assistants.

The ship's Roller Coaster "Ironcycle Test Run" (named "Space Cruiser Coaster" on Global Dream) is the main attraction of the "Dream Park at the Pier" (the company's first "theme park" concept), which also includes a bouncing activity area, a separate trampoline park, various Aqua Park facilities (including surfing simulator and racing waterslides).

Space Cruiser has 300 m (985 ft) long track and 3 Spike carts (with positive locking devices and powerful electric motors). The roller coaster allows 1+ G (gravitational acceleration almost everywhere on track) and max speed 60 kph (37 mph). Each Spike cart accommodates max two riders (inline seats) and features an integrated throttle control of the speed.

Fun fact is that the Space Cruiser Coaster was first constructed on land for testing. Once completed, the roller coaster was dismantled and transported to MV Werften's shipyard for final assembly. The roller coaster's s builder (Munich Germany-based company Maurer AG / fka Maurer Sohne GmbH und Co KG) specializes in steel construction and roller coaster manufacturing. Space Cruiser Coaster's design is based on Maurer's trademarked "Spike Coaster" (powered coaster) driven by a rack (counter-toothing / row of gear teeth fixed along the track) and pinion (gear on the vehicle that propels it down the track).

MS Global Dream's facilities include:

• The Plaza
• Town Square
• Zouk Beach Club
• Red Tail Social Games Lounge
• Horizon Lounge
• Dream Avenue (multi-purpose outdoor avenue / in-ship Promenade)
• Multiplex Cinema (a complex of 8 theaters, each convertible to a venue for group meetings and themed events)
• The Palace - luxury "ship-within-a-ship" concept
• Luxury Suites
• DFS-T Gallery at Sea (Duty-Free Shops)

MS Global Dream has a huge duty-free shopping mall (DFS-T Gallery at Sea) operated via partnership between Genting Cruise Lines, DFS and Starboard Cruise Services. DFS Group (1960-founded, Hong Kong China-based travel retailer) and Starboard Cruise Services (1958-founded premier cruise retailer) are both subsidiaries of LVMH (1987-founded, Paris France-headquartered multinational). The onboard retail shops cover an area of ~18000 ft2 (1680 m2) and sell ultra-premium merchandise in the categories Food & Gifts, Beauty & Fragrance, Fashion & Accessories, Watches & Jewelry, with product introductions, brand-firsts and unique promotions.

In late July 2020, Dream Cruises debuted (on MS Explorer Dream) the "Flexi-Feast" - a completely customized shipboard dining (food and beverage) concept that allows passengers to choose from more venues. Upon boarding the ship, cruisers receive a set of complimentary dining vouchers which can be used at designated restaurants, as well as OBC (onboard credits) for ordering meals at specialty restaurants, beverages at bars and also for room-service orders.

Itineraries

In March 2023, Disney Cruise Line signed an MoU (Memorandum of Understanding) with the Singapore Tourism Board for homeporting the ship in Singapore (at Marina Bay Cruise Centre) for at least 5 years, starting in 2025 (through 2030).

In this period (2025-2030) DCL-Disney doesn't intend to deploy the new liner in regions operated with homeporting in the USA.

Disney commented that Singapore's strategic location, modern cruise port infrastructure, and international airport connections make it Southeast Asia's best hub for the cruise tourism industry, with a great potential to add millions of both local and foreign cruisers during the 5-year homeporting period.

Disney Adventure's Maiden Voyage (date) and the inaugural season's itineraries (the exact Asian ports and the relocation itinerary from Europe to Asia/RepositionCruises.com) were announced on December 15, 2024. From Singapore are operated short cruises to nowhere (3- and 4-night long roundtrips with only sea days/no call ports/destinations). For the inaugural season (December 27th 2025 through March 30th 2026) were scheduled 25 voyages. In addition to the nowhere cruises, Disney Adventure's schedule also listed 2x longer (5-night) holiday sailings leaving from Singapore on Dec 22nd (Christmas) and Dec 27th (New Year's) 2025.

Bookings for Disney Adventure ship cruises opened on December 3rd (in the USA) and on Dec 10th (in other countries), 2024. Prices for the Inaugural Cruise (leaving from Singapore on December 27th, 2025/5-night portless itinerary) started at ~US$1564 (two adults). A 3-night voyage for a 4-member family (booked in an oceanview cabin) was priced at ~US$3400.

Note: Genting/Dream Cruises initially announced that Global Dream would be Asia-deployed year-round and homeported in Shanghai China. Between April 2019 and March 2020, Shanghai was also the base port for Global Dream's fleetmate Explorer Dream (managed by Star Cruises). Later was announced that Global Dream would be homeported in China during summer, and in either Australia or the USA-Caribbean during winter.

The financing package for both GHK GLOBAL-Class units (EUR 2,6 billion / ~EUR 1,3 billion per vessel) was structured by KfW IPEX-Bank GmbH as part of a consortium which also included BNP Paribas (France), Citibank (USA), Credit Agricole Group (France), DescriptionCredit Suisse Group AG (Switzerland) and DescriptionDNB ASA (Norway). The newbuilds were planned for assembly at 3 different MV Werften-owned shipyards. GHK's total investment in this shipbuilding project was ~EUR 3,1 billion (~USD 3,44 billion). The package was backed/guaranteed by Finnvera (Finland).

Global Dream was ordered by GHK/Dream Cruises on March 3, 2016.

