Disney Treasure Western Caribbean Cruise Review – Day 6: January 1, 2026

Welcome to 2026! What better way to float into the new year than a day at sea to relax and think about what New Year’s resolutions we’ll be breaking this year. You can just cross the diet off right now, we’re on a cruise ship where calories don’t count.

The day was spent primarily lounging around in the sun on deck 13 again. A perfect time to reflect on the year that’s past and those that yet await us. Ok, nothing that deep, it was just kicking back and hanging out with the Deck 13 crew. That seemed like the popular thing for everyone to recuperate from the celebration last night. If you weren’t out to stake out a deck chair by 10 am, it was too late. I saw countless guests wandering in circles like vultures, waiting for someone to abandon a spot, only to be disappointed when a book or other personal item was left behind while they stepped away.

Entire articles have been written regarding the hoarding of deck chairs on cruise ships, and it’s always a fine line between how long is acceptable to be away before someone else can claim it. Most cruise lines have posted rules stating how long until it’s considered fair game, although they never seem to actually enforce it. I can’t say I’ve ever seen Disney post official doctrine on the subject, and they seem to just leave it up to passengers to act responsibly.

What Are Chair Hogs and How to Deal With Them on Your Cruise

Since the day was uneventful until the evening hours, this is a great opportunity to cover some other areas of the ship.

Imagineering in Art

One of the first things I noticed while walking around the ship was the artwork and colors, in particular the stairwells and elevator banks. They jump right out at you. This is not by accident either, as like all things, the detail in which these were chosen goes deeper than a casual observation.

Let’s start with the color scheme and pattern of the carpet. On the left, you can see the vibrant reds and ornate patterns of Agrabah. Zoom in at the base of the staircase and you’ll see a gold scarab. Moving into the elevator bank, you can see the Cave of Wonders awaiting its next contestant.

As explained by our tour guide, these patterns were chosen to represent the treasures of Agrabah, along with the artwork that adorns the staircases as you make your way from deck to deck.

The aft sections take on a different aspect, as they are decorated in blues and teals representing the journey that has been taken. The painting below shows the Disney Treasure joining the fleet.

We also noticed that the elevators have different narrators, with Mickey declaring “going up” in the aft and Minnie stating “deck 8” in the forward.

Without a doubt, my favorite pieces of art on the ship were the two living mosaics. On the deck 3 forward stairwell, you can find Te Fiti right around the corner from the Walt Disney Theater, where the ship’s signature show happens to be Moana.

In the aft deck 11 stairwell was the Marceline Market mosaic that greeted you outside the entrance to the Market.

These are not simply neat pieces of art. They are living, breathing topiaries. They get misted down daily and trimmed on a regular basis. You can quite literally stop and smell the artwork!

One last callback is the Steamboat Willie mural down the hall from 1923. It’s a classic touch that was chosen to showcase how far they’ve come, from that first time behind the wheel to the addition of the Disney Treasure, which is subtly hiding in the upper left-hand corner.

Cafés and Pubs

One thing I have mixed feelings about is how all the cafés and pubs are spread out. If you’re familiar with the Magic and Dream Class, then you know they are pretty well grouped together to create an adult zone. The Wish Class has them dispersed between decks 3, 4, and 5.

Leading off from the Grand Hall heading forward, you start by passing the Scat Cat Lounge, which we covered in an earlier review. Continuing toward the Walt Disney Theater, you’ll have the Haunted Mansion Parlor entrance across from Skipper’s Lounge. So while they are all nearby, it doesn’t have a true togetherness feel.

On deck 4, you’ll find Hei Hei Café around the corner aft of the Guest Relations desk, and directly above that on deck 5 is The Jade Cricket Café. These are both great little spots to grab a morning coffee if you don’t want to make your way to Cove, or a cocktail in the evening. They each offer seating for around twelve patrons but just seem a little out of place. It’s almost like the Imagineers said, “We have some unused space here, so let’s throw in a café counter.” One or the other would likely be sufficient, as they seem a little redundant.

What they do offer, though, is another great example of theming! Hei Hei is another reflection of Moana that is almost as present around the ship as Aladdin. There are beautiful mosaics on the walls, and again the color scheme is reflective of the seashore. Look at the countertops and even the stools, as they represent a sandy beach with seashell lanterns hanging from the ceiling. The wall behind the bar offers a deeper blue for the ocean and then a lighter blue on the ceiling for the sky.

Thinking twenty-first century, they included charging outlets and garment hooks along the bar. A small but thoughtful addition.

The Periscope Lounge is the place to catch the big games, with a number of screens spread around for viewing from any angle. Located on deck 5 forward, the theme is based on the classic 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea and has the feel that you are in a submarine. The ceiling above offers a look into the ocean above, with fish swimming by. Not just any old fish, though. To create this effect, they placed cameras underwater in The Seas at EPCOT.

