#disney cruise line wish

[disneyrover]

Automatic Gratiuities on Disney Cruise Line Explained Easily!

What is automatic gratuities on Disney Cruise Line? We explain it simply and easily! (and even make a Jungle Cruise reference!)

Automatic gratuities on cruises is a fairly common trend nowadays. It’s an added convenience to guests so there’s one less thing to worry about during your cruise. It also serves as a “job well done” to the dining staff and your stateroom attendant for their hard work and personalized service. Disney Cruise Line created their own process for guests when it comes to automatic gratuities on your…

[lovewillthaw-j]

More Frozen artwork from the Disney Wish cruise ship!

[disneytva]

The AquaMouse at Disney Wish cruise already has references to the upcoming Aqua Mouse: Temple of the Golden Egg who will be for the Disney Treasure cruise.

📷Laughing Place

[magicaltrash]

Welcome to the 4th annual Magical Trash Year-in-Review, where we take a look at the trash cans we both gained and lost, as well as discuss a few trends spotted at Disney theme parks and resorts. (View previous Year-in-Reviews) This year's additions were primarily driven by attraction openings, including Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind at Epcot, the opening of Avengers Campus at the Walt Disney Studios in Paris, and the arrival of the Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser. We also rejoiced at the return of the Electric Umbrella's Talking Trash Can - redressed and now located at the Odyssey with the same audio script in Epcot. Over the past year, over 104 new entries were added to MagicalTrash.com, complimented by 1,800+ posts across social media networks, including Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn - and added in November, Mastodon. For 2022, Magical Trash tracked 13 substantial trash can design changes, a 7% decrease vs. 2021's 14 tracked changes:

Added: 11

Historical Cans Added: 3

Updated: 1

Endangered: 0

Removed: 1

The US-based parks saw the most activity, with Walt Disney World recording 8 changes and Disneyland Resort saw 1 change. Disneyland Paris Resort recorded 2 updates, while the Disney Cruise Line saw 1 update. No notable changes were recorded for Tokyo Disney Resort, Hong Kong Disneyland Resort, or Shanghai Disney Resort Here's a detailed breakdown of updates: ADDED New trash can designs that debuted in Disney theme parks over the past year

Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind (Xandar) - NEW Walt Disney World, Epcot, World Discovery For the Xandar part of the story, red-accented design cues adorn the base silver can, including a wrap-over on the top.

Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind (Terra/Earth) - NEW Walt Disney World, Epcot, World Discovery For the Earth-based portion of the ride, base silver trash cans feature references to “Please Keep Terra Clean” along with multi-language symbols via purple decals. On the trash can, the symbols translate to “SCRAP,” while the recycling symbols are interpreted as “REUSE.”

Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind (Unload) - NEW Walt Disney World, Epcot, World Discovery Open-top, Silver cylindrical trash cans anchor the unload area makes it more ideal for handling... protein spills.

Avengers Campus - Paris (Shockwave) - NEW Disneyland Paris Resort, Walt Disney Studios, Avengers Campus Used a primary design throughout the land, silver cans feature a “shockwave” graphical pattern on the sides and unthemed inlet flap.

Spider-Man W.E.B. Adventure - NEW Disneyland Paris Resort, Walt Disney Studios, Avengers Campus The Paris Avengers Campus version of DCA's WEB SLINGERS: A Spider-Man Adventure sports cans with the logo of WEB, the Worldwide Engineering Brigade. Leveraging a silver base color, the cans are blank on the front and back, while the sides feature a repeating pattern of dark gray WEB logos in various sizes that contrast the can color, creating a subtle monochromatic look.

Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser (Interior) - NEW Walt Disney World, Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser Onboard the 100-cabin Corellian MPO-1400 model Galactic Starcruiser, you'll voyage to the far reaches of the galaxy with legendary in-wall trash & recycling. No Aurebesh to be found.

Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser (Terminal) - NEW Walt Disney World, Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser Before you board a launch pod to make your way to the MPO-1400 Star Cruiser Halcyon, you’ll want to dispose of your garbage in these cans found in the Galactic Starcruiser Terminal.

Connections Café and Eatery - NEW Walt Disney World, Epcot, World Celebration Trash can cabinets offer a station of disposal options for trash, recycling, trays, utensils, and dishes. Lettering utilizes the updated World Bold font that has been part of Epcot's reimagining.

Toy Story Land - NEW Walt Disney World, Disney's Hollywood Studios New can design uses 3 primary colors - blue, green, and yellow - and moves away from the standard LEGO-like block pattern to one that emphasizes diagonals.

Hungry Bear Restaurant - NEW Disneyland, Critter Country, Hungry Bear Restaurant In 2021, Disneyland started piloting the use of food waste trash cans in Tomorrowland and expanded their use in 2022 to Critter Country.

Disney Wish - NEW Disney Wish, Disney Cruise Line A combination trash, recycling, and food waste receptacle, this faux wood cabinet with a rather casual font choice doesn't exactly exude “premium experience.”

HISTORICAL CANS ADDED Retro trash can designs that were unearthed by new research this year, but are no longer in use

Toy Story Playland (Date Unknown) - HISTORICAL ADDITION Disneyland Paris Resort, Walt Disney Studios, Toy Story Playland The original version of the trash bins designed for Toy Story Playland followed a non-standard design that was heavily boxy. Approved for production, but later rejected for theme park use.

