Disney Cruise Line Reveals Entertainment Onboard New Wish

Disney Cruise Line Reveals Entertainment Onboard New Wish

Disney Cruise Line has revealed what entertainment will be available aboard the Disney Wish, which will set sail this July.

According to a press release, the ship has been expertly designed to deliver “endless fun” for the whole family.

“Family is at the heart of everything we do,” said Laura Cabo, portfolio creative executive, Walt Disney Imagineering. “When we set out to design the next generation of Disney cruise ships, we wanted to provide families with more opportunities than ever to make lasting memories together and to experience Disney storytelling in completely new ways. Whether it’s a new take on a guest-favourite experience, like our signature sweets shop, or an immersive show in the first-of-its-kind venue like Luna and Hero Zone, there will be no shortage of family fun aboard the Disney Wish.”

Inside Out: Joyful Sweets is a dessert shop inspired by the Pixar film, Inside Out. Inside guests will find handmade gelato, ice cream, candy and novelty treats for purchase. The brightly coloured shop is designed to resemble the control centre inside 11-year-old Riley’s mind where her emotions guide her through everyday life. It will feature sculpted figures of the film’s five main characters and glowing Memory Orb light fixtures.

According to the press release, the shop will offer nearly 40 flavours of gelato and ice cream, with daily handcrafted gelato specials in “decadent combinations” like peanut butter pretzel and white chocolate raspberry. Whipped cream, fruit compotes and sauces will be freshly made in-house.

Signature treats inspired by the film will include colourful cupcakes that evoke the five emotions — Joy (lemon), Sadness (blueberry), Disgust (pistachio), Anger (red velvet) and Fear (bubble gum) — and chocolate Memory Orbs filled with sweet candy remembrances. Speciality macarons and cake pops will join the assortment of handcrafted truffles, designer cookies, brownies and candy offerings.

Olaf’s Royal Picnic will allow guests to join their favourite “Frozen” characters for a summertime picnic in Arendelle during an entertainment experience specially designed for families with children ages 3 to 12. At Olaf’s Royal Picnic, guests will interact with Olaf, Anna, Elsa and Kristoff and watch live musical performances of songs like “Let It Go,” “Fixer Upper” and “In Summer.”

Guests who have booked a Disney Wish cruise may reserve Olaf's Royal Picnic before their sailing for an additional fee.

Disney Cruise Line said that it has combined “innovative design and technology” to create entertainment venues such as Grand Hall, Luna and Hero Zone aboard the Disney Wish. These environments will come to life with storytelling and interactive shows.

The fairytale castle-inspired Grand Hall will evolve from a gathering space into a theatre through built-in special effects and the first-ever atrium stage on a Disney ship.

Luna is a brand-new entertainment hub, outfitted with a two-story LED screen wall, stage and bar. It will offer a variety of live shows for families, such as “Villains Game Night,” “Disney Songbook” and the interactive experience called “Disney Uncharted Adventure.”

Hero Zone is a futuristic sports arena offering highly produced show experiences and free-play sports.

Families will be able to embark on an adventure with Mickey Mouse and Minnie Mouse aboard the first-ever Disney attraction at sea; enjoy a royal celebration during a theatrical dining experience with “Frozen” friends; team up with the Avengers on a Marvel cinematic dining adventure; enjoy a Star Wars experience onboard a Disney ship, as well as an original, Broadway-style theatrical production of “The Little Mermaid.”

The Disney Wish will sail its maiden voyage on July 14, followed by a season of three- and four-night cruises to Nassau, Bahamas, and Disney’s private island, Castaway Cay, from Port Canaveral, Florida.

6 Best Cruise Ship Production Shows

Million Dollar Quartet

Cruise ship production shows have greatly matured in recent years, elevating live performances once almost exclusively predominated by revues. Many medleys of popular songs remain, but the best are even making those better. Meanwhile, Broadway-caliber narratives and boundary-pushing spectacles raise the bar higher still.

