A Mysterious Adventure in Singapore…
What's Going on with the Disney Adventure?
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The Disney Adventure, the ship Disney Cruise Line (“DCL”) purchased out of bankruptcy when Bob Chapek was still at the helm, is still a complete mystery. We are a month removed from D23 and as of this last week, you can book cruises on the Disney Destiny through next May. But there’s a knot in the line I keep focusing on, the Adventure is supposed to sail before the Destiny and I don’t think it’s going to happen.
We’re missing so much information about the Adventure, especially in comparison to the Destiny. We don’t have an Atrium/Grand Hall character, or a stern character. We also know very little info about the venues aboard. Apart from renderings of the new “Imagination Garden” that will span the center of the ship (much like Royal Caribbean’s “Central Park” on its Oasis Class ships), Mowgli’s Eatery (a “Jungle Book” themed eatery that will serve Indian Food), and Gramma Tala’s Kitchen (a quick-service restaurant showcasing the diverse flavors of the Pacific and Asia), we are left simply with a cryptic “map” that Disney shared many months ago now and what we know of the original plans for the Global Dream (the name of the ship at the time Disney purchased it out of Bankruptcy).
Given the lack of information coming from Disney Cruise Line #TFME is ready to predict three venues onboard:
A deck attraction similar to the Aqua Duck/Mouse we know and love today. Maybe themed uniquely to the region and easily transferable if Disney ever decides to change the ships market.
A theater style attraction like Soarin’ or Flight of Passage. Both attractions have a trackless design with upkeep that suits a cruse ship better than anything with animatronics or mag lift movers. S
Some type of escape room(s). I think it would be best to run a few unique ones. The first, a traditional Disney/Fab Five story design for the family, something that incorporates the Mouscatool as an assistant; and a Star Wars design is also easy here, but this time with assistance from BB-8. You ask for a hint, you get beeps and boops, and then a hologram tells you to try “this” next. (Note: Royal Caribbean has already incorporated escape rooms onto several of their Oasis Class ships - so this is not a stretch.)
I would also love to see a Pirates of the Caribbean, maybe a revisit to the Cave of Wonders, something with Indiana Jones, and lastly lets go on an adventure with Scrooge McDuck akin to a Duck Tales and the Lost Lamp.
The lack of announcements aside, I keep hearing the community say the market is different and that’s why Disney hasn’t put out more info yet. I’m not convinced. Even with a bigger market, Disney is about to introduce its largest ship yet, on the heels of high prices and scheduling that kept the Treasure’s maidan voyage from selling out as fast as the Wish. Asia is also a brand new market overall for Disney Cruise Line.
Setting aside the lack of announcements, another challenge for DCL remains. How will the Adventure even get to Asia? Traffic in the Red Sea and Suez Canal is at an all time low as a result of ongoing attacks on vessels using the Canal. I don’t want to dwell on this anymore than we have to, so I’m going to leave this link as evidence for my conclusion.* So, how does Disney get the ship to their new market? The Bridge of the Americas doesn’t have the clearance to allow several ships is the fleet, but perhaps DCL is planning for a Panama Canal Crossing (which could open some interesting possibilities for sneak peaks of the ship for those of us in the U.S.)? So how close is it? We are talking only a foot or two of clearance, if the Adventure has it.
Alternatively, the ship could sail through the Drake Passage or around the south of Africa. While it seems like a long shot, some cruise lines have sailed those routes before - most recently Royal Caribbean’s Serenade of the Seas sailed both the Drake Passage and around the south of Africa as a part of the Ultimate World Cruise. The south of Africa route was taken to avoid using the Suez Canal. Sailing the Drake Passage would also open the possibility of introducing Disney Cruise Line to the Brazil audience - a market Disney has increasingly been showing interest in, even hosting D23 and Run Disney events this year.
Lastly, the North Arctic around Russia to the Pacific doesn’t seem like a viable route.
With so many unknowns, the Adventure remains a mystery. What are your thoughts? Do you think a delay is coming? What venues and entertainment do you think we’ll see onboard (we know Deadpool and the Avengers are due to play a big role based on DCL’s announcements). How do you think DCL will get the Adventure to Asia? Are you planning to set sail on the Adventure? So many questions and we can’t wait to hear all the answers!!
*The DCL Duo and #TFME hold out hope for peace in the region and are grateful for those in the allied coalition trying to stabilize the situation.
We did see a lot of advertising for the Adventure in Australia but it has gone quiet. Singapore is not too far for us (by our stds) so it is expected to attract us.