Under and out for two new ships

What a day it has been for new cruise ships. The biggest in the world squeezed under a giant suspension bridge in Denmark, while the biggest ship ever built in Germany emerged from a huge construction shed into the open air for the first time.
Allure of the Seas (above) is on its way from Finland to Florida, but first had to negotiate the Great Belt Bridge – with inches to spare. As my picture shows, Capt Hernan Zini guided it through safely.
A few hundred miles south, thousands gathered in the rain to watch Disney Dream inch slowly out from the Meyer-Werft yard at Papenburg into a fusillade of fireworks.
Mickey Mouse was there to make sure everything went to plan. Not only did he meet the ship’s captain, Tom Forberg and his wife (above), he was lucky enough to be introduced to another gentleman who also claims to be a captain (below).
There was one man in the crowd with an even wider smile than Mickey – shipyard boss Bernard Meyer has the only full order book in Europe. Steel blocks for Celebrity Silhouette are ready to be lowered into the construction dock now that Dream has been completed, and in another shed AIDASol is nearing completion.
Meanwhile fabrication has begun on Disney Fantasy and Celebrity Reflection, and design work is under way for two new ships for Norwegian Cruise Line.
In two weeks, the crowds will be back at Papenburg to watch Disney Dream begin a 40 km journey down the River Ems to the North Sea. While at Fort Lauderdale, Allure of the Seas will be in the final stages of preparation for her inaugural celebrations – which you’ll be able to read about here.