WDW Radio, you, information station the Disney Destiny may be built around heroes and villains, but its greatest superpower is the storytelling, storytellers, experiences and encounters that most guests might never expect. This week we're going to share our top 10 reasons why you need to cruise on the Disney Destiny and why she is the most immersive, surprising and story driven evolution of Disney Cruise Line yet. From the grand hall that transforms before your eyes to the intimate character moments and unexpected encounters, this is a ship that rewrites what a Disney cruise can be. And this ship's story might be paving the way for for what the next generation of Disney Cruise Line experiences could be. Hello my friend and welcome to WW Radio, your guide to the Disney parks and experiences from around the world. I am Lou Mongello and this is show number 847. Whether this is your first time listening or you've been with me for 20 years, since the very beginning, thank you for being here and welcome home. Don't forget to be part of the community and conversation over in The Clubhouse at www.comclub. join me every Wednesday at 7:30pm Eastern for WWE Radio Live on Facebook and YouTube and get a weekly dose of Disney delivered to your inbox every week by subscribing to my free newsletter@wwradio.com Newsletter and when you do, I will send you a free gift. I am really excited to share this week's episode and discussion of the Disney Destiny with you. There's a lot to cover, even as we boil it down to just the top 10 reasons why you need to cruise on the Disney Destiny. For that reason, I'm going to skip the trivia contest this week. I'll bring it back next week so you have an extra week to answer. But stay tuned to my Instagram this week@instagram.com Lou Mangello as not only do I have a ton of videos and reels and photos from the Disney Destiny, but I'm also going to have a very special Disney Destiny giveaway that you are not going to want to miss. And as always, my friend, and you are my friend, whether we have met yet or not, all I ask is that if you enjoy the show, please rate review and more importantly, share it with a friend. And for now sit back, relax and enjoy this week's episode of the WW Radio Show. In what was really a full circle moment for me. Having seen the Destiny in the shipyard in Papenburg, Germany just a few months ago, to watching her hit the water for the very first time, to boarding her just a few days ago for a preview cruise before her maiden voyage on November 20, I found that I learned and understood not just about the process and execution of launching a ship, but really just what makes the Disney Destiny unique and special as she joins the Disney Cruise Line fleet as the seventh ship and the third in the Wish class and on a wonderfully packed and excitedly exhausting two and a half day preview sailing we have we had to take it in and also take some time to reflect after I am excited to share a top 10 ish because there are so many more reasons to book your next cruise on the Disney Destiny, preferably through our friends over@m MouseFanTravel.com and speaking of which, joining me this week, our two friends who shared that Destiny experience with me, Becky Manken from the aforementioned mousefantravel.com yeah, I'm still.

Exhausted, but my Fitbit was really happy about the adventure. But yeah, it's great to be here.

Yeah, my fat bit was very excited too for all of the late night chicken tenders that I had. And welcome back Serena Lynn from Living by Disney.

Hello.

I think we've sort of recovered maybe a little bit enough to talk about.

It at least covered is. I'm going to use air quotes because recovered from the exhaustion and recovered from missing the ship.

Oh no, never.

Yeah, more than I thought I did. But speaking of full circle moments, I think the last time we were all together on the show was for the recap of the Treasure. Yeah, reasons why I wanted you guys to come back and join me on the show this week. Plus the fact that we shared most of our time together on board. So it's appropriate that we are all together again here. And you know the reason why I want to talk about sort of the top 10 reasons is one. I'm really going to try and not make this show be four hours long because there really is a lot to cover. Stop laughing at me. I know you listen like the ship itself. What I love about podcasting, it gives us an opportunity to do longer, richer, deeper storytelling and conversation because I think there is a lot to unpack. But it is part of the reasons why I wanted to look because the spaces and layout 99.9% mirrors the wish and the treasures The Wish and the Treasure. I thought we wouldn't cover those spaces that exist on either or both of those ships, including things like World of Marvel, Haunted Mentioned Parlor, other than maybe some of the new beverages, etc. And the recovering lawyer in me does want to sort of qualify this a little bit because I think it's important to say at the outset what we experienced was very much a preview cruise. We were invited by Disney. Thank you. To experience not just the ship's sort of first voyage, but we the christening event for a very abbreviated Cruise, 2 1/2 day experience. And it was a lot to try and ingest and process and sometimes publish on the fly while we're there, especially alone, which each of us were. We don't go with large teams of people that can divide and conquer. But there's also a couple other things that I think are important to mention. I think this will probably come up in our conversations more than once. One, not everything was 100% complete. We saw some of the Kiss Good nights, I don't think. I think they were still sort of testing and adjusting a few things. This was definitely not a quote unquote regular cruise for a variety of reasons. And I think it's important to note, at least from my perspective, there really were no kids on board. So there was about 2,100 people instead of the full complement of around 4,000. So one, there was a lot less guests too, other than, save for a few people that brought their families with them, there weren't any kids on board. So I think the experience that we had is definitely different than what a quote unquote regular cruise is going to be once she launches officially with her maiden voyage on November 20th.

Yeah, I totally agree. And I would say in many ways the experience of a regular cruise is superior because we throw the, we throw the vibe off a little bit with, you know, trying to capture everything and try everything. We're not always immersed in the moment. Whereas I feel like on a regular cruise you get a lot better energy with the people there and kids always bring a great energy, which is why I love Disney cruises. Even though I don't have little kids anymore, I like having them there. So I think it actually means that it's just going to go get better on a. On a real guest experience. Yeah.

I also think that the balance of the number of adults on board also impacts the experience when you're like at nighttime when you're trying to get into a couple of the venues and it might be just a little bit Cramp packed. And obviously that's because we had so many more adults than we normally would see.

Yeah, some of the dynamics are very interesting because again, there's 2100 people trying to all capture the exact same content potentially is happening at the exact same time. And you know, places like Deville's don't seat 2100 semi adults. And then when you do go in there, it's like watching the fireworks from Main street usa. All you see are like the bright white and gray lights of phones and cameras and everything else being held up because we are all trying to ingest it and then turn around and then put it right back again. So all those legal disclaimers out of the way for the most part. I'm sure there'll be more later. I'm still a recovering attorney. Let's get into the top 10 ish list. And I'm using again air quotes because my 10 might be a little bit longer or different than sort of a regular top 10. And number one on my list almost sort of surprised me in terms of when I just sort of brain dumped. And that's exactly how I put this list together. I just sort of went with my mental, somewhat sleepy, caffeine infused mental flow. My first entry, my first entry on the list surprised me because the first thing on my list is the Grand Hall. And when I first walked on board, I didn't think that was going to be the case. Let me explain why and let me sort of just explain my thought process. You know, first impressions matter, right? It's why the first thing you see when you walk into Magic Kingdom is, is the castle. It's the last thing you see sort of on your way out. When I first boarded the Treasure, Matt, I just was like, I was blown away. I was wowed. I loved that deep, rich color palette, the Aladdin inspiration. I didn't necessarily get that same thing because the color palette, the theming here is very different. I'm a huge Marvel fan, but Black Panther is not my favorite movie. I wish we had more time with Chadwick Boseman as I think the character and the film sort of continue to evolve. But I love the character and I love the actor. But my feeling, my initial feeling about the grand hall changed relatively quickly when I realized that this, I think, more so than the Wish and even the Treasure is more of a blank canvas that gets painted throughout the cruise. Like I had this sort of epiphany moment at one point. I was like, oh, like I get it. And what I also felt was Like a theme park experience. You have these sort of bookend wow moments when you first walk in and there's this grand three story atrium. And then when you leave, parenthetically leave when you have sort of that finale the night before, I think it is there. It this space, this space specifically on this ship really lends it to the storytelling that is going to be a lot of. I think what we are going to talk about when we get here. When you step in like you are. You are sort of. You're stepping into sort of like the heart of the story. Like it's not just an atrium. It ends up being sort of this narrative hub of the ship, which I think the Destiny does even more so than the Treasure, which I think does more so than the Wish. And every sort of major story beat that happens here and the character moments, they all sort of shift the mood or it originates or it culminates here. And it really is a space that is meant to feel alive. Right. It's inspired by Wakanda. The chandelier is inspired by the vibranium meteorite. Very different than any of the other chandeliers that you'll see on the Magic class or the Dream class, even on the other Wish class ships. But you'll see a lot of patterns and styles and trims that are inspired by what you might see in Wakanda. And then I also felt that. And I really. And I certainly want to hear you guys thoughts on this too. I felt this is the most storytelling centric grand hall. And I think there's. I sort of called it environmental storytelling, like by design. Because I think there's like these architectural staging moments. I really felt it on the finale night. Like that's when sort of the light went. Light bulb went off. For me, the curved staircase and the upper balconies create these sort of theatrical stages that are perfect for villain interruptions or princess introductions or some surprising reveals. But I think more so than any of the other ships, this space shifts by use of the lighting and the sound and some of the built in elements that is in the architecture. And I was really trying to pay attention not just what I saw, but what I heard. And the space does transform not just from day to night, but as different characters come through even at sunset. There is sort of like this sunset moment that you see and hear sort of almost conveying that there is this switch that is happening. And then as you have these character encounters, they really sort of become these storytelling events and beats that happen throughout. And we'll talk about Some of the specific ones, like the celebration of the King and the Kiss Goodnight. But I think what I found on this one more than the others is that the grand hall really acted not just as sort of a living, breathing, transforming narrative engine, but it really became this sort of natural gathering place to share stories and create community, which I started to feel even on a shorter. On a shorter voyage like this. Serena and Becky, your thoughts on the Grand Hall.

For me, I'm with you. When I first walked in, that initial first impression was honestly, it's. It's plain, the neutral colors. There wasn't anything that really stood out to me or, or came alive that you saw in the other two ships. However, over time, you do kind of get a nod to what they're trying to do. I will say that the. The use of this stage area and that upward balcony is actually better on this ship than the other two. I just kind of wish that what we see as the days transform and the night, the heroes during the day and the villains at night, when the lighting changes and the theatrics come through. I almost wish a lighting setup for embarkation just so you can get a little bit better taste of what that grand hall can be rather than when you first walk in on that first impression.

Yeah, that would be a good idea, actually. I think that you're right. It's a theater. Like the Grand Hall's really a theater. And yes, there's a stage, and that stage is on all these ships, the other Wish class ships. But this is utilized in a way that feels like you're just walking into a show. Like you're in this Shakespearean globe theater, multi level, multi tier, with balconies and a mezzanine and a ground floor. And when you walk in, you're actually like almost on stage. You've entered the story. And I think that after I sailed on it, I realized that the whole theme of the ship is really not that you're watching a story, but that you've joined a story, you are part of the story. And that's the whole thread that I took away from the Destiny is that you are now part of the story. So in that sense, the grand hall makes sense and sets the tone for the whole cruise because you've entered the story and now you're part of it. You're on stage with everyone else and you're gonna interact and even affect the way the story goes in some cases. And I think that's really, really well done. But I agree that when the lighting is going on and when it transforms to different charact themes and storytelling moments, that's when the grand hall really shines.

Yeah. And Becky, I can argue again, recovering. I can argue both ways to your point. And I think the thought process is, you know, I think we too, let's. Like, we, we've all taken a number of cruises. We, we've. We've had those moments where we've stepped into an atrium or grand hall for the first time. Imagine this is your first Disney cruise. You step on board, you're welcoming, you know, the, the t' Challa family, and you come in and there is this grand three story storytelling venue. Like that is the wow moment itself. If you sort of give the whole lighting package, like the second you walk on board, you are depriving yourself and guests of having those wow moments. Later on. I thought the same thing too. I was like, oh, this feels somewhat. It feels. It felt like the Wish, which, which again, again, because of the light colors, the blues and the gold, I felt like it was somewhat blankish, for lack of a better word. But this one was different because as the lighting packages, as the sounds came to be, and I watched different shows from both the ground floor, the middle and the top. The experience is very different, but it takes on a whole different feel. And those deep, rich purples come in and that Black Panther theme song comes in. Like, man, that is super cool when it goes green for Loki. Like, you could hear the gasps. I didn't see the Pirate night when it turns red. So I think you're. I think the idea is that, yes, it is a relatively blank canvas, but it is one that allows them to paint on and create moments for as the, as the voyage continues to go and depending on the characters that are there.

