On..."Believe"-ing in Disney's New Cruise Ship

If you had asked 5-Years-Ago Lisa what she thought of cruising, she would have given you this look:

She couldn't have told you why, of course, because she wouldn't have been on a cruise ship in...many years.

But present-day Lisa? Would give you this reaction.

I mean -- all the magic of a Disney vacation without waking up early to book extras, without walking 25K steps a day (hush), without the Orlando humidity? Good food, great customer service, top-notch entertainment AND the added bonus of salt air and no internet, allowing for total disconnection from email?

And there's DOLE WHIP?!

Yes, please.

The point is, we are Disney cruisers now, and I don't even care if that still has a weird stigma attached to it. It brings us joy and we don't yuck someone else's yum here.

On Wednesday -- Josh D'Amaro's first day as the new CEO, coincidentally... -- Disney announced the name of their new Wish-class ship -- the Believe:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aALMyOk2FuQ

She sets sail in late 2027, so look for me to book a Spring Break 2028 trip...unless The Disney Powers That Be want to invite me to their preview sailings...(I KNOW it's not going to happen, but what's life without a little whimsical delusion).

Anyway, the use of the IPs in the video seems interesting...and could be intentional? Perhaps I've spent too much time clowning for Reputation vault tracks and consuming Swiftie content and now see everything as an Easter Egg...but I'm not alone!

I came across this on Threads, and it got me thinking -- this is a fun, speculative game to play. What if the featured IPs are clues as to the theming of key spaces on Disney cruise ships? Which ones would be which spaces?

To recap first: here are the key spaces on Disney ships and a list of the featured IPs in the announcement:

The theme for this ship seems to be loosely inspired by "believing," the name of the ship, and seems to be about "promise and possibilities," which is lovely and vague to fit a lot of Disney stories.

I want to start with my personal preferences, which I know are unlikely to come true. Given the name and the key themes, I'd love to see a Walt statue in the Atrium -- maybe a variation of the Partners statue in the parks -- and Tinkerbell spreading pixie dust on the stern. (That one could still happen -- since Tink = Neverland = possibilities -- but Peter Pan wasn't featured in the IP list.) And I doubt they'd do a Walt statue, since the Atrium statues have traditionally been iconic Disney characters, usually easily recognizable, classic ones.

[Breaking down the Atrium statues: so far we have three Fab Five characters (Helsman Mickey on the Magic; Captain Donald on the Dream; Dapper Minnie on the Fantasy); three Disney Animation Studios characters (Ariel on the Wonder; Cinderella on the Wish; and Aladdin and Jasmine on the Treasure); and one MCU character (Black Panther on the Destiny).]

Now, some of the "easiest" spaces to predict are, I think, the exclusive ship show, the rotational dining, and the piano bar.

Let's start with the piano bar. This is a space exclusive to the Wish-class ships, and which I personally love. It's a small bar/lounge, located off the Main Atrium, and offers a secluded, contained space for the piano and the players. (On the smaller ships -- at least the Dream/Fantasy -- the piano is in the Main Atrium and it gets loud at times as the musicians compete against the noise of the people gathered there.)

Each of the piano bars on the Wish class ship so far are directly connnected to a film that features a piano.

On the Wish, you have Nightingales, which is a reference to the piano / song featured in Cinderella.

On the Treasure, you have Scat Cat Lounge, which is a reference to the piano / jazz sequence featured in The Aristocats.

On the Destiny, you have DeVil's, which is a reference to Roger's song in 101 Dalmatians.

So, it's logical to assume that on the Believe, we'll also get a connection to a film that features a piano.

That gives us, I think, 4 options.

The first two -- Oliver & Company and Soul -- aren't featured in the announcement. Doesn't mean anything -- and believe me, my 80s Baby Self would LOVE an Oliver & Company piano bar with a regular Billy Joel/Elton John session, but that's a bit of a deep pull.

There are two films that do feature pianos that are included in the announcement: Snow White and Tangled. Now, my NitPicky Disney Adult Self would like to point out that Grumpy technically plays a pump organ or pipe organ, NOT a piano. That leaves Tangled, where Hook Hand plays the piano -- and honestly? A Snuggly Duckling vibe for that space? With the melody for "I've Got A Dream" over the door? ICONIC.

The exclusive ship show could be another place to narrow down options. We can cross a few off because they already exist: Tangled, The Little Mermaid, Moana, & Frozen. Of the rest, some just don't make logistical sense (to me, mainly because the shows are usually musicals): Inside Out, Monsters Inc, Zootopia, Fantasia, as well as the MCU and Star Wars IPs.