“Disney Dreams – An Enchanted Classic,” Disney Magic and Disney Wonder, Disney Cruise Line

The Disney Cruise Line is remarkable for its company of singers, dancers and technicians employing seemingly every known theatrical technique in order to pull at the audience’s heartstrings. Disney knows story, and it knows how to present it musically with an unmatched in-house songbook. “Disney Dreams – An Enchanted Classic” specifically follows the journey of a girl as she rediscovers her ability to believe as her bedroom is magically transformed with the help of some visitors with great character. Sequences featuring numbers from “The Little Mermaid” are particularly powerful.

“Flick,” Carnival Vista, Carnival Cruise Line

The high energy performances of Carnival Cruise Line’s casts have always stood out, but the Carnival Vista is on another level with shows like “Flick.” The tribute to motion pictures is not just a dime-a-dozen rehash of pop songs from movies. It very cleverly follows a miming character as he effectively inserts himself into each film and number from the dramatic to the whimsical. It’s a fantastic concept as we can surely all relate to the notion of being enveloped by our favorite movies. This performance just does it wonderfully through song and dance.

“Frozen, A Musical Spectacular,” Disney Wonder, Disney Cruise Line

Continuing Disney’s aforementioned tradition of excellence is “Frozen, A Musical Spectacular.” The corporate film studio had a hit on its hands with the animated film, and seeing it interpreted live is a magical experience. New projection mapping technologies allow the house to be engulfed in the scenery as much as the stage, and the transformation of Queen Elsa’s costume is expertly rendered as well. All, of course, including ace puppetry is in service of the timeless story.

“Grease,” Harmony of the Seas, Royal Caribbean International

Royal Caribbean International is astounding in so many ways with the Harmony of the Seas, and its production of “Grease” is definitely one of the ship’s highlights. In fact, it’s as close to perfect as a traditional Broadway show can be. The cast is incredibly good, and the backing band that plays live in studio adds an amazing energy to the total effort. The acting, singing, dancing and playing are all top notch. Classic numbers are reinvigorated with the modern cast that leaves guests tapping their toes all the way to the onboard Johnny Rockets.

“Rock of Ages,” Norwegian Breakaway, Norwegian Cruise Line

While it may celebrate a different era and attitude of rock and roll than “Grease,” Norwegian Cruise Line’s “Rock of Ages” is just as fun in a playfully irreverent fashion. I honestly didn't care much for the recent film adaptation of this musical, but the shipboard version is a standout that will leave you laughing and singing along. The rock back that is featured front and center plays straight all the way through, and the energy is unbelievably non-stop. But don’t stop believing as Journey reminds us.

“Spectra’s Cabaret,” Anthem of the Seas, Royal Caribbean International

The most unique show of the bunch is “Spectra’s Cabaret” for fully taking advantage of the multipurpose Two70 venue on Royal Caribbean International’s Anthem of the Seas. Live singers, dancers, instrumentalists and aerial acrobatics perform amid six kinetic Roboscreens and in front of the 12K-resolution Vistarama screen. Depending on where you sit, the action quite literally happens all around you. It’s a breathtaking overall display that visually brings to life music like you’ve never seen or heard before.

‘Frozen’ production coming to the Disney Wonder

The Disney Wonder will be the Disney Cruise Line ship debuting a stage version of the smash animated movie “Frozen” this November.

The ship is scheduled to sail from Galveston on Nov. 10 with the show and a “wave of new enhancements,” Disney said.

“Frozen, a Musical Spectacular” is based on Walt Disney Animation Studios’ “Frozen,” which is the number one animated feature of all time. The film earned two Academy Awards (2014) for Best Animated Feature and Best Original Song.

An entirely separate two-act Broadway production of “Frozen” is currently being prepared by Disney Theatrical Productions and is slated to join Disney Theatrical’s New York productions of “Aladdin” and “The Lion King” for spring 2018 at a theater to be announced.

On the Disney Wonder, the “Frozen” show will be staged in the 977-seat Walt Disney Theater.

 Disney Magic arrives in Liverpool

Disney Magic cruise ship in Liverpool

It’s here! The spectacular Disney Magic cruise ship has arrived in Liverpool.