On March 8, 2018, the vessel's construction officially started with the steel-cutting ceremony held at MV Werften's shipyard in Bremerhaven Germany. Initially, the ship (hull number BN125) was allocated to the sister-brand Star Cruises. The shipowner GHK also has an order for a second (Global-class) unit set for delivery in 2021. There were speculations about this one could also be built for Dream Cruises. The shiporder has optional 2 more units of the same class.

On March 8th, 2018, MV Werften actually conducted two steel-cutting ceremonies - one at the Wismar Shipyard and another at the Warnemunde-Rostock Shipyard. The vessel's production takes place in both yards, with final assembly in Wismar. The construction process involves around 600 companies (subcontractors / equipment producers and suppliers). The steel-cut ceremonies were attended by Tan Sri Lim Kok Thay (GHK's CEO and Chairman).

On July 31, 2018, the shipbuilder MV WERFTEN Wismar GmbH contracted Almaco Group to install the new ship's staterooms (pre-fabricated cabin modules) and other equipment. By this deal, Almaco will install all the Wismar Shipyard-produced staterooms (all passenger and crew cabins), various crew-only areas, hallways and staircases. Almaco will manufacture and supply all the ship's suite cabins, which will be installed at the Warnemunde-Rostock Shipyard. The contract was signed by Esko Karvonen (Almaco's CEO).

On September 11, 2018, at the Warnemunde-Rostock Shipyard was held the vessel's keel-laying ceremony, with which officially started its phisical construction/assembly. During the special event was lifted and placed the first keel block (bottom hull section) with length 22 m (72 ft), width 26 m (85 ft) and weight 410 tons. This section is nearly half of the entire keel. A total of 30 large-sized sections were pre-fabricated and assembled in Stralsund and subsequently shipped to Wismar for final assembly. At Wismar Shipyard's outfitting quay was installed (specially purchased for GHK's Global-class project) a 125 m (410 ft) high gantry crane.

The ship's midsection (length 216 m, height 57 m, consisting of 145 blocks) was preassembled at WERFTEN Rostock and towed (November 22-23, 2019) to WERFTEN Wismar - approx 80 km to the southwest. The towing was conducted by 5 tugboats.

On October 26, 2018, MV WERFTEN Wismar GmbH signed a deal with two Turku Finland-based companies (Deltamarin and Elomatic) which were contracted to provide GLOBAL-Class vessel's design. The contracts; values were ~EUR 16,5 million for Deltamarin Ltd (specializing in ship design, offshore engineering and construction support) and ~EUR 17 million for Elomatic (marine engineering and consulting and software development). Both companies were contracted also to provide shipyard services during the vessel's construction. Both contracts were signed by Janne Uotila (Deltamarin's CEO) and Patrik Rautaheimo (Elomatic's CEO).

In 2018-2020, the Star Cruises liner SuperStar Libra was permanently berthed in Wismar and used as ship hotel for the personnel (yard workers and contractors) involved in GHK's Global-Class shipbuilding project.

GHK-Genting's Global-Class ships feature artificial intelligence technologies (including facial and voice recognition for expedited passenger services - boarding, disembarkation, payments), robots (performing mundane tasks), Cineplex (theme park), Asian spa complex, multiple Asian dining venues (including fast-food), both affordable and premium retail shopping facilities, roller coaster, water park (with 5 slides), surf simulator. Staterooms are designed for Asian families and can sleep 2-4 persons. Most cabins are with two (split) bathrooms. Each ship has 8 sets of escalators and 28 elevators. Technologies implemented in the staterooms also include Bluetooth cabin door locks, touch-screen control panel, smartphone-control of different en-suite functions (mood lighting, air-conditioning, etc).

The vessel's waste and water management system was provided by Evac (the world's leading company building integrated waste-wastewater-water management systems). The company's Complete Cleantech Solution package includes a vacuum collection system, wastewater treatment plant, dry and wet waste treatment plant, freshwater desalination plants (based on reverse osmosis). The freshwater generation plants have capacity to produce 3000+ m3 of freshwater per day. The contract with Evac was signed on January 3, 2017.

On January 9, 2017, MV WERFTEN signed a contract with ABB for the delivery of Azipods (power-propulsion units), automation systems and the marine software for all 5 new Genting ships ordered for the brands Crystal and Star. The three Crystal vessels are from the Crystal Endeavor series superyachts (Polar Class 6) - the first purpose-built ships for the contemporary Chinese market regarding onboard amenities and services (food, culture events, shows, enrichment programs, shopping, tours/excursions.

Global Dream/Disney Adventure is one of the cruise industry's first methanol-powered vessels. Its powerplant is based on Wartsila 32 methanol engines as opposed to the popular dual-fuel engines running on either LNG or conventional marine diesel fuels (LFO-Light Fuel Oil, HFO-Heavy Fuel Oil, or biofuel).

DCL officially acquired the vessel on November 16, 2022. Its new name (Disney Adventure) was announced on September 5, 2023.

In April 2024, upon the request of DCL, the shipbuilder Meyer Werft (through its subsidiary Meyer Wismar) contracted LTH-Baas AS (1934-founded, Tallinn Estonia-based company) to supply Disney Adventure's passenger cabins, piping systems, electrical cable networks, insulation, and HVAC (Heating-Ventilation-Air conditioning and Refrigeration-Air distribution) systems.

Inaugural cruise (2025)

The next table shows the ship's first voyage for DCL, leaving roundtrip from the year-round homeport Singapore.

The Asian deployment is based exclusively on cruises-to-nowhere - voyages without any call posts/destinations to be visited.

Godspeed!