Disney parks take to the seas: How the new Disney Treasure is making magic

If you’re a Walt Disney World or Disneyland fan who’s never been on a Disney cruise, to quote the former Carousel of Progress earworm, now is the time; now is the best time.

Disney Cruise Line’s newest ship, the Disney Treasure, sets sail Saturday on its maiden voyage. It’s the first ship to fully embrace Disney parks with three attraction-themed lounges and a one-of-a-kind suite paying homage to EPCOT.

“The experience that you'll have here is unlike any other of our Disney ships,” Jason Roberts with Walt Disney Imagineering, senior producer on the Treasure, told USA TODAY during a preview sailing. “If you like our theme parks, if you're a fan of Disney ... we're telling these stories here in three dimensions.”

Here’s what parks fans can expect aboard the Disney Treasure:

Haunted Mansion Parlor

Haunted Mansion Parlor is Disney’s first Haunted Mansion-inspired bar.

“We took a seven-minute ride through experience and brought it to a full 45-minute experience inside here,” said Danny Handke, creative director at Walt Disney Imagineering.

The entire room is filled with Easter eggs like the ride’s iconic wallpaper, cobwebbed fixtures, and portraits that eerily transform before guests’ eyes. Depending on where guests sit or stand, they’ll notice different details each visit.

“We have a lot of familiar faces that materialize in the mirror, including Madame Leota and the Hitchhiking Ghosts, so we have some visitors coming on board,” he said. “If you look in the ghost fish tank, there are tombstones of how some of our fish have passed away, just in the classic punny style of the attraction.”

The ornate fish tank, where fishy skeletons mysteriously appear in the center of the room, is new to Haunted Mansion fans, but Handke said it was actually a design late Disney Legend and Imagineer Rolly Crump dreamed up for the Museum of the Weird in the 1960s that never came to fruition. Crump played a huge role in creating the original Haunted Mansion and is honored with a bust statue in the Haunted Mansion Parlor. “Even in our carpet, we have a lot of Rolly’s original designs.”

Other new additions include an original storyline about a captain and his murderous mermaid bride and a new menu of drinks like the Chilling Challenge, which Haunted Mansion fans may recognize as a line from the attraction.

Skipper Society

Just outside Haunted Mansion Parlor, guests will find the Jungle Cruise-themed lounge, Skipper Society.

“This is where our skippers come to unwind. This is sort of their clubhouse,” explained the project’s creative director, Megan Moore, with Walt Disney Imagineering. “Our servers are all sort of telling the same kinds of jokes and that sort of thing, so you really do feel like you've just stepped off of the ride.”

Signage at the bar also leans into the ride’s classic, corny humor with lines like, “Today’s special: Yes, it is” and “Be sure to tell your friends about Skipper Society. It will help us keep crowds down.”

During the day, Moore said guests will hear the same background music that’s in the queue for the ride. “And then, if you hang out in that corner, you'll hear some of the announcements coming from the radio as well.”

A canopy over the main seating area evokes the feeling of being on a Jungle Cruise boat.

Karyn Poore, a set decorator with Walt Disney Imagineering, shared another Easter egg: “Our very own Ems Empress is named after the Ems River, which is where the Treasure first made its way out to the ocean. So there's also, along with attraction references, Disney Cruise Line references.”

Photos on the walls also have meaning.

“If you look closely, some of them are project team members,” Poore said. “We kind of did a fun little skipper day and really wanted to pay homage to the great Imagineers and cast members that helped us.”

Periscope Pub

Periscope Pub is the ship’s sports bar, but it’s built like a submarine from 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea.

“We've taken inspiration from all the different attractions and the film, and there's even a couple little Easter eggs from the book,” said Tim Hall, senior design manager with Walt Disney Imagineering.

Younger guests may not have seen the 1954 film or remember Magic Kingdom’s 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, which closed in 1994, but there’s still a popular 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea ride at Tokyo DisneySea and Les Mystères du Nautilus, a walk-through attraction at Disneyland Paris.

“I think that once they've seen the space, they'll have a lot more questions about the origins of it, the different propping and graphics that we've incorporated into the submarine exploration,” said Alexis Cummins, principal graphic designer with Walt Disney Imagineering. “Maybe that'll pique their interest to go and perhaps read the Jules Verne text or see the movie.”

Hall’s favorite Easter egg is a depth and pressure gauge behind the bar.

“The depth markings, which are on the top, represent the different hull numbers of all the ships in the fleet so far, and the dial is pointing to 718, which is the hull number for the Disney Treasure,” he explained. “Then, at the bottom of the gauge, we have the latitude and longitude that represents Meyer Werft, which is where the ship was constructed. And there's some other numbers on there as well that maybe some eagle-eyed fans will be able to figure out.”

Another Easter egg is seen on screens in the ceiling.

“You'll see creatures of the deep above you, so it really does give you that sense that we're underwater. You'll see fish swimming by, sharks, all this different wildlife,” Cummins said. Imagineers filmed those scenes at EPCOT and during the Disney Treasure’s sea trials before crossing the Atlantic.

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EPCOT-inspired Tomorrow Tower Suite

While Periscope Pub, Skipper Society and Haunted Mansion Parlor are open to all guests until 9 p.m., when they become adults-only, only a select few people will be able to experience the ship’s EPCOT-inspired Tomorrow Tower Suite, which Disney Cruise Line calls the “pinnacle of luxury.”

Located inside the forward funnel of the Disney Treasure, the two-story concierge-level suite features a private elevator, spiral staircase, living room, dining area, and wet bar and pantry. It has 4.5 bathrooms and “comfortably” sleeps eight people in two main bedrooms, a children’s room, and a library that also doubles as a bedroom.

Its nods to EPCOT include geometric patterns in the wallpaper and flooring, Figment figures, artwork resembling an early rendering of Progress City – Walt Disney’s original vision for the Experimental Prototype Community of Tomorrow – and iridescent light fixtures in common areas.

“The one component of the Tomorrow Tower Suite that inspires me more than anything is that one-of-a-kind chandelier that is in the living room,” said Shelley Gold-Witiak, director of Hotel Operations. “The minute that the sunlight comes through the windows and hits onto that beautiful chandelier, it's a kaleidoscope of colors that just circle that whole living room. It's just spectacular.”

More to explore

Many more new experiences await guests aboard the Disney Treasure, including Disney’s first stage adaptation of “Moana” “Disney The Tale of Moana,” first “Coco”-inspired theatrical dining experience, Plaza de Coco, the new Zootopia-themed sweet shop Jumbeaux’s Sweets, and first Aristocats-inspired piano bar Scat Cat Lounge.

But park fans will want to make repeat visits to its attraction-inspired venues.

“If you're familiar with the attraction, you ride through it, and you see these scenes, and you're just passing through,” Roberts said. “But to be able to go sit and relax and have this around you and think, ‘I'm not just witnessing the story. I'm part of the story right now,’ that is like the ultimate goal for Imagineers to give to our guests.”

The reporter on this story received access to the ship from Disney Cruise Line. USA TODAY maintains editorial control of reviews.

(This story has been updated to add a gallery.)

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Why Disney Treasure is the ultimate cruise ship for Disney park fans