The visit is the luxury liner’s maiden voyage to the city - and it has brought some of Disney’s best known names with it.

The stunning vessel entered the Mersey this morning carrying 2,700 guests and an incredible 950 cast and crew members.

Packed with Disney characters - from princesses to super heroes - the cruise ship showcases the famous film-maker’s magical history.

Guests on board can enjoy Disney inspired dining, theatre, leisure and entertainment designed for children of all ages (and their big kid parents!).

Weighing 84,000 tonnes it boasts 10 different restaurants, five pools and two nightclubs.

You can even meet Disney royalty on board- from introducing yourself to Cinderella and Sleeping Beauty to playing in a giant recreation of Toy Story Andy’s bedroom.

Today’s visit to Liverpool is one of only a handful of UK stops being made by the 12 night which started in Florida.

And while Merseyside’s biggest Disney fans may not be able to taste the experience today fear not - it returns next month.

And on when it does, on June 12, a host of events will celebrate its arrival.

There will be an outdoor cinema that will show Frozen, Finding Nemo, Toy Story and Mary Poppins in full.

A bandstand in front of the Cunard Building will play host to live music, with the Royal Marines Bands playing a Disney medley and performances from opera singer Danielle Thomas and Liverpool’s Ukulele Orchestra.

Youngsters will also be battling it out to be named Liverpool’s Young Town Crier.

A ‘magic garden’ event will run at Pier Head, themed with potting sheds, toadstools, giant flowers and fairy houses.

And, at around 10.15pm, a firework display will signal the moment the vessel leaves for Dublin.

Disney Magic makes inaugural calls at Norwegian ports

Disney Magic makes inaugural calls at Norwegian ports

Disney Magic's Inaugural Visit To Norway

By Rebecca Gibson

Disney Cruise Line’s Disney Magic made inaugural calls at the Norwegian ports of Stavanger, Alesund, Geiranger and Bergen on 27 May, and 9, 10 and 11 June respectively.

Disney Magic visited the ports as part of her first-ever Norwegian Fjords itinerary, enabling guests to visit the destinations that inspired the kingdom of Arendelle in Disney’s animated movie Frozen. While in Alesund, guests also had the opportunity to meet with Anna, Elsa and Kristoff, characters from the film.

The ship will return to Bergen on 27 June and make two further visits to Stavanger on 22 June and 2 July. 

Disney Magic will return to Norway in summer 2016, making three calls at Stavanger.  

The Force Is With Disney Cruise Line, Star Wars Is Coming!

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Disney Cruise Line has announced that Star Wars is coming in 2016. The Force is with Disney Cruise Lines!

A new celebration of Star Wars and its iconic characters will come to the cruise line in 2016 but only on one cruise ship and for a limited time. Cruise Hive has long been hoping that some day there would be a Stars Wars feature at sea and now it;s actually going to happen.

The celebration will be held aboard the Disney Fantasy and will be known as a “Star Wars Day At Sea”. The new experience will be held on eight special sailings and will be an all day event. Expect to see all the popular hero’s and villains from the well-known brand that is owned by Disney after being purchased from Lucas Arts.

There will be plenty of fun and entertainment including a deck party, meet-and-greets with favorite characters,Star Wars-themed youth activities, unique food and beverage offerings, and special merchandise. The animated series called Star Wars Rebels will also be available for people to watch.

The youth onboard will play a major role as they can become young “Padawans” or “Younglings” and enjoy Jedi Academy training from an elite Jedi Night. Theres will be fun competitions and activities all types of cruisers as the ship will be overrun by Star Wars.

The deck party will have a fireworks display along with competitions and special stage show featuring all the characters. Special effects will light the deck up and make passengers feel like they are apart of the Star Wars Universe.

Star Wars Day at Sea will be on Disney Fantasy cruises sailing on Jan. 9, 23; Feb. 6, 20; March 5, 19; April 2and 16, 2016. Departing from Port Canaveral, the seven-night Western Caribbean itinerary includes Cozumel, Mexico; Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands and Disney’s private island in the Bahamas, Castaway Cay.

