The Sorcerer's Apprentice Season 6: ODYSSEY

[Evilgidgit]

Well, meet my lawyer!

 

[Tux]

I call dibs.

 

[D Hulk]

WE'RE LAWYERS!​

 

[Outbound]

Ok now everyone is posting their lawyer.

 

[pix]

 

[PerGron]

Reviews coming soon, just had to get off the phone with my lawyer

 

[D Hulk]

Reviews coming soon, just had to get off the phone with my lawyer

View attachment 445220

 

[Disney Dad 3000]

 

[TheOriginalTiki]

 

[PerGron]

So Team Tomorrow, I noticed you guys like to make projects that are long and time-consuming to read, so I figured, two can play at that game

To start off, Team Tomorrow’s teamwork is always really solid. The standouts, though, in both rounds have been @D Hindley, @gam3rprincess, and @Disneypugs. who have all really mastered their teamwork. That’s not to downplay the work from everyone else on the team, but it’s clear that this trio is one of the strongest in the game right now.

I’d also like to mention the artwork here. Holy cow! Every time I think Doug has reached the peak, you come back and blow it out of the park. I thought the Money Bin Tower From last round was impressive, but The Disney Adventure outclasses even that. Add onto that the logo that fits right in with the logos of the other ships, and some of the other artwork throughout the presentation, it goes without saying that I’m going to expect big things art-wise from Team Tomorrow going forward.

I did, however, want to critique your presentation style a tiny little bit. Slides is a great tool for presentations, but most presentations on slides wouldn’t be trying to convey the details of a brand new state-of-the-art Cruiseliner. Now, that’s not to say the presentation isn’t very clean, crisp, and easy to understand, but I’ve always felt like for bigger projects like this, slides aren’t the best medium to present it. You’re limited in the amount of detail you can put in. But, as I said, it was clean and easy to read and I definitely respect the amount of work done on it. In my opinion, slides work best for individual attractions, shows, etc. but not so much for a major presentation where you’re trying to get this much information across.

That being said, let’s jump into the project itself. I’ll start with the ship design.

I love the idea that the ship is set to be an amalgamation of different eras of seafaring vessels. You were able to combine a ton of nautical history into one ship’s design, and that is admirable, but in the same vein, I worry about the design too. When people cruise, often they’re looking for a sleek and modern design to live a life of luxury on for however long they’re aboard. As a S.E.A. fan (and operative) as well as a fan of nautical history and theming, this ship is right in my wheelhouse, but as for your normal cruiser, I worry the design would be off-putting and too far out in left field. People who cruise Disney don’t do it so much for the over the top theming, but more for the Disney Difference. The challenge was to create a themed vessel for the Disney Fleet, but there is some nuance in there on how to theme it that I think you guys may have overlooked in looking to build a theme park land level themed experience rather than having a touch of nuance.

Of course, that being said, I don’t think the ship would alienate too many people due to it being on the smaller side. Rather than being the next big ship following the Fantasy, this would be more of an intimate experience, which I do like that you guys went with. It does keep up the realism.

The Atrium is genius. I can imagine walking aboard through the gangplank and coming across the sight of a massive megalodon and that alone is enough to sell me. I think you guys did a really solid job starting to describe the atrium, but as I mentioned previously, I would’ve loved more detail here. The atrium is easily one of the three most important locations on the ship (alongside the pool deck and the dining locations) so I would’ve loved more detail about what’s going on in there. Usually, the atrium hosts meet and greets, live music, photo spots on a formal night, etc. plus it’s the midpoint of the ship so you spend a lot of time in and around that area. I just want to warn you guys that this critique will come up again, but overall, while I’d have loved more detail, what you did do was great.

As for staterooms, you guys did exactly what you needed to do. You gave a photographic example, provided a solid write up of what they will look like, and provided details on what each room theme may be. This is one of the areas that I’d like to commend you guys on for giving the perfect amount of detail. I’d like to book a Polynesian themed room myself!

For a ship themed so heavily to S.E.A. It makes me a bit confused why you kept the Walt Disney Theater. The name just doesn’t seem to fit within the theme and is a bit jarring after reading all about the different themed elements. That being said, your stage productions are great! I’ve done five cruises (once on each ship and twice on Dream) and the shows were always a highlight for me. The fact you’re being treated to a live stage performance for no extra cost to you (of course the cost of the trip itself is insane ) is a great feeling.

20,000 Leagues as a stage production is something I’d never have thought of in a million years, but you guys have sold me on it. It’s also nice to have a show that isn’t a musical. For as much as I’ve loved the shows I’ve seen, the formula really seems to be “let’s go to this animated movie, sing a song we know, and then move forward”, so something like this would be a unique take and I really appreciated that. I also love incorporating puppetry in, because most of the shows are just costumed characters and face characters with an occasional puppet every once in a great while.

Enchantment: Magic of Mysteries is another show that I’d be very invested in seeing. I imagine this show would be your “let’s go to this animated movie, sing a song we know, and then move forward” style show, but it certainly is a formula that works, and with your other shows I think this one would fit in beautifully. I also like the tie into Albert from Mystic Manor. It’s a little Easter egg that most average cruisers wouldn’t get but brings up something fun for those who do get it.

Peter Pan: The Musical is a great idea! I’ve always loved the story of Peter Pan and, as popular as it is, I feel like people do forget about it as a film. A lot of people don’t bring it up with one of Disney’s greats in the same way they bring up The Lion King, Cinderella, and Frozen, but I think Peter Pan deserves to sit up there with those greats as well. I imagine, like Toy Story the Musical aboard the Disney Wonder (or are least, formerly was) this would introduce some original songs on top of the songs featured in the film, something that I’ve always enjoyed in stage productions.

Overall, all three of your shows bring about something really unique that wouldn’t bore audiences and would bring them back day after day to see what show is happening. As for the Carthay Circle Theater, I have the same issue as I do with the Walt Disney Theater. How does that fit into the theme? I get that Carthay Circle is both a recognizable place in the real world and to Disney fans, but it really doesn’t fit the S.E.A. Theme you guys were shooting for. That being said, I’m glad you guys added in a second theater for films as it’s something that is present on all the other ships.

