There are 3 restaurants on the Disney Wonder cruise ship. Disney is known for it’s innovative Rotational Dining on it’s cruise ships. What this means is that each night you dine at a different restaurant but that your wait staff move around with you so that you always have the same Head Server, Server and Assistant Server. This concept works really well as you get to know your servers and they get to know your dining preferences so that they can make your dining experience even better.

The Disney Wonder has 3 different restaurants and you will dine in each one at least once during your cruise. As soon as you check in and get your room key you will see some letters printed on it which will show you your dining rotation. A is for Animator’s Palate, P is for Parrot Cay and T is for Triton’s.

Animator’s Palate

This is perhaps most guests favorite restaurant on the Disney Wonder. You will also find it on Disney Magic. The concept proved so popular that they have a redesigned version of it on the Disney Dream and the new Disney Fantasy.

Animator’s Palate is certainly a very different dining concept. The theme is of course animation and as soon as you approach the restaurant you will see that the emphasis is on bold design. As you arrive in the restaurant you will notice that almost everything is black and white. Even the corridor as you approach the restaurant is in bold black and white design with just one splash of color for the Animator’s Palate sign. The tables, chairs, walls, even the waiter’s outfits are in black and white.

Looks at the walls and you will see drawings of your favorite movies. Again, no color at the moment, but you will recognize many of the great Disney movies such as Beauty and the Beast, The LIttle Mermaid, Toy Story. You will see many of your favorites here.

As the dinner progresses you will start to notice changes on the walls. Sudden flashes of color will appear and the pictures on the wall start to come to life. To animate of course. The pictures and the room becomes filled with color.

At some point after the entrees are served you may notice that your wait staff will be absent for a little while. The reason for this soon becomes clear. The music starts and Mickey arrives! His famous music from the Fantasmic! show plays and he dances around there room. The waiters have all changed into their colorful vests (well they have turned them inside out to show the colors which have been there all the time).

They certainly know how to put on a show in Animator’s Palate and this makes it most guests favorite dining rotation. Be aware that if you are in the restaurant for 2 nights for dinner the show will only be shown on the first night of your rotation there.

The food style is described as Pacific Rim. To be honest I am not quite sure if that really works or if the food is consistent with that theme, but the food is good and there is plenty of choice. For our latest Disney Wonder cruise we particularly liked the Mushroom Risotto appetizer and the Ahi Tuna. From the entree selection my husband liked the Chicken but my daughter and I were rather disappointed with the Black Bean Chipotle Cakes.

Desserts for us are always great because we have gluten allergies and the chefs on the Disney ships always do an excellent job of making special desserts. The kids usually just want ice cream! For those without special dietary needs there is a great dessert menu which includes Chocolate Cake, Cheesecake, and Apple Crumble.

Parrot Cay

This is definitely the most casual of the Disney Wonder restaurants. And really the least interesting too. On our last cruise we dined in Parrot Cay 3 times and really this would not be our preference. Of course we didn’t mind too much as we had our favorite server Dinesh but really if I could choose then this would be the restaurant I would rather dine at less times on the rotation.

The theme is, you guessed it, tropical. Lots of bright colors and pictures of parrots! You do tend to spend quite a bit of time in here other than dinner too as the first lunch on board is served here, and throughout the cruise there is often breakfast and lunch.

The menu is inspired by Caribbean cuisine. The baked crab dip appetizer is good, as is the Asparagus Soup. For an entree there is a good selection including a very tasty Pan Seared Grouper, a Braised Pork Chop and for the vegetarians Pearl Barley Cakes.

Desserts include Creme Brûlée, Lemon Meringue Pie and French Toast Banana Bread.

Triton’s Restaurant

The beautiful mural on the wall of Disney Wonder's Triton's Restaurant

Triton’s is the most elegantly designed Disney Wonder restaurant. It is located on Deck 3 mid ship and like all of the Wonder restaurants seats approximately 462 guests. Triton’s serves breakfast, lunch and dinner.

The beautiful statue of Ariel which stands outside the restaurant is one of the first things that you will see when you board the DIsney Wonder. She watches over the atrium and of course it is only fitting that she is outside the restaurant which is named after her father in The Little Mermaid.

The overall decor is the most subtle and elegant of the Disney Wonder restaurants. The design is reminiscent of a golden art deco age of ocean liners. Guests are meant to feel that they are in a beautiful ballroom with chandeliers and elegant decor. There is a huge mural depicting Ariel, Triton and Founder at the back of the room.

Whilst the atmosphere is elegant it also feels like it is the most crowded of the Disney Wonder restaurants. The tables can feel rather close together and sometimes the servers seem to have trouble working their way around the tight spaces. But Triton’s has the best food of all of the Disney Wonder rotational dining restaurants. The cuisine is described as American and French which of course covers quite a lot of ground!

The Triton’s menu definitely does have a French influence. On the appetizer menu you will find escargot, duck confit and French onion soup. Entrees include lamb shank, three cheese lobster macaroni, seared sea bass and beef tenderloin. The French influence can also be seen in the desserts which include creme brûlée, grand mariner soufflé and brioche and pannetone pudding.

In additional to the 3 Disney Wonder rotational dining restaurants there is also Palo the adult only dining experience. This is booked separately and has a cover charge for brunch, high tea and dinner.

Of all of the Disney Wonder restaurants my favorite has to be Triton’s. Of all the many times that we have dined there I just feel that the choice and standard of the food is the best.

Which is your favorite Disney Wonder restaurant? Leave me a comment below.

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