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Like its sister ships, Disney’s Wish, which debuted earlier this summer, certainly has no shortage of family-friendly areas and activities.
But for many young passengers, one of the biggest highlights of any Disney Cruise Line experience is the ship’s signature Ocean Club Kids Center, where kids ages 3 to 12 get free reign to explore interactive play areas and participate in activities and games. Parents.
As a result, it’s no surprise that the Ocean Club on Disney’s Wish is one of the ship’s highlights, featuring an unparalleled level of detail and Disney magic.
On the Wish Boat I attended in late June, the space attracted many children and adults, the latter group allowed to explore the children-only space during designated “open house” hours.
The Walt Disney Imagining Lab lets kids discover the secrets of the creative minds behind the magic of Disney. Photo credit: Kent Phillips
A good number of adults used the open houses as an opportunity to tap into their inner child and check out the club slide. The Entrance Slide, an all-new Disney Cruise concept, was an all-ages hit, designed to allow kids to meet club staff on a platform in Wish’s Grand Hall atrium and slide down the opening “rabbit hole.” A few twists and turns emerge one floor below, in the Ocean Club.
An entry slide for parents is also meant to be functional, providing an easy drop-off point in close proximity to several adult-specific areas, including the “Star Wars” themed Hyperspace Lounge, a “Princess and the Frog”-inspired theme park. Bayou Bar and Piano Bar Nightingale.
Another major open house draw is the Ocean Club’s Star Wars: Cargo Bay, a dimly lit, eerie space that instantly transports young guests to a spaceship in a galaxy far, far away. Filled with flashing buttons and rows of knobs and switches, the cargo bay is also home to fictional creatures from the “Star Wars” universe, which, upon closer inspection, are thanks to some very effective and sometimes sketchy animatronic animation.
Strange creatures and legendary characters from the “Star Wars” galaxy take center stage in Star Wars: Cargo Bay. Photo credit: Kent Phillips
According to Danny Hanke, senior creative director of Walt Disney Imagineering, the decision to include both children and adults-only “Star Wars”-themed attractions is a natural extension of the Disney ecosystem.
“If you have a vacation with a three- or four-day cruise on the Disney Wish, you can go to Walt Disney World. [Star Wars] Star Wars: The Galaxy’s Edge Experience,” Hanke said during a panel held as part of Wish’s inaugural cruise event. “Then you can come aboard our ship and experience the more luxurious side of Star Wars in the Hyperspace Lounge. [while] The kids still have their own Star Wars space.
Meanwhile, while Disney Cruise Line’s Cargo Bay is aimed at kids, it understands that “Star Wars” is an all-ages franchise. As a result, in addition to opening the houses, the design of the club allows for more flexible access.
“Some rooms like the cargo bay and the Marvel Super Hero Academy may be closed, so you can invite teens and tweens. [adults]Disney Cruise Line Entertainment Creative Director Denise Case said. (In fact, during the open house I attended, Marvel’s Super Hero Academy, the headquarters of the high-tech superheroes, was blocked off for a media shoot.)
An animatronic critter in Star Wars: Cargo Bay. Photo credit: TW Photo by Christina Jelski
In addition to the “Star Wars” and Marvel environments, Wish’s Oceaneer Club features a Disney princess-inspired fairytale area and a small nautical-themed play area for the little ones, Mickey and Minnie’s Captain’s Deck. The Walt Disney Imagineering Lab is also home to brightly lit walls of Disney memorabilia and digital tablets scattered around tables where kids can design their own roller coasters and make various other discoveries.
As for my family, the Wish Ocean Club passed our own litmus test with flying colors. After my 4-and-a-half-year-old son, new to both cruises and the concept of kids’ clubs, was talked into trying the Ocean Club, it took a lot of convincing (and a bit of bribing). to make it go.
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