We were sitting there watching the Academy Awards like normal people and then Disney Cruise Line went and aired something called “Midnight Magic” and suddenly we were crying into our popcorn and trying to pretend we weren't.
If you missed it, Scott Gustin shared it on X and described it perfectly: “NEW: Disney Cruise Line debuted a new ad titled ‘Midnight Magic' during the Academy Awards on ABC, and it's a tearjerker. The spot follows a father and son sharing a quiet tradition aboard a Disney ship, a ritual that carries their relationship from childhood into adulthood.”
NEW: Disney Cruise Line debuted a new ad titled “Midnight Magic” during the Academy Awards on ABC, and it’s a tearjerker.
The spot follows a father and son sharing a quiet tradition aboard a Disney ship, a ritual that carries their relationship from childhood into adulthood. pic.twitter.com/Sn0eV8qqYt
— Scott Gustin (@ScottGustin) March 15, 2026
A father and a son. A tradition they carry from when the kid is small enough to fall asleep on his dad's shoulder all the way through to adulthood. A Disney ship as the place where it keeps happening. Thirty seconds and we were done. Finished. Emotionally unavailable for the rest of the broadcast.
Here is the thing though. Disney Cruise Line has been all over our feeds this week for reasons that go well beyond a beautiful Oscars ad, and some of it is considerably less heartwarming. So let's get into all of it.
First, The Good Stuff: The Fleet Is Growing Fast
Disney Cruise Line is in the middle of something massive right now. The cruise division pulled in more than $10 billion in operating income in fiscal year 2025. The Walt Disney Company has committed $12 billion to nearly double the fleet from seven ships to thirteen by 2031. This is not a modest expansion. This is Disney going all in on cruising in a way the company never has before.
The newest ship, the Disney Adventure, just completed its maiden commercial voyage out of Singapore's Marina Bay Cruise Centre on March 10, 2026. It is the largest ship Disney has ever operated and it was built specifically for Asian market guests, with Duffy and Friends entertainment and shopping, the Ironcycle Test Run roller coaster at sea — yes, a roller coaster, on a cruise ship — and the Disney Imagination Garden, an open-air courtyard with a live performance stage inside the ship.
The itinerary is three and four-night sailings with no port stops, structured around maximum Disney brand immersion. It is essentially a floating theme park and it is designed to feel exactly like that. For families who want wall-to-wall Disney without ever getting off the ship, this is the pitch.
Now. About that inaugural sailing.
The Disney Adventure's First Voyage Had Some Issues and We Are Going to Talk About Them
We say this with love because we genuinely want Disney Cruise Line to succeed and we are excited about everything the fleet expansion represents. But the inaugural sailing coverage has been something, and guests and press on board documented it in real time.
Theme Park Express was sailing aboard the Disney Adventure in an interior room rated for four guests. They shared photos of all four beds down and noted there was almost no floor space. Okay, that is a small room situation, not ideal but not shocking. Then they posted this: “I DONT EVEN HAVE A DAMN MATTRESS!! They just put a cover and a thin pad on the couch cushion!”
It gets more complicated. A headline entertainment offering that was announced in October 2024 — “Captain Jack Sparrow and The Siren Queen,” a full Pirates of the Caribbean character show for the Disney Imagination Garden Stage — has been postponed indefinitely. Disney confirmed this to a guest during the press voyage but never made a public announcement. Guests who booked this cruise based on an entertainment lineup that included a Jack Sparrow show were not told it had been cancelled. They found out because journalists did.
The character meet-and-greet and merchandise booking system also had a rough press voyage. Timeslots sold out essentially the moment they opened, locking out a large portion of guests including the journalists and content creators who were specifically invited to cover the ship. WDWNT was on board and shared a photo of the Guest Services line that formed, posting: “There's a giant line at Guest Services because the booking for character meet and greets and shopping aboard the Disney Adventure filled near instantly. We were told erroneously that the shops would be standby tonight, but I guess not. Why wasn't this communicated to guests properly?”
Then guests were told that merchandise locations would open standby on the final night as a second chance to shop. That standby queue never happened. The shops did not open. Guests left without the merchandise they had been promised access to. Disney Cruise Line did not respond publicly.
A missing mattress, a cancelled show nobody was told about, and a booking system that failed and then a promised fix that also failed. On a press voyage with a controlled guest list. It is a lot.
There Is Also a New Fireworks Upcharge and Honestly It Seems Worth It
Disney Cruise Line has introduced a premium fireworks viewing package aboard the Disney Adventure for $50 per person. You get reserved seating, drinks, desserts, a collectible The Lion King pin, and a prime spot to watch The Lion King: Celebration in the Sky, the ship's nighttime spectacular with narration by Shah Rukh Khan.
Disney's own words on the show: “Let your heart soar as dazzling bursts of fireworks dance across the night sky, celebrating the wonder, friendship, and iconic songs from The Lion King. It's a spirited tribute to the circle of life — full of brilliant color and enchantment.”
Here is some context that makes $50 feel very reasonable. The Magic Kingdom dessert party packages at Walt Disney World run $99 to $134 per person. The Celebration at the Top experience at Disney's Contemporary Resort is $169 per person. Fifty dollars for reserved seating, food, drinks, and a collectible pin on a cruise ship is actually pretty competitive. If you are sailing on the Disney Adventure, this one seems like a yes.
So What Does This Mean for Your Disney Cruise Plans?
“Midnight Magic” is a beautiful ad and it is selling something that is genuinely real. Disney cruises do become family traditions. The kind that carry from when your kids are small all the way through to when they are adults who still want to go. We have heard from enough readers over the years to know that is not just marketing.
What the inaugural Disney Adventure coverage tells us is that the ship is still working some things out. A mattress situation, a show cancellation that was not communicated, and a booking system that could not handle even a press voyage are all fixable. Disney has the resources and the track record to correct operational issues quickly. But if you are considering booking the Disney Adventure in the next few months specifically because of an announced entertainment lineup, verify what is currently running before you commit.
If a Disney cruise in general is on your radar, the fleet expansion means there will be more options, more itineraries, and more ships to choose from over the next few years than ever before. “Midnight Magic” is a good reminder of why people fall in love with this product. The inaugural coverage is a good reminder to do your research before you book a specific sailing.
We will be watching the Disney Adventure guest reviews closely as they come in and will have updates as the picture gets clearer. If you have sailed on the Disney Adventure already, we genuinely want to hear from you — drop your experience in the comments.
