The play area is actually one of Mickey's ears (the one on starboard side). We thought it was pretty nice. It has maybe an inch or so water in it, with fountains coming out of the sides of his ear. I have a 2 year old who had a great time in there. We had brought her a couple of plastic cups & a bucket & she had a blast filling up the cups, etc. On the Eastern cruise, it was pretty much shaded in the mid afternoon, which was great for protecting her skin.