Having Figment and Dreamfinder hanging out is so fun! I feel like Imagination totally fits the theme and whatnot and these guys would make excellent additions to the ship. I also like the idea of having walk-around SEA characters. That being said, there’s a severe lack of one particular group of characters who almost everyone who goes on a DCL cruise expects and that’s Mickey and Friends. I know you guys mention in your next slide that they are there on the boat, but a little blurb about Mickey and friends and other classic characters would go a long way. I imagine you can meet Peter Pan and friends, Mickey and friends, among other Disney characters, so just a little blurb confirming that you can meet these characters would help a lot.

The holiday celebrations are a lot of fun, but they bring about one kind of major thought I had. In your entertainment, you didn’t mention anything about Pirate Night or a replacement for it. Pirate Night is a very important night for most DCL cruisers as it’s the one night you don’t dress up fancy for dinner, you get to do a deck party, and there are fireworks (the only cruise line to do so) and it’s so popular it’s even on the 3 and 4-night cruises. While I don’t think you need a pirate night per se, I do think some mention of its replacement would be important, especially where the fireworks portion makes Disney so unique to other cruise lines.

Onto dining, I think that you could’ve made it a bit more clear which restaurants are part of the regular rotation and which is a Palo replacement. I think I have it figured out, but it’s a minor thing that I do think could’ve been more clear.

That being said, your restaurants are to die for. I love the idea of a family-friendly Adventurer’s Club as part of the dining rotation. There are a lot of things going on here to focus on and reminds me of Animator’s Palate (which I believe this is the replacement for) which often serves as everyone’s favorite place to eat on the ship. Lost Temple Table also provides a unique dining option, but I also beg the question alongside Pi: why is there an abandoned temple aboard a cruise ship? Finally, I’m not a fan of the name “the Party Lounge” solely because it doesn’t feel unique or even themed at all, it feels like a Party City knock-off store you find in a strip mall. That being said, the restaurant itself seems fun and the theme itself is great.

As for Zephyrs, I imagine this is the Palo/Remy replacement, and I must say, you guys knocked this one out of the park. This is everything that I think a fine dining adult-only location needs. It’s quiet, has a unique view, a unique theme, and is private. This may be my favorite of your restaurants.

Lounges and Bars all look great. I want to save some time by not going too in-depth with all of them, so I’ll just say here, I think this part of your project is up there with staterooms for the perfect amount of detail. You guys really knew what you were looking for, and, with two alcoholics on your team, I imagine you guys had a pretty solid idea of what to shoot for here (I jest). I also like how you tied in famous S.E.A. members, both real and SAU. I did want to make a special note for Trader Sam’s Caribbean Cantina because that fits so well on your ship and is a place I’d probably spend my whole vacation in.

I’m gonna just say ditto for the above paragraph for the casual dining. It’s all the same comments. Tons of different great options that I’d love to partake in myself. Great job with this part!

I was worried initially when I saw you guys wanting to add rides. I remember a ToT style drop tower, a coaster, and a few other things thrown around, and I really have to admit, I’m glad none of those stuck. I would’ve been really nervous having a giant hole in the ship for a drop tower, and a coaster seems like a lot of a ship’s deck to handle too. I’m much happier with the attractions you guys went with as they all feel much more realistic.

Diving Bell Exploration is a really solid idea. Simulator rides don’t need much space at all, so allocating the space for them really shouldn’t be an issue. It also works out really well having it be on a reservation basis so that there aren’t ridiculous lines. Lines at a theme park are one thing, but on a luxury vacation where you’re trying to relax and enjoy the serenity, nobody wants to wait in the hot sun for a ride.

As for Carousel of the Curious, I really enjoyed this one too, probably more than the other attraction. This reminds me of a better version of the observation deck at SeaWorld Orlando. It provides great views, being high up, but is heavily themed. I also love the tie-in to Rolly Crump and Museum of the Weird as that’s probably my favorite never built attraction.

S.E.A. Combat Training is a bit scary as I can see it going very wrong, especially with those age groups. I know many a 14-year-old who would happily beat on a 6-year-old with a sword, even if it were foam. I can also see younger kids going after the 60-year-olds and beating the snot out of them too. I like the idea for sure, but I think it may have been served better as A. A VR experience, or B. A part of the kids club.

Junior Adventurers Club is a solid take on the Oceaneer’s Club/Lab currently on all of the ships in the fleet. That being said, I realized that you guys didn’t add in any clubs for the tweens/teens. Both Edge and Vibe are staples of the cruise line and, having been to both, were some of my favorite parts of cruising. Even if you combined the two clubs, a place for older kids to hang out too would’ve really benefited this project.

A S.E.A. themed escape room is genius and having escape rooms on a cruise ship is also genius. This contained the right amount of detail too. I do think this would have to be on a reservation basis as well, like the ride, but overall, I think this is a really solid addition to your ship. As for mini-golf, this is a fun, themed mini-golf course that I can certainly see being pretty popular. I know the mini golf on the other ships is and they’re not nearly as well themed.

I love Albert’s Splash Trove. The pool deck is on par with the atrium in how important it is to the ship, and I’d say you guys nailed this one. Between the pool themed to the Babylon Water Gardens to a small slide to even the Nemo’s Reef replacement, you guys nailed the family pool area.

As for Pariacaca Plunge, this seems like a great take on the AquaDuck and AquaDunk, but with a different twist. My biggest concern is that it jettisons people into the main pool. I feel like that can be pretty dangerous, especially with how cramped the pool gets, especially on sea days. Perhaps a smaller pool for the slide to jettison into would make more sense here for safety reasons.

I imagine the Discovery Pool is the ship’s main pool, which it’ll definitely work as, but my issue remains with the Pariacaca Plunge jettisoning into it. That being said, these pool areas are the perfect amount of detail for what they are. I guess my only question is, where is the big screen on the smokestack, or is that elsewhere (or not even there?).

Onsen Oasis sounds incredibly comfortable and definitely works as the adult-only pool area. Not much else to say, it just sounds very relaxing.

Finally, I just want to say how amazing those maps look! I’m not sure if you guys made them or repurposed real ones or whatever, but however y’all did it, I’m impressed. They look so real.