Yeah, I totally agree with your blank canvas scenario. I think that that is, in a way, if I spin it in my head, you can say, yes, this is the. This is the palette of which the heroes and villains are going to come to life and paint their stories. But I just like a little bit more of a wow factor. Just my personal preference. It doesn't need to be the bright red or the things that you're going to see later, so you don't cannibalize the experience. But I just want something a little bit more visual when I boarded. Just a personal.

Something more on the walls. And color, even just a little, little.

Color change of tone would be great, rather than have that, that completely blank piece of paper.

Yeah, this definitely feels more like Wish than it does Treasure. And I think Maybe we're spoiled by the treasure because it does have those very rich blues and purples and golds and there's. There's a. I keep using the same word. There's. I think there's a warmth when you walk on the treasure that just. Different.

Yeah, it is different.

And I look what I love about these ships, and this is going to come full circle. Different ships are going to appeal to different people. I heard some people say, like, they love this. Like they just walked in and they fell in love because they dig Black Panther. They love the color scheme they love. So I get it. And that's the beauty of having seven, 13 different ships, is each one is going to appeal to somebody else. All right, I'm going to keep moving because we could spend 40 minutes on this. And I'm really trying to not make the show be six hours long. The next thing. Again, there's no sort of rhyme or reason to this list other than just the way they popped into my head. And this is. We talked about not having kids on board. The adult exclusive spaces and stories I think is ushering in sort of this next era of adult storytelling on Disney Cruise Line. I think this. I think the Destiny leans very heavily into narratives driven adult spaces. More so than any before. Rather than just simple lounges and bars. Each venue has its own theme. It has its own point of view. It has its own story world and a reason why it exists in this larger heroes and villains theme. And I think that they're trying to create not just passive lounges, but immersive environments that have, you know, history and lore and entertainment and atmospheres too, that can change and evolve, especially going from day to night. Right. Cask and cannon. I love that sort of old pirate hideout theme that's sort of being repurposed for us. I love the weathered planks and the lanterns and the portholes and like they did on the Treasure so well, the nods to the attraction and Mark Davis concept art and the labels on the different drawers and the dozens of Easter eggs that are found there. And you sort of feel like when you walk in, other than when there's like hockey playing on the screens, that you're sort of walking into a real pirate tavern. And even the drinks and the food sort of leans into that deville's the same way. Like you sort of are meant to feel that this isn't just a lounge. It's Cruella's after hour hotspot. And there's the same thing. There's sketches on the walls. There is Filigree in the carpet. That all goes back to original artists and the original story and the original original animation animated film. And then there are experiences layered on. On top of that. We'll obviously talk about that make it enhances this storytelling elements there. And we sort of. They're not sort of isolated events but are part of the overall storytelling in those places. Saga the same thing. We'll talk more about some of the things that are in that main sort of two story theater in the round in the middle. But I love how all of these spaces like the grand hall and I think this is maybe why the connective tissue for me put it here. They sort of switch modes at night, providing more atmospheric storytelling, I think for adults. And they. The narrative intensity sort of gets dialed up to 11 when the storytelling becomes a little bit or in some cases a lot with great power. I'm looking at you a lot edgier and I think these, these are sort of very story driven entertainment offerings geared for adults. And you know, some people complained on the Wish class ship that there were not adult spaces in the back of the ship. This is how. And I think even more so here on the Destiny. I feel these spaces really do transform from places that kids can come into during the day and just explore, but really wonderfully themed story driven entertainment and immersive entertainment and interactive entertainment venues at night.

Yeah, I totally agree. I think that that's where it really shines. More so than maybe the other wishclass ships, which I think is so interesting. More to your point of like Disney is now, now that they have more ships and they're adding to the fleet, each ship is giving you different things and different experiences and that's what you want. You want to be incentivized to go on different ships, but you also want to be able to tailor your ship choice to your vacation style and to your family's, you know, demographics. And I think that's wonderful to know that you have all of these options with the Destiny. Every, in my opinion, every single lounge is an upgrade from the previous iterations of it. And I think that's incredibly hard to do because each one is great. I mean, you know, I think about Nightingales on the Wish. I thought it was stunning. I thought it was the most beautifully themed lounge. Little piano lounge, Cinderella themed. The bubble chandel. Incredible. I was wowed. And then I saw. What is it? Scat Cat. Yeah, Scat Cat on Treasure. And I thought, oh my gosh, they made it even cuter. And this is adorable. And the piano and the paw prints. Oh, this is amazing. And then they made it. Deville's on the Destiny. It's even better. It's even more amazing. And there's a Dalmatian piano. I mean, a Dalmatian themed piano is incredible. But the way they utilize the space is even better. Same with the Sanctum. You know, felt even like they plussed it up even more over Skipper society. So I feel like they just took each space and said, this is the footprint we've got, but how can we take it? And even, you know, plus it up even more. And sometimes it's in the theming and the decor, but sometimes it's in the entertainment and the activities and the way they're utilizing the space, that just makes it feel even better. And I love that. That, to me, is what will make me book this ship over other options.

That was one of the great point, because the bones are the same, the ships are exactly the same when it comes to structure and space and so forth. But you were so right that each of the three has a completely different story to tell. And each one gets better and better with time. So, like you, I walked into deville's and looked around and I knew exactly where I was. I knew exactly the story they were trying to tell. I thought at first, because all of the details were so immersive, that I was thinking, oh, well, this is what they just, you know, put in front of us to make us happy with what we were seeing. But no, the drink really does come with lipstick and perfume, which made you go, wait a minute, what? I thought it was just costuming, detailing. But no, you get to actually eat the lipstick. So I think that they've taken each opportunity with that story and gone. Okay, all right. That was a typical cruise ship type experience with the First Wish Class or the ships before it, even though it was as Disney imagineered as it could be. But they are really taking it to the next level when it comes to what Disney's trying to or how they're trying to set themselves apart in these spaces. And it's really obvious, both Devilles and the Sanctum. All I wish is if they could be bigger. If I had one thing that I could change, I would say just make them bigger so that I could spend more time in there and not feel guilty about taking a table for two hours. But I really, really have enjoyed the stepladder approach they've taken to each of these ships.

Yeah. Because I think most of these spaces, deville's, I think, is a great example we'll talk about the specific show that we're referencing, but they have these show elements and interactive events with characters that drive the overarching story. Like we're gonna. We should, you know, ring the bell every time we say the word story. It drives sort of the overarching story of the ship forward as you go through. And whether it is somebody like Cruella or Zaya and Gamble have, they sort of act as almost narrative anchors and sort of help sort of guide you through. But whether it is the naming of the drinks, the designing of the drinks, the food, even the crew members there, they're all sort of immersed in that story and really help sort of create this, you know, all five senses, 365 degree experience specifically for adults. Right. Even though you might walk out the door of one of these venues and there might be kids, when you're in these spaces, you feel like they are crafted specifically for adults. And I think that this is. And don't misunderstand, this is a ship for families, without a doubt. But I really do think, and I don't mean this in a bad way, it's a more mature in every sense of the way evolution mature as in terms of. And we'll talk about some of the shows, but mature in terms of the spaces as well. I think from an adult perspective, I think the spaces are really, really, really well done, which is why I sort of broke them out specifically as one of the entries on my very long list.

They're almost set designed as opposed to other. Other spaces that have come before and on the other other ships. It's almost like someone came in from a movie set designer perspective and said, okay, speak Cruella, or this really needs to speak. Like you're walking into the sanctum. And more so than any other of the ships besides Haunted Mansion, when that first came out on Treasure, this is accomplishing that task.

And there's custom. Oh, sorry. And there's customization to it, which I really like. Like, if you are someone in your family is. Is kind of introverted and does not want to feel part of a story or in a spotlight at all, you can enjoy these spaces to their ut your way. And by. By just observing and being, you know, just immersed in the theming and having a drink there or snack or whatever. But if you are someone who wants to really feel part of the story and be more in it and be more interactive with it, then you can do that too. And so there's like something for everyone. It's very customizable, which I think is so hard to do, but yet they did it really well.

And it doesn't matter where you come from. I don't mean geographically. So I put out on Instagram this week, I said, hey, we're about to record a show. What questions do you have? And a number of people said the same thing. Hey, I'm not a huge Marvel fan. Is this ship not gonna be for me? I think the Sanctum, Becky, is a great example of you don't need to understand anything about Dr. Strange or the Sanctum or Kamar Taj or Sling rings or anything else like that to go and enjoy that space and feel the storytelling that's happening around you. If you are a Marvel fan and all those things speak to you. Excuse me, like me, you are going to go and look at the cloak of levitation. You are going to go and look for all the little Easter eggs that are peppered throughout, because those will speak to you. Those are, excuse me, these little gifts. They're little presents that are hiding in plain sight. So when you see the books of Ashanti in the library, you're like, oh, I get it. Like, it looks like it was pulled right out of that space. And I actually feel, especially at night, that the Sanctum, I don't know what it is, and I know that there's some draperies and things like that. You know, we talk about how on either side, there's the entrance to the Haunted Mansion parlor on one side, there is one of the gift shops, and then there's the watch shops on the other. This was the first time sitting in there that I felt like I had blinders on. Like, I felt the space put blinders on. And I didn't feel or see those spaces. And I felt like this was a very intimate, casual, like, adult experience. Not at. It was like it was. It was purpose built for adults in mind as much as spaces are built for families as well.

I totally agree. I totally agree.

And I think one of the ones. And we could sort of put this in here. I think one of the ones that. That really does that well is saga. That the. The experience that families will have in saga during the day is very different than the experience that adults are going to have in that at night. I'm probably going to get ahead of myself when we start talking about the specific show, but we will. We'll talk about when we talk about some of the live entertainment. The with great power, A Marvel comedy show is not just a wonderfully, you know, adult oriented, not like in a really bad Way love letter to Marvel fans. But you really do. You sort of feel like this place, this space was built for adults, even though during the day it has a very different feel and very different experiences that happen within.

They did a really good job with that specific space to make it so multitasking. You can do so many things. Yes, bingo. You can do bingo in there, but yet you can also have the experience that you have with great power, which, again, to Serena's other point, that you can go in these places. I'm one of those people that I don't want to be picked out in a crowd. I don't want to be picked on. So you kind of back away from some of the shows and some of the comedy things, or you find that, oh, yeah, I see a chair way back in the corner over there that I can go sit myself in, that no one will notice me. But you don't have that experience here. And I felt very comfortable in this show.

And.

And I laughed the hardest I've ever laughed at anything at any time, besides maybe Lou.

At points, we'll talk more about the live entertainment because I have that broken out as one of the others, but I think. Excuse me. And so next on my list is the Heroes and villains theme, which I think is a natural progression from where we're coming from. But it's different here because the Disney Destiny is the first ship in the Disney Cruise Line fleet, where every deck, every corridor, every venue, every stateroom, every show, every dining room, every attraction is tied to a single narrative. The duality of heroes and villains. And to the people who ask me, like, well, I'm not a big Marvel fan. It's not just Marvel heroes and villains. It's Hercules, Lion King 101, Dalmatians, Sorcerer Mickey, Black Panther, Doctor Strange, Big Hero 6, Raya, and the Last Dragon. Like, the list goes on and on, and you. You find it and you see it everywhere you go. And the decor on the ship is so, so well done. It is cinematic and thematic everywhere you go. And even, like, all the hallways were, like, these little gifts because you didn't know what image you were going to find on a carpet, what piece of artwork would be on the wall. It is the most intentional environmental storytelling I think Disney Cruise Line has ever done. Again, the bones of the ship are the same. And I lucked out, right? I lucked out because I got a Big Hero six room. And I. But the state rooms, and it is so. They're so well curated to a number of specific stories. So decks 26 and 7 are Hercules or Merlon. Decks 8 and 9 are Raya and the Last Dragon or Brave. Decks 10 and 11 are Big Hero 6 and the Incredible. And the Concierge suites, excuse me, include Fantasia. And there's obviously also the Incredisuites and the Hero Suites and the Tower Suites. And there's two other things that if you are fans of these things, I think that Destiny does so well, which is the integration of Marvel. We've talked about how we actually love Marvel Day at sea. There is more Marvel here than on any other ship. And look, I'm smiling because it makes me happy. Spider man is not just on the stern. He is. You can find him in the kids club. You can find him walking on in the grand hall in the restaurant. Let's set sail. We'll talk about that too. Makes a surprise appearance. Black Panther, Dr. Strange. Tell me if I forget anybody. Loki, Deadpool, Rocket Group. There are heroes and villain. There's hero and villain artwork across all of the deck. And I think one of the other big attractors too for this ship especially. What we, with what we have coming to Magic Kingdom is no other ship leans into villains this hard or this frequently. And they again are integrated not just into the decor but, but the lounges, the entertainment, the pop up moments, the Aqua Mouse, the shows, the corridors, the characters and the adult spaces. And I just love the fact that it is designed to almost whatever your side, like whatever sort of your quote unquote side is right. If you're a hero guy, if you're a villain girl, it helps to inspire you through the story of these heroes and these villains. And I think the theming, the hero, villain theming is just so well woven into every aspect of this ship. I absolutely love it.