That leaves Snow White (a possibility, but a risky one, unless they redid it, like Cinderella), Nightmare Before Christmas (verrrry niche) and Encanto.

To me, Encanto seems like a fantastic choice -- its popular, has catchy music, and oh the potential for the staging. Think Taylor's Eras Tour house, but make it Casita. Plus, it would also tie into the attraction coming to Animal Kingdom.

Some people predicted that Encanto would be the theme of one of the rotational dining options, the one that currently has a show attached to it. All of the Wish Class ships seem to have 1923 (themed to Walt & Roy's founding of the company), Worlds of Marvel (possibly represented by Groot and Iron Man in the announcement) and another Disney-IP themed restaurant. On the Wish, its Arendelle, featuring Frozen.

On the Treasure, it's Coco, featuring, well, Coco.

On the Destiny, it's Pridelands, featuring The Lion King. Each of these restaurants has a slightly-themed food-menu and a movie-based entertainment show.

And I admit: Encanto does seem a logical choice -- but it's awfully close to the Treasure's Coco restaurant. (Colombia =/= Mexico, but Personally, I'd love to see a Moana restaurant with a Polynesian-themed menu and a show based on the movie(s).

We don't have a lot to go on, and I'm probably entirely wrong, but we're playing by "Whose Line" rules: everything's made up and the points don't matter. I've got two main categories -- a personal wishlist and what I think is likely:

Atrium Statue: Walt + Mickey // Anna + Elsa I'd love to see a version of the Partners statue, or a Tink statue in the Atrium, but if they go with an iconic IP character, it might be from Frozen (maybe even Olaf?)

Stern Character:Tinkerbell // x2 I know Peter Pan and Captain Hook are on the Treasure, but Tink transcends them. If she's not going to have an Atrium statue, she should get her right on the back of the boat

Rotational Dining #1: 1923*

Rotational Dining #2: Worlds of Marvel*, but maybe with a new Iron Man based show? *Given that these are on all 3 of the other Wish class ships, I'd love to see something different, but the footprint is there, and I don't think Disney would change much

Rotational Dining #3: Moana // Encanto I'd love to see Moana as a rotational dining option with a Polynesian-inspired menu, like at Wailulu. But the potential for an Encanto themed Casita restaurant is there.

Piano Bar: Tangled // Snow White

I desperately want a chic NYC-themed Oliver & Co piano bar, but also a Snuggly Ducking bar. And the piano connection just makes sense. If it's not going to be Soul, it should be Tangled.

Central Bar / Lounge: Snow White //

This one was tricky. This is a cozy space, where a lot of family activities, trivia, and music take place -- so it should have a broad appeal. The post above said Inside Out, but that seems too bright and chaotic, IMO. I could see this being a Star Wars space, like Ogas...or maybe something like Wandering Oaken's from Frozen. Actually...that would be cool.

"Hidden" Bar: Star Wars Hyperspace // Nightmare Before Christmas

I think this could also be the Hyperspace Lounge+ -- like the space on the Wish, but with improvements -- but given the popularity of the Haunted Mansion parlor, NBC seems an easy variation of that theme.

Two Story Entertainment Space -- Fantasia

This is more of a vibe than a direct tie-in to IP...I think it's Luna's on the Wish, and it's Saga (???) on the Destiny. So again, loose theming with a Sorcerer Mickey connection could work here.

Interior Bar / Lounge: Little Mermaid (Eric's sailing ship) // Star Wars?

This space always has a vaguely nautical theme on the ships, and The Little Mermaid is one of the only ones that fits that bill, but it could also be an Oga's type space...]

Ship Exclusive Show: Encanto // ??

If we don't go with an Encanto restaurant, this seems like an obvious choice. If we do, then it seems overkill to have both, so I don't know what we'd go with. Maybe a Snow White reboot?

Sweets / Treats: Monsters Inc or Frozen?

Given that ice cream is heavily featured here, I could see Frozen working here, maybe an Olaf connection. Monsters Inc is represented on the 4 smaller ships by Mike's "Eye-Scream" -- so it could be a logical extension here.

Kids Club Theming: Inside Out / Toy Story / Zootopia

On the Wish-class ships, the Kids Club has a slide-entrance off the Atrium -- so Inside Out (the memory tubes) or Zootopia (the train...?) could make sense. I like Inside Out here. Toy Story could make sense too, if a little on the nose.

Of course, these could just all be hints as to room themes, so...What do you think? Do you agree with my selections?

Of course, all this could be for naught, and the IPs could just be, like, the themes of the rooms.

I guess we'll find out in a couple of months as more details start to trickle out!