PORT CANAVERAL, Fla. – Disney Cruise Line is preparing to welcome guests onboard its newest ship, the Disney Wish.
The ship is the first of three new Disney Cruise Line ships set to be built through 2025.
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The Disney Wish is scheduled to have her maiden voyage on July 14 out of Port Canaveral.
When guests step onboard, they will experience several new things including three innovative dining experience that will send them into the stories of “Marvel,” “Frozen” and the unique and rich history of the Walt Disney Company. These experiences are not only a meal, but a chance for families to interact with the characters and stories that they have grown to love.
During a christening cruise, a select number of media and Disney executives were among the first to experience these incredible new adventures onboard the Disney Wish.
Take a look at some of the experiences below.
Arendelle: A Frozen Dining Adventure
For the first time in forever, Disney is inviting guests to a dinner unlike any other. During “Arendelle: A Frozen Dining Adventure” guests are invited by Queen Elsa to dine and celebrate the engagement of Anna and Kristoff.
The space has small hints and details that many Frozen fans will notice throughout the dining room including Queen Elsa’s coronation scepter and the dolls the two girls played with as children.
“We actually partnered with Disney Feature Animation, and we did a deep dive into why it was so iconic and so rich,” said Nick Snyder, Senior Concept Designer with Walt Disney Imagineering. “We worked together to figure out all of those more charming architectural moments and textural moments to figure out how to combine it all into our space we have.”
Throughout the dinner, characters such as Anna, Elsa, Kristoff, Oaken and even Olaf interact with guests as they dine on foods that feature traditional flavors and ingredients from the Nordic region.
Guests can delight in a variety of seafoods, rustic game dishes and nods to the “Frozen” story including a signature chocolate dish.
See an interview with one of the chefs in the video below.
The night is capped off with an incredible display from Queen Elsa herself. Invisible fiber optics embedded in the ceiling conjure Elsa’s icy magic, and panoramic windows magically transform from real-time ocean views to the colorful dancing lights of the Aurora Borealis, the company said.
The show is guaranteed to have you smiling and singing songs like “Let it Go” and “Some Things Never Change.”
Worlds of Marvel
Another dinner experience sure to be a hit is “Worlds of Marvel.”
This is the first Marvel-themed experience on any Disney Cruise Line ship. During the show “Avengers: Quantum Experience” guests follow Ant-Man and The Wasp as they embark on their first public speaking engagement on behalf of the Avengers.
The dynamic duo host a special presentation of the most powerful Super Hero technologies, such as Captain America’s shield, Iron Man’s arc reactor and Ant-Man’s Pym Particles, giving guests an up-close look at holographic models, field reports and iconic scenes from Marvel movies displayed on the screens surrounding the room.
This is also the first experience that shows off the Pym Tech, the Quantum Core. The brand-new device can cause objects to shrink and grow remotely, including Ant Man’s suitcase and even a towel in the shape of a swan.
Guests join in on the fun helping Ant-Man and The Wasp as they attempt some small-scale trials shrinking things like oversized luggage for easy stateroom storage. Just like any Marvel film, something goes wrong, and Ant Man and the Wasp need help, calling on Captain America, Captain Marvel and the brave diners of the Disney Wish for backup.
“Worlds of Marvel” takes families on a flavorful tour of the real and fictional settings of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, with dishes inspired by legendary locales such as Wakanda and the Avengers’ home base of New York City.
“It’s an awesome packed menu with something for everyone,” said Joseph DePhilipo, service excellence manager with Disney Cruise Line. “We have our dining teams, our corporate executive chefs, and they all kind of came together to design a menu that calls out different elements of the Marvel Universe. Whether it’s the food, the menu, even the silverware are all themed up to the Avengers, as well as our napkins.”
Items on the menu include steamed bao buns, a huge crispy breaded fried shrimp, Berbere-spiced pork chop and a Pym donut sundae (complete with mini donut on top).
“Getting to see our guests experience this is something we’ve been thinking about for five years, and you know, always having in our brains what we would have imagined guests would be experiencing and coming out with,” Snyder explained. “I can even say that it’s gone above our expectations (that) we knew they were going to love it, but they’re coming out with applause and laughter and everyone is having such a great time with it and it’s delivering on everything, and more than we hoped it would do.”
1923
The final dinner experience takes a more subtle approach. In 1923, Disney Imagineers payed tribute to start of the Walt Disney Company and the golden age of animation.
Combining classic Hollywood glamour with a dash of Disney, 1923 features two lavishly appointed dining rooms. Both are named for the men behind the magic of the original film studio — Walt and Roy Disney.
The dining rooms are stunning to say the least. As you make your way to your table you will see more than 1,000 drawings, props and tools that have helped bring films like “Moana,” “Pinocchio,” and “Frozen 2″ to life.
The displays also provide an inside look at the evolution of Disney animation.
Dishes on the menu all pay tribute to Californian heritage. Some entrées include Seared Verlasso Salmon Filet, 1923 Peppered Filet Mignon and a Riverside Roasted Green Circle Chicken.
The diverse menu mirrors the region’s blend of Asian, European and South American cuisines, featuring local ingredients like fresh produce, wild honey and earthy pistachios, the company described. Many of the dishes are paired perfectly with world-famous Napa Valley wines.
In addition to the exciting dining experiences, the Disney Wish has several options when it comes to adult dining and unique bar experiences.
The Disney Wish will sail its maiden voyage on July 14, followed by a season of three and four-night cruises to Nassau, the Bahamas and Disney’s private island, Castaway Cay.
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