The Walt Disney Company, with a market cap of $100 billion, annual revenues of $45 billion, 166,000 employees worldwide and a rank of 108 in Forbes Global 2000, has its hands in a wide range of businesses. Most know of Disney for its theme parks, television and movie production studios and maybe even for its recent acquisition of Pixar Animation Studios, whom they collaborated with to make the blockbuster film “Toy Story”.
But did you know Disney owns ESPN, the sports channel, or Marvel Entertainment of Marvel Comics fame, or a bevy of television stations across the United States or Disney Cruise Line with five huge ships? The following image is one of the original visions for a Disney cruise ship created in the 1980s.
Cutting Edge Cruise Ships
In the past two decades, Disney has ridden the wave of expansion in cruise ships, creating huge floating entertainment centers that bring the color and excitement of Disney’s theme parks to floating cities. Disney’s first foray into cruise ships included “Magic” and “Wonder” built in 1998 and 1999, respectively.
These ships provide kids’ programs, teen lounges and nurseries, live shows starring Disney’s world-famous characters and even a 1,000 acre private island playground called Castaway Cay, where cruise ships dock and visitors can walk on white sandy beaches, enjoy water sports, rent bikes and ride trails.
The third Disney cruise ship, “Dream”, includes an “AquaDuck Water Coaster,” pictured below, that includes loops, turns, ups and downs, river rapids and carries riders out over the edge of the ship above undulating ocean waters.
Disney’s latest cruise ships cost close to $1 billion, include multiple decks, as many as 17, hold up to 4,100 passengers and 1,450 crew members, weigh up to 130,000 tons and are 1,115 feet (340m) long.
Disney Cruise Line – Behind the Magic 2013
The following video shows “Magic” on the inside and out. It explains how the ship is run and was built.
