Chapter 16
In Living Color

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Even though we’d only been on board the Wonder for two-and-a-half days, it already felt as though we’d seen most of the ship. We hadn’t yet had any reason to come to Animator’s Palate, however, so it was a totally new experience.

Going down the first hallway, we started to see all the black-and-white images from Disney classics.

We took our seats in the very stark dining room. This photo shows the outfits that the servers were wearing at the beginning of the meal (that’s Putu, in fact).

Almost immediately after we sat down, small pops of color started to appear in the restaurant.

Our table mates were running a bit late as they, too, were waiting to meet Peter Pan. I mentioned that we were a little befuddled when John and Candida told us the night before that they’d spent most of their day taking pictures, but we would find out tonight (and over the course of the next several nights) that meeting characters and getting photos taken by the cast members from Shutters was their number one priority on this cruise. They were buying the photo CD (a mere $400), and they must have really wanted to get their money’s worth. So they spent almost all of our days and nights at sea cycling between the different meet and greet lines so they could get every possible pose.

Soon after the other half of our table arrived, we placed our orders for dinner. Tonight’s bread service was Garlic and Herb Focaccia Bread (with a Rosemary Virgin Olive Oil). For appetizers, Tracy and I both ordered the Black Truffle Pasta Purseittes (Pasta Purses Filled with Truffle-scented Cheese and Coated with a Champagne Sauce). These little morsels were really delicious.

This was one of the hardest meals yet for me to choose an entree because most of the options had something about them that I didn’t think sounded great. In the end, I opted for the Ginger-Teryaki Dusted Angus Beef Tenderloin (on Wasabi Mashed Potatoes with Bok Choy and a Tamarind-Barbeque Reduction). I didn’t really want the wasabi potatoes, though, so I just ordered regular mashed potatoes instead. Looking at the menu, neither Tracy nor I can figure out what she got… Must have really made an impression.

Of course, the main attraction at Animator’s Palate isn’t the food—it’s the environment. We knew to watch the walls for signs of life as the black-and-white artwork was slowly colorized.

We ordered dessert next, and I decided to try the “Make Your Own Pie” (Lemon-Raspberry Curd with Crispy Vanilla Infused Meringue, Mango Sauce, and Cocoa Jelly). It was very bizarre, but it was actually quite delicious! This time, Tracy chose the Sweet Temptations (A Trio of While Chocolate Fudge Cheesecake, Lemon-Raspberry Tart, and Chilled Mango Mousse). She also enjoyed hers.

Toward the end of our meal, almost all the animation had been colored in, but then it all snapped back to black-and-white as our servers disappeared to prepare for the final “show.”

Suddenly, Sarah from the cruise staff (who we’d started to recognize from several events around the ship) appeared to welcome the real star of the show: Sorcerer Mickey! The Fantasmic! theme started playing (a welcome surprise here in the middle of Alaskan waters) and in came Mickey Mouse himself.

Next, the servers all reappeared with their vests turned inside-out to reveal all sorts of colorful animation. Finally, we noticed all the pictures turned to color at once and the walls were awash with color as well.

I know Animator’s Palate on the Wonder pales in comparison to the other ships, but it was still quaint and fun. We thought it was a very pleasant meal.

Putu told us all about how Magic Dave was presenting another show in the Walt Disney Theatre this evening, but we’d already decided to skip that. Instead, we quickly went back to our room and noticed how lovely the sun looked against the water and the mountains.

We also saw another ship sailing in the distance.

Our towel animal this evening was a bear—fitting since we’d be reaching Alaskan land for the first time in the morning.

Since we weren’t planning on seeing Magic Dave, we needed some sort of evening activity, and we decided to go see Frozen in the Buena Vista Theatre. Of course, we’d already seen the movie (twice), but we thought it would be fun since we were in the “frozen” wilderness of Alaska.

Making our way to Deck 5 for the first time on the cruise, we headed aft to the movie theatre. We brought our souvenir popcorn bucket for another round of Disney popcorn, and it was delicious as always. The theatre itself is gorgeously appointed and was the perfect setting for this movie. We also enjoyed the “previews” before showtime that told us about the Adventures by Disney trips to Norway as well as the Disney Cruises to Europe. Yes, please!

The movie itself was the same as the previous times we’d seen it, but it was still enjoyable. Gotta love seeing animation on the big screen. By the time it was all done, it was starting to get pretty late, so we went back to the stateroom and started getting ready for bed.

The sun still hadn’t quite set outside, but it was pretty close.