First-Ever Duffy Show, New Jack Sparrow & Marvel Experiences Coming to Disney Cruise Line

Disney Cruise Line is unveiling all-new details about the shows and stores aboard the Disney Adventure, which is the colossal ship that is not part of the Wish-class. This shares concept art and details about the Captain Jack Sparrow, Duffy & Friends, Marvel and more entertainment experiences and retail aboard DCL’s next ship.

As a reminder, the Disney Adventure is the seventh ship joining the DCL fleet and it’ll be based out of a home port in Singapore starting in November 2025. It will join the existing 6 ships plus the upcoming Disney Destiny, which sets sail on its maiden voyage only one month after the Disney Adventure. Plus, the upcoming OLC ship out of Japan and all of the other additions announced at D23 that will be added to the fleet between 2028 and 2031. It’s a lot to keep track of!

Beginning in 2025, the one-of-a-kind Disney Adventure will sail 3 and 4-night cruises from the Marina Bay Cruise Centre for at least five years as part of a collaboration between Disney Cruise Line and Singapore Tourism Board. Singapore’s strategic location, world-class air connectivity and port infrastructure make it a thriving cruise hub in Southeast Asia, a region that’s home to over 40 UNESCO World Heritage Sites and a wealth of other sites.

Disney Cruise Line guests can look forward to an exceptional experience anchored in world-class entertainment, themed dining and artful accommodations. On the Disney Adventure, this magic will come alive through seven uniquely themed areas: Disney Imagination Garden, Toy Story Place, San Fransokyo Street, Town Square, Wayfinder Bay, Disney Discovery Reef and Marvel Landing.

With Disney Adventure background out of the way, let’s dig into the announcements. Children onboard the Disney Adventure will be cordially invited to a charming royal tea party with some favorite Disney Princesses at the all-new Royal Society for Friendship and Tea.

An enchanting afternoon of scrumptious treats, captivating stories and whimsical music will teach children the society’s values of kindness, bravery and determination. Each royal guest will conclude this majestic experience by taking home official society membership keepsakes.

Disney Cruise Line favorite Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique will return to the Disney Adventure to provide an enchanted salon experience for younger guests ages 3 to 12. From elegant royalty to adventurous sea captains, Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique will make any child’s storybook fantasy come to life with magical transformations featuring a variety of costumes, hairstyling, makeup and accessories.

As a girl dad (or whatever we call ourselves these days), I suppose Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique should be on my radar for the coming years. Not really ready to start thinking that far ahead, but it would seem that Megatron is. While doing laps of the Treasure, she was drawn to the princessy window display–an almost gravitational pull–and tried to steer us inside the shop on several occasions.

The upside, I’d imagine, is that Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique will be cheaper on the Disney Adventure than any of the other ships, but it’s also kind of silly to discuss flying all the way to Singapore to save $20 or whatever. (But that small savings, added up, is how we justify that flight to ourselves in the first place.)

At the all-new Marvel Style Studio, guests of all ages will celebrate fan-favorite Marvel Super Heroes with hair, makeup and clothing options inspired by the larger-than-life icons from the Marvel Universe. From Iron Man, Spider-Man and Captain America to Captain Marvel, Thor and Black Panther, the looks will be super.

At select times during the cruise, the sleek space will transform into an adults-only lounge offering bookable beverage tastings. After your Marvel styling is complete, you can continue your epic Avengers-level adventure at Marvel Landing for fun on the ship’s three new attractions – Ironcycle Test Run, Pym Quantum Racers and Groot Galaxy Spin.

Obviously, the previously-announced Marvel attractions are exciting. I also think it’s cool that this style studio is being transformed into an adults-only lounge in the evenings. While I have zero personal interest in that, it sets a precedent for the same in the Walt Disney Imagineering Lab in the Wish-class Oceaneer Club, and I’d love that!

Duffy and Friends fans, get HYPED! The beloved bear and his posse are taking to the high seas for the first time ever with an all-new show, delightful character encounters, specialty retail shop and more.

Debuting on the Disney Imagination Garden stage, “Duffy and The Friend Ship” will bring you on a journey filled with joy, inspiration and original new songs. Guided by the seagull Tippy Blue, Duffy and Friends will set off on an imaginary voyage to explore the seas on a charming adventure.

You’ll also be able to meet and take photos with Duffy and his cheery group of friends. Make sure to stop by the Duffy and Friends Shop where you’ll find a variety of items featuring your favorite characters and pick up a guide for the Duffy and Friends Discovery Quest. During this ship-wide journey, you’ll follow the clues to help Duffy and his friends find their missing items and earn a special commemorative gift that’s perfect for a cruise adventure.

This is huge news and a big win for the biggest Disney Dorks (non-derogatory). I know most of you do not share our affinity for Duffy & Friends, but this right here is the most exciting announcement to date about the Disney Adventure for us. It shouldn’t be a surprise that Disney Cruise Line is going to tap into the popularity of these characters among the Asian markets, but it’s still great to see.