In the end, I had a few gripes with your project, but all in all, I was quite impressed with it. Some things didn’t have enough detail (atrium and Diving Bell mainly) and there were a few things I wish you had covered, but overall, it was an incredibly solid project and I thoroughly enjoyed a lot of it.

I’d say my biggest flaw here (and I have this with all 3 teams but I figured I’d mention it here) is I wish we got itineraries here. How long are the cruises, where do they go, etc? That would’ve been a great addition to really flush it out.

Great job Team Tomorrow!​

 

[pix]

You guys really knew what you were looking for, and, with two alcoholics on your team, I imagine you guys had a pretty solid idea of what to shoot for here (I jest).

I'm sorry I know I probably should of gotten more out of this review but who are you calling alcoholics???

 

[Outbound]

THE DISNEY PLEASURE
The concept of a guest judge creating their own "mini-project" is a really cool idea. @JokersWild , I'm happy you're able to take part in the prompt even if not part of the competition!

A river cruise is a really cool twist on the Cruise Ship prompt. First, it's unique, second Walt callbacks are the best, and third, the limited size gives you a justification for detailing it, instead of planning a massive ship with one person and only getting to parts of it.

Everything here feels very “quaint” and it gives you the feeling that is a ship by Walt Disney, not Disney the mega-corporation. There are still references to Disney (Princess and the Frog) but they all fit very well.

The only issue I can find is the concept is unrealistic. But the concept is also great.

DISNEY ADVENTURE
Team Tomorrow brought it again this week. There was a strong “core” this round, consisting of @gam3rprincess, @D Hindley, @Disneypugs., and @Evilgidgit, who were frequently posting their ideas and comments. The teamwork shined this round, to the point where some teams were working to the bell you guys were basically finished seven hours early!

The theme is fantastic: thinking about it, SEA is screaming for a cruise ship theme. It’s something I hadn’t thought of while writing this prompt and I’m happy it’s come up now. But I was initially a little worried you guys would end up just calling the ship “SEA” and leaving it a generic ship. I’m impressed with the subtle blendings of modern ship with steampunk, truly making your ship “themed”.

One thing I loved was choosing to keep the ship smaller, not larger. These win you some realism points! For such a radical design, it makes sense to purpose your ship with a smaller audience in mind. I’ll expand on the audience a little later.

Your presentation is nice (even if it lacks reading music). I like changing it up stanza by stanza, and a Google Slides worked well for mimicking the Disney Cruise Line Site! My only question concerns the layout of your slides. The structure goes: Entertainment, Lounges, Dining, Attractions. I would have preferred a deck by deck design, to get a better feel for what goes where. Those maps at the end were amazing for cohesion, I wish they were incorporated more into the project.

GRAND ENTRY LOBBY
A solid introduction for guests into the themed ship. I like how you are incorporating the SEA characters into the story as meet and greet characters. That being said, I also think you should have used Mickey and friends. Does it fit with SEA? No! But I can’t help but imagine casual guests will be disappointed to find no Mickey on a Disney Cruise, aside from a Halloween party. They might have known there would be an 1800s theme, but they were still expecting Disney characters.

This is all a minor gripe, though. It would be easy to add on these characters every now and then, and in subtle places so as to not disturb the primary SEA storyline.

DISNEY ADVENTURE STATEROOMS
Splitting the themes up by deck is a cool idea, and it fits well with SEA’s explorative nature. My one nitpick revolves around picking the Phoenicians as one of the six cultures. Forgive me if I’m mistaken, but I can’t seem to find anything unique about them with Google. A more ancient Egypt based around Carthage. Given you only had six choices, I would have recommended Ancient Rome or Maya. But again, nitpicking.

WALT DISNEY THEATER
So about 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea…. you had me with the puppets. I had a great experience on my last cruise, where they had a broadway-quality musical starring some insane puppets. With Disney budget, I can only imagine what they will produce.

Enchantment is a smart way to utilize Mystic Manor. It’s a cool story that’s helped define SEA, but throwing the ride onto the ship wouldn’t make much sense. Turning it into a show is smart.

Last, Peter Pan. This doesn’t fit with SEA as much as the others, but considering it is still a “Disney Cruise” I think it’s fine. I’d have recommended using your “non-SEA” show on more an audience favorite like Frozen or Mickey (relatively speaking, of course, Peter Pan is still very popular).

ONE LITTLE SPARK: AN AUDIENCE WITH FIGMENT
Yes.

S.E.A.SONAL ACTIVITIES
That pun.

But jokes aside, seasonal activities are a good inclusion. I just wish you’d given us a bit more information regarding when these events are. Only Halloween and Christmas? A whole show might be unlikely. Many hours practicing for only once a year. Perhaps drawing out the Halloween event to every “week before Halloween” in the entire month of October, and Christmas to every “week before Christmas” following Thanksgiving.

DINING
Typically, a cruise ship has two “primary restaurants”: the dining room and the buffet. This project is lacking in the main restaurant. The Adventurer’s Club is strictly Asian and African, the Lost Temple Table I assume Indian, and Zephyrs France. These are great in it of themselves, but overall it may become very annoying for guests who want your typical dining food.

The Party Lounge alleviates this issue a bit, but it’s a buffet. This may result in just about every family going here with nowhere else to go. Something as simple as a Victorian Steakhouse (safe food, but more formal than the buffet) would help alleviate some very exotic menu options. Keep in mind the burgers and pizza are going to be poolside, an area mainly for snacks and lunch, not dinner.

The Disney Magic has the “Animator’s Pallette” and “Rapunzel” as their “standard dining”. As you can see on the menu, there’s a lot of safe options (maybe too many, tbh) but they do it because they understand many families are coming on this trip and they will have to appeal to them.

The Disney Adventure isn’t as child-catering as the rest of the fleet, but it is still flying the Disney banner and will undoubtedly see many families flock aboard. To that, it seems they are stuck in the Party Lounge.

(Oh and the Zephyrs idea is super cool. As is bringing the Tiki Room aboard as Trader Sam’s).