Check out CruiseHive @ http://www.cruisehive.com/

Land of 'Frozen' coming to Disney Cruise Line

Disney Cruise Line will offer experiences inspired by the animated hit 'Frozen' beginning in summer 2015. They include a deck party, a three-song stage show production number, opportunities to meet characters and storybook adventures ashore. A new addition is planned for Castaway Cay, too.

The experiences will debut on select Disney Magic and Disney Wonder sailings to Europe and Alaska.

One one day the ship will transform into a winter wonderland, culminating with an extravagant celebration with friends from the Kingdom of Arendelle. Passengers will awake to discover a magical freeze has overtaken the atrium lobby with sparkling icicles adorning the grand staircase, resembling the mountaintop ice palace of Queen Elsa.

Activities for the entire family throughout the day include new character meetings and themed experiences such as moments with

Anna, Elsa and, 'for the first time in forever,'. There will be an 'Anna’s Chase for the Chocolate' scavenger hunt for with a surprise for finishing the game and a 'Do You Want to Build a Snowman' activity where kids take on Elsa’s magical powers to make snow and ice.

'The Maypole Swirl and Twirl' gives families the chance to learn a traditional Scandinavian dance, spinning and braiding giant ribbons.

A 'Frozen'-themed dining experience includes a menu inspired by traditional Nordic fare and dishes inspired by the film.

The evening fun kicks off with 'Freezing the Night Away with Anna, Elsa and Friends,' a family-friendly interactive deck party featuring the royal sisters of Arendelle and their Nordic companions. By now, the freeze has spread to the upper decks of the ship, with giant snowflakes, icicles and snow-covered rocks.

The celebration begins with a line dance set to the movie’s ice cutting scene, featuring the arrival of Kristoff, twirling his ice picks, and Princess Anna.

The evening concludes with more family dancing on the pool deck, followed by fun just for adults in the nightclub featuring dance performances and frozen specialty drinks.

This summer, friends from 'Frozen' will make their stage show debut at sea in the Walt Disney Theatre aboard Disney Magic. In the original production, 'Disney Dreams ... An Enchanted Classic,' Anna, Elsa and Olaf join the line up of Disney characters who together teach a young girl the power of her dreams.

New scenes featuring 'Frozen' characters include renditions of 'Let it Go,' 'For the First Time in Forever' and 'In Summer.' Special effects include a snowfall throughout the theatre and the transformation of the young girl’s room into her own ice palace.

Children and families will have the opportunity to meet and take photographs with their favorite 'Frozen' friends on Disney Fantasy, Disney Dream, Disney Wonder and Disney Magic.

Passengers on Disney Magic in Norway, the land that inspired Arendelle from 'Frozen,' will have the opportunity to join new excursions that bring this fairytale setting to life. One signature adventure ashore in Å̊lesund, created exclusively for Disney Cruise Line, will immerse participants in a storybook village with the help of Elsa and Anna.

Other shore excursions highlight natural wonders, architecture and the Scandinavian culture depicted in the film.

Seven and nine-night voyages begin June 6, sailing through Norwegian fjords and calling on ports including Stavanger, Ålesund, Geiranger, Molde, Olden and Bergen.

Meanwhile, in the Bahamas, Disney will cool down Castaway Cay with the addition of Olaf’s Summertime Freeze bar, serving non-alcoholic specialty frozen drinks in souvenir cups. The bar opens summer 2015 near the Pelican Point tram stop by Castaway Cay Family Beach.

Carnival does the Ice Bucket Challenge, fleet wide

By Jerry Limone

Personnel on all 24 of Carnival Cruise Lines' ships, plus CEO Gerry Cahill, took the “Ice Bucket Challenge,” getting doused with ice water to create awareness for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS).

John Heald, Carnival’s senior cruise director and well-known blogger, was the star of a three-minute video, getting drenched with a garbage can full of ice and water on the Carnival Miracle, then warbling “Let It Go” from the Disney movie “Frozen.”

