During this morning’s Monstrous Summer presentation at Walt Disney World, Karl Holz, President of Disney Cruise Line along with Senior Creative Vice President for Walt Disney Imagineering, Joe Lanzisero, announced the plans for a major overhaul of the fifteen year old [Disney_Magic] and more than likely some of the same for her sister ship, the [Disney_Wonder].

The Disney Magic will undergo a 6 week refurbishment at Navantia‘s Puerto Real in Cadiz, Spain from September 7th to around October 10th. The Magic will grow from 964 feet to 984 feet and gain 1,000 gross tons. Then, work will continue during the Westbound Transatlantic sailing, which will sail without passengers for obvious reasons.

This announcement finally puts to bed the speculation of two new ships and the marvelous rumors as to what will be done in dry dock.

Pool Deck Remodel

AquaDunk

The top deck of the Disney Magic will emerge from dry dock with her own unique water slide, a scaled down version of the AquaDuck called AquaDunk.

The AquaDunk body slide will take guests on a 3-story vertical drop from the top of the forward funnel on a loop-de-loop through a clear acrylic tube extending around 20 feet over the port side of the ship before ending with a big splash on Deck 10. So far, the height requirement for the AquaDunk is set at a 48-inch minimum.







Not only will the AquaDunk be added to the forward funnel, but Funnel Vision will receive an upgrade.

AquaDunk Ride Simulation Video

Twist n’ Spout & AquaLab

Twist n’ Spout will be a scaled up version of the Mickey Slide, with the Mickey Pool becoming the AquaLab. This is so much cooler than the layout on the Fantasy! Disney really got this area right putting all the children’s activities in one area making it much easier for families to keep a watchful eye on everyone! We found the AquaLab on the Fantasy to be out of the way with the Mickey pool & slide, Donald pool, and AquaDuck garnering all our daughter’s attention.

Twist n’ Spout is for guests between 38 and 64 inches tall.





AquaLab Pool







An expanded area similar to Nemo’s reef called Nephew’s Splash Zone will be added for the little ones under age 3.

Atrium Remodel

My favorite area on all of the ships is the Atrium Lobby. The atrium on the Disney Magic will be re-imagined to be in line with her younger sisters; gone will be the twin staircases freeing up more floor space for events like the Princess Gathering. Thankfully, Helsman Mickey will remain to greet guests.

Here is the current version of the Disney Magic’s Atrium lobby for comparison.





The Dale Chihuly chandelier will also give way to a new design.

Restaurant Remodels

Carioca’s

Parrot Cay, one of the three rotational restaurants will be transformed into a Brazilian themed restaurant named Carioca’s. Carioca is defined as a native of Rio de Janeiro, and is the last name of José, one of the Three Caballeros. A slight change from the original concept art the flags have been replaced with lanterns.

Similar to Enchanted Garden on the Dream & Fantasy, the Carioca’s will transition from a vibrant festival theme during the day to an after-hours scene of Rio de Janiero, with the windows softly illuminated with the overhead lanterns flickering at night.

Animator’s Palate

The unique design of Animator’s Palate will remain mostly unchanged other than updated HD video screens, and sound system. There will be an all new Drawn to Magic experience where the black and white walls or blank canvas explodes into full color during the course of the dinner. Don’t worry, “all new”, in this case simply means an upgraded show with new favorites like Rapunzel and Remy.

Animator’s Palate will emerge from dry dock with the Animation Magic dinner show, which debuted on the Disney Fantasy. During the Animation Magic show you are provided with a placemat to draw your own character which will be transformed into an animated character by the end of your dinner.

Palo

The adult only signature resturaunt, Palo, will be freshened up to continue providing an exclusive dining experience with a breathtaking view. Palo will receive stylish new fixtures, glass artwork and new stone floors. Red and white striped poles reminiscent of those found throughout the canals in Venice are a design feature. Did you know that Palo was named after those red and white striped poles. It’s true.

