Disney opens its Treasure chest
Disney opens its Treasure chest
The newest Disney Cruise Line ship to set sail late next year
We’ve known for some time that Disney Cruise Line would be launching its sixth ship, Disney Treasure (and that it has two more as-yet unnamed vessels in the works for 2025). On Tuesday, the company revealed some–but not all–details about its latest entry, which will embark on seven-day Caribbean sailings starting in December 2024. It will share some similarities with the cruise line’s first four ships, but will most resemble its sister at sea, the Disney Wish, which began bibbidi-bobbidi-booing last summer.
Like that ship, the 4,000-passenger Treasure will forego most of the earlier vessels’ retro trappings and adopt a more modern and playful look and feel. It will set the tone and its overarching theme of adventure with a flourish in the cavernous, three-story Grand Hall, which will be the first space passengers encounter as they embark. Outfitted with dramatic splashes of blue and gold, it will pay homage to Disney’s “Aladdin.”
“The Disney Treasure will bring brand-new stories to life, blending one-of-a-kind experiences with the extraordinary entertainment, world-class dining, and unparalleled hospitality that make every sailing so memorable,” said Sharon Siskie, the cruise line’s senior vice president and general manager.
Instead of the Wish’s Frozen-themed dining experience, the new ship will draw on the Disney and Pixar film, “Coco,” for its dinner theater. Whereas the adventurous menu on the other ship includes nods to Scandinavian fare, the Treasure’s passengers will be treated to Mexican cuisine. The other signature dining room will duplicate the Wish’s Worlds of Marvel, including the interactive, surprisingly funny, and action-packed “Quantum Encounter” presentation that accompanies the meal. On the Treasure, however, guests will spend two evenings mingling with the heroes of the Marvel Cinematic Universe and will participate in a second, to-be-announced experience there. Because of its seven-night itinerary, passengers will visit the ship’s three main dining rooms, which will also duplicate the Wish’s elegant 1923 restaurant, at least twice during their ocean getaway.
Lest you think Disney cruises are exclusively focused on kids, the new ship will introduce compelling new places to imbibe adult beverages. The Periscope Pub will draw inspiration from both the 1954 film, “20,000 Leagues Under the Sea,” and its defunct namesake Disney World attraction. There’s no word whether the menu might include giant squid calamari. (But you have to admit, it’s a pretty nifty idea). The Skipper Society, meanwhile, will celebrate the legendary Jungle Cruise. It’s likely that the lounge will adopt the tiki bar vibe of Trader Sam’s. Reportedly, there will be at least one more high-concept lounge. Given what’s been announced thus far, it’s a good bet that it will honor a theme park attraction as well and have something to do with “adventure.” Apparently, there will be no Star Wars-based Hyperspace Lounge, nor its wacky $5,000 cocktail on the Treasure.
Like the Wish, the new ship will include AquaMouse, which Disney calls an “attraction at sea.” Given that it is essentially a water coaster with some video screens tacked onto a “magic tunnel” covering the lift hill, that’s a charitable description. It will feature a new story, “Curse of the Golden Egg,” in the manic style of the Mickey Mouse cartoon shorts (which, curiously, the company ended in July after a 10-year run).
The Treasure’s Walt Disney Theater will showcase a Broadway-style production of “Beauty and the Beast” as well as “Disney Seas the Adventure,” a rollicking jukebox musical that debuted on the Wish and stars Goofy and his Fab 5 buddies. The cruise line says a third show will be announced. Like its sister ship, the new ocean liner will also offer two onboard cinemas showing first-run films from Disney’s trove of studios, a sports and rec space, a nighttime Pirate’s Rockin’ Parlay Party complete with fireworks and a live yo-hoing band, and programming for toddlers, kids, and teens that incorporates Star Wars, Marvel, and other popular properties under Disney’s vast umbrella.
The ship’s itineraries and ports of call have not been revealed, so it’s unclear whether the Treasure will be stopping at Lighthouse Point, the cruise line’s new retreat on the island of Eleuthera in The Bahamas that is scheduled to open next summer, and/or at Castaway Cay, the private Bahamian island that Disney has operated since it got into the cruising biz.
90% of the the ship’s 1,256 staterooms will have ocean views, and 70% of them will include verandahs. Booking reservations can be made starting September 20. You can learn more about the Disney Treasure in a reveal video from the cruise line.
Once the province of older fuddy-duddies, Disney Cruise Line has played a major role in broadening the cruise industry audience and infusing it with Disney’s legendary storytelling dazzle-dazzle. The Treasure will continue that tradition in what appears will be grand style–and a sense of adventure.
Have you been on a Disney cruise? Might you book a sailing on the Disney Treasure. What features most excite you?