July 28, 1998 – The First Disney Cruise Land Ship, the Disney Magic, is Christened
“The Disney Magic…is a cruise liner that blends classic beauty and grace with all the modern luxuries, technologies, and comforts that make cruising a pleasure.”
On July 28, 1998, the first ship in the Disney Cruise Line fleet, known as the Disney Magic, was christened. The christening with a bottle of champagne was done by Roy E. Disney’s wife Patty, who is known as the ship’s Godmother; also in attendance were actor Sidney Poitier, voice actress Jodi Benson, and then-CEO Michael Eisner. Its maiden voyage would take place two days later as it headed to the Caribbean from Port Canaveral, Florida. The ship was built by the Italian shipbuilder Fincantieri, with a cost of $400 million to build. The ship holds around 2,700 passengers in 875 cabins, and weighs 83,000 tons. The idea behind the Disney Magic was to bring back the days of the “golden age” of ocean travel with luxury liners, with an interior built in an Art Deco design. The statue in the lobby of the ship is of Mickey Mouse as a helmsman.
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