Disney Treasure: 4 reasons it’s my new favorite ship in Disney’s fleet

Disney Cruise Line has done it. Disney Treasure, a new ship designed for seven-night adventures, has reset the bar for top-of-the-line Disney cruise adventures. It’s certainly my new favorite ship in the line’s fleet.

The cruise line found inspiration in the settings of some of Disney’s most-loved stories, such as “Aladdin,” and classic theme park attractions, such as Haunted Mansion and Jungle Cruise, and brought them to the sea on the new Disney Treasure, which officially sets sail on its maiden voyage later this month.

But that’s just the beginning of what puts Treasure in a class of its own.

I’ve sailed on (almost) every Disney Cruise Line ship, including both of its newest ships — Disney Wish and now Disney Treasure — so I’ve seen what this cruise line can do. Here are four all-new offerings you’ll find only on Treasure that, when combined, bumped the ship to the top spot in my Disney Cruise Line fleet lineup.

Surprise! I’m not going to start by telling you how much I love the new Haunted Mansion-themed bar on Disney Treasure, though I do enjoy it.

What has catapulted Disney Treasure to favorite Disney ship status isn’t any one bar, restaurant, space or attraction. Instead, it’s the experience you live from bow to stern via the bold yet warm and inviting colors, patterns and textures found throughout the vessel.

While the footprint of Disney Treasure is the same as that of Disney Wish, the look and feel are entirely different. It’s almost like comparing the Magic Kingdom and Epcot — they are both theme parks at Disney World but offer entirely different vibes.

Disney Wish is unquestionably beautiful and lovely, but it invokes the story of Cinderella, princesses, storybook castles and fairy tales. While Wish features plenty of intricate detailing, my photos also reveal areas with more plainly colored walls and carpets than I saw on Treasure.

On Disney Treasure, you are met with layers of intricacies set against a backdrop of vibrant details. In fact, it feels like you’ve boarded a vessel that isn’t in search of treasure; it’s already found plenty.

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The jewel tones, rich color palette and thoughtful designs remind you of some of the most adventurous Disney stories. The Grand Hall evokes the fictitious city of Agrabah from “Aladdin,” with its carpet design representing the flowing fountain from Jasmine’s garden. But if you aren’t as into that story, you can just as easily view the space as a nod to destinations like Morocco, Africa and Asia and the spirit of adventurous travel they convey.

You don’t need to connect the design with Disney’s stories to get the full effect — but if you’re a Disney fan, the thoughtful details will take your experience to the next level.

When it comes to the cabins on Treasure, you’ll find similar styling to what you’ll see on Disney Wish.

Fun art and design are balanced with a modern, neutral aesthetic. As much as I love the quartet of older Disney ships (Magic, Wonder, Dream and my one missing ship, Fantasy), the design of those rooms has remained largely unchanged since the late ’90s and early 2000s. They retain a bold nautical design. I vastly prefer the cabins on the two newest ships.

Related: Guide to the Disney Cruise Line ships and itineraries

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I predict that Plaza de Coco will soon become one of the most beloved restaurants on Disney Cruise Line.

The physical setting is unquestionably my favorite of any Disney Cruise Line family restaurant, with its warm party lights, painted chairs, greenery and bright colors that transport you to a plaza in a Mexican village. Like its equivalent on Disney Wish, Arendelle: A Frozen Dining Adventure, the room is large and will be crowded on a normal sailing, but a few key differences set Plaza de Coco apart.

Firstly, the menu is Mexican-themed, with churros, enchiladas and other Mexican specialties.

Not only is the menu here likely to be more popular with families than the Scandinavian menu you’ll find at Arendelle on Disney Wish, but the music and festive live entertainment at Plaza de Coco are also likely to have a broader appeal — and even an emotional impact — than that of the “Frozen” characters who take center stage at Arendelle.

This is not the “Star Wars”-themed Hyperspace Lounge that you’ll find in the same location on Disney Wish. Not to knock Hyperspace Lounge, but the decor was never its strong suit. Now, having experienced the Haunted Mansion Parlor, I’d say it took the concept for Hyperspace Lounge (shown below) and jumped light-years ahead with a truly immersive experience.

