I see dead people. Ballroom-dancing phantasms – the waltzing dead – whirl within a large gold-framed mirror behind a moodily-lit bar area where servers open square boxes with a flourish to reveal spirits of the alcoholic variety.
Eyes of painted portraits move silently, surveying a spooky sanctum dominated by an extravagant aquarium filled with skeletal fish and seahorses swimming above tiny gravestones. “Here lies Ol’ Bobby – served with wasabi”, eulogises one algae-encrusted memorial.
Floating alabaster bones sporadically gleam in whipcracks of lightning as a raven statue caws in the shadows and impressive practical effects realise the doomed love story of a sea captain and his mermaid bride-to-be in 30 minutes of multi-sensory stimulation.
Welcome all ye who dare to enter The Haunted Mansion Parlor, a showstopping drinking den of the dead exclusive to the Disney Treasure… at least until the Disney Destiny launches in November.
Located on deck three of Disney Cruise Line’s latest and undeniably best ship, the capacity-limited bar is open until 9pm for all ages then becomes an adults-only space. The immersion is intoxicating. I feel like I have walked off a Haunted Mansion doom buggy and settled into one of the scenes from the phantasmagorical ride.
Artistic attention is jaw-dropping. Iridescent spectral cyclones magically appear inside swirled bottles of themed soft drink (Creepy Crawly Cola, Grim Grinning Grape, Screaming Soda and Sour Shivers Lemonade) exclusively formulated by the UK-based Potions Cauldron Group.
Suitcases in the parlour’s hallway, stacked beneath Tomb Sweet Tomb embroidery, are secretly monogrammed with the design team’s initials . Flash photography is not permitted here – ghosts are sensitive. The devil’s in the immaculate details (and, possibly, the flickering light fixtures).
Powered by liquefied natural gas, the 1,119 feet long Triton-class ship boasts the same deck layout and operational specs as sister vessel the Wish: 1,256 staterooms including 76 concierge staterooms and suites, a maximum occupancy of 4,000 passengers, rotational dining in three main restaurants, an AquaMouse water coaster propelling two-person inflatable rafts along 760 feet of winding tubes.
However, the captivating storytelling and imaginative theming on the Treasure scales dizzying heights usually reserved for Disney’s parks. Any manifestations of stress tethered to reality evaporate as I dive headfirst into architectural marvels and interactive experiences unified by a theme of adventure.
A main atrium evoking the fictional Arabian kingdom of Agrabah from Aladdin ascends three decks, lit by an ornate, gilded chandelier, which changes colour throughout the day.
From a lofty vantage point on deck five, it’s possible to scrutinise six smaller lanterns encircling the Great Hall’s centrepiece and discover concealed references to icons of the current fleet: Mickey (Magic), Ariel’s clam shell (Wonder), Donald (Dream), Minnie (Fantasy), Cinderella’s glass slipper (Wish) and Genie’s lamp (Treasure).
A fountain design in the carpet at the top of the sweeping staircase that serves the atrium cascades a water effect down two flights, pooling dramatically around Aladdin’s prized trinket.
The lamp’s mouth points towards a life-size bronze statue of the love-struck thief and Princess Jasmine on a magical carpet ride. On the cruise’s final night, a Treasure Found farewell spirals lights embedded in balustrades and balconies upwards from the lamp to the ceiling.
Nearby, cascading tendrils of rowdy, untamed foliage create a verdant canopy in the Skipper Society bar, themed to the tongue-in-cheek Jungle Cruise boat ride, which is renowned for pun-laden live commentary. Irreverence and whimsy perfume the décor, rewarding closer inspection.
Stained-glass blue-and-gold macaw chandeliers in two circular wooden booths are comically counterpunched by jungle hat-shaped light fixtures over the bar. Playful club signage declares: “We serve only the best beer, wine, speciality drinks and bad jokes” and “Today’s Special: yes it is.”
Wooden paddles on one wall, marked 55 and 71, reference the opening years of Disneyland and Walt Disney World, and a double-page spread from The Daily Gnus proffers the headlines Scientists Cry Fowl! and Is Hamlet Much Ado About Nothing?
