Dining On the Disney Wonder Eastbound Panama Canal Cruise – Part 2

My husband Lee and I spent two weeks on the Disney Wonder as it traveled from San Diego to Galveston, going through the Panama Canal. In this blog series I cover our experiences in the various dining rooms – what we liked, and what we didn’t.

For Dinner #4 we were back in Tiana’s Place again with one of its rotational menus.  This was our first opportunity to experience the “real” food here, since the first night’s dinner had been a shipwide menu. This particular menu is not really New Orleans, though – more “all over America”.

Note: The Duck and Pistachio Terrine appetizer is not recommended. It looks very UNappetizing.  One of the women at our table ordered it, took one look, and sent it back.  I’ve seen better looking cat food. Unfortunately(?) I did not get a photo of it.

Lee and I both started with Country Green Lentil Soup, with paprika, chorizo sausage and vegetables.  It was… not green.  It was very good – not spicy as lentil soup can sometimes be.

Country Green Lentil Soup – Tiana’s Place

I ordered the Caesar Salad.  Unfortunately I forgot to order the dressing on the side as I usually do and it was drowned in dressing.  And… that would be why I order dressing on the side when I have a salad.  Sigh.

Caesar Salad – Tiana’s Place

Lee had the Louisiana Hot Crab Dip, which was a very popular appetizer at our table.  I think everyone who ordered it cleaned their plates.

Louisiana Hot Crab Dip – Tiana’s Place

For entree I chose Lime-Marinated Jumbo Shrimp.  It was supposed to be served over Jambalaya rice, but because that contained peppers I received white rice instead.  The shrimp were slightly overcooked.   One of the other choices was Oven-Roasted Tom Turkey Breast – basically a plate of Thanksgiving dinner – and I should have had that.

Lime-Marinated Jumbo Shrimp – Tiana’s Place

Lee tried Grilled Rum Marinated Swordfish over black beans and roasted corn, with sweet potato fries.  It was very nicely cooked and he enjoyed it.

Grilled Rum Marinated Swordfish – Tiana’s Place

I actually did order dessert that night – Prince Naveen’s Flourless Chocolate Cake.  But it was not at all what I expected – it was more of a layered bar.  There was a supposed hazelnut sauce but I couldn’t taste any hazelnuts.   Disappointing, and I didn’t eat it all.

Prince Naveen’s Flourless Chocolate Cake – Tiana’s Place

Lee tried the Banoffee Cream Pie, which was caramel toffee pie topped with bananas and an “abundance of whipped cream.”  He said it was good but not amazing, but nice to have something different.

Banoffee Cream Pie – Tiana’s Place

There’s entertainment during dinner – Tiana appears on stage along with the Crawfish Crooners (a jazz band) for awhile.  But she also goes around the dining room greeting guests.

Tiana Presides Over Tiana’s Place

Dinner #5 was the Taste of California menu, and we were back in Triton’s.   There were many appetizers that we wanted to try… so we did. The Olive Oil Marinated Artichokes were excellent, very flavorful and tender.

Olive Oil Marinated Artichokes – Disney Wonder

The Potato Croquettes, stuffed with basil and Italian cheese, with a white wine, creamed leek and candied walnut sauce, were just ok. They were lightly breaded and fried, but just didn’t have much flavor.

Potato Croquettes – Disney Wonder

The Handmade California Roll was fine – good but not exceptional.

California Roll – Disney Wonder

Lee enjoyed the Creamy Cheese Polenta with Wild Mushrooms, but I thought it was a little bland.  The Parmesan crisp was good.

Creamy Cheese Polenta with Wild Mushrooms – Disney Wonder

Lee tried this version of Butternut Squash Soup, which was topped with Dungeness crab.  No notes on it, so it must have been ok.

Butternut Squash Soup – Disney Wonder

I ordered the Broccoli Cheddar Soup off the kids’ menu, and it was very tasty.

Broccoli Cheddar Soup – Disney Wonder

There were several interesting entrees, also. I thought about the Grilled Halibut and the Maple-Glazed Pork Tenderloin, but went with the Whole-Wheat Garlic Linguine Pasta, which was served with a hoisin-glazed cod filet. The cod and pasta were quite good, but it was served with bok choy (a number of dishes seemed to come with bok choy on this cruise), which I didn’t eat.

