A first look at Disney’s colossal new cruise ship, Disney Treasure
Who was the ruler of Sakaar? Who created the Ironheart armour? If you know the answers to these Marvel teasers*, then a cruise on Disney Cruise Line’s newest luxury ship, Disney Treasure – the sixth and largest in its fleet – should definitely float your boat. (*The answers, incidentally, are Angmo II and Riri Williams. But you knew that.)
The ship embarks on its maiden voyage on December 21, but I was lucky enough to be given a sneak peak onboard when I attended its christening in New York City last week. Yes, there’s Mickey and Minnie, and yes, you might see Chip and Dale hanging around on deck, but, as I discovered, there’s a whole new world (see what I did there?) aboard this particular ship.
For example, World of Marvel is one of the three restaurants that feature in Disney Cruise Line’s included rotational dining concept (the others on Disney Treasure being Plaza de Coco and 1923), which ensures that every guest gets to try out the three main restaurants onboard. The clever twist is that the serving staff also rotate with you, so they know about any of your party’s food preferences, even down to how you like your martini mixed.
Although Disney cruise ships are essentially theme parks at sea, with Vegas-style theatrical performances and Disney references virtually everywhere (Mickey clock hands, Mickey-ears floor tiles, and so on), they are geared towards grown-ups as well as children, and include several adult-only spaces. For instance, the Senses Spa onboard Disney Treasure takes the luxury cruise spa experience to a new level, with a private deck filled with floating day beds, plus generous relaxation and treatment areas. Meanwhile, the Periscope Pub, based on the movie 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, becomes an adult-only space in the evenings.
Full disclosure here: I’m not a huge Disney fan. But I was absolutely bowled over by the quality of food, the attention to detail in everything from the carpet design in the grand hall and the Epcot-inspired wallpaper in the luxurious Tomorrow Tower Suite, to the subtle references to characters and movie inspiration – such as the Haunted Mansion bar, which includes an homage to “imagineer” Rolly Crump, who created the Museum of the Weird in the 1960s, immortalised in a melting wax sculpture and a ghost fish aquarium.
The ship accommodates a whopping 4,000 passengers in 1,256 staterooms, and there’s everything that you’d expect to find on a large cruise ship, with a variety of accommodation options, entertainment, family restaurants, cafés, buffets and speciality dining, along with 24-hour room service. As you would expect, nearly everything has a Disney twist, including the HeiHei Café, inspired by Moana’s pet rooster, and Jumbeaux’s Sweets ice cream parlour, based on Jerry Jumbeaux Jr from Zootopia. But if it all gets too much, the serene Quiet Cove deck area is just for adults, with squishy rocking chairs, infinity pools and speciality coffee and cakes. For a treat (at an extra charge), there’s the adults-only Palo Steakhouse and a French restaurant, Enchanté, with a menu crafted by three-Michelin-starred chef Arnaud Lallement.
Suspended high above the upper decks, AquaMouse: Curse of the Golden Egg is the original Disney thrill ride at sea, propelling passengers of all ages through 760ft of winding tubes, following Mickey and Minnie on an adventure to find legendary treasure. There’s also a Toy Story-themed splash zone for families with toddlers.
When it comes to kids’ clubs, this is where your nine-year-old self weeps with frustration that family holidays only used to feature boring board (or bored?) games and endless I Spy. Reached by a chute (or stairs if you must), Disney’s Oceaneer Club invites children aged three to 10 to immerse themselves in Disney-themed fun. Little ones will enjoy Fairytale Hall and searching for Snuggly Duckling with Rapunzel, while in the Marvel Super Hero Academy, kids can not only design their own superhero costume but also see how they’d look in their bespoke outfits. As if that wasn’t enough, you can handle creatures in the Star Wars: Cargo Bay zone, and then create your own theme park thrill ride and try it out for yourself via the magic of AI. There’s a nursery for tiny tots and youth clubs for tweens and teens.
Silent discos, sports courts, pirate parties on deck, movies under the stars and wall-to-wall Walt-based activities cater for every age onboard Disney ships. And as each new ship is built, new experiences are created. For Disney Treasure there’s Coco de Plaza, the world’s first theatrical dining experience, themed to the Disney-Pixar movie Coco. As you tuck into modern Mexican fare, a two-part live action story plays out on stage, complete with authentic mariachi music.
And to sign off the day – and our wonderful tour of the new ship Disney Treasure – the brand new theatrical production of Moana takes place in the glitzy Walt Disney Theatre. Combining amazing puppetry, live action and special effects lighting, the 60-minute stage adaptation of the 2016 movie is a stunning brand-new production exclusive to Disney Treasure. Of course it’s fantastic. Of course it blows other cruise shows out of the water. This is Disney, after all.
Disney Holidays (0800 169 0742; disneyholidays.co.uk) has the seven-night Western Caribbean Cruise from on Disney Treasure, from Port Canaveral, calling at Cozumel, Mexico; George Town, Grand Cayman; Falmouth, Jamaica; and Disney Castaway Cay, from £2,494pp, which includes return flights from London Heathrow, taxes, fees and port charges. Departing September 20 2025.
