On the fritz

Animator’s Palate is a stunning, imaginative restaurant, themed as a tribute to Disney animation and animators over the years. With the special effects and unique musical score, this one restaurant added $4.3 million to the costs of building the ship.

It is a delight to the eyes and ears as well as the taste buds, for as you enter the restaurant, all is in black-and-white – the walls (covered, on closer examination, with copies of Disney character pencil sketches), the ceiling (which features painters’ palettes supported by “paint brush” columns), the framed artwork of Disney characters on the walls. Tables, chairs, even the wait staff’s uniforms, all are in black and white.

As you dine, the music swells and recedes with themes from many classic Disney features, and portraits associated with that film change to color. When all the pictures have turned to color, they change back to black and white – some of the frames change pictures entirely – and the process begins again. Splashes of color pulse overhead as well, on the ceiling palettes and with fiber optics in the paint brushes.

Then, after the entrees have been cleared, the lights lower and video screens play a sweet and stirring tribute to the art of storytelling through animation, and at the climax of the video “Zip-Ah-Dee-Doo-Dah” plays, the lights come up, and the restaurant has turned to color – not just the pictures and paint brushes, as before, but the formerly black and white walls are awash in oranges and yellows. Our servers parade enthusiastically to the music, now wearing colorful vests instead of plain ones.

That’s the experience of Animator’s Palate. When it works.

When the doors finally open, it’s quickly apparent that the delay was caused by the “show” part of the restaurant, as the walls are already in color as we enter. That… just shouldn’t be yet.

Some of the show lights flicker on and off, and the music doesn’t even play until we’ve been seated for twenty minutes. Eventually they get the lights to the black and white setting, but there are still obvious problems. At least, the problems are obvious to those of us who know what to expect. I just feel sorry for new cruisers not getting to experience the full effect.

Dinner is still delicious, even without fully functional effects. As an appetizer, Linda and I each order the seafood and avocado wrapper, which is very tasty, while Becky and Brandon get the wild garlic mushrooms in a pastry cup. Benjamin has a fruit plate, while Bob passes on an appetizer and just orders a Caesar salad. Linda gets a bowl of butternut squash soup, but Becky, Brandon and I add a Caesar salad as well.

When the salads arrive, Benjamin decides he’d like one, too. We flag Sutas to see if that’s okay, knowing the answer before we ask. Life on a cruise ship is pretty amazing, and they do their best to spoil you rotten. Benjamin soon has his salad.