Hey Disney Cruise friends! You know I love a good Disney debate, and this week, I have been watching one unfold that I think is worth bringing to our DIS community. When Disney Cruise Line first began, each new ship seemed to arrive with its own personality. There were special features, dining experiences and little details that made each vessel feel like its own adventure, and just as we have favorite Disney parks and favorite resorts, DCL fans quickly developed favorite ships. I have seen some pretty heated debates over the years about which vessel was superior and, more importantly, why. It was always fascinating to hear what different families valued about each ship and what made them want to return.
Fast forward to this week and the much-anticipated reveal of the Disney Believe. After days of puzzle-solving clues and carefully planted hints, fans were understandably excited to finally see what Disney had been keeping under wraps. And then came the announcements of a Frozen-inspired table-service restaurant and a Haunted Mansion-themed parlor. Now, I will say right here that I am not against either of these ideas. In fact, if you know me, you know I will happily investigate just about anything Disney puts in front of me. But as I watched the reveal and followed along with the reaction afterward, I couldn’t help noticing how quickly the comment section filled with disappointment from fans who felt they had seen versions of these ideas before, most recently aboard the Disney Wish. For many of the people watching, the issue wasn’t that these were bad concepts. It was that they weren’t new enough.
And I can actually understand both sides of this one. Personally, I am probably the easiest DCL fan in the world to please right now. Since the Disney Wonder has sailed away from Australian shores, I don’t have the same easy access to Disney Cruise Line that I once did, so give me an announcement and I am all in. I am pawing over the details, studying the artist renderings and mentally planning a future sailing before Disney has even finished telling me what’s onboard. But I also have friends who spend considerably more time at sea than I do, and I completely understand why their expectations are different. Disney Cruise Line has some incredibly dedicated guests who have sailed more times than I can count, and when you have experienced ship after ship, seeing another Frozen restaurant or another Haunted Mansion-inspired experience can feel less like a brand-new adventure and more like a familiar formula with a new name attached.
This is where I think Disney has an interesting challenge ahead of it. There are so many stories, characters and worlds in the Disney universe that the possibilities should feel almost endless, so why are we seeing certain ideas repeated rather than giving each new vessel its own collection of draw cards? I don’t think continuity is necessarily a bad thing. There is something wonderful about knowing what to expect when you step aboard a Disney ship, and I am certainly not going to complain about more Disney storytelling at sea. But I also understand the guest who treats their ships the way I treat the Disney parks. I want each destination to have its own reasons to visit. I want experiences that make me think, ‘I can only do that here.’ Maybe the Disney Believe will surprise us once guests are actually onboard, and perhaps the experiences will feel very different from what we have seen before. But for now, I think this is a fascinating question for the DCL community: are Disney Cruise Line’s newest ships starting to feel a little too similar, or is that sense of familiarity exactly what you want from your Disney cruise?
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