Critter Country Rustic Cans (1997) - HISTORICAL ADDITION Disneyland, Critter Country Rustic-looking trash can along the path between Critter Country and New Orleans Square. Featured a unique recycling logo with a red & white color scheme.

Wonders of Life (2006) - HISTORICAL ADDITION Walt Disney World, Epcot, Future World For much of its life, there was a strong 1990s aesthetic represented on the trash cans in the Wonders of Life pavilion.

UPDATED Existing trash can designs that have been modified or revised in the past year

Electric Umbrella Talking Trash Can - UPDATED Walt Disney World, Epcot, World Discvoery Returning 3 years after the closure of the Electric Umbrella restaurant in Future World, the Talking Trash Can has a new home and look in Epcot's Odyssey - but the same snarky commentary remains.

ENDANGERED Trash can designs that still exist, but will most likely disappear in the future

None for 2022

REMOVED Trash can designs that have been eliminated from use at Disney theme parks

Future World Silver & Purple Cans - REMOVED Walt Disney World, Epcot, Future World With the reimagining of Epcot's Future World into the World Discovery, World Celebration, and World Nature neighborhoods - with matching trash cans, the standard silver Future World can with purple trim has been phased out of use - though some appearances may still be made occasionally as Epcot's transformation progresses.

Other notable events observed in 2022 included MagicalTrash.com surpassing 900 trash can photos and launching a presence on Mastodon as the future of Twitter is somewhat cloudy. Here at Magical Trash we celebrated our 13-year anniversary on the trash can beat, applauded the introduction of a classy new Christmas ornament, showcased fascinating trash can running costumes, discovered a dumpster with a familiar "D" logo, and continued to cover the release of new salt shakers during Epcot's Food & Wine and Flower & Garden festivals. Thanks to everyone who contributed photos, visited MagicalTrash.com, and interacted with this weird hobby over the past year. You've put a smile on my face as we all follow this goofy passion. As it's impossible to be omnipresent at 12 theme parks and numerous resorts around the world, let us know what we've missed! Thanks for an interesting year, CanFans! - Steve Tanner, your Magical Trash host [All photos used by permission.]

[samsdisneydiary]

Disney Cruise Line to Reveal All-New Disney Treasure on Aug. 30

Disney is set to announce all the details of the Disney Treasure, the newest addition to the Disney Cruise line fleet. Tune in Wednesday, Aug. 30 at 11 a.m. ET for the grand virtual reveal of this all-new vessel during the world premiere of “Unlocking the Disney Treasure: Adventure Awaits Onboard Disney’s Newest…

[enterthedisneyverse]

First video from my Disney Wish trip! Here is day one - travel day and Epcot! I got to go on Remy's Ratatouille Adventure and then tried to explain the rest of the trip.

[kreuzfahrttester]

Die Disney Treasure sticht am 21. Dezember von Port Canaveral aus in See und startet ihre Karibik-Saison

Die Disney Cruise Line hat ihr neuestes Schiff, die Disney Treasure, in einer spektakulären Taufzeremonie am Hudson River in New York City willkommen geheißen. Die Feier fand am Abend des 19. November 2024 statt und beeindruckte mit einem atemberaubenden Lichtspiel, das typisch für die unvergleichliche Disney-Erzählkunst ist. Spektakuläres Lichtspiel und prominente Gäste Der Nachthimmel über…

[doingdisneywithmark]

Latest Updates From the Disney Treasure: New Costumes Revealed for Crew Members at Haunted Mansion Parlor and Periscope Pub!

[memos-to-future-me]

Things To Definitely Pack For A Disney Cruise

Duffle bag- to toss dirty laundry in

Pencils, erasers, sharpener, preferably sketchbook to store "learn how to draw" pictures

Vanilla folder, or a paper storage folder of some kind

Sunblock

Aloe

Cash- for tips and spending in ports

Socks- Pack at least 1 pair a day

Underwear

[twistedtummies2]

Top 10 Appearances of Disney's Evil Queen

Not so long ago, Disney released the teaser trailer for an upcoming live-action remake of its first great animated feature, “Snow White,” scheduled for release in Spring of 2025. When I saw the teaser, two thoughts immediately sprung to mind. The first was, “May God have mercy on their souls for this stupidity.” The second was…while the trailer largely did not impress me, I was genuinely intrigued by the first looks at Gal Gadot as the Evil Queen. Ever since her casting was announced, she was the one part I was genuinely interested in seeing, and for all the problems the trailer presented, I remain hopeful that she, at least, will turn in a worthy performance. This got me thinking of all the past times the Evil Queen has shown up in Disney properties since her debut in their premiere animated motion picture. I’ve done similar lists in the past for two other Disney Villains - Maleficent and Scar - and I decided it would be fun, in light of this news, to give the Queen a look-see, too. Now, a few key rules must be established: first of all, I’m only talking about DISNEY’S Evil Queen. Other versions of the fairy-tale icon aren’t counted here at all; I made a separate list of my favorite versions of the character in general a while back. Second, and slightly tied to that, I am NOT including the characters of Regina from “Once Upon a Time” and Queen Ravenna from “Snow White and the Huntsman.” This is because I feel, while each certainly has been influenced by the Queen from the original Disney movie, they really stand as their own versions of the character. I’m only talking about the original Disney Queen and her reappearances. Third and finally, I can obviously only count appearances I’m actually fairly familiar with; for example, there’s a somewhat famous Disney comic series called ‘The Return of Snow White” which I’ve heard is very, VERY good…but I sadly haven’t read it yet, so I don’t think it’s right to include it here. With that said…“dip the apple in the brew, let the sleeping death seep through!” These are My Top 10 Appearances of Disney’s Evil Queen!

