Disney Cruise Line to Launch New Marvel Theme

Nov 07, 2016

DisneyMarvel_FEATURE — Disney Magic will host Marvel Day at Sea, with cruises departing from New York in October and November 2017. // © 2016 Disney Cruise Line

At an October media day in New York onboard Disney Magic, Disney Cruise Line announced its new Marvel Day at Sea for next year, on an itinerary that also features Walt Disney World and Castaway Cay.

Dan Fields, executive creative director for Walt Disney Imagineering Creative Entertainment, explains that on seven Disney itineraries out of New York City starting next fall, Marvel characters will interact with guests, who are invited to sail with costumes of their favorite characters. Spider-Man, Captain America, Thor and other superheroes will hold onboard scheduled meet-and-greets sessions and photos.

Passengers can attend a Marvel comic academy, where they learn to draw simplified versions of the characters in under 20 minutes; attend costume celebrations and a deck party with a DJ; play a Marvel trivia game; and join heroes and villains in a finale with special effects and fireworks.

Families also can immerse themselves in special screenings of some of the iconic Marvel films and television shows, including the newest releases and Disney XD shows such as “Marvel’s Avengers Assemble,” “Marvel’s Ultimate Spider-Man” and “Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy.”

Marvel Day at Sea will be on seven- and eight-night Disney Magic Bahamian cruises departing from New York on Oct. 6, 14 and 28, 2017, and Nov. 4, 11 and 18, 2017. All sailings will include a stop at Castaway Cay, Disney’s private island, and Port Canaveral, Fla., with a day at Walt Disney World Resort. In addition, the program will be available on a seven-night cruise out of New York to Charlottetown, Sydney, and Halifax, Nova Scotia, departing Oct. 21, 2017.

Stacey Barone, a travel consultant with TBH Travel in Dix Hills, Long Island, N.Y., says she thinks the new theme is fabulous and opens up a fresh Disney platform. She is enthusiastic about the potential of the Marvel program to expand the range of Disney clients.

“My own boys would love it,” she said. “It’s great to have other themes besides princesses and pirates, and the Marvel heroes appeal to so many generations.”

Disney is putting unique features on each of its ships, which have debuted in two, two-vessel waves, with ships five and six (at 1,250 passengers each) scheduled for delivery in 2021 and 2023.