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Well, Disney Cruise Line fanatics, there really is only one word on everyone’s mind now, AquaDuck. Thursday’s press event to introduce the new ship, the Disney Dream, was meant to get everyone excited about what is to come at the Disney Cruise Line. And it certainly accomplished that goal.

For those who didn’t see the webcast, the event began with a short address by Disney CEO Bob Iger, who gave the usual speech. Iger did confirm, however, that both of the new ships, the Disney Dream and the soon to be announced Disney Fantasy, will be based out of Port Canaveral in Florida while the two current ships, the Magic and Wonder, will be sent across the globe to new places. That’s perfectly fine with me, because after getting a look at even just the renderings of the Disney Dream, I can’t wait to experience it myself.

Jay Rasulo, Chairman of Walt Disney Parks and Resorts, took us on a sneak peek into the new ship. The basic idea that I got from this presentation is to offer more, but nothing too different from the formula that has worked so well for the Disney Cruise Line. We see a selection of new restaurants and lounges, fun areas for kids, and entertainment offerings that all look impressive and would fit perfectly into the current DCL ships. The impression I got is that the Disney Dream will be everything you loved about the Magic and Wonder, just much more.

But the “oohs and aahs” really came when Rasulo announced the AquaDuck. At the top of the ship, cruisers will be able to ride a transparent tube water coaster that will take riders on a ride out over the side of the ship 150 feet above the ocean waves and down a 4-deck drop. This looks absolutely incredible!  You can check out an artist rendering of it on the DCL website.  The Press Event showed a virtual ride-through, which I have not been able to find onlineyet, that really brought a reaction from the crowd.  Hopefully this will be posted soon.

The DCL website now has many of the details introduced at the press event, including a virtual tour, artist renderings of the most popular guest areas, and some nice specifics about the soon-to-be-famous AquaDuck. Really, this ship can’t launch soon enough. As more details are released we will let you know.