A Bold New Chapter for Disney Cruise Line: Inside the Disney Destiny’s Fresh Takes on Classic Stories

Disney Cruise Line’s newest ship, the Disney Destiny features ambitious re-stagings of classic Disney films at a level rarely seen at sea - even by Disney. Two of the ship’s two signature productions, Pride Lands: Feast of the Lion King and Hercules are each inspired by the original but bring a completely new take. During our Disney Destiny media preview, I had the opportunity to view both shows and learn more about them from their creators and performers.

From Disneyland to the Destiny: A Storyteller’s Journey

Regina LeVert, one of the storytellers at Pride Lands: Feast of the Lion King, performed for years at the Disneyland Resort, including as Queen Iduna and Bulda in Frozen – Live at the Hyperion at Disney California Adventure. It was during one of those Frozen performances that she experienced a moment that still shapes how she approaches her work today. “We took the curtain call, and there was this little black girl… She was not looking at Elsa or Anna at all. She was looking straight at me,” LeVert recalled. “I knew exactly what she was feeling… I had that moment myself when I was a kid and I saw The Wiz.” The connection was so powerful she had to hold herself together until she exited the stage. “It was everything to me. It was just … There's space for us here. We can do this.,” she said. The ability to make a connection with the audience is part of why LeVert was invited into the earliest workshop of what would eventually become the Destiny’s Pride Lands show.

The Disneyland Roots of “Pride Lands”

The Destiny’s version of Feast of the Lion King didn’t begin at sea. Its DNA traces back to Tale of the Lion King, the acclaimed show staged at the Disneyland Resort in 2019 and later reimagined in 2022. Both the Disneyland show and this new cruise ship production were led by Show Director Paul Bryant, who has been connected to The Lion King for decades. LeVert was part of that original team and has reunited with Bryant for this new incarnation. “Paul called me up and said, ‘Hey, you want to do it?’ And I’m like, yeah, I want to do it,” she said.

Initially, the show was a solo storytelling piece with two dancers. But Bryant and the team continued refining the concept—ultimately choosing to focus on a troupe of human storytellers. Bryant explained the choice clearly: “I didn't want to go into the story using characters or animals,” he said. “What an amazing way to tell this story with a group of traveling storytellers from Africa telling the story of the cub who would be king.” Disneyland’s Tale of the Lion King served as the foundation, but this new version was built to be more immersive, more intimate, and tailored specifically for a dining-theatre environment.

Bringing Pride Lands to Life Aboard the Destiny

As the Pride Lands Storyteller, LeVert leads audiences through Simba’s journey with live vocals, percussion, and movement surrounding the dining room. She emphasizes how universal the story feels. “I love starting with the ‘Circle of Life’ because it already speaks to the interconnectedness that we all have as human beings,” she said. “We’re all on the same planet, breathing the same air, having the same challenges.”

Performing in a dining venue presented new challenges—but also new opportunities. “You hear the clink, clink, clink,” she laughed. “It makes you hone in. But it’s real every single night… It’s always somebody’s first time.” LeVert had seen the Pride Lands dining room in its earliest construction stages. “There was no flooring. They were still putting in the ceiling. There was nothing,” she said. “It’s cool to see where it started when it was just a raw space to where it is now.”

Paul Bryant’s Vision and the Heartbeat of the Show

Under Bryant’s direction, the team researched heavily, crafting a piece built around authenticity and emotional resonance. “We researched the music… the drumming… the dialogue,” Bryant said. “We wanted to make sure that we were being authentic.” The music blends soundtrack selections from multiple Lion King productions - but also includes an entirely original piece called “Serengeti Rain” which can only be heard on the Destiny. “It has this African undertone to it,” Bryant said. “There’s always this heartbeat… a heartbeat means life.”

The show is also very personal for Bryant. As he explained the process of reshaping The Lion King into a human-driven storytelling experience, he became emotional. “I swore I was not going to do this,” he said, reaching for a tissue as the moment overtook him. “To be represented in a way that we’ve taken this movie… and to put it on stage with a bunch of people who look like me, sound like me and have fun doing it was just, it was groundbreaking for me.” He added, “I see myself all over this ship.” 

Hercules’ New Musical Energy

The headlining show on the Disney Destiny takes place in the Walt Disney Theater, Hercules, led by the title performer Corey Bradford. “It’s still a pinch-me moment,” he said. “I felt like I was destined to be a part of this whole thing.”

Infused with gospel, R&B, jazz, and pop stylings from co-directors Kevin and Marcel Wilson, the show elevates familiar music into something new. The production features one song, “Shooting Star”, which was written for but not used in the 1997 animated feature. Here, it has been repurposed as a love duet now with a 90s R&B vibe.

Also featured is a bring-the-house-down performance of a crowd-pleaser: “My favorite song to perform every single time consistently is 'Zero to Hero,'” Corey admitted. “I wish I could sing in it. I’m gonna take that mic one day.”

Shipwide Storytelling and Intimate Surprises

Marcus Gibson, producer with Disney Live Entertainment, oversees how the entertainment wraps around the ship. “On the front of the ship, we have Hercules. On the back of the ship, we have the Lion King, and we have to fill in all the dots in between,” he said. “You are fully immersed in any story that we are looking to tell.”

One of those “dots” is a hidden, intimate moment with Dr. Facilier. “He pulls off this magic trick within the room in front of everybody,” Gibson said. “Nobody knows how it’s done.” The moment is so secretive that photos and videos are prohibited. “It has to be that moment you experience in and of itself,” he said.

The Human Connection

For the performers and creative team, Destiny’s entertainment is ultimately about connection, not just spectacle. “Nothing in life can ever replace that kind of engagement when somebody is looking at you and you're experiencing a moment together,” LeVert said. “Shows like this can remind us that nothing can replace our engagement with each other.”

And for Bradford, the show’s message reaches beyond the stage. “You are given these gifts in life and you're told to use them,” he said. “Hopefully that puts a mirror up to the audience… and says you can leave and be yourself.”

And, perhaps, fulfill your Destiny.