10. Kingdom Hearts.

“Kingdom Hearts” is one of my favorite video game series of all time, and a big part of why is the appearances of the Disney Villains. From Maleficent to Hades, from Pete to Ursula, it’s great to see all of these famous baddies show up, and - when the chance arises - to battle them in delightfully crazed combat. HOWEVER, not every villain is a knockout antagonist. I think partially because, as time has gone on, the series has focused more and more on its own original lore and characters than on mingling the Disney worlds INTO that lore, the villains seem to be taking a step back with every other installment. Case in point: the Evil Queen. While by no means the worst of the Disney Villains in this universe, I’ve personally always felt slightly disappointed with the Queen’s appearances in KH. She’s kept perfectly in character, and her times onscreen do lead to some great moments, but she has very little to do with the overarching plot of games like “Birth By Sleep” and it feels like there was more that could have been done with the character than ultimately was. However, it was great to see her, and her presence did lead to possibly my favorite boss fight (at least for the Disney characters) in all of KH history. End of the day, I’d be remiss to leave this off the running entirely. I really just wish we'd gotten more of her.

9. Villains Tonight!

This now-retired spooky spoof was a tongue-in-cheek musical farce originally performed on Disney Cruise Lines. The main character of the show is Hades, who - at the start of the play - is trying to reform…not because he actually desires redemption or feels genuinely repentant, but simply because he is so sick and tired of being foiled time and time again by Hercules, he’s had enough. However, things change when the Fates inform Hades that he needs an upgrade in evil-ness, otherwise he’ll lose control of the Underworld (and, really, that’s all Hades has left). So, the God of the Dead decides to summon some of his fellow villains to his lair, hoping their collective wickedness can help him out. While most of the villains in the show are essentially cameo appearances - showing up for a single "spotlight moment" musical number, and then departing till the end of the show, a-la “CATS” - the Evil Queen actually plays a fairly sizeable role in the story. Hades sends out Pain and Panic with physical invitations for both the Queen and Maleficent. It’s revealed that the two arch-villainesses are not only rivals, but also old flames (har har) of the Lord of the Underworld. Their competitive spirit nearly gets the better of them, but later in the show, they put their differences aside to spoil the day (they’re certainly not SAVING it), and help Hades get back into the evil groove. This is by far the silliest of all the Queen’s appearances on this list, but it’s a lot of fun; the back and forth between herself and Maleficent is so delightfully catty, and it’s cool seeing these two end up being the…ah…“heroes” that help Hades in the end.

8. Disney’s Villains’ Revenge.

I only recently rediscovered this PC game from my youth. While not everything in it still holds up in my adult years, I’d generally say it’s still a pretty interesting title! Made as a sort of promotional method to advertise some of Disney’s older films (which were being either released or re-released to video en masse at the time), this game features four of Disney’s resident rogues: Captain Hook, the Queen of Hearts, the Ringmaster from Dumbo (...okay, that’s the odd one out…), and - of course - the Evil Queen. The plot begins when Jiminy Cricket (in an uncharacteristic show of abject stupidity) decides to meddle with a magical storybook, tearing out the last page from four of the tales contained within (you can guess which ones). Because of this, the villains are able to rewrite their stories the way they want to, twisting things around and coming up with the “unhappy endings” they want most. With help from the Blue Fairy, Jiminy and the Player thus travel into each story to set things right again. In the Snow White section of the game, the Evil Queen has written the Prince out of existence. She tricks Snow White into eating a poisoned apple, and then - just for good measure - she begins to force each of the Seven Dwarfs to take an apple as well, putting them to sleep one by one. Jiminy and the Player need to work fast to find a way to bring the Prince back from the proverbial void before all of the Dwarfs are knocked out. Later, at the climax of the game, the Queen joins in the final battle with the other villains. Instead of being killed, her punishment for her evil deeds is to be forced to remain in her hideous old crone form for the rest of her life. Serves her right, I’d say!

7. Fantasmic!

This nighttime spectacular - an extravaganza of stunts, dance routines, and special effects, all tied together by a loose plot - is generally considered one of the greatest shows ever put on at the Disney Parks. While the exact size of the Queen’s role in the story has changed a couple times through different evolutions and interpretations, she has always been an integral figure in the proceedings. The story - what little there is - begins with Mickey Mouse taking the audience on a tour through his own dreamworld, “where beauty and love will always survive.” The Queen’s arrival is a major turning point: she’s having none of this happiness and harmony rubbish, thank you very much! So, with the help of the Magic Mirror, the Queen summons some of the other Disney Villains to help her “turn that little mouse’s dream into a Nightmare Fantasmic!” (Hence the title.) Although Maleficent is ultimately the final obstacle Mickey must overcome to save his dreamland, it’s the Evil Queen who spearheads the conflict and is the true leader of the villains in the show. Through every change and iteration of Fantasmic, this has remained fairly constant; whatever alterations the nightly spectacle goes through, it’s a fair bet she won’t be leaving Mickey’s dreams alone anytime soon.