Carnival is making a $100,000 donation to the ALS Association. Click to make a donation. 

Ken Muskat of MSC Cruises has plans to take the Ice Bucket Challenge on the MSC Divina while the ship is in port in Miami on Friday.

The Ice Bucket Challenge has gone viral on social media, and several celebrities and politicians have accepted the challenge.

Frozen splendor

By Patricia Schultz

Norwegian explorer Roald Amundsen, the first man to reach the in 1911, wrote, "This land looks like a fairytale." More than 100 years later, I shared his dream and visited Antarctica -- in admittedly cushier conditions -- to find its grandeur and mystery to be astonishingly intact. For those today who think there is nothing left to seek or nothing left untrammeled, the White Continent at the bottom of the world awaits. Serene, magnificent, empty, surreal and beautiful beyond words.

Although the Seventh Continent -- the size of the U.S. and Mexico combined and twice the size of Australia -- is the world's most inaccessible, it is no longer a pipe dream for adventurers who place it high on their bucket lists. And they are not all well-traveled, wealthy and retired as one might suspect. One 40-something woman who traveled with us aboard Quark Expeditions' Ocean Diamond admitted she had only one other international trip under her belt (Portugal) but had been saving up for Antarctica since she was a young girl. 

It was this longtime and sometimes unexplainable fascination that was everyone's common thread. Expectations were high, but the experience was even better. There is almost no way to adequately describe this vast wilderness of snow, ice, water and rock. And wildlife, an abundance of wildlife. 

Since Lars-Eric Lindblad took the first group of intrepid travelers to Antarctica in 1966, the number of expedition ships venturing into these remote waters has grown, including the recent arrival of mainstream lines like Celebrity, Silversea, Crystal and Seabourn, whose loyal clients want to combine high adventure with high luxury.

I chose Quark Expeditions because of its 20 years of experience in the polar regions, its top-drawer expedition team aboard a fleet of six chartered ships and the stellar past-passenger reviews. When not sailing the Southern Arctic Ocean, the company heads north to Svalbard in Norway, the North Pole, Greenland and Canada's high Arctic to fill out the year. I am ready to sign up for all of them.

The austral summer season runs from November to March, when typical afternoons range from the high 20s to the high 30s Fahrenheit, and our spring departure in mid-November was one of the season's first.

Three-quarters booked, the comfortable, 189-berth Ocean Diamond carried an interesting international mix: predominantly 40- to 75-year-old North Americans but with a surprising number of 30-somethings. To offset the steep single supplement, Quark helps pair up same-sex requests.

The steep gangplank and the twice-daily shore landings in 12-passenger Zodiacs were easily handled by everyone, thanks to the assistance of the ubiquitous crew.

Most Antarctic sailings embark and disembark in Ushuaia, Argentina, the gateway to Antarctica (other gateway cities are Christchurch, New Zealand; Hobart in Tasmania; and Punta Arenas in Chile). The southernmost city in the world, it is a ramshackle, edge-of-the-world town with a population of 120,000, though it feels like much fewer. It is also a convenient base for a precruise visit to the Patagonian national park of Tierra del Fuego. Time and budget will determine the itinerary. The popular 11-day (and longer) expedition crosses 600 (sometimes turbulent) miles south across the legendary Drake Passage, the important trade route in the 18th and 19th centuries that was all but abandoned with the opening of the Panama Canal in 1914.

The destination is the Antarctic Peninsula, the long sliver of the continent that is the closest point to South America. Those wanting to maximize time on the peninsula can opt for an eight-day (and longer) option to fly both ways, picking up the ship on the peninsula to explore its countless islands and bays.

But those heading due south will have missed what many of us who sailed east from Ushuaia on the longer 20-day itinerary held to be one of the highlights of an experience already heavy with highlights: the inclusion of the far-flung Falkland Islands (the Islas Malvinas to Argentines) and South Georgia, the historically important island so prized for its variety of wildlife that it is sometimes dubbed the Galapagos of the Atlantic.