Crossing a threshold marked Down The Hatch heralds the nautical-themed Periscope Pub, decorated with the 1954 film 20,000 Leagues Under The Sea in mind.
The curved glass ceiling reveals shadows of hammerhead sharks and other underwater creatures swimming overhead and a rug embellished with a giant squid languishes beneath communal bar stools.
A 19th-century steampunk aesthetic savours a submarine door in the ceiling above a semi-circular bar, distressed rivet detailing and a giant pressure gauge with a needle trembling at 718 (the hull number of the Treasure). One fluctuating wall-mounted sensor measures Eel-lectric Volts, another is a Nemo-Meter that oscillates between segments marked Clown-fishing Around and Kraken Up.
Scat Cat Lounge honours the jazz-loving strays from The Aristocats, replete with trumpet door handles and silhouettes of whiskered bandmates at ground level along the entryway’s red walls.
A neon Ev’rybody Wants To Be A Cat sign backlights live music on a baby grand piano adorned with painted paw prints and the bespoke wallpaper camouflages renderings of Roquefort the mouse.
The lounge’s lavish menu of cocktails, spirits, beer and tea infusions purrs loudest with the signature Cat’s Meow ($130/£104), a blend of Angel’s Envy, Amaro Montenegro, Aperol and lemon served in a handcrafted souvenir glass embossed with a feline countenance.
Elsewhere, golden insects secretly nestle atop square lanterns hanging from the ceiling of the octagonal Mulan-themed Jade Cricket Café and two lemmings devour frozen pawsicles beside a private rodent elevator in one corner of Jumbeaux’s Sweets, decorated in candified hues including bubblegum pink striped wallpaper as an extension of the ice cream parlour in Zootropolis.
The 1,274-seat Walt Disney Theatre hosts the world premiere of Disney The Tale Of Moana, adapted by Anna K Jacobs from the 2016 animated odyssey steeped in Polynesian and Pacific Islander culture.
It is the most invigorating theatrical spectacle on any Disney cruise ship and elegantly distils the rite-of-passage of the seafaring heroine portrayed with gusto by Honolulu-raised Kaenaonālaniowaianuhea Kekoa.
Ingenious stagecraft transforms a 15-feet tall physical puppet of rampaging lava monster Te Kā into benevolent goddess Te Fiti during the grand finale without any smoke or mirrors. “We wanted to do something that felt handmade, that embraced the DIY, natural aesthetic,” director and co-choreographer Connor Gallagher tells me after the performance.
Narcissistic giant crab Tamatoa has been gender-flipped to elevate the crazy crustacean’s solo Shiny into a discofied barnstormer worthy of its own ovation. Hei Hei the clumsy chicken, Pua the pig and the coconut-like Kakamora pirates have been reluctantly tossed overboard to trim the running time to a buoyant 60 minutes.
A new video screen-based dinner show in the Worlds Of Marvel restaurant featuring Groot and Rocket is disappointingly brief but using miniature quantum cores on each table to answer multiple choice quiz questions is a fun distraction between courses.
The Plaza de Coco dining experience, exclusive to the Treasure, brings a lump to the throat between authentic Mexican cuisine served on custom plateware inscribed with song lyrics. An image of Miguel and his guitar, stylised as papel picado Mexican art, is quietly concealed in circular tea light holders.
Over two separate nights including a Día de los Muertos celebration, Miguel and kin continue their story from Coco in a room dressed to resemble the film’s Mariachi market square, replete with store frontages and an ofrenda heaving with family photographs, marigold blooms, candles and skulls.
Three of a seven-strong cast are from Mexico and perform songs and traditional dances in-the-round on a gazebo-type stage. Miguel and Hector harmonise “Remember Me” as a duet in English and Spanish for the first time and a hand-operated puppet of Dante the dog as an alebrije guardian parades during the dewy-eyed finale. I see dead people and they overflow with love.
How to plan your trip
Walt Disney Travel Company International (disneyholidays.co.uk; 0800 169 0742) offers a seven-night full-board cruise on the Disney Treasure, calling at Mexico, Grand Cayman, Jamaica and Disney’s Castaway Cay, from £2,703 per person (two sharing). Includes return flights from London Heathrow to Orlando International, all fees, taxes and port charges. Price based on September 20, 2025 departure.