Cabanas

Topsider Buffet will be converted into the Australian themed Cabanas with a theme similar to that found on the [Disney_Fantasy] and [Disney_Dream]. The remodel will increase the usable space by nearly 3,400 square feet to more than 9,460 square feet for a total of 455 air conditioned seats.







Deck 9 Quick Service

Pluto’s Dog House will become Pete’s Boiler Bites grilling up hot dogs, hamburgers along with chicken tenders and tasty tacos.

Goofy’s Galley will converted into Daisy’s De-Lites serving up fresh fruits, salads, wraps, and sandwiches among other things.

Pinocchio’s Pizzeria will remain as the go to place for PIZZA! Finally, the Disney Dream & Disney Fantasy ice cream shop Eye Scream and Frozone Treats will serve up cool poolside refreshments.

Family Space Remodel

See ya later Studio Sea. Bringing the Magic in line with her younger sisters, Studio Sea will emerge from dry dock as D-Lounge, a venue for family-friendly games, shows, dances and other various activities.

Kids Space Remodel

Disney’s Oceaneer Club

The Oceaneer Club open to children between the ages of 3 and 12 will be gutted to make room for fairies, super heroes, larger than life toys, and a club fit for a Mouse! Based on the rendering of the Atrium, it appears the entrance will be relocated from the starboard corner in the atrium to the port side hallway like it is on the Dream & Fantasy.

The kids areas will also be seeing an overhaul. A two-story Andy’s Room complete with a larger than life bed with a Slinkly Dog slide! YES, there will be a slide in the Oceaneer Club!!!

Another new area, Mickey Mouse Club, will be dedicated to the Mouse who started it all, and provide children with a place to create unique crafts and color.

Pixie Hollow will also be added to the Oceaneer Club and will house the Princess dress-up costumes.

Marvel Avengers’ Academy will be a all new experience for Disney Cruise Line. The academy invites young crime-fighters into this high-tech command post used by The Avengers to plan and train for special missions. During the course of the cruise, kids will have the opportunity sharpen their super hero skills and by the end of the cruise become their favorite super hero.

Oceaneer Lab

The Oceaneer Lab will also be getting a pirate themed facelift. The space will be full of high-tech gear to bring out the inner-pirate. Joe Lanzisero described the Oceaneer Lab a space where “Jules Vern meets Pirates of the Caribbean”. If Captain Jack had this much tech, he would not need his compass. It is not clear if the entrance will be moved from the forward elevator/stairwell, but this seems likely based on the change of entrance for the Oceaneer Club. This change would mimic the design on the Dream & Fantasy.

it’s a small world nursery

The nursery will be revitalized into a whimsical space inspired by the ride.





Adult Nightlife Remodels

Beat Street, the adult nighttime entertainment district which is the current area on deck 3 forward, will be re-themed to After Hours.

Fathoms

Time to shake the rocks out of the Magic ahead under the sea, Rockin’ Bar D will become Fathoms. Fathoms is a night club inspired by the excitement of the seas using custom lighting and sound effects. Personally, this theme would work better on the Wonder which has Tritons restaurant and Ariel as the atrium statue. Who knows – this may also find its way to the Wonder in 2014.





Keys

Your music lessons in Sessions are over. Sessions will become Keys, a low-key piano bar. Keys will be a perfect to venue to relax, enjoy your favorite cocktail, or drink of the day all while enjoying the soft sounds of the piano.

O’Gills Irish Pub and Sports Bar

Rounding up After Hours is a slight change in direction, as Diversions makes a lateral move to O’Gills. Throw back a few cold ones in this Irish pub and sports bar while watching live sporting events. This looks almost identical to the version on the Fantasy.

Senses Spa & Salon

Bon Voyage Vista Spa; welcome aboard Senses Spa & Salon. Get ready to enter the realm of relaxation in an revitalized spa area. The spa will be expanded by 725 square feet and be filled with earth tones.

A new Smile Spa offers teeth whitening services, a new barbershop offers services for the gentlemen and the new Chill Spa provides treatments especially for teens 13 to 17 years of age.

