Disney Destiny's Unique Themed Experiences and Attractions

by Samantha Davis-Friedman
Last updated: 7:00 AM ET, Fri February 20, 2026

This article originally appeared in the February issue of AGENTatHOME magazine. Subscribe here to receive your free copy each month.

Last November, Disney Cruise Line’s Disney Destiny joined sister ships Disney Wish and Disney Treasure as the third ship in the line’s Wish class and the fleet’s seventh vessel. But while Wish and Treasure are themed to Disney’s tried-and-true concepts of enchantment and adventure, Destiny’s heroes-and-villains theme spotlights characters who don’t always get face time with passengers.

“We’ve always told hero stories, but villains required us to rethink how we tell stories on our ships,” said Jenny Weinbloom, vice president of live entertainment for Disney Signature Experiences. “All character encounters are relationship-building, but what’s the relationship with a villain? Are we an accomplice? Are we going to thwart this villain? That was the jumping-off point as we developed storytelling for Destiny.”

The Grand Hall

From the moment cruisers board, they are immersed in the story of Marvel superhero T’Challa (the Black Panther). However, the Wakanda-inspired Grand Hall also serves as a villainous venue where Dr. Facilier from “The Princess and the Frog”; Cruella de Vil from “101 Dalmatians”; and Loki, the god of mischief from the Marvel Cinematic Universe, interact with passengers. Unique to Destiny’s Grand Hall is lighting that transforms the space with different colors as a hero or villain’s story unfolds.

Loki, the god of mischief from the Marvel Cinematic Universe, interacts with passengers aboard Disney Destiny.

Pride Lands: Feast of The Lion King

Disney Cruise Line’s signature rotational dining includes the all-new Pride Lands: Feast of The Lion King, a theater-in-the-round musical dining experience.

Inside the dining room, inspired by an African boma, storytellers present Simba’s story through music and dance. However, as show director Paul Bryant notes, the experience is more than a hero-and-villain tale about Simba and Scar.

The cast performs favorite songs from the original 1994 animated film, as well as music from its sequel and award-winning Broadway production. However, clients won’t see animal puppets or Disney characters — an intentional creative choice to differentiate the experience from The Lion King shows in Disney theme parks.

Pride Lands: Feast of the Lion King is much more than a hero-villain tale about Simba and Scar.

Themed Lounges

First seen onboard Disney Treasure, the Haunted Mansion Parlor returns here in all its ghoulish glory with a reimagined cocktail menu. Imagineers also created all-new, highly themed lounges for Destiny, including De Vil’s Piano Lounge, where Cruella occasionally pops in to stir up some drama.

Following the popularity of theme park-inspired spaces onboard Treasure, Destiny’s Cask & Cannon pub pays homage to the Pirates of the Caribbean attractions around the world. But the real showstopper? A ceiling mural inspired by sketches for the original Disneyland ride.

The Sanctum lounge, the first inspired by a Marvel hero, features a cosmopolitan vibe along with some of the ship’s most innovative cocktails.

“It’s inspired by the New York Sanctum in the Doctor Strange films — and, specifically, the Chamber of Relics,” said Beth Burkhardt, manager of interior design for Walt Disney Imagineering. “That’s where Doctor Strange is first introduced to the Cloak of Levitation, which we actually have behind the bar.”

Cruella de Vil occasionally pops into her namesake lounge to stir up a bit of drama.

Villainous Experiences

Along with traditional character meet-and-greet opportunities, Destiny also debuts interactive “meet and play” experiences that present Disney stories in unique ways, such as opportunities to cast spells with Maleficent and walk the runway with fashionista Cruella de Vil. I ventured into the mysterious Dr. Facilier’s Parlor, an intimate experience that occasionally materializes behind an otherwise unmarked door. Inside, the voodoo witch doctor entices participants to “shake a poor sinner’s hand” — but wise ones refuse.

Disney Destiny's guests can engage in a risky game of chance with Dr. Facilier from "The Princess and the Frog."

The Walt Disney Theater

An all-new stage adaptation of Disney’s animated movie “Hercules” has been given a modern twist, with updated musical arrangements, high-tech projection effects and innovative puppetry — which, according to Jeff Conover, creative director of puppetry and articulation for Walt Disney Imagineering, employs technology never used before, including in any Disney theme park.

“Disney Hercules” checks every box for fans of the original 1997 film, from the sassy muses and even sassier Meg to the hilariously inept Pain and Panic and fast-talking Hades, portrayed in all his villainous glory by Broadway veteran Matthew Patrick Quinn. But it’s Corey J. Bradford who fills the show with heart as he portrays Hercules’ journey “from zero to hero.”