The Disney Destiny is about to make its maiden voyage with guests, but is Disney’s newest cruise ship a hero or a villain? Let’s dissect the Destiny…

Destiny vs Wish and Treasure

The Disney Destiny is the third ship in the Wish class, following its namesake and the Disney Treasure. The first of the class, the Wish, had a lot of well-publicized issues: a questionable layout, some weak rotational dining venues, and a load of COVID-related delays.

The rotational dining on the Wish is a mixed bag, with Worlds of Marvel being the worst, 1923 in the middle, and Arendelle being the best. We also do not care for the live The Little Mermaid stage show, arguably one of the worst live productions Disney has ever created.

While it was too late after the Wish to change the layout or design of the remaining ships in the class, the Disney Treasure was the redemption. In general, the Treasure had a more coherent theme, desirable venues, and a stronger entertainment lineup.

The Destiny carries a lot of that better recipe over, again offering The Haunted Mansion Parlor and a similar, yet different enough entertainment menu. The theme of the Destiny is “Heroes and Villains”, if that’s even really a theme. Surprisingly though, the collection of offerings onboard don’t feel horribly cobbled together and the overall aesthetic and vibe is more coherent than I expected.

Generally speaking, we are much more pleased with the Disney Destiny than we could have imagined based on the press releases and concept art leading up to the launch. It is far more impressive and beautiful in real life, something that doesn’t always happen when we get to a finished product.

Entertainment

Just like on the Treasure, entertainment is where the Destiny truely shines. One such way is through the storytellers, Zayah and Gamble. They host various experiences throughout the ship, and they kind of follow guests through the whole voyage. These two greet you in the sail away show, pop up in various experiences and shows throughout the sailing, and bid you farewell during Destiny Discovered.

“Getting in Treble” show with Cruella de Vil at De Vil’s piano lounge is another example of great entertainment on the ship. Cruella comes in and interrupts the piano player because the infamous song being played is about her. Zayah and Gamble suggest the guests write her a new song that she will love, and everyone in the lounge is an active participant through a completely improvised song writing process. Cruella comes back in get to react to what the guests created as a group, offering a memorable interaction and an offering that is never the same twice.

Character encounters are much more interactive on the Destiny as well. Cruella has a fashion show in the atrium, Black Panther will free the ship from Loki’s control, and Maleficent has her own show in the Saga lounge, all culminating in opportunities to get a picture with the famous entity.

The Walt Disney Theater stage shows are also present on the Destiny. Returning to this ship is Frozen – A Musical Spectacular, which we think is a solid live stage show for Disney Cruise Line. The perfectly serviceable Seas the Adventure can be found on sailings as well.

The new highly touted spectacular is Disney Hercules. The show starts off slow, but finally picks up at the end, sadly not soon enough to sway me into loving it. Most of the musical arrangements and visuals feel like they’re out of a 1990’s R&B music video. Given that the film is from 1997, and that gospel music is the foundation of R&B, this is not a wholly illogical path, it just didn’t seem to pan out for the creative team.

The show is certainly not bad, but it is perhaps disappointing coming off the masterpiece that is the Moana stage production on the Disney Treasure. I appreciate the artistic risks that were taken, but with a movie that already has such beloved music, you had better absolutely nail the renditions of the songs. Sadly, I felt numbers like Go the Distance and I Won’t Say (I’m in Love) were a shell of their former selves. The new takes were just not as strong as their predecessors and made it feel like necessary components of a Hercules show were missing. It probably didn’t help that I had just seen Hercules on the West End in September, a musical version of the same film that offers more faithful versions of the beloved soundtrack, while still surprising audiences with thoughtful and creative performance concepts that enhance what the film provided.

All that being said, there were things I liked much more about the Disney Cruise Line version of the show. The portrayal of Hades was considerably closer to the source material on the Disney Destiny, and Pain & Panic actually exist as themselves in this adaptation. The puppets and the puppetry were also far superior, a massive feather in the cap of Walt Disney Imagineering and Disney Live Entertainment. The Hydra puppets steal the show, but other movie monsters also appear in creative ways.

