Are you ready to try some great cuisine out on the Seven Seas?!
©Disney | Disney Magic Cruise Ship
We certainly were when we recently sailed aboard the Disney Cruise Line’s Disney Magic cruise ship! While sailing with the Disney Cruise Line, you’re in for a unique experience full of good times, good opportunities to make lifelong memories, and, of course, good food. Speaking of food, we tried a bunch of different restaurants during our latest voyage — including Animator’s Palate. Come along for a review of this animation-themed restaurant!
Atmosphere
If a restaurant that comes alive sounds appealing to you, definitely check out Animator’s Palate!
Animator’s Palate
When you first enter, you’ll be greeted by the friendly staff and tons of black and white décor. The restaurant is themed with Disney sketches and artwork, making you feel like you’re in a Disney Animation sketchbook! As the meal progresses, however, the restaurant slowly becomes more colorful as those black and white sketches transform into finished (and moving) creations. You might even get a visit from Sorcerer Mickey!
This restaurant can be found on the Disney Wonder, Disney Dream, and Disney Fantasy, as well, and the Magic’s dining room is identical to that of the Animator’s Palate dining room aboard the Wonder. The Dream and Fantasy dining rooms are a bit more updated.
Meg from Hercules
As for the layout of the restaurant, the dining room has a mix of tables, and since this is part of the ship’s rotational dining, your server will follow you to this spot. With that down, let’s jump into the menu!
Menu
Animator’s Palate boasts a menu of “Pacific Island foods, Asian cooking, and fresh California fare.”
Menu
The menu includes all kinds of delicious goodies. Appetizers feature smoked salmon tartare, wild mushroom risotto, black truffle pasta purseittes, and creamy butternut squash soup. You’ll also find specialties such as the taleggio cheese flatbread and a polenta cake topped with Roma tomatoes and Portobello mushrooms.
Beauty and the Beast in Animator’s Palate
As for mains, Animator’s Palate offers Pacific black cod, lemon-thyme marinated organic chicken breast, Angus beef tenderloin, and white shrimp pennette pasta. There are some vegetarian options, such as stir fry vegetables and black bean chipotle cakes, and a children’s menu.
Scene from Tangled
Finally, the restaurant offers a strong dessert menu that features crème brûlèe, peanut butter mousse, and classic ice-cream sundae, among others. You will also find an extensive wine list in addition to a wide array of after-dinner liqueurs, dessert wines, and specialty drinks.
Dessert menu
Does everything taste as good as it sounds? Let’s take a look!
Eats
During our most recent visit, we tried the Garlic and Herb Foccacia, Black Truffle Pasta Purseittes Pasta Purses, Ginger-Teriyaki dusted Angus Beef Tenderloin, Tomato Tarte, Baked Potato and Cheddar Cheese Soup, Creamy Butternut Squash Soup Grilled Tuna Steak, Pennette Bolognese, and Lemon-Thyme Marinated All-Natural Chicken Breast. Let’s dive in!
Table setting
The Garlic and Herb Foccacia with a roasted garlic dip bread service was the best bread service we had during our trip aboard the Disney Magic. While the bread wasn’t necessarily a standout, the garlic dip was so good we could eat it without bread.
Garlic and Herb Foccacia
Another nice plate that wasn’t necessarily a standout was the Tomato Tarte with glazed goat cheese and shaved radish. It features some light flavors and works great as a starter, prepping you for heavier courses. We also think it’s a great veggie option.
Tomato Tarte
Next up is the Disney Cruise Line staple, the Black Truffle Pasta Purseittes. This dish is made with pasta purses filled with truffle-scented cheese and coated with a delicate champagne sauce. We thought these were SO GOOD that we got multiple orders! This legendary dish features pasta that is perfectly al dente and filled with delicious truffle cheese that isn’t overwhelming but still gives a great truffle flavor. The champagne sauce is the perfect complementary piece, making this dish an absolute MUST-TRY.
Black Truffle Pasta Purseittes
We opted for the Baked Potato and Cheddar Cheese Soup and we’re glad we did! This soup comes with bacon bits and chives and we found it to be pretty delicious. Simple, yet creamy, this potato soup was rustic and comforting.
