It’s still common to christen a ship by cracking a bottle of the finest champagne along the bow, but for Disney’s newest cruise ship – the Treasure – a plain old bottle wouldn’t be enough.
Instead, the Disney team anchored the Treasure in the Hudson River and performed the christening with precision, kicking things off with a 65-foot bottle of champagne. No, it was not a feat of wine bottle engineering, but a feat of a thousand drones high in the night sky. It was simply dazzling… but those drones weren’t just programmed to rock a bottle of champagne.
Those thousand drones orbited over the Hudson River in New York City, creating iconic Disney scenes and icons, including a magic lamp and a genie – yes, that one – and several moments from Coco and Moana. The latter is likely a nod to the upcoming Moana 2 movie that hits theaters later in November.
But for Disney fans, what stood out the most was a floating head and three hitchhiking ghosts from the Haunted Mansion attraction. But did you know that the Treasure also has a bar themed around this attraction?
All in all, it was a striking experience that caught the attention of unsuspecting New Yorkers. as evidenced by the TikToks posted. You can also watch the entire baptism ceremony and drone show below. This isn’t Disney’s first drone show either; The company routinely uses drones and fireworks during nighttime spectaculars, most notably during the “Nighttime Electrical Parade” at Disneyland Paris, and earlier this year it offered a drone show at Disney Springs in Orlando, Florida.
Could Disney add a drone show as a regular treat for customers aboard its cruises? That remains to be seen, but the Treasure’s maiden voyage is scheduled for December 21, 2024.