On top of these feats, the casting was top notch. Every performer on stage had memorable moments that are burned into my memory, sometimes seemingly succeeding far beyond the material they were provided. Pegasus is sure to wow crowds with his incredible dancing feats, while Hercules, Megara, and the Muses do so vocally.

Disney Hercules just does not compare to Disney The Tale of Moana. It is really hard to follow such a special show with amazing puppets, music, and creative direction. The show is the definition of lightning in a bottle, whereas Disney Hercules felt like it had just as much effort and passion poured into it, but it just couldn’t come together quite as powerfully at the finish line.

The Sail Away Party and Destiny Discovered farewell ceremony have their own flavors as new characters are brought in to fit with the Heroes and Villains theme. The entertainment for Pirate Night is also much stronger on these newer ships than they are on the older ones, no matter which of the three vessels you are sailing on.

Design

The Grand Hall far exceeded my expectations based on the concept art. I was very concerned about an atrium that was such a departure from the 6 ships that had come before it, ditching classic Disney for modern Marvel. I have to say the interior designers really pulled it off. The space does indeed feel grand, enhanced beautifully by the lighting and architectural accents. The chandelier is by far the greatest departure from all of the previous entries, but it somehow works in the space. The colorful carpentry, gold tones, marble, and sandy textures do make for something memorable and indelible.

The Black Panther statue is a reflection of the cultural importance of the film series, the character, and Chadwick Boseman, so of course it means so much to so many people. While I think it is a beautiful piece, the coloring makes it hard to photograph. I think some colorful purple accents or even gold on the suit would’ve helped. Either way, the statue itself is a strong foundation upon which Disney could certainly build later.

The artwork across the ship makes for a large floating art museum of Disney, essentially. There are incredible tile murals, paintings, portraits, and intricate carpeting. The forward carpet art and elevators are Villains-themed, and the aft carpet art and elevators are Heroes-themed.

While they are two venues that most many skip or even miss, Café Merida and Café Megara are very heavily themed, with tons of details that just make you want to spend hours there. They are true hidden gems that don’t get the recognition they deserve. The venues are seemingly dripping with money, showing in microcosm a difference in spending philosophies between this regime and Disney’s last.

In general, it feels Disney is getting back to the theming and details they have been known for in the past, despite everything being so IP-heavy. It is refreshing to see the small details that we may not have seen otherwise, and we really love all of the incredible work and attention that was poured into these spaces. Yes, I’d like more original storytelling, but honestly, I’m just glad to see that the money was spent and the quality standards we expect are being upheld.

Bars & Lounges

Moving on to the bars and lounges on the Destiny, The Sanctum is a Dr. Strange-themed lounge. Designed to resemble the Sanctum Sanctorum on Bleeker Street in New York City, there are several nods to Dr. Strange including the books from Kamar-Taj, the Eye of Agamotto, and even his cape is displayed behind the bar. It is a very open space with a stage as the center point for trivia, live entertainment, or other activities. It’s less busy design-wise, so the focus can be on the various acts and activities, which isn’t a bad thing. The food and beverage menu is very inventive, from the drink that sits on a coaster where it magically levitates and spins, to the self-pouring tea drink, to the offering where electricity shoots through the glass at your fingertips.

This space is different from some like the Haunted Mansion Parlor in that the show comes from the food and beverage alone, allowing you to focus on what’s happening around you or have conversations with family and friends.

Speaking of the Haunted Mansion Parlor, it is completely identical to the venue of the same name on the Treasure. There is an entirely new drink menu though, seemingly in response to the poor feedback on the previous menu. Unfortunately, this lineup was somehow worse. Let’s just say we almost became the 1,000th Happy Haunt after a night of these libations. At least the service was incomparable and very much in-theme. Of course, the interior of the Parlor remains one of the best Disney has ever done, so that doesn’t hurt either.

