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Disney Wish gets her ‘face’ as bow and forward superstructure completed

The Meyer Werft shipyard in Papenburg, Germany has completed the construction of the forward section of Disney Wish, including her entire bow and forward superstructure, according to an update on the Disney Parks Blog.

The completion of the ship’s bow and forward superstructure, including the bridge (or wheelhouse) block, was described as giving the new Disney Wish her ‘face’ by Disney Cruise Line.

The bridge block of Disney Wish is installed

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“These past months have been very exciting as we continue building the Disney Wish, and I want to share details on two specific spaces the team is currently working on,” wrote Philip Gennotte, Portfolio Project Management Executive, Walt Disney Imagineering Germany.

The two specific areas of the ship are the bridge block and the ship’s bow, the very forward section of her hull.

The block containing the ship’s bridge has been lifted onto the forward superstructure of the vessel and will now be welded in place and have all the electronics, plumbing and other wires and pipes connected up to the rest of the ship.

Disney Wish will debut in Port Canaveral, Florida in June, 2022

“We have all eagerly awaited this moment, as this block will truly give the Disney Wish an identity. I would even go as far as saying that it gives our ship a face,” said Gennotte.

According to Disney Cruise Line, the bridge of Disney Wish has been carefully designed to be navigationally functional, as well as aesthetically pleasing.

It’s one of the most important sections of the ship, as its the nerve-centre from which everything is controlled, while also being the most visible part of the vessel.

Disney Wish’s bow block is installed

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The entire bow section of the ship, the blocks that make up the forward part of the hull in front of the superstructure, has also now been completed, with the tip of the bow lowered into place recently.

Here on the nose of the ship is where Captain Minnie will be featured in a beautifully designed medallion and filigree. The bow tip of Disney Wish is one of more than 100 blocks that have been pre-fabricated and then welded into place on the ship.

The bow block alone weighs 500 metric tons and took 10 hours to position and weld in place. The entire fore section of the ship will now be ‘married’ with the rest of the ship that has already been built, known as the giga-block.

The bow block alone took 10 hours to install

Following this, the remaining aft blocks will be lifted and installed to complete the entire ship. According to Gennotte, there are just 30 blocks left to be installed.

Once that process is complete, Disney Wish will have completed the first major part of her construction process, and will be floated out of her construction hall so that final fit out and finishing can commence.

Disney Wish is due to enter service in June 30th, 2022, cruising roundtrip from Port Canaveral, Florida, on 3- and 4-night cruises to Nassau and Castaway Cay, Disney’s private island in the Caribbean.

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