Baked Potato and Cheddar Cheese Soup
We also tried the Creamy Butternut Squash Soup, which is garnished with chives and drizzled sour cream. We found this soup to be incredibly savory, earthy, and tasty! Our soup could’ve used a bit more seasoning, but we were still very happy with this starter.
Creamy Butternut Squash Soup
Getting into the main courses, the Grilled Tuna Steak is accompanied by fingerling confit, caponata, sun-dried tomato pesto, and aioli. We’ve had this before, and it’s one of our favorite entrées at the restaurant. Hearty, bursting with flavor, and a fantastic fish meal, this grilled tuna steak never lets us down.
Grilled Tuna Steak
Next, we tried the Lemon-Thyme Marinated All-Natural Chicken Breast with sour cream mashed potatoes, roasted root vegetables, and grain mustard jus. Our chicken was perfectly cooked and packed with juicy flavor. The marinade gave complexity to the skin, making it more accessible to even the pickiest of eaters. We were also big fans of the mashed potatoes, as they were thick without tons of chunks.
Lemon-Thyme Marinated All-Natural Chicken Breast
Up next is the Pennette Bolognese. This dish comes with pennette pasta mixed with a rich bolognese sauce garnished with shaved parmigiano-reggiano and toasted garlic ciabatta. We thought this was fine, but nothing great. The pasta was cooked wonderfully and the sauce had a light acidity that we liked, and while it’s super filling, we don’t think our plate was seasoned enough. This is kind of a safe option but not a bad one.
Pennette Bolognese
The last entrée we ordered was the Ginger-Teriyaki dusted Angus Beef Tenderloin. This dish is served on wasabi mashed potatoes with bok choy and a tamarind barbecue reduction. The beef was the star here. Ours was very tender and juicy, and you couldn’t ask more of the cook of the meat.
HOWEVER, we could not taste the wasabi flavor in our potatoes, which were creamy but could’ve used more flavor. Similarly, the barbecue reduction was watery and flavorless, and with a beef dish like this, you kind of expect a ton of bold flavors. Matched up to everything else we tried, this was a bit of a letdown.
Ginger-Teriyaki dusted Angus Beef Tenderloin
With all that down, let’s collect our overall thoughts…
Overall
Animator’s Palate is still a very pleasant dining experience. Surrounded by the art that has defined Disney for a century, this restaurant gives you those patented Disney vibes while serving up so sophisticated food.
Animator’s Palate décor
Nosh or Not?
Make sure you dine at Animator’s Palate if…
- You want a Disney-fied fine dining experience. The dishes here are elegant and packed with tons of elevated flavor profiles. This ain’t theme park food.
- You’re a Disney fanatic. If you’re sailing on a Disney cruise, you likely fall into this category. Surrounded by beloved Disney animation, this restaurant immerses you into the world of Disney art.
- You’re craving Black Truffle Pasta Purseittes. Seriously ya’ll, this dish is SOOO good!
Pass on Animator’s Palate if…
- You want simplified meals. We think there are some picky-eater-friendly meals on the menu, but there could be flavors here that the pickiest of eaters aren’t comfortable with.
- You’re looking for something more intimate. This is a family-friendly restaurant, and it doesn’t let you forget that you’re on a Disney cruise for a second. If you want to get away from the Disney noise, this isn’t the place to do it.
- You eat here every vacation and want a change. As we previously mentioned, Animator’s Palate is a staple on several Disney ships, so it’s possible that you’ve been there and done that when it comes to this restaurant. If you’re ready to branch out, maybe skip this spot during your next dining rotation.
Scene from Tangled
Thanks for coming along for our Animator’s Palate review! Stay tuned right here at the Disney Food Blog for more Disney Cruise Line reviews, tips, news, and more!
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Have you dined at Animator’s Palate? Share your review in the comments below!
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Our very first cruise was on the Disney Magic. It was amazing. Little did we know then that we started our crusing voyages on the very best cruise ship in the industry. We sailed on the Magic many times afterwords, with the voyages in Europe among the most memorable. But it all started on that fantastic cruise on the Disney Magic. Thank you, DCL!