ATTRACTIONS
You’ve expertly “balanced the entertainment with the standards of a Cruise Ship”. Ironically we wrote that aimed directly at your team. By reeling in the focus to only a few things, you’ve kept the spotlight on each part of the ship.

Diving Bell Explorations is your “e-ticket” from what I can gather. Good choice on reservations only, otherwise I could see the ship turning into a theme park. With virtual reality gaining traction and Smuggler’s Run a thing now, this is surprisingly realistic. Not even for armchair Imagineering. I could see Disney adding this to their current ships.

SEA Combat Training is definitely a wacky idea, but I could actually see a cruise pull this off. But instead of tournaments, I’d recommend using the cruise staff, possibly even scripting it to create a little narrative like the Jedi fighting Vader (but less obvious). Cruise staff typically make fun of themselves so I could easily see this turn into less actual fencing practice and more “let’s poke the Cruise Director with a stick!”

The “Enter If You Dare” Escape Room fits SEA like a glove. Although I do feel like you missed an opportunity to theme it to an Egyptian temple down on Deck 3. A more general treasure hunt works just as fine, though - I like how these attractions are self-contained and keep the focus on the cruise itself. Mystic Mini-Golf is also a solid attraction.

I am a bit confused with the “Junior Adventurer’s Club”. Did you ditch the youth department? Disney used to have separate lounges for age groups. I love the badge idea… but there should be different levels for children, tweens, and teens.

Albert’s Splash Trove is a great way to make pools less boring! You’ve still got the classic with the Discovery Pool, so it makes sense to build something more appealing to children (and let’s face it, most adults).

One question, why is there a Trader Sam’s both at his bar a few decks below and up at poolside? This isn’t shown on the map, so I assume it was a remnant of a former version, never deleted. Again, mostly nitpicking!

CONCLUSION
This is one of those projects you start intentionally looking for flaws because without it, your review would consist of the word “nice”. I might have digged a little deep into realism here, but it is important to consider all the long-term effects would be. Overall, the greatest nitpick I was able to find was the focus on more adults than little kids like most cruises, leading to little to no Mickey, largely exotic dining, and [insert third nitpick I couldn’t find] that may confuse general audiences. But I don’t even know if this is a problem. If given a more adult-friendly itinerary (such as Alaska over the Carribean) this would work wonders. And if we had to be in the Carribean these changes would be fairly minimal.

Regardless, the Disney Adventure is my favorite ship of the three presented!

DISNEY ADVENTURE
Sees “it’s a small world” music for a 4-hour loop…

But really you were the only ones with reading music; have some free points.

The Ninja Turtles to the rescue! I was impressed by Yesterday’s resolve following their defeat last stanza. Under @Tux ‘s leadership, you’ve addressed our big issue - the lack of cohesion - aimed to create one cohesive whole. I applaud your team for this reflection and improvement!

First the theme - “it’s a small world” is quintessential Disney. I love Tomorrow’s SEA idea, but that never really captures the same Disney spirit this does. This “theme” might fit Disney Cruise Line better than the standard Disney theme.

I loved adding the Mary Blair architecture into the smokestacks, transforming it into a floating “it’s a small world” that tricks all the drunk Carnival passengers that they’re in Disneyland so they end up walking overboard, therefore, causing the Carnival to delay and letting Disney take the prime spot in the port.

That being said, repeating the same presentation as last round is a tad uninspired. The site’s good, but you just did it last week. In the future, I’d recommend trying new methods of presenting: it can give your project lots of charm.

ACTIVITIES
Woah! You went the extra mile and described the entire show. This is impressive! I appreciate the balance between Musical Retelling (Sleeping Beauty) and an entirely new show, yet using established Disney characters (Disney Journey). The Disney Journey is a great use of all the characters to tell an original and engaging story. Moana, being the most recent and widely popular “princess”, is the perfect character to pair new character Charlie with.

THE CLUBS
Disney has used a three-club system for handling youths (as do most cruise lines). I don’t know ages 4-12 could be properly represented with singular activities. A minor nitpick.

The Gold Club sounds cool. I like how it’s on the same deck as the Egyptian cabins: gives the area a narrative flow.

THE ATTRACTIONS
I am grouping everything from the Black Forest Hollow Ice Rink to the Calendar Carrousel. These are all solid flat rides that create a sense of “fun” on your Disney trip. Given the vast size of this ship and Disney’s reputation for theme parks, I think this works well. I’m happy you’ve resisted the urge to add a roller coaster, that may have been overkill. But this strikes a great balance.

My only concern: where will they be? This isn’t mentioned much, and I would have to assume the deck because placing a flat ride right next to a hotel room is asking for trouble. But this then makes the “Neverland” pool deck a mish-mosh of all the various countries. Was this the intention? Or were they going to be on the same decks as the passengers?

@TheOriginalTiki great job stepping up with map work for the Neverland Pool!

SHOPS
I’m equally confused regarding the location of the shops. It is never mentioned. I’ll assume the “Main Atrium” of Decks 5-7, as that’s not been mentioned much and would usually have the shops on your standard cruise ship.

These shops are all very good. I like the common emphasis on mythological ideas. However, given the scale of this ship (you’ve opted to take on a large craft), there would probably be more retail options. You’ve already put in great detail to other parts of the prompt so I won’t ding off here, but if in a similar situation again, maybe write something along the lines of “There are many shops at the Disney Adventure, each tied to one of our visiting cultures. Here’s a sample of some of the retail you might find…”

HOTEL ROOMS
Again, wow! Great detail here. I’m impressed. Pi, the copying might be seen as annoying but it also mimics how they advertise a room. They are always trying to sell you that room as if its the greatest thing ever... until you look at the description of the next room with the exact same features but MORE!

DINING
I could basically repeat my concerns with the shops for dining, except there’s more detail and some great menus here. Tux, you were an absolute beast with this (the only person to add menus, which is much appreciated), so I don’t blame you for missing a few of these minor things. I loved how knowledgeable this project was for its various cultures.

