We’ve been sharing some exciting Disney Cruise Line news lately.

Bookings for 2023 cruises are now open, there’s a new exhibit in Disney World where you can learn about Disney’s upcoming ship (the Disney Wish), and you could even win a FREE trip on the Wish. But now we’ve got some more MAJOR Disney Cruise Line news — and this set of news is made for Frozen fans!

Earlier this year, Disney Cruise Line revealed that the Disney Wish will feature Disney’s FIRST Frozen-themed dining experience with a new family-friendly restaurant called Arendelle: A Frozen Dining Adventure!

As part of this new dining experience, we had already heard that fans would get to celebrate Anna and Kristoff’s engagement, following the story of Frozen 2. We also shared that there would be  musical performances from Elsa and Olaf, live entertainment by “local” musicians “who specialize in Nordic renditions of familiar Frozen songs,” all kinds of special effects to “create” Elsa’s magic, and that catering would be provided by Oaken’s “Hearty Party Planning Service… and Sauna.”

But, now we’ve got MORE exciting details Frozen fans need to know about this new space. First up, during dinner fans will get to interact in a very special way with a beloved character — OLAF! During dinner, an interactive animatronic version of Olaf will actually be transported from table to table.

Olaf won’t just be sitting there though. As we noted, he’s an interactive animatronic that will be able to bring lots of joy and laughter to those he interacts with (both the young and young at heart)!

But, Olaf won’t be alone. This loveable snowman will be joined in the Frozen festivities by the one and only…OAKEN! Yes, that’s right folks, Oaken will be making an appearance in the Frozen dining experience, and not as an animatronic. The one and only Oaken will appear in person for guests to see in his Disney Cruise Line debut!

According to what we were told during a recent media preview, Oaken and his “hearty party planners” will actually accompany Olaf. Oaken is the emcee of the engagement festivities, and will also be stopping by the tables in the restaurant to say “yoo hoo!” and make sure everyone is having a good time. The festivities are being catered by Oaken and his planning service, so it seems he’s really interested in ensuring everyone is enjoying the party.

And the fun details don’t stop there. We got a chance to attend a media event about the Disney Wish not too long ago and got a special peek at the Frozen dining experience. As we mentioned, the story of this restaurant takes place after Frozen 2, as guests celebrate the engagement of Anna and Kristoff. Guests will actually step into Arendelle castle for this meal, and you’ll immediately recognize that as you pass through all kinds of easter eggs in the entryway.

In the entryway to the castle’s grand ballroom (where dinner will take place), you’ll see wallpaper similar to that used in the film in the castle. There will also be busts of Anna and Elsa, heirlooms and paintings you may recognize from the film (like some busts Anna interacted with), an Arendelle soldier’s suit of armor, and even a lantern from the short Olaf’s Frozen Adventure. 

The Disney team truly scoured the Frozen films for details they could incorporate into the space. Even some of the light fixtures are inspired by ones seen in the film, so you’ll want to look around everywhere!

The dining room is large and structured sort-of like a theater in the round, giving guests a great view from wherever they’re seated.

In terms of the table settings and Cast Member costumes, we actually got the chance to look at some artwork and set-ups for these during the media event.

On the tables you’ll find beautiful plates with swirling, blue designs featuring flowers and artwork similar to some of the pieces worn by the Frozen sisters in the films. You’ll also see profile views of what appear to be Anna and Elsa themselves!

Those clean blue and white designs continue to the remainder of the table design with a beautiful, clear water container, blue cups, white table cloths, and a napkin featuring a flower design you can see incorporated throughout the space.

The costumes of the Cast Members feature more of those similar designs in a more green/blue, and purple color.

One thing you’ll notice is that there are salt and pepper shakers displayed on the table. During the media event, Disney explained that because this dining experience will be pretty interactive with entertainment all around, they don’t want the servers interrupting the experience as much as they might be able to do in other spots on the ship, like 1923. So, here you’ll find salt and pepper shakers on the table, so guests don’t have to ask for them and take themselves out of the immersion of the show going on around them.

The Cast Members who are serving guests are meant to blend into the show more and not interrupt it. Speaking of entertainment and interaction, guests can look forward to participating in a special parade at some point in the dining experience!

In terms of food, the menu is meant to be inspired by flavors and ingredients from the Nordic region, while still offering modern, family-friendly items.

The dishes are inspired by things you’d find in places like Norway, Germany, and Estonia. Overall, we got a sense that the options will be similar to what you might find over at Akershus in EPCOT’s Norway pavilion, with a menu rich in seafood options, but also featuring unique liqueurs, game, and other options. The Disney team actually traveled to Sweden, Denmark, and Norway to research the food options for this restuarant.

What’s also unique is that the menu will feature lighter dishes (to represent summer) and saucier dishes (to represent winter). Both seasons will be represented on the menu for you to pick from. There will also be a special mead vinaigrette served table-side, which is something more unique (it’s not every day you get to have a mead vinaigrette!).

Disney also shared that the kids’ menu here is highly interactive.

We actually got to try 2 different dishes that will be featured on the menu here, and we’ll be sharing a full review of those soon!

Overall, it sounds like fans will get all kinds of unique experiences at Arendelle — from special food items, to the chance to interact with RARE characters like Oaken.

We’ll be sure to keep an eye out for more Disney Cruise Line news, so stay tuned for more!

Disclosure: In nearly all circumstances, Disney Food Blog writers and photographers pay full price for their own travel, hotel, food, beverage, and event tickets. We do this because it’s important to us as journalists to ensure not only that we give you unbiased opinions, but also that you can trust us to do so since we’re paying our own way. On rare occasions, when we are invited by a company to attend a preview as media, and when we choose to accept that invitation, we will always make you, our readers, aware of that situation. Today, we were invited by Disney Cruise Line to attend their media preview of some of the new restaurants and food coming to the Disney Wish. Note that when we attend events as media we are 1) Not required to review that event/food on any of our channels, and 2) Not required to review that event/food favorably. You can always count on DFB to give you a 100% unbiased and honest review of any event that we attend, food that we eat, or beverage that we drink. You can see more in our Disclosure Policy. Thank you for reading. — AJ

Are you planning to travel on the Disney Wish? Tell us in the comments.

The post A SURPRISING Character Will Make Their First Appearance on Disney Cruise Line’s Newest Ship! first appeared on the disney food blog.