Plaza de Coco – Disney Cruise Line – Disney Treasure
Submitted by: Karleigh Golinowski
Lead Designer: Jason Abruzzese
Studio: Walt Disney Imagineering
Outfitter: TSI – Total Solutions Interiors
Shipyard: Meyer Werft
Completion Date: 21/12/2024
Immersed in the colorful and kinetic world of the Pixar’s Coco, guests get the chance to celebrate Día de los Muertos (no matter what day of the year it is) in this 698-seat restaurant styled as the festive shop-lined square of Santa Cecilia, the hometown of the shoemaking Rivera family.
In this “outdoor” plaza, amid storefronts advertising flowers, hats and masks, musical instruments, alebrijes, papel picado and, of course, the Rivera family shoemaking business, guests not only enjoy la cena (dinner), but also take part in a pair of musical shows filled with surprising guests and perhaps even a detour to the Land of the Dead.
Guests enter Plaza de Coco through the family’s shoemaking workshop, a long hallway celebrating “Rivera Familia de Zapateros, Desde 1921” (“Rivera Family Shoemakers, Since 1921”).
The family’s history unfolds along the corridor, from the tools of the shoemaking trade, such as cobbler equipment and the shoes themselves, to photos and mementoes. These include portraits of the great-great-grandparents Héctor and Imelda, continuing to today with Miguel, the precocious young musician (and great-great-grandchild), who succeeded in solving a mystery that brought the once-splintered family back together again (and restored music to family celebrations).
At the end of the hallway, in the foyer to the restaurant serving area, amid marigolds and papel picados, the Ofrenda room, features imagery, memorabilia and tributes to family members who have passed on.
There are two dinner shows in Plaza de Coco, one on each of the nights that guests dine in the restaurant. The first is “Evening of Familia,” in which Miguel, his Abuelita Elena and his parents, Enrique and Luisa, prepare the plaza for the Rivera family celebration of Día de los Muertos. On the second night, “Remember Me: Una Celebración de Familia,” as he begins the celebration of Dia de los Muertos, Miguel inadvertently summons his great-great-grandparents, Héctor and Imelda, from the Land of the Dead, leading to a celebration of family – and their wedding anniversary.