A Mickey Mouse idea? DCL could be the saviours of unfinished ship (Picture: Matt Stroshane/Disney)Update: Disney has now confirmed it has bought the ship, which it will operate with 6,000 passengers from 2025 outside Europe
An unfinished 9,000-passenger ship, Global Dream, could be completed for Disney Cruise Line, according to a German radio report.
The 19-deck ship, originally intended for the Asian market, was left in limbo when owners Hong Kong Genting went into administration during the Covid shutdown.
But insolvency administrator Christoph Morgen is negotiating for Global Dream to be completed in Wismar, northern Germany, by 2024 under the direction of the Meyer Werft shipyard in Papenburg which has built three ships for Disney – including the latest, Disney Wish – according to NDR radio.
The matter was raised in state cabinet on Tuesday, when economics minister Reinhard Meyer declined to comment on any talks with Disney Cruise Line, referring to ‘confidential negotiations’.
Public relations officers with DCL did not answer requests for comment as they are on a company-wide wellness day. Weeks later, they had still not responded to the story.
A spokesperson for insolvency administrators Brinkmann & Partner told me that they were ‘in negotiations with various interested parties’ and that completion in Wismar was ‘our preferred solution’.
The company added that no binding contracts had been signed and ‘we cannot give any further information due to ongoing negotiations’.
Meyer Werft told me: ‘We are in principle a possible and capable partner to complete [the ship] in Wismar. However, we will of course only come into play when there is a buyer and the buyer decides to complete the vessel, so we cannot comment on details or possible customers.’
With 2,500 cabins, Global Dream would normally carry 5,000 passengers on the industry standard of two per cabin, but had capacity for almost double that number.
Among its eye-catching attractions was the world’s longest rollercoaster at sea – the 994ft Space Cruiser.
