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We toured Disney's newest cruise ship. These are its 11 coolest amenities, from a Jungle Cruise lounge to 'Moana' and 'Mulan' cafΓ©s

13 December 2024 at 07:01
Disney Treasure at sea
Disney Cruise Line's coming 4,000-guest Disney Treasure has several firsts for the brand, including some amenities exclusive to adults.

Disney Cruise Line

  • Disney Cruise Line plans to double its cruise ship fleet over the next seven years.
  • Its newest ship, Disney Treasure, is scheduled to launch in late December.
  • These are Disney Treasure's 11 coolest amenities.

It's time to grab your Mickey-printed swimsuit: Disney Cruise Line is bringing back the magic of its movies and theme parks to the high sea with its sixth cruise ship, the coming 4,000-guest Disney Treasure.

Treasure might look familiar if you've been aboard its sister ship, Disney Wish. To stand out from its predecessor, the new 1,119-foot-long vessel has several newly designed amenities, including a new water ride and a sweets shop inspired by the one in Zootopia.

Business Insider toured the ship ahead of its maiden voyage in late December. These are its 11 coolest features, including several adults-only experiences.

1. The new 'Coco'-themed restaurant makes dining as fun as going on a Disney ride.
Disney Treasure Plaza de Coco restaurant
Plaza de Coco is one of Disney Treasure's new restaurants.

Disney

Plaza de Coco's dining tables surround a stage, creating a dinner-and-a-show experience.

The venue hosts two different performances depending on the day, so there is no need to fear repeating a show if you go twice.

(BI previewed one of the shows and can confirm it's pretty entertaining for kids and adults.)

2. 'Zootopia' comes to life with a new sweets store.
Disney Treasure Jumbeauxs Sweets
Jumbeaux's Sweets is a "Zootopia" themed sweet shop.

Disney

If you've seen "Zootopia," you might remember store owner Jerry Jumbeaux Jr. and his Jumbeaux Cafe.

On Disney Treasure, the talking elephant's ice cream parlor comes to life with Jumbeaux's Sweets, a dessert shop with various treats and more than 31 ice cream and gelato flavors.

3. Treasure has several adult-only venues.
Sarabi lounge on the Disney Treasure
The Sarabi lounge is adult-only at night.

Caralynn Matassa/Business Insider

Disney is best known for being a family-friendly brand. That doesn't mean adults must be surrounded by children throughout their vacation.

For example, "The Lion King"-inspired Sarabi lounge has a variety of family activities during the day. At night, it becomes an adult-only venue with live shows.

2 restaurants are grown-up-only, too.
Palo Steakhouse on the Disney Treasure
Palo Steakhouse has Italian-inspired fare.

Disney

Palo Steakhouse, also available on Disney Wish, features Italian fare and a design inspired by "Beauty and the Beast"'s Cogsworth.

Disney bills the EnchantΓ©, a "Beauty and the Beast"-inspired French restaurant, as the most luxurious dining experience on board. Its menu was created by Arnaud Lallement, the chef and owner of the three-Michelin-starred restaurant L'Assiette Champenoise in Paris.

The two restaurants meet at The Rose, another adult-only lounge.

4. The Skipper Society lounge brings Disney's beloved Jungle Cruise ride to sea.
Skipper Society, a lounge on Disney Treasure
The Skipper Society has themed drinks.

Kent Phillips/Disney

The thematic lounge serves light snacks and beverages. Foliage hangs from the ceiling, and themed drinks (like the non-alcoholic Jungle Juice or the boozy Piranha Punch) can be enjoyed at the bar or private booths.

5. Treasure has a new steampunk and submarine-inspired Periscope Pub for a true 'at sea' experience.
Periscope Pub on the Disney Treasure
You'll feel like you're under the sea in the Periscope Pub.

Caralynn Matassa/Business Insider

The watering hole is a first for the cruise line, inspired by the 1954 Disney flick "20,000 Leagues Under the Sea" and the Disney Parks ride that shut down in 1994.

Here, guests can again eat, drink, and catch up on the news and sports.

The full menu includes burgers and wings, specialty cocktails, and several beers on tap.

6. The ship's 1,256 accommodations are decorated with subtle references to "Up" and "The Lion King."
Disney Treasure Oceanview Stateroom
An oceanview stateroom aboard Disney Treasure.

Kent Phillips/Disney

Interior staterooms make up more than 120 of these accommodations.

For a more luxurious option, pick one of the 76 premium concierge cabins, which includes access to an exclusive sun deck.

7. One of the largest cabins is a two-story, about 2,000-square-foot suite with a private elevator.
Disney Treasure Tomorrow Tower Suite
One of the king-sized bedrooms in the Tomorrow Tower Suite and a view of the living area.

Caralynn Matassa/Business Insider

The ultra-luxe Tomorrow Tower Suite sleeps up to eight people across its four bedrooms, one of which has a specialty bunk bed designed for children.

8. Two informal cafΓ©s themed on beloved Disney heroines flank the atrium.
Disney Treasure- Jade Cricket Cafe
Jade Cricket Cafe offers coffee, tea, specialty beverages, and snacks.

Kent Phillips/Disney

The atrium has its own stage. For a mid-show pick-me-up, head to the Heihei or Jade Cricket cafΓ©s.

