Inside Look at the First Ever Disney Cruise Line Meet-Up
Yesterday I had the pleasure of attending the first ever Disney Cruise Line Meet-up hosted by the Disney Parks Blog at Walt Disney World’s Boardwalk Resort. With credentials in hand, we headed into the Atlantic Dance Hall for an information session along with a Q&A, character meet and greet opportunities, and a desert reception.
We were greeted by Jenn Fickley-Baker, the Social Media Manager for the Disney Parks Blog and the @DisneyParks Twitter account.
The first segment of the information session covered the upcoming Star Wars Day at Sea. This event will begin taking place on January 9th, aboard the Disney Fantasy. There are currently a total of 8 select sailings that will feature the Star Wars Day at Sea between January and April of 2016. The entire day will immerse guests in new and exciting Star Wars themed events. On the agenda is a Star Wars deck party along with special Star Wars fireworks to end the night at sea. Meet and greet opportunities will be available on board with a full representation of the both the light and dark sides of the saga. Perhaps you’ll even see Darth Vader himself walking the deck of his newest ship. It should be noted that guests on board this cruise will still have a Pirate Night, however there will be no fireworks that night. The fireworks at sea will only occur on Star Wars Day.
Next, we got a sneak peak of Freezing the Night Away with Anna, Elsa and Friends. Debuting in the Summer of 2015 (tentatively May-June) on both the Disney Magic and the Disney Wonder, this includes several Frozen events including Anna’s Chocolate Chase Scavenger Hunt and Oaken’s Maple Swirl ‘n’ Twirl. There will be a Frozen deck party full of dancing, singing, and playing. All four Disney Cruise Line ships will also begin meet and greets with Anna, Elsa, and everyone’s favorite snowman, Olaf. Also making a flurry this summer will be Olaf’s Summertime Freeze, a new frozen drink stand on Disney’s Castaway Cay. This location will serve up frozen non-alcoholic beverages like Olaf’s Flurry Freeze and Sven’s Carrot Delight. Our friends from Frozen will also be joining the cast of Disney Dreams: An Enchanted Classic Show.
Last but not least, we were immersed into the world of Tangled the Musical. This offering will be replacing the Villains Tonight show previously seen on board Disney Cruise Line. Beginning November 11th, the glowing lanterns of Corona will envelope guests in this hour long musical stage show. Tangled favorites like Rapunzel, Flynn Rider, Mother Gothel, Maximus, and the entire Snuggly Duckling crew will come to life before your eyes in a Broadway style musical like no other. With three new songs from Academy Award-winning composer Alan Menken and Grammy Award-winning lyricist Glenn Slater, this story is sure to please the entire family.
After the information and Q&A session, we were given opportunities to meet Frozen’s Anna, Elsa, and Olaf, the Storm troopers from the Star Wars saga, and Rapunzel and Flynn Rider from Tangled. There were also Disney Cruise Line exclusive themed deserts and drinks available for sampling. The offerings consisted of the following:
- Dark Side Punch
- Darth Vader’s Chocolate Peanut Butter Bar Cake with Dark Chocolate Ganache
- Rapunzel’s Coconut & Pineapple Panna Cotta
- Pascal’s Strawberry Basil Lemonade
- Olaf’s Blue Velvet Cupcakes with Snowtop Icing
- Elsa’s Winter Blast Blueberry and Banana Smoothie
Overall, this was a great meet-up and I was impressed with the amount of information given. Upon exiting, all attendees received a collectible commemorative print as well. The panel was very informative and I look forward to the opportunity to attend more Disney Cruise Line events in the future.
If you made it this far, you’re in for a treat! In addition to a never before seen piece of concept art, there is also a sneak peak video to give you a glimpse into the creation of Tangled the Musical!