Together with the grand finale -- the landing on the continent -- we explored three very distinct regions of the Southern Ocean where topography, climate, wildlife and history often varied greatly.

The fiercely British enclave of the Falklands is inhabited by some 2,500 friendly residents. A stroll through compact and interesting Port Stanley leads past pubs, a tea room and neatly tended flower gardens that augment the sense of Great Britain in the middle of nowhere.

Visiting a rugged outer island (population three) and its large colonies of penguins reduced us all to grade-school children. Four of the world's 18 species live in the Falklands, and they were present in abundance. The aptly named rock hopper, with its distinctive yellow feathers, was the smallest and most comical of them all (who didn't know Lovelace, from "Happy Feet," voiced by Robin Williams?). 

Mountainous South Georgia Island is a standout for its massive numbers of the flamboyant king penguins, commonly 3 feet high and 30 pounds, and rocky beaches littered with fur seals and reigned over by 16-foot-long, 4-ton elephant seals attended by their harems of "cows" a quarter their size. 

The subpolar island is also important for the once prosperous whaling station that flourished here in the early 20th century. But it is Ernest Shackleton who put it on the map for most history buffs: The British polar explorer managed to save his entire crew after they had been stranded in the Antarctic for almost two years when he appeared here in 1916 to find help. It is regarded by many to be one of the most astonishing rescue journeys in history. A small cemetery on the island holds his grave. He died here in 1922 during a subsequent expedition, and we toasted his remarkable bravery with a plastic cup of Jameson whiskey, led by Jonathan Shackleton, a cousin and family historian. As esteemed guest lecturer aboard the Ocean Diamond, Shackleton joined Falcon Scott, grandson of Robert Falcon Scott, the first Brit to reach the South Pole in 1912. It was like traveling with polar royalty. 

The first shore landing by Zodiac on Antarctica is an emotional moment -- and for many, the proud accomplishment of having visited all seven of the Earth's continents. 

Days at sea had been spent with a great variety of presentations by specialists and lecturers, a crash course in all things polar. We would see vast rookeries of chinstrap, Adelie and Gentoo penguins, and we would commonly spot Weddell, fur, crabeater and leopard seals. Curious whales, such as Minkes, were as interested in our Zodiacs as we were in them. 

We visited two deserted research stations. There are more than 40 such stations, belonging to 30 nations. All are seasonal. There is no permanent settlement nor indigenous people on the continent (and no, it is not a country). 

Visits to the bridge promised a chance to spot chiseled icebergs, floating sculptures of outlandish sizes and eroded shapes that we also approached up close and personal during Zodiac cruises. Bird sightings are frequent from the bridge or observation lounge. We watched in awe as the wandering albatross effortlessly accompanied our ship thanks to its 10-foot wingspan, the largest of any living bird. 

Time spent with the Ukrainian captain and his crew was a lesson in what it entails to navigate these ice floe-littered waters and manage such unpredictable weather (every day's itinerary was "weather depending," and last-minute changes were common). 

Many passengers opted at extra cost for the chance to kayak, and an unexpected 80% of the passengers took the polar plunge. (I passed on that one, though for a minute I considered telling everyone back home -- and reading this article -- that I did.) 

Were we ever cold? Actually, spotty WiFi kept us aware of the horrible winter conditions back home in New York City, and we were far more comfortable in the Antarctic, wearing the layers that Quark Expeditions had heavily recommended. 

Every moment spent in this pristine corner of the world was precious -- for the sheer volume of wildlife, the vast and empty size of it all, the ethereal light well into the evening, and the sustained excitement of sharing a very special destination with a very special mix of adventurers. 

"If Antarctica were music, it would be Mozart. Art, and it would be Michelangelo. Literature, and it would be Shakespeare," wrote Andrew Denton. "And yet it is something even greater; the only place on earth that is still as it should be. May we never tame it." 

Amen! 

Patricia Schultz is the author of the New York Times best-seller "1,000 Places to See Before You Die" (Workman).