Mickey Chick's Magical Adventures: Tiana's Place

Showing posts with label Tiana's Place. Show all posts

Saturday, October 21, 2017

What's New on the Re-Imagined Disney Wonder: Let's Talk Tiana's Place

Mickey Chick
with Ariel in the Atrium of the Disney Wonder

On a recent back-to-back sailing, Mickey Chick explored just about every corner of the fresh-from dry dock Disney Wonder. There was so much to share, that I needed to break it up into a deck-by-deck tour - but the newest jewel of the ship is Tiana's Place, which rightfully deserves it's own entry:

Entrance to Tiana's Place

Today we continue our series on the newly re-imagined Disney Wonder with the last stop on Deck 3: Tiana's Place.
The space formerly known as Parrot Cay -the restaurant with a relaxed, Caribbean flair- has been transformed into a hoppin' new NOLA hot-spot.
The best approach to describing this fantastic new dining venue is to describe the approach itself.

Shops on "the street" outside Tiana's

Entering Tiana's from "The Street"

When the doors open, guests are guided through the pulsating back streets of New Orleans' French Quarter. The walkway is dark, but for naked Edison bulbs strung across the sky and throughout the wrought-iron balconies above.

Wrought Iron Balconies
Overlooking Tiana's Entrance

The railings, dripping with beads, masks and finery reminiscent of Mardi-Gras draw the crowd further in, while the creole beats rumble through the rustic entryways and storefronts, enveloping the newly arrived revelers. There is excitement in the air when, at last, the dark of the side-street gives way to a bright, open, and utterly enthralling environment.

Aft Stage at Tiana's Place

Tiana's Place Dining Room

As guests enter, they are greeted by their serving team and led under the gas-light chandeliers into the restaurant. From their stage at the aft, the venue's own "Crawfish Crooners" belt out bayou-influenced versions of Disney favorites and old-standards. One can't help but get caught up in the celebratory atmosphere as they make their way to their seat and are handed their own set of celebratory Mardi-Gras beads. Aside from the addition of the stage, another noticeable change in the design of the room is the removal of the serving stations to a single row against the wall near the entrance to the kitchen. This affords guests relatively unobstructed views of the stage and center of the room.

Tiana's Place Table Settings

Most impressive, however, is the attention to detail in the table settings themselves. In a nod to Tiana's dress in the movie, the celery color of the tablecloths contrasts with the chiffon yellow napkins, folded in the shape of the fleur-de-lis - a NOLA staple. Under the lotus-flower bread baskets, we find dark-green lily-pad doilies. The glassware, colored art deco goblets, play against the decorative plate-chargers, enhanced with cute depictions of Frog Prince Naveen and colorful lily pads. They seem almost too sweet to sully with the down-home dishes to come.

Tiana's Place Dishes

Tiana's Place Menu Starters

Tiana's Place Menu Entrees

Parrot Cay had been my least favorite rotational menu and I wasn't expecting much better. I had glanced at the menu through the Disney Cruise Line onboard app and was already planning on nibbling on some bread and ordering room service later. I am pleased to say that I could not have been more wrong!

Tiana's: Ahi Tuna Tartare

Tiana's: Seafood Pepper Pot

The descriptions on the menu do not do justice to the sophisticated complexity of the flavors. Thankfully, we ordered a varied selection over the course of our two nights at Tiana's. I won't go into detail about each dish, but I will say that the Seafood Pepper Pot, Shrimp and Grits and James' Roasted Pork Tenderloin became fast favorites.

Tiana's: Cajun Spiced Sea Bass

Tiana's: Sausage Fritters

Tiana's: Shrimp and Grits

Tiana's: James Roasted
Pork Tenderloin

Tiana's: Pecan Pie

Tiana's: Beignets

Now I know you're wondering, since it's Tiana's Place, will we get to see Tiana? At the risk of including spoilers, I will only answer with a resounding: YES!! There is also a Mardi Gras style parade, complete with the serving team sporting parasols leading guests in a celebratory procession.

From the food, to the entertainment, to the jubilant ambiance, Tiana's is a "down-home"run!

Tiana's Place: Sundae

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Sunday, May 7, 2017

vacation planning

Disney Wonder 4/9-4/13/17: Day 2 ~ Here We Go...

rantnnravin 5:32 PM 0

First Moments of Wonder

We set our alarms for 6:30am, figuring that would give us all time to shower, get dressed, sit semi-catatonically staring into a cup of coffee… Of course, we didn’t get up until 7:30, but we were up and out by 8:15.

