“We Call It Imagineering” Goes Behind the Scenes of the Disney Adventure

Written by Joshua Posted March 10th, 2026

Disney released its sixth episode of We Call It Imagineering this morning, taking viewers inside the Disney Adventure. With Disney Cruise Line’s newest ship now sailing from Singapore on its maiden voyage, the timing couldn’t be better.

Andres Ovalles, Walt Disney Imagineering’s Principal Project Manager, opens the video by explaining just how important the ship is for Disney’s presence in the region.

“In this area, we do not have a Disney Park,” Ovalles said. “This ship is the introduction to our Disney brand – the first castle at sea.”

That mission came with some unusual challenges. The Adventure was already half built when Imagineers were brought in to transform it into a Disney ship. Instead of designing everything from scratch, they had to adapt their ideas to spaces that already existed.

Sometimes that meant getting creative. At one point, Imagineers literally had to cut through the ship’s steel so they could install the winches needed to fly performers across the Imagination Garden. Once everything was in place, the steel was sealed back up as if nothing had happened.

Pam Rawlings, an Executive Producer with Walt Disney Imagineering, said teams also spent thousands of hours researching the local market to ensure the ship would resonate with Disney Cruise Line’s new Singapore audience.

I won’t recap everything. I mean, why would anyone want to read that when there’s a perfectly good video to watch? But I will share some of my favorite moments.

Michael Eisner’s big idea

I loved a story Wing Chao shared with Bruce Vaughn, WDI’s Chief Creative Officer. Michael Eisner tasked Chao, a Disney Legend and former Imagineer, with designing Disney Cruise Line’s first ships. Eisner offered minimal direction:

“He said, ‘I think a Disney ship should be classic, but also should be modern.’ Then he walked out.”

The man was a genius.

Weight budgets

Will Hastings, a WDI Show Lighting Executive, explained the thinking behind the Imagination Garden castle, the ship’s central icon. Imagineers wanted the structure to feel like a pop-up book, as if guests had stepped directly into a story.

It’s a beautiful centerpiece, but building it came with strict limitations. Imagineers had to manage two budgets: dollars and weight.

On a cruise ship, extra weight means extra fuel consumption. At one point, the castle’s plans tipped the scales at about 140 tons. Through redesigns and material changes, the team eventually cut that down to 70 tons.

Lion King pyrotechnics

Vaughn and Chao also talked about one of Disney Cruise Line’s best traditions: fireworks at sea. Disney pioneered the concept, and its ships remain the only ones that routinely launch pyrotechnics during a sailing, usually as part of Pirate Night. Those shows typically run about three minutes.

The Adventure is taking things up a notch. Fireworks are part of a Lion King-themed show and last about 12 minutes. Instead of the usual 290 fireworks, the ship will launch around 650 pyrotechnics.

Also, if you’ve ever wondered what a cruise ship’s fireworks bunker looks like, this video has you covered.

The latest We Call It Imagineering has plenty more WDI greatness I didn’t get to here, all of it worth your time. But fair warning, you might be pricing flights to Singapore by the time you’re done watching.