Disney Dream Sails to Sea
Late last week, Disney Cruise Line®’s newest ship, the Disney Dream™, said farewell to the Meyer Werft shipyard in Papenburg, Germany and made a 26-mile journey down the winding Ems River on her way to the North Sea. It’s a process known as “conveyance” and it’s unique to the ships built by Meyer Werft since the shipyard is so far inland. The delicate maneuver involved guiding the 1,115-foot vessel by tugboats as she traveled backward down the river to Eemshaven, a seaport in The Netherlands.
Fireworks lit up the sky as she passed through the first sea lock to leave the Papenburg shipyard, and again as she passed the town of Leer several hours later. Thousands of residents turned out all along the river’s shores to cheer her on during the overnight journey.
The crew is currently conducting sea trials to test the ship’s engines and other control systems out on the North Sea. Meanwhile, work on her interior areas continues at a steady pace in order to get ready for the maiden cruise from Port Canaveral, Fla., on Jan. 26.
