Disney is expanding its cruise line fleet, first with the Disney Wish. Their newest ship will begin sailing in summer 2022. In a virtual press event on Thursday, Disney presented a tour and overview of the ship. They’ve brought several new and reimagined experiences and locations to the Wish from Beauty and the Beast inspired fine dining for adults, to a Walt Disney Imagineering lab for kids, to the first ever Disney attraction at sea. But two particular locales jumped out at me: the Star Wars: Hyperspace Lounge and the Worlds of Marvel dining experience. Concept art for both areas makes us want to book a cruise immediately (the Wish opens for booking in May 2021).
Disney Cruise Line
Let’s talk about the Star Wars: Hyperspace Lounge first. This lounge marks the first permanent Star Wars addition for adults on Disney cruise ships (we’re not counting offerings on Star Wars Day at Sea sailings). The lounge will be an adults-only location at night and open to families to check out during the day. The lounge is high-end and styled as a a luxurious yacht-class spaceship. How luxurious we talking?
Well Dryden Vos‘ ship from Solo: A Star Wars Story inspired the décor. And while guests visit, they’ll look out the window to “space” and jump from planet to planet for different views. Guests will see Batuu, Tatooine, Mustafar, and Coruscant among other locations. Through the “window” guests will also see favorite spaceships and perhaps some surprises. In a panel after the event Walt Disney Imagineer Danny Handke told reporters that they worked with ILM on the sequences so it will feel in-story and very Star Wars.
The Star Wars films will inspire the lounge’s tasting experiences and signature beverages.
Disney Cruise Line
Then there’s Worlds of Marvel, a brand-new dining experience. Disney teased only the smallest amount of about this venue. Guests will enter an Avengers tech showcase. As you dine, an action-packed mission will unfold around you. Disney’s dubbing this a “Marvel cinematic dining adventure.”
In a release, Disney states that “guests will play an interactive role in an action-packed Avengers mission that unfolds around them, complete with a worldly menu inspired by the Marvel Cinematic Universe.” Locales like African Wakanda, Eastern European Sokovia and the Avengers’ home base of New York City will influence the the dishes.
And as far as the adventure, Worlds of Marvel will feature an original storyline starring fan-favorite Avengers and an infamous foe. Disney partnered with Marvel Studios to create the experience.
Those are only a couple of highlights from the Wish. You can learn more here.
Amy Ratcliffe is the Managing Editor for Nerdist and the author of A Kid’s Guide to Fandom, available for pre-order now. Follow her on Twitter and Instagram.