Part of.

And if. Go ahead, go ahead. No, you go.

I was gonna say part of the fun was discovering the patterns as you walked around and you were going up one staircase and down and you're like, wait, oh, all of those are our villains. Oh, okay, I get where those are coming from. You go to the back and it's like, wait a minute now this is where the heroes are. Because I was trying to figure out what, how it all unfolded and it was really cool to discover. And the carpet. I've never been so excited about getting out of an elevator and looking at the ground as I have on this ship. But one of the things that we're finding now that the word is getting out how the different decks are, are themed, we're getting calls going, my Daughter really wants Brave or my son really, really wants Big Hero 6. Is there anything left on that deck? This is the first time in any of the Disney Cruise Line ships that we've had this where you could customize that experience. But of course, that's also going to make it very difficult to get what you want if you don't book early. So I think it added just a whole nother cool flavor and layer to this storytelling idea. And I was the artwork. I have never been as enchanted with the artwork as I have walking around the ship.

That's so good. And you're right, my half. My camera rolls carpets, which would sound really weird to anyone else. Literally, it's carpets. Because I was just obsessed with that, that huge maleficent dragon. Are you kidding me? It's the first. The decor, the interior design's immaculate. It's incredible. Whoever worked on that, kudos. But I think anybody that's listening to this is like, oh, here are some villains. I love that as a theme book. It's. You don't need to listen. Well, I hope you listen to the rest of the show, but you really don't. It's all you need to know. Because the classic theme of that is so good. I think a lot of people that are attracted to Disney, it's because we love a classic story, we love a hero tale, we love a hero's journey, and we love a villain comeback and an origin story, and all of that is celebrated here. And I'm really impressed with how they were able to merge those. So you've got Marvel, which on previous ships you have Marvel dhc, but that's like a standalone event where it's like, it's not meant to be integrated into the rest of the ship. It's like a pop up almost experience. Whereas this is Marvel, but completely integrated into the rest of your cruise. All of the heroes and villains within Marvel, it all blends very seamlessly with the Disney storytelling, which I think is so interesting that they did that so well because I was kind of wondering how that would flow. And it was really not a thing at all. It was beautifully done.

For all those guests who've ever taken a Marvel Day at Sea cruise like us and said, God, I wish it was not just a single day at sea. I just wish it was Marvel like all day, every day. It is. Here it is. Heroes and villains all the time. And spoiler alert, like, if you don't want to be spoiled, fast forward like 10 seconds. Because we don't just sort of see the Characters that we expect to see. We know we're gonna see Black Panther. We know we're gonna see Cruella. We know we're gonna see Loki. We know we're gonna see Spidey. We know we're gonna see some other Marvels. But I love. And nobody until the very first time this show happened, nobody expected to see Deadpool. Deadpool being Deadpool. Right. It's not sort of a Disney fi G rated version. No, it's Deadpool being Deadpool in that show. There's Taskmaster in the Superhero Academy. I'm a huge Spider man fan. Like, Electro is present like more than once in a couple of different ways. And in very small ways. The Sinister 6 in Saga, like Lizard and Doc Ock, etc. There's Rocket and Groot. There's the Young Avengers in Worlds of Marvel, which for some people it's like they saw fire for the first. Like, did you see the fact that the Young Avengers. Because for them it's not just about seeing them as sort of a bonus Easter egg at the end of dinner, but like, wait a minute, this is setting up what we know is coming to the movies. So the Marvel fans were super excited. Some other people, like, well, who are these kids up on deck 11, like eating pizza? There's also really. And I think it's so well done. And again, I'm thinking back to the With Great Power show in Saga, which if you are planning a trip on the Destiny, which you should do not miss this show. Captain America, Tony Stark, Star Lord Wolverine, to a certain degree. Like, they all sort of make their own versions of appearances in such smart, creative and funny ways. And again I started to get the questions. Well, like wait, I'm hearing about all these heroes and villains. Like, are Mickey and Minnie on board? Yes. You're still going to find the same. You'll find the Fab Five, you'll find other Disney characters, but even the Fab Five, their own character stories and superpowers and costumes on board. Right. So. And it's. You sort of have to. Which I love. It's not sort of just laying it out for you have to explore and find out and discover these. That that like Mickey has. Sorry. Minnie has powers of telepathy. And she's sort of the leader of the heroic team. Donald controls the seven seas as Bluster. Goofy serves as loop knot. Pluto has sonar abilities. I don't know what he does with those.

And Mickey, he finds his bones.

But I love that they laid that hero and villain theme on top of the other characters as well. And again, we'll talk more about some of the other live interactions and some of the small, intimate moments that you can have with these characters. And I just love that there is this. Not to sort of take from a different part of the Disney, but it feels like this story living type overlay. And we're going to talk more about where I think some of this inspiration and immersion comes from. Because the characters that you see, whether it's on the wall, on the floor, in your food, on a screen, or in person, they appear in the context of the story and not just for photos. They react and act to the location and the moment and the hero villain energy that's happening on board. Again, places like the Grand Hall, I am thinking about you. And those character interactions and experiences are dramatic and they are fun. So again, like Loki in the grand hall and Black, the celebration of the king, Even things like the Cruella fashion show, like the wretched Runway. It's not a fashion show for fashion. So say it's so fitting in the story and the fun, villainous, like, feel of Cruella. Look, I am not a fashion icon. I don't watch like Fashion Week on E. But I had so much fun watching not just Cruella be Cruella in the. In her. In her lounge, but watch Cruella be Cruella in the grand hall in this space, again, thanks to a backdrop in lighting and music, felt like it was Cruella's Runway. And more importantly, integrating guests into that experience. We keep talking about immersion and interaction like that is a perfect example of these characters acting and interacting and appearing contextually, not just in the grand hall, but throughout the entire ship.

It's another place where they have plussed it up so much. Because I think, Serena, you said it earlier. You're walking into the story. You're not just a passive observer. You are expected to kind of live around what's happening around you. And it's kind of a nod to what they do in Disneyland vs. Disney World, where at Disneyland the characters just kind of run through Fantasyland and Alice and the Mad Hatter jump on the teacups and you can ride with them. And sure, you can have a meet and greet and get your picture taken and stand in line for a little bit. But this is so much more than that because you can just be standing there and then something happens around you which is that little piece of magic that we're all looking for, that you're being integrated into the story, that you're actually part of it and not just watching it. And I love those characters, how they reach out to you and you're having those interactions. And it's so different than any other Disney cruise line experience. For the exception of like the. The one day Marvel at Sea or some of those other more, more targeted experiences. This is happening every single day you're on board. And it's amazing.

And sorry, we sort of, we. We sort of like seamlessly flowed right in because I have character interactions. Really? That's number four on my list because I think it is specific to this ship. I mean, it happens everywhere. But again, I think it's sort of, really sort of leveled up on this ship. Serena.

Yeah, I totally agree. If we didn't talk about character interactions, that is to me, where the ship shines in the way that you feel like you can interact in a much deeper way with the characters that you love. Again, if you don't want to do that, you can opt out of. This is not something that you have to do by any means. But if you are loved, interacting with characters and having more moments, just in general, if you like characters and meeting characters, you should do cruise line over parks because you're going to meet so many more. They're everywhere, all day long, all the time. But this one really, in the Destiny, it really brought it to a whole nother level. And I just feel like as we get more, you know, our society gets more digital. We're on screens all the time. Kids are on screens all day long. When we can pull that off and get IRL experiences, you know, in real life, actually interact with people and in things that don't necessarily convey in a social media post, like I can't, I can't make a video and share with you what these interactions feel like because it's something that you have to experience in person and that's what you want because that's what really makes this vacation experience so much more. So much more powerful. And it's going to stick with you so much more than some of the other, you know, options you're going to do as a family.

I've only seen this one other time because I think the character interactions feel that they are on Star Cruiser level. Immersion.

Exactly.

Yeah.

The. Again, it's. They're contextual. They are. There are story beats and story elements. When you have a chance to. I'll use, you know, Black Panther, for example. There are multiple sort of story moments that might happen in the grand hall. And it's not like, okay, please queue up and here's the line down the entire, you know, deck three to meet Black Panther. No, Black Panther just says, okay, I'm gonna go and meet my subjects now. And he sort of walks out into the crowd and seeks people out. And I love that because it doesn't feel like I have to get on. We have to sort of schedule to get another line to meet this character. No, there's gonna be a swap out because Donald's gonna be swapped out for Mickey. The, the way that it's done here is so organic and so natural. It just flows from the end of a show or you might just happen upon them. Yes, there are scheduled ones that you can find on your navigator and you can line up for. But I loved how it just felt more natural. More importantly, I think that the interactions themselves included things like playful banter and little competitions and some like, yeah, like self aware commentary on cruising and humans and people and kids, like tongue in cheek and. But, but very playful and very fun because they are part show, they're part roaming encounters. They happen on the balconies, they happen on the staircase, they happen in the hallways. And sometimes you just. And it's those surprise and delight moments that you just sort of happen upon. Yes, there are moments that you should be present for, like seeing Loki in the grand hall again, the lighting shifts to green, like it's announcing he is there. You know, same thing happens for, what's it called, Celebration of a King with Black Panther. The grand hall, it changes. It looks very different than it does when you walk on board. It looks very different than when Loki is there and you have this sort of moment. It's, you know, something suddenly goes wrong. I'm not going to say who spoils it, but there's this great hero and villain dynamic. So you've got this story, you've got a character presence, you've got a photo spot. You have a way to let you or your kid go and meet King t' Challa or meet Loki and have that conversation with him. And I just think it is so, so, so well done.

It does remind me of Star Cruiser also in the fact that the show elements are telling a story that continues throughout your cruise, which I love that they did that so well on Star Cruiser. On Star Cruiser, you start and you're welcomed in and there's things that happen. And then throughout your cruise the story is evolving and then by the end of your cruise there's a finale to this storyline and they did that same thing on the Destiny where all of you collectively that are sharing in this cruise experience are involved in this story. And by the end, even to the extent where they called out different ones in the crowd, the storytellers did about different ones that they had spoken to and had some part of this story. And I think that was just so well done. It really reminded me of Star Cruiser because you're so invested in what's happening because you feel like, oh, I saw the beginning of this story, I saw the middle of the story, I was part of the story, and now I get to see where it's ending.

I loved that. The through line that you guys just drew between Star Cruiser and this makes total sense, especially when there are more intimate experiences that, that you get that you honestly might miss if you aren't in the right place at the right time. Which is. Could be a little disappointing to some. But to me it's even more exciting because then you're, you're, you know that there's something possibly around the corner that you might discover that isn't on the agend or isn't on the navigator.

