Disney Wonder in Drydock in Norfolk

[JohnG]

SHIP WATCH

The cruise ship Disney Wonder – marked by the telltale Mickey Mouse logos – is in dry dock at Norshipco in Norfolk.

The cruise ship Disney Wonder arrived in Norfolk early Tuesday for work at Norshipco. The shipyard’s Titan dry dock lifted the 83,000-ton vessel with telltale mouse ears on its twin faux exhaust stacks from the water, adding a new focal point to the city’s riverscape.

The Disney Wonder will remain at Norshipco until next week as workers inspect the hull, perform routine maintenance and replace three venues aboard the ship, said Jason Lasecki, media relations manager for the Disney Cruise Line. It is adding a teen venue called Aloft on the upper deck, replacing an ESPN Skybox sports bar. It’s also adding a coffee bar and a new sports pub.

The 5-year-old Wonder boasts a soaring art nouveau lobby, graced by a Dale Chihuly glass chandelier. The ship’s 877 staterooms can hold 2,400 guests, who are taken care of by 950 crew members.

Disney Cruise Line offers three-, four- and seven-day cruises to the Bahamas and around the Caribbean Sea on the Wonder and its sister ship, the Disney Magic, out of their homeport in Port Canaveral, Fla. Built in Italy, both ships must be drydocked every 30 months.

 Christopher Dinsmore , The Virginian Pilot, Wednesday, Oct 6, 2004