Before I start my mini series on Disney Wonder Dining, let’s start at the beginning and I’ll take you through how dining on a Disney cruise works!
Disney Cruises have led the way in innovation -big surprise- when it comes to cruise dining. They were the first cruise line to introduce the concept of rotation dining between their three restaurants, yet keeping the same servers and table mates with you the entire time.
When I had stopped into a Disney store in Edmonton to pick up our Christmas PJ’s for our Christmas pictures that I had planned for the cruise (check out my post on the Disney Wonder Merrytime Cruise) one of the staff there learned I was taking a cruise. I then spent about 20 minutes chatting to her about her experiences.
One of the things she emphasized is that by the end of the cruise your servers are like family, which I sorta shrugged off at the time.
Then it came cruise time.
Your servers are with you each night at your different restaurant and have everything ready for you. They make sure to remember what drinks you like and have them out for you. They even remembered apple juice for my daughter every evening even though the restaurant didn’t usually carry it. Where they got it from, I still don’t know.
I love talking and writing about the staff in restaurants whenever I have the chance to get to know them. not just the chefs. It takes a team to make a great dining experience and how amazing it was to get to know our Disney team over five days!
Yanupa was adored b y all the kids for her tricks and riddles! Every night she would have a new trick. sometimes with crayons or sometimes merely a mind bender for the kids to think about and work on while waiting for their food. Oh, do they have a repertoire waiting to show their friends at home now!
She also clearly loved spoiling the kids with a couple of hugs here and there and special attention, which rarely happens for kids in restaurants, to be the center of attention by the staff. They loved every minute of it.
Sam was a fabulously great guy, always making sure we had everything we needed and not just food wise. At the end of every meal he would make sure that we knew what we were doing the next day, where we were going for dinner and would tell us to come and visit him where he was working lunch. What I loved is that the staff always made you feel like they genuinely cared about how much fun you were having, how the dinner was, asking if the food was ok or if we wanted to comment on anything.
The man was always smiling and in a cheery mood, we looked forward to seeing our team at dinner every night!
Each night Sam and Yanupa would have a different uniform and we would be in a new restaurant with them. I can’t imagine how much work it is to be able to work with three different menus in three different places!
Now, you can always opt of eating in the restaurant and choose to go to the Beach Blanket or Palo, but since your team will have your table ready for you, it’s polite to let them know that you won’t be there. We went every single night, not wanting to miss a thing!Ā On the Disney Wonder you don’t want to miss dinner at Animator’s Palette, it’s a show dinner, so make sure you go!
If you are on a longer cruise you will eat in one place more than once but don’t worry, the menu changes each night so that there are always fresh choices for you to eat!
If you have any other questions, ask me in the comments below and I will try to answer them!
Love,
Karlynn
Make sure to check out all of my posts on cruise ship food, cruise ship rooms, cruise ship tours, travel and information as well!Ā
Cruise Ship Tour: Royal Caribbean’s Brilliance of the Seas
What’s A Transatlantic Cruise Really Like?
Disney Wonder Dining: Triton’s
Disney Wonder Dining: Animator’s Palette
Disney Wonder Dining: Goofy’s Galley
Disney Wonder Dining: The Parrot Cay
Disney Wonder Dining: The Beach Blanket Buffet
Disney Wonder Dining Rotation & How It Works
Ten Things That Will Surprise You On Your Disney Cruise
What is There for Kids to do on Cruise Ships?
Disney Wonder Cruise : Review of Dolphin Extreme Swim & Turtle Farm, Grand Cayman
Disney Wonder Stateroom Review and Walkthrough: Cabin 6083
Disney Wonder Stateroom Review and Walkthrough Cabin 6630
Disney Wonder Merrytime Disney Cruise – Christmas on a Cruise?
ShellieBecker says
did you go to the Remy or Palo restaurants?
thekitchenmagpie says
_u*********@li******.com" profile_url="https://www.livefyre.com/profile/29580494/" ns="true">ShellieBecker No, no Palo. BUT (and this may sound stupid) I get tired of fancy food sometimes. I eat at SO many restaurants just doing what I do that I didn’t have any interest in a fancier adult only place. Make sense? However next time I will try it, so I can write about it and I have heard many good things about Palo!
I was so all about the cold cocktail shrimp on the cruise LOL! I have posts coming about all the places we ate, keep an eye out!
Peggy Doyle says
we loved the servers on all the cruises (Norwegian, Celebrity, Holland America)we’ve been on and are always surprised when they stop and ask about things when they see you at other venues (lunch,buffet, etc). Always impressed by their memory for details.
ShelleyJones1 says
So my cruise is a week long….will I be rotating every night? I have no idea how the food works on Disney. We got an 8:30 meal time too. Waitlist for earlier. š
thekitchenmagpie says
_u********@li******.com" profile_url="https://www.livefyre.com/profile/7447889/" ns="true">ShelleyJones1 We ate at Triton’s twice in a row , but the menu changes every time you go. We ate at Triton’s three times in all, twice at Parrot Cay and once at Animators Palette. I have posts on all the restaurants coming up soon!