Does Disney Cruise Line Have Plans to Purchase Abandoned Cruise Ship?

[WishUponAStarryNight]

Here’s that video with intended destinations in the US, Australia and EU, hence probably no compliance refit needed. The video is 3 minutes long, the destinations are in the last 25 seconds. But the rest shows the ship: https://fb.watch/g5AnrVpFJS/

Great find! It also notes 4700 passengers.

 

[nikem3]

Here’s that video with intended destinations in the US, Australia and EU, hence probably no compliance refit needed. The video is 3 minutes long, the destinations are in the last 25 seconds. But the rest shows the ship: https://fb.watch/g5AnrVpFJS/

Just to be devil's advocate, it does say "Exploring more regions as MORE global dream class ships are delivered". I don't know anything about regulations and I'd imagine that this cruise would meet whatever those standards are. However, it certainly could mean that THIS cruise specifically wasn't built for it.

 

[Jocelynaus]

Just to be devil's advocate, it does say "Exploring more regions as MORE global dream class ships are delivered". I don't know anything about regulations and I'd imagine that this cruise would meet whatever those standards are. However, it certainly could mean that THIS cruise specifically wasn't built for it.

If there are different standards I don’t think it would make sense to build a ship this size limited to one region when they already had ships sailing all over the world. And also naming them world dream and global dream would be a bit odd then!

I expect the offerings in the ship are designed for a market as opposed to anything safety or standard wise. Like for example that video shows a teppinyaki style restaurant that may get replaced.

 

[jrapps]

It has to leave the shipyard by the end of 2023 for it to start building navy ships. The liquidators have leased the space back to the end of 2023.

They could sail it elsewhere but if it’s already 70% done you’d think you’d try to get it done in that year.

2 different shipyards.

Rostock-Warnemünde is where the hull was started, and was sold and converted into a naval repair base.

The ship was moved to Wismar in 2019 which has been sold to Thyssenkrupp Marine Systems (TKMS) to build submarines. TKMS wont begin their operations until 2024 so they CAN leave the ship there as storage until that time. Of course, the objective is to sell it and re-hire the 950 workers laid off from MV Werften to help retrofit and complete the ship.

If they get a buyer that just wants to finish the ship as-designed, then yes they can complete that before the end of 2023. If it's DCL, then my guess is the rework will add time to that but will also add $$$ to that, so they may be able to negotiate an extension, or by that point enough of the hull could be complete to sail from the yard, and complete the remaining work elsewhere.

 

[nikem3]

2 different shipyards.

Rostock-Warnemünde is where the hull was started, and was sold and converted into a naval repair base.

The ship was moved to Wismar in 2019 which has been sold to Thyssenkrupp Marine Systems (TKMS) to build submarines. TKMS wont begin their operations until 2024 so they CAN leave the ship there as storage until that time. Of course, the objective is to sell it and re-hire the 950 workers laid off from MV Werften to help retrofit and complete the ship.

If they get a buyer that just wants to finish the ship as-designed, then yes they can complete that before the end of 2023. If it's DCL, then my guess is the rework will add time to that but will also add $$$ to that, so they may be able to negotiate an extension, or by that point enough of the hull could be complete to sail from the yard, and complete the remaining work elsewhere.

My understanding is that they were negotiating to have Meyer Werft finish the work (same group that is working on Disney Treasure right now and did some of the other Disney cruises) and that this was a preference by the company selling the ship.

 

[jrapps]

My understanding is that they were negotiating to have Meyer Werft finish the work (same group that is working on Disney Treasure right now and did some of the other Disney cruises) and that this was a preference by the company selling the ship.

Yeah, lots of unknowns and rumors floating around.

I think MV Werften WANTS the new buyer to finish the ship there so they can re-hire the 900 or so people laid off over than pandemic. No matter what, MV Werften would have to do some of the work as there are still staterooms, equipment, waterslides, etc that are in storage at the shipyard but not yet installed.

I am sure Disney would prefer Meyer Werft to do it since they have the expertise. I suppose the question is does Werft have the space for it and capacity to do the work? They are scheduled years in advance to build ships, so brining this one to them might only work if they delay Treasure and use the people/shipyard space for this job instead.

Also, moving the ship from Rostock to Wismar was relatively close...I don't know enough about moving cruise ships, but I assume they COULD get the ship to Papenburg?

Or is it possible for Werft to be the company to finish it, but to do the work in Wismar? I don't; know how the relationship between all these shipyards works.

 

[DCLCruiseFan09]

Someone may have brought this idea up already...

What if it is Disney but not DCL? what if they are doing a "Story living" (or whatever they call it) community that travels around the world? There are a few long term things popping up like this on cruise ships.