Yeah, there's a, there's a rewritability aspect to being on this, like Star Cruiser because every time is going to be different because so many of these interactions and experiences are unscripted, whether it's, you know, you meet Black Panther Spider man and he helps you with hero training or these sort of little mini interactions. One that really stood out to me, that I loved and I didn't know what to expect. I just saw under her spell, a Maleficent encounter which takes place in Saga. Again, like the grand hall, depending on where you go, what time of day, what show is going on. That space feels completely different. Great use of technology with the video wall. But this is. It's maybe 15 minutes. It's a. Maybe 15. It's a one woman, one dragon, whatever show featuring Maleficent. That again, it's. It's very atmospheric. It uses a lot of dramatic effects and sounds and fire and rain and fog and I mean, not real fire, but all these things. And it's part show, it's part interactive experience because she will call people up out of the audience to join her on stage, have these little interactions. Again, it concludes it. First of all, she's not, she's not performing as if there's nobody there. She is engaging with the audience directly. She is aware that the audience is there as opposed to you go to a stage show and they're just sort of putting on a show. She's very much. She's aware that you're there. She's interacting with you, she's challenging guests and when you're done, she says if you, if you're, you know, if you want to leave, you're welcome to leave. However, if you want to stay and speak with me, you can. And they will call people up one by one. Do you have this opportunity, which I think is the operative word for all the things we're talking about. You have the opportunity for continued interaction depending on you, what you want to do. You don't have to be aware of all these things going on. You don't have to understand all these things. Like the Starcruiser, you can be as immersed as you want to be. If you want to seek out these experiences and go to all these things and train with Spidey and try and defeat or challenge Loki. Like you can do all these things or if you just happen upon them, they are these great themed like again very carefully and strategically woven story beats throughout the ship that have, you know, it's like a three act play. There is a beginning and a middle and an end and I love how it is tied all together. Did you guys get to do. Did you guys get to see Serena? I know you and I, we met Dr. Facilier again in a very, very, very intimate. I don't mean it was like intimate. A very small.

We know what you meant.

A very sort of small interactive meet and greet inside a space that I've been on the ships. I didn't even know that there was a little photo studio there. But it's completely rethemed to Dr. Facilier's parlor where there's sort of two different ways. There's one where you can just go and meet Dr. Facilier and take photos. There also is this sort of semi secret, almost very limited access experience which is a very sort of. It's a, it's a blessing and a curse that it's small. Right? It's a rare character, very small experience on a ship that's hidden inside a space. It's usually used for a photography studio that is somehow transformed into this like lush, dark New Orleans inspired Victorian parlor that fits maybe 10 people where he does close up magic and intuition trust. Like there's no photography. So you're not going to find any photos or videos other than what Disney parks put out, which I love. So you have to be present, you have to go in there and it is, it feels special when you are able to do that. I think even the same thing when you do. And this is one of my Favorite things that I did on board was in deville's the Treble Making with again, it's, it's exactly like to a certain degree what you saw on Star Cruiser when you had Sandro where you go in and you help to create these stories and songs again. You can do as much or as little as you like. But I love that it is so well layered and like from morning to night throughout the entire ship.

Yeah, that was troublemaking, was so good.

I missed that. I missed Dr. Solye as well. And that's why I was kind of alluding to before where it is kind of a bummer if you hear about it and you miss it. But then that rideability factor comes back. It's like I've got to go back and then I'm just going to stand there and stalk the guy until I get in there to see this experience. Which by the way this, this secret type element is something that is happening a lot throughout the cruise industry right now, not just Disney, which is really interesting to see that. I think Disney set a tone for it and then we're seeing it other, other cruise lines kind of doing things like speakeasies and other interesting behind the velvet rope experiences. So I, I love the fact that it's there. I hate the fact that I missed it. Which means I love the fact that I have to rebook the ship again so that we can go or when we go on our group trip. Lou, I know one of the things I'm going to try to be able to see again but then again at that point is there going to be something different? Who knows?

Yeah. I have a feeling this is always going to be continuously evolving.

Yeah.

And again, you know, you can sort of, if you're a planner, you can get, you can look at your navigator every day and sort of heart and favorite the things you want to do and get notifications in the app so you can try not to miss these things. But I also really love the spontaneous sort of meet and play pop ups. These unscheduled story driven almost like micro moments right. Where a villain will come in and interrupt trivia. A hero's gonna pop in and join, you know, kids games that are going on. Surprise characters appear in the lounges and the corridors and the deck parties. Again, it feels very much like the Best of Star Cruisers Live storyline energy because you're meeting, you're not just sort of lining up to meet the character where they might sort of be standing for photos, but you're meeting characters I think inside the story. Like, I didn't see it, but somebody was like, oh, yeah, I was in Cask and Canon and Jack Sparrow came in. I'm like, yeah, who knew? That's right. That's like, oh, I have, like, who knew? But I dig that. Like, and I think those we talked about, specifically places like Cask and Canon, like, how can you even sort of further immerse yourself in that story? Because it's, it's part pirate bar, it's part sports bar, but the next thing you know, you know, Jack Sparrow and the storytellers come in and it takes on a whole new life and a whole new flavor. And I, and I also dig the surprise and delight moments like that too.

I want more of that. I like that. I, as a type a planner who's constantly very like the worst and constantly trying to check every box. I like when it's out of my control. I like when it's like, you know what? You just, just vibe. Just chill, Serena, and just enjoy your time and you'll see what you see and you'll experience what you experience. And you're probably gonna experience more than you thought you would. And if you're not running all over the ship like a headless chicken, you might actually enjoy your cruise a lot better by the end of the day. So I prefer that I want more things unscheduled and I want more things with no photography and video, personally, because I think both of those things make you enjoy it more, make you be in the moment more. I'm not so busy trying to capture my kid and take those photos that I actually get to watch my child interact and enjoy this moment or myself or whatever. I prefer that. And I think that more likely as time goes on, we're gonna see more of that happen because for the in guest experience, that actually improves the cruise.

For you because it's still a surprise and delight. And you're not. You have seen 42 videos of it on YouTube to give it away, but to be able to talk about it and say, this is a must see experience. This is something that you'll get to immerse yourself in, but you're not, you're still a little clueless as to what it is you're going to experience. So, yeah, I, I'm leaning in, in with that all day long. I, I like my social media. I like taking pictures of things, but I also like having this little element of mystery.

Yeah, listen, one of my favorite moments, like, and I just happened to be walking to the elevator and there was Donald Going wherever Donald was going. And one of the. Listen, God bless you.

I saw the video. It was so good.

Starts like she's like freestyle rapping like her own Little Donald song. He's dancing. And it's just me and Donald and Dominique and one of the crew member. And it was just such a fun moment because nobody planned that Dominique scripted. That was not something that was coordinated with Dominique, but it was one of my favorite little moments. And it's again, this is not about. But you can see how much it resonates with people.

Yes.

You can see people just love that. It's just like this simple moment of pure joy. And I'm like, this is it.

That is it.

I come on a Disney cruise.

Yes. Because that's the fun why you love.

The brand, because it gives you those memories, those one off memories that I always think about the little girl that sees Cinderella for the very first time and the mom watching that. And I think that those are the reasons, one of the main reasons why we love Disney so much and to see that it comes out of the movies, out of the theme parks and onto the cruise line is so exciting and it's real.

How, how close to a Disney cruise like day can you actually book? Like today's Wednesday. If there's a ship leaving this weekend, is it. I'm so jonesing to get back on.

I think we have like 72 hours. So you would, you'd have to at least give that, that little bit of time so you can clear customs.

It starts the inaugural, the inaugurals tomorrow right on the 20th.

I probably can't make that one, but any ship, any port at all. But you know, it's funny because all of these, you know, the, the, the way through my brain processes I realized, you know, the first thing we talked about was the Grand Hall. The second was the adult exclusive spaces and stories. Third was the hero and villain theme. Fourth was the character interactions. But they all sort of wrap up together. And what I put separately as number five, which is storytelling, because I really do believe this is a new evolution of immersive storytelling. It happens to be at sea, but I think this is something we might see elsewhere. The Destiny feels like. And obviously different ships, you know, have different themes. Right. The treasure is about the parks and nostalgia, but the Destiny feels like a ship designed around a narrative rather than shows that just happen to tell stories. Story is, is present everywhere. I really just felt that everything was so intentional from how and where characters appear, how the spaces transform, how guests are invited and welcomed into These moments, it mimics the feeling of stepping inside of a story as opposed to watching one happen around you. And that's what I feel like. It's got this star cruiser like DNA brought into it, but applied to sort of a much broader Disney World. Not Walt Disney World, but a kind.

Of more organic and random. Yeah, I think. Which I like.

Yeah. And look. And maybe the star cruiser, you know, for all the things that happen, we know the story. I think the star cruiser was a very bold, probably very expensive experiment. But the Destiny feels like the next generation refinement of those ideas. They learned a lot from the Starcruiser. What worked, what didn't. And I think feel that that handprint of the star cruiser. Here again we some of the specific parallels, right. The collective songwriting and performance moments like Sandro, the fashion show. I was like, oh, this is like the outer rim regalia, but themed to villains like Cruella. Again, intimate gatherings with characters inside the story, like meeting Chewbacca in the engine room, meeting the stormtroopers in the the brig or the hole. This, this is a story led entertainment where we as guests get to not just influence the story, but the energy and the direction of the moments. And I think what I like is how the Destiny does this without requiring sort of this two day locked in storyline that is very scripted to having a beginning, middle and end. So it makes it very accessible. There's a rewritability, a replayability aspect to the Destiny because you know, every time you go, it's going to be different. Right. And you know, yes, Loki is always going to be mischievous. Mischievous. He's always going to interrupt stuff. Cruella is always going to, you know, judge your fashion choices. If you're going, you know, sandals and socks, Cruella's gonna let you know. But you're gonna get those same things from Facilier and Melesa Maleficent, but they are going to be different. And I think one of the things that it does, that's why I sort of referenced this at the beginning, especially in places like the Grand Hall. It helps almost community building through these shared story moments. Because like Star Cruiser, we start sharing stories with each other about things that we experienced during the voyage. Oh, hey, did you see Loki do this? Oh, did you Google Meet Dr. Facilier? It does a little bit of FOMO, but it's like, I love that like at dinner we sort of came together and we're swapping stories about what we saw and what we didn't. And I think it builds excitement and curiosity about what happens next? And we all feel like we're part of the shared story ecosystem.

Yeah, I love that. And I also think that that's great because you're not going to get to everything. There's so much to do on this ship. We obviously, we left kind of frustrated. We're like, oh, there's so much we didn't get to see and do. But that's the point. That's the want more than you got to do. I mean, you're going to feel that way when you go to the parks, too. Like you're not going to do everything at Disney World. I don't care how long you're here. But when you're doing something like this, it's great because not only can each person in your group customize their experience and choose the things they want to do, but you could, you know, cruise one time this time and then cruise another time and choose a different path, so to speak. This time I want to do more shows and more entertainment, and I'm not going to get off the ship as much. I'm not going to go to the ports as much because, you know, I want to spend my time here, or I want to focus on the food experiences and I'm going to have the special meals and whatever your thing is that it's here. But also you get to sort of choose your own path, and I love that.

And if you're still just looking for a relaxing cruise experience, you can hang out on your balcony. You. You do have a choose your own adventure adventure on this ship. So you can be as interactive or seek out these experiences, or just hang in your favorite lounge and go through these amazing cocktails, which, by the way, they went ballistic on creativity with these presentations. Almost every element of Deville's and of Sanctum has some sort of magical theatrical experience behind it which is, you know, so wonderful, draws you in and yes, I admit, yes, I loved my cocktails. I'm gonna. We'll just say that I was very enamored by that and need to go back and we need to do. There we go, Lou. We need to go back and do a lounge review of every single cocktail on all the lounges on board in Girl, I'll fly. Maybe I'll finally get my lounge review that we've been talking about. But yeah, I. I'm just, I'm. I'm kind of bummed that they're only four and five day, because we had two days and I felt like I only saw so much. I don't know about you guys, but I didn't sleep that much because we were staying out way late at night and getting up early in the morning to do all the daytime things. So I have this feeling that anyone doing that four, even the five night are going to walk away with that same feeling that we have right now that you missed out on a bunch and you need to go back.