CONCLUSION
This is a vast improvement from the last round! You guys took our criticism and used to create a great project, and I’d say your only weakness was aiming too high. Of the three, it’s the best idea. Just in execution 4 players are tough. This could have easily fallen apart with 2 MIA and 1 left to fill everyone’s shoes… but you stuck together! Still, your limited number limited your grand aspirations to just some stellar snippets. Luckily, that’s not something you will need to be fixing the next stanza... we might add a few people to the Turtle clan…

Regardless, the Disney Adventure is my favorite ship of the three presented!

DISNEY ADVENTURE
It’s kinda funny of the three Disney Adventures, yours is the only one that conveys the classic Disney “Adventure”. Using the Jungle Cruise company for cruising is a great idea!

I agree with Pi on the presentation. Compared to the others, a left-aligned Arial 12 no-outline Google Doc is lacking. I did like the “title card” images, but it messes with the outline. In the future, try writing a header and turning the text white, so it shows up on the outline but not in the actual project.

Concerning the appearance, there’s a bit of a “wall of text” but from what I can gather the ship will look like this?

But on a grander scale, with red and blue accents. This would certainly be a unique design for a cruise ship, and draw many eyes.The only issue I could see is it would go slower than usual, although I have no idea whether this analysis is true just that there’s probably many cruise ship engineers who have perfected the design to run as efficiently as possible.

I think using Moana as the main character works well. This is a Disney ship, so they will want to appeal to the masses while still providing a unique experience. Moana hits the perfect balance of Fantasyland with Adventureland.

MOANA: CALL OF THE OCEAN
As said before, using Moana makes a lot of sense. I like the inclusion of puppetry!

CELEBRATIONS
Both Trek’s Trashing the Deck and Pirate Takeover Night sound like fun events! One of the best parts of the “adventure” theme is how open they can be. You can include Moana, Lion King, and Pirates of the Carribean, which each take place in different time periods and continents, and they fit fine. This variation works well.

YOUTH CLUBS
So there’s already an “Oceaneer Lab” on Disney cruises, but this is different. This has an actual focus on Mary Oceaneer from SEA, and a general pirate theme. Having never been the actual Oceaneer Lab I had to look this up to realize the difference.

But really the youth clubs are all solid. I’m mostly nitpicking here because everything you’ve written I have no issues with.

An adventure course sounds like a ton of fun, and (why do I keep saying this) suits your theme well!

The Gardens of the World would be great at sea!

THE SAFARI GALLERY
Smart move bringing the virtual Jungle Cruise in. It ties perfectly to your story.

Tad confused with the treasure hunts. You mention they are an interactive experience so I assume it’s on a computer, but then you mention it’s around the ship. But later you say you “fend off enemies and tomb raiders”. How will that work?

Both mini-golf and the escape room are solid attractions for the ship. It’s very realistic: there are already many ships with these kinds of events and all Disney would have to do is add a light theme to each to stand apart.

DINING
The Sea Breeze Bar, Tropical Serenade Cafe, and Trader Sam’s all sound like fun places to eat. Skipper’s Canteen is also a great themed choice, as is the buffet and Walt Disney location. World of Color gives us more “specialty” cuisine, and Timon’s Bug Bar sounds interesting. I assume the snacks would be your standard pastries just shaped like bugs.

What I appreciated most, though, was the return of the Animator’s Palate. Which is funny because it's not really a good restaurant. But it is safe, and with so much “tropical” dining sometimes you need to appease the picky eaters of the family. Realism points there.

POOLS
All the pools are solid. My favorite is the Indian Elephant theme, subtle but would work very well. Maui is a smart choice for the kid’s splash zone. Ducktales feels a bit of a stretch here - there’s a lot of IPs on this boat - but it fits in.

What’s the difference between The Oceaneer Peace Reef and the Quiet Cove Pool & Schweitzer Falls? They sound like the same thing. I am probably missing something really obvious.

CONCLUSION
I’ve hit the conclusion and I don’t feel like I’ve started my review.

Everything you have mentioned here is solid. There are a few stand-outs, and then there’s some stuff that’s not exactly a stand-out but still contributes to the greater whole. I don’t have any real issues with what you proposed.

But there is significantly less detail than the other two teams. Shopping is never mentioned, nor is the size of the ship. The rooms aren’t described beyond “originally themed”. The project is lacking any visual or map, and it has only a few images.

This leads to the elephant in the room, activity. When all was said and done, the page count of each team’s PM was as follows:
Tomorrow: 16 pages
Yesterday: 13 pages
Fantasy: 6 pages

See the problem? Even the people that were active were less so than in the other teams. I won’t fault you for it because there’s a multitude of reasons why this happened: real-world activity, just your style of brainstorming. I’m just explaining why your project has so much less content than the others.

I do have to congratulate @Disney Dad 3000 and all the other active members for pushing forward the final couple days and getting the parts you started finished. I just wish you’d been able to add more!

Regardless, the Disney Adventure is my favorite ship of the three presented!​

 

[PerGron]

Yes, I have been listening to the reading music since starting writing this review. I got an hour and 15 minutes in. That either shows I should be taking way less time to write, or that I have a high tolerance for torture. Either or.

Team Yesterday, SAU’s own Ninja Turtles, I wanted to start off at commending your teamwork. The four of you are a match made in heaven and watching the four of you work together is something else. You’re all so supportive and helpful to each other, it’s incredibly heartwarming to see some of your interactions.

I admit, Team Yesterday was my underdog team going into the game. We had strong anchors on all of the other teams to balance out the new players, but Team Yesterday was mostly made up of newer players or players who hadn’t played in a while. That being said, in both rounds you guys have done such a great job and have really proved me wrong.

As for your ship, we were really pulling for you guys to go with the Disney Adventure name as well, you were the last team that picked the name out and it really made for a very memorable round. I imagine throughout future seasons of this game or whatever its successor is that the “Disney Adventure” round will be brought up.

Anyway, let’s jump into your project. Right off the bat, you guys have a very unique voice. It reminds me of a scientific paper where you use the first person to describe what you’re doing and why and how you did it. It makes for a read that is very uniquely Team Yesterday and I really do appreciate that, even if it is accidental. I also like how on the first page you break down your thought process. It’s always interesting to see the development of an idea from day one to the final product, and as judges, we get to see that, but this provides any onlookers as well to see the brainstorming, something that is always really interesting.

