This guest trip report was written by Cynthia, who sailed on the October 18, 2021 sailing on the Disney Wonder from San Diego. It was a 4 night cruise that stopped in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico. You can start the report from the beginning here.
Day 2: At Sea & Halloween on the High Seas
Today was our much anticipated day at sea and the Halloween on the High Seas celebration. I always love just being able to roam the ship and visit with friends. A day at sea is always so relaxing. We woke up fairly early and started our day. We had Palo brunch reservations for noon so we decided to eat a very light breakfast at Cabanas. By light, I mean only one Mickey waffle! After sampling our favorite breakfast items, we decided to check out more of the Halloween decorations and sights around the ship.
The Atrium was decked out in its Halloween finest.
We also found some more cute window decals. I am used to seeing the pumpkin faces, but the spiderweb decals were also festive.
Being that we were on a Halloween on the High Seas cruise, we were served our drinks in these colorful themed cups.
As we explored the ship, we ran into more characters. The characters were having a great time interacting with the guests. Stitch was into photobombing everyone’s pictures.
Not only were the characters out and about the interior of the ship, they were also roaming the Deck 10.
After our time exploring the ship, it was time to head to Palo for brunch. We experienced Palo brunch several times pre-pandemic, so we were curious to see if the new brunch experience was as wonderful as our past experiences. All menus, including Palo’s, are available on the Disney Cruise App throughout the cruise. There is also a QR code on each table that you can scan to reach the menu. I, however, prefer a real menu. I asked our server Ritesh if one was available. He quickly departed our table and returned with a paper menu. He said that all dining room restaurants on board had paper menus available, so don’t be afraid to ask. In addition, you get to keep the menu!
Our server Ritesh was fabulous and took the time to let us know about himself and how he was able to deal with his time away during the pandemic. He was absolutely thrilled to be back to work.
The biggest change in the Palo Brunch is that there is no longer a buffet. Instead a menu has been prepared that incorporates the Palo Brunch favorites. You are free to order as much as you want for the all inclusive price of $45. Brunch includes a glass of Prosecco or a Mimosa.
We tried a little bit of everything and several items Ritesh insisted we sample. We started with the meat and cheese antipasti and the tomato and basil soup. Both were fabulous. Ritesh also brought us a basket of breads and a separate basket of pastries. The almond croissants were mouthwatering. Next we had the strawberry Mickey waffle and the cheese and ham frittata. We were ready to call it a brunch at this time, but Ritesh told us we had to have the parmesan-crusted chicken breast (my favorite every time we dine at Palo) and the lasagna bolognaise. The chicken was as fabulous as ever. However, the lasagna was the best lasagna ever! After all of this food (or at least sampling each course), there was no way we were having dessert. Because it was my birthday, I did get this beautiful birthday celebration plate.
After brunch, we went back to our cabin to change our clothes and rest a bit. Our rest ended up being a two hour nap! All was well because when we woke up we were well rested and ready to head to the Buena Vista Theatre for the afternoon showing of Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings.
Following the movie, we tried our hand at trivia and failed miserably! We then headed to the Walt Disney Theatre for a performance of Frozen. I always enjoy the shows on board the DCL ships. This was the first opportunity I had to see Frozen. It was well worth the wait.
After Frozen we walked around the ship admiring the sunset and the stillness of the Wonder.
Our dining rotation took us to Tiana’s Place. We headed towards the restaurant, but we first made a quick stop at the French Quarter Lounge.
This was my first visit to Tiana’s Place and it did not disappoint. The decor, food and entertainment were all fantastic.
For dinner, we started with the Boudin Sausage Fritters and Shrimp and Frits. Both were very good. Next we ordered the Roasted Pork Tenderloin and Prime Rib of Beef. Again, both were very good. For dessert we had the “never to be missed” beignets and the Bananas Foster Sundae. This was an excellent end to our meal. We absolutely enjoyed our dining experience at Tiana’s.
We ended the evening by attending the Mickey Mouse-Querade party on Deck 10. It was fun to enjoy all the halloween costumes and the stage show. This was the only organized Halloween event on the cruise, so we tried to get the most out of it.
We enjoyed this brief celebration and look forward to a future Halloween on the High Seas cruise where we can experience more of the pre-pandemic Halloween festivities. We do wish there had been a few more themed offerings.
It was a long day, so we called it a night so we could be well rested for Cabo San Lucas.
Up Next: Day 3 – Cabo San Lucas, Mexico
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