Setting sail with Mickey and friends on the Disney Adventure
More magic, rides, and shows at sea
By Cathy Rose A. Garcia, Editor-in-Chief
(Part 2)
SINGAPORE — Four nights aboard the Disney Adventure might seem like a long time to spend on a ship that has no destination.
But I quickly discovered that you shouldn’t underestimate Disney Cruise Line’s (DCL) commitment to delivering top-notch attractions, entertainment, accommodations, food, and service.
Most people think of the Adventure only as a floating theme park. For me, it was more of a storybook. It’s up to you, the guest, to decide what kind of story you want to step into on a particular day at sea.
Four nights didn’t seem like enough time to experience everything the Adventure had to offer.
ROLLER COASTER AT SEA
When I found out I was going on the Adventure, I knew I wanted to go on the Ironcycle Test Run — the DCL fleet’s first roller coaster. It is also the longest roller coaster at sea at 250 meters.
The Ironcycle is located at the Marvel Landing on the ship’s top deck, along with more family-friendly rides inspired by Groot from Guardians of the Galaxy and Ant-Man.
The ride was closed for the first two days of sailing. On the third day, it was still closed for most of the day, but opened briefly to allow select guests to ride it. Luckily, I was one of those.
Before going on the ride, we were asked to leave our bags, including phones. This means you’re unlikely to see any first-person POV TikToks about this ride.
The Ironcycle looked pretty tame from below, but once the ride began, my heart started racing. The first lap runs on automatic speed control, but on the second, the rider in front takes the throttle, which turns the ride into a heart‑pounding dash. I screamed as the track twisted and at one point made me feel as if I might just launch off the rails straight into the sea.
It was a fun ride, and I do hope the Ironcycle will be fully operational for future trips.
ENTERTAINMENT
Disney is known for world-class entertainment, and I am happy to report that the shows on the Adventure did not disappoint.
There were several live shows in the open-air spaces like Avengers Assemble, a high‑octane show featuring Marvel superheroes performing stunts, Duffy and The Friend Ship, and Moana: Call of the Sea.
At the Walt Disney Theater, guests are treated to Broadway-style live shows — Disney Seas the Adventure and Remember. It’s a stunning venue that made me forget I was on a cruise ship.
Developed exclusively for the Adventure, Remember follows Wall-E as he tries to restore Eve’s lost memories. It’s a heartwarming show that’s guaranteed to leave hardly a dry eye in the theater.
The highlight of the sailing would have to be the fireworks show, The Lion King: Celebration in the Sky. For around 10 minutes, fireworks lit up the night sky with The Lion King soundtrack playing in the background.
DISNEY DINING
Guests won’t go hungry on this cruise. If anything, you’ll probably gain a few pounds trying out all the free dining options included in your cruise fare.
For breakfast, guests can go to the buffet at the Enchanted Summer Restaurant and Pixar Market, or have a sit-down meal at the Navigator’s Club.
For lunch, I tried some of the quick-service restaurants like Stitch’s Ohana Grill (try the Korean-inspired Gochujang Burger), Mowgli’s Eatery, and Gramma Tala’s Kitchen (try the Huli-huli chicken).
The Disney Cruise is known for rotational dining, which means guests are assigned to a restaurant for dinner every night of the cruise. This allows guests to try at least three or four sit-down restaurants during their trip.
The food was good enough, but it was seeing the Disney VIPs — Mickey, Minnie, Donald, and Daisy — perform at the Hollywood Spotlight Club that made dinner more fun than usual.
However, the most memorable dinner was at the Animator’s Table, where guests are asked to draw a figure on a paper placemat. The figures drawn by guests were turned into animation and shown at the end of the dinner. We were all thrilled to see our drawings come to life, and our names in the closing credits under “guest animators.”
If you’re in the mood for a more elevated dining experience, you can have omakase or teppanyaki at Mike and Sulley’s or Italian favorites at Palo.
For a nightcap, head over to Buccaneer Bar, Tiana’s Bayou Lounge, Spellbound, or the hidden speakeasy-style bar inside the Marvel Style Studio.
MEETING MICKEY AND FRIENDS
If anything, this entire trip felt like a balm for my inner child, and managed to erase some of my doubts about the cruise experience (or at least about Disney Cruises).
For a few days, my only worry was booking meet-and-greets with the Disney characters. I chatted and snapped photos with Captain Mickey and Captain Minnie. Goofy even grabbed my hand and playfully spun me around. The Disney Princesses took time to talk, while Baymax engulfed me in one of his squishy hugs.
If you want to meet the princesses, book the Royal Gathering where you can meet three of them at once — Jasmine, Ariel, and Snow White.
For the best chance of seeing the most characters, make sure you linger in the main areas on embarkation day — you’re sure to bump into most of them.
ACTIVITIES
The Adventure also has a spa and wellness area where guests can have massages, facials, and hair treatments. You can also purchase a day pass to the Rainforest spa area, where you can enjoy the sauna, salt room, steam rooms, heated loungers, and pools with a view of the ocean.
The ship also has dedicated spaces for kids of all ages, including an “It’s a Small World” nursery, Oceaneer’s Club, Edge, and Vibe.
The Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique gives makeovers for kids who want to be princesses or sea captains for a day, while kids and adults can get a Marvel hero makeover at the Marvel Style Studio.
At Town Square, there are activities throughout the day such as drawing and origami tutorials. There are trivia games and karaoke rooms at the D-Lounge.
SOUVENIRS
No trip is complete without buying a few souvenirs. The World of Disney stores had some Adventure-exclusive merchandise like shirts, mugs, bags, and headbands. Everything is priced in US dollars. For instance, a ref magnet costs $15.99, while headbands were $39.99.
At the Treasures Untold shop, there are three Pandora charms that are exclusive to the Adventure.
However, the hottest and perhaps most elusive item was the Evie towel animal plush with a tiny sailor hat, which I only spotted at the concierge-level shop. It is inspired by the towel animals that housekeeping is known to leave in staterooms to delight guests.
CRUISE CONVERT
For a first-time cruiser, the Disney Adventure is probably the best introduction to cruising. The food was good, entertainment even better, and there was so much to see and do, it was hard to find time to sit down and relax.
Of course, take my word with a grain of salt, as I did join the preview sailing with only about a third of the ship’s 6,700 passenger capacity on board, so the crowds were manageable.
I boarded the ship as a skeptic, but the Adventure showed me why so many people go on cruises, especially Disney cruises, around the world.
After four days onboard, it was difficult not to admit that the Disney Adventure had actually worked its magic — turning this cruise skeptic into someone already thinking about the next voyage.
Part 1 of this story can be found here: https://tinyurl.com/yh4war8e
