Hidden Treasures of the Disney Cruise Line: Nautical Notes, Knowledge, and Nonsense

Ahoy! Welcome aboard for a voyage through the creation of the Disney Cruise Line and some of the intriguing storytelling elements about its fleet of ships. This book is NOT a travel guide nor is it designed to help get discounts, pick a good cabin, select the best time of the year to cruise, decide on a shore excursion, review the cuisine or anything else related to things that a good travel agent can help you accomplish. This book is something very different and unprecedented. From stories of some of the cruises Walt Disney and his family took over the decades to the Disney Imagineers plan to create a floating Disney theme park that would sail to various ports around the world, the book is filled with history and storytelling that has rarely if ever been documented. Individual chapters about each ship showcase some of the design elements that make each one unique. Where is Muppet Pepe the Prawn's hidden cabin on the Disney Fantasy and Disney Dream? What are all the different DCL buttons that a guest can get for free at Guest Services? An entire section is devoted to the back stories of the dining and nightclub areas. How was Palo designed to reference the twisting canals of Venice, Italy? What is the one cinematic item in the Meridian Bar on the Disney Dream that purposely does not appear on the Disney Fantasy? Why is the buffet-style restaurant called Cabanas? Another section covers the design details of Castaway Cay. How and why did the back story of the castaways change over the last two decades? What are some of the tributes to Disney executives that can be found on signs, crates and more? Why did Disney decide not to include horseback riding as an activity? Several chapters focus on the unique art on the ships from the Magic Portholes to Enchanted Art and much more. Bon Voyage!