When taking a cruise, one of the most important things to consider is where you’ll be eating! Whether it’s onboard the ship, on Disney’s private island, Castaway Cay, or at the port, food plays a very big part of the vacation experience. Thankfully, Disney Cruise Line has some of the best restaurants around. And we’d thought we’d review the one you’ll find on every ship, Animator’s Palate. Animators Palate Restaurant can be found on Disney Magic, Fantasy, Wonder, and Dream Cruises. As the Disney Cruise Restaurant showcasing Disney animation, it’s no surprise we find this restaurant on Disney’s original cruise fleet. Here’s everything you need to know about this dining experience with Disney Cruise Line.
Which Disney Cruise Ships have Animator’s Palate?
Found on the Disney Dream, Fantasy, Magic, and Wonder, this Disney Cruise Line restaurant honors Disney animation. From hand-drawn sketches on the walls to moving artwork on television screens. Across the restaurant, you can get a look at the way Disney animation is made while you dine.
Atmosphere
Every Disney Cruise Line restaurant is spectacular. As each restaurant has its own look and feel, it was no surprise that Animator’s Palate brings animation to the forefront. The dining room can easily go from reds, showcasing Big Hero Six animations, to browns, featuring Lady and the Tramp. You’ll even find purples and blues highlighting Sorcerer Mickey and more. Accents with Mickey chairs, colored pencils, paintbrushes, and tabletop paint buckets are part of the décor you’ll see here. Be sure to take it all in, because it’s absolutely beautiful. This restaurant is part of the Disney Cruise Dining Rotation, therefore, depending on how long your cruise you may experience the restaurant more than once.
Dinner Shows
Some restaurants onboard Disney Cruises like Tiana’s Place and Rapunzel’s Royal Table come with actual dinner shows. But, without a stage, Animator’s Palate brings dinner shows to life on the walls instead. Through a series of screens, you can watch cartoons, a piece of animation come to life, and your favorite characters happen upon their favorite scenes. Each cruise ship shows a certain “dinner show”, per se. Check out the versions of the show you may see on your next cruise. This is dependent on which boat you sail and how long your stay.
Drawn to the Magic
Everyone’s favorite sorcerer, Mickey Mouse walks through the history of pencil art to ink and paint in this show complete with the colorful art found in Fantasia. With storytelling filling the room, watch for the colors to change from colorful to black and white and back again. It truly is a beautiful show that uses moving images and lighting to evoke the most magical of feelings. (Shown on the Disney Magic and Disney Wonder)
Animation Magic
Ever want to see your art on the big screen? Or a small screen framed by a picture frame? Well at Animator’s Palate, you’re given the chance to draw to your heart’s delight while enjoying your meal. Because in Animation Magic guests can draw their own artwork and have it become part of the animated show! ( Shown on Disney Fantasy and cruises more than 7 nights on the Disney Magic and Disney Wonder)
Undersea Magic
And if you’re ready to go under the Big Blue Sea then this dinner show at Animator’s Palate may be your ticket! In Undersea Magic guests get the chance to see Finding Nemo characters via digital animation, have a conversation with Crush, and explore the Finding Nemo story. ( Shown on Disney Dream and Disney Fantasy)
Animator’s Palate Menu
Serving dinner Animator’s Palate offers a variety of Pacific Island foods, Asian cooking, and California-inspired dishes. Bringing fresh options to the table you’ll have a variety of appetizers, entrees, and desserts to choose from. As with any Disney Cruise, all meals are included, though some alcoholic beverages and specialty drinks may be excluded.
Bread Service
- Garlic and Herb Foccacia with a Roasted Garlic Dip
Appetizers
Appetizers at Animator’s Palate include smoked salmon tartare, wild mushroom risotto, black truffle pasta purseittes, taleggio cheese flatbreads, polenta cake, Portobello mushrooms, or butternut squash soup.