Stateroom Remodels

The staterooms on the Magic will be redesigned and look quite similar to those found on the Dream & Fantasy. It does look like there will be a new print which looks like a collage adorning the wall opposite the bed. Bed frames will be elevated to provide storage space underneath for your luggage. It does not sound like the the inside staterooms will be upgraded with Virtual Portholes (or the latest trend virtual balconies). According to a quote from Lanzisero published on CruiseCritic.com, the virtual portholes were “cost prohibitive”.

The beds will be raised to allow for additional luggage storage.

New customized Disney Cruise Line mattress

100% Egyptian cotton Frette linens

New colors and textures

44 new connecting stateroom doors.





Concierge Suites

The concierge suites on the Disney Magic will be enhanced featuring all new decor and redesigned layout to provide even more space.

Royal Suites

Both the Walter E Disney (8030) and Roy O Disney (8530) Royal Suites on deck 8 will be redesigned will all new decor featuring high end furnishings.

Observations

Clearly, Disney is holding back on some of the changes coming to the Disney Magic. There was no specific mention of Midship Detective Agency, or Enchanted artwork during the presentation.

Duck Tail

If you look close at the rendering of the post dry dock Disney Magic, there are some notable difference to the overall structure of the ship aside from the top deck.

It sure looks like there is structural change to the aft based on the latest rendering when compared to a real photo.

According to the post dry dock spec sheet, the Disney Magic will grow from 964 feet to 984 feet and gain 1,000 gross tons which appears to be from an addition to the stern in the form of a ducktail. Not DuckTales (although Uncle Scrooge would be a great addition); a ducktail. A duck tail is added on modern cruise ships to increase overall stability of the vessel by giving the ship a more stable base, thus allowing for cool new features.

Ducktail: An extension to ship’s stern. On older ships the diminished stability can be regained by adding a ducktail. Ducktail is also used on newbuildings; there the primary purpose is often to reduce the power consumption for propulsion. Naval Architecture Terms via Foreship.com





The hidden Mickey on the bow, the crew pool, and the spare anchor are missing from the rendering. Keep in mind this is just a rendering and may simply be an omission to reduce the focus on the crew pool considering to avoid any confusion, as the bow area on the Dream & Fantasy is the teen-only area, Vibe.





Online Video Documentary Series

I am thrilled that Disney plans to document this major refurbishment and produce a new online documentary series Disney Magic Re-Imagined with Danny Forster.

Disney Cruise Line Monstrous Summer Presentation

The Disney Cruise Line presentation started with Karl Holz stating, “We have always been committed to reinvesting in our fleet and continuously making shipboard enhancements that elevate the guest experience,” and “What we’re doing with the Disney Magic is yet another step forward in our commitment to delivering the absolute best family vacations at sea.” Holz, then introduced Imagineer Joe Lanzisero. Lanzisero was part of the original team that designed and built her in Italy in the late 1990s. “Storytelling is at the heart of everything we do,” said Lanzisero. “Walt Disney was a master storyteller and knew how to engage people’s emotions into stories. Our job is to take what we learned from Walt and apply it to the experiences on board our ships.”

The following is the full video presentation of the Disney Magic Enhancement press event with Karl Holz and Joe Lanzisero which is available on YouTube via WDWInfo.com.

Still looking for more?! Check out InsideTheMagic.com for an exclusive interview with Imagineer Lysa Migliorati.

The Disney Magic will go into dry dock this fall following her Mediterranean cruises before returning to Miami to sail on two, three, four and five night Bahamian cruise as well as five-night Western Caribbean cruises. Disney Cruise Line has created a beautiful website to showcase the reimagined Disney Magic.

The Disney Wonder, which was not referenced during today’s press event, will have to wait a year. She will undergo her remodel from October 10 to November 15th following a brief stint out of Port Canaveral. One question still up in the air is: when will the Disney Dream go in for her required routine dry dock?

What do you think about the planned changes?