I see you guys took our reference to the Oasis of the Seas to heart, something that was less of a template but more of just a reference, but I really do like what you did with this. I think that if you’re going for this size of the ship, you guys did pick out the best possible theme for it. The idea of having Mary Blair style artwork on the ship is unique and a great tribute to the artist that really did so much for Disney!

Shows
As I said with Team Tomorrow, I don’t understand why you guys didn’t rename the Walt Disney Theater. That being said, I feel like the name fits better in this theme than the S.E.A. theme. THAT being said, I do think a new, unique, more thematically relevant name for your theater would’ve been a good choice.

Sleeping Beauty: A Fairytale Classic seems like a well thought out show and is definitely something I could see happening. I really appreciate the detail that has been put into breaking down each segment of the show. I’m not the biggest Sleeping Beauty fan (I like it fine, but it’s not my favorite and I generally don’t watch it) but you guys did a good job in creating a show that, despite my lack of interest, I would happily go see based off your breakdown alone.

I think A Musical World is the weakest show here, especially where you guys already have a “let’s go to this animated movie, sing a song we know, and then move forward” style show in Disney Journey, both of which share a lot of overlap in the films represented. That being said, I do have to say, it’s still a well-thought-out show that I can certainly see happening on a real ship. My biggest take away from you guys is the song is called “I’ll Make a Man Out of You” not “Let’s Get Down to Business” but I won’t knock you guys too hard on that one

Disney Journey is easily, and absolutely, my favorite of all of the shows in any project presented. It’s very clear that you guys had a concept here and ran with it. This is something that while reading I could easily see on the stage happening before my eyes. Between a mix of beloved Disney songs, a few original songs, special effects, and a great mix of characters involved, I seriously have to commend you guys on this. I adored this show and now want to petition DCL to add it to one of their ships.

Lounges and Clubs
The Gold Lounge seems like a lot of fun for all the adults to hang out in. I think having it themed to an Egyptian king’s treasures is really clever and lends itself well to a club theme. The Up Club is also a lot of fun and I can certainly see kids having a lot of fun exploring the areas from the film. That being said, I also wanted to point out that it is Paradise Falls and not Niagara Falls. I hate to be the guy who points out all the semantics, but I feel it’s important to bring up because it is important to make sure that your pieces make sense. What I usually do is plug my text into Google Translate and have it read it back to me. That way I can catch anything I messed up by hearing instead of reading. It also may help to double-check each others’ work instead of just your own, because sometimes another person can catch mistakes you don’t.

The Neverland Club is a great idea and I’m happy to see you guys have a Vibe/Edge surrogate. On my cruises I’ve done, I’ve made friends that I still hang out with and talk to to this day from hanging out in Vibe and Edge. (I’m going to WDW next month with one of them!) It’s really important to have an option for this age range, and you guys did a solid job in filling that hole.

Attractions
Having an ice rink is a really solid idea. I know some ships do this, but having a place to ice skate while also cruising around in (presumably) a tropical climate is probably super jarring and definitely would be a lot of fun.

Tangaroa Tides is a really cool idea and having a surf simulator is something I do think Disney needs to invest in eventually, it’s a quintessential part of Royal’s fleet and I think every middle-aged dad wants to learn how to surf, and who else goes on cruises ya know!? Again, I have to bring up, please please please go over your writing a second or even third time. Tangaroa is clearly written in the image you chose, but the text reads “Tanagroa” multiple times. It’s minor when it happens once, but this is the third time I’ve caught something like this and, unfortunately, it does add up.

I imagine Xolotl Gliders is a zip-line which is also a super fun idea, but it isn’t very clear that that is what this idea is. Make sure to make your pieces a bit more clear about what they’re representing.

I think there are a few too many flat rides for my own personal opinion, but all of them are solid and well written. Sarcophagus Spins seems fun (if not a bit morbid), Bunyip Bogs is a fun take on one of my personal favorite cryptids, Tanuki Twirlers is another fun idea, while Calendar Carousel is definitely my favorite. I think out of all of these rides, the Calendar Carousel is the one I think makes the most sense and is also a cool and unique idea I’ve never seen done before.

Neverland Pool
@TheOriginalTiki, holy cow! Between Hoth and now this, it’s very clear that you enjoy taking smaller parts and amplifying them (as Pi said previously). This is a really well-themed pool complex, with a lazy river, a pool, waterslides, etc. that all fit into one central theme. I know you wanted the flying Peter Pan ship and I’m glad to see that you made it happen.

I also have to commend all of you on your teamwork in making these hand-drawn art pieces. It’s all really well done, and as great as Doug’s art is, please everyone don’t take us complimenting him as the end all be all of the artwork. It’s super nice to see people who aren’t necessarily big into the art portion and take a stab at it. It feels more personal that way.

Shops
The shops here are all really well done and very clear. Personally I like the Dragon’s Hoarde the best, but all of them have the perfect amount of detail. Not really much else to say about it. It’s all well done and I have no qualms with it at all.

Staterooms
I’m going to have to agree with Pi here, please don’t copy and paste paragraphs. I’m going to have to agree with Pi here, please don’t copy and paste paragraphs. It’s not that you guys really did anything wrong here, it’s just repetitive and kind of annoying. That being said, the detail here is great. It’s, in fact, a lot more than I expected to get. Good on y’all for that one.

Dining
Let’s talk dinner.

King Arthur’s Round Table is definitely a theme I could see fitting in a restaurant, but I’m not too sure how it fits the theme of your ship. I’ll get to that at the end of my review though. Overall, the menu is unique and I could see it being successful. A pretty solid restaurant.

Boar, Rain, and Sacrifice, I must admit, is not the most appetizing of names for a restaurant. In fact, I’d probably skip this one as a whole personality, but that’s my own personal opinion. You guys did a solid job showing what the restaurant is all about, and it fits. Also, the lights are called Fairy Lights (I believe Pi called them something else, but he’s wrong) but it’s another thing I have to say, just look it up. Do a bit of research and find out what it’s called. I really don’t want to be a nitpicker but it’s things you notice and when it keeps happening like this, it just bothers me and kind of shows that we’re not proof-reading our pieces.

