When you visit a Disney theme park, it comes with an expectation. Disney has built a reputation on the way that it takes care of its guests. This is why it was of little surprise when Disney started its own cruise line. If you want a vacation where you'll truly be taken care of, the cruise experience is it. But a Disney Cruise adds that extra special something that only Disney can provide, and with Disney's newest cruise ship, the Disney Wish, being unveiled today, everything is being taken to the next level. The cruise ship that will set sail next summer feels even more like a theme park on the water than any ship before it.
On Thursday, Disney gave fans a look at the experiences that will be available when they take a trip on board the Disney Wish, and the available options are like what you'd expect to find at Disneyland or Walt Disney World. This ranges from the first "attraction at sea" an experience that would rival any theme park ride, to shows and dining experiences that cover everything from Marvel to Star Wars to Frozen. Here's a look at what you'll find onboard the Disney Wish.
Aquamouse
The most exciting thing revealed in the Disney Wish may be what Disney is calling the first "attraction at sea": the Aquamouse. It's essentially a water-based Disneyland ride found onboard the ship. Like any other theme park ride, the attraction will have a storyline that will include show scenes, special lighting and other special effects. The storyline will take guests into the world of the modern Mickey Mouse animated shorts in an original story called "Scuba Scramble," where Mickey and Minnie start their own cruise excursion company, and the rider is one of their customers. The whole thing feels like a water-based version of Mickey & Minnie's Runaway Railway.
Star Wars: Hyperspace Lounge
Star Wars fans have had a lot to enjoy with the creation of Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge at both Disneyland and Walt Disney World. In those places, you can experience flying the Millennium Falcon or simply get a drink in the cantina. While the Disney Wish won't let you fly the Falcon, you can still get a drink. However, rather than being a somewhat grungy cantina, the Star Wars: Hyperspace Lounge puts you on board a luxury spaceship. Here, you can get a drink while getting a view of several Star Wars worlds out the window, like Tatooine, Mustafar and, of course, Batuu. The Hyperspace Lounge looks to be very similar to what we expect we'll see when the Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser opens at Walt Disney World. In the evening, the Hyperspace Lounge will be an adults-only experience, though it will open to all ages earlier in the day.
Arendelle
Character dining is nothing new at Disney theme parks or on the Disney Cruise Line, but the new family restaurant Arendelle promises to be something more. It's being called a theatrical dining experience, and will not just bring Anna, Elsa, Kristoff and Olaf into the room where you're eating, but will also include a show element where the characters entertain the guests as well. Early concept images show Elsa doing some of her magic as part of the performance, so we can expect world class Imagineering level effects being part of the show. And the food will be themed to match, with Nordic influences to be part of the world class cuisine.
Worlds Of Marvel
If a Frozen-themed dining experience isn't your thing, then perhaps something Marvel-themed is more your speed. Worlds of Marvel is being called the most ambitious dining experience attempted on board a Disney Cruise Line, and that sentence alone promises a great deal. The phrase used during the reveal was "a Marvel Cinematic Dining Adventure," where diners will be part of an interactive Marvel story that takes place around you as you eat. The story itself is being kept under wraps, but this whole thing is being teased pretty hard by Disney, and that usually means there's something to the hype. The venue will include "state of the art Pym Tech," which means we can expect things to come in unusual sizes, possibly even the food, as is being done at the new Avengers Campus at Disney California Adventure. Food will be inspired by locations within the MCU, like Wakanda, Sokovia, and New York City. More details are promised in the future.
Oceaneer Club
Cruise ships are often seen as activities primarily for adults, but of course a Disney Cruise Line experience is going to have plenty for younger guests. The Disney Oceaneer Club is the home of all the activities focused on kids, and the Disney Wish is going to have plenty for all ages and fans of all things Disney. Marvel Superhero Academy will let kids become superheroes. Fairytale Hall will let children do art with Rapunzel or listen to stories told by Belle, and the Walt Disney Imagineering Lab could spark a child's love of design and technology by given them a look at what Walt Disney Imagineers do. And possibly the best part, access to the Oceaneers Club is via a secret entrance that lets kids slide down into the space.
Beauty And The Beast Dining For Adults Only
While the kids are off doing their own thing, what in the worlds is there for adults to do on the Disney Wish? Plenty, as it turns out. As mentioned above, the Hyperspace Lounge will be an adults-only location in the evening, but that's not the only place where the grownups can grab a drink. There is also a Beauty and the Beast-inspired lounge called The Rose and an outdoor adults-only location called Quiet Cove. There are also two Beauty and the Beast-inspired adults-only restaurants: Palo, a steakhouse with decor inspired by Cogsworth, and Enchante, the high-end dining experience inspired by Lumiere, with a menu created by a three Michelin star chef. Hungry yet?
Disney Cruise Line, like all other cruise lines, has been completely shut down for more than a year, but the fact that Disney is touting the Disney Wish means it fully expects that will change soon. The Disney Wish will take to the sea in the summer of 2022, but if what you see here looks good to you, you can book your room starting May 27 of this year.