6. Kingdom Keepers.

It took me a bit of time to warm up to the Evil Queen in this book series, but once I did, I found she was more than worthy of praise. The “Kingdom Keepers” series is a sort of “Night at the Museum”-esque series of novels, with the premise being that, every night, all of the rides and attractions at the Disney Parks come to life…and so do a great many Disney characters. Not all of these characters are good guys, of course, and a number of them - mostly Villains, naturally - have banded together to form an organization called “The Overtakers.” You can guess what their evil scheme is based on that name alone. While the main leaders of the Overtakers are Chernabog and Maleficent, the Queen plays a notable role in the latter half of the initial series of novels: first, she takes charge as the main antagonist of the fourth book, “Power Play,” leading the Overtakers in a scheme to release the imprisoned Dark Fairy and Black God. The Queen remains a prominent character for the next couple books, and once again takes command in the final novel of the series, “The Insider,” after the main protagonist of the series - Finn Whitman - succeeds in slaying Maleficent. While I personally feel that, in “Power Play,” the character felt like a sort of “Diet Maleficent” - the two characters just have a lot in common in general - the Queen really came into her own as the series progressed, and we saw her interact with other characters more and more. Part of the fun throughout the books was her interactions with her main henchperson: Cruella DeVil. The Queen and Cruella made for a truly odd couple of baddies, since, while Maleficent and the Queen have a lot in common, Cruella and Her Majesty are almost polar opposites. I haven’t read the sequel series to the original seven books, but I can only hope the self-proclaimed Fairest in the Land is just as good (bad?) there.

5. Snow White’s Scary Adventures.

As far as the Parks go, I would argue this ride…USED to be the Queen’s magnum opus. Originally simply called “Snow White’s Adventures” in past iterations, the ride was later more appropriately titled in light of the fact it REALLY leaned on the darker, more macabre elements of the story, with the Queen - seen primarily in her Witch form - basically being the star of the show. Throughout the ride she menaces the riders, tempting them with her Poisoned Apple and cackling with glee, popping up at unexpected intervals as the guests navigate their way through her dungeons and the spooky woods beyond. It was widely regarded as one of the best of Disney’s film-themed dark rides, and when I visited Disneyland (a whole twelve years ago, jeeze I feel old…), it was probably my second favorite after “Peter Pan’s Flight.” UNFORTUNATELY, this ride basically doesn’t exist anymore, at least not at the American Parks: at Walt Disney World, it was replaced with the Seven Dwarfs Mine Train roller coaster, and the Witch has almost nothing to do for that one. (Though her one brief appearance near the end IS done with a VERY impressive animatronic.) As for Disneyland, the ride was recently refurbished as “Snow White’s Enchanted Wish,” which effectively neutered the original ride and, in my opinion, lacks the emotional impact the original, much darker attraction had. It’s truly sad how some of the best things must always remain in the past.

4. Mirror, Mirror.

This was the sixth of the “Twisted Tales” series of books released by Disney, and it is the first one I ever got to read. The series, created by author Liz Braswell, works off a very simple formula: take a random “What If?” question about a Disney movie, and then create either an alternate universe or a sequel or even a prequel out of that concept. While Braswell spearheaded the series and wrote the vast majority of the books, she was not the only author involved; a few other creators also joined in to handle various subjects and stories. Enter Jen Calonita, whose first entry into the books was this one. As the byline on the book’s cover indicates, the concept is based on the idea that, instead of using the Poisoned Apple to kill Snow White right off the bat, the Queen instead tricks the Prince. However, there’s a bit more to the story than that: while the Queen is still utterly despicable, the book gives her a sympathetic leaning, with a backstory that explains more of her wicked actions, while still keeping it clear that her deeds are reprehensible. The twist to the plot also allows Snow White herself to take a more proactive role in the story, as she goes from a humble and sweethearted young lady like in the film to the one who has to face the Queen to save the kingdom. It’s an interesting turnaround that takes the classic fairy-tale and turns into a more complex and action-oriented story, and while I don’t think it’s the best book of the Twisted Tales series, it’s nevertheless a personal favorite.

3. Snow White Live!

Nowadays, we take Disney’s stage musicals somewhat for granted. From Beauty and the Beast, to The Lion King, to Mary Poppins, and more, it’s almost more surprising when an especially popular Disney movie DOESN’T have some kind of staged version out there, be it Broadway or some other avenue. (I mean, by God, they have a stage version of “The Aristocats,” for crying out loud!) However, this was not always the case: the very first attempt at doing a full-length stage musical treatment of a Disney film came in the late 70s/early 80s, as part of a plan to save the prestigious Radio City Music Hall. And what better movie was there to choose than “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs”: the first animated feature film Disney made would also be their first foray onto the New York stage scene. This production has gone by several titles, some longer than others, but I’ve always known it by the colloquial name “Snow White Live!” in reference to NBC’s fairly recent live TV musicals. This production was, in fact, recorded and aired on TV and in video release at its height of popularity…but since it has never been re-staged, to my knowledge, and has never received a DVD or Blu-ray release, it’s largely fallen into obscurity. This is a shame, because it’s really a very good production! Part of its appeal, of course, comes from the villain: the Evil Queen is played by two different actors in the show. In her radiant, Queenly form, she is played by Anne Francine; most well-known onstage for her work in the musicals “Mame” and “Anything Goes,” and recognizable to film audiences for her appearance in the movie “Crocodile Dundee.” As the Witch, the character was played by a male actor, Charles Hall, who also voiced the Magic Mirror. Hall would go on to be a constant presence at Radio City, playing the role of Santa Claus for many years in a row during their famous Christmas Spectacular. Both do a great job putting their own spin on the character’s dual identities, and I love them almost as much as the original Queen from the movie! If you haven’t seen this show before, you can easily find it on YouTube; definitely go and check it out.

