REVIEW: We’re Trying 1923 on the NEW Disney Treasure Cruise Ship

By Brian Delpozo
Posted on Posted on December 12, 2024

Come sail aboard the Disney Treasure with us!

The Disney Treasure, the latest addition to the Disney Cruise Line, is set to make its maiden voyage on December 21st, 2024, but you don’t have to wait that long to check it out! Disney invited us out to be among the first to sail aboard the new ship and we’re bringing you all the ins and outs of this amazing vessel, including each of the ship’s rotational dining restaurants.

From Disney Treasure restaurants to wild experiences like the AquaMouse, we’ve got you covered! We’re especially excited to tell you about the dining on board the ship, as food can often be a make-or-break for any vacation. Now, it’s time for our FULL REVIEW of 1923 on the Disney Treasure!

Background

Like the other ships in the Disney Cruise Line fleet, the Treasure utilizes Disney’s rotational dining concept, which sees guests alternate between three included dining experiences on each night of their voyage (there are also other additional dining options not included in rotational dining, but those are another topic for another time).

The three rotational dining experiences on the Treasure are the brand-new Plaza de Coco, and (ported over from the Disney Wish) Worlds of Marvel and our focus today, 1923.

Atmosphere

Named for the year that the Disney brothers founded their animation studio, 1923 is a monument to the company’s artistic achievements.  According to Disney, the restaurant combines “classic Hollywood glamour with a dash of Disney whimsy, 1923 commemorates the year the legendary animation studio was founded in Southern California.

With 2 lavishly appointed dining rooms—aptly named Walt and Roy after the 2 brothers behind the magic that started it all—1923 provides a captivating look inside the evolution of Disney animation. Guests can settle into the relaxed elegance of yesteryear and taste unique flavors from California while marveling at over 1,000 drawings, props and other tools of the animation trade.”

The cuisine channels California’s unique blend of Asian, European, and South American influences into a “bounty of sunshine-infused ingredients like wild honey, earthy pistachios and gloriously fresh fruits and veggies bursting with flavor” while the restaurant’s wine list draws heavily from California’s world-renowned Napa Valley.

So, what did we think of 1923 on the Treasure?

Food & Drinks

We started off with the Sliced Prosciutto, Coppa, and Soppressata. This was pretty basic charcuterie, but it hit the spot! It wasn’t anything too remarkable and was the same items you’d find at Marcelline Market. Salty, meaty, and simple!

The White Onion Soup may have actually been our favorite thing we tried! It was silky smooth and pretty robust flavor-wise — this is definitely not something to try if you don’t like onion. The crunchy croutons were such a great addition to the soup. They had the perfect crunch while soaking up the onion soup and they were slightly garlicky as well. We could have had multiple bowls of this!

Next up, we tried the Potato Gnocchi from the allergen-free menu. Unfortunately, this was incredibly bland and sad — there was really just no flavor. The gnocchi also felt very dense and it wasn’t light and fluffy. Nothing on this dish could save it, but it could have just been an off night when we tried it.

Moving on to the Seared Pork Tenderloin Medallions, the pork was perfectly tender and practically melted like butter in our mouths. However, it lacked seasoning and there was nothing stellar flavor-wise — it could have used some salt and pepper. The pancetta was salty and savory, but it felt out of place in the dish as a whole.

The Californian Riesling Risotto was super creamy but again, overall lacking in flavor. It’s possible that Disney is going easy on the seasoning to cater to all sorts of palates. The peas and fava beans were a great addition — earthy and simple, and gave a fresh flavor to the otherwise rich dish. The rice itself was cooked well and still had a chewy texture without being overcooked.

Next up was the Juniper Marinated Venison Loin. Venison can be hit or miss and is generally pretty gamey — this was no different. Still, we really enjoyed it! It was a little overcooked for our liking, but the port wine jus was excellent. Slightly sweet and tangy and a great flavor addition.

We also grabbed the Double-baked Three Cheese Soufflé which is made with Roquefort, Gruyere, Goats Cheese, and Baby Leaf Spinach. This one was just okay. It was light and fluffy but very cheese-heavy — it was almost like a cheese version of a marshmallow with how fluffy it was. The spinach was very finely chopped so it was easy to get those nice creamy bites of cheese.

The Oven-baked Lobster Tail is served with Sun-dried Tomato Lemon-Pesto Mash, Roasted Asparagus, and Drawn Butter. This was really dry on its own and almost tasteless. There was no seasoning — no butter — but the server came around with brown sugar to put on your lobster to your liking. We really wished it had had more flavor and seasoning to it, and it was really tough to eat.

We tried the Roasted Green Circle Chicken Breast. It’s served with Tagliatelle, Grappa, Morel Mushrooms, Tarragon Cream, Green Asparagus, and Parmesan-Reggiano. The chicken breast here was really good. The mushroom sauce was flavorful and really added more to the chicken which was already pretty moist and well-cooked. There were chunks of mushroom with it and we were able to add parmesan at the table to our liking overall, it was a great entrée, and we would totally get it again!

The Chocolate Lava Cake is the signature dessert on the menu and it is the one you should get. It is a molten lava cake — at this point that’s a classic dessert. This version was very rich with a deep chocolate flavor, pretty dark chocolate and some ice cream on the side. The vanilla bean ice cream in the dining room is pretty rich and good and this is just a decadent feeling dessert if you aren’t looking for a decadent feeling dessert you don’t want this one, but we think this is the best dessert on the menu here.

The Old-fashioned apple pie is a perfectly serviceable apple pie. We would liken it to a typical grocery store bakery apple pie. It is not bad, but not fantastic. It won’t be something you’re talking about after you get off your cruise but if you are not a chocolate fan and you don’t want to get the lava cake, this is a classic taste that won’t do you wrong.

We also tried the California grapefruit cake, which were not big fans of. This cake didn’t have enough grapefruit flavor for us and therefore was a pretty bland dessert. It was not overly sweet, but probably lacking some sweetness here and we don’t like super sweet things. The sponge was good on the cake. It was pretty, but we don’t know that we would recommend it to anyone.

The no-sugar-added desserts in rotational dining are really not something you should overlook if you eat no-sugar-added desserts — especially the chocolate cheesecake. The chocolate cheesecake here has that kind of mousse consistency and then it has a layer of cake on the bottom. Tt’s good if you’re a chocolate lover, and you don’t need a no sugar added dessert. It’s not as good as a chocolate lava cake, but it is good for what it is.

And finally, we had the Captain’s Table Sundae. It was decent, but overall a pretty basic ice cream sundae we wouldn’t necessarily get again. Insted, we would definitely go for that chocolate lava cake or even the apple pie over this. It has mint chocolate chip ice cream, which can be divisive.

We CAN’T WAIT for you to experience the Disney Treasure’s rotational dining during your first visit aboard so you can let us know your thoughts! In the meantime, continue to follow us here at AllEars for more Disney Treasure and Disney Cruise Line news, tips, reviews, and more!

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If you’re looking for a travel agent to help with your vacation, we recommend our friends at Mouse Fan Travel. They’re experts in the field with over 20 years of vacation planning experience, and they can help take a bunch of the stress out of the entire booking process for you!

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