- Smoked Salmon Tartar with Dill, Capers, Onions, Pickles, and a Horseradish Cream & Sliced Serrano Ham with Manchego Cheese and Olive Tapanade
- Black Truffle Pasta Purseittes Pasta Purses filled with Truffle-scented Cheese and coated with a delicate Champagne Sauce
- Tomato Tarte with Glazed Goat Cheese and shaved Radish
Soups & Salads
- Creamy Butternut Squash Soup Garnished with Chives and drizzled with Sour Cream
- Baked Potato and Cheddar Cheese Soup with Bacon Bits and Chives
- Arugula Leaves with Red Beets, Orange segments and Marinated White Beans with Mustard Dressing
- Chicken and Walnut Salad Dried Cranberries, Red Onions and a Cranberry Dressing
Main Courses
Entrees at Animator’s Palate are varied for both meat and plant eaters and appropriate for both kids and adults. Main courses include Pacific black cod, lemon-thyme marinated chicken breast, Angus beef tenderloin, or white shrimp pennette pasta. Stir-fry vegetables, black bean chipotle cakes are also available as well as a full kids menu!
- Pennette Bolognese Pennette Pasta mixed with a rich Bolognese Sauce Garnished with shaved Parmigiano-Reggiano and Toasted Garlic Ciabatta
- Grilled Tuna Steak with Fingerling Confit, Caponata, Sun-dried Tomato Pesto, and Aioli
- Lemon-Thyme Marinated All-Natural Chicken Breast on top of Sour Cream Mashed Potatoes, Roasted Root Vegetables and Grain Mustard Jus
- Herb-Crusted Pork Chop Roast Pork Chop brushed with Dijon Mustard and crusted with Herbed Breadcrumbs served with Sun-dried Tomato Risotto and a Borolo Wine Sauce
- Ginger-Teriyaki dusted Angus Beef Tenderloin served on Wasabi Mashed Potatoes with Bok Choy and a Tamarind Barbecue Reduction
Plant-Based Courses
- Black Bean Chipotle Cakes over Corn Kernels and Brown Rice topped with tomato-cilantro Salsa
- Sesame Halloumi Parcels with Sweet Potato Tahini Mash and Roasted Cherry Tomatoes
Lighter Note Offerings
These dishes are typically healthier, simpler, and served with Garden Vegetables and your choice of Steamed White Rice or Baked Potato
- Jumbo Shrimp Salad Poached Tiger Shrimp tossed in Lemon Olive Oil, served on diced Cucumber, Egg and Red Onion and Garnished with Roquette Leaves
- Grilled Grain-fed Sirloin Steak
- Slow-Roasted Breast of Chicken
- Oven-Baked Filet of Salmon
Dessert
As part of this three-course meal, you can grab decadent desserts that are the perfect way t top off a great meal. Crème brulee, peanut butter mousse and classic ice-cream sundaes await.
- Crunchy Walnut Cake Dark Chocolate Mousse and Raspberry Coulis
- Chocolate Fudge Cheesecake creamy Vanilla Cheesecake with a Chocolate Fudge base
- Cookies ‘n Cream Sundae Cookies & Cream Ice Cream with Chocolate Sauce and Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Warm Sticky Date Pudding served with Butterscotch Sauce, Vanilla Ice Cream, and Phyllo Crunch
- Lemon Icebox Pie served with Lemon Curd and Berry Crème (signature)
- Deconstructed Carrot Cake a classic Carrot Cake with a twist (no sugar added)
Specialty Cocktails
- Blueberrilicious Tequila, fresh Blueberries, Passion Fruit Juice, Orange Flavor Liquor, and Freshly Squeezed Lime Juice
- Great Reef Rum, Elderflower St. German, Watermelon Purée and fresh Lime Juice
- Bora Shake Piña Colada, fresh Bananas and Blue Ocean [Non-Alcoholic]
Wines, after-dinner liqueurs, dessert wines, and specialty drinks can be added to your meal for an additional cost.
Rochelle Mariah is a writer, designer and photographer with an MLIS in Information Science and a B.S. in Arch and Design. Determined to make Planning a DIY Disney Vacation easier she makes lots of lists and drinks lots of coffee. When not designing apparel at Polka Dot Pixie Shop, she's watching old movies and planning the holidays. She has been traveling to Disney destinations since 2010.
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