I have Rapid Fire regrets...
...and it comes with the spiciest prognostications!
We all have regrets, my biggest regret is messing up my DCL Duo Rapid Fire (Episode 362). If you have ever been on the show you have felt the way your voice cracks and knees buckle under the pressure of being subjected to Sam’s arbitrary questions, arbitrary rules, and more than dash of judgement. And as I cruise more often and listen to all the amazing guests on the DCL Duo Podcast, I have an answer to change. It’s my favorite location.
I have so many spots that I love and truly enjoy on a Disney Cruise. I love the Cove Cafe. The cast members there are so fun and welcoming. The conversations in that place are amazing. If you ever in there when it isn’t crazy, the cast members are definitely some of the best to get to know. It’s also a sneaky good place for an adult beverage late in the day. But it’s not the favorite.
I also love Palo! The antipasto, the view, the top shelf service, the amazing main courses, and the soufflé. I also have some of my best core memories dining with my wife in Palo. I flirt with her like we are twenty all over again and it’s become a regular tradition to spend our last dinner there. Did I mention the soufflé? But sadly, it’s also not my favorite.
I love meeting folks by the Quiet Cove pool or Satellite Falls, but they are also not my favorite. I also love the Atrium in the evening. I spent eleven years on active duty in the US military. During that time eight months were running convoys in Iraq. There is something about seeing families celebrate family, and happiness, and freedom that hits me in the feels. I get a little choked up every trip when I’m watching families dancing, laughing, celebrating, and loving the time they're having on the ship. It just makes the Disney Magic come to life for me. And while this is a close number two, it’s also not my favorite.
There is a place where an amazing amount of cast members come together and truly make Magic come alive. Its namesake speaks to every fans heart in a way that no other venue on the ship can, it’s the Walt Disney Theater. Cast members sing, dance, control lighting, move sets, sew costumes, adjust sound, and together they tell stories that move your soul and give you hope that love always triumphs and if you put you mind and heart into it, any dream can come true!
The current lineup of musicals are each special in their own way. Today our job is to predict what is coming next. What stories will bring families together next?
I could just throw on the #TFME and tell you what’s coming next but that would be predictably easy. And I’ll give my best guesses. But we need an expert, we need guest prognosticator. Who do we all know that loves musicals and Disney cruises. That’s right, DCL Duo’s own Sam Kanner! I reached out to our theatre enthusiast and got three amazing prognostications.
The first guess, The Hunchback of Notre Dame. I can see it now, “The Bells of Notre Dame” featuring moving set pieces that end at the iconic towers duplicated into the perfect set piece with sounds and lighting that cause you to lose yourself in the evening Parisian sky. I love this guess and I think Sam’s prognostication will happen… “Someday”.
Sam’s next prediction is the popular one. “I think Encanto is the safer bet”. I agree. The popularity of Encanto came like a breath of fresh air, right when everyone needed it. I have no doubt the cast members of any ship can rise above the “Surface Pressure”. I am excited to see the effects created by the lighting/projection team to show us House Madrigal’s many fantastic and imaginative rooms! And the costume design teams work to make the character we don’t talk about come to life on stage! This is destined to be an absolute showstopper across the fleet.
Sam’s last speculative guess is the one she believes, “they’d want to do”. The Princess and the Frog. And while the frogs and gators would present some challenges I think the folks at DCL and WDI can overcome. It is such a fantastic story and if ended up on the Wonder departing from New Orleans they’d be “Almost There!” The cruise line would have to just “Dig a Little Deeper” to make this one a reality soon!
Sam, thank you for your expert advice as a theatergoer, lover of musicals, and fellow believer in the power of #TFME!
<Slips on #TFME, cracks knuckles over keyboard and…>
I have a couple of shows I think are coming to the cruise line, some sooner than later. First I’d like to put the flag in the ground on a prediction for the Disney Adventure - “Mulan.” Listen this musical is well overdue to join the roster of Disney classics that have been featured in the WDT. True to “Your Heart,” “Reflection,” and “I’ll Make a Man Out of You” are highlights of this iconic late 90s score. And by now if you know me, you know I love the puppetry, so let’s get Mushu in the mix.
The next show I’m prognosticating for Disney Cruise Line is not a feature length animated film, but an absolute Disney classic. No “Jolly Holiday” is complete without “A Spoonful of Sugar” …that’s right “Mary Poppins” <in my best Burt>. Mary Poppins has been done as a stage show before with a Third revival in the UK just this year. I was actually blessed enough to catch the original Broadway version touring at the Kennedy Center in DC back 2010. It was fantastic and continues to sell out box offices around the world year after year for good reason. Let’s see it come to the Walt Disney Theater.
Before my final prediction I would like to share some honorable mentions. I would really love to see “Pocahontas,” but there are so many characters based on small animals. I just think it would be a bridge too far. I would also like to mention “Peter Pan.” I think with some updating we could see a great musical on one of the ships, and with the way the Oriental Land Company loves to celebrate this beloved franchise still today, we may see it on their new ship. I also have to say that I absolutely can see any of Sam’s predictions coming to current or new ships in the fleet.
My last prognostication involves a musical that would debut on DCL “For the First Time” and would be a hit “Sure as the Sun Turns to Moon”. “Tarzan” the musical would be perfect for the Walt Disney Theater. Phil Collins, who wrote five songs for the 1999 film, wrote nine new songs for the stage version. And while it only had a 521 performance run (with previews), the acrobatics and songs like “You’ll Be In My Heart” and "Trashin' the Camp" will be favorites for theatergoers of all ages on the cruise line!
What musical do think will come to a Walt Disney Theater across the fleet soon? Comment here on the blog or reach out to @dclduo and @tinfoilmears on socials!