Tiangou’s Temptations is my absolute dream, Disney doesn’t do nearly enough with Eastern Asian cuisine in their parks or cruise ships, and East Asian cuisine is so unique and delicious, that’s kind of a crime. I’m very happy with this one.

Your other restaurants are really solid but I don’t really have much to say about them positively or negatively. They’re great choices and I could see them all on the ship. Great job!

So, as I alluded to a bit earlier, I want to talk about your theme. I feel like it’s just a bit all over the place. We have some Disney stuff with Peter Pan, some culture stuff, some history stuff, some mythology stuff. It all fits together alright, but at the same time, it does tread a fine line between cohesion and a bit of a mess.

However, between your teamwork, the amount of effort you guys put in, and the amazing amount of detail in everything, I really must commend you on this project. Great job TMNT!​

 

[TheOriginalTiki]

 

[PerGron]

Team Fantasy, I was honestly super worried you guys weren’t going to have a project finished by the end of yesterday, so props to @Disney Dad 3000 for that last second hail mary to get it in on time.

I also wanted to commend you on your intro graphic. Having the click here button attached to your link is a great idea and was pretty fun. I also appreciate you guys adding in an itinerary and also the environmentally friendly port. Points for appealing to my earlier message.

As for the ship itself, I like the idea of setting your version of the Disney Adventure to the Jungle Navigation Co. I would’ve definitely liked an image, whether it be Google or a custom piece of artwork, to show what the ship looks like. It doesn’t have to be professionally done, but custom art goes a long way in these competitions.

I do think that Moana is a great main character for this ship and I like how it ties into Rapunzel on the Wish.

Moana: Call of the Ocean is a genius idea for a musical and I love the idea of doing the story of Moana through puppets and stage performance.

Terk’s Trashin’ the Deck also seems like a lot of fun, and honestly, you guys are the only ones who brought up Pirate Night, so I have to give props to you for that. I think Pirate Night is one of the most important parts of the DCL and not having it or a surrogate for it does hurt the concept for sure, at least in my opinion. I also like all of your food options on Pirate Night, especially potstickers. I’m a sucker for a good sticker.

The Oceaneer’s Lab is pretty standard, but it fits. I think having an animatronic does amp this concept up a little bit, but there really isn’t a lot of details to go off of here, unfortunately. I’m also glad you guys included the You’ll Be in my Heart Nursery as the other teams didn’t feature the nursery very prominently, if at all, but it’s still an important part of the ship. Finally, the Tropical Hideaway is the perfect replacement for Edge/Vibe I’ve seen and it would certainly be a big hit.

The playground/ropes course idea is also really cool, and I especially appreciate a botanical garden featuring real plants, even if it’s not the main focus of the area. As much of an animal guy as I am, I’m also a sucker for a good plant.

The Safari Gallery is a great idea. Having the VR Jungle Cruise as well as the pirates interactive treasure hunt both thematically fit your ship and also provide fun extras for guests to take part in. The mini-golf course is also a lot of fun and I’m glad all three teams included a themed mini-golf course. As immersive as the real DCL ships are, their mini-golf is very lackluster. Finally, I’m a big fan of the idea of escape rooms on a cruise ship and wish Disney would implement escape rooms somewhere by now.

Your bar ideas are also really solid. I don’t really have much to say about them one way or the other, they’re just well-themed ideas. I’m happy to see two versions of the Adventurer’s Club appear this round. It’s almost like people want that back… I’d also love to see Trader Sam’s on a cruise ship, that’s just a fun idea.

I’m a big fan of Skipper Canteen at the Magic Kingdom, and I think it’d be a perfect port over to DCL so that was a good choice. World of Color feels a bit out of place here, I just don’t see how it fits the Jungle Cruise theme. Timon’s Bug Bar, though, is also a really great idea. I’m sorry I didn’t go very in-depth with your restaurants like I did the others, but I just didn’t really feel like I had much to go off of. They’re perfectly safe options and I appreciate the theming and thought that went into all of them, but compared to the levels of detail given by the other teams, I just didn’t have much to run with here.

In fact, I feel that way with your whole project. The roots are there for a really really strong project, and personally, out of the concepts pitched this round, this is the one I was rooting for honestly. I think you guys had a great start, but very quickly fell apart. You’re all a bunch of strong and talented Imagineers and I can attest to many of your skills from either OLS 2 or these two rounds, but I was very disappointed in you guys this round.

You pulled out a project that, in concept, is perfectly adequate, but really missed out on the important aspect: the presentation of ideas. Maybe this wasn’t the most popular stanza, but I really would’ve liked to have seen a bit more effort put in here. The concept was fantastic and I would’ve really liked to have seen it fleshed out more.

If in our real lives something comes up, that’s totally understandable, this is, after all, just an internet game with mostly strangers, it’s not very important at all, but if something does come up, alert your team of it and then the team can make up for your loss that round.

I came here to review your project, and honestly, I’m kind of bummed about it. I have a lot of faith in you guys and I don’t think this was a good example of any of your talents. I understand and I sympathize, but this was a low point. That being said, look onward and I see great things in all of your future rounds! Take this as a learning moment about how active one needs to be, learn from it, and strive for greatness next time.

Overall, an adequate project with some great ideas, but falls flat due to players lack of participation.​

 

[Outbound]

Thanks to everyone who participated in this challenge. After much discussion, The Agents of S.E.A. have come to a decision. This was a particularly close Stanza between the top two teams, but only one can establish themselves within the Sorcerer's Apprentice Universe...

Spoiler: Third Place

Team Fantasy

Spoiler: Main Reasons Why

Fantasy struggled with activity this round, and the result was a short and solid project. Although everything that is there is solid, its limited scale prevents it from reaching the heights of the other two projects.

Spoiler: Second Place

Team Yesterday

Spoiler: Main Reasons Why

Team Yesterday had a better idea, but Tomorrow the better execution. Without a map, the judges weren't sure where all your fantastic dining and retail were located. However, we were very impressed with your shows and room sections.

Spoiler: First Place

Team Tomorrow!