2. Vil Schoenheit, from Twisted Wonderland.

Well, if you know me, you should have known this guy was coming. In case you haven’t been paying attention to or just didn’t know about my frankly unhealthy addiction to this mobile game, let me give you the basic summation: “Twisted Wonderland” is a gacha-style game, wherein the player gets transported to a parallel universe, and begins life staying at a School of Dark Magic. This school has apparently been inspired by “The Great Seven” - seven of the most infamous Disney Villains - and throughout the game’s story you encounter different figures based on the Great Seven, as well as other Disney characters (mostly villains). The Evil Queen is one of the Great Seven, and while she, herself, has virtually no bearing on the game at all, the analogous character to her is this lad: Vil Schoenheit. Vil is the resident celebrity of Night Raven College, the school in question: he is a professional actor, dancer, singer, and model, who also dabbles in directing, costume design, photography, and even commercial fashion. He is vain, domineering, and carries himself with an icy, sometimes deadpan authority, and is highly persnickety about personal appearances. His Unique Magic allows him to place a poisonous curse on anything he touches, and he is, in fact, a very skilled potion maker and poisons expert: it was this knowledge that allowed him to become the leader of Pomefiore, the house inspired by the Queen. Admittedly, when the game was first released, Vil was actually one of the characters I was LEAST interested in…but as time has gone on, and we’ve seen more of him and learned more about him, he’s become more and more of a favorite of mine. He wouldn’t likely be in too many other people’s top three, but he’s certainly in mine.

1. Fairest of All.

As much as I love Vil, you really can’t beat the original Evil Queen. And as far as other works beyond the film go, I don’t think anything has ever beaten this story. This was the first - and, in my opinion, the best - of Serena Valentino’s book series collectively entitled “Villains.” The series explores the origins of different famous Disney antagonists, and shows their own side of the story for their respective films. As the series went on, it began to build its own lore and a broader universe, which I’ve always had mixed feelings about. “Fairest of All,” however, as the first book, doesn’t have any of the issues this budding lore presents in other novels of the series: it stays with its subject, not really deviating from it, presenting simply the story of how the Evil Queen became so evil. Even more than the later “Mirror, Mirror,” this book makes you sympathize with the Queen, and explains her origins and motives in a way that is both tragic and disturbing. At the start of the story, she actually tries hard to be a good mother to dear Snow White, and a worthy bride to her husband, the King. However, as time goes on, personal insecurities and the pressure of her power begin to twist her heart and mind, ultimately transforming her into the villainess we all recognize. There have been many sympathetic takes on the Evil Queen, both by Disney and by others, but this may very well be my favorite take: it inspired me a lot when I was working on my own twist to the plot…but that’s another story (literally). Bottom line, for somehow being both beautifully simple and wonderfully complex, “Fairest of All” is, in my opinion, the best appearance of Disney’s Evil Queen.

HONORABLE MENTIONS INCLUDE…

House of Mouse.

The Queen had multiple small appearances throughout this show, but nothing super substantial. Still, it was fun to see her pop up and all the shenanigans she’d get up to. I think my favorite was the time she sold Pete a poisoned apple like a used car saleswoman. XD

Once Upon a Halloween.

A Halloween special in tribute to the Disney Villains, where the Evil Queen consults not the Magic Mirror, but rather the Black Cauldron, in a plan to - what else? - take over the world. At the end of the special, the power of the Cauldron overwhelms the Queen…though thankfully, her end is much less horrifying than the Horned King’s.

Snow White: An Enchanting Musical.

This was a stage show at Disneyland that was a reimagining of the original Disney film, with some minor changes to the plot and new dialogue. It featured a pre-recorded Patrick Stewart as the Magic Mirror. Fun show, but I find the other appearances more noteworthy of interest.

Disney’s Golden Anniversary of Snow White & the Seven Dwarfs.

An EXTREMELY weird (and very, VERY cheesy) 1987 TV special made in tribute to the film’s 50th anniversary. Jane Curtin played the Queen, seeking revenge on the Seven Dwarfs, with the help of…uh…Sherman Hemsley. (pauses) Weird choice for the face of the Magic Mirror, that one…

[disneyrover]

Expert Tip: Use a Travel Agent to Book Your Disney Cruise

Thinking of booking a Disney cruise? We're going to sell you on the idea of using a travel agency instead of doing it yourself.

A long, long time ago, using a travel agent to book any vacation was a necessity. They had the connections, they had all the information, and they could get you all the discounts. They even had fun brochures to look through in their office! Nowadays, thanks to the internet, booking a vacation can pretty much be done in the comfort of your own home. But what if I told you there are a few…

[rms-mauretanic]

POV: you’re literally drowning and then you hear it.

A cruise ship blasting “When You Wish Upon A Star.”

[disneytva]

Variety Interviews Ayo Davis, Meredith Roberts And Emily Hart On Disney Television Animation's 40th Anniversary And What To Expect On From The Past, Present And Future

40 years ago, Disney TVA was founded on the heels of challenging outcomes with features “The Fox and the Hound” and “The Black Cauldron.”

