Taking a look back at our week on the Disney Treasure, there was plenty to digest, literally. From the pure beauty of the ship to the immersive details and a few less-than-ideal experiences, it offered a wide range of ruminations.
Let’s take a look back and break it down!
Stateroom 8552 on Disney Treasure
Staying in a Deluxe Oceanview with Verandah stateroom connecting to 8554 was a great location, just around the corner from the forward elevators.
The base layout of staterooms doesn’t vary much from ship to ship, but the styling and condition, along with updated amenities, are what will make or break it. As the Treasure is just turning a year old, you would expect everything to still be in top condition, and it was.
The additional USB ports and outlets by each bedside are a definite upgrade over the older ships. With additional outlets on the desk, there were plenty of options for keeping everything charged up.
The lights all included dimmers to adjust the brightness levels. Lights in the closets were a nice touch as well. Even the safe had a light come on when it was opened. One of the things that took a few days to adjust to was that the bathroom light switches were located inside, as opposed to the usual position between the split baths. Another nice feature was the night light in the restroom that gave a soft orange glow under the vanity. Just enough to see what you were doing without the blinding light for those middle-of-the-night visits.
During last week’s sailing on the Fantasy, I mentioned the exquisite water pressure. Unfortunately, this wasn’t the case this time, as the water was fairly weak coming out of the shower head. But it did have a swinging glass door as opposed to a shower curtain, so I guess that’s the trade-off.
You never know what you’ll get when it comes to mattresses and pillows while traveling. We’ve gotten to the point where we pack our own pillows, but there’s not much you can do about the mattress. In this case, it was a bit on the firm side, but not horrible.
The décor in each stateroom varies a bit depending on which movie is featured in the paintings. We had Encanto, while the connecting room was Up.
One new perk with the Wish-class ships is the ability to stream the stateroom TV channels through the app anywhere onboard. While I’m not exactly going to spend much time watching TV around the ship, it did enable us to watch part of a football game while visiting up on the pool deck. I think the main way it was used was by our daughter as she went to bed at night, since the flat screen was placed directly on the wall at the foot of the bed and not visible with the divider curtain pulled shut.
Speaking of the flat screen, they have stepped that game up as well, with a much larger, roughly 32-inch, flat-mounted TV compared to the 25-inch or so swing-mounted screens on the older ships.
Video Tour of Stateroom 8552 on Disney Treasure
Disney Treasure Entertainment
There was no shortage of things to do and see on the Treasure. Broadway musicals? Check. Feature film showings? Between the steady lineup on Funnel Vision and the two theaters, you had your pick. Piano bar? Yup. Trivia? More than you can count. Bingo? O-71! Silent discos and karaoke? Affirmative. Family and adult game shows? Heard That! Magician and juggler? Of course. Sports zone for kids? You bet.
Just about anything you can think of, they had covered. As I covered on day six, Moana was well worth the price of admission. The rest was mere eye candy.
I didn’t catch the juggler’s act, and Fab Fox was ok. As far as variety acts go, we’ve seen better on past sailings, but that’s really splitting hairs.
What Disney Got Right on Disney Treasure
Overall, the ship was gorgeous. With the abundance of theming, it could seem a bit over the top to some, but the seamless transitions throughout different areas of the ship, along with many of the not-so-obvious tie-ins, keep it in line. It even makes it more fun to look deeper for all the hidden Easter eggs and finer details.
You can tell they took current trends and technology into account with all the charging stations spread out in the lounges and cafés. It may seem like a little thing, but it adds up.
You could spend an entire sea day just wandering the decks, looking at all the artwork in the stairwells and around the Grand Hall.
Aside from the spa, if you want a little pampering, they offer both a full-service hair salon and a barber shop for that old-fashioned hot shave and haircut. It’ll cost you a touch more than two bits, though, as the rate for a shave and haircut at Hook’s Barbery will run you $189 plus 18% gratuity! It’s a good thing that this doubles as a saloon for liquor tastings in the evenings.
Another area they seemed to learn from was the elevator buttons. When the Disney Wish was first launched in 2022, there was a lot made about the touchless elevator controls. Unlike traditional buttons that need to be depressed, this simply required you to put your finger near the keypad to activate the corresponding button.
In a post-COVID world, this seemed like the next evolution in contactless operation. As is often the case, what sounded great in theory failed miserably in practice, as they were overly sensitive, which often resulted in guests reaching to select 6 but brushing too near 4 and 8 in the process. Think about changing your phone’s settings to maximum sensitivity, then setting your font size as small as you can and trying to open an app.
Getting in the elevators during peak times heading to dinner or shows was always fun too, as guests crammed in, testing the maximum capacity. It never failed that the last person in would then try to hug the wall and lean too close to the touchscreen, and before you knew it, you’d stop at every floor.
Thankfully, they returned to traditional buttons on the Treasure, and you only had to worry about that ten-year-old hitting all the buttons as they got out.