Spoiler: Main Reasons Why

When all three judges are searching for nitpicks to lengthen their reviews, you know you've got a stellar project.

The Disney Adventure, Disney Adventure, Disney Adventure (this sounded better when they were placeholders lol) and the Disney Pleasure will be departing from its current location in Nantes with us aboard. We'll be traveling to the rendezvous point, in Casablanca.

But now, an important message for the losing team...

Spoiler: Team Swap!

This one's on us. We put too many deep thinkers on one team when we should have had a balance between them and the faster brainstormers.

So we are dissolving Team Fantasy! Rest in peas, Hatbox Ghost!

The Fortress of Fate has summoned...

@Angels and Disney's
@Brer Oswald
@MickeyMousketeer

Although typically the project manager, @orlando678- , would be summoned, we felt Orlando gave it their best here, and it would better to summon the three least active members instead.

For the four not summoned, you will automatically be transferred to Teams Yesterday or Tomorrow.

To Team Yesterday:
@Disney Dad 3000
@orlando678-

To Team Tomorrow:
@AceAstro
@kmbmw777

For those summoned to the Fortress of Fate: if you respond within the 24-hour limit and are selected to remain in the competition, you will also be added to either Team Yesterday or Tomorrow.

To those called, The Fortress of Fate has summoned you. If you are mentioned in that thread, you will have 24 hours to plead your case. Elimination is on the line, and someone IS going home!​

 

[TheOriginalTiki]

 

[Outbound]

Chapter 3: We're in Morocco, Hermanos!

The teams leave their Paris hotels and set sail on the newly christened Disney Adventure and the also newly christened Disney Adventure to meet with their contact in Morocco!

@JokersWild attempts to sail his riverboat the Disney Pleasure across the Atlantic but quickly falls behind. "Aww c'mon guys, don't leave me behind!" He shouts.

“Do we have much info about who the contact is?” @orlando678- asks the three champions.

"We know frightfully little," The Hatbox Ghost replies.

John Progress is quick to interject, "But I'm optimistic as always that things will work out nicely!"

"We've got some time to kill before the pre-arranged meeting time, so we can explore the city a bit!" @Outbound informs the recruits.

The imagineers begin to get excited about their impromptu mini-vacation on Bob Iger's dime. @Disney Dad 3000 once again rejoices at not having to pay for everyone.

As the ship begins to come to port, they see the stunning Hassan II Mosque shining over the Atlantic Shore!

Welcome to Casablanca, Morocco!

The imagineers marvel at the architecture of the mosque up close before heading towards La Corniche. Briefly stopping by the El Hank Lighthouse on their way.

The Imagineers explore the seaside center for tourism known as La Corniche and start to become hungry. They decide to get lunch at the famous Le Relais de Paris!

@D Hindley @gam3rprincess and @Pi on my Cake go upstairs to the iconic Skybar for a drink to reunite the old Club 3booze!

The teams relax and unwind after a tough first two stanzas and have some fun! Unfortunately, they also begin to lose track of time!

"Oh no! We're running late for the meet up! We won't have time to see the zoo at Sindibad Park!" @PerGronStudio laments.

"Plus, we're gonna have to cut through the dangerous part of town to get to King's Palace in time to meet the contact!" Abraham Lincoln warns everyone!

"Not to fear!" @Tux exclaims! "TMNT is here to protect us!"

With that, @Tux @mickeyfan5534 @NateD1226 and @TheOriginalTiki draw their Ninja weapons to defend the recruits from any threats!

Luckily, it is smooth sailing and they make it to King's Palace just in time, but there seems to be no one there...

"Despite Netflix distributing and producing Seasons 4 and 5, Fox always retained the rights and ownership of Arrested Development. Which means they're officially a Disney IP! Which means their MCU cameos could be canon! Plus, the characters now exist in the SAU!" @Pi on my Cake says geeking out about this realization!

The teams take Gob Bluth's advise and locate the nearby Bluth's Frozen Banana Stand.

Inside they found all kinds of documents hidden inside covered in blue handprints. Many signed by an N. Bluth, but clearly mostly handled by George Bluth.

One clearly shows the sale of a castle to Maleficent! If the document can be decoded, we will have the location of her Castle! Which means the location of the mainframe containing her Codex! Thanks to the shady real estate dealings of the Bluth Company (Which may have committed some light treason), we have a shot at recovering the stolen artifacts and saving the SAU!

But first, we need to do some research to decipher the document’s secrets. Thus, we have our mission!

​

 

[Outbound]

We have sailed down to Casablanca, in hopes of finding a clue to the location of Maleficent's Castle. Unfortunately, we found a loser with a banana stand. We'll need to decode the information to find where the Castle has gone, and for that, some detective work may be in store in Casablanca. Hey! While we’re at it, let’s use what we find for EPCOT’s Morocco Pavilion!

Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to “research” an e-ticket for EPCOT’s Morocco Pavilion.
- The attraction can be anything: A cultural exploration? A retelling a common tall-tale? An expansive thrill ride?
- Feel free to expand out the Pavilion from the back, but be careful near the upcoming Ratatouille Ride for France.
- Feel free to remove anything already in the Pavillion to better your e-ticket, but remember to focus on the e-ticket as the main event.
- There is a Turkey Pavillion in EPCOT, but it’s on the other side of the lagoon so it likely won’t pose an issue.

Project Managers
Yesterday - @TheOriginalTiki
Tomorrow - @FireMountain

Guest Reviewers
Yesterday - @DisneyManOne, @JokersWild, @spacemt354
Tomorrow - @Magic Feather, @Voxel, @JokersWild, @spacemt354

This Project is due Thursday, February 6th at 11:59 PM EST

Time Zones
Walt Disney World- 11:59 PM
Disneyland Park - 8:59 PM
Disneyland Paris - 5:59 AM
Disneyland Tokyo - 1:59 PM

Teams Yesterday and Tomorrow, I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship.​

 

[Pi on my Cake]

Tips & Trivia

Stanza III Program Guide

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Where in the World are Yensid and Figment?

Can you figure out where Figment and Yensid went on their vacation this week based on this postcard?
(Sound Trivia arrives midway through the Stanza)​