De Vil’s is the piano bar & lounge on the Destiny. It feels very posh inside, and it does feel like a space that Cruella de Vil would actually enjoy. The couches are lush, and the fixtures are ornate. Plus, the overall color scheme is very bold, much like the famous Disney Villain. There’s lots of fun propping too, including the phone in the case behind the bar and a model of her car. Other details include the Dalmatian spots on the piano, as well as in the lighting over the stage. The piano players on Disney Cruise Line are always top notch and bring any space to life, but this one especially suits them. With the drink menu, Disney also did a good job creating an assortment that fits the theme of this space perfectly. Everything was creative and innovative, and enjoyable to drink on top of it.

Cask & Cannon is the Destiny’s Pirate of the Caribbean bar, which acts as the sports bar. It’s important to understand that this is not similar to the Beak and Barrel at Magic Kingdom, which is so immersive and so heavily themed with incredible details and fun effects.

Given that Cask & Cannon is a sports bar, there are some major differences because it has to work for nearly everyone on the ship, not just a niche group of fans that love Pirates of the Caribbean. At the end of the day, it is place to sit and grab a bit to eat or drink a beer while the game is on. It’s not the place to be fully immersed into this world, but they did absolutely nail the interior design of the space regardless.

The venue is purely themed to the attractions from around the world. For example, the tentacles on the carpet are themed to the Shanghai attraction, and the lights above the bar are themed to the Paris attraction. Another cool aspect we loved is that there are seven ships representing the seven ships in the Disney Cruise Line fleet. The whole space, the propping, the attention to detail, the map across the ceiling, everything was done remarkably well. We also really enjoyed the beverage program, which is rum heavy as you would guess. These drinks were all equally amazing, from the taste to the presentation. It’s all very thoughtful.

Saga is the two-story theater lounge on the ship, where they have family entertainment by day and an adult-only bar by night. The artwork outside of and around Saga is really beautiful with large tapestries, purple crystal lightning, and other details. However, the interior of the lounge was a let down. It looks kind of cheap and plastic-like, to be honest. It didn’t ruin the ship for us, it just did not feel like this space lived up to other areas onboard. Compared to the Wish and Treasure’s Luna and Sarabi, respectively, this interior left something to be desired.

Dining

There are a lot of food venues on the Destiny, and many are returning from previous ships, including Mickey & Friends Festival of Foods. Donald’s Cantina, in our opinion, is the best counter service in all of the Disney parks and resorts around the world. The ingredients used are always very fresh, and their condiment bar cannot be competed with.

While we won’t get too far into other returning restaurant, we do want to give praise to Palo Steakhouse, The Rose, and Enchanté. The Rose has been great on every ship and It continues to be great. We always have phenomenal service from the bartenders and very good selection. We had brunch at Palo during this cruise, and it was very good also. At Enchanté, we sampled pieces from two menus that they will offer and It was an unbelievable meal, perhaps one of the best of our lives. We got to actually meet chef Arnaud Lallement, and I was ecstatic to tell him about how life-changing the meal we had that evening was (as well as two meals we had with his influence at Remy this year on the Disney Fantasy). He didn’t seem to care, but I just needed him to know that his standard and fully-vegan menus were life highlights for myself and my significant other.

We did not get to dine at Worlds of Marvel or 1923 on this preview voyage, and it feels like that was kind of on purpose. Previously, we have reviewed both the night 1 and night 2 menus at 1923, and it was a mixed bag.

For Worlds of Marvel, which is also a two-menu rotation, the food is just awful, almost inedible no matter when you dine there. Disney has to be aware that the rotational dining at Worlds of Marvel is pretty bad, yet still, they will not make any changes. While the video-based shows at the venue are certainly fine, the menus make me unlikely to return until there is change.

