Disney Wish christened at Port Canaveral ahead of July sailings
The latest, and possibly most advanced, Disney cruise ship to call Port Canaveral home was christened on Wednesday as it readies itself to begin sailings in mid-July.
Disney executives were present to christen the Disney Wish, the fifth cruise ship in Disney's line, and the second of those to call Port Canaveral home. All five Disney ships have at one point or another been home-ported in Port Canaveral.
There were live musical and dance performances by the ship's crew to mark the event, and Bob Chapek, the CEO of Disney, was on hand to express his excitement over the addition of Wish to the company's fleet.
Chapek's appearance came on the heels of having had his contract as CEO renewed this week for an additional three years. The decision by the Disney board follows the confrontation he had with Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis over the state's so-called "Don't Say Gay" law earlier this year.
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That fight led to tensions between DeSantis and Disney, Central Florida's largest taxpayer. While Chapek's reappointment was not a surprise, it put to rest any lingering doubts that the company might oust him to appease Republican critics.
Chapek made no mention of his reappointment or his issues with the governor Wednesday, focusing completely on unveiling the Wish.
"Every element of the Wish reflects our relentless focus on our guest and everything they love about Disney," Chapek said. "We combine storytelling and innovation... to bring Disney magic to life."
Make-A-Wish children christen Disney Wish
In maritime tradition, brand new ships are often assigned a "godmother" who performs the christening. The honorary role was reassigned Wednesday to three children representing the Make-A-Wish Foundation.
The Make-A-Wish Foundation nonprofit organization that helps fulfill the wishes of children with critical illnesses between the ages of 2½ and 18 years old.
The three children acted on behalf of all the Make-A-Wish children around the world as ambassadors and performed the blessing and christening of the ship Wednesday.
Chapek said the Wish is meant to show Disney's commitment to the Make-A-Wish foundation. To that end, the Wish became the "first ship to have godchildren," he added.
Josh D'Amaro, chairman of Disney Parks and Experiences, described the work that went into completing the ship that boasts 25 entertainment venues, 70,000 garments for the cast and crew, and a larger-than-life Rapunzel on the stern with hair 60 feet long.
"It has been a labor of love. Our teams have worked hard to get her here today," he said.
"This ship kicks off the largest expansion in Disney Cruise Line history. Our future here is boundless," D'Amaro said.
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Disney Wish is a whole new cruise experience with augmented reality
Guests on the Disney Wish will have an interactive experience using augmented reality through the "Play Disney Parks" app on their smartphones. Through the app, guests aboard the wish will get to choose their own experience as different families will get to choose different interactive storylines.
Port CEO Capt. John Murray expressed his excitement for the Disney Wish in a prepared statement issued ahead of its christening.
“We have anticipated this homecoming of the Disney Wish for some time and know that our entire Port community is excited to have her sailing from our Port,” Murray said.
“We are proud of the longstanding partnership we have with Disney Cruise Line, and the arrival of the Disney Wish adds to the growing number of impressive cruise ships providing high quality guest experiences from our Port," he added.
Disney Wish weighs in at 144,000 tons and has 1,250 guest staterooms. It is powered by liquefied natural gas, and Port Canaveral is the only North American port to offer LNG fueling for cruise ships.
The Wish's itinerary will include three- and four-night trips to the Bahamas with stops at Disney’s private island, Castaway Cay. Disney has set the Wish's inaugural sailing from the Port’s Cruise Terminal 8 on July 14.
With the Wish, Disney has added the first of three planned additions to its fleet, with the other two being planned for debut in 2024 and 2025.
Tyler Vazquez is the North Brevard Watchdog Reporter at FLORIDA TODAY. Contact Vazquez at 321-917-7491 or tvazquez@floridatoday.com. Twitter: @tyler_vazquez