In particular, I love that this is going to be guided by Tippy Blue, who is an OG Friend of Duffy that has never gotten his due. (Tippy Blue is the mail bird of Cape Cod. He was present in an older show at Tokyo DisneySea and as an ancillary character in the kid’s books and on merchandise, but he’s never received a full product line–just one plush badge.)

It would be cool if Tippy Blue were to become the feature character on the ship, but I’m not holding my breath on that. If the Disney Adventure gets its own Friend of Duffy, it’d personally be an aquatic creature…but a seagull kinda fits the bill!

Anyway, we have gradually become “reluctant” Duffy fans, starting out resistant to the phenomenon but it’s gradually won us over. (Sarah has even been lobbying for an article ‘arguing’ that Duffy & Friends need to return to Walt Disney World and Disneyland.) All of that was pre-Megatron. Now that she’s around and adores these characters, we love them even more. Suffice to say, we cannot wait for “Duffy and The Friend Ship” on the Disney Adventure!

Finally, join Captain Jack Sparrow and his band of pirates as they battle with an ink-squirting giant squid and hunt for a rare, dazzling treasure during “Captain Jack Sparrow & The Siren Queen.”

This all-new show coming to the Disney Imagination Garden stage will have swashbucklers of all ages singing a hearty “Yo ho!” as you’re recruited for a thrilling journey with the sea’s most charming, yet roguish, captain and his pirate crew.

This caught me by surprise. Maybe I’m mistaken, but my impression was that Disney had shied away from introducing new Captain Jack Sparrow things in recent years because of, well, I’m sure you know. As one of approximately 71 Americans who tried as hard as possible to bury my head in the sand during all of that (it was hard–people care way too much about celebrity nonsense), I plead ignorance and have no strong opinion on it.

What I do have a strong opinion on is Captain Jack Sparrow. He, as in the character, is awesome. One of the most iconic live action characters that Disney has ever created. I’m glad to see the character making a comeback, and hope we get more like this on subsequent ships or even in the parks. Personally, I wouldn’t mind if Walt Disney World and Disneyland removed the Captain Jack Audio Animatronics from Pirates of the Caribbean and cloned Battle for the Sunken Treasure. That’s one of the most wow-worthy attractions of all-time, and 99.99% of Americans will never visit Shanghai Disneyland.

Turning to commentary, I want to reiterate and double-down on my first impressions of the Adventure: from what we’ve seen so far, I like it a lot. There’s a ton of potential, and it’s very obviously going to be the most unique ship in the Disney Cruise Line fleet. At minimum, that should count for something!

This seems to be an unpopular opinion among many fans, who feel there are ways it looks like a cheap knockoff of a Disney ship or too much like other cruise lines. That last line is at least partially true, because it was. Still, I look at the work Imagineering has done to retrofit the Disney Adventure and can’t help but be impressed.

Sometimes, Imagineers do their best work when forced to work within certain parameters, getting creative and solving problems along the way, rather than being given a blank slate. We’ve seen this in the past with certain ‘against-all-odds’ ride reimaginings, and now it appears they’re doing more than just making lemonade out of lemons with the colossal Global Dream, which was very much an “un-Disney” cruise ship as originally envisioned.

With that said, the jury is obviously still out until we see the Disney Adventure in person. The ginormous ships offered by offered cruise lines do absolutely nothing for me–they give me modern day Titanic vibes. (And, it should go without saying, but not in a good way.) There’s the possibility that the Adventure will have that vibe to it; or that the rides will feel cheap, ostentatious, and without redeeming merit; that the fit and finishings feel cheap and out of place–not on the same level as the concept art.

Whatever the case, I’m really looking forward to the rest of the Disney Adventure unveil. It’s fresh and exciting, and hopefully it goes on to inspire Disney Cruise Line and Imagineering to think outside the box for all of those ships they’ve committed to between 2028 and 2031.

Planning to set sail aboard one of the DCL ships? Read our comprehensive Disney Cruise Line Guide to prepare for your voyage, plus plan entertainment, activities & excursions, and learn what to expect from your Disney cruise! For personalized planning & recommendations, click here to get a cruise quote from a no-fee Authorized Disney Vacation Planner. They can find you all of the current discounts, and help you plan the details of your cruise!

YOUR THOUGHTS

Thoughts on this sneak peek of the Disney Adventure? Does this seventh ship interest you, or is being based out of Singapore a non-starter? What do you think about the company acquiring the partially-completed Global Dream ship and transforming it into the Disney Adventure? Think this is a good addition to the fleet or at-odds with the existing ships? Confident that Imagineering can transform this into a ‘Distinctly Disney’ (Cruise Line) ship, or think it’ll stick out from the rest? Do you agree or disagree with our assessments? Any questions? Hearing feedback about your experiences is both interesting to us and helpful to other readers, so please share your thoughts below in the comments!