The Haunted Mansion Parlor is filled with ambience, details and immersion with no “white space.” The portraits come (un?)alive, and there are so many spooky special effects you won’t notice them all the first time you visit.

For example, where you sit matters because some chairs offer different auditory experiences. Easy-to-miss details (such as written notes) within the dimly lit room reveal new information about the story behind the parlor only during certain “magical moments.”

What I love about this space is that you can choose to enjoy the unique ambience over a smoky cocktail, or you can dive into the details and spend multiple visits during your seven-night cruise examining all the clues dispersed throughout the room.

While I tremendously appreciate the Disney Imagineering and storytelling brought to the Haunted Mansion Parlor, I prefer Scat Cat Lounge for an actual drink and a more traditional bar moment. It won me over with its schedule of live piano music, rich and playful design, and innovative cocktails like the Strawberry Jam, which is made with gin, lime and bitters and comes with a jar of strawberry jam you can add to sweeten your drink.

Scat Cat Lounge is also a good example of a place where the physical footprint isn’t absolutely identical to Disney Wish, as the location of the actual bar within the venue differs from that of its predecessor, Nightingale’s. This allowed for easy placement of some bar stools right outside the main footprint of the lounge at the open-air bar in the Grand Hall, something that Disney Wish was missing.

Skipper Society Lounge and Periscope Pub are two more lounge spaces on Disney Treasure that are inspired by Disney Parks attractions — Jungle Cruise and 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea: Submarine Voyage, respectively.

Both spaces also made my favorites list as they were ripe with interesting details and imaginative cocktails. At Periscope Pub, which makes you feel like you’re aboard a submarine, the ceiling above you looks up into the ocean with ripples, changes in light and creatures swimming by.

You can order a daiquiri that’s topped with a smoke bubble and served in a glass with tentacles for a stem so it looks like a jellyfish. This is another great example of the level of detailing that takes Disney Treasure from good to great.

The best theatrical show on a Disney ship is found on Disney Treasure

I can’t proclaim “Disney The Tale of Moana” as the best theatrical show at sea because I haven’t seen enough other cruise line-produced shows to be certain. However, TPG’s cruise editor and theater buff, Erica Silverstein, assures me that if it’s not the absolute best, it’s definitely in the top five.

I can, however, enthusiastically give “Tale of Moana” the honor of being the most entertaining, innovative, heart-warming and authentic show I’ve experienced on Disney Cruise Line … and I’ve experienced some great shows.

While I don’t want to spoil any of the show’s best moments by giving too many details here, you should be prepared to cry, laugh and gasp all in the same hour.

Much of that magic is rooted in Disney’s care in involving authentic Hawaiian and Asian-Pacific cultural consultants, actors and dancers in this first major adaptation of “Moana” on the stage. The use of low-tech but elaborate effects, including puppets designed by the same team that worked on Broadway’s “The Lion King,” seals the deal.

If, for some reason, “Tale of Moana” doesn’t become your favorite Disney Cruise Line show, you might find your happy place in Disney Treasure’s other marquee stage show, the iconic “Beauty and the Beast” musical. It used to top my list of the best Disney cruise ship shows — before I saw “Tale of Moana.”

Bottom line

Disney doesn’t just tell stories with its words and movies, it does so with settings, music and immersive activities. From the moment I stepped into Disney Treasure’s Grand Hall to be welcomed aboard the ship to the moment I sadly stole one more glance back before fully stepping ashore, the entire ship felt unique, warm and an invitation to adventure.

Some essential details you can’t possibly miss, while others only reveal themselves when you stop and take it all in (such as a nod to each of Disney Cruise Line’s six ships on the lanterns around the chandelier centerpiece).

During my time on Treasure, I didn’t feel like I was visiting someone else’s castle; I was living my own adventure. And I very much hope to experience it on a full seven-night cruise someday.

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