Disney Magic in Drydock
NORFOLK -- You may have noticed the Mickey ears at a Norfolk shipyard.
The Disney Magic cruise ship is in drydock at BAE Systems and, for two weeks, about 200 employees are working around the clock.
It’s being worked on in Titan, the largest floating drydock on the East Coast.
At 980 feet and 47,000 tons, Disney Magic takes up the whole drydock.
Workers are blasting and painting and repairing rudders, propellers and thrusters. Disney folks are onboard doing upgrades up above.
"Disney has approximately 800 people onboard doing habitability work -- the state rooms, the swimming pools, the restaurants," explains Dave Thomas, vice president of ship repair for BAE Systems.
Superintendent John Lifesey is the project coordinator.
“Most of our work involves underwater portions. The ships have to dock every two years and they have surveys that are required to be worked. Sea valves, the thrusters, the ships have stabilizers which make them go smother through the water, we're taking two of those off."
Lifesey says there hasn’t been a Minnie or Mickey sighting.
"They keep a crew on here and Mickey and those folks are actually working here, too, right now. Out of uniform but they are working too," he noted.
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