REVIEW: A Luxurious Dinner at Animator’s Palate Aboard the Disney Dream
It’s a very exciting week for two of our wonderful MickeyBlog reporters this week, as they are currently being hosted by Disney aboard the glorious Disney Cruise Line ship, the Disney Dream!
Image Credit: Disney
We can’t wait to bring you a whole ship full of special Disney Cruise Line content and coverage, including the unmissable “Marvel Day at Sea” celebrations, and more!
We are officially HERE and ready for our cruise onboard the Disney Dream! Follow along with us this week as we show off “Marvel day at Sea” and bring you along for the fun!🥳✨#Hosted #DisneyCruiseLine @DisneyCruise pic.twitter.com/JY1djqbTa8
— MickeyBlog.com (@MickeyBlog_) February 27, 2023
So far, we’re thrilled to say that the voyage has started strong, with our reporters Kristen and Jessie enjoying a delectable embarkation dinner last night at the iconic Disney Cruise Line restaurant: Animator’s Palate.
This vividly-themed restaurant was created in honor of the magic of Disney animation and artistry, offering a unique dining experience to savor. Diners can expect to see the magic of Disney artwork come to life before their eyes in this dinner show, with dramatic, wonderous design elements surrounding the tables and really transporting guests into the mind (or palate!) of an animator!
Image Credit: Disney
Right now, the Disney Dream, Wonder, Magic, and Fantasy all offer this restaurant on board, but we were thrilled to be able to enjoy the experience aboard the Dream this weekend.
Keep reading to hear our thoughts, and get a glimpse of the food MickeyBlog enjoyed while on board!
The Menu
Animator’s Palate prides itself on serving up a “dining masterpiece” to guests each night, with a culinary base of fusion offerings, incorporating fresh Californian, Pacific Islander, and Asian cooking techniques into each dish.
The limited menu here shows that extra-special care and attention goes into their curated offerings, and we absolutely couldn’t wait to place our order and enjoy a special meal!
Plus, we had to mention the menu itself, and how adorably designed it is! In true animator style, we can see sketches of Mickey Mouse drawn in a range of colors, decorating the menu and reminding us of the magic aboard the ship!
Baked Potato Soup
For starters, our bloggers ordered the Baked Potato Soup, which arrived plated on this gorgeous dishware sporting a cute, painted Mickey.
We’re pleased to report that this soup offered a beautifully rich and earthy potato flavor, that wasn’t actually creamy as one might have expected from a potato-based soup. Still, it was delectably smooth and tasty, boosted by the bacon bits and chives sprinkled on top, and made a great starter to our meal!
Black Truffle Pasta
The second starter we ordered was this gorgeous-sounding Black Truffle Pasta. The small portion consisted of a handful of bite-sized parcels, each cooked to perfection and offering the most delicate of truffle flavors.
So delicious, and definitely something we’d order again!
Now that the starters are done, let’s take a closer look at our main courses!
Grilled Tuna Steak
The first of the main courses we tried was this Grilled Tuna Steak, served on a bed of roasted vegetables and with a pot of garlic aioli on the side.
While this was a tasty dish, our MickeyBloggers noted that the fish alone may be a little dry for some tastes. However, the aioli on the side completely elevated the flavor, making this a fantastic choice for garlic lovers, or those looking for a fish dish to try instead of the usual steak!
Skirt Steak
The second entrée we have to share was certainly a highlight of the evening! It’s this Skirt Steak, served with a side of onions, baby carrots, and wasabi potatoes.
And wow, we only have good things to say about the dish! Our MickeyBloggers stated that the steak was “cooked to perfection,” with a slight hint of pepper and salt to bring out the flavor beautifully.
The veggies were also cooked perfectly, with the slightest hint of garlic. However, it was those wasabi potatoes that really had us talking – namely because we weren’t expecting that memorable wasabi flavor to be so bold and spicy! That’s certainly a flavor punch to watch out for if you’re planning on ordering this dish!
Dessert Menu
Once we had finished devouring our dishes, our friendly server brought over a dessert menu for us to peruse. As you can see, this menu is just as fun and Mickey-filled as the main menu, and completely enticed us to order something sweet to finish our night!
Deconstructed Carrot Cake
This first dessert we tried was not only delicious but also totally amusing! If you’ve ever visited the EPCOT International Festival of the Arts, you’re bound to be aware of the concept of a “deconstructed” dessert, and this unique twist on a humble carrot cake really hit the bar for us!
So, this dish – which was notably categorized under the “no sugar added” portion of the menu – began with a cake heart, stuffed with nutmeg-spiced carrots, and topped with light, crunchy, pineapple pieces. Our reporters said this element of the dish was so truly delicious, they’d be happy eating it alone as a muffin!
Draped along the dish is a long ribbon of sweetened carrot, dots of raspberry garnish, and cubes of a peculiar cream-cheese-jello concoction that worked nicely to create a truly artistic dish. Again, another order we’d definitely place again!
Cookies ‘n’ Cream Sundae
The last dish we ordered was this fabulous ice cream sundae, with a classic cookies ‘n’ cream flavor that you can never go wrong with!
This ice cream swirl was stuffed full of chunky cookie pieces and lashings of chocolate sauce, but it was the cute chocolate slab on top that really made us smile.
See the little Mickey anchor icon? How perfect for a Disney Cruise Line dessert!
Thank you so much for joining us on our visit to Animator’s Palate aboard the Disney Dream. We’ve loved having you along, and look forward to sharing the rest of our sea-borne adventures as our cruise continues into the week!
Make sure to stay tuned to MickeyBlog.com and over on our social channels, and we’ll see you real soon!
It’s a BEAUTIFUL morning onboard the Disney Dream! We have arrived to Castaway Cay during our #MarvelDayAtSea cruise!🛳️🌴✨#Hosted @DisneyCruise #Disneycruiseline #castawaycay pic.twitter.com/3t4QADB4KB
— MickeyBlog.com (@MickeyBlog_) February 28, 2023