The best part of staying at the Hyatt the night before a Disney cruise is that Disney has an arrangement with the hotel to collect the luggage for their guests taking Disney transfers to the port. So, we packed all our toiletries back into our bags and left them in the entryway with a thank-you note and a tip.

Since it was Sunday, Chik-fil-A was closed, so we didn’t need to endure another disappointing Chicken-on-a-Biscuit, like last time. Instead, we opted for sure-fire satisfaction: McDonalds breakfast. I had a $15 McD’s gift card that covered all 3 breakfast combos. We would have been downstairs by the DCL transfer desk much sooner, but for some reason, my brain decided that it was 2008 and the DCL transportation was still on the A side. Umm- no. So after working off our McGriddles, we arrived at the DCL transportation area.

There was a small crowd gathered and the CM’s had not yet opened the line. We walked over to the CM standing by one of the stanchions and he gruffly pointed to the fully occupied seating area and told us to wait there. We decided that we wanted to sit, so we took a short walk to a seating area a bit removed from the gathered crowd. A few minutes later, another CM came over and said, everyone sitting here come with me, so we and another family did so. We waited where we were told, only to have the CM from earlier come to up to us demanding gruffly: “Are you with them?” No, we were told to… “The line’s over there!” Ok, um thanks. I’m not quite sure who peed in his cornflakes that day, but this CM was pretty rough around the edges.

We joined the lineup and waited to do our pre-check-in. For DCL, you will need to show your travel documents, which includes your DCL booklet. Our CM noticed that our booklet didn’t say DCL transfers, since we added them after the documents shipped, but they scan the barcode on it and it came up as included in our reservation. We also had a flyer from the MCO Hyatt to hand in. This paper alerts DCL of the number of bags they should be transporting. They track everything to make sure our bags make it to the ship. We also had to show our ID’s. DCL does this to ensure that there are no mishaps at the port and that everyone has the proper identification for sailing. Since we live in New York, we all have enhanced driver’s licenses. These are better than carrying a license plus a birth certificate. Once J turns 18, we’ll all get passports so we can travel the world together for the next 10 years.

We got great seats toward the front of the bus and enjoyed the drive to Port Canaveral. DCL has a video that starts with Disney Trivia and Disney cartoon shorts. Then, about 30 minutes into the trip, the video shows the Fab Five characters getting ready for their cruise vacation. It explains the procedure at the port, how to use the Key-to-the-World (KTTW) card and the fun and entertaining things to be found in and around the ship. It gets everyone excited for their Disney cruise and is one of the reasons I would rather take Disney Transfers than rent a car or take a private car service. I also appreciate the ease of the luggage transfer and can’t understand why so many folks bring their bags with them to stow under the bus. Why would you only use half the service you’re paying for?

One of my favorite parts of the trip to Port Canaveral is when you get to the top of the first hill and can see the ship in the distance. It stands out more than the other cruise ships due to its classic lines and coloring. This is actually about 5 minutes before the second hill – at the top of the bridge, where you are closer to port and can get a better (but briefer) view of the ship and Kennedy Space Center to the north and west. I love how the bus actually passes the ship before going around the loop, passes it a second time from the other side, and finally comes around to the entrance depot.

Since we let Disney handle our luggage, we are off the bus in a flash and on our way to the security line. There are a few guests from the other airport bus ahead of us, but we are through security relatively quickly and up the escalator we go! Now here’s an interesting tidbit I learned on this trip: When you look at the floor as you get off the escalator, you will notice that you are at Disney World, in Florida. Then, as you travel through the terminal towards the ship, the islands on the floor actually go further out into the Caribbean. I always knew about the islands inlaid into the floor tile, but never knew you started at WDW and went further east!

Except for initially being ignored while standing in the Castaway Club line, while first-time cruisers were ushered to check-in lines, the process went pretty smoothly. We got our picture taken and got our Gold lanyards. Boarding group 3 – not sure whey it wasn’t 2, but I’ll take. It was already close to 11. We stopped by the DVC desk and got our new blue lanyards and the schedule for the DVC member meet. As the terminal began to fill up, we stepped outside into the sunshine to watch the loading process and admire the ship. A few selfies later, we headed inside, as a couple decided to light up and ruin the fresh air. They were actually getting the First Family ready to board at that point, so we waited near the entrance stanchion and were soon boarding.

Now, we actually like having that boarding photo, so we waited in the line to get our picture taken. Then it was time to cross the gangway and board the ship. I know lots of folks love how each family boarding is announced and the crew and cast members cheer for each arrival. We always try to sneak a clever name past the CM’s, but they don’t seem to like it much anymore. We settled on “The Happy Family” and entered the lobby. After having been on the Dream class ships for the last few sailings, however, I’m surprised at how tiny the atrium seemed – even with the second staircase having been removed.