Yeah. But if you are choosing do the five like those that are listening, you're going to want to do the five. You're. You're gonna have a better experience at the end because there's just gonna be a lot to do.

Yeah. And I think I agree with everything that you guys said. And Becky, to your point about the. The cocktails and even some of the snacks in the lounges.

Yeah.

They don't feel like they're novelty for novelty's sake. Like, they feel like they're meant to be woven into the story. There's a little bit of a story element that attaches to that.

And for those of you, my friends, who laughed at me hysterically when I was looking at the. The glass that that's hovering over the thing, and I'm going, how did they do that? And you guys looked at me like, science. I don't care. You're, like, making fun of me. It's like, it's dude science. No, it's magic.

I. I love being 11 cocktails in by that.

Yeah, that. That kind of happens too. But still, every single piece of those. Those discoveries that you do and the theatrical presentations and the stories behind each of the cocktails and the elements, it all weaves in and draws you in and makes you want to keep participating and keep going because there's not an end to the story.

And I felt. And again, we were, you know, our situation was a little bit different because we were like, literally running from place to place, trying to ingest and cover it all in a very, very short period of time. And we could not divide and conquer. We couldn't be in two places at once. But I felt something that I felt on starcruiser was this sense of wonder and anticipation around every corner. And Serena, I think you and I were actually. We were walking somewhere. We're like, wait a minute, like, the grand hall is green. Like, we need to. Like, it almost was like, acted like this visual over to it. And I think the unpredictable nature of the character experiences and the room transformations reinforces this idea that the ship is alive with stories. We almost start to anticipate, well, what is going to be around the next corner, who am I going to see that's going to be there? And I think that there is this sort of emotional pattern that sort of mirrors the dramaturgy of the Star Cruiser, but is instead applied to not just a two night cruise in space, but this four or five night environment. And it's like Star Cruiser without Star Wars. You don't have to be a Star wars fan, you don't have to be a Marvel fan if you're a Disney fan. If you're just an entered live entertainment fan, like you are going to enjoy this and how the storytelling sort of exists across spaces. And look, we know that a lot of these things are very carefully planned and orchestrated, but they still feel like spontaneous. So you can plan your day around them if you want. But I think by design it sort of felt like, like it's a hybrid. You can plan, but you can't plan everything and open yourself up to the opportunity that there might be something or someone around every corner when you least expect it. And I dig that. And I think this represents what we might see for the next steps. And we'll talk about this at the end for the future of Disney Cruise Line and something like Star Cruiser, but in a much more sustainable, scalable type way.

So my question right now though is we're hungry.

And I did not, I was gonna.

Say we've been talking for an hour and we haven't even spoken about any of the food on board. I think you said chicken tenders like within the first 10 seconds, but that's pretty predictable for you. But everything else, we've kind of missed a whole element here.

We're getting there. We're getting there. There's, there's a.

We gotta talk about the show, I.

Think the method to my madness. So we talk about storytelling. Yeah, but I really want to talk about this. For number six on the list, I want to talk about the storytellers because we had Coriander and Sage on the treasure, which was this something we had never seen before. But here, the connective tissue throughout that connects the dots from beginning to end are these two roaming ship exclusive performers who really do shape the narrative. And they are Zaya and Gamble. And the more you talk to them, the more you see them. You realize that Zaya is sort of this fortune teller that carries this like magical glowing book and Gamble is more of like this conjurer and turns things into quests. And they both sort of help, excuse me, frame contextually what they're doing and also sort of leading these Interactive sort of micro adventures, like Zion Narrates and Gamble Engages, and they create these incredible improvisational theatrical moments wherever they go. And we talked about these sort of, what is Meet and Play going to look like? I think these are sort of the driving forces for that. They complement each other, they contrast each other. And I think the way they sort of start the. And I don't want to spoil too much, but the way they start your voyage and then conclude it. With Destiny Discovered, I was like. I was like, oh, I get it. Like, you've connected all the dots for me of everything that's happened with all the experiences and the why behind it. And I'm like, oh, these have all been chapters in this story that's not just being told to you, but being created by and with you on the ship. And I think this is just such a brilliant example of the way Disney uses these internal characters. We've never heard of these characters anywhere before. You cannot, at least right now, buy a Ziya and Gamble action figure, although I would put them on my shelf behind me. Drive the guest engagement and narrative from beginning to end.

They're so good. The performers are incredible. First of all, I think probably as far as talent goes, it's probably the highest level of talent there is because there's so much improv that's involved in this. They're interacting with people in real time. So every time they engage in some sort of show where the audience is involved or the guests are involved is different. Every single time, it's different. You never know what somebody's gonna say, somebody's gonna do, you know, what children are gonna do. It'. Unpredictable. So the fact that they're just so good at that, it's really incredible. I think that they are the hosts of the ship is how it feels like if you're invited to a party, they're the hosts. They're the ones greeting you, welcoming you in, telling you what's going to happen, setting the tone for the experience that you're about to have. And you're going to reconnect with them throughout the voyage, and they're going to tell you another story or they're going to have a little laugh for you or whatever. And then through the end, by the end, with this final moment in the grand hall called Destiny Discovered, where there's a little bit of each of the storytelling elements that they've had brought up as sort of a highlight reel of everything that you've experienced. It's emotional, it's powerful. It really brings the entire Experience full circle. It's an experience that you should not miss if you sail on the Destiny. But they're. They're incredible at what they do, and I hope it's an element they bring to the other ships, because now that I've had it, I feel like this is such an integral part of the cruise experience for me.

Right. So I think they create a continuity of storytelling from embarkation to that farewell on that final night. And you know, something that really impressed me, and maybe it's magic. Maybe they're just really good. Maybe they've got some sort of little magical earpiece. But in Destiny discovered at the end. Did you catch how that they were calling out guests who were by name?

That's what reminded me of Star Cruiser a little bit. Yeah.

Because I remember on starcruiser when I was on the bridge and, God, I forgot who the engineer was and he called me by name. I was like a little kid. Like, he knows my name.

He knows me.

And I was like, think about when they do that, that for kids and adults, like, that same thing. Like, it's such. It's. It doesn't. It costs nothing.

Right.

But it's so meaningful, not just for that guest, but for those who are like, wow, that's impressive. That's really important that you remembered that person's by name.

Yeah. So good.

Yeah. All right. I want to try and keep going because I know we still have a bunch more to cover. We talked a little bit about how the spaces that change and evolve, but I think more importantly, talking about Zion Gamble is. Is the perfect transition to talk about live entertainment.

Yeah.

Which I think is so strong. Matt, we keep. Where are they going to go next? They are sending a new benchmark for Disney Cruise Line live entertainment. And look, from the moment you board, you know that entertainment is woven into the ship's identity. I think that there is, like, this next level of acting and improv and physical performance and theatrical confidence and presence that I have not felt anywhere else. From drama to comedy to improv and music and dance and characters. Everything else. Like, we just talked about Zion Gamble. Like, they need to be strong because they are the narrative anchors of that ship. They need to be, like, at 11, all day, every day. And they are. And they were. Because, again, talking about how just calling out somebody name, they make. Especially they. They make you feel seen and included in the story. Same thing. Even with. And I know it really was Loki and it really was Dr. Facilier and it really was Maleficent. It really was Black Panther, but, man, they're straw. Like, like super strong. Like, I bought into Maleficent be. I know she was Maleficent, man. She was a really good Maleficent.

She was intimidating.

Yeah. I was afraid to go up to her, like.

Like, in a good way. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

Like, just amazing in the execution of it. Cruella was like, you want to talk about the comedy and improv talent and that sort of comedic, like, roast, I'm thinking about in troublemaking that comedic roast, high charisma type way again, she always has to sort of be up here and even like the supporting cast around her, whether it is the piano player, whether it is the cast and crew inside the spaces, they too are super strong. We'll talk about Pride Lands, right? This musical and. And theatrical show where they're. It's different because there are no sort of quote unquote characters. But you want to talk about super strong performers, we'll talk about those too. But the production show, like Hercules and the cast and every part of it, like, was so, I think next level and I feel was like the best of. I don't even want to, like, sort of it's like the best of the best of the best. Like, from stem to stern.

Yeah. Hercules. Hercules was an incredible production. It was so strong, such a strong, unique version of Hercules. Like, I've heard mixed things about, because they just brought Hercules back, you know, in the West End in London. And it's kind of gotten mixed reviews. And a lot of people who saw that, saw even just clips of the one at sea and said, that's light years beyond. Like, why is this so good? Why is it so good on a cruise production? It's incredible the amount of talent that they have, but the way they sort of leaned into the nostalgia of the live entertainment with Hercules and Lion King, which are two things that so many people, so many of us have grown up on a big part of our childhood. The fact that we got to sort of relive these classics in a new way and, you know, for bringing kids on board now they're going, how many kids are going to leave this cruise and go home and watch Hercules? I've never probably seen it. Lou raises his hand. No, but I love that. I love the fact that it's bringing these stories back into the limelight. And the cast, again, incredible. The sort of 90s R&B inspired take of Hercules and the soundtrack, the way it sort of, you know, it sort of takes you to church a little bit. The star is born and oh, my Gosh, it was just. It was phenomenal. And so much fun to watch and such. Again, talk about each ship having its different vibe. You had Tale of Moana on Treasure, which is a treasure in of itself. It was one of the best stage projections I've ever seen. It left me sobbing a mess. I was just so enamored with it. And then you have this one, which isn't going to make you cry. It's going to make you want to stand up and clap and, you know, bounce in your seat. So it's like, now you've got a completely different vibe to this sort of key production on the ship, which is. I love that.

I will say that Hercules started a little slow for me. And the reason I want to say that is because I want to encourage people. Don't give up on it, right? Stay through the buildup as they introduce and establish those characters and establish those relationships, because the last 20 minutes will make you feel like you have been reborn in a theater. The muses, the talent with those five muses, which was really interesting because I'm so used to the three from the original show that we saw and from the movie, of course, Earth 3. But these muses are the pinnacle of talent on board the ship. And, of course, Hercules was great as well. But these guys were amazing. And by the end, they have this moment on the staircase at the end where there's this vocal run that I couldn't tell if it was live because. Or it had been professionally recorded and then bumped up to 11 because it was so amazing how that hits you. But you're right. Standing up, clapping, cheering, by the end of it. So at the very beginning, just hold on. Don't leave. I actually talked to some people who said, yeah, it was too slow. And they left. And I'm like, you totally missed out. Don't do it. Go. Stay for the whole thing. And you will be rewarded.

Okay, so a couple things. One, I. And I think you, to a certain degree, Beck. I think you're right. I think. But it's the story of Hercules. Like, if you watch the Hercules movie, it, too, is that same. Like, there's a little bit more of a slower burn to it. Like the ship itself, it built up for me over time. It got bigger and better the more time I spent with it. Man. You can take those five muses, which, like, in the film. In the. In the animated film, there's five female muses. Here, there were three females and two males, which they are so strong, you can take them and put them In Saga. And I would sit there and watch and listen to them all night long. I think it is. It's also different than Moana, which I, for me and Mon is not my favorite movie, but it's. I think it's my. I know it's my favorite show at sea. Although I need to see Hercules again. I've said this before to illustrate the point. It's the only time. And I've been on a bunch of Disney cruises. The only time I've ever left Castaway early to see the matinee and then go back and see it again at night. It's that good. It's different, though. Moana tells a different story. Moana hits me emotionally different than Hercules does. Like. Like Hercules is. It's. It. There's a hero's journey, but it's a love story, and it's different than Moana. So the feels that I got with Moana are different than here. But, man, you talking about going to church. I wanted to get up and, like, shake my tambourine and just like. And that. I keep calling it the fourth act. That curtain call alone. Like, I was choked up with emotion. Adjust how good it was. Like, how much I was like, God, this is amazing. And you forget the fact that you are not sitting in a Broadway or a West End theater, but you're watching this on stage. That cast. I keep saying the same thing. Is remarkably strong. Like, across the board. One of the biggest standing ovation rounds of applause came from Pegasus, who doesn't say a word. He is purely a. A physical actor. Again, you. And you might see these guys, like, performing elsewhere. You will see them performing elsewhere on stage. One of the muses did the opening for the. With Great Power show.

