As I was looking at my schedule for 2025, I realized that I was going to have to cancel my Disney Treasure cruise to accommodate the rest of my plans. When my travel agent asked if I wanted to rebook, the answer was “no.” I had done the Disney Wish three times and felt like I wouldn’t need a week on its sister ship. After I disembarked following a three day media preview, I realized that I was wrong and I am now trying to find a seven-day window so I can experience a full voyage.
To be honest, the Disney Treasure has many of the same challenges of its sister ship when it comes to layout. It continues to be frustrating to get from Point A to Point B at times when compared to the ease of the classic ships. Many of the spaces remain too small and some of the stateroom layout issues also carryover. I can’t tell you how many times I yearned for midship elevators.
But that being said, in every other way, the Disney Treasure exceeds all of my expectations. From the attention to detail featured in the beautiful tiling in the Grand Hall to the subtle homages featured in Periscope Pub, I got the sense that the Imagineers had some more time to flesh out their ideas on this vessel. In so many ways, the smaller details really made the ship and are a testament to Imagineering’s attention to every corner of the ship.
Perhaps the biggest surprise to me was the Haunted Mansion Parlor. After being disappointed with the Hyperspace Lounge on the Wish, I had presumed that this space would not live up to my hopes. I could not be any more wrong. It exceeded my wildest dreams as there was so much magic that occurred through each visit, and I still don’t think I experienced it all. From the nods to Disney history and legends to the custom sodas to the brilliant special effects, I ended up loving everything about the lounge. It is more than just a tribute to the classic attraction, it is its own experience which brings to life favorite moments from the attraction while also offering its own set of new elements and storytelling.
From an entertainment experience, all three shows at the Walt Disney Theatre were fantastic. The opening night show Seas the Adventure is the only show I enjoy on the Wish — and it was brought over with some slight tweaks. The Beauty and the Beast production (my favorite show at sea) has also had some slight improvements, and continues to be a fantastic evening. The new show Tale of Moana blows the poor Little Mermaid show out of the water. The staging is innovative and brought our audience to their feet.
Perhaps the biggest entertainment surprises is some of the atmosphere entertainment through the voyage. Storytellers named Coriander and Sage appear throughout the voyage and provide connective tissue through many of the onboard activities. A sleeper hit occurs at the Serabi venue and is for adults. The show is “Choose Wiseley” themed to Indiana Jones and asks the audience to make choices for Indy through all five of his films. The event is part of a larger Serabi Supper Club evening, which also features special drinks and impressive jazz singing. A lot of thought was put into the entertainment beyond the theatre — such as transforming Match Your Mate to Match Your Matey as another way to make the experience unique for this ship.
Elements such as the storytellers makes the Disney Treasure feel like a mostly unified experience surrounding the theme of adventure. While some spaces do stick out as not supporting the broader theme such as the Tomorrow Tower Suite or Marceline Market, the rest of the artwork, entertainment, ambiance, and venues make the Disney Treasure feel as though it is a unified and unique experience.
Having sailed on sister ships before such as the Magic and Wonder as well as the Dream and the Fantasy, I was surprised how much had changed from the first ship in this class of ship. Despite having the same guts, it truly felt like its one experience fully separate from the Disney Wish. Additionally, the programming has been designed for seven night voyages. An example of this is how each restaurant has two menus while Plaza de Coco and Worlds of Marvel have two unique shows. The bookending between the “Let’s Set Sail” deck party to the “Treasures Untold” farewell show makes you feel as though your week-long voyage is a seven day adventure that will result in memories that will last a lifetime.
The differences between the Disney Treasure and the Disney Wish have amped up my excitement for the Disney Destiny. If the Destiny can live up to the Heroes & Villains theme as much as the Disney Treasure delivers on the idea of adventure (not that Adventure), it will provide its own unique voyage that will bring yet another experience to Disney Cruise Line. This will mean that all three Wish class ships will stand on their own and not be as interchangeable as the classic ships. While I was not originally sold on this concept, the Disney Treasure has changed my tune.
To sum up, while the layout issues remain, I highly recommend the Disney Treasure to all Disney fans. The unified experience should appeal to fans who enjoy themed and immersive experiences in many different forms. The week-long adventure is unlike any other Disney Cruise Line experience — and I’d definitely encourage all Disney fans try to experience it in the near future.
P.S., if you do plan to take a voyage on the Disney Treasure, Laughing Place highly recommends using Mouse Fan Travel.