A few things you may, or may not, notice upon entering the lounge. Above the entrance is the number 718. You’ll actually find this referenced in a number of places around the ship. So what is the significance of this number? Is it just another 6–7? No, this is the build number that was associated with the ship back at Meyer Werft during construction. There is an old seafaring adage that it’s bad luck to refer to a ship by her name prior to completion.

Sometimes you really need to look closely, as things are often not what they appear. The Imagineers sneakily included some of their names in the base of the periscope, and if you look closely at the gauges, you may see some oddities.

Back on deck 3 is the Skipper’s Lounge for all things Jungle Cruise. This is a slightly larger open lounge that also has a small multipurpose stage, which is used for lounge acts as well as some of the trivia and game shows.

Don’t think they skimped out on the theme here either. As over the top as befits the Jungle Cruise, there are jungle vines hanging from the ceiling, skipper wisdoms behind the bar, and plenty of hidden Easter eggs on the walls.

The name of the vessel, EMS Empress, is after the first river the Treasure sailed down on the way out to sea. Check out the oars in the corner booth with the numbers 55 and 71 in honor of the years that Disneyland and Walt Disney World opened. Parrots for lampshades? Tell me you don’t hear “tiki tiki tiki birds” seeing those. Wait, what’s the number on those life preservers? Yup, 718.

There is no shortage of places to grab a drink and kick back whether you’re on deck or the interior that’s for sure.

Dinner at Palo Steakhouse on Disney Treasure

We had debated dining at Palo on this particular cruise, as we wanted to experience the different MDRs and the menus they offer. After looking ahead, we decided this would be the best night to substitute Palo Steakhouse. The venue is absolutely stunning the second you walk down the hall toward the Rose Lounge. It only gets better as you are led into Palo Steakhouse.

For the most part, the experience resembles that on the rest of the fleet. The difference is an expanded menu to add more premium-cut steak options.

The wagyu was tempting, but ultimately I wanted to try something new and went with the osso buco.

Dessert was a no-brainer with the chocolate soufflé, followed by a palate cleanser of lemon sorbet and Sprite.

Everything was wonderful, as always, and our server was incredible. She gave us the history of the venue, a rundown of the menu, and even made sure we didn’t let any of the gravy go to waste, “Non finito.”

You’d think that would be the highlight of the night, but that came next!

Disney The Tale of Moana on Disney Treasure

The stage presentation that began pre-production almost as long as the ship was being built is the showcase of the Walt Disney Theater. Winner of the 2025 Best Entertainment Experience at Sea award, it was as if Moana stepped off the screen and onto the stage.

The entire production was worthy of being directly on Broadway, with stellar performances all around.

The lone exception would have been Maui. Let’s be clear, Dwayne Johnson is a tough act to follow when it comes to natural charisma and sheer presence. The actor portraying the shape-shifting demigod just didn’t hit in either of those areas. While he had the muscles, he was barely taller than Moana and had a slender build. To use a sports analogy, he was a wide receiver when the part calls for a defensive lineman. He would have made a great Tarzan, though. His delivery also felt more like he was reciting lines than having a natural flow. His rendition of “You’re Welcome” didn’t pop the way it should, but it was ok.

If that’s the negative, the positives far outweighed it. The narration done by Gramma Tala was spot on. Enough sass with a grandmotherly softness mixed in carried the show along beautifully.

When Tamatoa first made her entrance onto the stage, I was a little leery. The second she started in with “Shiny,” all hesitation was washed away. A great blend of individual performance aided by a large-scale puppet costume really pulled the number together. She surely shined.

Again, puppetry was used to portray Te Fiti, and the cumulative transition from fiery monster to breathtaking island goddess was seamless before your eyes. Beyond impressive.

Sadly, the two things missing were Pua and Hei Hei. I guess it’s not easy to stage-train a chicken and a pig.

Did I miss anyone? Oh yeah, Moana. Almost indescribable. She didn’t just command the stage, she was too big for it. This is the first time I was inclined to look up a performer’s bio from a ship’s production. Kaena Kekoa brings the Polynesian princess alive as if it was written just for her. Her rendition of “How Far I’ll Go” was powerful. When she hit the crescendo, “I am Moana,” you could feel it in your chest. There is no doubting, she is Moana. If they ever decide to make this into a full-length Broadway production, I could see a Tony in her future. She was that good!

Without a doubt, this show moved up to my second favorite on the Disney ships. I’m not sure anything will ever top Believe, but this was easily the best stage recreation of an animated movie they’ve adapted, topping both Frozen and Beauty and the Beast, and that’s saying something. I’ll look forward to seeing it again on our next sailing on the Treasure, as that is the one and only place to find it.

That puts a cap on the day. We make our final stop tomorrow in Castaway Cay for a day at the beach before making the dreaded return to reality. I appreciate you following along.

Daily Planner

Personal Day-By-Day Disney Treasure Cruise Review: