Last year I attended the Disney Dream® Christening. It was much different than the Disney Fantasy® Christening will be.
I remember in late December we were following the Dream on her journey across the ocean, hearing how those on the early January sailings of the Disney Magic® were treated to her site and sounds. She then arrived in Port Canaveral for the first time. Many gathered to greet her as she sailed down the channel toward the terminal. It was certainly an exciting day!
After this followed several preview cruises where the crew “practiced” with Disney cast members and their families. Photos emerged on many sites so we all had an idea of what they ship looked like inside.
Finally, on January 19 came the Christening. It was a beautiful day in Port Canaveral when we gathered at the terminal on bleachers to watch the event. We waited for a long time for the ceremony to begin then enjoyed the performance. Afterwards, we had champagne and hors d’oeuvres to celebrate and pass the time until we would get onboard for our two night sailing.
The sailing itself wasn’t that remarkable. We spent a lot of time exploring to see things that we hadn’t seen pictures of and to take more pictures of other areas. It was a quick trip. Set sail at 5:00 pm, at Castaway Cay the next day, back to Port Canaveral the next morning. Don’t get me wrong, it was great to get onboard, it just was a quick cruise with nothing extra special, except of course the precruise event.
It will be much different with the Disney Fantasy. Last week she set sail for her trip across the ocean. We have seen some photos, but not a lot. We haven’t seen any from inside the clubs of Europa.
On February 28, she will arrive in New York City. Instead of this being the end of the Transatlantic Cruise and starting the “preview” cruises, this will merely be a four day stop and then continue on to Castaway Cay, followed by Port Canaveral and then the start of the “preview” cruises.
During this stay in NYC, there will be media and travel agent previews of the ship. On March 1, 2012, an evening Christening will take place. We have been told that there will be a small amount of time that we will be outside, but then we will be onboard for the remainder of the night.
So what do we expect for the evening? What would you like to see happen? What do you want us to check out on the ship? Can’t wait!!
