Interview with Kaena Kekoa About Her Role as Moana in Amazing Disney Treasure Show
Hi everyone!
We interviewed Kaena Kekoa about her role as Moana in the amazing Disney The Tale of Moana on the Disney Treasure. The show has already created a lot of buzz from preview cruises and the maiden voyage of the new Disney Cruise Line ship. Disney the Tale of Moana is probably my favorite show that I’ve seen on a Disney ship in the 26 years I’ve been sailing, and Kekoa is such a talent.
First, here is our video interview with Kekoa. We participated in the interview with two other media outlets, so the questions are from the three of us.
Kekoa was born and raised in Honolulu, Hawaii. What is very surprising is that Disney the Tale of Moana is only her second professional role. Kekoa went to school to be a teacher because she comes from a long line of teachers. But, she says, “I love performing. To be able to do it for a living now is a dream come true.”
I asked Kekoa how she went from planning to become a teacher to performing in a Broadway-style show on the Disney Treasure. She said that while she knew she wanted to be a teacher due to her family history of teaching, “Growing up, I always sang with my family. My whole family sings. It was always something I knew that I loved to do, but I didn’t believe I could do it”. She decided to try it out, and “now I’m on a boat, singing and belting my face off.”
Kekoa was asked if she’d ever cruised before. This was another surprise, that she had not. “This is my first cruise, never been on a cruise ship. So to not be on one, and now literally living and breathing and working on one, has been a big transition. Such an honor.”
Jeff asked if she was a big Disney fan. Kekoa replied in the positive, “Yes I am a Disney fan. I grew up on Disney”. As an aside, she says “Ariel is my favorite, sorry Moana”. Earlier I mentioned that Moana in Disney the Tale of Moana is only her second role, the first was the Aladdin National Tour where she played Princess Jasmine.
Jeff asked if she has a favorite part of the show. Kekoa answered, “I have many. But probably my favorite is the moment when is when my grandma passes, and our islands split and Moana’s beautiful canoe comes down the center and we see Gramma Tala swimming around the house.”
Koana says about Disney the Tale of Moana, “We’re very proud of it. It’s so special and we want to make sure we are taking care of it, because this story is not like any other. It’s based on real people’s real stories and real folklore as well. So we have to make sure we are taking really good care of it.”
Watch the video to see more of our interview from our 3-night media cruise on the Disney Treasure.
Disney also shared these video highlights of Disney The Tale of Moana.
Disney says about Disney the Tale of Moana,
“Dive deep into Moana’s extraordinary journey in Disney The Tale of Moana, which begins on the fictional island of Motunui in modern time. The narrator of Moana’s tale is the spirit of her grandmother, and there are references to the brilliant cultures of the Pacific Islands in the set design to highlight the world where her story unfolds. Watch the ocean come to life, choosing young Moana for an incredible journey to restore the heart of Te Fiti—with vibrant dance and songs in a mix of languages, including Tuvaluan, Tokelauan and Samoan, to set her on her way..”
The Disney Treasure sails on 7-night cruises from Port Canaveral.
We recommend booking the Disney Treasure with our travel partner Mouse Fan Travel.