We headed to guest services to put a gift card onto our account and schedule some mixology and tasting classes.

It was really too chilly to swim, so we opted for lunch at Cabanas and took the mid-ship elevator up to deck 9. On the short walk, I happened upon a cast member with a tray full of Bahama Mamas – the drink of the day – and happily handed over my KTTW card to get the party started. The new handwashing sinks at Cabanas are a nice addition – if not a bit slow - some folks think they’re about to perform surgery…

People still seem to have some difficulty adjusting to stations, rather than a “buffet line”, but I think that will come as long as the cast members remind passengers that it’s not a line. I just happened to want to wait because I saw some french fries calling my name at the kid station. They had some really tasty food at lunch and before we knew it, it was time to head down to our room.

The Bon Voyage bottle of Asti Spumante was chilled and awaiting our arrival. Our bags weren’t there yet, but at least we could sit on the verandah and watch some more of the loading process. The whole operation is fascinating – between guest luggage, food, beverages, mechanical, fuel, pump-out… all going on at once in a well-orchestrated symphony of activity.

But, since this was our first time on the Wonder, we decided to explore the ship a bit before the muster drill.

It’s hard to explain how something can be familiar, yet different. The Wonder is the Magic’s sister ship, so much of the structure is the same. I just adore the intimacy of the classic ships. You become familiar with the faces and it makes the ship feel like a small hometown. It becomes comfortable. We took the aft elevator all the way to deck 10 and wandered around checking out the pools, the new splash zone, the new Twist n’ Spout slide, peeking into the Edge, the sports deck, the Mickey head on the bow. It’s such a short span from fore to stern and I love it. Shutters, on Deck 4, is an array of digital kiosks and I hope this carries over to all ships. It’s much easier than trying to find space to examine your book full of photos. They have also added a private photography venue “Shutters Studio.” “Studio Sea”, where most of the family activities take place, is now “D-Lounge.”

This is where they are holding the DVC member gathering and they scan our KTTW cards at the entrance. Captain Mickey is there waiting to greet guests and I jump over for a photo (or four). After meeting my main mouse, we grab our champagne flutes and take a seat on the bench the back by the starboard porthole. We enjoy the free drinks and find out how to get our baseball caps before heading back to our stateroom. We have a letter inviting us to the Captain’s Gold and Platinum Castaway Club reception and it directly conflicts with our Palo Brunch time. I decide to call Palo to try to make our reservation for later on the sea day. No one answers – probably because of the impending muster drill – so I leave a message.

Our muster station is in Animator’s Palate and I’m happy to see that they maintained the classic look of the restaurant. It takes a bit of shuffling through the crowd to get back to our stateroom and pop open the champagne before heading up to the Sailaway Party. I have one, simple request – and that is to hear the ship’s “When you Wish Upon a Star” horn. I sit on the verandah while last phone calls home are made and by the time we get up on deck – we have missed the horn. (Good thing we’re on a B2B!) We are on our way through the canal and we wave to the people at Fishlips and Jetty Park then head back down to our verandah. We actually got to see the Port Pilot boat pull up and watch the pilot jump off the ship and on the deck of the boat!

The first night’s show is “The Golden Mickeys.” The theater is actually quite full by the time we get there, but we manage to find three seats together toward the back of the theater – which allows for an easy escape at the end. I decide that I’d like to get a quick look in the shops before the crazy crowds descend over the next few days. After a quick survey of the two stores, I already know what I want and will buy it during the day tomorrow, since the crowd is thickening due to the folks from the first show and those from the second show beginning to converge. Dinner isn’t for another hour, so we head back to the stateroom to relax. What a day already! It’s nice to be on a more casual cruise and I opt to go to dinner in my embarkation outfit – which appears to be dressier than most. Our first dinner is in Tiana’s Place.

I can’t gush enough about Tiana’s and it really deserves its own post, so I won’t be going into much detail here. You can read all about it here. Since we have late seating for dinner, it was close to 10:30 by the time we got back to our stateroom.

I was hoping to be able to do “Mickey Mania” but it was already over. Our beds had been turned down and our towel animal was waiting on our bed. Something we never seem to be able to do is enjoy the adult areas of the ship. We’re always so tired after dinner that we just crash. So, we decide to go down to see “Match Your Mate” in Azure. It’s fun enough and it gets us out for a bit before bed.

By midnight, we have already been rocked to sleep. Tomorrow is Nassau, but it’s a sea day for us.