 

[jrapps]

So if you go to Cruise Mapper and search for Global Dream, it already has it listed as owned by the Walt Disney company....maybe someone got ahead of themselves?

https://www.cruisemapper.com/ships/Global-Dream-2103

 

[diablodancer]

So if you go to Cruise Mapper and search for Global Dream, it already has it listed as owned by the Walt Disney company....maybe someone got ahead of themselves?

https://www.cruisemapper.com/ships/Global-Dream-2103

Further down it just references the same article this thread is based on (and the language used is speculative) so I’m not sure they have any specific intel beyond what we’ve seen.

 

[jrapps]

I dug up some more info from the NDR Radio website (thank you Google Translate)

Seems the laid off employees are in a "transfer company" (basically German equivalent of unemployment) and that was just extended again to the end of November so they are really trying to get a deal completed by then.

There are still several companies interested, not just Disney, and all offers are being considered.

If Disney is the winner, then Meyer Werft will take over work of the ship but at the Wismar yard.

The construction hall where the ship is now is rented thru 2023, but the shipyard's equipment quay (external dock) will be available as a berth until the end of 2024.

This article also mentioned again the ship was not deemed suitable for homebase in a European market due to it's "heavy fuel oil operation". For being a brand new ship, it is not configured to run LNG like many of the newer ships being built today. It might also only be configured to run high-sulfur "heavy" fuel. Some ships (like all of Disneys fleet and most if not all of Royals as well) can also run on the more expensive "low sulfur" fuel when local laws require it. I think this is what the other articles meant when they said the ship would need a retrofit to comply with EU laws. Europe has mandates to reduce emissions 55% by 2023. That isn't to say ships that run diesel (which are most existing ships) wont be able to cruise to US or European ports anymore, but existing ships may need to be retrofitted to use low sulfer fuels or even shoreside power to reduce pollution.

 

[Kwami]

I dug up some more info from the NDR Radio website (thank you Google Translate)

Seems the laid off employees are in a "transfer company" (basically German equivalent of unemployment) and that was just extended again to the end of November so they are really trying to get a deal completed by then.

There are still several companies interested, not just Disney, and all offers are being considered.

If Disney is the winner, then Meyer Werft will take over work of the ship but at the Wismar yard.

The construction hall where the ship is now is rented thru 2023, but the shipyard's equipment quay (external dock) will be available as a berth until the end of 2024.

This article also mentioned again the ship was not deemed suitable for homebase in a European market due to it's "heavy fuel oil operation". For being a brand new ship, it is not configured to run LNG like many of the newer ships being built today. It might also only be configured to run high-sulfur "heavy" fuel. Some ships (like all of Disneys fleet and most if not all of Royals as well) can also run on the more expensive "low sulfur" fuel when local laws require it. I think this is what the other articles meant when they said the ship would need a retrofit to comply with EU laws. Europe has mandates to reduce emissions 55% by 2023. That isn't to say ships that run diesel (which are most existing ships) wont be able to cruise to US or European ports anymore, but existing ships may need to be retrofitted to use low sulfer fuels or even shoreside power to reduce pollution.

I don't think Disney should be introducing a high-sulfur diesel fuel ship into its fleet. Disney always burns low sulfur fuel and has switch to LNG for the Triton-class ships. Let's not go backwards.

And if Disney has to start replacing engines and other mechanical bits on top of pretty much redesigning the whole interior of the ship, then I'm not sure how much they're really saving vs. building a new ship.

 

[Jocelynaus]

Low Sulfur fuel is the type of diesel. The first four Disney ships before the Wish and RCL up to the yet to launch Utopia of the seas run on diesel, like the global class.

I have no idea if it’s as simple as changing what you fill it with, though Disneys 20+ year old ships using it implies so.

 

[jrapps]

Low Sulfur fuel is the type of diesel. The first four Disney ships before the Wish and RCL up to the yet to launch Utopia of the seas run on diesel, like the global class.

I have no idea if it’s as simple as changing what you fill it with, though Disneys 20+ year old ships using it implies so.

Not necessarily. Many cruise ships (Carnival comes to mind) install scrubbers instead of using low-sulfur fuel. I'm not sure if that's because low sulfur fuel is significantly more expensive, or if the engines just aren't designed to run on low-sulfur.

I wonder if it's even possible to retrofit an existing ship (or half-built ship) and replace Diesel with LNG. Probably too many technical issues for something of that magnitude.

 

[Scalemaster34]

Not necessarily. Many cruise ships (Carnival comes to mind) install scrubbers instead of using low-sulfur fuel. I'm not sure if that's because low sulfur fuel is significantly more expensive, or if the engines just aren't designed to run on low-sulfur.

I wonder if it's even possible to retrofit an existing ship (or half-built ship) and replace Diesel with LNG. Probably too many technical issues for something of that magnitude.

It's not some much the engines as the tanks.... LNG takes up a lot more volume.