Initially, Disney TVA was restricted from using established Disney legacy characters, but nevertheless had huge successes with new shows like “The Wuzzles” and “Adventures of the Gummi Bears,” both of which became popular in syndication. As time went on, DTVA was able to use its limited rights to create shows like “DuckTales” and “TaleSpin,” which featured Disney characters. Today, the slate has evolved to include shows that travel across Disney’s streaming, linear and digital platforms, including Disney+, Disney Channel, Disney Junior and the Disney Parks

Over the 40 years of the studio has collaborated with Walt Disney Imagineering to bring beloved Disney Afternoon characters to the parks as well Mickey And Minnie's Runaway Railway and AquaMouse for the Disney Wish and Disney Treasure cruises from the Disney Cruise & Ships Line as well collaborating with Disney Yellow Two Shoes Team to redesing some heritage characters for the WDW Passholder Magnets.

Disney TVA characters also have gone to the realm of live action. In 2019 Disney Channel brought Kim Possible to the live action world as a Disney Channel Original Movie in 2019. In Spring 2022, Walt Disney Studios brought Chip 'n Dale: Rescue Rangers to a new generation of fans trought a meta-driven live action/animated hybrid film which won an Primetime Emmy Award for Best Feature Film.

In April 2024, it was announced that Kiara from The Lion King II: Simba's Pride created at Disney TVA will make her live action debut on the motion capture/computer animated film "Mufasa The Lion King" with the character being voiced by Blue Ivy Carter. In Fall 2023, it was announced that Blumhouse Television and Atomic Monster where developing a live action reboot of Gargoyles for Disney+.

The future of the studio looks bright as the studio is slated to debut it's 100th show overall "StuGo" in 2025, as well new interations of beloved classics like The Proud Family, Phineas And Ferb, Sofia The First and Darkwing Duck trought revivals,reboots and spin-offs in the coming years with early talks of new interations of TaleSpin, Kim Possible and Recess since Early 2023.

“We have a wildly diverse development slate because we don’t have a house style,” says Meredith Roberts, executive vice president, television animation, Disney Branded Television and CEO of Disney Television Animation “Our styles are creator-driven, so that allows for real support of the artist or creator to fulfill his or her vision. Anything is possible, whether it's CGI. (“Monsters at Work”), hand-drawn 2D (“Big City Greens”,"Primos","Hailey's On It!"), rig-based 2D (“Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur”,"Kiff") and stop-motion (“Mickey Saves Christmas”,"Rhona Who Lives By The River".). Roberts continues, “We really try and solve all the problems and develop it. We look at the scripts and the story arcs. Every project has to have a strategy behind it that will complement the slate and separate it from other things. Each project has a distinct swim lane to attract an audience. And we’ve learned to meet the kids where they are, in terms of streaming and YouTube.”

Co-viewing, the viewership that happens when adults sit down to watch a DTVA show with the kids in their lives, is part of the studio’s secret sauce and long-term strategy. Many of the shows are written with jokes and plot points for both audiences so both groups will return.

“We double down on the kids and family space,” says Roberts. “We’re not just dipping a toe in the water. We’re diving in. I think we’ve seen a lot of churn with the competition, who just don’t have the patience to develop and are for this audience, which is a very specialized kid audience and co-view audience.” ("The Witchverse", "Rhona Who Lives By The River","InterCats","Fantasy Sports") Roberts reflects: “I think one of the things I’m most proud of is how stable Disney TVA has been for the last 40 years despite a lot of outside churn of the animation industry. Many of our crews feel that Disney is their forever home. I think the excitement they have to illustrate and create with this brand has been terrific because it’s harder to be funny and clean. And nowhere are we tearing down people to get that laugh. I think that’s the beauty of a Disney animated show.”

DTVA also sought to meet kids where they are by making their audience — which is made up of the most diverse generation in history — feel seen, with series such as “Elena of Avalor,” which featured Disney’s first Latina princess, and “The Proud Family,” franchise focused on the life of a teenage Black girl.

“We do have an amazing insights team that are constantly in the field, giving us general information about how kids are watching content, what they’re into,” Emily Hart (VP of Current and Development - Disney Junior) says. “Some of those things are evolving, as we know the ways kids consume content is changing. But there are some universal truths about kids, and it’s great to have that reinforced. Kids still like a lot of the same things that we like. So, there’s a combination that we’re always tracking with every new idea, and we do pilot testing. We get to sit down and talk about the content, and we invite our creators in so they can see the kids talking about it because they’re the audience and they’re the truest test of if the story is going to work.”

Ayo Davis, president of the Disney Branded Television and VP of Current and Development at Disney Television Animation says the division is a “driving force” for memorable kids and family entertainment.

“All of us at Disney Branded Television are so proud of the studio’s 40-year legacy as it continues to entertain future generations with shows like ‘Kiff,’ ‘Big City Greens’ and ‘Mickey Mouse Clubhouse 2.0" --- Davis says.

Those creators who come to DTVA often stay for a long time, partnering with the studio on a variety of different projects or expanding on a hit and reimagining it for the next generation of viewers. “The Proud Family” was a standout in 2001 on Disney Channel. Creator and executive producer Bruce W. Smith is now working on the Emmy-winning “The Proud Family: Louder and Prouder,” which is based on the original series. The show follows Penny Proud as she navigates family life and her own childhood.

