[music]
>> Narrator: Of all the mysteries that humankind has encountered through the ages,
none have had a greater pull on our imagination than the sea.
And few individuals have had a strong pull on our collective imagination as Walt Disney.
Walt's deep appreciation for the power
and grandeur of the Seven Seas was evident in many of the projects he
guided throughout his career even. Mickey Mouse's first sound film was the
maritime classic Steamboat Willie. So deep was his love of things nautical,
Walt decided to start his voyage on the sea of matrimony, literally with a
honeymoon cruise. That cruise created a special memory that forever kept the
salt of the sea and the romance of the cruise close to his heart.
Walt's passion for offshore adventures started an odyssey for the Disney
Company that would span the seven seas and several decades. The destination the Disney Magic.
The adventure started with Disney Cruise Line selecting a team
of cruise industry professionals to join the assembled Disney dream makers ready for the challenge.
From the outset, the designers tried a
variety of approaches that range from fanciful to futuristic.
>> Wing Chao: At the beginning it was quite challenging we didn't really know
exactly what the ship ought to looked like.
One idea they had was that well why don't
you make a very futuristic? Disney is a very progressive company and one design
that they thought should be similar to some other ships we just painted all white.
But yeah with some cutout you know Mickey motif. But we felt it was not enough.
>> Narrator: After a spirited competition among the design teams. The initial
sketches were presented, everyone agreed that these preliminary ideas were
perhaps a bit too contemporary to be considered classic.
But what direction should they take?
The answer came from Disney Chairman, Michael Eisner.
>> Michael Eisner: Well we were in the design phase of the Disney Magic. I kind of came out with the words
let's do a modern classic classic, in the sense of sleek and ocean-going and
romantic and Queen Mary Queen Elizabeth ish and modern in the sense that
that it's course got all the modern conveniences that that a ship can have today.
>> Narrator: The team worked diligently to help bridge the gap between the ships of old
and the current concept of what a modern classic would look like.
To accomplish this task, the team would borrow from the Golden Age of ocean liners.
Michael's response to the final design was immediate and enthusiastic.
That's it!
Now that the ship's exterior was agreed upon, the next critical task was finding
a ship builder to bring the inspired design to life.
The charge for the shipbuilders was not an easy one. Build the ship that was comfortable even at
faster cruising speeds. It had to be seaworthy beyond measure. Exceedingly
secure under all conditions and surpassed all current quality standards.
It was a tall order by anyone's estimation. But Disney's pursuit for a magnificent
seafaring vessel was achieved by transforming complex engineering designs
into simple yet elegant ship architecture.
By the fall of 1996, every significant detail of the ship had been finalized.
And a few weeks later on October 21st the keel of the Disney Magic was laid
The actual process of creating the Disney Magic would be anything but
traditional for the cruise ship industry.
The ship would be constructed in two parts through a process known as jumbo ization
One section from bow to midship would be assembled in the historic and kkona shipyard.
The rear of the ship or the stern, would be constructed at their
facilities in mogera one hundred miles to the North.
The two halves of the ship would be assembled with a modular construction technique that would
continually strengthen the ship Paul as each component was added to the structure.
From a ship that would come to weigh 83,000 gross tons and stand almost
as long as the Empire State Building is tall. The exacting tolerances of less
than 1/4 inch for each joint and weld would test the limits of the
shipbuilders craftsmanship and skill.
After six months of non-stop construction, the Disney Magic's bow and stern were ready to meet for the first time.
On April 11th 1997, the bow was
completed and floated out to sea the next afternoon.
After 42 hours, the bow reached the main canal in Venice that would take it the final distance to becoming complete.
At 5:00 p.m. on April 14th the two
sections were finally within sight of each other at the mogera shipyards.
The stern flooded with water lay steady on the bottom of her berth as the bow slowly drew closer.
After several tedious hours the two
halves were joined together perfectly and the Disney Magic finally became whole.
After several more weeks of construction, the Disney Magic was floated out to sea
for the first time on May 13th to the spirited celebration of the many
shipyard workers plus a few familiar faces
Next came the first of many sea trials. Tests that would push the ship to it's
seaworthy limits to ensure the structural stability and design
specifications of the Disney Magic.
Finally, it was time for the shipyard to officially transfer ownership of the
vessel to Disney Cruise Line. The Disney Magic set sail from Venice and headed
out to sea for the transatlantic crossing to its new homeport in Florida.
As the ship came within sight of Port Canaveral, a pod of dolphins were the
first to greet her to much to the delight of the crew. Seafaring lore has it when
dolphins ride alongside our new ship, it is said to be a sign of good luck for future voyages.
After years of planning and months of intense construction the
Disney Magic finally arrived in her home port. A few weeks later the stage was set
to christen the Disney Magic honoring the maritime tradition of selecting
respected and accomplished people to be the godparents of the ship.
Disney Cruise Line could think of none other than Roy E. Disney and his wife Hattie to officially
christen the Disney Magic by July 30th 1998.
The Disney Magic had now become an ocean-going cruise liner. The flagship of Disney Cruise Line
So what makes the Disney Magic of modern classic? Certainly Disney artisans and
craftspeople would capture the sense of romance and adventure that were the
hallmark of the classic cruise lines.
The design of the ship's interior spaces was led by Robert Tilburg of Tillberg Design of Sweden.
One of the foremost ship architects in the world and the final results of their partnership with
Disney are as impressive functionally as they are aesthetically.
Notice the massive chandelier that greets guests in the ship's entry hall.
The festive venecia one was created by celebrated master artisan Dale Chihuly, whose
breathtaking creations grace several US embassies and Rockefeller Center.
He and his team created the chandelier from more than 500 handmade trumpet shaped elements.
At least five different types of wood were worked into the
design of the ships four restaurants. Details like the intricate railings in
grille work or the use of exquisite marble and other distinctive materials
evoke the heyday of the Golden Age of floating palaces.
Onboard, attention to detail is evident everywhere and classic splendor awaits discovery around every corner.
Even the ships exterior colors mirror
color schemes of old but with a subtle twist. Look closely and they may remind
you of a familiar character. In fact, special permission had to be obtained
from several maritime organizations including the Coast Guard to change the
traditional orange lifeboats to bright Mickey yellow.
There's a lot that happens behind the scenes on the Disney Magic, that can be
every bit as compelling as the wondrous detail of the ship's interior design.
The Disney Magic state-of-the-art bridge for example.
The nerve center of the ship
the bridge uses a sophisticated radar system with four independent scanners
for varying weather conditions that send electromagnetic pulses to as far as 96 miles away.
The ship also features an ARPA or automatic radar plotting aid.
This sophisticated collision avoidance system tracks the speed, course and
position of other ships. It can even determine how close other ships will pass.
The bridge also houses the latest in stability monitoring, fire alarm and
detection equipment. Plus dedicated emergency and distress global
positioning satellite technology. The bow and stern thrusters special propellers
mounted in tubes within the ship's hull. Allow the Disney Magic to dock unassisted.
In fact, the ship can turn a full 360 degrees while stopped in the water.
The ship also has retractable stabilizers that extend from the ship's
hull to reduce the sense of movement by as much as 90%. They act like the flaps
of an airplane's wing to make the voyage as smooth and enjoyable as possible.
There's so much to explore on board, you could spend an entire vacation just
discovering the magic of the Disney Magic.
[music]