Huge 900m cruise ship scrapped before first voyage gets bought by a mouse

The newly-built Global Dream had been sitting in a scrap yard for around year, despite being fully built and never setting sail - but it now has new owner in the shape of iconic Disney

Adam Cailler Senior reporter and MSN lead

11:19, 17 Nov 2022Updated 11:41, 17 Nov 2022

[The colourful ship is set to undergo a total rebrand thanks to its new owners]

The colourful ship is set to undergo a total rebrand thanks to its new owners(Image: AFP via Getty Images)

A 900million mega cruise ship set to be scrapped before its first voyage finally has a famous new buyer and is set to take to the waters in 2025.

Earlier this year, we reported how the Global Dream ship had been sitting inside a German shipyard alongside its sister ship Global Dream II.

The latter was waiting to have some of its fixtures as well as its engines ripped out and sold as it had already been decided that it would not be worth selling whole.

But the Global Dream ship was still clinging on for dear life, with bosses welcoming bids over the next few months.

[The ship has been sitting in a scrapyard for nearly a year]

The ship has been sitting in a scrapyard for nearly a year(Image: AFP via Getty Images)

It was built by MV Wefrten and accommodates more passengers than any other cruise ship.

The ship was owned by Genting Hong Kong, but they filed for bankruptcy at the start of this year.

The first Global Dream ship is also unfinished in the same dock, but time is running out to find a buyer for the pair as the shipyard is going to make only submarines from 2024.

Now it has a new buy the Walt Disney Company.

[Disney has bought the ship to add to its cruise line business]

Disney has bought the ship to add to its cruise line business(Image: AFP/Getty Images)

The exact cost has not yet been confirmed, but it is thought to be in the region of 1.4billion, by the time repair works and redecorating has taken place.

The artwork-adorned hull is set for a total rebrand, featuring the classic hull art of Disney Cruise's black and gold patterns with the world famous Mickey Mouse logo featuring heavily on it.

[Mickey's face will now be slapped all over the huge ship]

Mickey's face will now be slapped all over the huge ship(Image: AFP via Getty Images)

And it will also have its engines changed so that it will use methanol for fuel, making it one of the first in the cruise industry to be fuelled by green methanol instead of diesel, like many are now.

[It could be welcoming passengers within the next three years]

It could be welcoming passengers within the next three years(Image: AFP via Getty Images)

Josh DAmaro, chairman of Disney Parks, Experiences and Products said: Our cruise ships give us the unique opportunity to bring Disney magic to fans no matter where they are, and the addition of this ship will make a Disney Cruise Line vacation accessible to more families than ever before.

Yolanda Cade, Vice President of Communications and Public Affairs at Disney Signature Experiences, added: The ship will be renamed with certain features reimagined under the world-renowned expertise of Walt Disney Imagineers.

[It could cost Disney a whopping total of around 1.4 billion to buy and repair]

It could cost Disney a whopping total of around 1.4billion to buy and repair(Image: AFP via Getty Images)

The new ship, to be based outside the United States, will feature innovative Disney experiences along with the dazzling entertainment, world-class dining and legendary guest service that set Disney Cruise Line apart.

Construction will be completed at the former MV Werften shipyard in Wismar, Germany, under the management of Meyer Werft, the Papenburg-based company that built the Disney Dream, Disney Fantasy and Disney Wish.

Bookings for its maiden voyage are expected to be available some time in 2024.

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