“Being at Disney TVA has allowed me to realize all my artistic dreams,” says Bruce W. Smith. “As a kid, you always have hopes, thoughts, dreams, ideas and characters that can help lay out those ideas in your head. Disney has allowed me to really tap into my creative instinct, at the end of the day, you have to learn how to trust yourself. Meredith Roberts has been a true shepherd for me in all of this, allowing me to stretch my wings. Because of her belief in me and my ideas, she’s really allowed me to blossom as an artist. All that happened at DTVA.”

“They really seem to be a place that welcomes your ideas,” Dan Povenmire says of Disney TVA. “They want to find people with real strong ideas of the stories they want to tell, and then they let them tell those stories for the most part. They seem to put storytelling and characters over anything. With [‘Phineas and Ferb’], we would write jokes for the kids and the adults in the room because we knew the adults would be there too. We were just careful not to do any double entendres.”

[listen-to-the-inner-walrus]

what is it about cruise ships that you find ugly? like are there any specific ones you hate or is it just all of them?

okay so ive been puzzling over to how to answer this for A While™ because:

theres so many ugly cruise ships i would love to roast, and theres a part of me that wants to make a sideblog about it a la @mcmansionhell but for cruise ships

i am autistic and this is my special interest and i also want to infodump about ship design conventions

theres also really pretty oceanliners like the ss france that got converted into cruise ships where the magical girl transformation sequence malfunctioned badly.

its not always just like the exterior thats badly designed, theres both Awful design inside the ship like the disney wish, and Awful business plans and conduct like the epirotiki lines

...but, thats a lot.

so instead, ive settled on four exterior design issues that i think you can see in a lot of cruise ships even if you dont know shit about ships.

this is by no means an exhaustive list but just some common observations that you will see in 97% of cruise ships.

im also gonna include an example ship for each and also further examples when needed.

so without further ado:

1. your ship looks like a bus and a ferry had an unholy love affair that ended with a baby neither wanted.

as an example of this anchor-christ, may i introduce you to the celebrity edge

something about the stern (back) just reminds me of diamond busses here in the uk while the bow (front) has a distinctly ferry-like look.

the super-structure that you see peaking above the spaceship-bridge on the bow is giving me double-decker bus energy.

the orange viewing box elevator thingy gives construction site energy, but also gives me public transport vibes? like i can just see something similar being added on buses with no explanation and we'd all just be like i guess buses are getting the budget silicon valley treatment.

further, celebrity edge has relatively sharp angles at the stern and bow. if you look at a lot of ocean liners, youll see shallower sweeping angles curving down, while a lot of cruise ships will have these sharper angles (though by angles, i mean curves still) or just will stop at the stern:

[Image ID: collage with five ships. In the top left corner, there are two images with the profiles of the SS France and the SS Andrea Doria. In the top right, there is the stern of the MSC Meraviglia. Bottom left: the stern of the Costa Deliziosa. Bottom right: stern of the Norwegian Epic]

though not pictured above, the rms queen mary actually earned her title at the miss pacific ocean competition where a cruise ship will never win because theyre just too ugly.

but my point is that the abrupt ending of superstructure and ship at the stern looks like a bus. it just does.

there is also like "this is just a block of flats" energy with the costa deliziosa, but thats getting into the next point:

-

2. oh no gang, billy bear misplaced his msc seaside hotel and now its floating out to sea on a barge! can you help him?

yes this is a butlins reference, what are you gonna do about it? call a red coat on me?

the msc seaside is one of many cruise ships where it looks like someone put a hotel on a barge... which is what a cruise ship actually is.

like, they are barely ships. anyone who says theyre going on a cruise to explore the ocean is trying to buff out their tinder bio. while cruise ships technically can sail across oceans, they dont. their journeys are incredibly short they sail very close to land, avoid any rough weather and its mandatory for all of their captains to have a north american blue grouse fursona.

and thats all because a cruise ship is hotel complex on a barge. its purpose is not to sail far because its just a hotel. there are multiple swimming pools and restaurants and night clubs and fucking rollercoasters on some of them. you can buy souvenirs, you can go do yoga, you can get a massage and as long as your surname doesnt end with a double n, you can put your kid into the available childcare.

forget sending the british army to pontins during covid, lets send them to pontoons!

hotels on barges are the most common version youll see, but there are other variations which include:

chopping mall 2: carnivore cruises

the 2006 remake of the anchor-christ: abargements/if youre renting in a block of flats on a barge, do you pay rent to a waterlord or is your landlord firmly stood on ground?

the happiest place on earth: disneywater!

the entire shenanigans going on with the freedom ship which i do not have time or energy to get into right now, so lets all just calm and down and take a breath and...

-

...3. close your eyes, imagine, feel it. youre on a cruise ship, the ovation of the seas; its an early august night and petrichor deluges the air. the skies above you glisten, a whirlpool of colour illuminated by hundreds of tiny flecks of light. youre alone on the deck, standing at the stern with your arms precariously balanced on the barrier as you turn your attention to the ocean below. its dark, the gentle waves nearly imperceptible yet bar the bone-white crests against the hull. you watch, captivated, listening to the ocean sing its terrible song. yet then somewhere behind you, the mellow thud of hoofs on the wooden deck weaves between the waves and the melody. you look up, lock eyes, feel a hurricane surround you as he stares back, do you remember to count his fingers?

so, you might have noticed that a lot of modern cruise ships, especially the bigger ones, look like some check-mark tech-bro on the bird app used an ai to steal the work of naval architects, photographers, artists, etc. to generate "their own design" for a cruise ship.