The one new rotational dining venue is Pride Lands: Feast of the Lion King. As has been the case with the other dinner show venues on the Wish and the Treasure, there’s a big rectangular stage generally in the middle of a dining room, with a smattering of tables directly around the stage, but then a good number of tables separated by an aisle from the main area, or even worse, sunken far into the back of the venue.

To the credit of Arendelle: A Frozen Dining Adventure on the Wish and Plaza del Coco Coco on the Treasure, they do a good job of having some elements of the show travel around the room so that the people thrown way in the back feel like part of the show or that they can even see the show. Pride Lands didn’t really pull that off as all of the action was just on the center stage.

We had a table right near the front of the stage, so obviously we had a great experience with the show because we could see it. I don’t know what experience the people in the back of the room might have, but imagine if The Lion King is your favorite film of all time and you have booked the cruise mostly to see this experience. Now imagine you are sat at a table way in the back of the room. It would ruin the cruise for me, personally. There has to be some creative solution to reconfigure these dinner show venues in a better way on future ships.

As for the show itself, the performers are incredibly talented, but this is just a musical & dance performance. It is a very simplified retelling of The Lion King, but the performers captivate with their music and choreography.

Food and beverage wise, it was okay. We had some winners and losers, but the majority of dishes were under-seasoned.

The up-charge sweet shop is themed to Edna Mode from Incredibles. Edna A La Mode is the name and it does celebrate the fashionista, but also features Jack-Jack and his love of chocolate chip cookies. The giant statue in the center makes a statement, as does the set of super suits in the display window.

Pools

The layout of all of the pool areas is identical to the other ships in the Wish class. The adult pool area is small and abysmal, with a hot tub shoved haphazardly underneath the tube of the AquaMouse. Hopefully the next class will have a better design and layout.

We still prefer the AquaDuck to the AquaMouse, finding that the screen show on the lift hill does little to enhance the experience, even if it is neat to have different “shows” each day of the voyage.

The Oceaneer Club is the same on all the ships in this class as well, with the only difference the entry area through which the slide and staircase down to deck 2 travel. The Treasure featured The Jungle Book, and the Destiny features Wreck-It Ralph. It’s really cute, and the statues make for a nice entry zone.

Disney is known for their amazing kids clubs, and the Oceaneer Club, Vibe, and Edge on these ships continue on that rich legacy. The programming in these spaces will delight children of all ages, and the spaces are well-appointed.

Staterooms

The last thing we want to review regarding the Disney Destiny is the staterooms. It’s been the same style of stateroom throughout this class, and while we haven’t given them high praise in the past, perhaps it is time to revisit this discussion.

Yes, the staterooms are very clean and modern, something that is often at odds with the rich detail and theme Disney is known for, but some of it is just necessary. It makes these far more functional and comfortable compared to the older ships. Aesthetically, I still prefer the Magic, Wonder, Dream, and Fantasy staterooms, but they aren’t necessarily better than the new ones.

Staterooms are so important because they are your personal place to escape from the hustle and bustle of the ship, and it’s important to have an organized, comfortable, and functional space. The newer staterooms do accomplish that, and it’s possibly one of the strongest aspects of the recent ships.

As for the Marvel-themed Tower Suite, it is not our favorite. We don’t care for it as much as others done in the past (example: the EPCOT-themed suite on the Treasure). As for the Hercules-themed Royal Suite, it’s still a little too plain for our liking, but it would be undoubtedly pleasant to have a private deck with your own jacuzzi.

Final Thoughts

Overall, the Disney Destiny exceeded our expectations. I didn’t expect it to be our favorite ship, but it is higher in the ranking that I would have anticipated. Thoughtful, detailed spaces, creative entertainment, and heartwarming decor make the Destiny another jewel in Disney Cruise Line’s crown.

Hopefully, this trend will continue on with the next two ships in this class, as well as the departures from this series that will be the Disney Adventure and the two new ships in their own class coming in a few years time.

Watch more detailed thoughts of the Destiny below:

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Alice Kennedy