During a recent trip to Walt Disney Imagineering (WDI) in Orlando, Fla., I previewed mock-ups of the upcoming Disney Wish, and got a sneak peek at the attractions onboard Disney Cruise Line’s newest cruise ship.
Here’s what clients can expect.
Disney Uncharted Adventure
Unannounced until now is Wish’s Disney Uncharted Adventure, a ship-wide interactive game for the whole family that utilizes guests’ “spyglasses” — smartphones employing the Play Disney Parks mobile app — to find the missing wishing star during their voyage. Captains Mickey and Minnie Mouse will call on guests to “be the hero of their own adventure,” according to Davey Feder, software product manager for WDI, before handing it off to the likes of Moana, Nemo and Tiana to solve digital puzzles on epic “quests."
Clients who have experienced the Midship Detective Agency experience on Disney Dream and Disney Fantasy will be familiar with the concept, but there are a few differences onboard Wish. For example, instead of analog paper cards, Android and iOS devices will trigger the augmented-reality fun. Families with a limited number of smartphones will be able to play.
Our hands-on demo showcased a gumbo-making challenge with Tiana where we had to select (via hand gestures) the correct ingredients and place them into a stew pot — temporarily animated on a way-finding screen — before seeing a sample light fixture come to life with pixie dust — all in an effort to magically power the ship toward said star at a grand finale event where all participants joined together to overcome a seafaring villain such as Ursula from “The Little Mermaid.”
AquaMouse Water Coaster
Also newly unveiled on our tour of the WDI facilities is a second original storyline for the AquaMouse water coaster. Alternating daily from the “Scuba Scramble” to Mermaid Lagoon will be a “Swiss Meltdown” sled excursion where riders ascend a conveyor tunnel flanked by nine 85-inch monitors and 60 different water sprays.
Immersive lighting and audio cues further set up the comical narrative before a section of thrilling master blaster-style uphills and downhills concludes with a lazy river crowned by farewell figures of the show’s stars — none other than Mickey and Minnie, plus a hitchhiking Chip and Dale, hoping to catch a ride to Disney’s Castaway Cay private island.
The story is hilarious and will tickle the funny bones of children as well as adults, who are sure to appreciate several easter eggs along the way, including references to the long-gone Skyway buckets from Disney parks.
Altogether, AquaMouse will be a longer attraction than its AquaDuck predecessor on Dream and Fantasy, and it will require riders to be 42 inches tall.
Star Wars: Hyperspace Lounge
As an unapologetic super fan of the fictional universe, I found Star Wars: Hyperspace Lounge to be my favorite mock-up of the bunch. While the galactic bar setting was initially touted as one of many adults-only venues onboard Wish, we learned that it will be accessible to children during the day, complete with drinks for all ages.
Suffice it to say, the lounge will elevate Dream’s and Fantasy’s Skyline watering holes to new levels, utilizing kinetic backgrounds of Ace Squadron, Tatooine, Mustafar, Coruscant, the moons of Endor and even Batuu (from Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge at Disneyland and Disney's Hollywood Studios). Each will be featured for seven to 10 minutes before transitioning to the next at lightspeed.
Befitting the elegance of a cruise ship, the high-end aesthetic will take its inspiration from Dryden Vos’ spaceship, as well as Canto Bight city and extend to bespoke furniture, a cool holographic column, scenic bubblers, mysterious specimen jars and themed bottles and beer taps.
Worlds of Marvel, Walt Disney Imagineering Lab, Disney Wish Suites and More
Creatively showcasing another of Disney’s intellectual properties will be one of the ship’s three rotational restaurants — Worlds of Marvel — where we got a taste of the Avengers: Quantum Encounter dining service. During a tableside demonstration of Pym Technologies’ latest quantum cores — including collaborative button pushing — food will be scaled to oversized proportions until the robotic villain Ultron tries to commandeer the tech. But Ant-Man and the Wasp — along with Captain America, Captain Marvel and the diners themselves — will engage to defeat the antagonist.
Serving as a prequel (or sequel, depending on the voyage’s timing) will be a simulated battle with Ultron in Disney's Oceaneer Club and its Marvel Super Hero Academy. Children can prepare for the action by getting digitally dressed up in a custom suit. Gone this time around is the corresponding Oceaneer Lab, but in its place will be the all-new Walt Disney Imagineering Lab, where kids will understand what it’s like to work as one of WDI’s namesake designers.
Remaining onboard Wish will be the option for young ones to eat meals while parents are off enjoying the ship, and fresh to the space will be mock-up bays where budding designers can plot the course of — and virtually ride — their own versions of Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, Matterhorn Bobsleds and Space Mountain.
Also on deck for kids will be Fairytale Hall comprising Rapunzel’s Art Studio for classic crafts; Anna and Elsa’s Sommerhus for interactive video gaming hosted by Olaf; and Belle’s Library for a quieter retreat. A serene pool will also be available on deck as an alternative to the noisier main pools.
On our visit, Laura Cabo, portfolio creative executive for WDI, often emphasized Wish’s core inspiration of “enchantment,” from the Grand Hall’s undulating railings and improved sight lines for staged shows to its staterooms and suites, which will be more elegant than ever before. Besides the signature Wish Tower Suite, four Royal Suites will round out the top five, and a pair of them will be double decker and outfitted with a private veranda whirlpool.
Storytelling will permeate all cabins, and even corridors, with featured classic animated films and color-coding of certain decks to visually remind guests where they can find their home away from home. A simpler layout of venues will ease wayfinding, though adult spaces will be spread out in order to provide “reasons to explore,” according to Danny Handke, senior creative director for WDI.
Of course, there is still much more to be announced regarding Disney Wish — perhaps, as teased by Handke, more Star Wars experiences.
Disney Wish is scheduled to launch its maiden voyage on June 9, 2022.
The Details
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