#Star Wars, Marvel, and More – /Film

Disney is adding a fifth cruise ship to the Disney Cruise fleet with the addition of the Disney Wish. Today, we attended a virtual press event where new details about the ambitious cruise liner were unveiled. Are you ready to experience the worlds of Star Wars and Marvel at sea? How about Disney’s first full-fledged attraction on board a cruise ship? Here’s everything you need to know about the Disney Wish!

The Grand Hall

The concept for the Wish is to make it feel like a Disney Castle on the seas. You’ll feel like Cinderella as you walk into the Grand Hall, A.K.A. the elaborate atrium on the ship. Note the chandelier in the middle of the room: it’s a wishing star inspired by a magical moment in the Cinderella film. There is also a statue of the iconic Disney princess standing next to the stairs.

And this room isn’t just here to look pretty. The Grand Hall Stage is a new entertainment area that will allow for interactions with characters and small scale shows.

The AquaMouse and a Splash Pad

The upper deck of the Disney Wish will host the first ever “Disney attraction at sea.” Titled the AquaMouse, this water coaster will take guests into the world of the new Mickey Mouse shorts as everyone’s favorite mouse takes you on a trip with his company, Port Misadventures, in a new adventure titled “Scuba Scramble.” The ride will take guests through show scenes featuring the animated characters while traveling 760 feet around the upper deck. This sounds like it’s taking water rides at sea to a whole new level. The attraction will be a two-minute experience, making it twice as long as the AquaDuck water slide on previous ships.

The AquaMouse won’t be the only water-themed piece of entertainment. The splash zone for younger children is inspired by the Toy Story films.

The Oceaners Club

There’s also the Oceaners Club, which is for children ages 3 through 12. Kids will be able to slide into the club through a secret porthole located in the atrium, which seems pretty cool. The club is divided into a number of areas, each one themed to a different part of the Disney experience.

Marvel Superhero Academy is where kids can “train” alongside heroes like Spider-Man, Black Panther, Ant-Man, and the Wasp. Kids will even have the chance to design their own super suit. This seems like a more evolved version of the Marvel experience currently offered on other cruise ships.

At Fairytale Hall, kids will be able to go into the worlds of Tangled, Frozen, and more.

The Walt Disney Imagineering Interactive Lab will teach kids how to create the magic of Disney attractions, including a section that will allow visitors to create their own roller coaster and ride it in a simulator. This is the kind of experience that makes me wish I could be a kid on a Disney cruise.

The Walt Disney Theater

The Walt Disney Theater on board the Disney Wish is green and gold, inspired by a magical forest. The shows performed here will include a reimagined version of Aladdin: The Musical Spectacular, as well as two new productions being developed for the ship, neither of which could be revealed at this time. Maybe the forest theme might give us some hints?

A Star Wars Bar and Other Dining Experiences

Disney is heading to a galaxy far, far away with a “brand new class of story space.” The Star Wars Hyperspace Lounge will make you feel like you’re drinking in a bar straight out of that universe, enjoying otherworldly cocktails while looking through a window with panoramic views of planets like Tatooine, Mustafar, and Batuu. 

The design itself suggests an upscale bar on Canto Bight, not a grungy cantina in the underworld (you can visit a place like that in the Galaxy’s Edge theme park lands already). Imagineers were inspired by Dryden Vos’ space yacht in Solo: A Star Wars Story, which makes sense – it’s like a party cruise around the galaxy, with you jumping to various locations. As you journey around the universe, you’ll get to experience interactive tasting experiences featuring drinks from those worlds.

I imagine this experience will be as popular as Oga’s Cantina at Disney parks, which means this might require reservations. It’s also interesting that the concept art shows a human bartender, and isn’t overshooting with an alien bartender, like Disney did with early Galaxy’s Edge concept art.

For those hoping to keep their feet on the ground, a lounge called The Rose looks very chic, intended for a pre- or after-dinner drink. And, of course, The Rose is inspired by Beauty and the Beast.

The Palo restaurant has been redesigned to look more like a modern steakhouse – romantic and sophisticated.

For more Beauty and the Beast-inspired dining, there’s Enchanté, which is inspired by Lumiere and features a menu curated by a three Michelin star chef.

The new Arendelle: A Frozen Dining Adventure dinner show will feature Elsa, Anna, Olaf, and Kristoff performing as you eat. It’s a theatrical dining experience showcasing world class cuisine with Nordic influences. The storyline of the show takes place right after Frozen 2, with diners celebrating the engagement of Anna and Kristoff.

For a more traditional experience, there’s 1923, a restaurant inspired by the year Disney was founded. The space will take you back in time to ’20s California via the cuisine and a classic Hollywood aesthetic.

Rooms and Lodging

The staterooms where guests will sleep and relax are inspired by movies like Cinderella, Tangled, The Little Mermaid, and more. They are more heavily themed and look more modern than rooms on previous ships. The ship will offer 1,254 staterooms, with 70% of those rooms offering a spacious veranda and 451 of them utilizing connecting doors to accommodate larger families.

The ship will also feature two-story royal suites that will include grand spiral staircases, stained glass artwork, and floor-to-ceiling windows with stunning views of the ocean. I’m sure they will also be super-duper expensive.

The World of Marvel

The new World of Marvel experience will transport you to an Avengers interactive showcase with what’s being described as the “first-ever cinematic dining experience.” Details are scarce, but the presentation said a superhero mission will “transform” around you as you eat. I’m very interested to learn more about this, and it seems to be replacing the popular Animators Palette experience on other Disney ships. I expect this experience will have interactive characters in screens surrounding the dining room. I’m also guessing display cases will feature some famous Marvel props from across the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The whole thing looks like a Stark Expo, so it makes sense.

The food being offered will be inspired by the different worlds of the MCU, from Wakanda to Sokovia.

Other Tidbits

• The ship will have not one, but two movie theater spaces.
• Quiet Cove is back! This is an adults-only relaxation area, now featuring an infinity pool for the first time ever.
• Seven suites have been added right above the bridge, which will have never-before-offered views.
• The maiden voyage of the Disney Wish will take place on June 9, 2022. They will offer three and four night trips traveling to the Bahamas, with stops at Disney’s private island Castaway Key. Bookings open on May 27, 2021.
• The Disney Wish is the first of three new Disney Cruise Line ships that will be built at the Meyer Werft shipyard in Germany through 2025.
• Minnie Mouse is represented as the “Captain” of the new ship, and you’ll be able to meet her in her Cruise Captain outfit. Her likeness will be on the bow “leading Disney Cruise line into the future.” All three ships will be powered by liquefied natural gas and, at approximately 144,000 gross tons, will be slightly larger than the Disney Dream and Disney Fantasy.
• Disney has been working with the Make A Wish Foundation for over 40 years. They announced they will be donating one million dollars to the foundation for this year’s World Wish Day, but it’s unclear how the Disney Wish is associated with Make A Wish beyond that.

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