 

[Jocelynaus]

I think the engine is also different for LNG. But diesel is still in more ships than it is not, including the current RCL Oasis class and Disney’s pre-wish fleet.

I would expect whoever the buyer is doesn't change anything technical, it has the same propellers as the Oasis class for example which seems to type of ship it is.

Remembering it will be nearly 2 years behind when it was meant to launch, I expect that would be impacting its price.

 

[nikem3]

I think the engine is also different for LNG. But diesel is still in more ships than it is not, including the current RCL Oasis class and Disney’s pre-wish fleet.

I would expect whoever the buyer is doesn't change anything technical, it has the same propellers as the Oasis class for example which seems to type of ship it is.

Remembering it will be nearly 2 years behind when it was meant to launch, I expect that would be impacting its price.

This. Reports are that it would be a fraction of the price it costs to make. Unless a bidding war props it up, I'd imagine they will get large savings IF they go for the deal. If it becomes too much of a hassle, they just won't go through with it. I'd imagine if Disney is actually negotiating for it, then they already have a decent plan in place on how they would retrofit this cruise to fit their image. Or, like I said prior, there is certainly a possibility that they could use this cruise and create a more adult centric line (this cruise apparently has a 1.5 deck casino. Anything is in play until we get concrete news.

 

[jrapps]

This. Reports are that it would be a fraction of the price it costs to make. Unless a bidding war props it up, I'd imagine they will get large savings IF they go for the deal. If it becomes too much of a hassle, they just won't go through with it. I'd imagine if Disney is actually negotiating for it, then they already have a decent plan in place on how they would retrofit this cruise to fit their image. Or, like I said prior, there is certainly a possibility that they could use this cruise and create a more adult centric line (this cruise apparently has a 1.5 deck casino. Anything is in play until we get concrete news.

There is no question that DCL would save a fortune buying and retrofitting a ship like this as opposed to a brand new build. I don't even think they were in the market to design a BIG ship like this, but it may have been an unforeseen opportunity that they just couldn't pass up.

I also don't really see them breaking the mold of the existing fleet. I don't see a Disney "adult" cruise ship with a casino in the cards here, but again this might come back to what market the ship will serve as I'm not sure an Asian market ship can be successful without a casino.

I think with some minor exterior hull work the ship could resemble the dual smokestack classic ocean liner motif DCL has. The hardest thing will be the top of the ship. With the split-hull, you get nice open areas in the middle of the ship, but you also lose the ability to have a large top-deck activity space for sail away parties, pirate night, etc. I have no idea how they can accommodate that with this ship.

Unfortunately we must be patient...hopefully this is all clear in the next 1-2 months.

 

[nikem3]

There is no question that DCL would save a fortune buying and retrofitting a ship like this as opposed to a brand new build. I don't even think they were in the market to design a BIG ship like this, but it may have been an unforeseen opportunity that they just couldn't pass up.

I also don't really see them breaking the mold of the existing fleet. I don't see a Disney "adult" cruise ship with a casino in the cards here, but again this might come back to what market the ship will serve as I'm not sure an Asian market ship can be successful without a casino.

I think with some minor exterior hull work the ship could resemble the dual smokestack classic ocean liner motif DCL has. The hardest thing will be the top of the ship. With the split-hull, you get nice open areas in the middle of the ship, but you also lose the ability to have a large top-deck activity space for sail away parties, pirate night, etc. I have no idea how they can accommodate that with this ship.

Unfortunately we must be patient...hopefully this is all clear in the next 1-2 months.

My guess is that you can move the parties into interior areas. The concept art seemed to have a lot of open theaters and stages that somewhat remind me of the stage in the middle of the Mardi Gras ship. It would obviously be very different from current Disney cruises. But I'd love to see it. I am a big fan of large ships like Oasis of the Seas and have always wondered what Disney could do with a larger ship. Especially with some larger adult venues. The most interesting dynamic would be how you handle characters. You'd certainly need a larger volume of characters to handle a cruise with twice the amount of passengers. Could end up with some interesting variety of characters.

 

[jrapps]

My guess is that you can move the parties into interior areas. The concept art seemed to have a lot of open theaters and stages that somewhat remind me of the stage in the middle of the Mardi Gras ship. It would obviously be very different from current Disney cruises. But I'd love to see it. I am a big fan of large ships like Oasis of the Seas and have always wondered what Disney could do with a larger ship. Especially with some larger adult venues. The most interesting dynamic would be how you handle characters. You'd certainly need a larger volume of characters to handle a cruise with twice the amount of passengers. Could end up with some interesting variety of characters.

I too love the Oasis class ships. I just want them to do a Mainstreet USA themed promenade deck!

 

[nikem3]

I too love the Oasis class ships. I just want them to do a Mainstreet USA themed promenade deck!

This is exactly why I want a larger ship though. I feel the venue ideas are endless. So many cool ideas that would be available to fill all 19 decks.