Yeah.

Which I think is the other amazing. She was like, ah, good Lord, woman. Like, just stand there and sing in front of that old forties microphone all night long. And. And I'm in.

Yep. She was vocally exquisite. Every note that came out of her, whether the power notes or the understated ones. And the looks on her face. She emotes so beautifully. I could watch her all day, all night. She is a powerhouse. And so, again, speaks to the talent that they're bringing on board these ships. It's stunning to me.

Me and the Pride Lands, too. We have talked about.

Yeah, Yeah. I actually have Pride Lands next. I have it as a separate ent. As.

We keep trying to get ahead of ourselves. I know.

I know.

Entree.

It is like an entree.

The other thing I want to talk about Hercules, too is. I think it appeals to those of us who sort of grew up or had kids who grew up on the animated film. Those who. People who are fans of the theater. The puppetry is spectacular. This show. I don't think there's really other than projections, there's no digital effects like Beauty and the Beast has the digital set screens. This is all like traditional, like real world puppetry and classic Disney stage magic. That multi headed Hydra is one of the most impressive effects I've seen on stage. Not just on a ship, but anywhere. Yeah, we're fortunate we had the opportunity to go and speak to some of the performers and some of the cast and some of the crew. And I'll share some of those conversations as well. But I loved seeing those practical stage effects. And I said this to. I think I said this when I saw Moana and I had the. I was chatting with. I did a little interview, stand up with the executive creative director of Disney Live Entertainment. And because I have a daughter who is studying production design and stage management, I attribute, I think, a lot of her love of theater to what she has seen at Disney and on Disney Cruise Line ships. And I got very choked up and I'm gonna try not to do it again now. I got very choked up when I was talking to her at the end because I said, I think one of the effects of this that you may not realize is the impact you're gonna have on a kid who's sitting in theater watching a live theater production, possibly for the very first time, with those wide eyes, tears in the eyes, smile on their face like mouth agape, and is potentially going to impact them and their love of the theater and wanting to be more part of the theater or wanting to step on that stage or go backstage. And I think that's one of the most beautiful and powerful effects of just how good these shows really are.

Yeah, that's really powerful. It really is. Because going to see a Broadway show, even your local Broadway shows, is so expensive. It's not something a lot of families can do, certainly not very often, especially to go to New York, but to be able to go on a cruise ship and it's just a part of just one teensy part of the whole cruise experience that you're getting. But it is a very powerful one. And I think it's something that Disney does better than any other cruise line, that there is something you do not ever miss. If something is in the Walt Disney Theater, don't miss it on your cruise because it's always Going to be good. It's always gonna be worth your time. But the two latest ships, Treasure and Destiny, have taken that theater experience to another level in terms of just the production value that they're bringing.

I want to be like, girl, good luck. Because I don't know where you're going next. I don't know what you're going to put on the next ship.

Where do you go?

Yeah, how do you sort of. They are finding a way to do it and again it goes to the crew and the talent that they have brought on board that ship. Like there are moments when creativity, like Hercules is singing and I would got my little, like little choked up just because I'm like, my God, you're good. You're an Adonis as well. But my God, you're super talented.

They are.

Well, I think we, I think we can agree too that just across the board, Disney Cruise Line has the right people in the right positions. Clearly, like it's the one thing you can tell as a guest, even just experiencing the end product is that you can tell when the right people are in the right positions. They're doing their thing and they're, they've got the talent is where it's needed. Because the out the end product across the board, from food and beverage to culinary team to service team to the hotel experience, to the entertainment to the characters to the theming to the decor. There's not one box that they haven't checked on this ship.

And all of those things that you just mentioned. And look, I'm not really a big food guy, but I think it's important.

Oh, oh, right, right. Okay, okay. I don't know who you're trying to convince.

I think this, I think talking about Hercules and Alive entertainment is the perfect transition to number nine on my list, which I did put separately on purpose, which is Pridelands. This cinematic multi sensory, Lion King themed dining experience with incredible African inspired flavors and spices and textures. Don't let that scare you. Let's start with the food first. I think again, this is a space that is occupied by Arendelle on the Wish. It is Plaza de Coco on the Treasure. So this sits in the aft of the ship. This is sort of the big dining, sort of theater in the round type space. Let's sweat the menu item because I think this is, this is possibly the strongest menu in restaurants that occupy that space. Second night cocoa on the Treasure. Like they're fighting it out for, for one and two. Do not again, don't let like African, African inspired and spices like that throw you off because there's short ribs and harissa rub chicken and seafood curry, which was incredible. Let's talk first about the food, and then we'll talk about the environment and entertainment in Pride Land.

I think it was the best meal I had, for sure. The shrimp curry, I could go for some of that right now. Yeah. So this is something that you'll have potentially twice on your cruise. Your first night will be the show experience. The second night, you won't have the show piece of it, but you will have a separate menu. The menu for that second night is the one that we got to experience. And the preview in April, which had these short ribs and a couple of different menu items that were incredible that I was expecting to get to try. And I was like, wait, this is a different menu? But then when I saw it, I was like, oh, it's still really good. I'm good. But I think both of those meals are gonna be standouts. You definitely wanna make sure you don't miss them. If you plan something at, like, you know, enchante or something, make sure it doesn't. You don't miss a Pride Lands, because I think you're gonna definitely want to make sure you met. You don't miss this dining experience. But I will say, the food, it was almost, like, secondary to. I was so into this, into the show, that I was like, I had to keep reminding myself to eat, which never happens.

And I'm probably the picky eater here on this panel. As Lou said, don't let the African spices, that type of thing, take you away from showing up for this experience. Because I'm not a curry. I. I don't like spice. I don't really enjoy that. And I usually go, kids, menu, please. It's some of the ones.

I sit near Becky all the time so I can get the stuff that she doesn't like.

Exactly.

That's. And that happens quite often. But I did find several things on this menu that were really good, that even though it says spice, it's not overly spicy. It really is just flavorful. Rather than adding anything that might go against somebody who's a picky eater. Give it a try. There's always the kids menu to fall back on, but don't not go, because the. The menu looks a little intimidating. It was really good. And then the entertainment itself, obviously, it's a retelling of the Lion King story in a different way without having characters. But again, going to that talent, that strong vocal talent in the music, bringing some of the the Broadway pieces into. I was able to enjoy some new music that I had not heard before myself. So it was really cool the way they put it together. A little dancing, a lot of singing, a lot of drumming. I like the way that they had it set up. My only criticism of this venue would be that it is so big. And that stage in the round is if you're not in the very front, it's not that you're going to miss out because you're going to hear it. But I would really love if they could put some element, even of people walking through with, you know, something on a string to make you feel in the back corners that you're. You're brought into the story. I think that is the only thing about the venue that I could criticize. If they could figure out a way to make those in the outer edges feel a little bit more involved. But other than that, the decor I loved. Again, just like they did with Coco, they elevated it and makes you really feel the theming that they're trying to emote.

Yeah, it's sort of meant to feel like the designs were sort of meant to feel like an Africa savannah, like a boma, like a gathering place. And if you pay attention to the. The rear windows and some of the other sort of picture windows they cycle through, like sunrise and sunset. And so the. Again, like all the other spaces, this space evolves throughout your meal, using some lightings and special effects. And obviously, Becky, to your point, you're going to hear all the familiar musical numbers you might not recognize. One from the Lion King Broadway show or Lion King 2, like he lives in youn or Shadowland, which came from Broadway. And this is different. And this is where I want to discuss sort of the comparing and the contrasting. This is. There are six live performers on stage in the center of the room that have. I think they said there's like 23 different instruments that they are handling. So again, talking about talented and gifted performers, but from a creative perspective, rather than using animal costumes or puppets, the show is all about human storytellers and musicians in African inspired. I don't even want to use the word costume, but African inspired, like clothing. So it's really on the voice and the rhythm and the narrative as opposed to the visuals. Right. So, yes, it's a typical sort of meal and a show format, but it's not about necessarily what you see, but it's about what you hear. One could argue that. Well, was this done intentionally? And I'm not saying one way, like, was this unintentionally to potentially obviate some of the, some of the issues with, hey, I'm sitting really far away. We really can't see what's going on on stage that much because there are no characters here like at all. There's no puppets, there's no characters. You're not going to see Simba, you're not going to see Nala, you're not going to see Mufasa. You don't have that sort of reliance on the visual element. I think that's potentially a double edged sword. And I want to go back again and watch this with kids. I want to see. I want to sort of see and hear the reaction of young kids who may probably be familiar with the music. But will the visuals be enough sort of hold their attention the same way again? I think it's. There's sort of two sides of the coin because if you are not in a place in Arendelle that you can see wandering Oaken and Anna and Elsa and Olaf, you might be disappointed by where your, your table is. I wonder if here will it not necessarily matter as much because you still sort of get the audio experience and you can see, you know, they're on obviously high Rogers in, in the middle, you can see them. But you don't necessarily need to see all the detail because it really is about what you hear as opposed to what you see.

Yeah, that's a good point. I think it is. Definitely. It's much more Festival of the Lion King than the Lion King movie. So if you like the show at Animal Kingdom, I think this is going to be your cup of tea. It's much more a performance of musicians and singers. There is a dancer.

It really just feels like the one in Disney Paris.

Yeah, it's really, really well done. I agree, Becky, that some roving element would be good. If you think about even some of the things that they have at festival the Lion King, that they have the dancers and performers and the stilt walkers or something, they could have something sort of bringing you in. But to some degree there's some limitations just with the way that that space was crafted. And I don't think it's the best way to have an experience like that. Maybe it's just compared to like say Rapunzel's Royal Table, where you have a show element there, but the space is not so large to where you can't kind of see the stage. And you also have the characters that sort of roam and visit the tables, which I think is really nice. And you just this, the space is just too large to have that. So they're somewhat limited by that. And where you sit can change your experience, unfortunately.

Yeah. I think Disney had to say, look, you need to design for our potential constraints. And look, there are poles, right? There are. There is distance depending on where you are. How can we design for those? Look, this is not an ideal theater environment, so how can we design around that best that we can?

And of course, they had three chances at it, and hopefully maybe at the next one they will reimagine that type of space so it doesn't become a negative element.

That seafood curry was so good.

It was.

And the perform look, again, same thing. I know we sort of keep going back to it.

Like the chicken. I love.

So, like, I. I love Lion King. I mean, not. I think this is. I think this theater, this show, this menu, this whole environment, like the ship itself is definitely going to be a lot of people's favorite because Lion King means a lot to them, that music means a lot to them. I loved. I really appreciated the quality of the performance, not just by the singers, but by the musicians and the dancer as well. There were. There was like a bit of like, interpretive dance, like she was not wearing a Nala costume, but you sort of understood that they represented different characters in the story. So, again, if you are a theater person, if you're a Lion King person, I think you will very much appreciate this story. And hopefully, like I said, where you sit becomes a little bit less important because it's more almost of a concert with dinner as opposed to watching a theater show.

Yeah.

