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THE MODERN CLASSIC: Disney's first two cruise ships were designed and built with an eye to the future and to the past. Many features, including the long slen- der hull and exceptionally long pro- peller shafts, harken memories of great cruise liners from earlier this century but the ship also sports t""ti+t,tt some of the most modern outfitting in the cruise industry, featuring state-of- the-art marine equipment from indus- try stalwarts such as Wartsila NSD, Carrier, Hopeman Brothers, General Electric and Thordon. MFZ MFZ ments of the Disney Magic exist for reasons of aesthetics rather than functionality; for example the flared bow design is designed to allow the ship to go through heavy waves without getting water on the deck or slamming. While the design will provide the additional benefit of passenger comfort, it was unnecessary for this particu- lar operational environment, which is marked by relatively calm seas. Because of the quality and quan- tity of the specialized design, architecture and technical solu- tions featured aboard the Disney ship, Mr. Rusten admits that the vessel put a tremendous amount of pressure on the shipyard. In turn, pressure was on Mr. Rusten and his team to maintain a good rela- tionship with the yard to ensure that the standards were met. In this regard, he noted that "the Italians have done a great job" from both design and engineering angles. From a first glance, the new Disney ships are distinctive in both form and color. To those who have studied or remember the grand cruise liners of the early 1900s, the Disney Magic will more than likely evoke fond memories. The tag Modern Classic is not sim- ply a clever marketing moniker created by the minds of Disney, rather a true reflection of this amazing ship. "After closely studying the arche- types; of classic vessels, as well as exploring wildly innovative origi- nal designs, we arrived at an iden- tity that communicates a "modern classic" ideal, respectful of an ancestral lineage but unmistak- ably contemporary,' said Mr. Reininger. "This ship is closer to a classic trans-Atlantic liner than anything that has been built since the 1960s," said Mr. Rusten. Taken as a whole, many of the architectural elements of the ves- sel, including: its long (964 ft./294- Disney Gets Indoctrinated To The Norwegian Way The offices of Yran & Storbraaten, Architects AS in Oslo, by conventional standards, are cluttered. However, it is from this clutter that some of the most brilliant cruise ship designs of modern times emerge, including much of the design of Disney Magic. Bjern Storbraaten and Petter Yran came to form their now famous partnership through an ini- tial meeting through Bjorn's sister. In 1985 the duo's first commitment consisted of the drawing up the plans for a radical rebuild of the Explorer Starship, which was transformed from a RoRo to a high-class cruise vessel. Getting Hie Call It was about 1993/94 that the firm received the call, quite literally, from Disney regarding the new cruise ship. "They just called us and soid 'hi, are you interested in helping us with our cruise ves- sel?'," said Mr. Storbraaten. At the first meeting, Disney executives asked Mr. Storbraaten to com- pare his firms to others. "It is not normal for a Norwegian to brag, but I did say that others consid- er us very good." Once it was decided to bring Yran & Storbraaten aboard for the project, Mr. Storbraaten recom- mended the addition of Robert Tillberg and Njal Eide to join the team. The move was a critical one to the end product, as a design competition was ini- tiated among the three to design "the" Disney ship. In the end, it was a design from Mr. Eide that was selected (see related story page 77). Upon viewing Mr. Ekte's final design, Mr. Storbraaten said "yes, that is it." Once the ship shape was agreed upon, Mr. Storbraaten took up the arduous task of planning the internal spaces. "The ship is a big volume to design. We spent a long time developing the gen- eral arrangement plan, to a point where it is almost 100 percent effective, using every available square inch." For the development of Magic and Wonder, Disney took the stance of design first. "Disney does not look at architecture as an extra invoice...they see it as extra quality," said Mr. Storbraaten. As an example, he noted that the bow was slimmed for pure aesthetics, necessitating the elimination of 17 cabins. Detail design to provide classic touches are also seen in the fact that the Disney ships will leave the anchor fully exposed, as was the case with ships years ago. "It's an impor- tant logo for a ship to have," Mr. Storbraaten said. (While this article focuses on the role of Yran & Storbraaten, it is imperative to note that Mr. Storbraaten time and again stressed the importance of the team approach to design which led to the final product. He said, "you should have an ego, but not one so big that you cannot appreciate other ideas.") m) black hull with a curved line; its large circular portholes; the protruding bridge wing supports; the rounded stern; the two funnels (one working, with the fore funnel housing the ESPN Sky Bar); and the bow and stern embellishments — all collaborate to evoke a strong resemblance to and remembrance of the classic liners. In keeping with the classic liner approach, the relationship between the visual image of the ship and Disney is minimized, i.e. don't expect to see big mouse ears protruding from the bow! At the same instance, the ship provides a whimsical vision that forever marks it a Disney ship. For example: • The ornate embellish- ments on the bow and stern actu- Mobil Girgi SUPPLIER MOBIL GIRGI Italy's Mobil Girgi has produced furniture for more than 40 years.. Based between Milan and Como, Mobil Girgi provides specialized turnkey services across many industrial sectors. The com pany has provided the stairways for the Disney ships, and its portfolio includes work on the Rotterdam cruise ship for Holland American Line. The organization recently opened its first show room in London. Boldrocchi SUPPLIER fhJ. f D . iWl Italy's Boldrocchi has a long list of marine cruise ship references, including the supply of air fans and ventilation equipment aboard the first two Disney ships. Specifically, the company pro- vided 50 axial and radial fans for L.A.M. ventila- tion, as well as silencers and filters. As the company notes in its materials, ventila- tion and heat transfer aboard a large cruise ship is a particularly important part of ensuring pas- senger comfort. Axial and radial fans for marine service are custom designed for every onboard technical applications, such as engine and auxiliary room ventilation; main engine combustion air; exhaust fans for P.E.M. room; and explosion proof and inert gas fans. ally contain silhouettes of many popular Disney characters. • The colors of the vessel itself — black, white red and yel- low — are the colors of Mickey Mouse (note: it should be pointed out that the hull is actually paint- ed a dark blue, which reflects a blue/black color [supplier: Jotun Brignola]. Also, the company took the pre- ventative measure of ensuring that the bright yellow (rather than traditional orange) lifeboats were in compliance with all internation- al safety standards). • Hanging off the stern is a 15-ft. statue of Goofy in a boatswain chair, adding his own artistic touches to the vessel. (Rumor has it that the Disney crew wanted to have one letter in the ship's name painted upside down, a la a Goofy goof, but the officials at classification society Lloyd's Register recommended against it.) • Bay windows situated high-up on the vessel are symbolic of the old practice of placing life boats in this high spot (which is, of course, now against modern safety standards). • Not seen but heard, will be seven additional ship whistles, whistles which have no relevance to the ship's navigation. Their purpose: to play the first seven notes of "When you wish upon a star." While it is foolhardy to single out one person as responsible for the creation of the Disney ships, Mr. Rusten's singular focus for the past four years has been to ensure that Disney Magic and Disney Wonder were as structurally, func- tionally and technically correct as humanly possible. A trip to Mr. Rusten's office quickly reveals his passion — the classic cruise liners of days past — and a conversation with him leaves the unmistakable feeling that he was a driving force in ensuring that the aforementioned classic ship elements made it to 78B Maritime Reporter/Engineering News
