It’s been a busy week for Disney’s top man, Bob Iger – and you have to think that the naming ceremony of his latest billion-dollar investment, the cruise ship Disney Dream, might not have been the highlight.
After joining Mickey Mouse and godmother Jennifer Hudson on stage at the quayside at Port Canaveral (above), he flew to Washington with his wife, Willow Bay, for a state banquet at the White House in honour of visiting Chinese president Hu.
High on the menu for discussion over the Maine lobster, rib-eye steak and “old-fashioned” apple pie will have been the $3.7 billion plans for Disneyland Shanghai. Construction work is expected to start in May and the project should be open for business in 2014.
Next day, Iger flew to the Bahamas and was brought back to the ship at Disney’s private resort island of Castaway Cay by helicopter. By evening, as the ship sailed back towards Florida, he was dining in Disney Dream’s Palo restaurant.
His table of 14 included Tom Staggs, chairman of Disney’s parks and resorts, and Bernard Meyer, whose German shipyard built the Dream and is building sister ship Disney Fantasy, which will be launched in March 2012. But there was no Chinese on the menu – Palo is an Italian speciality restaurant.
About the Author: John Honeywell
John Honeywell is a travel writer specialising in cruise ships and cruise travel. Winner of CLIA UK's Contribution to Cruise award 2017.
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