Ahoy, foolish mortals. Welcome to a special edition of In the Loop: Theme Park Scoops.
I am your host, your not-so-ghost host, Haley.
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I had the privilege of being part of a media sailing for Disney Cruise Line’s newest ship, the Disney Treasure.
The average passenger on any cruise can get easily overwhelmed by all the activity and cuisine options, but Disney is in a class by itself.
I’m still haunted by it all.
Speaking of haunted, let’s start unwrapping the Treasure with probably the most talked-about feature on the ship, The Haunted Mansion Parlor.
From the moment you enter the parlor, (which by the way, I admired the parlor door handle so much I made it the main photo) you immediately notice classic features of the attraction, like the purple wallpaper, wood details, wandering eyes, and appearances by Madame Leota and the Hitchhiking Ghosts, but of course, Disney Imagineers had to put a nautical twist on this new re-imagination.
For the wall portraits, these mortals may look familiar from the attraction, but there are different characters with different demises.
One photo op must be with the bust below, which is a tribute to legendary Disney Imagineer, Rolly Crump, who was a key designer for The Haunted Mansion at Disneyland.
“We were very inspired by [Crump] when we started this journey four years ago and took a lot of his designs and implemented them around the parlor,” said Disney Imagineer, Danny Handke.
Then there’s the centerpiece, the ghost fish aquarium.
According to Handke, that feature is something Imagineers wanted to do since the 1960s.
The beverage operation manager at Disney Cruise Line also walked me through some of the special drink options at the parlor.
I recommend “The Chilling Challenge.”
By the way, another fun feature is the menu, which is Madame Leota’s spell book. A secret menu can only be accessed by solving a word puzzle.
One of the things I was looking forward to writing about was all the Disney park attraction tributes on board the ship.
Conveniently across the hall from The Haunted Mansion Parlor is the Skipper Society.
Like the Haunted Mansion Parlor, Disney Imagineers had to create a nautical twist on the beloved Disney park attraction, Jungle Cruise.
Between trivia and live music, you may hear some Skipper announcements from the radio located inside the lounge.
Cruising right along, we have the Periscope Pub, which marks the first time Disney Imagineers have done a representation of 20,000 Leagues Under The Sea.
Inspired by the Nautilus, passengers will feel as though they are within the depths of the ocean while on a cruise ship.
One of my favorite facts was about the pub’s ocean skylight. The footage was taken out at sea as well as the Seas with Nemo & Friends at EPCOT.
Let’s move on to some more Treasure fun.
When the Disney Wish started sailing, I remember being in such awe of its Oceaneer Club.
I got to experience what I saw then on board the Treasure.
Kids can be immersed in stories from Disney princesses, Marvel Super Heroes and Star Wars.
During my open house, I had a wonderful encounter with the King of Wakanda, Black Panther, in the Marvel Super Hero Academy, and got an exclusive tour of Rapunzel’s art studio in Fairytale Hall by Rapunzel and Flynn Rider.
I also enjoyed exploring the Walt Disney Imagineering Lab, where future Disney Imagineers can take part in building activities.
For more visuals and information on kids’ activities and care options on the Disney Treasure, click here.
Walt Disney World
30 years and growing 🪷
From the sea to the garden.
Walt Disney World announced dates for the 2025 EPCOT International Flower and Garden Festival as well as the first crop of performers for the Garden Rocks Concert Series.
With it being the 30th festival, we can only imagine what’s in the works.
Last week, I did a rundown of all the additions and updates coming to Walt Disney World in 2025.
Legoland Florida
Toys for for tickets 🎁
For parents looking to celebrate Christmas at a theme park, consider Legoland Florida this weekend.
On Sunday, the Coke Florida Holiday Caravan will be parked outside the park from 10 a.m. to noon.
Visitors who bring a new unwrapped toy to donate to Toys for Tots will get a free kids’ ticket into the park for that Sunday only. Legoland will match a toy for every toy donated.
What’s even better? Adults can get discounted tickets to the park for $79 for the same day.
There’s a lot to unpack on the Disney Treasure, so that’s why I’ll be writing Part Two on my adventure at sea next week.
Feel free to keep me in the loop on all things theme parks, cruises and holiday offerings through my email or reach out to me on my X or Instagram.
See you next week!