Disney’s Oceaneer Club and It’s A Small World Nursery, two extremely popular youth spaces aboard the Disney Cruise Line ships return aboard the Disney Wish. Both kids clubs are located on deck 2, midship just below the Grand Hall. it’s a small world nursery offers reservation babysitting service for cruisers ages 6 months to 3 years while Disney’s Oceaneer Club is designed for cruisers ages 3 to 12. At the end of this article there will be a video walkthrough of the spaces.
Disney’s Oceaneer Club
The spaces on the Disney Wish are similar to the other ships in the fleet with themed areas within the youth spaces to offer a variety of options for the kids onboard. However, there is something that is different. In fact, a first for Disney Cruise Line aboard the Disney Wish is an entrance slide which they affectionally refers to as “down the rabbit hole” from the Grand Hall directly into the Disney’s Oceaneer Club.
Before you ask, the answer is yes. Adults can even take a ride down the slide during open house hours. The child will check-in to the secured space at a podium on deck 3 in the Grand Hall with a Youth Counselor then proceeded down the slide where they can wash their hands before heading into the space.
There are five themed spaces within Disney’s Oceaneer Club with various types of entertainment from storytelling, arts and crafts, and dress-up to toys, games and watching Disney movies. During special times, there are opportunities for kids to have fun with Disney friends unique to the various spaces though interactive games and programs.
The main entrance area of the club, or hub, is somewhat reminiscent of Animator’s Palate aboard the Disney Magic and Disney Wonder as it is decorated with black-and-white sketches of Disney and Pixar characters, The hub features a stage and its own slate of special shows, activities and character appearances.
Plus, there are Pixar themed restrooms with a row of those amazing hand washing machines.
Mickey and Minnie Captain’s Deck
Mickey and Minnie Captain’s Deck is a nautical playground inspired by the colors, icons and magic of Disney Cruise Line. This space is filled with nautical-themed physical and sensory-style games and activities, such as pipe slides and crawl-throughs, ship’s wheels, “busy boxes” fashioned as ship controls and cushy life-preserver seating areas.
Scheduled programming in this space feature Captain Minnie, in “Minnie’s Captain Academy” – a high-energy training session featuring playful games, dancing and maritime drills. These actives have been developed to spark their imagination and ingenuity during a series of challenges tied to STEAM principles (science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics). Captain Minnie inspects their progress and officially declares them honorary captains!
Walt Disney Imagineering Lab
Walt Disney Imagineering Lab offers a unique opportunity for kids to discover the secrets of world-renowned Disney Imagineers. Programing will include hands-on activities and inventive experiments. Sorcerer’s Apprentice Mickey, the ambassador of Walt Disney Imagineering, may even stop by to lend a wand to the newly minted magic makers.
The Imagineering Lab’s Ride Studio will allow kids to virtually design and ride a roller coaster.
Fairytale Hall
Fairytale Hall is a royal trio of activity rooms where kids join some of their favorite Disney Princesses and Frozen Queens as they let their creativity shine at Rapunzel’s Art Studio, read and act out stories at Belle’s Library, and test newfound icy powers at Anna and Elsa’s Sommerhus.
Rapunzel’s Art Studio is a creative escape where kids have the best day ever making their own arts and crafts projects, like floating lanterns and paintings. Belle’s Library is a cozy corner for reading and acting out stories with the help of Disney characters. An enchanted painting above the fireplace magically transforms to bring the tales to life. Anna and Elsa are never far from snow, even in their summer cabin. Here, kids unlock icy powers during “Frozen Fun,” a series of gesture-based games hosted by Olaf, which include snowball fights with friendly trolls and a hunt for mischievous Snowgies — the tiny, playful snowmen created by Elsa in the animated short “Frozen Fever.”
Star Wars: Cargo Bay
The peculiar creatures and legendary characters of the Star Wars galaxy take center stage in Star Wars: Cargo Bay. Within the space, kids take on the important role of creature handlers as they learn to manage a mischievous menagerie of exotic beings from across the galaxy, including a porg, Loth-cat, worrt and more.
Throughout the cruise, they use augmented reality-enabled datapads to track and study the creatures on a series of special assignments. But there’s more to this job than meets the dianoga eye: The new crew actually joins an important mission to deliver a pair of secret stowaways, Rey and Chewbacca, back to the Resistance.
During the interactive “Star Wars: Creature Challenge” experience, the newly minted caretakers are put to the test as they help feed the lifelike creatures and encounter some of the most dangerous beings in the galaxy. When things go awry, they’ll need to call on the expertise of Rey and Chewbacca — and even channel the Force — to rescue the ship from destruction.
If you had the opportunity to watch Making of the Disney Wish discussion panel, there was a part where Imagineer Danny Handke shared a little behind the scenes story about porgs. For anyone interested bird watching, one telltale sign is their waste matter which can be seen near a porg’s nest of wires. Yes, this is official Star Wars canon.
Marvel Super Hero Academy
Marvel Super Hero Academy is a high-tech Avengers headquarters where young “recruits” train to be the next generation of super heroes with the help of Spider-Man, Black Panther, Ant-Man and the Wasp, and others.
Kids begin by choosing a super hero suit based on those worn by Marvel heroes like Iron Man and Captain Marvel. They then watch their selections form around mannequins as preparation for “Avengers: Mission Training,” a gesture-based game where they put their new suits and skills to the test as they virtually battle bad guys.
Elsewhere in the academy, kids team up with the masterminds from Pym Technologies and Wakandan Design Group — including a special appearance by Black Panther — to thwart Taskmaster’s evil plan to hack into the academy’s system and steal the world’s most advanced hero tech.
It’s A Small World Nursery
For the littlest cruisers ages 6 months to 3 years, It’s a Small World Nursery offers babysitting services in a whimsical environment inspired by the classic Disney attraction of the same name. Here, little ones play games, make crafts, watch movies, read books and even spend time with special Disney friends — all under the expert care of Disney-trained counselors.
In the nursery, toddlers take a playful trip around the world in the company of Disney, Pixar and Marvel characters reimagined as “it’s a small world” dolls. Each section of the space is themed to different areas of the world, with characters grouped by their homelands.
In the play room, magical murals feature interactive hand cranks that trigger delightful effects. Little ones can spark a cascade of ice magic from Elsa’s hand, send Aladdin and Jasmine swaying on the magic carpet, uncover Flynn Rider as he clings to Rapunzel’s enchanted tresses, and more. A toy train chugs along the ceiling, filling the space with colorful lights, playful sounds and kinetic energy.
It’s a Small World Nursery is not part of Disney’s Oceaneer Club, but from what I’m told, Mickey and Minnie Captain’s Deck could be used as a flex space for the nursery as there are doors that can be opened to join the spaces while closing off the space from the Oceaneer Club.
Advance reservations are required for the nursery and can be made online concurrent with your onboard booking window for other cruise activities. Pending availability, reservations can also be made during the open house on embarkation day or anytime throughout your cruise by speaking with a Youth Counselor.
I checked in Friday night. But as yet, I am unable to register our five children for oceaneers club