What Disney Got Wrong on Disney Treasure
So it’s not all roses and chocolates. I’ve covered the Quiet Cove adult area so we won’t go too in depth there. I will say that in talking to other cruisers onboard, and also plenty of threads in facebook groups, that it felt like this area was done as an afterthought and is a definite downgrade from the Dream class ships. In fact all of the regular NYE families we have gotten to know over the past few years already booked next year on the Dream (not solely because of this but it was a big factor for most). Even our favorite barista in Cove Cafe, Kevin, commented on the last day how happy he was to be reunited with many of his regulars from his time on the Fantasy this week but was sad that they all told him we’d be sailing the Dream next year.
One other major fail in the design of the Wish class is the walking/jogging track. Most cruise ships offer this feature and I always enjoy doing a few laps after dinner. The problem here is that when you reach the forward section of the ship you need to go up a flight of stairs, around the bow, and back down. What the hell? How that ever got beyond a drawing stage baffles me.
Dining on Disney Treasure
Cruise ship dining is always a divisive topic. One person will rave about how great everything was, while the person at the table next to them complains about how bland the food is. I look at it as this: you can always add salt and pepper, but you can’t take it off. If you use A1 sauce on your steak, unfriend me now!
Everyone has different preferences and tastes. It can often be hard enough to cook for a household of four and keep everyone happy. Now try doing that for four thousand.
I tend to judge more on quality and preparation than seasoning and will always give the benefit of the doubt to the chefs for not over-seasoning mass-produced meals. If you want more refined flavors and a personal touch, head to the specialty restaurants.
We really appreciated the different menus offered in 1923, World of Marvel, and Plaza de Coco.
1923 offered an upscale feel and subtle décor for a traditional meal. No song and dance. No screens talking to you. Just a typical sit-down-and-enjoy-your-meal experience.
About the only thing I can say negatively about it was that the tables were pretty crammed together, but that was true of all three venues. Just like a Caribbean island, square footage was at a premium, and I think they skimped a bit when it came to the size of the dining rooms. It was tight getting in and out of the seats, and you had to constantly check to make sure you didn’t hit the chair behind you when standing up.
World of Marvel offered a bit of theater while you dined, with screens spread all around and views from any angle. Much like Animator’s Palate on the Dream and Fantasy, it broke up the meal with short skits playing periodically throughout dinner.
I think it’s safe to say that Plaza de Coco was our favorite of the three. Table location is key here, though. The main stage used by the performers is set up in the center of the dining room. Our table was in a far corner. Depending on your feelings about dinner theater, this could make a big difference.
When we sailed on the Wish and ate in Arendelle (same design, but Frozen-themed), our table was directly adjacent to the stage. That was a little too close for me and actually distracting. Being in the back corner in Coco was better in the sense that we could see and hear what was going on without feeling like we were in a fishbowl, with everyone watching us eat while the performers were five feet away.
Again, to each their own, as I can see the appeal for many to be right near the stage, especially for kids. From a pure menu standpoint, though, the Mexican cuisine served here stood head and shoulders above the rest.
Disney Treasure Service
One thing that will always set Disney Cruise Line apart is their commitment to service. I have been a bit critical regarding our dining team this week, and that wasn’t undeserved. However, that just shows how high the bar has been set over our past sailings. In everyday life, going out to eat at a local restaurant, I could have just as easily raved about how good they were. It comes down to the level you expect when you walk in.
The flip side of that was a few exceptional cast members that we encountered on the Treasure.
The first was the aforementioned Kevin, our Cove Café barista that I hadn’t seen in about two years since he was on the Fantasy. By the second day, he knew everyone’s orders as soon as we walked in. By day three, he was greeting everyone by name. Not just those of us who had sailed with him previously either. Just call him Isaac (major props if you get the reference). On disembarkation day, he even made sure to open up early so we could all come get one last fix. A group of about twelve of us walked in together, and he went right down the line whipping up lattes and Americanos with just a simple, “Usual?” That’s someone who not only loves their job but takes pride in building relationships with his guests.
Next up was our “backup barista,” Maynor, who took residence in Hei Hei Café. A few mornings it was either too cool to go out on deck to get to Cove (location, location, location), or they were still cleaning the deck, so we ventured inside Hei Hei. Again, he had our drinks down and made to perfection. While ashore in Cozumel, we even ran into him shopping in the Mega Store. He recognized us and took the time to say hello and chat for a minute while he was off gathering supplies. Not on the ship. His personal time away. That says something.
Third, but just as important, was Flavian, a pool attendant that we got to know as he kept the Quiet Cove deck clear of clutter and towels stocked. Always with a smile on his face and making sure everyone was taken care of. While many in his position go about their role and simply keep things in order, Flavian went the extra mile and took time to chat with guests and create some extra magic.
When all is said and done, we really enjoyed this sailing and the ship. Admittedly, I’m not in love with the layout of the Wish class in general, but it did grow on us as the week went on. It was a nice change in scenery from the Dream and Fantasy, but it didn’t feel like home either. We’ll absolutely sail the Treasure again, but I’d say it ranks as:
- Disney Fantasy
- Disney Dream
- Disney Magic
- Disney Treasure
- Disney Wish
- Disney Wonder
- Disney Destiny
We have not done the Wonder or Destiny yet, so they get the last two slots. This ranking could change soon, as we have our second voyage on the Magic next month, and we quickly fell in love with her on our initial sailing. Stay tuned.
Once again, thank you for following along. Cruising can become a way of life, but that’s a life worth living!