Foolish mortals can enjoy their spirits with a side of spirits — three hitchhiking ghosts and a late ship’s captain, among others — when Disney Cruise Line‘s new ship debuts in 2024. The line confirmed Tuesday that Disney Treasure‘s newest onboard bar will be themed around the beloved Haunted Mansion attraction found at Disney parks in Florida, California and Tokyo.
The setting of the Haunted Mansion Parlor will take its inspiration from a first-class drawing room on a classic ship. It will weave in elements and Easter eggs from the theme park attraction while also adding to the Haunted Mansion story with new seafaring details.
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“So as well as those elements of the Haunted Mansion that you know and love, we’re gonna have a storyline of a jovial captain and a bit of a challenging dinner, let’s say, with his beloved fiancee, that leads him into joining the ghostly realm,” Disney Treasure’s first cruise director, Darren McBurney, told TPG in an exclusive interview.
McBurney couldn’t tell us more of the story but did say that the hitchhiking ghosts — Ezra, Phineas and Gus — from the Haunted Mansion attraction will be stowaways on the ship. Bar patrons will also encounter some new seafaring ghostly friends.
As you enter the Haunted Mansion Parlor, you will be transported immediately into the Haunted Mansion world. Fans will recognize the iconic purple wallpaper and purple armchair, a mantel clock that evokes the grandfather clock from the attraction (when it strikes the 13th hour, watch out!) and other homages to the beloved ride. A portrait gallery will feature familiar and new happy haunts.
Even the parlor’s soundtrack will be a mix of music from the ride and new spooky tunes. Disney superfans will want to find all the subtle nods to the original Haunted Mansion and its cast of spirited characters.
The ship will use plenty of high-tech elements to create a spooky atmosphere, but Burney would not reveal all the details — including whether the ghosts might hitchhike their way into your seating areas, as they do in the ride. Disney wants to leave plenty of surprises for the in-person experience.
I asked Burney if the hitchhiking ghosts and their new seafaring friends might hitchhike their way into haunting other areas of the ship. “I think we like to keep them in their ghostly realm,” he replied. “Because I’m not sure how the princesses, the mice and our ducks and our dogs and our famous other friends would feel if we allowed these guests to roam the ship.” But be on the lookout because you never know.
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And just as Disney did with the “Star Wars”-themed Hyperspace Lounge on Disney Wish that this bar is replacing on Disney Treasure, the Haunted Mansion Parlor will have an original and creative drink menu.
“Our fantastic beverage team has had so much fun coming up with a whole new range of specialty cocktails, and so many of them are gonna arrive, let’s say, in a very spooky way,” McBurney revealed. “Some of them even may be with a spooky message attached to them like you’ve never seen before.”
If your kids are also huge Haunted Mansion fans, never fear. The bar will have family-friendly daytime hours with a list of crafted mocktails (less spirited drinks, shall we say), so underage kids and teens can enjoy the haunted experience on board, too.
Some of the new cocktails include the zero-proof Sympathetic Libations, mixing blood orange and sour cherry flavors; the Ghoulish Delight, which mixes ube fudge, oat milk and tapioca pearls with a gummy eyeball; and a smoky margarita that comes with a secret message revealed by black light.
It wouldn’t be a Disney experience without themed merchandise, so guests can expect to find Haunted Mansion Parlor-themed souvenirs exclusively sold on board Disney Treasure. These include an eerie music box, the mantel clock with its 13-hour clock face and a haunted mirror often used by those cheeky hitchhiking ghosts.
Disney Treasure is taking inspiration for many onboard locations from popular, classic theme park attractions. In addition to the Haunted Mansion-themed bar, the ship will feature a Skipper Society bar that’s themed around the Jungle Cruise ride, an expansive Tower Suite inspired by Epcot’s Tomorrowland, and Periscope Pub, an homage to “20,000 Leagues Under the Sea.”
Disney Treasure will debut in December 2024 and sail seven-night Eastern and Western Caribbean cruises, giving guests plenty of time to explore all the onboard attractions, including a new “Coco”-themed restaurant with two dinner shows and the first “Moana” musical stage show. Bookings for the ship’s maiden season are already on sale.
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