Hidden Treasures of the Disney Cruise Line: Nautical Notes, Knowledge, and Nonsense

by Jim Korkis

Ahoy! Welcome aboard for a voyage through the creation of the Disney Cruise Line and some of the intriguing storytelling elements about its fleet of ships. This book is NOT a travel guide nor is it designed to help get discounts, pick a good cabin, select the best time of the year to cruise, decide on a shore excursion, review the cuisine or anything else related to things that a good travel agent can help you accomplish. This book is something very different and unprecedented. From stories of some of the cruises Walt Disney and his family took over the decades to the Disney Imagineers plan to create a floating Disney theme park that would sail to various ports around the world, the book is filled with history and storytelling that has rarely if ever been documented. Individual chapters about each ship showcase some of the design elements that make each one unique. Where is Muppet Pepe the Prawn’s hidden cabin on the Disney Fantasy and Disney Dream ? What are all the different DCL buttons that a guest can get for free at Guest Services? An entire section is devoted to the back stories of the dining and nightclub areas. How was Palo designed to reference the twisting canals of Venice, Italy? What is the one cinematic item in the Meridian Bar on the Disney Dream that purposely does not appear on the Disney Fantasy ? Why is the buffet-style restaurant called Cabanas? Another section covers the design details of Castaway Cay. How and why did the back story of the castaways change over the last two decades? What are some of the tributes to Disney executives that can be found on signs, crates and more? Why did Disney decide not to include horseback riding as an activity? Several chapters focus on the unique art on the ships from the Magic Portholes to Enchanted Art and much more. Bon Voyage!

Genres: Nonfiction

164 pages, Paperback

Published October 21, 2024

Reviews

[Josh Walbert]

While it is nice to have a comprehensive history of Disney Cruise Line, author Jim Korkis relies heavily on information from other sources. It would be great if Disney Editions would publish a full behind the scenes feature book on the inspiration and creation of their wonderful ships and beautiful island Castaway Cay.

That said, Korkis brings to light several long forgotten backstories that were created for DCL but eventually discarded. The anecdotes are compelling and bring the ships and island to life in a new way.

[Andrea]

Really focused on The Dream but some interesting facts about DCL.

[Dennis Keithly]

While I enjoyed this book about Disney Cruise Line, I was hoping for something that was a little more enchanting. Much of the book is a description of where to find details on the ship with little of the "behind the scenes" stories I expect from Jim Korkis. I have heard Korkis tell stories of the history of Disney in interviews and podcast experiences, and he always demonstrated an incredible depth of knowledge. This book is certainly a comprehensive guide on where to find hidden Mickeys, art, and other details on the ships. It just lacks some of the color I was hoping to read. It is worth it though. Disney Cruise Line fans should enjoy it quite a bit.

[Liz]

I always learn something new from Jim Korkis. Although broken down into almost list like categories, I still enjoyed discovering more information and the background of the Disney Cruise Line.

[Virginia]

It was just okay. Included a lot of cool art and things to look for on the ship but focused mostly on the Dream. I did enjoy reading the original backstory of Castaway Cay.

[Frank Davis]

I'm at the time of this posting planning a cruise on Disney and this book has some excellent things to look for when on some of the ships and Castaway Cay. I know I'll be looking for the stuff on the island but I'm hoping for an update before the cruise next year on information about the Wish's hidden treasures.

So if you're wondering about things and how they play out on the ships, I would suggest getting this book for a good read before and maybe during the trip. He does have some things to look out for on the ships that are out there now.