You yawn. You’re stuffed from yet another glorious meal featured on the Disney Magic. Your eyes are all dried up from the tears you shed while watching the professional production for the evening. Your cheeks hurt from laughing at the late-night events. You make your way back to your stateroom to turn in for a good night’s sleep. Tomorrow is a sea day! A day to relax, sit by the pool, sleep in.
Or you would, if you had a typical cruise itinerary.
Much like the heroes you are about to spend all day with – it may take all day to accomplish your goals.
Marvel Day at Sea is unlike any other sea day you will ever experience, and if you intend on making the most of your day, you’ll more than likely need to be on the move by 8:30 in the morning and be going until 11:30 at night. Hopefully this post offers you the guidance on what to hit or miss depending on your level of attachment to the world of Marvel ranging from the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) to the true Marvel fans at heart.
I will note – this day is not for the faint of heart. I highly advise having some level of expertise in the realm of Marvel. This was a cruise my mother (Cristen Tilden, pictured in her Captain Marvel shirt) desperately wanted to experience, but prior to booking the trip had only really seen Guardians of the Galaxy and Spider-Man: Homecoming. I implored her to watch the ENTIRE Marvel Cinematic Universe from beginning to end (we created a calendar leading up to the trip to accomplish them all, and she did! I was so proud; it was so fun). I found this to be very important, as knowing that there was a day strictly devoted to Marvel, it would be important for her to know each person she was meeting and not have to rely on me for the knowledge of each character and film. She told me she was very glad that she did this, and without doing this, she wouldn’t have figured out her personal favorite was Captain America. “But I have so many favorites now!” she is shouting from the other room as I’m asking her about her journey through the MCU. “I love T’Challa.”
The Characters
Great news! Characters are available to meet throughout the entire day, mostly throughout the atrium of the ship. While there are a handful of characters with a set location (in 2019 this was Captain America, Captain Marvel, Thor and Loki in the morning, taking turns in the same spot in 30 minute intervals) as the day progressed, more and more heroes could be found wandering the floors to stop, have a chat with and take a few pictures. Some of the best character interactions I have ever had have been during this Marvel Day at Sea event – if you don’t have time to wait in line, be sure to chat with Star Lord or the Black Widow while they’re patrolling the ship. You’ve got to stay on your toes if you want to speak with Doctor Strange, though, he’s a very busy man. Some characters that you’ll have to get a ticket to see are Spider-Man, the Black . Panther and Iron Man. (In 2019 there was also a ticketed event to meet Groot, we just chose Iron Man, Black Panther and Spider-Man. There’s only so much time!) If you’re able to get the ticket, it is totally worth the time. If you’re not able to, you might be lucky to catch Spidey on his way to save New York again or T’Challa overlooking the vast water ahead of us.
If you want to know who Mickey and the gang’s favorite heroes are, be sure to stop by the main atrium before your dinner to take pictures with them in some new outfits!
A character moment that is not listed on your Navigator is the small dance party that happens in the atrium between the two dinner times. Be sure to wander near the atrium – it might be crawling with heroes of all shapes and sizes.
The Trivia
If you’re a regular cruiser, you might have certain activities that become a regular favorite. In my family, one of our favorite things to do is attend trivia activities. Marvel Day at Sea would not be complete without the ability to flex some of your Marvel knowledge. I will tell you… I find myself to be relatively knowledgeable about the Marvel universe but the trivia offerings for Marvel Day at Sea are not for the faint of heart. If you have EXTENSIVE Marvel comic knowledge, this is your time to strut your stuff. If you know the MCU pretty well… you’ll do fine, but not as well as the comic fans. If you’ve only seen, say, Iron Man and Guardians of the Galaxy, this one isn’t for you.
If this trivia sounds interesting, you know everything about Marvel and want to learn more, or just want to learn about the little nooks and crannies in the Marvel world, then Marvel
Origins is the event for you. While we did not have time to attend this event (we preffed the shows and character interactions) in 2019, each cruising had a different Marvel artist on board that talked about their journey with the organization, and I believe they even had some Q&A with them.
The Shows
In addition to trivia and character interactions, the most exciting things on the ship (in my humble opinion) is almost always the shows, and Marvel Day at Sea is no exception. There are several different shows that you should be able to catch.
The Star-Spangled USO Show features hits of the 30s and 40s and is generally a pretty chill time if you need a few moments to relax, and who knows, maybe even Captain America will stop by and give you some words of wisdom.
Doctor Strange’s Journey into the Mystic Arts includes some of the most fun stage magic I’ve seen on a ship and allows for kids to get involved and learn some of the Mystic Arts as well. This is a fun, short show that is highly interactive. (This stage magic certainly is fun, but the stage magic in Disney’s Twice Charmed will always be my personal favorite.)
These first two shows have multiple showings throughout the day and are nice breaks to have. But the two shows that only have one showing and cannot be missed are in the evening and on deck!
Mickey and Friends Super Hero Celebration is quite possibly the best deck party show if I have witnessed (with Marvel Heroes Unite right behind it). This is an incredible show, especially for the kids. Mickey and his friends come together and teach the audience how to be a hero in everyday life. It’s fun beautiful, and gets the crowd involved no matter the age.
Be sure not to miss Marvel Heroes Unite! An iconic event hosted by none other than Tony Stark, who has come aboard the ship to introduce a new form of energy to the audience with the help of some friends. These two deck shows you CANNOT miss. Get there early and get a good spot!
Late Night
If you’ve still got energy from catching every event and character all day, be sure to stop by the Ravagers club! This is an event for individuals over the age of 18, so put the kids to bed and stop by for a drink and create menu towers with the Ravagers and the Guardians! This event is as fun as you make it, so use the rest of your energy to interact with some of the craziest, most fun people in the universe.
Finally, you can drag your feet back to your state room, yawning larger than the night before. But you’ve got hundreds of memories, too much fun, and hopefully you can sleep in the next morning. If you feel like you’re just as strong as some of your favorite heroes, then you may just be up for the challenge that is Marvel Day at Sea!