And. And like some of the other things we've been talking about, I think Pridelands is a. I don't know if this is the right word. It's a more mature experience. I don't know how else to describe it. I just felt like it was a little bit more of a mature experience, maybe because it was not necessarily reliant on those characters. It's why I want to go back and see it again with a full complement of guests with kids, with friends, who have kids, so I can sort of understand what their feelings and reactions to it is. Are as well. And last on my. And this is relatively all encompassing, this is sort of the catch all, because it's all about the details. And it is for anything at Disney, whether it's a Disney park with a Disney movie, Disney Cruise Line, show ship. Again, this is a ship that is designed with storytelling in every single corner. And as somebody who started my whole journey, like writing trivia books about Disney. I love the minutia. I love the details. I love finding those little Easter eggs. Details that are hiding in plain sight. And I think this ship rewards you for wandering and exploring and keeping your eyes open and looking up and looking down because there are these little visual surprises. And as part of that, and a couple of you touched on it earlier, I don't normally, like, I appreciate it, but I don't, I don't think it impacted. Impacted me as much as it does here. I think the artwork on this ship is spectacular. Right. Serena, you and I, we were running up and down stairs a lot and up and down hallways, like, trying to get different places. And we were stopping, like, not just to sort of take it in to share, but just appreciate how good some of the artwork is throughout the ship. It's original. It is custom created to feel like pieces and artifacts from each of the different story worlds, whether it's Hercules, whether it's Raya, whether It's Big Hero 6. Like, this is the first time. And I, and I love this too. If you love the artwork and I think that you will, you can go to the kiosks on Deck 5 and you can order it and have it sent home. I went and I looked and I browsed and then I was like, oh, let me start taking pictures or anything. There's a little part of me, maybe a big part of me that slightly regrets not purchasing that Big Hero 6 artwork that hung over my bed in my stateroom because I loved it so much. Just quickly, because you guys talk about it too, I thought the artwork was just so, so, so well done here. Whether it was things on the wall, things on the floor, tile mosaics, the artwork everywhere really, I thought was impressive.

This is the very first time that I decided to go up and down every single staircase because I wanted to see all the art on all of the landings. And it was, it was incredible. It's not just kind of there to just give you a pop of color. These were that quality of art that you stand there and you'll spend five minutes looking at it to take it all in. Just like you. I looked at a couple of pieces. Like, I think I like that one. Maybe I do need to take that home. I think that more so than any of the the Disney Cruise line ships beforehand, this truly has standout art that is so true to the story. It's not just a piece to decorate a staircase. It is part of the story that the entire ship is trying to tell.

I love how when you have a themed space, for example, Cafe Merida, which is a brave themed little coffee space on. I think it was deck four. I know five. I think it's on five. Before you get to a space and surrounding that area are little previews of the theme that is coming. So you get a little bit of brave inspired artwork as you're coming down the hall towards it. And then on the carpet again, the carpets, which I'm obsessed with. The carpets start a little tartan pattern on the floor as you're getting close to that space. I love the way that this spaces flow because when you have highly themed areas, you know, you have to think about that. How do you go from, you know, something that's, you know, again, you have the, the grand hall, which is Wakanda, and then right off of it is Brave and Scotland. Like, how does that, how does, how do you do that? Well, they do it beautifully by the blend of the artwork and the carpets and the lighting and the wall colors and everything like that. I love that they do that so seamlessly that all of these spaces just flow and you get that bit of like, theming in your brain that knows what, like you already are anticipating what you're going to be walking into based on how they're setting the stage for you. I love that, that spot. And the cafe the Magera, I think was those, those two little coffee places. I loved the theming there. Beautifully done.

I, I love the Easter eggs. Right. So when we do so we have, we do group cruises on the ships. We have one coming up February 9th through the 16th. Becky, we still have availability, I believe.

You keep talking and I'll, I'll double check.

So I always love to do scavenger hunts. Like I do these printed scavenger hunts, which will pretty much take you the entire duration of the cruise to do. So I love, as I go through, I'm doing it not just for myself because I, I just dig the Easter eggs. I love to. I want to appreciate the work, work that goes into it. And I'm also thinking I need to obviously go back on the Destiny again so I could write a scavenger hunt for the cruise. But as I walked around, I was like, oh, like, look at how the black, like get close up to the black panther statue and look at the little, like, Wakandan inscriptions and the, the vibranium veins that sort of illuminate during the show. Look at Saga. Look at some of the carvings and the patterns and some of the things on the wall. When you go to deville's. Look at the original Ken Anderson artwork that's on the walls. Look at some of the details behind the bar. Go to the Pride Lands, and if you can walk around and you can see those carved animal silhouettes and sort of like the rafiki symbols that are hidden in the woodwork. Cask and cannon, like, is a treasure. No pun intended. Pun intended. Treasure trove of attraction. Level Easter eggs. Not just because it makes you feel like you're in an old pirate tavern, but you can see, like, if you look at. There's a stack of map drawers that holds treasure maps from the different pirate lands, you'll immediately get the references there. There's the Mark Davis concept art. There's. You'll find Captain Jack's compass somewhere. There's a lot of inside jokes and villain references and. And nods to sidekicks. And everywhere you go from the environmental spaces to the retail spaces to the lobbies to the outdoor pool areas, there are these little small touches that are there for Disney fans and super fans that I think add another layer to it. And I love how Disney how Imagine uses that to complement the big moments, the live entertainment, the storytelling, the characters, et cetera.

Oh, I also want to mention that I love that as someone who is always navigationally challenged, I'm, like, lost most of my life. I just wander until I find what I need. There's a lot of little navigation clues in the ship that they give you, which I think is really cool. So heroes is aft and villains is. No. Yeah, forward. Is that right? Villains is forward. Heroes is aft. So if you see a carpet or, like your elevator decor is villains, then you know which part of the ship you're in when you're walking in the hallways, there's hidden Mickeys on the carpets. The carpets are going to be themed to the. To the theme of your deck, but there's little hidden Mickeys. And if the Mickeys are. If you're heading forward in the ship, then the Mickeys look correct to you. If the Mickeys look upside down, then you're heading aft of the ship. I can't tell you how many times that has helped me in finding my way around. So I love even details like that which are practical, but yet they're still done in a decorative way.

Becky, just before I forget, is there still available for our.

I'm. I am still. That date seems to be not showing up, so I'm checking another thing.

Well, fill out a. Go to www.radio.com destiny26 if you're interested. And we will find out if there is any space available. Or you could just stay with Becky.

So she won't mind. She would love that. Who doesn't want strangers in your stateroom?

Preferably blends that are like teething and just a little rambunctious. Just that's Becky's. Just.

Are you a little messy? That would be great.

She would love that. Yes. Okay, I finally pulled it up. Yes. There is still availability on inside Ocean View and balcony at this time. So there is availability.

Cool.

You're saved.

I know we've been talking for, for a long time and so much for my ideas. Like I told them before we started recording, like, like 45 minutes, we're gonna get this done in 45 minutes.

We knew that wasn't gonna happen. We knew that.

I'm sure that we probably missed you.

Is there anything else that you guys want to add to our discussion before we start to wrap this up?

Just I just how impressed I am with Disney Cruise Line and how what a guest experience they are offering. They're just so incredibly dialed in right now to what they're doing. They're. It's kind of, they're at their peak and I think there's some argument to be made that Disney parks, the guest experience. I've said this before. If you said I spent a week at Disney World and I didn't have a great experience, I had some frustrations, I would be like, yeah, yeah, I can see that. If you said that about cruise line, I'd be like, okay, something's wrong with you. I'm sorry. I don't really buy that because I just feel like the guest experience on a cruise is just, they've really got it dialed in. It's really perfected. There's something for everybody. And on these new ships, they're just taking everything that they've already got. Really a well oiled machine at this point. And they're just taking it to higher levels in terms of theming and in terms of entertainment. So you're gonna have a great experience no matter what Disney cruise you do. I don't care what ship you choose, I don't care what port you do, what destination you choose. It's gonna be a fantastic experience. You're going to have a great time. It's going to be great for your whole family. But if you really want to see where they're headed, where they're taking things, what the next level is of this immersive entertainment that they do, then I would definitely consider booking the Destiny or The treasure. Just because these two new ships are really bringing the best of everything that they've accumulated across the 25. How long St Cruise? It's been a while. How all these years, all the experience that they've gained and now you're getting the best of all of that put into practice and all of the best that Disney Imagineering is able to do in these spaces. And it's just a superior experience from beginning to end. It's worth every penny. All of us spend our own hard earned dollars gladly to experience these ships because they truly are just that good.

Disney Cruise Line is one of the only cruise lines out there that you can go on their oldest ship, which came out in 1998, 27 years ago.

27.

And have still a wonderful experience because they've kept up with it, they keep reimagining things, they keep updating it. And I can't say that for all cruise lines. I do love the way that they do have different type of experiences for different people. There, there are people that still love the classic ships is still their favorite and one of them is still mine. The fantasy and the dream are going to give you a completely different experience than you get on these. So seeing it evolve, seeing how they're telling the stories different but yet still maintaining such a quality experience from the food to the entertainment to the, the stay itself, I, I just really am best word for it is just impressed with how they've kept the story, they've evolved the, the experiences. You don't have to be on the latest greatest to really enjoy a Disney cruise. And right now, because they've gotten into their seventh or their, their ship, their seventh ship, there's new itineraries that are going to be coming along. There's going to be new places to go, other things to experience. So even if it's not the latest greatest ship, the Wonder may be going somewhere or the magic may be going somewhere on an itinerary that you're like, I've never been there and it's on my bucket list and this is where I want to go. So don't shy away from Disney Cruise Line just because it's not one of these brand new ships.

Yeah, I think the, I think the Destiny represents a number of different things. Right. I think it's, it's the broader move towards this interactive adaptive themed storytelling and I think, I think this ship is going to really resonate with people in that sense. I also think what's nice about the, the Wish class ships, the Wish, the Treasure and The Destiny is each ship is going to be somebody's favorite, right? It's like, it's like a restaurant in Walt Disney World. It's like an attraction. Everyone is somebody's favorite. And I think each one is going to be, is going to attract and be attractive to different folks. Right. If you are more of the princess and fairy tale theme, the wish might be where you start. If you love the parks and nostalgia, the treasure and adventure, treasure is being built for you. If heroes and villains resonates with you, Destiny is your ship. If you're looking for incredible entertainment, they all speak to you. I think I found that. And again, this is, this was sort of not a quote unquote, normal cruise for us because we were in such like, I'll speak. I was like, such locked in work mode. Like, I enjoyed it, but I was just like, I need, I need to capture, capture. I need to capture and turn around and tapture and turn around. The ship grew on me the longer I was on it. And then even. And then once I left, I found myself wanting to go back, like tomorrow. Like, I was like, oh, I wish I could have somehow gotten myself on the maiden voyage because I want to go back and experience it all again. I want to be able to take it all in. I want to be able to savor those spaces and places, not just look at it through the quote unquote lens of my phone. I think it's also interesting, and one of you mentioned it too, is how the Destiny is going to influence what's next, right? The next class of ships. I'm not saying that we're going to do it, but stay tuned. But what does this mean for the future of the Disney Cruise Line fleet as it expands to 13 Ships Global, globally? Singapore and Japan are going to be part of the fleet. And I think this is going to be interesting to see what happens next and what this next class of ships is going to be like. I said that we were, we were at dinner one night, I said, you know, I'm going to do a show and I'm going to like, build my own Disney Frankenship. I'm going to take like, my favorite spaces. We could use, like, my favorite spaces from each of the different ships and put them all into a single, like, imaginary vessel that's going to be. But I really did. I really found that there was a lot that I loved about this ship. All right, so quick, we'll do a couple of quick rapid fire questions for you, Becky and Serena. What was your biggest, like, what's your like? Very quickly, what was your biggest overall sort of takeaway from the Disney destiny?

For me, head above shoulders is the spontaneousness of this ship. And the one thing I love more than anything I mentioned it earlier is how the characters interact with you at Disneyland is so much different than Disney World. And you guys did again that through string of bringing it around to Star Cruiser. I love that. I love the element of the unexpected, the surprise, the surprise and delights. And knowing that there were some elements there that I may not be able to find was intriguing, which made me want to stay up and find it, not sleep. But my biggest takeaway was that they are thinking they're really thought provoking on trying to figure out how to make people part of the story rather than a passive observer, which I absolutely adore. Everything from the drinks where you have to open up something and there's smoke falling out, to finding a character around a corner, or King t' Challa who just walks out into the crowd and just starts talking to people. And I love all of that. It's so engaging and interactive and you feel like you're getting great value for the time you're spending.