the example i chose for this was the ovation of the seas:

the super-structure has copy and paste vibes. the ship also looks like its lurching forward to attack me but thats beside the point.

one of the issues the designers for these ships - i would say naval architects but cruise lines sometimes choose someone for head of design who is not a naval architect and has never been on a ship before for shits, giggles and profits- run into is that its really difficult to make a long blank wall look good.

if youve ever made a house in the sims, youve probably ran into this yourself. youre happily building your house and it looks really good at the front and the back, but the side of it is just a wall and adding windows is giving copy and paste vibes.

my trick for this is either fake chimney, add an extra small popout, vines everywhere or hide it with trees, but these are not viable options for a cruise ship.

trust me, i checked:

hence, we end up with very long ships where its just ctrl c ctrl v for 300+ metres.

so how do you fix this?

well, idk maybe you could take notes from any of the longer ocean liners built in recent history.

you know, like the ss united states or the rms queen mary 2 or the ss michelangelo or the ss normandie or the mv kungsholm or the ss principe perfeito:

now im not saying all of these liners are the most beautiful boats ever; theyre not. as much as i adore her, queen mary 2 is a little ugly. most of them even have an element of copy and paste.

but none of them feel ai-generated. and a lot of them look really really pretty. you can tell that they were designed by human beings.

because the naval architects and naval designers who knew what they were doing. weve got clever use of colours, gorgeous use of curves and sweeping lines that balance out all the design elements. the sameness is broken up when possible, and the ship has focal points designed within to catch your eye.

and all of them have beautiful bows. most ocean liners had/have noticeable bows due to functionality; they needed sharp bows to cut through waves because they were crossing the ocean every week. and so extra care would be taken to both make the bow work for its function and also, look really fucking cool.

the ss normandie specifically has a unique bow shape and structure designed by vladimir yourkevitch, a russian naval architect who had emigrated to france after the russian revolution.

the bow is slanted and looks almost clipper-like. theres this clear bulbous bulb (thats the wrong term but the bit at the bottom) beneath the waterline. this design is matched with a slim hull designed to be hydrodynamic, which made her a very fast ship.

she and the rms queen mary fought over the blue ribband for several years before ww2 broke out. [x][x]

its a little wibbly-wobbly-looking but it gives her a very distinct profile and she just looks really cool. you dont notice the repeating pattern of windows on the super structure because of how striking her entire design is.

and well, there has been attempts to capture this with cruise ships.

they run into problems with it though because their bows are not designed the way ocean liners' bows were because a cruise ship does not need to cut through waves. itd be really weird if you were in a fancy restaurant and you were giving a steak knife for your caesar salad.

so what else can you do to make your bow look so beautiful her kissing booth would be sold out all weekend?

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4. your bow art is ugly. it is ugly. it is really ugly. please stop putting art on your bow. it is all ugly.

yeah.

take a moment .

.

its okay.

i promise

,

.

shes not real.

.

you can breathe.

take another breath.

.

.

youre okay.

.

.

.

are you scrolled far down enough that you cant see her anymore?

yeah so that was the aidanova. probably the worst bow art i have ever encountered but im yet to encounter any bow art that isnt awful.

pride of america is terrible; caribbean princess' is just completely out of place; norwegian prima is the epitome of "what the fuck?"; majestic princess' makes the ship look naked somehow.

now i will concede that a lot of bow art is probably aimed at children because family cruises are a thing, but i wont concede that it changes anything.

the bow art is still ugly and i struggle to see how it would be appealing to a child. like engaging children is more than just throwing some bright colours and patterns on a canvas? children are smarter than that and even in my joking post making fun of cruise ships, im not gonna stand for the way we invalidate the personhood of children. theyre not things to be distracted with simple solutions.

weirdly the aidanovas is the one id be less harsh about in terms of engaging children because there is more to dig into like a boat version of thomas the tank engine or like how do boat body work? the art isnt surface level.

but its still just ugly. the shape of the bow does not compliment the face and the change in colour in the eyes is very distracting.

tbh, if youre gonna do bow art, youve got two options that arent awful:

actually aim it at kids in a way thats not just surface level look at bright colour braxter. have focus groups with kids, gets their feedback, have kids contribute. respect the intelligence and personhood of kids.

just go all out. balls to the fucking wall, just break every damn rule in the book and apply every technique your art teacher hated. the ship is gonna be ugly anyway, make it fun ugly. camp is in. pantomime it up in this bitch!

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and anyway, that concludes my "brief" answer to this question 👍

btw if you would follow a blog that just trashes cruise ships because of how ugly they are, please tell me because like, if enough people would enjoy it to make the effort worth it, i Will do it.

[samsdisneydiary]

360° Disney Wish Tour | Upper Decks | Grand Hall | Wipe up, down, left or right see all the magic!

Take a 360° Disney Tour of Disney Cruise Lines’s Latest Ship, The Disney Wish. We’ll start on the Upper Deck and end up in the Grand Hall. As you explore the tour from the Upper Decks to the Grand Hall, look all around you. Swipe Up, Down, Left, or Right to see all the fantastic sights! Start Planning Your next Walt Disney World Adventure today with Touringplans.com

[enterthedisneyverse]

Day two of my Disney Wish cruise vlog series is now live! It's embarkation day for me and my mum, and after the day we had at Epcot, it's a bit more of a low-key day.