Whole-Wheat Garlic Linguine Pasta – Disney Wonder

Lee tried Golden State Beef Tenderloin with garlic shrimp and feta cheese potatoes. Very good. He shared a shrimp with me and it was cooked nicely – not overdone. The feta cheese potatoes were also tasty.

Golden State Beef Tenderloin – Disney Wonder

We both ordered Salted Caramel Chocolate Cake for dessert. I didn’t taste any salted caramel in the cake, and it had that weird chocolate jelly glaze on top that I don’t like.

Salted Caramel Chocolate Cake – Disney Wonder

The cake was supposed to come with dulce de leche ice cream but there wasn’t any on the plate.  It turned out our server didn’t realize he was supposed to add it to the plate just before bringing it out of the kitchen, so he brought us a bowl after the fact.  The ice cream was the best part of the dessert.

Dulce de Leche Ice Cream – Disney Wonder

Dinner #6 was a shipwide dinner, but I don’t remember the theme. We were back in Animator’s Palate. Lee and I both started with Red Lentil and Coconut Soup. It was a huge hit at our table – just excellent flavor with a hint of lemon grass. There were some shrimp in the bottom. I asked for the recipe, and have since made it at home, but it wasn’t as good.

Red Lentil and Coconut Soup – Disney Wonder

I tried Beefsteak Tomatoes and Sliced Mozzarella with balsamic-drizzled arugula leaves. The tomatoes did not have much flavor nor a very fresh texture, so the dish was just ok.

Beefsteak Tomatoes and Sliced Mozzarella – Disney Wonder

Lee went with Double Baked Gruyere Cheese Souffle with blue cheese spinach, and mascarpone. That was another popular dish with our table.

Double Baked Gruyere Cheese Souffle – Disney Wonder

We both enjoyed Roasted Cod Filet as our entree. It had a cheddar and herb crust and was served with crushed chive potatoes. The potatoes were very good and the fish was prepared well.

Roasted Cod Filet – Disney Wonder

For dessert I had the Rocky Road Sundae, and it was excellent. Rocky road ice cream, toasted marshmallows and fudge sauce. What’s not to love about that combination? There was also a full-sized marshmallow in the bottom of the glass.

Rocky Road Sundae – Disney Wonder

Lee had Warm Banana Bread Pudding with ice cream and caramel praline sauce, which he enjoyed.

Warm Banana Bread Pudding – Disney Wonder

Dinner #7 was Pirate Night.  Arrrr.  Back in Tiana’s Place again. This is another menu I don’t enjoy all that much. It ‘s consistent across all four ships and it seems as though it hasn’t changed a whole lot in the 10 years we have been cruising on Disney.  We enjoy dressing as pirates, though.

Pirate Night – Disney Wonder

The Vegetable Samosa was our first starter.  Filled with potato, peas, garlic, cumin and ginger and served with tamarind chutney and yogurt raita. It is surprisingly spicy – needed the raita to cool it a bit – but it was good.

Vegetable Samosa – Pirate Menu

None of the other appetizers appealed to me so I ordered Cream of Chicken Soup from the kids’ menu.  It was tasty.

Cream of Chicken Soup – Kids Pirate Menu

Lee enjoyed the Rock Crab Cake with chili-Cajun spiced coleslaw and a grilled lime.

Rock Crab Cake – Pirate Menu

As an entree I requested Shanghaied Noodle Stir Fry without the peppers.  It was supposed to have edamame, marinated tofu, scallions and carrots, but there there were no carrots, and I would have liked a little more tofu.  The noodles were good but too salty.

Shanghaied Noodle Stir Fry – Pirate Menu

Lee tried Treasures of the Sea with grilled shrimp, seared scallops, pasta and spinach.  It’s pretty easy to overcook scallops and shrimp but these were not, and he enjoyed it.

Treasures of the Sea – Pirate Menu

I wasn’t interested in any of the desserts but Lee had Caramel Macadamia Nut Cheesecake with caramel ganache. I had a bite – the cheesecake itself had very little flavor but Lee said it was good with the caramel sauce.

Caramel Macadamia Nut Cheesecake – Pirate Menu

More dining and photos to come – this was a long cruise – so please check back to read the rest of our dining experiences!

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Laura Gilbreath is a native of San Diego, CA. She has been making the trek up Interstate 5 to Disneyland since she was a small child and terrified of talking tikis and hitchhiking ghosts. She and her husband Lee enjoy trips to Disneyland and Walt Disney World, as well as sailings on the Disney Cruise Line.

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