9.6.19 HOTS - Wonderland Review

[Drock20J]

Due to Hurricane Dorian, I was on the short cruise for HOTS this past week. Leading up to the cruise, my wife and I looked at all of the dinning options and found that we would really be interested in going to Wonderland. The whole concept intrigued us. So, on one of the night nights we decided to skip MDR and go to Wonderland. Spoiler Alert: Best Dinning Experience EVER!

 

This will be a VERY picture heavy post, though pictures and words cannot do this restaurant service! You MUST experience this for your self!

 

The Entrance to Wonderland

 

 

The menu revealed!

 

The First Courses: Liquid Lobster, Potted Shrimp, The Birds Nest, and Tomato Water

 

Close up of the Liquid Lobster and Potted Shrimp

 

Close up of the Tomato Water. When described it is super weird, but when tasted, it was amazing and tasted like a tomato!

 

A close up of the Bird nest with the smoke. This was a really cool part of the dinner. I still wonder how they are able to produce smoke with no fire.

 

Next up is the Crispy Crab Cones. This was on of my favorite dishes, the wasabi at the bottom really tied everything together!

 

Now for one of the most interesting portion, the Mushroom Risotto. It was good, but a "gusher" of mushrooms was just weird, this was my least favorite part.

Next we had the Sashimi of Red and White Tuna, a good palate cleanser. I was not a big fan of the caviar, but the lime and the fish really paired well!

 

Our server specifically picked the next portion just for my wife, because she LOVES Bruschetta. Once again, the jelly olives are just weird.

 

Entree Time! My wife got the Chicken complete with pumpkin sauce

 

and I got the Rib "I" Short Rib. This was YUMMY and tender!

 

Now for what I deem as the main event, DESSERT!

 First up, the Mushroom kingdom. Though beautifully done with the edible mushrooms, this was just a nice way of giving us Mango Ice Cream.

 

Now for the Coup De Gras, The Globe dessert. Something I have wanted to try for years! This is something that you need to experience, and I might load a video later of.

Basically, this is a surprise dessert that comes with s how!

 

Overall, this was an amazing dinner, one that we would not normally do. If this dinner we offered in Orlando, we would NEVER go there and would cost WAY too much. Instead the thought intrigued us enough to go. The food was outlandish (what do you expect for a wonderland themed restaurant,) but most of it was just plain good! Every taste though small was full of flavor and really hit different parts of your taste buds.

 

The decor was really nice and plush and the art was super cool. The music that they piped in was great as well, with various movie themes being played that were whimsical/ creepy. Other than the food, the best part was the Service. Our guide through the food, Elton was fun, and knowledgeable. Elton really brought the meal to life. If you go anytime soon, ask for Elton!

 

Once again, this is something that you need to experience. This is more than just a meal, this is a true culinary Journey.

[mcgore83]

Great review!  Food looks absolutely delicious.  Thank you for sharing.

[ryano]

I was so looking forward to this as we had the unlimited dining package.  I took the cancellation and future cruise credit instead of traveling to Fl for a 3 night cruise.  Thank you SO much for this review!   We will definitely try Wonderland when we go to Alaska using our FCC next August.

[goldfish65]

I happen to know how the smoke works, they use a small gas torch that has a bowl (like a pipe) they pack with wood chips, cloves, etc., and it has a rubber tube where the smoke comes out, they lift the edge of the glass dome just enough to insert the tube, pull the trigger and fill the dome with the desired amount of smoke, remove the tube and deliver immediately to table!

[Drock20J]

4 hours ago, goldfish65 said:

they lift the edge of the glass dome just enough to insert the tube

 

This part is altered just a little. Elton my server did show me that there is a small hole on the side of the glass that has a rubber gasket that they can insert the hose and load the smoke.

 

Regardless, this is still super cool and the Applewood smoke just added to the experience.

 

****Note: Applewood is my favorite smoke flavor and what I use the most when I smoke.

[mickeygirl78]

Great review! I have the unlimited dining plan for my Harmony trip next month, I’m looking forward to trying Wonderland.

[Drock20J]

14 hours ago, mickeygirl78 said:

Great review! I have the unlimited dining plan for my Harmony trip next month, I’m looking forward to trying Wonderland.

 

Ask for Elton to be your server! You will not be disappointed!

[LC2626]

We absolutely loved Wonderland on our Harmony trip earlier this year. So much so, we ate there twice on our 9 night!  We LOVE the tomato water! 

[LBumb]

Nice photos

[fla gang]

We have tried Chops and loved it. Tried Giovanni's and didn't care for it so I think our next venture may be Wonderland. I will try anything once!

[swiss2619]

My husband and I did not try Wonderland for two years.  Then last year, we tried it and we were amazed!  It was so much fun and we enjoyed everything...especially the presentations.  The servers really make/break this experience.  This year, we went twice while on our cruise.  The first dinner was just as amazing, however, the second time we had a different server and she just did not add to the experience at all...very rushed and uninterested.  BUT, we will enjoyed the food and the atmosphere.  A very different and fun night.  We will definitely go again.

Swiss

[Drock20J]

6 minutes ago, swiss2619 said:

The servers really make/break this experience.

I could not agree more! I listened to other servers around us and while they said the same things as Elton (my server,) Elton just had a swagger about him that added to the experience!

[Gelynia80]

Ty for this review. My bf and i are going to try it in nov and can not wait. Cant wait to show him your pics!

[Drock20J]

On 9/11/2019 at 12:13 PM, LBumb said:

Nice photos

 

On 9/12/2019 at 12:41 PM, Gelynia80 said:

Cant wait to show him your pics!

Honestly anyone could take good pictures of this food... it is just plain photogenic!

 

I also have some videos of the Birds nest and the melting globe but I am not sure how to upload them.

[Allura_317]

On 9/10/2019 at 10:12 AM, Drock20J said:

Other than the food, the best part was the Service. Our guide through the food, Elton was fun, and knowledgeable. Elton really brought the meal to life. If you go anytime soon, ask for Elton!

Completely agree with this!  When we we on Harmony, we also had Elton.  Younger DD was not the biggest fan of the appetizers although she loved the shrimp one.  Elton brought out 4 extra shrimps just for her.  He also played a really fun game with older DD where she had to memorize the menu before they were taken away, and each time something new came out, she had to guess what it was.  As she got them all correct, he gave us two of all of the desserts, yum!  

[VaTech8912]

My husband agrees with your review.  For individuals that like seafood, it is a great experience.  If you do not eat seafood, it is limited unfortunately.  However, the ckn & beef entrees and desserts still made it good for me.  Glad you enjoyed it.  Thanks for the pictures, brings back good memories.

[Luckynana]

 

What an interesting and delicious experience you enjoyed.  Thank you for sharing.  Your pictures were great!😊 I had wondered what this restaurant was all about.  All I've read in the past was that some people enjoyed it, some people did not!🤔

[Drock20J]

16 hours ago, Luckynana said:

All I've read in the past was that some people enjoyed it, some people did not!

The food is bold and is presented in an interesting manner. I can see where people would be "turned off" from the food. Some of it was a little too much for me (The Mushroom Risotto was personally a miss for me.)

 

 

21 hours ago, VaTech8912 said:

However, the ckn & beef entrees and desserts still made it good for me.

And I could not agree more... the entree and dessert were worth the price alone!