The former is inspired by "Moana's" fictional island of Montuni, named after the title character's rooster sidekick, while the latter is a callback to "Mulan."

9. Yes, the ship has a Disney ride.
AquaMouse water ride on Disney Treasure
The AquaMouse is Disney Treasure's new water attraction.

Caralynn Matassa/Business Insider

The two-person AquaMouse: Curse of the Golden Egg water ride brings travelers through 760 feet of tubes on a quest to follow Mickey and Minnie Mouse into an "ancient temple."

10. 2 Disney Wish fan favorites are available on its sister ship.
Interior of the Worlds of Marvel restaurant on the Disney Treasure
The Worlds of Marvel restaurant on Disney Treasure.

Caralynn Matassa/Business Insider

Both vessels offer Worlds of Marvel, an interactive Marvel-themed restaurant, and Wonderland and Never Land Cinemas, a luxurious theater where guests can watch recently released movies.

11. 'Moana' comes to life with a new live production.
Disney moana show on the treasure ship
The set from Disney Treasure's new "Moana" show.

Caralynn Matassa/Business Insider

Like other Disney cruises, travelers on Treasure can see their favorite movies adapted in live theater.

Other Disney ships feature a live production of "Beauty and the Beast" β€” Treasure's new show is based on "Moana."

If life at sea with Disney is calling out to you, sailings on the Treasure start at $3,931 for its seven-night itineraries in 2025.

Read the original article on Business Insider

A man hid 5 boxes across the US with more than $2 million worth of treasure inside

19 November 2024 at 16:00
A composite image of Jon Collins-Black and a chest of treasure.
Jon Collins-Black, a musician and early bitcoin investor, went on a five-year-long quest to bury treasure across the US.

Jon Collins-Black

  • Jon Collins-Black has hidden five treasure chests across the US for a public hunt.
  • The chests contain valuable items like a Casascius bitcoin, an emerald, rare PokΓ©mon cards, gold, and more.
  • Collins-Black spent five years planning the treasure hunt and wrote a book with clues.

Jon Collins-Black once dreamt of finding treasure of his own. Now, he's hidden five treasure boxes in locations around the US β€” and he wants people to find them.

Collins-Black, a California-based musician turned entrepreneur, told BI that he made a tidy sum from early bitcoin investments. During the COVID-19 pandemic, he embarked on a project: Secure a hoard of treasure, then send people off to search for it, hoping they'll enjoy the journey.

Collins-Black told BI that there are now five chests β€” four smaller ones and one large box β€” hidden across the US.

He said that none of the chests are buried or placed on private land, and reaching the boxes does not require dangerous stunts.

He wrote all the clues one needs to find these treasure chests into a book, "There's Treasure Inside." Collins-Black said finding these leads in the text will require a close reading β€” and a sharp but open mind.

Collins-Black secured most of the pieces of treasure at auction and through antique dealers over the last five years. There are pieces like a Casascius bitcoin β€” the first physical bitcoin ever made; a green Columbian emerald; a 2002 Shining Charizard PokΓ©mon card; antiques from a shipwreck; George Washington's jelly glass, and more. BI has viewed the receipts for Collins-Black's purchases at auction.

He told BI he had a "loose budget" for the treasure's value. Based on the price he paid for the items at auction, he estimated that the total value of the stash, at press time, is between $2 and $3 million. But frequently fluctuating items like bitcoin could change the chests' worth.

"I was actually trying to figure out what the sweet spot would be as far as how big to make this without making it too big," Collins said. "I didn't want people to go too crazy."

All five treasure chests are also puzzle boxes, Collins-Black said β€” but if one finds the chest, instructions are placed with it outlining how to open the boxes, so people don't have to destroy them.

Only he knows where the chests are, so quizzing his family members and his publisher won't help. He placed the boxes around the country himself, hiking over a hundred miles on his trips.

Collins-Black said he doesn't think he'll regret giving this money away.

"If bitcoin goes to $500,000 or $1 million, or these treasures are worth $10 million in five to seven years and someone finds them, and then I think I'll just celebrate that and be happy for it," Collins-Black said.

"There were definitely a couple of items where people were like, 'Are you sure you want to put that in the treasure?'" he added. "But at the end of the day, I think I'll just be excited for whoever finds it."

Collins-Black told BI that he doesn't have a favorite treasure in the lot, but he does have a soft spot for the emerald β€” which he calls a "beautiful" thing to look at.

Treasure hunts have long captured popular attention, from the $350 million-grossing 2004 movie "National Treasure" toΒ geocaching, a real-world game in which people hunt for "caches" of information using GPS devices.

Art collector Forrest Fenn hid a chest filled with gold, jewels, and other valuables in the Rocky Mountains in 2010 β€” and Collins-Black set out to look for it.

Collins-Black wasn't successful in his hunt. After a decade-long search, Fenn's chest wasΒ finally found in 2020.

While Collins-Black has gone out of his way to hide the boxes, he does not want the mysteries to outlive him. In eight or 10 years, he might release more clues.

"I don't have this desire for me to be long gone, and they're to be the 'Legend of the John Collins-Black treasures,'" he said. "I don't want to drag it on forever."

Read the original article on Business Insider
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