Yeah. It's so hard to summarize a ship like this because it encompasses so many different pieces, which I think is why it's so special. You know, you have so many different elements that go into your overall vacation experience. What you take away from it is gonna be different for each person. For me, as someone who really live entertainment to me is what I love. Disney. I love Disney because of the live entertainment that they do, the characters, the storytelling. It's never about the rides. I could go to the parks all day and never ride a ride and I'm just as happy. To me, the cruise experience is the same. I don't need to get off a ship. I don't need to go step in an ocean. I don't need to go buy a souvenir on a port. I'm fine staying on those ships because to me, that is the experience that I'm interested in. And if you are someone that also really loves live entertainment, you can't imagine, like you couldn't imagine going to a park and not seeing a parade or the fireworks, like that's what you love about it, or stage show or something, then this ship is going to be your cup of tea because that's its strength. They're all strong, but this ship in particular takes all of those elements to an even higher level. And I can't wait to Go back and experience more of them and kind of get to see how they would wind through a five day cruise experience because it would just be that much better. I already know enough to know that I will gladly take my credit card out and book it for probably two or three more times over the course of the next few years just to get to experience more of what it has to offer. And also, if it's this good already, this was a preview cruise. It hadn't even set sail yet. Like the first guest, the first paying guest gets on this week. So if it's already this good, then I can't imagine where it's going to be in a year, in two years, in three years, it's going to be just that much more impressive. So if anybody's on the fence, I hope this show, after listening to this, has convinced you to go ahead and book it because it's fantastic.

Okay, more lightning Round. Ish. What was your favorite space on the show ship? Becky and Serena?

Sanctum for me, I think. And that surprised me because it wasn't my favorite space on any of the other ships. But I absolutely loved the Sanctum. I loved the theming, the vibe. I loved, like you said, how kind of cozy it felt and I loved the menu.

Becky, you're on mute. You're still on mute, Becky.

Sometimes when I'm trying to mask the ability to type, something gets me in trouble.

Where's Key?

Hey, be nice to me. Right now I'm multitasking, trying to figure out something for February 7th or 9th. I love Deville's. I but I didn't get a chance to to sit down and have a cocktail in there. So I'm gonna say Sanctum as well, only because I love the detail in there. I need about 42 more dark holds because those were really, really good cocktails. That's the one. Come on. One. It's the one with the salted caramel chocolate. And it was amazing. So, yes. Don't judge me from a hangout space. That's probably my favorite on board.

Yeah.

How about you?

Judging by the 42 drinks you had there, it clearly was your favorite.

Okay, it was only 24, but still.

So I love the Haunted Mansion parlor, but spaces that are unique to the Destiny. I wish I could have spent more time in Cask and Canon. And by more time, I also mean getting to experience the menu, the food menu in Kask and Canon. We tried a few of the items one night, like right after dinner. But I'd like to go back and try that again, you know what? I was gonna say sanctum. But as I'm quickly sort of like, flying through the ship, I found my. I'm. I'm. I really like how Saga can be so many different things in the exact same space. It's where you can go play bingo. It's where you have the Marvel show. It's where you've got the Maleficent show. You can sort of sit in the back, in. In sort of those little banquettes, or sit upstairs, be a little bit far removed from it, and just sit and have a conversation and a cocktail. So I. I do really like, and I think on this ship, they've really utilized that space really, really, really well. All right, Lightning round. Question. Of all the cool, different stateroom themes, if you could pick, don't forget about what deck it is like, because, Becky, we know where you. What. What theme and what room and what level you need to be on, but what stateroom theme would you choose if you could just. Just pick one?

I'd probably do Big Hero 6 if I could pick one, because I think that artwork was pretty awesome.

This is why we're friends.

Yeah, yeah, yeah. It was really good.

I was lucky, and I got Mulan, and I really, really love the artwork in there, too. But I do like the big hero6theming. I like the whole San Francisco Tokyo thing. I think that that's great. I heard Brave was really nice, too. I haven't actually.

That's what I had.

Did you. So it would be between Big Hero 6 and Mulan.

For me, what character interaction or story moment just, like, wowed you the most?

Celebration of a King was pretty amazing. I think what I loved is how it closed the loop on the story that the ship started with. So, you know, you have this moment in the beginning with Loki, and then it closes that story. And I think that the way that the lighting and the whole grand hall play into that particular showpiece is really, really impressive.

I loved watching Maleficent speak with people. I loved observing that. I was going to ask, is the Deadpool thing an interaction? Maybe, maybe not. That show was probably my favorite thing on the entire ship. If I could see that show again, that was amazing. But also, like, Loki, too. He was good. He was really good. So I just gave you three or two and a half.

And finally, if somebody is trying to decide whether the Destiny is the right ship for them, what would you tell them?

I mean, I think if you're a Marvel fan, that's clear. So don't even go any Farther. If character interaction is a big part of your cruise experience, I would say you need to do the Destiny. The biggest thing I've been asked is how does it compare to the Treasure? And for that answer, I have to experience it as a guest to really know, because I've spent a lot more time in the Treasure than I have.

Which is why I'm not asking you the relatively unfair question, which is where does the Treasure, where does the Destiny rank for you in the Disney Cruise line fleet? Because I don't feel I can answer it appropriately without having a lot of ifs it.

Yeah.

Or having to ask a lot of qualifying questions. Because I think that the answer comes with what you personally want to experience. So I think that's a great question Serena is asking. You know, if character interactions are a big part of what makes a vacation for you on board a Disney cruise, then it's an absolutely no brainer if you're an adult that wants more time in adult spaces. I think that this is definitely a better choice than. Than the other two. Just because those adult spaces are. They thought through it a little bit more, I think so. I think you just have to ask a lot of qualifiers because I think different people are going to look at that differently.

Wait, wait. I have a great idea. Ready? Ready.

Okay.

Why don't you book a trip for the three of us? Do like a little girls week. Like, the three of us will go. We'll stay in the incredisuite, Right?

Yes.

Which we didn't even talk about. Like the incredible suite and the iron man.

The iron man.

Like, get the suite in the back. It'll be. Becky, it'll be great from a coverage perspective so you can show people what that suite looks like. And we'll do a little girls weekend and it'll be so much fun.

Yes.

The spa we'll get done.

We get a two bedroom suite. You're on the couch and Serena and I are in the two rooms.

Even care. That's fine.

Yeah. I could be on the floor.

Be careful because something like that is very doable. So we do have 50% offs from our adventure cruise there. Lou.

If you can dream it, we can do it. I'm just saying Walt would have wanted it this way.

Yeah, absolutely. I need very little persuasion to be financially irresponsible. Let me just say that it doesn't take much.

Well, it is. Look, it is a big, beautiful ship. We covered a lot, yet we still didn't cover a lot. There's a lot more that we can Chat about. Certainly if you have any questions about it, you can go to the Clubhouse over at www.radio.comclubhouse on Facebook. Post your question there, we'll answer it. Hit me up on Instagram at Lou Mongello. Or call the voicemail at 407-900-9391, which is 47900, WDW1. Ask your question or give if you've been on the Destiny, let us know your thoughts. If you want to book your own cruise on the Destiny or any of the Disney Cruise Line fleet or anywhere on this big blue beautiful planet of ours, go visit Becky menken over@m MouseFanTravel.com and then go and see Serena over at living by disney.com and on the Ticky talks and on Instagram. Anything else? Any final words of wisdom or.

I have a question for you. How does it rate in terms of chicken tenders? If you have to rate the top three ships for chicken tenders, what wins?

So to show you just to evidence just how exhausted I was, I was, I was counting down to chicken tenders like for weeks. I was so excited because we know for a fact science has proven this. The chicken tenders that you get through complimentary room service are different and better than they are anywhere else on planet Earth. I don't know why I was so tired the first two nights. I couldn't even like stay awake to do it. On the third night, I'm like, I don't care if it kills me. I am getting chicken tenders. I sat on my little bed with my chicken tenders. Big Hero 6. You should have seen this stupid little grin on my face. I was just so happy. It is the little things. Of all the incredible moments that I had on Disney Cruise Line, sometimes it is the simplest things that make me happy. Whatever magic Disney has because I think that they are consistent across the fleet. So whatever sort of magic kitchen they are originally crafted from and then ported out onto the ships, I'm telling you, the chicken tenders late night will change your life forever. They have changed mine. Just as you both have by being here. Thank you. First of all, listen, I went on this trip solo, but I was not alone. We ate together, we worked together, we played together. In fact, he's tanks she drank together. So thank you guys so much for being here. Any last words of wisdom before we go book early?

The biggest thing with with Disney Cruise line is when they release you get the rock bottom prices and it only goes up from there. So if you know you want to book A trip. Do it now. And of course it's fully refundable deposits unless you're after final payment or in a concierge. However, you can book it, you can cancel it if you need to, but you will lock in the lowest available rates. And I cannot emphasize that enough because you'll see a change from the day it releases to a week out. Can be up to 800 or a thousand dollars per person. Higher.

Just book it. Just go. Go for it. Come on. You know you want to. No, just. Yeah, just. Yeah, I just highly recommend it. I think it was. It's just fantastic.

Well, thank you guys, again. I agree. Just book it. The Disney Destiny is a special ship in a special class on a very special cruise line. Becky Menken from Mousefin Travel. Serena Lynn from Living by Disney. Thank you so very much for being here. If you can snap your fingers, be on board and eat one item in any one restaurant, what it's going to be go.

What is this eat thing?

I want a darkhold.

Oh, wait, it comes with the chocolate. So yeah, I would eat the chocolate from the dark hole that I would be drinking in the sanctum.

Becky likes a little liquid lunches. Liquid lunches.

You can eat the lipstick. So that's true. I mean, come on.

That's true. I'd probably go for a Donald's Cantina bowl right now on the deck. Watching some funnel vision right now.

Yeah, one of those tacos. Remember when they built that taco for you, Lou, and you couldn't even shove it in your face. It was so big.

It was more like two giant calzones. But oh, the barbecue's all. I love Deck 11. I love Festival foods. So I'll have a little bit of barbecue. I'll also take a cheeseburger. I want a cheeseburger. No, I want a hamburger. What movie? It's Caddyshack. You'll never would have got a cheeseburger. I want tacos from Donald's Cantina. I'd like a little bit of banana soft serve ice cream. Oh, and then I want to go back for late night pizza.

Yeah.

I'm not kidding.

I didn't even go in there.

You didn't even. We didn't even get. We didn't even talk about it.

We didn't even.

Let's do a supplement. Let's do a supplemental cruise and we'll do a supplemental live show and discussion.

All the things we didn't get to. If we really talked about it all though, it'd be the length of a cruise. Just L we'd be like just day three cruise day three of the podcast cuz Lou says I'm live and I don't care. I'm talking about whatever I want to talk about.

Oh by the way too, we also forgot the ship actually goes to ports of destination.

Yeah whatever. It doesn't matter. You don't care where it goes, just.

Get on the ship. Some of them have a double dip though where you get the cast away and lookout key.

So hey that is nice.

Becky, get off the phone and start.

I know I might have a browser open right now to the Destiny pricing. I might. That's all I'm saying.

That's going to do it for this week's show. Thank you so much for taking the time to listen and being part of the WW Radio family. I am so grateful to and for you. Hope that you found some magic. Got some questions answered in this week's show. If you have any more questions about the Disney Destiny, you can email me louwwradio.com come to the clubhouse over at www. Radio.com clubhouse or message me over on Instagram. I'll be happy to answer them for you. I also have a lot more content to share from the Destiny, including more videos and reels that I'll be posting on my Instagram. I also have a number of interviews that I conducted while I was on board with imagineers and executives and crew members and cast members. Again, I'll be sharing those both as videos, maybe even as some bonus podcast content as well. So stay tuned and you can always ask questions about the Disney Destiny, Disney Cruise Line or anything at all on our Wednesday Night Live show every Wednesday at 7:30pM PM Eastern on Facebook and YouTube. I hope that you enjoyed this week's show. You feel better because of it and if you do, please help spread the word, share the show and tell a friend. And thank you again for the opportunity to be on the Disney Destiny on the most recent cruise. None of this happens without your love, friendship and support and for that I am so very grateful and of course huge thanks to Disney Cruise Line for the opportunity to be on the ship and cover it for you. So until next time, remember to be connected, choose the good, be the good. Set an example for others by your words and your actions. Have an amazing day and even better tomorrow. So until next time, I love you. I appreciate you. See ya. Well, it sounds pretty good. In fact, that's just the right spirit.